Chapter 49

"I dare you to look into my eyes without reacting for one minute."

That was easy.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Holding his gaze for a single minute couldn’t be that hard, right?

But the moment my eyes met his, I felt like the air had been knocked from my lungs. His gray eyes weren’t just gray—they were deep, stormy, and intense, pulling me into his charm.

My heartbeat quickened, my chest tightened, and a strange warmth spread through my entire body.

I suddenly felt lightheaded, dizzy even, as if I were standing too close to the edge of something unknown, something dangerous.

Something that felt a lot like falling.

It felt like I was falling in love with him.

But why?

Why was I feeling this way?

Maybe it was just the effect of our bond. I had heard that newly bonded fated mates often acted like honeymooners—completely attached to each other, unwilling to be apart.

But I had never felt anything when Zephyr was away at work. Right?

... Had I?

The truth was, I had done something behind his back.

It wasn’t illegal, but it definitely wasn’t ethical either.

Sometimes, when he spent more time at the office than at home, I would sneak into his room and lie on his bed, just to breathe in his scent.

At first, it had only been for five minutes.

But gradually, five minutes turned into ten. Ten became thirty. And eventually, I found myself lying there for an hour.

I wasn’t even sure if the housemaids had noticed my strange behavior.

But if they had, surely Zephyr would have confronted me about it by now ... right?

My gaze drifted downward, settling on his lips—the lips that had kissed me countless times that night.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to taste them again.

I wanted to.

But I didn’t have the courage to ask for something so shameless.

"Samantha," Zephyr’s voice broke through my thoughts. "My eyes are up here."

My face turned scarlet in an instant.

He had caught me staring at his lips.

Completely flustered, I forgot about the dare and immediately covered my face with my hands.

"I give up," I mumbled. "It’s too hard."

Zephyr chuckled, clearly amused. "You only lasted thirty seconds. Are you shy?"

He tried to pull my hands away to see my face, but I resisted with all my strength. I had no idea where I was even getting this sudden burst of energy.

"Zephyr," I called his name softly. Lifting my head slightly, I peeked through the gap between my fingers to see his expression. "After you marked me ... have you not felt anything strange?"

Zephyr looked taken aback by my question. He averted his gaze before replying casually, "Strange how?"

Did he really feel nothing after marking me?

Was I the only one going insane because of our bond?

I had heard that when an Alpha claimed his true mate, he would become more protective and territorial.

But ... Zephyr wasn’t like that.

"I don’t know," I murmured, my voice growing quieter. "A friend of mine was recently marked by an Alpha. She said she always wants to be near him and gets sad whenever they’re apart."

I was lying.

I didn’t have a friend who had just been marked by an Alpha.

"Her Alpha also became more possessive of her, and they ... you know? Mating constantly. So ... I was just wondering if you ..." I hesitated, biting my lower lip. "Forget it. I’m probably just overthinking. I’m not that attractive anyway."

Zephyr’s expression darkened instantly. His voice turned serious as he frowned and asked, "Who told you that?"

I immediately shook my head. "No! No one said that! It’s just ... me! I’m the one who thinks that way." I paused, trying to calm my racing heart before continuing. "I just think it’s odd. We’ve been mates for two months, but you don’t seem interested in me at all."

My frustration bubbled over as I blurted out, "You’ve never looked like you wanted to mate with me again. We only did it once, and that was it. We’re mates, but ... it doesn’t feel like it."

Had I lost my mind?

Why had I blurted that out to him?

Wasn’t that the same as admitting I was too desperate to be fucked by him?

I should have been relieved that Zephyr never demanded me to warm his bed or to satisfy his desires.

And yet ... I didn’t understand why his indifference frustrated me so much.

The only physical contact we ever shared was holding hands or the occasional hug.

Were we supposed to be werewolf mates or just teenagers experiencing their first love?

Love? I had never considered that before.

I didn’t have those kinds of feelings—so why did I feel so deprived of his touch?

Maybe it was because I had never received affection from my ex-husband. And now, the moment a man gave me even the slightest attention, I turned into a woman starving for love.

But ... I didn’t want to be that kind of woman.

I wouldn’t act this way with just any man.

It was only Zephyr.

Oh god, the wine must have messed with my head.

"Samantha, didn’t I already tell you that I never want to force you?" Zephyr gently lifted my chin, making our eyes meet. "It’s not that I’m not attracted to you, I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable."

"You already have so much on your plate. The last thing I want is to add more pressure by acting on how I feel."