8. A Different Type of hunger

Kane's POV

I move to the door of the punishment room and hold the handle to pull it open. For a second I pause due to the thought nagging at the back of my mind. What if Delilah is a warlock? What if the Ultima wants her as one of his many warlock sacrifices? A strange and unwelcome sensation seizes my heart. I don't want history to repeat itself. Delilah must comply with this investigation. It's for her own good or she might just lose her life.

I pull the door open and go in search of Ezekiel, my beta. He's in the training room with three sentinels. They give a slight bow on seeing me and I dismiss them.

"General," Ezekiel calls to me.

I waved him to the boxing ring for a practice match. We put on our gloves and step up to fight. I need to expel this negative energy, and fighting is the surest way I get to relax my mind.

Ezekiel throws me a punch and I dodge. I send another one flying his way. He squats and attempts to deck me in the neck. I block his hand and push him off.

"What's having you all worked up?" he asks, bouncing on his two feet.

"A prisoner," I reply. Most times it happens like this. I get angry at a prisoner, but I can't do away with them, so I come here and have a fight with Ezekiel.

"How painful is a mate rejection. Is it lethal?"

A confused expression appears on his face. "Mate rejection? Since when did you start caring about those things?"

"Just answer my question, Ezekiel," I say in annoyance.

He throws two punches in my direction and I duck. "A rejection isn't lethal. But the she-wolf in question feels the pain physically. Once you've had any intimate contact with her, a sort of telepathic connection forms between you two."

"So if I reject her now, it'll hurt more than this," I speak, trying to confirm my thoughts.

"You found your mate? That's good news!" Ezekiel exclaims. He lets down his guard and I punch him hard in the face.

"Oww!" he shouts and sets up his defence again.

"Never let your guard down during a fight," I instruct him.

"Who's she?" He says, attacking me. I dodge.

"Delilah. And I'm going to reject her. I just need to find the right time."

"Why? A mate bond is one of the best things that can happen to a werewolf. You need to accept her."

"I don't. She will only weaken me. She's already making my investigations hell!" I complain, throwing my hands in the air. I immediately take back my fighting position and stand guard.

"The benefits of accepting her outweigh the disadvantages. I suggest you give this a second thought."

"My mind is already made. The situation between me and Delilah isn't like you and Nora. We can't work."

Ezekiel grabs me and fights me to the corner of the ring where he traps me.

"Just think about it, Kane. There's a reason why the moon goddess destined you for each other."

I push him off and he returns to his former position but removes his gloves. "I need to check in with the hunters from the Yuletide pack. There are more strange gunshots around their borders."

"Gunshots? I thought they did a daily check on their camouflage.

"Yes, they're currently residing on one of our newly discovered Hotspots," Ezekiel informs me.

"I asked them to move but they assured me they wouldn't be seen. I will have a talk with Alpha Derrick later. Report every issue they have to my desk. I'll communicate with the Ultima myself."

"Sure," Ezekiel replies and moves out of the ring. Just before leaving he turns around to me and says, "Please give your mate bond a second thought."

I wave off his statement and come out of the boxing ring. Right now I need fresh air and some space to think. Removing my gloves, I leave the training room and go into the woods beside the Blood Moon pack territory.

When I get to the lakeside, I remove my shoes, letting my feet feel the hard soil. I start to exercise my fighting skills, throwing punches, kicks and some moves requiring high jumps.

A strange sensation seizes my heart when I think of accepting Delilah. It's too risky. I've worked so hard to get to this position. I've invested my sweat and blood into becoming who I am. I can't sacrifice it all because of a petty mate bond.

I want to save Delilah. Sadly, if she doesn't comply I'd have to do things the hard way. I can't afford to be intimate with her and deepen this bond I don't want.

A strange sound catches my attention and I frown. Someone else is here. This is my personal spot where I come to clear my head. How is someone else here? I instructed every one of my pack members to stay out of this region except when necessary.

Following the sound, it leads me under the apple tree close to the lake. I move closer to it and notice the intruder is female. On closer examination, I notice it's Delilah.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I shout at her and she jumps down.

"Having an alone time," she says and adds in a condemning tone, "Only to be bombarded by your poor fighting moves."

I immediately become defensive and angry. "That's if you know anything about fighting. And this is my private space. You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't even be outside my quarters."

She dusts the skirt of her gown and walks ahead to the lakeside. "I'm tired of being locked up in that room. I also like this spot."

I walk up to her and grab her by the arm from behind, making her face me.

"You're not meant to like anything. You're a prisoner."

"Of course I am. I have you, of all persons, as my mate. It feels like a trap."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask angrily. "Wait!" I hold up my hands to her and she doesn't speak. I can hear the footsteps of someone approaching us. "Get into the water!" I tell her.

"What? No!" She says defiantly.

"Get into the water!" I charge at her and drag her into the lake.

She tries to struggle but I hold her in place. A sentinel comes to the clearing beside the lake.

"General Kane? General Kane?" he calls, looking around. Less than fifteen seconds later, he leaves. I hold Delilah down for some extra seconds as the Sentinel runs off to look for me elsewhere.

I let go of her and she swims out of the water. She takes a huge gasp for breath and leans on the tree. Coming out of the water, I go after her.

"Why don't you ever listen? You make everything difficult for no good reason." I angrily punch the tree beside her head.

She shuts her eyes in fear. When she opens them, she quietly glares at me as she tries to recover her breath.

My gaze trails down her eyes to her wet lips and body. Her chest heaves up and down with her heavy breathing. Her clothes cling to her skin, exposing the curves on her body. Why does she have to look so tempting yet act so stubborn?

As if on instinct, my hand moves to hold her neck in a bid to act violently, to show my anger. But her skin feels so soft underneath my palm. I can't help brushing against her neck with my thumb. A soft gasp escapes her and I raise my gaze to her pink and inviting lips. Suddenly, I feel a hunger in me like I've never felt before. A hunger for a different type of satisfaction.