3 - What deal?

Eloise’s POV:

He growls menacingly, cutting me off. A smirk plays on my lips.

So he is afraid of something. The feared, most despicable Alpha is afraid of rejection.

I continue, “reject you, Alpha Kaden Kyson of the Blood Hounds Pack.” 

Leaving the hotel, I am carrying my heels with one hand and the other my purse and phone. Glancing around, I furrow my brows when I realize I am not in my father’s territory. I feel eyes glaring daggers at me from somewhere above, and I look up, only to make eye contact with the same asshole I rejected. His strange onyx eyes glinted mischievously as he stared down at me.

“You will be back, mate.” I remember him say calmly and confidently after he’d pinned me on his bed, planting kisses everywhere on my skin before I shoved him off. The truth is, I was shocked with the way my body reacted to his touch. Inexplicable sparks danced across my skin, erupting from all the places he had touched. 

“Admit it. You cannot escape the bond,” he purred. I shake away his voice in my head and order a taxi to pick me up from Alpha Kaden’s damn house. After booking an Uber, I glance down at my watch and see that it’s already seven a.m. Shit. Pulling out my phone, I turn it on and gasp at the shitload of messages I received from my Mom, Dad, and Dex. I press on Dad’s message firsts and see a bunch of messages saying the same thing.

“Come home. We need to talk.”

My wolf howled, and I knew she was just as nervous as I am knowing Dad. He’s overly protective of me. I screwed up. This is the first time he finally agreed to my conditions and I have ultimately let him down.

Stepping out of the car, I pay the guy and watch him drive off from my parents’ house. Turning around, my hands tremble and my lips quiver in fear knowing I am about to face my father’s wrath. One thing raced in my mind. Dad is going to kill me. 

The floorboards creak as I open the door to our lavish three-story home, my heart beats rampantly, and I hold my breath at the sound of footsteps coming from the kitchen.

“Eloise Sage!” I turn wide-eyed to find my Mom in her little apron and booty shorts, nothing else. Her hair is a cute mess. She had put make-up on, but it’s all smudged from whatever encounters she made last night. 

My mom has a weird way of pronouncing my name though. Although she’s pure Latina, she spent most of her life in the United States. It was only recently she decided to relearn her native language, applying her learnings to daily life.

“Donde estabas?” she races towards me, cupping my chin with her soft hands. 

My brows furrow, when my father steps into the room in time to save my life, or take it.

“My office.” He bellowed, his scanning me head to toe, taking in my full appearance before I had the chance to shower or wash away his scent. I swallow.

“Go clean up. I will see you after.” He said and left without another word.

I blink. 

Well, that went better than I expected. I think.

I excused myself from Mom heading upstairs to shower. So many questions races through my mind about my father’s strange actions since finding out I spent the night with his biggest archnemesis. He should feel a tad angry for even allowing myself to meet him, right? Strange. I thought, testing the water I prepared for my bubble bath. 

Grabbing the lighter, I lighted my lavender scented candle before stripping off my clothes. 

*********************

In my father’s office.

Standing for almost fifteen minutes in front of my father’s office, I finally muster up the courage to knock three times. I rushed getting dressed, not having any time to look at my face in the mirror. My father is known not only for his capability to lead a pack, but also his increasingly short temper and intolerance of tardiness. I shift my feet nervously, waiting for a response.

After a moment, I hear his gruff voice.

“Come in.”

Opening the door, I was already going through the speech I constructed in my head while in   bubble bath when he clears his throat.

I look up realizing I have been avoiding his deadly gaze afraid of his reaction.

“Dad, I can explain.” I start.

My father sits back on his big chair behind his oak table. I used to play in this very office as a kid and play hide and seek with him on the weekends. Yet, now his face is pulled back in a frown as he stares at me, and I hope it’s not judgement I see in his eyes. His eyes are focused on me, yet somehow they skim down below my face.

“Start by that mark on your neck.” 

I squeeze my brows in confusion, my hands darting to my neck on impulse. Quickly, I turn my head to look at my reflection in the mirror set up against the wall facing me. 

A gasp tore out of my throat, however, when I see a blue glowing mark like a tattoo on my damn neck.

“W-What… I-I didn’t…” I stumble over my words, my eyes glued to the mirror and the stupid mark on my neck. I begin to scratch it but it does nothing to erase the mark.

“I have no idea why I have this mark.” I whisper-mumble, facing my father who stands erect and walks over to me.

He comes close, and I shut my eyes closed waiting for his hand to strike me. But it never came.

“Why are you so tense?” he asks, pulling me out of my little panic attack.

“Huh? Aren’t you angry at me?” 

He looks at me, and sighs.

“I understand why you might think that.” 

How could I not? All my life, he always warned me not to cross paths with Alpha Kaden Kyson of the Blood Hounds Pack.

“After realizing Alpha Kaden is your mate, we made a deal.” My father says.

“What deal?” I raise an eyebrow, looking at him. But he doesn’t answer me. Instead, his eyes go to the door as if he’s expecting someone to walk in any second now.

“You may come in, Alpha Kaden.” He calls out. 

Before I knew it, the most intoxicating scent that pulled me to him in the first place entered my nostrils, flooding my brain that leaves me feeling intoxicated. My wolf stirs from her wake, purring loudly as she scented the same man I rejected. Our fated mate.