MESMERIZED

AMARIS

Tears streamed down my cheeks when I finally walked out into the cold.

I had been pushed out of the estate as soon as the buffet set in. Slaves were not meant to be there. 

But today was a day of celebration and slaves were allowed to hang in the dark corners and eat the leftovers. To hear the boom of the music from beneath the stairs. To stay warm from the cold. 

I wasn't allowed any of those privileges because I'd been stupid enough to claim the Alpha as my mate. 

Why did fate have to be so cruel to me, over and over again? Wasn't it enough that I was weak as ash without a wolf? Wasn't it enough that I'd somehow found myself alone in this world?

A bell jingled overhead as I pushed the door into a high-strung bar mainly for commoners and rogues in the city. I kept my head down until I got to the counter and slammed a few coins on the top. 

“Ginger ale, please.”

The wild laughter and jokes ringing in the room subsided, and I could feel heads turn in my direction. My eyes remained trained on my boots because honestly, I've had enough drama for one day.

I caught the drink as the bartender slid it over the counter, lifting it to my lips with shaky fingers. 

As I drank, I replayed the night at the estate over and over again, in my head. The way everyone had laughed loud and wild, pointing mocking fingers at me, like I was the most ridiculous joke ever. 

Why did my mate have to be the Alpha? Good thing he rejected me, because there was no way I was putting up with an asshole like him.

“Do you always leave your hair down like that?”

My thoughts were interrupted by a velvety voice, but I wasn't sure what to make of those words. So I kept staring into the mug in my hands.

“Hey,” the bartender slapped his palm on the counter in front of me, “he's talking to you.”

“What?” I lifted my head, not expecting the gorgeous man sitting across the counter and watching me intently. 

For the second time tonight, my breath disappeared down my lungs and seemed to remain there. 

“Your hair,” his eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue I'd ever seen, so hypnotic, “it doesn't let me see your face.”

My heart picked up an unsteady beat, and sudden, unbearable heat burned under my skin. 

He lifted his hands and threaded his fingers through a mop of deep burgundy hair. Broad shoulders rippled through the jacket. 

I stared at this unbelievably hot man sitting across from me, wondering if this was a trance. 

He looked like he didn't belong in this room, and when he spoke again, the velvet rumble of his voice indicated a separate class in high volumes.

I would melt away any minute if he kept looking at me like that… Like I was the only girl in the room. 

The background noise had faded away, and it seemed like it was just us two here, at this moment.

Was it because no one ever looked at me long enough for me to see how hot flames of lust could look in a deep sea of blue eyes?

His lips curved in the most beautiful smile as he leaned forward very slightly. “Are you going to keep ignoring me? You're hurting my feelings.”

Was he really…smiling at me?

“What's your name?”

“Why do you care?” I blurted before I could stop myself. I wasn't used to people being so nice to me, talking to me, smiling at me. 

He lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug. “Because I’m losing my mind here wondering what a beautiful girl like—”

“Stop it, please. You don't have to lie to me.”

“Why would you think that?”

My eyes moved down his face to his body, taking in the details.

His broad chest stretched across a cashmere fabric, neat and bespoke. 

He didn't look like a commoner at all, which put me more on edge. Staring into those eyes, though, it felt like I was slipping off that edge. 

I swallowed a lump down my throat. “What do you want?”

“To buy you a drink. I think you need one to relax.”

I slammed my mug on the desk and pushed to my feet. Because I hated the way my insides were turning to mush just from him looking at me. “You shouldn't bother. I was just leaving.”

I started to leave, but like lightning, a hand grabbed me from behind. 

I turned around, wide-eyed. The stranger with striking blue eyes stared down at me with a small frown. 

“Let me go, please.” I tried to pull my wrist free, my skin burning from his touch. But he wouldn't budge. 

“What are you hiding from?”

“Nothing.”

“So just let me buy you one drink. If you still don't like my face when you're done, I won't stop you from leaving. Even though it’d hurt.”

I bit my lips from spilling a laugh. Because if I could have my way, I'd stare at this man’s face forever. 

We just weren't…cut from the same fabric. And it was plain as day. 

He led me back to my seat and ordered me the same drink he was having. Something smooth and warm down my throat. 

His blue eyes never left my face, and I squirmed underneath his gaze. 

“Can you do me a favor?”

I blinked hard. “What?”

Without a word, he stood and walked over to where I sat. 

When he leaned forward, I froze. And when his fingers brushed the nape of my neck, my senses turned to mush. 

“W-What are you doing?”

“Trust me, please.” His voice had dropped several decibels, and it seemed even more hypnotic at that level, washing over my skin like a hot bath. 

My breath hitched in my throat as he gathered my hair in his fist and lifted it off my face and neck. 

“See?” He whispered, pulling back to look at my face. “I knew you'd look much prettier this way.”

I cleared my throat, stunned beyond words. 

“A face like this should wear a smile more often. I bet yours would take me out of this world.”

“What?”

“Your smile.”

Goddess help me, because I didn't even realize my face had split into a shy grin until he blinked at me, mesmerized. 

“You're beautiful,” he blurted, his eyes burning warm holes into my lips. 

The space between us shrank further, and the air grew heavier. I half-consciously ran my tongue across my bottom lip, and his pupils went dark, dilating. 

“C-Can you…take a step back, please?”

Too many emotions swimmed in my chest, twisting the knots in my stomach and pooling heat between my legs. 

Blinking like he was just snapped from a trance, he slowly backed away from me and pulled a chair close. 

“So, tell me why you don't smile so often.”

I shrugged, reaching for my mug with trembling fingers. “Not everyone has something to smile about.” I lifted the mug to my lips and drank until it was almost empty. 

“I could make you smile.” 

He said it so suddenly, without any sort of warning. I choked on the drink, coughing so hard he immediately leaned forward with a napkin ready in his big hand. 

I looked at him through my lashes as he dabbed the traces of liquid on my face. He seemed to be stifling a smile. 

“Do you always flirt with every lonely, unsmiling girl you see in a bar?” 

His expression turned serious in the blink of an eye. “I’ve never been attracted to an unsmiling girl with the most beautiful set of eyes, until you walked through that door.”

My heart expanded so much, beating so hard I feared it would explode from my chest. 

He paused, his eyes dropping to my lips. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Do me one more favour, will you?”

Mesmerized, I nodded slowly. My head felt light. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the fact that I'd somehow managed to catch the eyes and attention of this striking man that seemed way out of my league. 

Whatever it was, my sense of reason breezed out the window as he leaned in, all cedarwood and charm, and his lips met mine in the warmest kiss ever. 

He pulled back just as I opened up hungrily beneath him. I bit my lip in half-regret.

But his next words were way beyond rewarding. 

“I'll make you smile tonight. It's a promise.”