LIKE HOW, LITTLE FLOWER

“Argh!!”

Polly exclaimed as her hands let go of the basket of flowers she was holding, letting it fall all over her. Her body twisted around as she reached out to grab onto anything she could before hitting the ground, but there was nothing to hold.

Her eyes shut as she waited for the impact, but suddenly strong arms went around her and steadied her.

Polly’s eyes fluttered open, her heart beating so fast she thought it would jump out of her ribcage.

The first thing she saw when her eyes opened were golden-hued eyes, flanked by long lashes. He was blinking, almost in slow motion. And smiling.

His face was a little too close to hers; she could feel his breath on her skin. This up close, he was incredibly pretty. His eyes… she hadn’t noticed this earlier, but they stared as though utterly captivated by whatever they were watching—dreamy eyes, the kind that drew you in, as though pleading… yearning…

Her eyes fell to his lips; they held a smirk, a wry smirk that seemed to know something about her that she didn’t. The earlier coldness she had seen when he walked into the garden had disappeared. Polly was breathing fast; her lips moved, but no words came out. She wanted to reach out and touch the locks of hair that fell over his face, but she immediately stopped herself from that incredible madness.

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Rael reached out and picked a flower out of her hair.

Polly shuddered at the touch and, though catching herself, jumped away from him.

“You!... you…” she stuttered, pointing at him. Polly was sure her face was beet red. Why did this stupid body choose that moment to fall? And why the hell was she almost red at his touch? Polly wanted to peel her skin off as she gritted her teeth. She hated it so much—the effect he had on her.

And why the hell was he smiling like that?!

Polly cursed under her breath and stomped her feet. Rolling her eyes at him, she bent down and began picking up the flowers from the ground.

Rael cleared his throat. “That’s the thank you I get for saving your life?”

He spoke, sinking his hands into his pockets, smiling so bright like he had just won a troply.

Polly shot her eyes up and glared at him. “I didn’t ask for your help!” she huffed, picking the last of the flowers and adjusting the hem of her dress. Looking back at him with a glare, she added, “And don’t you ever touch me like that again.”

She said it and started walking forward, dragging her feet as she moved.

Behind her, Rael chuckled_ low deep, and maddeningly smug. “Touch you like how, little flower?”

He teased, his voice curling around her spine like warm wine. She turned to look at him.

“You mean this…” Before she could brace herself, he closed the gap between them and picked another leaf from her hair. His fingers lightly brushed her chin, and Polly visibly shook again, her lashes fluttering and her cheeks burning incredibly red.

Not even in her wildest dreams did Polly think he would ACTUALLY do it again!

Her heart banged against her chest like drums. She opened her lips to speak, but nothing came out.

“Or was it…” he murmured, leaning in so he was at eye level with her, his lips barely an inch away from hers, “when I caught you from falling, little flower?”

Polly instantly staggered backwards, her eyes glaring at him ferociously. She couldn’t believe her ears.

“Little… little flower?!” she glared, her chest heaving. “Don’t you dare call me that! I am not your flower, you hear me?”

What the hell was wrong with him?

The angrier she got, the wider his smile became. He was enjoying this, right?

“Okay, I won’t call you that again,” Rael apologized. A breath, and then he added, “Little flower.”

Polly’s anger nearly burst through her eyes. There were imaginary fumes puffing out of her ears.

“You are insufferable!” she cursed, pointing her fingers dangerously at him.

“I hate you!” she barked, but Rael was laughing now, his eyes curving in crescents.

“Yeah, I know. You mentioned yesterday.”

Polly took in a sharp breath. She was losing focus and coordination. If she remained there, she was sure to make a mess of herself in front of him. She needed to escape—and more importantly, stop talking!

This beast! What the hell was wrong with him?

Rolling her eyes at him, she swallowed whatever words were bubbling in her throat, held the hem of her dress, and started walking forward, marching her feet hard on the ground as she exited the gates.

She could hear him laughing behind her, but Polly didn’t turn around.

Rael’s laughter died once she was out of the gates, and he breathed out. For a moment there, he had forgotten why he had come to the garden. It was as though she had taken all the pain he felt away.

He had never had a discussion with her before. Suprisingly, she was actually not bad to be around. He could see the hate in her eyes, but her body was reacting differently to him. He was sure it was because of the mate bond that hadn’t been broken yet.

It was mild now— she could control it— but it would become incredibly difficult for her to control on a full moon.

Unless… they broke the bond before then. The next full moon was in two weeks. He was sure she would request the bond to be broken.

Rael took in a deep breath and brushed his hand through his hair, thinning his lips. If she asked for the bond to be broken, he had to grant it, by the rules. He couldn’t force her to be with him if she didn’t want to.

She hadn’t mentioned it, so it most likely meant she forgot, Rael thought silently.

If she asked for the bond to be broken, then he would grant her wish. But if she didn’t ask… he wouldn’t remind her.

He turned to leave the garden, and he hadn’t taken up to ten steps when he saw Jared walking toward him, his brows fixed in a frown. When he saw him, he suddenly looked relieved.

Jared quickened his steps and stopped in front of Rael. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said, and Rael frowned.

“What is it?”

“Archibald, Alpha of Riverside Pack, just arrived. But that’s not all…” he paused, steadying his breath.

“He’s here with an army.”