Chapter 11

“Sweetie, how did training go?”

I look up from my packed backpack to see Soraya standing right next to me. I didn’t even notice it, because my hearing is focused on Azaire in the other room. Just behind that wall. He’s pacing back and forth, growling now and then. It’s distracting as hell.

“Not good,” I admit, and send her a small smile. “Thank you for everything, Mrs. Kaios, but I should go.”

I sniffle, and look back down at my backpack. I’m about to close it, when Soraya snorts next to me.

This time I hear Azaire snort on the other side of the wall. He apparently didn’t think it was that much fun doing that fucking puppy-training on me. I roll my eyes and look up at Soraya again, with a kind smile.

“I appreciate it, but I just heard him laugh at that. He doesn’t want to train me,” I say, and reach down to close my backpack.

I then get up from the floor and pick it up. I pull it up over my shoulders and send another smile towards Soraya. I start to walk towards the door, without so much as a protest from Soraya, which seems kind of odd.

It makes sense when Azaire’s door opens, though, and he’s in front of me a second later. I would bet my life on the fact that she somehow whispered to him that he had to stop me from leaving, or used that mindlink-think she told me about this morning. I don’t think he would stop me willingly.

Or maybe he would? He seemed adamant that I didn’t leave earlier, but he didn’t even look at me after we got back here, and he never even said a word after he yelled at me out there.

His intense, green eyes stares me down as I try to go past him. His hands are up against the doorframes, and he’s too broad to let me pass through the narrow opening. I might be able to get through if I slide the backpack between his legs, and then slip past him on one of the sides.

“I don’t want to keep you against your will, little mate, but you shouldn’t leave,” he says darkly, never taking his eyes off of mine, as I plot my escape. “I still want to teach you, if you keep your mind open, and don’t freak out on me.”

“Freak out on you?” I question, and it’s my turn to narrow my eyes at him, now. “I didn’t freak out, you did. You started yelling at me, reminding me how selfish I am for wanting to leave and spare you the heartache once you realize what a loser you’re stuck with as a mate. And I want to leave! Now!”

I spit the words out before I think. I didn’t mean to tell him that, I meant to say that he’s completely right, that I’m selfish and always will be, and that he should definitely let me leave. But those last words, they caused a burning sensation in my chest, much like the one I experienced out there in the forest.. It burns, and I put a hand up to cover my heart, as I wince in pain.

But I wasn’t lying!

“You don’t,” he states, taking a step closer to me, “you really don’t want to leave. Your heart burns again, I can see it.”

“But I-“

“You thought you wanted it?” he asks, cutting me off from my poor attempt at telling him just that.

I just nod, and look down towards the floor between us. He steps even closer, and puts a finger under my chin again, just like he did earlier today, when he wanted me to look at him. He pulls my face up, and my breath hitches as I see his eyes have softened ever so slightly, and the corners of his lips are just barely tugging upwards into a smile. He leans closer to kiss my forehead, and I close my eyes as his skin meets mine. I hear a humming sound behind me, and I’m suddenly very aware that his mother is in the room, still. She moves towards us, and puts both her arms around us in a hug, and smiles widely.

“You two are gonna give me some really good looking grandchildren one day,” she says, winking at me, before she walks out of the room. “You better get started, both your brother and sister already have a head start, Azaire!”

Her voice rings into the room long after she’s gone, and I take a step back, covering my suddenly warm and probably bright red face. It matches my hair now, no doubt, and I turn around to get some more distance between me and my mate. The thought of him with a little kid on his lap makes my uterus burst. Seriously. It aches down there as I try my best to force the thought away from my mind, and I clear my throat, before looking towards him again. To my surprise, he looks just as embarrassed by his mom as I am, but he sends me a suggestive smile, and wiggles his eyebrows in stead of hiding.

“It’s not happening,” I mutter, before dropping my backpack down to the floor.

“You’re obviously considering it, though, since you’re staying,” he says, and walks closer again.

It’s like he doesn’t even know what personal space is. He always wants to be so close to me. My body seems to enjoy it, but my mind doesn’t. It feels strange, and I don’t like it. I don’t trust him at all.

“Just until I can control my abilities,” I tell him, “and then I’ll leave.”

“We’ll see,” he mutters, before pulling his phone out from his pocket. He looks at it for a few seconds, before looking up at me again with a slight smile. “Do you want to meet Aiden and Zander, now? They want me to come over to play some cards.”

I stare at him for a second, until I remember him mentioning Aiden earlier, when we were in the forest. Aiden is his best friend, the one he used to play with out there while their dads were out on patrol. I bite my lip a little, and nod. I’m not sure meeting any new people will be the smartest thing, but maybe it will give me a better view of the people here, if I can trust them or not.

“Alright, I’ll tell them we’re coming,” he says, and starts tapping on his phone.

“Don’t you use that mindlink-thing your mom talked about?” I ask him, and furrow my brows.

“Nah, we like to feel a little like normal people now and then. Besides, Zander isn’t officially a part of our pack yet, so we do this in stead, so that he wont feel so left out,” he explains, and sends me a small smile.

That actually sounds pretty nice. That they’re doing that for their friend, and mate. But I can’t help but wonder…

“How does one join a pack?” I ask, even before I’ve fully thought out the question in my head.

He sends me a gorgeous, somewhat crooked, smile, showing me his pearly white teeth, that makes me even more certain that this guy is too good to be true, that he can’t be trusted.

“It usually only happens when you meet your mate, so you have to mate with them, of course, and then the pack you wish to join has a ceremony for you, after you’ve cut ties with your old one,” he explains simply, and I have to admit I didn’t really understand it, even though it sounds easy enough.

He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the room, down the hallway and down the stairs. I don’t really get a say in this, apparently, so I just let him drag me through his house. I’m pretty sure it’s because he wants us to go meet his friends, so I don’t really struggle that much. It could have been worse. He could have been rushing to put me into one of those prison cells in his basement, but something tells me he doesn’t have much to say about those. It’s probably his dad and brother who’s pulling the strings around here, since they’re the Alphas. Or, the Alpha and the Alpha’s trainee, I think. I’m not sure I got it right, honestly. There’s way too much to think about with this whole thing..