A Mistake

Galatia’s POV

Later that evening, the yelling reached me all the way from my office, and it was loud enough that I immediately knew who was responsible. I didn’t need confirmation, didn’t need to ask. Of course it was her. Sidney… or whatever her name was, had already made herself impossible to ignore.

The hell she had put me through on the way here from the airport, almost scratching my face just because she wanted her phone back.

Grinding my teeth together, I rose out of my chair and started to walk out of my office, irritation rolling through me in a familiar, unwelcome wave. I had deliberately avoided her all day because I simply did not have the patience to deal with her questions, her attitude, or the inevitable explanations she would demand. I did not owe her anything beyond shelter, and tonight, of all nights, my tolerance was nonexistent.

Not tonight.

This was one of the many reasons I had told Ronnie it was a bad idea, but after pleading relentlessly as if the fate of the world depended on it, I had eventually given in, against my better judgment of course.

This wasn’t my fight or anything, but here I was, helping to fight it and regain control over the damn situation that wasn’t even mine to start with.  

Tonight was a full moon night, a night I preferred to spend alone in my room, locked away from the pull of instincts, because the last thing on my mind was finding or trying to find a mate.

I doubted the Moon Goddess would ever dare bind another soul to mine after I had already wasted the one I was given.

My heart clenched in my chest at the thought of Laila, and I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

I could hear a steady stream of curses as I rounded the corner that led to the living room, and I almost chuckled at that.

Our guest was giving hell already, as she should. I had told Dahlia to take her upstairs to the room prepared for her, but she must have found her way down to make trouble.

“I need to call my family. If this is a kidnap, then maybe we can talk ransom, shit!” she said.

I was about ten feet from the living room when a smell hit my nostril, something floral and sweet, something I had never smelt before in this house, and I could feel my wolf stir.

It was floral and sweet, unlike anything that belonged in my house, and so unfamiliar that my wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin. The reaction was immediate and unsettling, a sharp awareness flooding my senses.

Something was wrong, I could tell, but I wasn't sure what.

The scent grew stronger as I moved closer, wrapping around me in and insistent and impossible-to-ignore kind of way.

The closer I got, the harder it became to breathe as the scent thickened in the air, curling around me like a living thing, and my wolf surged forward with a force that nearly brought me to a halt.

Grey… that was the name of my wolf… pressed hard against my control, recognition blazing through him with undeniable certainty, and for the first time in years, I felt him strain to break free even though I was gripping hard on him. I clenched my jaw and forced him down, shoving that instinct back where it belonged, even as my pulse began to thunder in my ears.

No. This was not possible.

I stepped into the living room, and my gaze landed on her.

Sidney stood near the center of the room with her hands clenched into fists, her posture rigid with fear and fury all tangled together.

Her scent hit me full-on now, unmistakable and overwhelming, and something inside my chest cracked open despite my resistance.

Mate.

The word sounded through my mind like a curse, and I felt Grey howl his agreement in my head. There had to be a mistake.

I was an alpha, someone that was bound by blood, and duty to my pack, and she was human.

The Moon Goddess would not be so cruel, not after everything I had already lost to pair me to a human, a woman that was involved with my cousin, his mistress brought here to stop the disruption of his wedding.

The very idea made my stomach turn and churn.

The Moon Goddess was playing tricks on me, I decided bitterly. That was the only explanation that made sense to me at the moment, because tell me why I was suddenly feeling so strongly pulled to her.

Okay, don't get me wrong, the moment I saw her at the airport, I understood immediately, what had attracted Ronnie to her.

Sidney, or whatever her name was, was a very attractive woman. She was about five foot seven or eight, with curves I wasn't exactly expecting.

A body that was soft where it mattered and strong enough to suggest she wasn’t fragile, no matter how shaken she looked at the moment.

The curve of her hips caught my attention first, followed closely by the generous swell of her breasts beneath the thin fabric of her shirt, rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths that told me she was far more frightened than she wanted me or anyone to see.

My gaze drifted upward before I could stop it, and that was a mistake.

Her lips were full, naturally flushed, parted slightly as she argued with anyone who would listen. They looked distractingly kissable, the kind that would soften under pressure, that would fit too easily against mine.

The thought hit me hard enough that I stiffened, my hands curling into fists at my sides as if that alone could anchor me.

Then there were her eyes.

They were too beautiful to be real, wide and expressive, shimmering with anger and fear in equal measure. When they flicked toward me, something sharp twisted low in my gut. Those eyes looked like they could see straight through every wall I had built, like if I let myself fall into them for even a moment longer, they would bare my soul and expose everything I had buried with Laila.

She had dimples in both sides of her cheeks, something I had just noticed now. She didn't need to smile. If she was angry enough, and twisted her mouth at the right angle, one could see them.

I dragged in a slow breath, forcing myself to catalogue the details like they meant nothing, like she was just another woman standing in my living room and not the center of my universe suddenly snapping into place.

Her hair framed her face in a way that softened her sharp words, and the faint tension in her shoulders made my wolf want to close the distance and shield her from whatever threat she thought I represented.

That instinct alone was enough to terrify me.

Grey snarled at my denial, shoving forward again, desperate for me to claim what he believed was ours. I shoved him back with iron control, forcing my face into neutrality even as every instinct screamed to step closer, to put my face to her neck and breathe her in, to anchor her to me.

I would not lose myself in front of a human woman, especially not one who looked at me like I was the devil himself.

“I want to leave,” she snapped the moment she noticed me, her eyes flashing as she took an aggressive step forward.

“No darling, don't come any closer.” I said, mentally, gritting my teeth with my hands fisted by my side.

“You can’t just keep me here. I don’t care who you think you are.” she said.

I said nothing, just stared at her, my control at the edge of slipping. I couldn't allow myself to hear her words because I was trying to restrain myself from touching her. I was this close; two fingers held almost together kind of close, to losing my shit, and that wasn’t a sight she would like to see.

“I’m going to call the police if you don't let me go. I'll get the FBI involve, I'll tell everyone what a scumbag you are.” she said, but still, I said nothing.

“I’m going to ruin you, make sure you don’t see the light of the day again by the time I’m done with you. I’ll show you that I can be your worst nightmare.”

All those threats of hers, they didn't faze me. I was more intent on keeping my wolf from snapping, from taking control.

“Please,” she said quietly, when she realized none of her threats were working. “Just let me go. I won’t say anything. I swear.” She begged, pushing both hands together as if in prayer.

Every word she said scraped against my nerves. Grey strained again, urging me to comfort him in the way that I can, to soothe him. I said nothing. I could not trust myself to speak more than necessary.

“You need to stay quiet,” I finally told her, making sure my voice was low and controlled, stripped of any emotion I could not afford to show. “You will return to your room, and you will stay there.” I said.

If she wanted to survive the night, where I wouldn't do what we would both regret by morning, then she would stay out of my sight.

Her eyes widened with disbelief flickering across her face as if she expected more, expected something else from me. I turned away before she could say another word, before my restraint shattered under her scent and Grey’s relentless pull.

Walking away was the only way to keep control. I needed the distance anyway, the walls between us.

Because if I stayed one second longer, the truth I was refusing to accept would consume me whole.

Suddenly, I felt her hand on my skin, stopping me. “Please, Galatia… if that’s even your real name. Let me go. I promise you, I don’t have anything to give. I’m not rich or anything. I probably can’t pay the ransom.” She said, all in one breath.

And just like that, in that single fluid moment that I was distracted for, my wolf leapt to the surface, my eyes turning grey and my teeth baring. Right before I could turn to her, I heard Dahlia’s voice, my housekeeper.

“Ms. Harp, please, come with me. You really shouldn’t be down here. It’s for your own good.” She said.

Instantly, her hand dropped from my arm and she turned to Dahlia. “Is that a threat?” she asked, her voice smaller than she probably intended.

“No, miss. But you should come with me.” She said.

Grunting, I stood still, hoping by the moon goddess that she took the opening Dahlia just gave her. I was holding myself by the edge, tethered and fraying, every muscle locked tight as Grey strained against the leash I had wrapped around him.

“Please,” Dahlia said again, her tone carrying an unspoken warning meant for both of us.

Sidney hesitated, her gaze flicking back to me, I could feel her eyes on me even though I had my back to her. Her eyes were burning the flesh on my skin. For one terrifying second, I thought she might reach for me again.

Instead, she exhaled shakily. “Fine,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself as if bracing for impact.

Dahlia guided her away, one careful step at a time, and with each foot of distance she put between us, the pressure in my chest eased just enough for me to breathe again. I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t afford to watch her leave.

The moment they disappeared down the hallway, I bent forward slightly, palms braced against my thighs, forcing Grey back into submission with sheer will alone.

This was a mistake. She was a mistake.

And if I didn’t put an end to this soon, fate would destroy far more than just my control.