Chapter 4

Leila shuddered as she backed away from Hendrik.

Had she heard him right? Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting? Leila almost couldn't believe her ears as she stared at the wolfish grin on his face. This was the man who was regarded as the eligible bachelor of the pack. The man all the ladies of the pack would fall over themselves for. The man whom everyone praised for being extremely kind hearted and gentle, coming to her to suggest that the both of them be entangled in an illicit relationship, moment after rejecting her in public.

"What do you say, sweetheart? Surely, you see that it's not a terrible idea, hm?", Hendrik asked as he continued to walk towards her.

Leila continued to back away from him until she felt the coldness of the wall against her back. She looked behind her and sure enough, the wall was behind her now. She turned back to look at Hendrik.

"No", she told him, trying as best as she could to sound firm.

Hendrik blinked.

"No?", he asked.

"No", Leila repeated firmly.

Hendrik stared at her, surprise written all over his face. He blinked repeatedly and looked at her as if he was coming to terms with the fact that she had just refused him. He probably never guessed that she would refuse and Leila scoffed inwardly at that. If it was any other girl in the pack, they probably wouldn't but Leila knew herself so she refused.

"What do you mean no?", Hendrik finally asked her after minutes of staring at her silently.

"I mean no", Leila repeated.

"I don't agree to whatever it is you are suggesting. If you cannot acknowledge me as your mate in public, I don't see why there should be any sort of relationship between us", Leila stated firmly.

Hendrik stared at her for a long time, as if trying to determine if she was joking or being serious but when he saw the firmness in her eyes, he realized she was being serious. He found it almost unbelievable. He stared silently at her for a long time and she met his gaze, firmly. After some time, Hendrik finally broke into a chuckle.

"Playing hard to get, I see", he said with a grin and Leila blinked.

Hendrik backed away from her, glanced at her and chuckled some more.

"That's interesting. Fine, I'll play with you. I admit, it would be a bit boring if you just agreed like that", Hendrik said.

"But don't play for too long, I might lose my patience", he told her and a wolfish grin spread out on his face.

Leila said nothing in response, she just stared at him.

"I'll come back soon, I hope you will be more willing then", he said and grinned at her before walking towards the door.

"Don't you ever come back here", Leila warned after him and Hendrik paused. He turned around to look at her.

"If you come back here, I'll tell. I'll tell everyone", Leila threatened.

Hendrik stared at her ponderingly for a long time before grinning.

"Oh really?", he asked her.

"And who would believe you?", he asked and Leila froze.

Hendrik smiled broadly before walking out and closing the door behind him.

No sooner had Hendrik left when Leila broke down on the floor in tears. She sat down on the floor, hugged her knees to her chest and cried her eyes out, she cried throughout the night.

The next day, Leila laid awake in her bed as the sun began to stream into her rooms in rays. She rolled onto her side on the bed and listened to the morning sounds. She didn't want to get out of bed at all, she felt so tired and drained that she just wished she could lay in her bed all day. She wished she didn't have to deal with the hostility of the pack today but Leila knew this was not an option for her. She was all alone since her parents had left her, she had to fend for herself and Mrs. Mary had been kind enough to give her job as her assistant in her store, she couldn't miss a day. With that thought, Leila forced herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

She stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. Her eyes were all red and puffy, side effects from all the crying she had done last night and the fact that she had not gotten enough sleep. Leila's mind drifted back to the conversation she had had with Hendrik. She still couldn't believe it. She still couldn't believe that that was the man most of the ladies in the village admired. The Hendrik that everyone spoke good of, the man she had prayed to the moon goddess to mate her to. He even had the nerve to think she was playing hard to get. How big was his ego? And how much more despicable could he be?

Leila shuddered when she remembered his promise to come back. She wanted to tell someone but who could she tell? Everyone in the village shunned her. And even if they didn't, like Hendrik had said, who would believe her? It was his word against hers and he was the most eligible bachelor in the pack, loved by all, while she was just a wolfless girl, shunned by all.

Leila pondered over the matter as she went about her morning routine, preparing for work. Leila looked at herself in the mirror, examining herself, she was putting on a burgundy colored plain gown that reached her knees. She let her hair down to cover her face, a habit that she had developed. Satisfied that she looked okay, she slipped on a pair of sandals, picked up her bag and headed out. Locking the door behind her, Leila began to walk down the road towards the store. Leila had not gotten too far from her house when she suddenly froze.