005 - This Mess

ALTHEA.

He was so close. Too close, I wanted to kiss him. Something was really wrong with me.

This pairing was impossible from the very beginning. 

He was too old for me. He has an impossible temper. He’s a werewolf. And he was still in love with his mate.

My hands went to clutch his hand that was holding my chin, taking it off my face as I dropped my gaze away from him, breaking the magic between us.

“The food will get cold if we keep it waiting,” I said in a soft voice. I didn’t want to fight him anymore. 

Having him too close was making me weak. This was not a good sign. He was making me vulnerable. 

“Right. Let’s eat. I’m famished.”

The last two words came out as if he growled them lowly, and my traitorous core clenched at the sexiness of his voice.

It was a struggle to stay still while sitting in front of him, but I survived dinner without snapping at him. And he gave me back the same courtesy. We were both civil, but I could tell he was as uncomfortable as I was.

But at least the dinner was peaceful.

We talked about what I knew about the demon world and the reason why he was sent here to look for my mother. 

But since she was gone, Blade thought I was the next best thing. 

I wanted to tell him that although I knew many things about the demon realm, I was not an expert in spells and magic, but I also didn’t want him to know that. He said I was too young, and admitting that I was not a high witch yet would just make me look weaker in his eyes. So I kept my tough facade, pretending I knew what I was doing.

After that conversation, I was expecting he would talk about his mate and why he wanted a witch to reach out to her. But it never came. 

There were also many things I wanted to ask him about us and the mate bond he was saying, but he seemed not interested, so I didn’t ask anything. 

After dinner, he said goodnight and was about to make his way out when I found myself offering the extra room in the house. 

Again, something must be wrong with me because I kept doing things that I knew were totally wrong.

I gave him my old room while I stayed in my mother’s room, which I began occupying after her death. The bed was small for his frame, but I thought it was better than being out in the cold. 

I sat in my bed, holding the biggest blanket I could find, since I knew nothing was in his room.

But instead of going to him right away, I took my time contemplating things.

He did say his first mate died five years ago. So, if I were also his mate, what am I then? A replacement?

My shoulders sagged as I let out a deep breath. So much for thinking that I would find someone who would love me like the ones I read in romance novels. 

Maybe true love doesn’t exist because all I was given was a mate bond, and to make matters worse, I was just a fill-in. I would never have him if the first one didn’t die. So there was nothing special there. But even with that bond, he still didn’t want me.

Maybe this was the perfect time to meet other people.

Or I would grow old alone.

I thought I was okay with that — just reading novels and being happily in love with the characters I loved. But meeting Blade made me realize how many things I was missing. 

I liked the warmth that his body was giving me and the security I felt whenever he was around. If he couldn’t give that to me because I was too young for him or because I was not his original mate, then maybe I should find someone else to give me the warmth and attention I was craving.

Maybe accepting his offer to go to the Mystic Pack is the right choice. It would open many opportunities for me. I could try, and I could always return here if I fail.

I made up my mind to tell him I would go with him. 

I stood up, and with the blanket in my hands, I went to his room. 

I knocked three times, and when he didn’t answer, I pushed the door to his bedroom open, only to be left frozen in my spot. 

Blade looked at me while my mouth hung open. A few seconds after that, something spurted out of his hard cock that he was holding. 

Did he just masturbate in my bedroom?

My eyes darted from his massive dick to the floor, where the drip of his cum fell.

He chuckled. “I will clean it up.”

“How could you?” I asked, still dumbfounded.

“You’re the one who didn’t knock.”

“It’s my home!” I shrieked.

“I’m a fucking man! I have a libido!” He snapped back at me before he pulled up his pants and buckled them up. He then grabbed the pillow, taking out its case before swiping the floor clean with it.

My mouth hung open more as my eyes rounded in shock. “You did not wipe it with my pillowcase!”

“I just did.”

“You’re disgusting!”

“Just throw it in the machine and wash it!”

“I don’t have a washing machine!”

“Use your magic to clean it, then!”

“You go wash that on your own!” I yelled at him, and I felt my face burning in anger. I felt violated, although I was the one who entered his room without notice. 

A smug smirk formed on his lips before he extended his arm, handing me the stained pillowcase and making me move backward. 

“I jerked off thinking of you and came when I saw you by the door. So it’s your fault that I made a mess here.”

“Bastard!” I hissed as I threw the blanket on his face before leaving his room, slamming the door on my way out, and going directly to my bedroom.

I was sure my face was so red from embarrassment.