169* Old Habits

Willa's POV

Kirsch had been in his wolf form in front of me ever since we moved into the new house.

Pretty sure he had been shifting on his own because I once heard him shouting on the phone in his study. We played a little by the huge pool on the first day, but then he rarely comes to play with us after that and he never eats with us anymore.

In fact, he had been coming home less and less to a point where he basically just came back in the middle of the night for the bed, and would disappear before I get up.

Was he mad at me?

Hmph! I was mad at him, too!

His lie stung and my chest hurt for days after his stupid lie! And he prisoned granny and he never even apologized for keeping secrets from me about MY life, and now he wouldn't even talk to me?!

Bad Alpha!

I laid sullenly on a surfing board in the calm water of the pool, pretending I was over the sea. We couldn't surf on the beach right outside the house. There were too many reefs. We had to go along the coastline for long if we want to do that.

But Kirsch wouldn't allow us out of the pack.

Apparently, the Treaty's men were still out there.

Cerberus nudged me with his huge nose. He had been swimming in the pool. His movements alone could create the same effect of huge waves and I was having fun "surfing" on the little waves in the pool.

I turned on the surfboard and faced Cerberus, stroking his furry face.

He was the cutest and sweetest wolf in the whole world. I could never understand why granny would want him to die. I hadn't talked to granny ever since I ran away. Talking to the only family I had for years suddenly became the hardest mission, and I had been avoiding that.

Granny had never come to visit us in the new house. She returned to the old two-floor house, according to Kirsch.

My world quieted down, with two-thirds of it gone.

Fine with me!

I only needed Cerberus.

Cerberus placed his huge head on the surfing board and instantly got it swallowed by the water. He rose his head quickly and we re-surfaced.

I giggled at the rollercoaster experience: "Again!"

But Cerberus didn't do it. He didn't nudge me with his huge head like he always did, and he didn't cheer up as I expected. He just floated in the water and locked his eyes on me with sorrow and confusion filled his deep blue eyes.

"Cerberus?" I slid off the surfing board and he shifted back at the same time, letting me wrap my legs around his waist.

"Willa sad," Cerberus gazed into my eyes.

"I'm okay..." I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder, "I have got you, right?"

"What Willa want?" Cerberus turned and nudged me under my chin, making me look into his eyes.

Cerberus never worries about anything because he thought he could solve everything coming his way. His sole purpose had been staying by my side, and it used to be enough to cheer him up.

I suddenly had a weird feeling that I was about to lose him.

"I want you, and that's more than enough." I pecked him on the lips, and this time Cerberus accepted the kiss. His tongue parted my lips before tangling with mine. He gripped my thigh and pulled me into his body, deepening the kiss. I had only a two-piece bikini on me, and with a simple pull on the string I took off the top. Cerberus frowned with a grunt --

He had been strict on maintaining Taran's rules.

"I, want, you. Don't you want me?" I whispered by his ear and ground myself against his chest. Cerberus purred, cupping my breast and kneading me hard. He pinched my nipple between his two fingers, sending tingles through my body and making my legs clamp harder.

"I want you to mark me, so we will never lose each other. Let's flee the pack, just you and me." I slip off him and untied the thong. Cerberus grunted this time, grabbing the thong from me.

"Bad," Cerberus frowned, trying to figure out how to put it back on me.

"Need any help?" I curled my leg to his waist and pressed my pussy on his thigh, grinding slowly. He threw the thong in the water, frustrated that my teasing ruined his effort.

"Willa not like pack," Cerberus grunted, struggling whether to take me into his arms again now that I was totally naked.

"The pack has too many rules. I hate rules..." I pressed closer and finger-walked from his chest to his abdomen. Cerberus's eyes moved with my fingers, "Let's turn rogue together and have fun!"

He grabbed my waist before I could grab his cock.

He squinted his eyes with a grumpy frown. I burst into laughter getting caught during mischief.

"Willa can't leave," Cerberus shook his head and picked me up, heading out of the pool, ending the discussion.

"Why?!" I let out a surprised laugh, "You did! You, the Alpha of the pack, left the pack first!"

"Taran did, for Kirsch." Cerberus took a glance at me, "Willa need pack."

It shocked me that he just said Taran's name. He had been "hmphing" even at the mention of Taran, and he would shut up if he had to use Taran's name ever since he put Taran into deep sleep this time.

"I don't need a pack anymore. The new moon nights are over. I'm free now, and I'm turning 18 in three days, meaning no one could ever control me again!"

"Taran not allow." Cerberus grabbed a towel before he took me downstairs to the bedroom.

"Taran left me! They all did! Granny wouldn't talk to me and Kirsch doesn't even come home anymore! They all leave!" I hit his hand away when he tried to dry my hair. I hated them treating me like a glass doll when I wasn't even allowed to make a decision for myself while they worry that a little water would hurt me!

Cerberus sat beside me and took me into his arm in a slow but firm move. I burst into tears as I buried my face in his shoulder, lashing out the anger and frustration that had been building up in me for days.

"Taran love Willa." Cerberus muttered in a whimper.

"If he really loves me he wouldn't have left me!" I grunted gruffly as I hugged him tight.

"Willa miss Taran?" Cerberus hugged me back before he found my eyes and gazed into them.

"I don't miss that jerk! Not even a bit!" I lied with a pout, still sobbing. My chest hurt every time I thought about Taran when the last thing he told me was that he wasn't my mate. For whatever reason, he broke his promise yet again. I wasn't in a haste to wake him up not only because Cerberus didn't want to, but also because I wanted to wait for my 18th birthday.

I needed to know whether Cerberus was really my mate before Taran could take him away from me again.

"Willa miss Taran," Cerberus stated and I bit him on his shoulder. He chuckled at my bite as he fall back, pulling me down to lie there with him.

Cerberus pulled me into him and buried my face under his chin. I listened to his heartbeat as I breathed in his smell, finally cooling down.

The few minutes where I lay with my mate were the most peaceful and happy time I had in days.

"Promise me that you would never leave me? I only have you now, Cerberus." I mumbled, looking up at him.

"Never." Cerberus kissed me on the forehead.

He had never done that before. Only Taran kissed me like that, polite and distant. He was picking up a lot of Taran's bad habits!

"Cerberus, do you miss Taran?" I mumbled, curling my leg up to his stomach and ground lightly.

"No." Cerberus chucked my waist harder, pressing me into him.

"Will you leave me if he asks you?" I nipped him under his armpit and he burst into laughter.

"No." He lifted my chin to him with a finger, gazing into my eyes, "Never again."

"You promise."

"Promise." Cerberus pecked me on my lips tamely.

I pulled him closer, not letting go. He chuckled lightly before he took my lips for a fierce kiss. He turned and pressed me under him, one hand behind my neck as he demanded more. I pressed myself into his muscled body, grinding as I curled up my leg. He gripped my thigh and slid his hand up till it hit my clit, giving me a light hit from under me. I yelped as his touch shot lightning through my body. I moaned as I ground into his hand that cupped my pussy, greedy for more...

The door downstairs suddenly clicked.

Damn that evil Alpha!