5. A Hot Brew & Flirting

I freeze, my heart thundering at his words. Was he jealous because they touched me, that they tried to rape me? For a moment, I’m unable to put two words together, unable to focus on what he had just said.

“Get off me. I can’t believe you’re jealous.” I muttered, shoving him as hard as I could. He didn’t budge, just tilted his head to look at my hands on his chest, making me yank them back quickly. I clutch his jacket tighter, knowing it is the only thing that offered me cover from his burning gaze.

“Jealous of you?” He sneers and tears prick my eyes. “Don’t be stupid. If I wanted you, you and I both know I wouldn’t have to force you. You would drop to your knees fucking willingly.” He taunted coldly.

I swallowed, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and hurt at his words, and I glanced away only for him to grab my face and force it back towards him.

“I’m angry because you put yourself at unnecessary risk. Just like the damn night you and Charlene snuck out and your parents were killed. Have you learned nothing?” He said icily, before letting go of me roughly.

“Now hurry up before you die out here.” He turned away, leading the way down the path.

I hesitated and didn’t move to follow. He scoffs as he pauses for a moment, looking at me over his shoulder, his eyes filled with a new wave of burning anger.

“Or I guess you can wait out here for them to find you again; I won’t save you a second time, unless, of course, like I said earlier, you want them.” He remarks arrogantly. My eyes scanned our surroundings. A violent tremor ran through me because I knew he was right. I’m safer with him than out here by myself. Yet I have hardly been in his good graces lately. “Now! Or maybe I will drag you back to Kyson and Nikolai to finish what they were about to start!” Chewing my lip and I glanced around one last time.

But then what? I couldn’t go home like this. What if Charlene saw me? Or the Alpha? I would just prove to them how weak I am compared to everyone else. Proving I’m not Beta material.

Swallowing down my hurt feelings, I jogged to catch up to him, only for him to grab my arm and yank me closer. He said nothing for the rest of the walk, which gave me time to figure out how to get past the guards and back home without being seen.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even realise we had come to a stop. He pushed open the door to the small cabin.

“Where are we?” I asked,

“My place.”

I raised an eyebrow; “You live at the castle…”

“I have a room at the castle, but this is mine.” He corrected, looking over at me. I realised I had actually never been here… But how much did I really know about Theon? Not much. He didn’t really share, nor did I bother to ask. “Are you planning on letting the rain continue to flood the place?”

I blinked and quickly stepped out of the doorway, about to shut it when he leaned over me, snapping it shut.

My heart skipped a beat as he flipped the light on, and I took a good look around me. It was simple and clean, with a small kitchen area and a table with two chairs standing to one side. On the other side, a two-seater sofa was opposite the fireplace, with a coffee table before it and two large bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.

Two doors led off the room, most likely to the bedroom and bathroom.

Theon walked across the room and through one of the doors. The edge of the bed was visible from where I stood. I turned away, glancing up at the ceiling with the wooden beams and the iron filigree light shades. I had to admit the place looked very cosy.

His scent lingered in the air. It made me wonder how much time he spent here. I looked down at the mud we had stained the ground with, and slowly stepped out of my boots, not wanting to spread the mud and water everywhere. I clutched Theon’s jacket around me tighter, finding comfort in such a simple piece of clothing, yet I knew it was his lingering scent I truly found comfort in.

“Go shower.”

I looked up as Theon stepped out of his room, holding a shirt and some sweatpants. His clothes.

“Thanks,” I replied, walking over to him. I took the clothes gingerly, careful not to dirty them.

“Wear the shirt back to front. I’ll check your back over.” He said just when I turned away, making me freeze.

Check my back? He was going to check it?

“I don’t need-“

“It’s that or we go to the royal healer, take your pick.” He cut in coldly.

I frowned. What happened wasn’t something I wanted others to know. It would not help my case and the rumours would spread fast.

I entered the bathroom, shut the door behind me, and hung the clean clothes up on the peg behind the door before I took his jacket off. Mud covered the lining, and I felt guilty.

I turned the showerhead on and placed my hand under it, waiting for the water to warm, and quickly stripped out of my clothes, carefully placing my panties aside. They weren’t as wet as the rest of my clothes, and I needed to wear them. I stepped into the tub and under the water, welcoming the warmth of the hot water, letting it soothe my aching bones.

Once I had soaped myself, my finger tracing the marks and bruises staining my skin, grabbing the loofah from off the niche I cleaned myself trying to erase the feelings of their dirty paws on my body, erasing their lingering scents. Tears burn my eyes at the thought and Theon is right. 

I could no longer hide behind my father. Only now did I realise how much his name kept me safe. Not any more. No, now I am on my own, navigating through the world completely at everyone’s mercy. If Theon hadn’t stumbled across me I hate to admit it but I would have lost the last thing I had left, my innocence. 

And without a wolf, I might be exactly what Theon claims, a nobody.  I have no wolf and with my father gone, my mother too. If the Alpha decides to get rid of me, I would officially have no one, no purpose. 

I scrub my skin raw, turning it a deep shade of red. Maybe if I just scrubbed hard enough I could erase the memories, erase my past failures, erase me. None of that works though and once scrubbed clean I realise I smell a little like Theon thanks to his body wash,

 I stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of his towels. I wrap a towel around myself. Glancing around I look for a hamper for the dirty clothes or wonder if I should wash them but find nothing. I place them aside. I guess he took his clothes to the castle to have washed, Omegas or the human staff would usually do all the chores like this and someone of Theon’s status would have one or two Omegas attending to him personally, that I was sure of.

Remembering what Nikolai said made a pang of jealousy flood inside of me. Theon was a young man, one who would obviously have needs. Did he have Omegas for his sexual desires? Or maybe he visited The White Dove.

A deep frown settled on my face as my thoughts got darker and darker. I quickly towelled myself dry before slipping my panties on. My body was screaming with exhaustion and the urge to just curl up into a ball and go to sleep threatened to consume me.

I examined the pants before pulling them on, binding them by the drawstring at my waist. Last of all the shirt, I slipped it on backwards, flinching slightly as I reached behind and closed one button.

I looked at my bruised hands and sighed, picking out a few splinters before I clutched the towel and stepped out of the bathroom. I looked around, noticing the curtains were drawn, the lights were switched on; the floor was clean from all the mud and water, and both our shoes stood by the front door, clean. The hearth was lit with a blazing fire that warmed the entire room up.

Looking over at Theon, he is pouring what smelled like coffee into two mugs. A small smile crossed my lips. I don’t think I had ever seen Theon do anything so… ordinary? I wasn’t sure if it was the right word, but he still looked far too handsome whilst doing something like that.

He glanced at me, raising an eyebrow and I shook my head quickly, turning away, trying not to blush. I went over to the sofa and took a seat, staring at the shelves. Most looked like history books, although there were some training ones and others on other subjects.

“Don’t be nosy.” He remarked, placing the two mugs on the table, and I took a moment to drink up his muscular biceps.

Oh Goddess, this man is made to sin... May I be the subject of that sin?

I frowned at the thought, remembering the incident with Nikolai.

“Drink it whilst it’s warm.” He said, taking a seat on the sofa, and I suddenly became very aware that this was the first time we were in a private place, alone.

I reached for the mug, my arms screaming with agony, when he grabbed hold of my wrist, pulling me back.

“Are you simply stupid, or incredibly reckless?” He raised an eyebrow, giving me a stony gaze. My heart skipped a beat when he took my hand in his, using the other hand to feel my bones cracking a few as he went. I bit my lip at one point, trying not to pay attention to the tingles that danced up my hand and arm at his touch. He dropped my hand, took the other and picked out a few pieces of wood that my body hadn’t automatically rejected.

“Ouch.” I winced when he pulled out a thin piece of a splinter that was embedded in my finger.

He glanced up at me before he let go of my hand.

“You didn’t answer that question.”

“I didn’t realise it was a question,” I replied. Reaching over, I grabbed the mug, the shirt I was wearing slid off my shoulder, and I placed my free hand on my chest, moving back slowly. I inhaled the milky coffee, relishing the smell before I took a sip.

Theon had made coffee. For me…

Oh, I couldn’t wait to tell Charlene, wait can I tell her this? No, if she knew what happened, she might be hurt. I didn’t want her to feel like that because of me.

I sipped the coffee, enjoying the silence as Theon picked up his own mug and downed it in a few gulps, making my eyes widen.

“Wasn’t that hot?” I asked in surprise.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Not for me. I can handle the heat; we aren’t all babies.”

His mocking, arrogant tone made me narrow my eyes.

“I’m not a baby…”

“No… maybe not… Want to share exactly how stuff went down on that path?” He asked, the mood darkening instantly.

I shook my head. I didn’t know what to say. How do you tell someone you didn’t even do anything wrong or anything to instigate that? Besides, with how things were in the pack and how everyone saw me these days, they would probably say I deserved it, or enticed them.

Nikolai’s words were spinning in my head, only adding to the exhaustion I was feeling.

‘…Aren’t even Beta Williams’s own blood… Theon might take the Beta title…’

“Turn around.”

His command pulled me from my thoughts, and I glanced down at the white shirt that was covering me before staring into his eyes. A glint of something I couldn’t make out flickered in them, but his gaze didn’t falter, as if challenging me to refuse. I clutched the shirt tightly and slowly turned my back towards him, holding my mug steadily with both hands now.

I bit my lip, trying to ignore my hammering heart that I knew he could hear too. I stared down at my mug as I felt him tug on the shirt slightly as he undid the button. His eyes were burning into me, and my stomach fluttered as the shirt fell open, revealing my back to him.

His heart was steady, and I wondered why he had such an effect on me.

I hissed when he pulled the first of the splinters from my back.

“You have a few, and you’ve begun healing, embedding them into your skin.”

“Great.”

“Hold still.”

I rolled my eyes. I was already still!

My eyes flew open when his hand went to my waist, gripping it tightly, sending a powerful jolt of pleasure through me.

Goddess, don’t let him hear my heartbeat.

He pulled out another splinter, making me flinch as a sharp stab of pain shot up my back.

“That one was deep.”

I nodded, unable to focus with his hand still gripping my waist.

Goddess…

His touch was like a drug, intoxicating and dangerous, yet so, so… tempting and made me feel all lightheaded.

I felt a trickle of fresh blood drip down my back and Theon’s thumb brushes it up, igniting a trail of sparks in his wake.

“Perfect.”

I turned just in time to see him lick the blood off his thumb, making my stomach flip and my core throb with a desire that he alone could ignite. 

I raise an eyebrow at him. “So how do I taste?” I chuckle expecting him to become a little embarrassed at what he did. Such an odd thing to do and for a split second I thought I imagined it. 

His gaze flickers to mine and those intense amber eyes fell to my lips and then I heard it, the slight change to the beat of his heart. He tilts his head to the side watching me.

“Curiosity got the better of me. It won’t happen again,” he murmurs yet his eyes scan my face. His words I thought were strange.

“Well, you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat,” I chuckle.

“Good thing I’m not a cat,” he smirks arrogantly, leaning closer. 

“You never answered.” 

He looks at me with those cold eyes. “Different.”

“Different? Do you drink enough blood to compare?” I laugh.

“No, but I bathed in my enemies, it’s an acquired taste.”

“So do I taste your enemies?” he leans forward, his lips almost brushing mine.

“That I haven’t decided. Do you want to be my enemy?” he purrs and my face heats at his words and leans back, a knowing smirk on his face. Like he knew exactly how he affected me.