Damn Butterflies

Destiny’s POV

It felt like I was in heaven. The bed I was lying on was enough to be compared to that. Its softness felt like an otherworldly experience that made me not want to open my eyes.

“Wake up, sunshine.”

A voice made me pause mid-stir as I tried to turn to the other side. A voice that was so velvety I could almost taste it.

“Open your eyes, Destiny.”

My eyes snapped open, and the sight before me made me rear back, almost falling off the bed.

Alpha Theo was lying on the bed with me, his hand holding up his hand as his grey eyes held mine, a slight hint of amusement on his features before he schooled his face into one of indifference.

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my thighs, ignoring the tingles I felt with his close proximity to my body. “What in the goddess's name are you doing here?” I asked in urgency as I held the blanket tight over my naked body.

His eyes lingered on my hands, a slight frown appearing on his face as if he didn’t like that I covered myself. He brought his eyes back to my face, his eyebrow raised. “Have you forgotten that I’m alpha here?” he said in a low rumble.

My brow furrowed. “That you are alpha doesn’t give you any right to be here on the same bed as I am.”

Something like annoyance flickered across his eyes. “Do you want us to go through this topic again?” His dark hair fell over his eyes.

“What topic?” I said through gritted teeth, almost letting out a frustrated sigh.

I was naked underneath this blanket, for goddess's sake.

“The fact that I own everything here.” The way he said it was so casual you would think he was talking about the weather. “I own this room. I own this bed.” His eyes held that confidence as he spoke, not in a way that sounded like he was boasting but more like he was stating facts, which irritated me to the core and, for some reason, made those damn butterflies in my stomach come alive. “I even own you.”

My hands tightened at the edge of the blanket I held over my body. “And I remember giving you the same answer yesterday. You do not own me.” I dragged out each word.

His eyes flashed with something that looked almost like danger, and something in me told me that I might be playing with fire. His face hardened as his eyes turned icy, and for a moment, fear flashed in my mind.

He shifted closer to me, his body dangerously close to mine, and those damn butterflies in my stomach were instantly replaced by what felt like dread.

Maybe I was indeed playing with fire.

“You see, sunshine,” he started, his voice low and commanding, “you think you’re smart because you have a mouth on you.” His gaze dropped to my lips for a brief second before he brought them back to my face; the slight movement caused a tremble to run down my spine as my breath came out heavy.

His hand slowly went to the strand of dark hair that fell over my face. “The truth is you aren’t. We both know it’s your only power, the only thing that you have that you think can protect you. So you use it as you see fit.”

His hand slowly caressed my face, and I tried as much as possible to not let my breath hitch at his touch that made my feet curl.

I clenched my eyes shut. “You do not know anything about me.” My voice wavered as I spoke; the confidence I felt earlier was slowly diminishing as his words hit me.

“You’re right; I don’t. But what I do know, sunshine, is that if you provoke me one more time, you will be taught a lesson that I’m sure you would never forget.”

My eyes snapped open, and the fury I felt returned with full force. But my heart rate immediately spiked when I saw how close his face was to mine, leaving me at a loss for words.

With hitched breath, I noticed how much darker his gray eyes got as they roamed my face, how his lashes almost touched his cheeks with every blink he gave, and how his rosy lips were slightly parted as he quietly studied me.

It felt like electricity crackled in the air as we lay in the bed, staring at each other, him with something that looked close to fascination and me with what I would like to believe was something close to contempt.

“Move.” My voice was meant to come out hard but came in a squeak instead.

That made a smirk curl on his face, and to my relief, he scooted backward, leaving the bed and getting on his feet, but not before letting his gaze linger on my lips.

“Get ready and come downstairs to meet some other important pack members.” And with that, he turned to leave, a low thud following as he closed the door.

My shoulders sagged as relief coursed through me.

I immediately got to my feet, letting the blanket pool on the floor as I hurried to lock the door.

I could now somewhat think straight now that Alpha Theo's scent wasn’t clouding my senses. A curse escaped my lips as I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.

How the hell had I fallen asleep last night?

My plan had been to stay put for a few hours and then find a way to make my escape.

Then how on earth had I let myself be enticed by something as measly as a soft bed?

My eyes drifted to the huge window that overlooked the backyard of the mansion. I let my feet lead me to it, liking the way the subtle wind made the white curtains draped over the windows dance around.

When I peered down, my eyes went round. I was way above the ground. Below was nothing but thick bushes and a road that led into an equally thick forest.

I chewed on my lip, my head turning to study the blanket on the floor of the room, then the bedspread. A slow smile curled on my lips.

All hope wasn’t lost. I just needed to get more creative.