8- A plea for Rejection

LeRoy hummed as he moved the pencil on his notepad. He paused to stare at the artwork, looking at the features and the shape before he compared his work. He was doing pretty good. He continued humming and he continued his sketch with his legs crossed as he bounced his feet, tapping it impatiently.

When would she wake up? It was more than twenty minutes now. He wanted her eyes on him even if they glared daggers. He smiled happily. He liked it either way.

She was lying on the bed with an IV connected to her arm. The metre beeped softly to show she was stable. She may have lost a huge chunk of blood but the nurse assured him that she wasn't in any form of danger.

That was all he needed to hear.

LeRoy paused when his ears picked up footsteps. He didn't expect to be back so soon. He got up and walked to her bedside table and he placed the notepad there. She would love a picture of herself even if it looked nothing like her.

He stared at her and the way her hair sprawled on the bed, he could almost feel their softness. He squeezed his hand before walking away, closing the door behind him.

"LeRoy!" he lifted his head to the female voice filled with panic. She was running in the halls, hoisting her gown and when she got to him, she cupped his face and searched it.

"Are you alright? I heard you called the healer. Where are you hurt?" She turned his face to the side, checking for any wounds.

He placed his hands over her hers and leaned into her touch. She melted at his actions and her eyes grew mist- oh no.

"I'm fine, mom. I wasn't hurt or anything. Let's walk a bit so we don't wake her," he suggested and started to lead her away from the door.

"Oh! Is it her?" she asked with a worried look. "Is she alright?"

"I was careless. I left her all by herself so she started bleeding. It's all my fault," if he had stayed with her, she wouldn't have felt so lonely and she wouldn't have tried to leave him.

But what did she mean when she said to stay away from him? Maybe it was the dizziness. She probably wasn't thinking straight.

"LeRoy, don't be so hard on yourself," Martha consoled him. "She barely knows you and if you look at it, you've done so much already. Taking her in was a huge risk. But no worries, we support you. She can stay as long as she wants." She smiled at him and he saw she would do anything to please him.

They all did actually. They always let him have his way. Maybe that was why he was so spoiled and he didn't understand why she tried to leave. That was going against him.

"Where's dad? I can't sense him around."

"I told him not to come. I had to see my baby. I'm glad you're alright. Bring her over for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" When he nodded, she couldn't resist throwing herself on him in a tight hug. He was stunned at her sudden act but he wrapped his arms around her.

She didn't smell half as good as Anastasia but he had always enjoyed her hugs. They were warm. He liked warm things.

"You should go now," Martha said and pulled away. "Call me if anything goes wrong, okay?" She was sceptical about leaving but she trusted LeRoy to be fine.

He looked fine. He always looked calm and collected with a small smile on his face. It was like his default look. He never gave her the chance to worry and she didn't know how to feel about that.

It was safe to say she knew him but she only knew the things he wanted her to know.

After she left, he turned around and headed to the room. Was she awake now? His thoughts only sang her name and his mind was filled with her image.

He opened the door and when he looked ahead, his face brightened while hers looked sceptical for a bit before she glared once again.

He was used to it now. Such fire in her eyes. How cute!

She was back in the blue hospital gown again but this time, it didn't look like a hospital. It was a decent room with all she needed to heal. But she wanted the needle out of her skin!

Now why was he smiling at her like a lost puppy who just saw its master?

She drew closer to the bed, ready to bolt if he tried anything funny. She could still remember his words, his intent to keep her- as if!

"You're up. I was worried," he admitted with that fine face and child-like innocent smile. He took long strides-

"D-Don't come any closer," she stuttered but he was already sitting on the bed and staring at her so eagerly. Did he not have ears to listen or was he blind to her attitude?

"What are you doing?" She asked, eyeing him cautiously. Why was her heart beating so fast and why was her damn wolf going out of control? Her eyes twitched and she saw his eyes sparkle like he had finally confirmed it.

"So you feel it too, huh," he beamed with sheer happiness. "Why are you holding back?" He reached for her hand. "Release your scent let me-"

She flinched, yanking her hand away when his fingertips merely grazed hers. How could he talk to her that way? Did he think she accepted him just because she chose to stay back? She had not been given much of a choice-

"What?" His voice changed. He sounded surprised but in a doubting tone, like he couldn't believe she would react that way.

She saw he clenched his jaw and when his eyes moved to her in a narrowed lazy glance, her stomach suddenly tied itself to a knot. Was he finally showing his true colours? Anna inhaled deeply, preparing herself for what was to come.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a pen on the bedside table next to a note pad with a- what the hell was that terrible drawing? Was that supposed to be a low quality sketch of a voodoo doll?

"You must be hungry,"

She gasped at the sudden jump of his tone and boost in his mood. She turned to see him smiling again.

"What would you like? You slept for quite a while. I was bored just watching you sleep. Did you know you were going to pass out just in time for me to catch you? You dropped right into my arms,"

He went on and on about how he caught her when she fell and how he would continue to do so but Anna practically spaced out. She had never seen anyone so... Strange in all her life.

What was it with this man? He had to be insane because only insane people could creep her out!

"I'll watch over you-"

"What are you waiting for?" she asked him with a clenched fist and deadpan eyes.

He blinked at her like she was a piece of complicated artwork. "What do you mean?"

"Reject me."

She saw his smile froze but he wore his mask quickly.

"Why do you think I'd want to do that?" LeRoy asked, genuinely curious. Was he smiling alright? Was the smile on his face genuine? Did it hide the growing flames of anger that wanted to overtake and push him to the edge?

"I'll never accept you as my mate," she explained without an atom of remorse on her face. "So reject me."

While she spoke those words harshly, LeRoy could only wonder; how could anyone be so beautiful and still be so cruel?

Did she know how terribly her words were affecting him? Did she know he was still wearing his smile so bright and wide just for her?

But Anna didn't stop there. "Anastasia Robie," she stated. "That's my full name. Once you speak the rejection words, the bond will break." She knew this first hand because Levi had so conveniently and effortlessly breathed out the words.

She squeezed the sheets by her side under the covers but she didn't look away from LeRoy's penetrating eyes.

It was as if he was staring deep into her eyes to connect with her wolf and seek out the truth.

Sai wasn't in agreement with Anna. In fact, she growled in her head, whimpered and whined begging her to stop. She didn't think she could handle the rejection from him.

Sai's attitude was strange. She had retreated when Levi rejected her and the pain wasn't as soul crushing as she had expected but it hurt still. This one however, he made Anna too uneasy.

There was something that just didn't sit right. She didn't want to wait to find out. It was better to reject him-

He stood up slowly, "Get some rest," he mumbled in a low voice and a small smile before he started to walk out.

She watched his wide shoulders from behind and perfect body walk out of her vision and only a door stood between them. Now that she was alone, she could breathe again.

The room was large and spacious but why did it feel like he occupied the whole space and left her with hardly any space to breathe.

He hadn't released his scent but his cologne was everywhere in the room. It was soft and feminine that for a moment she doubted it was his.

She touched her ears and wasn't surprised to find that her wolf ones had popped out. A sign that she was horny. Good thing he didn't see it. Even without him releasing his scent, she hated to admit what he was doing to her.

The look in his eyes before he left had faltered and she had seen a piece of his true emotions.

Hurt.

How could anyone look so hurt?

***

LeRoy flipped open his laptop in his dark room and the screen glitched. There was a black tape over the camera so his identity was covered.

The screen glitched and a figure in a dark cloak stared back at him with their head bowed.

In his line of job, identities were protected and lives were taken.

It was time for his report.

"My mission will take longer than expected. Give me three weeks," he clenched his fist.

Anastasia would be his.