Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Anonymous pov
"What do you mean the deal is off?" He yelled through the phone, and I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.
"When I say it's off I mean it's off! Good luck with your life but you won't hear from me again" I said in an evenly irritated tone.
"Oh we shall see about that"
And with that, the line went dead. I buried my head in my hands, exasperated because I knew this won't be the end of it.
"So?"
I looked up, forgetting she was in the room with me. I simply shook my head, as I couldn't find the strength to speak. Her chest rose in anger as she looked at me as if I was the worst person in the world.
"Well you're on your own with this one. I told you not to, but you did anyway! Do whatever you want, but leave me and the people I care about out of it"
With that, she stormed out of the room.
I really dug myself deep in this one.
*** Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
-Victoria's pov-
It's been a whole 24 hours and Luka hasn't started talking about his wolfy thing as yet. I had a feeling that he was stalling, but I couldn't go another day without knowing everything.
I just got back from my shift at the diner and I was determined to go have that talk he promised. Buuuutttt right after I get a shower.
Feeling refreshed and somewhat confident, I marched down the hall to the familiar double doored bedroom I knew so well. As I was about to knock, the door flew open revealing a half naked Luka with wet hair, looking sexy and all. Just like in my dream.
"Oh hey. I was on my way to go get a snack. You want one? You can wait in here till I get back" He said as he stepped aside to let me in.
I held up the snacks in my hand, indicating that I already got them before I came upstairs.
You see, Luka was such a baby sometimes. Every night about three hours after dinner, he would go get a snack and bring back to his room. I often wondered how he was still so fit.
Smiling a little, he closed the door and sat on the bed next to me. I climbed up further onto the bed, leaning up against the bed-head as he followed my movements. For someone so disconnected from the world and people, he surely doesn't mind sharing his space with me. Every time I came in here, I always treated his room as my own and he didn't seem to mind.
"So what's up?" He asked as I handed him a snack.
" We have to talk, remember" I retorted with an eye roll.
"Talk about what?"
I just gave him a deadpanned look.
"Okay okay what do you want to know?" He asked, giving me all his attention.
"Everything"
He sighed. "Well we're werewolves" He stated, then continued eating.
Really?
I can't with this man.
"No shit Sherlock!" I exclaimed which only caused him to laugh. "Come on Luka you said we would talk. That's one of the reasons I came back, remember....?"
He tensed. I hit the nail right on the head. Good.
"How much did Ashley tell you?" He asked after a while, seeming more serious.
"She just kinda introduced me to it I guess. Only that you guys live together and away from humans. She told me about rogues and mates" I noticed that he tensed up when I said mates. He was quiet for a while, then he started.
"We've been around for a very long time, and we've managed to keep our existence a secret or very down low. The few humans who find out are either forced to keep quiet and form some sort of alliance, or they are killed."
I gasped at this. They must be really serious about their secret.
"Victoria, not everyone can be trusted. Some people may want to use us to make money or do all sorts of experiments to be like us. You have to understand our terms" He clarified, seemingly having seen my reaction. I nodded in understanding, urging him to continue.
"Our packs are run by Alphas. They are the strongest and most respected among pack members. You'll learn more along the way, some things are learnt better by seeing rather than hearing"
"Okay."
"Betas are second in command, and help run the pack alongside the Alpha. Gammas are third in command, they usually help with running the pack also, but sometimes they get other duties like training the warriors or managing border patrol."
Everything was so interesting. Who would've thought a whole other world existed?
"As you may already notice, this house is home to the leaders of this pack, The Brightwater Pack" He smiled, looking proud. My eyes widened in realization. The Alpha, Beta and Gamma live in this house!
"Who are they?" I asked, even more interested. He chuckled.
"Ty is the Alpha, Caleb is the Beta and Lincoln is the Gamma. Ashley automatically became the Beta female, since they are mates. When Ty finds his mate, she'll be the Luna, as in the Alpha female" He looked straight ahead with a distant look in his eyes.
"Why aren't you the Alpha?" I asked, feeling somewhat biased. They're brothers so I knew he could've been Alpha too. He chuckled but no humour was in it.
"I'll tell you one day" He said in a tone that told me to drop it. "Emma and I are Alpha bloods, so we live here also. Our parents use to live here, but when the title was passed on, the new generation of leaders took over"
"So when Ty has his kids, they'll take over here too, and y'all would have to move out?" I asked, not really liking this information. Who would want to have a temporary home?
"It's not like that" He laughed but I didn't get the joke. "It's just how things work around here. We don't mind. They're a lot of places in the pack where we can live with our individual mates. The privacy would be a blessing to us" He smirked.
"Do you have a mate?" I asked, just realizing I didn't think about it.
And here I was crushing on a man who probably has a mate. When I realized I didn't hear an answer, I glanced at him to see him staring at a wall, looking hurt and highly conflicted. I suddenly regretted asking him.
"Luka? What happened?" I whispered carefully.
"I think we're done here" He gritted out without looking at me.
Ouch.
I sat there for a while longer, still shocked that he just kicked me out. I slowly climbed off the bed without a word. Making my way to the door, I glanced at him to see him still gazing at nothing in particular with the same look on his face.
"Goodnight" I croaked out, and I saw him nod slightly.
I left the room with my heart in my stomach, walking to my own room feeling hurt. Since I got here, I've seen him act this way towards others before, but when he just did it to me, it hit a different nerve.
Why does it even hurt me this much? Maybe I like him more than I thought. It's weird actually. I just found out this man is a freaking wolf and instead of running for the hills, I fall even deeper in this mess.
Story of my life.
It was nearing 11 pm and I decided to take it early tonight. Velma has been doing better and I want to get to the hospital early tomorrow before she gets released. I plopped in bed, relishing in the comfortable softness.
I couldn't help but wonder why Luka got so upset. Did something happen to his mate? Has he not found her yet?
I knew now what not to talk to him about. But if we're gonna be friends and live in the same house for a couple months, doesn't it have to come up again?
Sometimes I wished I wasn't so nosey. Since he made it very clear that he doesn't want to talk about the whole Alpha and mate thing, I knew I won't stop until I know everything. This curiosity of mine is gonna be my downfall.
I heard a knock on my door, pulling me out of my thoughts. Making my way over, I couldn't help but feel grumpy since whoever it was just made me get up from my comfy spot. Now I wont find it back.
To my surprise, Luka stood in front of me with a guilty look plastered on his face. I guess he felt bad.
"I'm sorry" He mumbled while he held my hand. Bold move. "It's just...It's a really touchy topic for me but I shouldn't have treated you like that."
"It's okay Luka. I know what it's like to have a trigger" I whispered as I held his cheek with my free hand. He leaned into my touch and closed his eyes.
To be honest, I was still kinda hurt about what happened, but I appreciated that he came to apologize.
"I'm sorry that I brought it up. I didn't know that it would affect you like this" He opened his eyes and looked deep into mine.
"I know." He whispered, stepping inside and closing the door. " You don't know how hard this is for me" He looked like he was in pain. "It's so hard to be away from you but so hard to be close to you" He finished, confusing me even more.
He held me by the waist as he pulled me closer to him, cupping my cheek with one hand. My breathing was getting faster and so was my heartbeat.
"You're gonna be the death and life of me Victoria" He whispered almost inaudibly as he gazed into what felt like my soul.
His head titled closer to mine slowly, but I dared not to move. I tried to focus on what he just said instead of the wonderful smell of him that was doing wonders to my heart. The closer he got, the tighter he held me, showing me silently that there was no going back.
And then, he kissed me.
His lips caught mine in a breath-taking kiss that instantly had my eyes fluttering closed, and my legs turning to jelly. I immediately returned the kiss, enjoying the feeling that rushed through me like a blissful flood. This wasn't a dream. It was happening for real this time.
He held me impossibly closer to his body, deepening the kiss by each second. It wasn't too needy, but it wasn't too slow either.
I heard a low growl rumble from his chest as he buried his face in my neck, planting slow teasing kisses along my tender flesh. With another growl, he lifted me and pressed me against a wall, and my legs automatically wrapped around his waist.
He continued kissing my neck until he reached a sensitive spot where he sucked mercilessly on the area. I let out a low moan as he nipped at the area a few times. He held me even tighter as his teeth scraped my neck lightly. They felt extra sharp but I was too in the moment to question it.
Suddenly, he snapped his head away from my neck, taking me completely by surprise with his prompt action. I met his eyes with a gasp as I ogled amber/golden pools, staring deeply into mine.
I would've thought that I would be scared, but I was only amazed. They're beautiful.
He looked slightly worried, so I placed my hand on his cheek reassuringly, caressing it softly.
"It's okay" I whispered as I leaned in and captured his lips once again.
He released his hold on me, making me slide down the wall slowly but never breaking the kiss. I felt superb as he took control of the kiss once more, this time it was needy and somewhat longing.
Loving the way it felt, I moaned once again in the kiss, receiving a satisfying groan from him.
He broke the kiss and buried his face in my neck again, inhaling deeply.
"Ella..." He mumbled, changing my mood completely.
Well so much for being turned on.
My name is VICTORIA.