She flinched as he closed her apartment door. He didn’t slam it, just calmly closed it. Was that a bad sign?
Collapsing against the wall, she slowly sank down until she was crouched, arms wrapped around her legs, heart racing. The heat of her body dissipated.
If the heat came with Caspian, it would leave with him, which meant he was right. He was her mate.
So why hadn’t he claimed her?
Why didn’t he lay claim to her in front of her pack? Why did he allow her a month of freedom before returning?
None of it made any sense.
****
“You’re in a mood,” Sean said, looking up from his game.
Caspian glared at him. “I’m not in a mood.”
“You’re pretty much vibrating. I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re dealing with anger management.”
He wanted to slap his friend, but the bastard was right. Living in a human world, allowing anger to take control was never a good sign. He’d kill people in this condition, or raise alarm.
Cops were not needed in this situation.
“It is nothing.”
“It is the woman again,” Sean said, going back to his game. “I can smell her on you. Perhaps next time, use the front door, or find a way to court her the way human women like.”
“You mean meeting them in a bar?” Caspian asked, snorting.
Drinking was useless to wolves. The smells were always … vile. He’d tried to drink away his pain many years ago, and all it had done was make him sick as a dog.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Nah, sick as a wolf.
“You look like a crazy person again,” Sean said.
“You’re not even looking at me. You’re too busy playing on that game.”
“And you’re too busy playing to claim your mate.” Sean took a deep inhale. “Is she aware her body is going into mating heat to accept you?”
Caspian growled.
“I’ll take that as a no. Would you like me to organize the castle?”
“No.” The castle was his home, on a secluded island very far away. The only way to get there was by plane, and he hated flying. He’d made the purchase as a bet, and he’d stayed at the castle a few times, but it was a home for a mated couple, nothing more. The seclusion would help protect them. No one would be around to hear them fucking or hunting. It had been a perfect idea.
He’d bought it when he first understood what having a mate would entail.
One day, he hoped to make it a home.
He thought of Sofia. Would she love it?
“What will you do? The more you’re around Sofia, the chance of her going into heat is stronger. Human men will start to react to her as well,” Sean said. “Which would be bad for you.”
“Are you just pointing out the obvious right now?” he asked.
“Is it working?”
“No. I know the answer to all the questions.” If humans reacted to Sofia, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. The mate within him would strike out. No human would last. They would all die.
He hadn’t killed any humans in his time, and he liked his perfectly clean record. It helped to create an illusion about him, especially when it came to other pack alphas. None of them understood him, and he was more than happy to keep it that way.
Caspian had a long history of not trusting people. It all started with being abandoned as a baby and never quite fitting in. He didn’t fit in now, but he’d come to learn in this world that money talked, and he had invested a whole lot of his money. His wealth always amused him.
So many packs struggled through life in the quaint little villages, claiming to be strong. They were all fucking liars.
“You’re going for the coffee now?” Sean asked.
“Why are you fucking here?” He poured himself a large cup of black coffee. It wasn’t like he needed the caffeine to stay awake.
He rarely slept well or often. Since he met Sofia, his sleeping patterns had changed. He’d not had a good night in … so long.
“Does she know you sneak into her room, and cuddle up to her, to keep the demon dreams at bay?”
Caspian growled.
“Ah, so she doesn’t know and you didn’t tell her.” Sean put his game down and tutted. “I am surprised.”
“Mates don’t need to be told everything.”
“Correction, mates need to be told everything. You know this. Your mating is already getting off to a rocky start. I know you love a challenge, but I didn’t realize how much.” He lifted his game.
“Why do I keep you around?” Caspian asked.
“I entertain you. I think that’s the only reason really. Otherwise, you’d have killed me long ago. If you remember, that’s what a lot of people have tried to do.”
Unfortunately, it was true.
Caspian had stumbled onto Sean at the age of eighteen.