Before my panic can rise, I calm myself down. His scent should have been enough for me to spot him as my second chance mate. And even if said scent is mouthwatering, it isn’t screaming mate.
“Is that a quirk of yours?”
I look at him confused, finding him smiling.
What the hell?
“Erm… What?”
“You do that pretty often. During the ceremony?” His eyes fall to my lips, and I remove my hand swiftly.
“Oh, yes. Sorry, it’s… I do it without thinking.”
“Don’t worry,” he says, directing his eyes back to the lake as he leans back on the bench. “It’s adorable, actually.”
My heart beats so fast, that the thuds in my ears are deafening. “Oh… Thank you.”
I’m glad that he's looking at the lake as I must be looking like the brightest tomato on earth.
As I risk a look, I find him focused on the surface of the lake. I must say that he’s quite the eye-catcher. It’s not only that he's tall and broadly built but also the shape of his jaw, the dark expressive eyes, and the high cheekbones that must set every she-wolf under a spell. The way the moon shines on his features has him looking even more gorgeous.
And now you’re drooling.
He clenches his jaw before he turns to me, lifting his brow. The action tears me out of my daydream, but I guess it’s too late to regain some of my dignity.
Goddess, he must be able to hear my heartbeat go crazy.
So embarrassing.
“You’re Alpha Franco’s daughter, right?”
“Yeah,” I spit out, maybe a bit too loud.
As if I was answering the question of my favorite teacher enthusiastically.
“I’m his favorite, actually.”
Why can’t I stop talking?
His laugh makes me feel less stupid, even if it doesn’t take away my wish for a black hole to swallow me.
“I bet,” he jokes, making my heart sing.
“But to be fair, I’m lucky. My brothers are the best, even if they’re too protective most of the time.”
“Well, if I had a sister like you, I would probably lock her up somewhere to keep her from all the creeps around.” I laugh out loud, and he shakes his head. “Seriously. I might have started a war at Ricky-boy just breathing in your direction.”
I’m fighting for air as I crack up while he just smirks. “Oh, Goddess!”
I exhale a deep breath and wipe a tear from my eye. “I don’t think anyone wants to risk a war with you, Alpha Blackwood.”
“Cayden,” he growls, making me stare at him wide-eyed.
Did he really ask me to be on a first-name basis with him?
‘And we’ll be thankful for this opportunity and not decline it to bring shame upon ourselves and our pack,’ my wolf says disparagingly, making me gasp as I haven’t heard from her since the day we were rejected.
“Sure, erm… Alpha Cayden.” I feel my face heat up as he leans in, growling.
“Drop the Alpha.”
Oh, dear.
Caressing a strand of hair behind my ear, I push down Cassy whimpering in my head.
“I’d be honored, Cayden,” I say, my tongue feeling numb in my mouth.
“All my pleasure, Missy.”
Shivering pleasantly, I force myself up to escape this situation before I do something to trouble my parents even more.
“Do you have a place like this on your pack lands too?”
As he catches up with me in a few strides, my heart starts beating faster in my chest.
The moonlight touches the surface of the lake, creating a romantic scenery. His face gets kissed by the rays of light that illuminate his left side, taking my breath away.
It takes me a couple of seconds to realize that he’s looking at me as well. We stay silent for what feels like an eternity, and at one point I think that I must be dreaming. His eyes get black, leaving just a few golden flecks to swirl in his irises.
I gasp, and as I’m about to take a step back, he’s faster to stop me from it, grabbing my forearm gently. I get captured by his intense gaze, losing myself in it.
As he takes a step forward to stand even closer, my throat bobs. I’m confused that I don’t feel any sparks on my skin as his touch feels like heaven.
“Cayden?” I breathe out, watching him leaning closer.
But he stays quiet, his lips nearing mine slowly. My heart hitches in my throat, and I close my eyes waiting for the touch of his lips. I feel his warm breath fanning over my skin, making me heat up even more.
Before our lips can fully connect, a loud growl tears me out of my trance.
Cayden seems unfazed by the threatening roar as I look up at him but a deadly glint shines in his eyes. Turning my head to the origin of the sound, I find one of my brothers clenching his fist, his chest heaving.
“What the fuck, Blackwood!” he shouts, his wolf fighting for dominance.
Cayden straightens his spine unimpressed, as panic starts to crawl in.
What stupid timing!
‘Go away, idiot! What are you doing?’ I mindlink Zeno, getting his angry expression to turn to me.
“Don’t dare to talk to me like that after I found you in such a bad position!” he roars, making me mewl.
So embarrassing.
But Cayden chuckles, unaware that my brother is seconds away to attack him. “Chill, Guerrieri! You’re interrupting. Don’t you have some cake to eat?”
Oh, you can’t be serious.
Seeing my brother about to pop off, I stand in his way, trying to diffuse the situation. “Zeno, please. You have to calm down. Don’t…”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he growls, charging past me.
“No!” I shout panically, as I turn around, not able to stop my brother as he’s shifting midair.
Turning around, I’m just in time to see Cayden blocking my brother and swinging him into the lake as if he were made out of hay.
He didn’t even shift partly, turning to look at my now struggling brother swimming in the lake back in his human form.
I run to stand next to him wide-eyed as my brother is slow to reach the shore on the other side of the lake.
“Oh my Goddess, I’m so sorry! He’s such an idiot!”
Cayden flashes me a gorgeous smile, his canines flashing in the moonlight. “Don’t worry. You told me they were overprotective.”
That makes me smile, and I shake my head, lowering my gaze to prevent him from seeing me blush. As my eyes set on his arm, my heart misses a few beats.
“Oh, no, you’re hurt!”
He tsks, lifting his arm. “It’s just a scratch, don’t worry.”
I slip off my stole to wrap it around his arm.
“Really, Missy, don’t worry. There is no need to ruin your dress.”
Pressing the cloth to his wound which probably has already healed by now, I feel strangely agitated.
“Really,” he repeats, laying his hand on mine. “Missy.”
Taking a deep breath, his touch feels calming, and slowly but surely this is creeping me out.
He smiles as I look at him, feeling excruciated.
“You smell nice.” His husky whisper hits me right in the heart, making my chest squeeze.
A clearing of a throat gets me to jump once again, meeting my brother’s eyes.
“Are you alright? What happened?” Giorgio asks, worried.
His eyes narrow as he sees Zeno walking back around the lake slumped and dripping wet.
“It’s my fault, Alpha Guerrieri,” Cayden says, and I look up at him, surprised. “I made a stupid joke. And he just wanted to protect his sister’s pride. I’m sorry for the fuss I created.”
Giorgio doesn’t seem convinced about what Cayden is saying, but he knows better than to accuse an enemy pack’s Alpha of lying.
“No worries, Alpha Blackwood. I’m sorry if my brother wasn’t able to react like a grown man to a joke.”
After a lot of diplomatic back and forth between the two, Zeno finally reaches us.
“Chiedi scusa!” I hiss at him, making him distort his face. Apologize!
Zeno sways back and forth, acting childish. But as more and more people join us at the lake, he finally gives in. “I’m sorry, Alpha Blackwood.”
“No, please. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
Cayden taps my hand gently before he steps away to meet his pack members standing a few steps away from us.
I watch him, rooted to the ground while Giorgio is reprimanding Zeno. As the group of men has reached the side of the house, about to disappear, I detach myself from the ground and run towards his broad back.
“Alpha Blackwood.” I cringe as I call him, reaching him with fast steps. He turns around looking at me, unamused, and I’m quick to rectify my mistake.
“Cayden, sorry.” He smiles but my stomach churns at the hateful glances I get from his entourage. “Thank you. For what you said to Giorgio. I hope you can forgive my brother and not think too badly of us.”
“Of course, Missy.”
He’s about to undo my stole bandage when I stop him. “I insist. You can keep it. I won’t be wearing this dress anymore anyway.”
“What a pity. It looks stunning on you.”
“Oh, thank you,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat up.
With another grin and a slight bow, he turns around, his baritone seeping through my skin.
“Good night, Missy. Thank you for the tour.”
I blink several times before I get myself to speak. “All my pleasure, Cayden. Good night,” I add in a stutter, hitting my leg with my fist in a repeated motion.
So, embarrassing.