Leif Pov
Susan takes off her hair tie and smiles at me, hoping I'd like what she did. Now I know she's not as sweet and innocent as her father would have me believe.
"Are you okay, honey?' he asks;reaching up to caress my face.
She gasps when I stop her in her tracks, and my mask of kindness finally falls away. She's mine now, and we've left her father's estate, so there's no point in acting like a ridiculous man anymore.
"You're so mediocre, you'll have to practice more," I shrug, abruptly pushing his hand away. "No, better not, you won't try again."
Susan's eyes fill with tears, but I don't feel sorry for her at all. Her experience made me lose what little respect I had for her.
Did I do something to upset you? What bothers me is that you're talking. Keep quiet and don't bother me anymore, unless you want me to gag you.
"No, I don't want to, he murmurs.
I look away, wanting to get out of the car and run the rest of the way, but it wouldn't be good for my public image, nor would it be good for holding back. Every time I transform
near home, Kael's insults annoy me. Because of his lack of understanding of why we
should stay away, I've learned to block him out completely in my human form.
However, he manages to get out from time to time, like on this occasion.
"We lost her, we lost her," he yells at me. "You made the worst decision."
"Just shut up," I reply, blocking him again.
He's never sounded so desperate as he does now. What's wrong with him?
I close my eyes and massage my temples. Despite the blockage, I can still hear echoes of her screams.
"How long until we get there?" I ask without thinking.
-Are you feeling sick?
I ignore my flancée's question and wait for the driver's response, who informs me that
we're already a few kilometers from the house. She must still be there, and the brief
ceremony I've planned will take place.
"We'll get married when we arrive," linform Susan, without opening my eyes.
As? I'm not going to repeat it.
Finally, I open my eyes again, but not to worry about my future wife's confusion, which I have a feeling won't last long, despite having a strong wolf. I no longer hear Kael's cries; I can only sense his melancholy, which becomes mine. I always try to separate my emotions from those of my wolf, but when it comes to Raisa, it's impossible.
"I can't marry her, or you know what will happen. We won't be able to resist," I argued for the hundredth time. "But I assure you, no one else will be able to have her. She's only mine."
Kael doesn't respond. His silence is alarming, but I decide to ignore it for now and deal with it later.
The welcome I receive is like any other day, following the guidelines I gave them before
returning. I love the power, the admiration I generate, but I don't love dealing with the people I cause this to.
"You're hurting me" Susan complains in a high-pitched voice.
I don't care, silvana. I'm Susan!
My parents are already at the office. My mother is upset because she had to cancel the magnificent preparations for a talked-about wedding and turn it into this: a simple administrative procedure.
Almost immediately, I notice the diminishing scent, which is always too concentrated here. Raisa sometimes goes to the village, but she should be here.
No matter how hard I try to calm myself, it's obvious to everyone that my normally calm heart rate is not right.
"Are you nervous?" my father asks.
"Well, I understand. You've got yourself a beautiful
woman."
I don't dislike the way he looks her up and down. If it keeps her busy, it's all the better.
"Where is he?" Kael asks, breaking through the blockage as I'm about to sign the document. "He's not here.
Everyone looks at me strangely when I straighten up and take a deep breath. She's not there, she's not there.
"What's up, alpha?" asks the judge who's marrying us.
1 ignore her question and continue sniffing, trying to follow the faint trail, but there's none.
She still smells faintly of her, but there's no path. Something happened.
"Son, what the hell are you doing?" my mother demands.
"Leave me alone, I manage to say, focused on my search.
This time I'm giving myself over to what I'm doing, not caring if they suspect the secret I've been jealously guarding. That human must be in her room.
When I walk in, her scent hits me, but not like it always does when I sneak in to watch her
sleep. Neither she nor her things are there.
My furious, agonized scream, echoing throughout the house, is just the first warning of what will happen if she doesn't return soon.