I swallowed thickly, the words dying in my throat.
His thumb pressed into my cheek. Not hard enough to actually hurt me. But hard enough to make it very clear that he was not moving until I answered him.
I looked into his eyes.
Bad idea.
The gold in them had bled into the dark, swallowing it, and what was looking back at me was not entirely the man, it was a mixture of his wolf and the man. It scared me but at tge sane time, sent unwanted but addictive shivers down my spine.
"I—" My voice died out again.
"Say it again," he repeated
I opened my mouth to say something… to prove that he had no effect on me and I could actually stand my ground.
He leaned back, inching away from me and standing straight.
The space between us finallly allowed my to take in the much needed breath I needed in my lungs and in the next moment, my mouth ran again " Ive slept with numerous men before and after I met you, it can be any of them that fathered my–".
His hand shot out and grabbed my chin before the last word even finished leaving my mouth. He tilted it up again to meet his eyes
"Numerous men?," he repeated slowly.
"Yes." I held his gaze even though every
intelligent part of me was screaming not to. "Numerous."
The corner of his mouth moved, barely. Just the smallest twitch at the edge of it that he shut down almost immediately but not quite fast enough because I saw it. I saw it and I didn't know what to do with it because I had seen many things on this man's face in the short and catastrophic history of knowing him but amusement had hardly been one of them.
"Numerous men," he said again. Like he was turning it over. Like he found the texture of it interesting.
"Are you hard of hearing?"
His thumb pressed slightly under my chin, tilting my face up another fraction. "And these numerous men." His voice was very low. . "Did they all get evidence the way you left evidence on my sheets?"
My face went blaring hot.
Burning, actually. From my neck straight up to my hairline and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it except hold the eye contact and refuse to let it show beyond the physical impossibility of that.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.
"No?" The almost-smile was back. Barely there. But looked devastatingly handsome on his face anyway . "My housekeeper thought I'd been injured." He tilted his head slightly. "And I knew damn well I wasn't the one who bled that night."
"That is—" My whole body burned with what I'd call shane at the remembrance of how easily I gave away my virginity to him.
I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand from my chin. Or tried to. It moved because he allowed it to move, which we both knew, which made it worse. "That is absolutely none of your business and it doesn't prove anything and—"
"It proves quite a lot actually."
"It proves nothing." I pointed at him. "Lots of people—"
"Lyra." He growls, erupting a surge from deep inside me. My name on his lips brought out desire that I had buried deep inside of me" and shut it with a fucking padlock.
"Don't say my name like that." I snapped.
He tilt his head, his eyes sweeping over my whole face " Like what? Lyra".
I knew he repeated my name again intentionally but that did not stop the knee buckled effect it had on me. If I was not seated already, I'd probably be on the floor with my face burning with embarrassment.
I cleared my throat awkwardly " It doesn't still matter. I'm not going with you".
I felt his hand leave my chin and he stepped back again, a look I can't decipher on his face " It's only a matter of time before they find you". His eyes moved to the older woman on the floor "You won't last another day here".
My eyes also followed his and I'm left the heavy feeling in my heart as I settled on the fact that I had no idea what the woman would've done had he not knocked her down. I couldn't tell if she was a wolf or human because oddly, she had no scent at all.
Is this how it would always be? Them putting a price on me means that everyone will be out for me, even rogues. Especially rogues. It was only a matter of time before I get caught. How did I even manage to go unnoticed all this times? Some wolves also live in the human city like me.
But still….
I turned my attention to the man before me. The man that Ive heard terrifying stories about. I hadn't realised it when I was there but the only pack that was in that region, after crossing the second river was…Nightbale. Ruled by a monstrous Alpha wolf whose bloodline is forbidden to be heard of— a wolf and a vampire. He was rumoured to have devoured his own mate and suck her blood till not even a single blood remained in her vain.
The same man that even the Alpha council feared.
I shook my head " If…if you heard about the execution, then you must know of —
" The prophecy? I am quite aware of that".
I searched his eyes to find that disdain or even any hint of fear that everyone seemed to have when they heard about it but it wasn't there. His eyes stayed void of any emotion like the knowledge didn't affect him at all " And you still want me to come with you? Everyone will haunt I and my child. Alphas will try to get to me, which means getting to your pack. Your people will be in danger, protecting a child that might later ruin them. You still want me to come with you?".
He chuckled in response though I don't find anything funny in what I said. It was my turn to look at him like he had grown two heads. There was nothing funny in what I said.
" I am already a living anomaly". He said flatly. " One more won't make a difference".
And in that moment, I decided that if I was going to be hunted, I'd chose where I stood