a Primal Pursuit

seven

"Tulip, what are you doing here?" Asra wondered.

I swallowed, looking away from the photograph he desperately tried to hide beneath stacks of paperwork. Looking down at the tray in my hand, I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

"I brought you food... I didn't see you at dinner." I admitted.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he glanced at his watch curiously. I observed with fascination as his face contorted from confused to annoyed.

Muttering a curse, he looked back at me. "Shit, I am sorry, Tulip. I lost track of time."

"It's okay." I smiled softly, walking over to his desk. "I brought you lots of things."

His mouth broadened into a grin as I set the tray down. "Wow, you sure did."

Asra took the tray from me, pulling one plate and some salt toward him. "Thank you. I am starving."

I laughed, sitting down in a chair opposite him. "I figured you would be. A man your size must have an enormous appetite."

Dark blue eyes seemed to sparkle as they winked at me. "I sure do. Nothing can sate my hunger."

I swallowed at his double-meaning, rubbing my cheek into my shoulder to hide the blush.

Damn this man for making me blush so much! I hated blushing, made me feel all silly and tomato-y.

The room fell silent as Asra ate, and I watched patiently as he chewed his food. He was casual, glancing between his plate, my quiet self, and his laptop. I couldn't help but let curiosity take over, trying to sneak glances at the hidden photo.

I had only seen it for a moment, but the colours seemed so familiar.

"What... what was that you were looking at when I walked in?" I caved in and questioned.

Asra tensed, his eyes flickering between me and the dinner on his plate. He sighed through his nose, finishing chewing the piece of steak in his mouth before he answered.

"I found a picture of your sister."

"You did?" I gasped. "How recent?"

"It was in your family's home. One of my men went inside whilst your mother was... asleep."

I grimaced. "Flat out drunk, you mean?"

His smile was more of a wince. "Yes... Anyway, it was easy to find. The only pictures in there were..."

I gave him a sad smile. "Of Arabella, I know. I buried the only ones of me as a kid under my bed with my father's things."

So, someone had entered the town, and my old home, undetected. Humans really were inferior if a wolf could infiltrate a home so easily.

But to me, it meant that there was a better chance that I could go there myself.

A moment of silence passed before Asra spoke again. "Do you miss him?"

"Huh?" I frowned, confused.

"Your father." He pointed his fork at me. "You speak a lot of him in kind ways."

"Because he was a good man." I shrugged. "He always provided what I needed in ways my mother never did."

"What did he look like?" He cocked his head.

A smile broke free across my lips. "Me. I look like him. I fear that is why mother detests me so much."

"Why would she detest you for looking like the man she mated?" He grimaced, pushing his plates away.