His Worst Behavior

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - HEAT

I was on Monclaw territory.

I was seated on a chestnut-colored couch in a modern house, sipping a glass of water. Julius Monclaw was crouched down in front of me, inspecting my wrists. His touch was gentle and his eyes were soft when they were on me. He had pulled his blond hair back into a low ponytail, one strand falling over his left eye. "These will take some time to heal."

I hesitated. "Why did you come find me?"

"I heard you left the Farkas Pack," he answered, flipping my hand over. "When you didn't come to me, I came to you." He released me and straightened to his feet, saying, "And, it's a good thing I did - those humans would've killed you."

"Maybe they should've," I mumbled, instantly receiving a frown. I set aside the glass of water, tossing my hands into the air. "I don't see the point in living. Not when I'm constantly unhappy and scared like this. If this is how it's going to be, I don't want this life. "

"You can't be thinking like that."

"I am," I argued, leaping to my feet. I jabbed an accusing finger at him as I moved around the table near us. "And, you are partially to blame! You turned me into this, into a werewolf. I didn't want this - you stole my humanity." My eyes began watering and I hated myself for crying in front of him. "You hurt me."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, exhaling loudly. "Your resemblance to Luna caught me off-guard. My wolf acted impulsively."

"That's not good enough," I spat, wiping away a tear. "I want to leave."

"I can't let you," Julius said, taking a step towards me. "You are safe here. I won't let anything happen to you."

The words slipped out of my mouth. "Did you say the same thing to Luna?"

I witnessed him flinch at my harsh words. I instantly felt terrible for mentioning her. I was just bitter and hurt by the whole situation. His blue eyes hardened and I wrapped my arms around myself, stumbling away. A low sound vibrated from his throat, before he uttered, "Watch it."

Biting my bottom lip, I walked to the other side of the room.

"I know you couldn't have just walked off the Farkas territory," he said, watching me. "How did you escape?"

I frowned. "Scarlett didn't tell you?"

"I haven't spoken to her this week," he informed me, calmly. "She has gone silent." Concern washed through me for her, as I knew she was disliked by the pack. It was only a matter of time until they figured out where her loyalty resided.

"I challenged him," I said, shrugging. "He submitted to me."

He seemed unconvinced. "A Farkas never submits."

"He did."

"He sacrificed his reputation for your life," Julius said, scrutinizing me with curiosity in his eyes. I shifted on my feet, avoiding his gaze in an attempt to not cry again. "You're his weakness."

I sighed. "And, I'm yours."

"Yes, you are," he said, his demeanor softening. He walked towards me, only to stop when I stumbled back into the wall to keep the space between us. He seemed to understand and remained standing there, quietly adding, "Because of the bond, I feel this strong need to protect you, to care for you."

"Take a look at the bigger picture," I said, shaking my head. "The two of you are fighting and I'm in the middle. It's only a matter of time until I'm killed and then, you both lose." He dropped his gaze, pondering. "Do you have anything I can eat?"