III

12

Felina remained sequestered in her room. She'd tried going out once or twice, just to get groceries and the likes but apparently she'd been ill received in the community consisting mostly of shifters from my pack... on the other hand, Blair had not desisted in coming out. At first, after the cereal incident, he'd been tentative, mostly avoiding being in the same room but making sure I knew his whereabouts, not masking his scent, and most definitely not hers, as if he were trying to get a rise out of me. I left him alone however. After a week or so he became more bold and deliberately went to places he knew I would be going. It was frustrating, and the knot in my stomach had grown tighter but it felt less painful somehow.

"What did you mean by 'she's my mate'?" I felt hollow as I spoke the words but at the same time a strange sense of relief came over me. I'd finally been able to ask him. He tensed in his chair.

Today he'd awaited me in the living room, where I usually ventured around the dinner hour when I wasn't yet hungry. He'd feigned ignoring my presence, as had I, but I knew he'd been conscious of my every move. Now he dropped the act and his entire body was on full alert, ready to dodge, duck and flee if necessary.

"I meant... exactly what I said. Lina is my mate." His posture became even more rigid as he slowly marked his page, closed his book and lay it on the coffee table, straightening up. I could not blame him, after all it was the first time we spoke more than his one sided 'good morning's' or 'good night's'.

But it got to me, somehow the knot shot up to my chest and an unfamiliar feeling settled there.

"If you're so afraid of me, why stay? Why stay in the house of the person who's mate you marked as your own? Why stay with me, who nearly killed you?" His eyes widened and I could hear his heartbeat speed up as I focussed all my senses on him.

"Your heart is speeding up, you're terrified," I cried out angrily, letting out a low growl, "yet you have sex in my home with my mate almost every night and you still come and seek me out like none of it ever mattered, like none of it happened." His heartbeat became even more frantic and I could feel the heat he emanated, waft across my own skin. A mixture of his and Felina's scents reached my nostrils as his blush spread to his neck and ears and he averted his eyes. Finally he submits I thought, and it clicked.