It's Only The Heat [TharnType 18+]

-06- 🌖 Devil's On Your Shoulder

"The devil's on your shoulder, the strangers in your head. As if you don't remember. As if you can forget."
~Aquilo, 'Silhouette'

~~~

*Lhong's POV*

"...and our goal is to expand our territory to the northeast. In order to do that, we need— dammit, Lhong, pay attention!"

My father slams his fist on his desk, causing the dark wooden surface to groan under the impact. I jump, my cheeks flushing with both embarrassment and fear over being caught zoning out. Again.

Glaring at me, my father scolds, "You need to be prepared for today's meeting. As the next alpha to our pack, you are expected to actively listen. I may not have gotten to choose my heir, but I can use the remainder of my time as alpha to mold you into a disciplined leader. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," I say quietly, keeping my eyes down respectfully.

With a sigh, my father rakes a hand through his thick dark hair before adjusting his glasses. "You're dismissed. We leave in one hour. Dress appropriately."

I nod obediently and head out of his home office. As soon as I close the door to my room, I slam my hands against my head.

"Stupid, stupid!" I scold myself through clenched teeth. How many times does my father have to yell at me before I get my shit together and stop daydreaming while he's talking to me? Luckily for me, yelling was the only thing he did today. Probably because he didn't want anyone from the other pack questioning the bruise I surely would've been sporting on my cheek. Over the years, I've become skilled at healing myself quicker than others, but not enough to completely heal a bruise of that size in one hour.

Pulling a recently pressed pair of slacks and a grey button up shirt out of the closet, I start to change. I need to stay focused today. My father can always tell when I'm unfocused during these meetings... which happens to be quite often. Hence, the reason why I'm so skilled at self-healing. Even worse, my father knows exactly what distracts me at those meetings.

Tharn.

I met Tharn when we were in high school. I started attending the local high school during my second year, when Tharn was in his first year. My father had hired a woman to homeschool me up until that point. It was his way of passing me off to someone else so that he wouldn't be burdened by my presence after my mom ran off. As a result, I didn't have any friends that I could confide in, or even just hang out with. When I started to attend the public high school, I was completely overwhelmed and anxious. I didn't know how to just walk up to someone and become their friend. I didn't know the norms of attending public school. I was lost.

Before the start of my last class on that first day, a stunningly perfect creature dashed into the room right before the bell rang. He smiled brightly at having made it on time, which made his dark chocolate eyes turn into adorable crescent moons. His deep brown hair flopped messily across his forehead, and his tan skin was smooth and unblemished. I felt struck by that creature, and my heart pounded in my chest. If I was 18, I would've sworn he was my mate. Fuck that, actually. I fully believed he could be my mate. Even if we had to wait a few more years for that confirmation, I was convinced we were going to be together.

After class, I was at my locker fumbling with that damn lock. I had yet to get the hang of opening that stupid thing. Heat crept up on my cheeks as I continuously tried and failed to open my locker. Why was this so difficult? I had managed to open it earlier; why can't I do it now?

"Uh... why are you trying to get into my locker?" A voice asked from behind me. I spun around to see the gorgeous creature from that class. He didn't seem angry, just a tad amused. I stared at him in shock for a moment before mentally slapping myself back to reality.