5 Pente [ 5 ]

I yearned for him even in my sleep.

Despite every part of myself telling me that he was a beast, my subconscious challenged most waking thoughts I had about him. As I slept, I imagined his arms around me, holding me tight and close to his body. It was something that I couldn't deny had a certain appeal to it.

Tristan was strong. His arms were built to protect and at the thought of him protecting me, I couldn't help but grimace. If he was the one I feared, how could he protect me from himself?

I thought back to the first time I'd ever heard about him. It was six years ago when he became alpha and started becoming infamous in the werewolf world. A neighbouring pack had become threatened by his reclaiming of his birthright. Once he killed the alpha that took the title, a man who was apparently his father figure, war was declared between the two packs and the North East was submerged in bloodshed.

Tristan, according to the stories, killed the alpha in a fight to the death. But that wasn't the worst part. He had knocked the alpha's head clean off his shoulders and forced the neighbouring pack to have him as their leader. Anyone who objected was killed. It was then the North-West territory gained the title of the Underworld because the land had become full of death and lost souls.

And the king?

None other than the Alpha Tristan, who people began to fear and in turn hate. The stories turned to cautionary tales and I wasn't sure where truth turned into fiction used to scare people into submission.

I'd only recently discovered that the one story that made me fear him more than anything wasn't true. He'd never had a mate who he killed—he'd never touched any woman before me. The latter confession sent an overwhelming feeling of pride through me.

I was the only person that experienced his addictive touch, no matter how brief. Sitting up against the headboard, I stared at the door, slowing my breathing down so I could try sense where he was. I could instantly tell that he was in his own bedroom, probably finally sleeping properly for the first time in two weeks.

Throwing the covers off me, I controlled my breathing like he advised me to, leaving my room and walking the short distance to his door. I could feel him through the door, the way his hands gripped the sheets. My hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment before I slowly twisted it, pushing the door open.

Unlike I thought, he wasn't sleeping but sat up against the headboard with a trace of a smile on his face.

"You controlled your breathing." He pointed out with an impressed expression on his face. "Work on your heartbeat next. I could hear it racing through the door."

I frowned and sighed in disappointment, leaning against the door. It was then I realised that he was shirtless. His entire top half was exposed and muscle strained against his skin deliciously. A strong neck held his head up, but his shoulders seemed stronger just by its width alone. I could tell exactly why he was such a formidable warrior.

I forced my eyes away from his inviting skin, and a teasing smile played on his lips. "Are you here for a round two of what happened this morning, αγάπη μου?"

I scrunched up my nose in confusion. "Why do you always call me that? What does it mean?"

He ignored my question completely as he continued to stare at me. Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't have backed down from his gaze, but I didn't trust myself to only stare at his eyes. I almost left the room without another word before he said something I never thought he'd say.

"I'll let you ask me any question you want, and you'll get the complete truth—if you come closer."

I peered over at him with a suspicious glare. "So you can what? Kiss me again?"

He cracked a small smile. "If that's what you want. If not, I'll keep my hands to myself. I promise."

It was an opportunity I didn't think I could pass up. I had the chance to put all my questions to bed, but it meant that I would be getting to know him, something I definitely didn't want to do.

You can't have everything go your way.

That much was true, but my conflicting thoughts were silenced by him again.

"The opportunity expires in five seconds if you don't take it."

I quickly shut the door. "Fine." I managed to go against every rational part of me when I stood at the foot of his bed, clearing my throat to ask my first question.

"Closer, Kara." He patted the space by his legs and I begrudgingly climbed onto his bed, trying to ignore his addictive scent with everything in me.

It was like I couldn't think straight having him that close to me. After two weeks of absolutely no interaction, the day was proving to be a little bit too much for me. He had no idea how intense his presence really was. But, I kept my back to him and my feet on the floor just in case I wanted to bolt from the room.

He seemed okay with it, so I asked my first question, hesitantly.

"Are the rumours true? About how cruel you are?" I knew I didn't have to delve into every single rumour because it seemed as if he knew what was said about him.

"They're all exaggerated to an extent." He answered truthfully, shifting the sheets to his lap. "Yes, I've killed. But only when it was completely necessary for either my safety or the safety of my pack. I've never killed for fun or unjustly, no matter what people think. Everyone gets a fair trial."

I listened closely, knowing that his answer made him seem more like a loving alpha instead of a cruel beast. I wasn't sure I could bring myself to believe it though.

"I've never killed a defenceless wolf, only when they've posed a threat to me. And I've never taken a woman's or a child's life. No one in my pack has."

I almost brought myself to look at him. "What about the first person you killed?"

"You won't get the complete truth with this answer, not until I know you trust me."

I turned to glare at him. "You said I could ask you any question I want." I went to stand up, knowing that it was a waste of my time.

"That's not just a question, Kara." The fire behind his eyes matched mine as he stared back at me. "That's asking for my soul, my heart—"

"I get it." I interrupted. Maybe that question was too intrusive and more than what I really wanted to know about the man I was supposed to want with everything in me. I decided to move on to my next question. "Does your pack know about me?"

He waited a few moments before answering. "They have their suspicions that I've found my mate, but they know not to ask me about it yet."

I didn't blame him. He could hardly tell them that I hated him and could barely be around him. But what convinced me to ask my next question was beyond me. It had been on my mind ever since he'd said it.

"Am I really the first woman you've kissed?" I hated how my voice was so quiet and timid like I was afraid of hearing his answer despite somewhat knowing what he'd say.

"The only woman." He replied truthfully. "I never cared for all of that—the last thing I expected was to find my mate." His voice turned soft and I couldn't stop myself from looking at him. He was staring at me like he did the first time he saw me. In awe like he was completely enamoured with me.

I swallowed and forced my gaze away from his. He felt the mate pull more strongly than I did, but it didn't mean that his state didn't do things to me—dangerous things. I had to leave before things moved in a direction I couldn't come back from.

"My turn." He uttered, stopping me in my tracks. "Why do you 'hate' me so much?"

I rolled my eyes at his emphasis on the word hate. "The stories—I've heard the most horrible things about you. I-I can't in good faith do anything but believe them. For my own safety."

He frowned deeply. "Fear breeds hate. And you don't fear me, Kara. So you can't possibly hate me."

I matched his frown. "How do you know that?"

"Because you're in the last place you'd ever expect to be in. In my bed...beside me. If you feared me you wouldn't have come here, especially if you thought I'd be asleep and unaware of my surroundings where the possibility of me lashing out would be high. You wouldn't try to sneak up on me if you feared me."

I didn't answer him because I didn't want to acknowledge the element of truth in what he said. But, the way he intrigued me was completely down to the—

"And you can't blame it on the mate pull. The pull only gets you so far—you chose to come to me."

I closed my eyes and took in a big gulp of air, overwhelmed with everything he was making me feel. It was definitely time to go. But, when I stood up from the bed, his hand hooked around my wrist and he pulled me back against his bed.

"Tristan—"

His hands settled on my waist, pulling me closer to him until my knees pressed against the side of his leg. He was still seated against the headboard and gave me the choice to move away from him again. I knew that much since he could've easily pulled me into his lap.

One kiss wouldn't hurt.

My eyes dropped down to his heavenly lips and my gaze went hooded for a second as he spoke. "This time, you kiss me or I won't touch you at all."

Almost as if I was in a daze, my hands pressed against his thigh as I slowly leaned in, lingering close enough that we breathed the same air, but not enough to kiss him. His minty breath fanned my lips and I parted them in desire, not willing to close the distance between us. His lips almost touched mine until I realised he was telling the truth. Unless I kissed him, he would stay exactly where he was.

It was a power play.

I growled as I tore my hands off his leg, climbing off the bed in annoyance. I spun back around in anger. "One of these days, you're going to get it into your head that I do hate you."

"You hate being wrong." He pointed out, throwing the covers off his body. He was wearing pyjama trousers, but without his cover, he somehow felt more naked to me. "You don't believe those stories—not after I've told you there's no truth to it. If you still do then you're a fool."

When he stood up, I immediately pushed him back down. I knew where things were headed. His height would intimidate me until I would shrink under his gaze and be ripe for the taking. What I didn't think through was how good it would feel to have my hands against his bare skin.

It was electrifying and not in the I-can-feel-sparks way. It was knowing that just one touch from me could make him shiver. Goosebumps visibly raised on his skin and I watched them with an eagerness that was foreign to me. I had never made a man feel like that, probably because I'd never touched a man like that.

And before I could stop myself, I closed the distance between us and covered his mouth with mine in a kiss. My hands pushed him back all the way on the bed until I was able to climb on top of him, claiming his lips with a sense of urgency I didn't know was possible for me.

His hands gripped at my hips and he kissed me back with equal intensity, no doubt feeling the exact same thing I was. It was like a high. It sent my mind into a frenzy and drove my body even crazier. Every drag wasn't enough and it was then I realised why drugs were addictive in the first place. One experience wasn't enough—the kiss we shared out in the snow wasn't enough. I needed more.

"Say my name, Kara. I want to hear you say it."

I chose not to answer, threading my fingers through his silky hair and relishing in the way it felt in my grip. It was softer than it looked, and I felt satisfied that one of my desires were fulfilled. His fingers tightened on my hips with an intensity that bordered on painful, but I pushed back by tugging on his hair.

"Kara." He growled in warning against my lips.

I could barely concentrate on anything but him and before I knew it, I gave him what he wanted. "Tristan..." My eyes flew open at the sound of his name. My voice sounded so foreign to me at that moment, but he seemed to drink it all in as he stared down at me with prideful eyes. His forehead rested against mine. Both our hearts wanted to race to the finish line.

He got exactly what he wanted. I was losing against him, no matter how hard I tried to resist him. In one last attempt to gain back my control, I pulled my hands from his hair and dropped them by my side.

"Let me go." I seethed quietly, pushing against his forehead as he remained exactly where he was. "That was a mistake."

He was deadly silent for a moment, and I briefly wondered if I had hit a nerve. It was a question unanswered as he slowly let go of me, standing up to his full height as I crawled back to the other side of the bed, thankful for it separating us.

"Kissing me isn't a mistake if I'm yours." He defiantly spoke, staring at me like a predator would a prey. With hunger and determination.

"It is if I'm trying to tell you I don't want you." I fired back, hating how predictable I was becoming. Swearing up and down I didn't want him after almost letting him do whatever he wanted to do to me.

It infuriated me when the smirk pulled at his lips again. "You have told me you don't want me, but your lips tell a different story when they're not talking."

I wanted to strangle him. He had a way of pushing my buttons like no one ever did. "That means nothing. It just tells me I finally need to get laid—and I'm sure any one of the unmated males in your pack would be more than willing to deliver."

Something switched in him. His facial expression darkened and his eyes were a steely blue as he growled lowly in anger. A growl that told me maybe I had taken it too far.

"You do that and I'll really turn into the monster you think I am." An expression of disgust crossed his face and I felt my heart stop. "For a person who screams about loyalty, you certainly don't honour it. Get out of my room, Kara."

My stomach twisted. It was what I wanted. I wanted him to hate me as much as I hated him. It was easier that way.

"I'm not going to say it again!" he snapped, making me flinch in shock before I hightailed it out of there.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard the sound of something breaking. It made me realise that I did take it too far, and in the process, I changed his whole opinion of me.