13 Chapter 13

A gigantic mansion stands before me, resembling a castle really, with turrets and a moat. It is in the center of the forest, trees surrounding the clearing where the mansion lies.

It is ferocious and forbidding, reminding me of a haunted mansion. A door stands at the front, unnecessarily large, closed and most likely locked. A bunch of those prickly bushes are located around the mansion walls, most likely to prevent the same thing I tried to attempt today.

"Who are you werewolves defending yourselves from?"

I ask in wonder, nothing the turrets that most likely house a ton of arrows, guns, and grenades.

Caleb bows his head, his voice soft.

"You just don't worry about it, Berenice. You don't need to get involved in this," he assures me, though my temper is only sparked by a comment like that.

However, after a few seconds of huffing and puffing, I quell my ferociousness.

We start walking to the moat, the bridge across it stable and wooden.

"Why do you have a bridge and not a wall?" I query.

All of the castles I have seen in books are similar in that aspect.

"Because we don't need one," a mischievous voice answers for Caleb, alerting me to another man's presence.

This man is handsome also, with the same electrifying green eyes that scares yet always manages to seduce me. However, unlike Caleb, he is Chinese, with black hair and a somewhat wider face. He is also taller, tanner, and skinnier.

This man is almost like a stick, yet with good muscles for a man his size. He is wearing a ripped t-shirt, with rugged jeans that fit him almost as well as Caleb's does. All in all, another devastatingly handsome man with a whole different type of appeal.

"You have to remember, we are werewolves," he speaks again, his voice teasing, "so we can do stuff like this."

In one sudden movement, he takes the bridge and flips it upwards, propelling us both high in the air. All I can see is blurriness again, fury ripping through my system. How dare he flip me into the air?

Caleb is by my side, looking at the smirking man dubiously. I wrap my arms around my knees, waiting for the inevitable thump.

I land in a pair of arms for the second time today, except this time they are different. Slender and altogether graceful, these hands are soft and almost like a girl's.

However, they are unbelievably strong, the fact that he flipped us both into the air with a huge, wooden bridge awe-inspiring. His face, as he looks down on me, is amused and taunting, completely unlike Caleb's affection.

However, that changes when he perks up his nose.

"What is that delicious aroma?" he asks, his voice alluringly smooth and sweet.

Caleb walks up behind him, unharmed by the stranger's mischief.

"It's her," he says, pointing to me.

I shrink when the man leans his head closer to mine. He breathes in, sighing deeply.

"I haven't had a morsel like this in ages!" he exclaims dreamily, "she smells absolutely delectable."

I start to shiver as I notice that he almost regards me as food, not an actual person.

Caleb rips me away from him, wrapping his arms around my body.

"She is my mate, Lee. Don't touch her," he growls.

He surveys me, whistling loudly.

"Caleb, this doesn't exactly seem like your type of girl. I thought you were going to mate with someone maybe more model-like... and she is a human. George is going to be furious," he almost sings that last part; as if he is actually happy that Caleb is going to spike this person's anger.

"Butt off," he snaps, "I can choose whoever I want to be my mate."

"Liar," he laughs, "you probably got mated to her because of her smell. It is amazing... I haven't experienced a smell like that in a long time. I don't blame you, Caleb" He leans in, his voice so soft that I almost can't hear it.

"Even though the ugly chick's your mate, you could still eat her. I bet she would be delicious, and George wouldn't care," he whispers.

I jump away from Caleb, punching Lee in the face. My movement is so fast that even he can't react, my fist hitting home. Lee rubs his jaw, his face of laughter.

"I'm just kidding," he chokes, "mates don't eat each other, and werewolves rarely eat humans in the first place. Nice punch, by the way."

Caleb just stares at Lee, fire alight in his eyes.

"Don't joke about that sort of stuff, Lee. It's scaring her," he says.

I step closer to them both, my temper twice the size of Caleb's.

"Do not make assumptions," I poke him in the chest, and then I turn to Lee, "You are an idiot. Go bother someone else."

I pretend to act unaffected by his remark, but in truth I am furious. I know I am ugly... but I don't like hearing a handsome werewolf say it.

"Come on, Caleb, let's go," I take charge, pulling away the growling wolf.

I look back... to see Lee's devilish smile.

"You just got a whole lot more attractive," he smirks, invoking redness to my cheeks.

I turn back to Caleb, embarrassed.

His face is twisted with laughter now, his anger died down.

"I was going to punch him for you," he says in-between chuckles, "but you beat me to it. And you were fast, too! I mean, Les is pretty weak, but he usually has better reflexes."

Weak? He smiles at me, his white teeth glistening.

"Don't listen to Lee," he whispers, "You aren't ugly at all."

I laugh, though inwardly shaking.

"Thank you, Caleb."

He reaches to grab my hand, but I pull it away. Even though I like Caleb more than Lee, this doesn't change anything. I am still not in love with Caleb.

We enter the mansion, the doors opening as if prodded by an invisible hand. The inside is just as beautifully creepy as the exterior; with two huge flights of stairs in the back of the lobby that is parted by a colossal sculpture of a wolf.

The floor is tiled, the ceiling over fifty feet above us. The whole room is very spacious, probably doubling as a ballroom.

"Where do those steps lead?" I ask, clutching his arm subconsciously, "they are so big!"