Questions Game
"Shit, Claire, I didn't mean to, I wasn't trying anything! When I didn't tell you before, I swear I wasn't trying to lie. We got off-topic and I forgot," Colin begged, immediately guilty. "It's no excuse, I know-"
"It's okay," Claire interrupted. Either he was an award-winning liar, or he was genuinely full of remorse. "A lot happened yesterday. What's important is that you tell me now. Why were you under house arrest?"
By Goddess, his mate was too amazing. It almost didn't seem fair that he got to be with her. He stared at her with wonder for a moment before catching himself. It's rude to gawk, even if the person in front of you is the most wonderful thing you've ever seen.
"Well, I was only five when my mom died, you know?" She nodded; she knew that he was young, but not exactly how young. He had gotten even less time with his mother than she did. "Mary didn't want me in the packhouse, so the moment I shifted, she had me kicked out. Cillian and Molly wanted to take me in, but they weren't allowed to. So, they turned the workshed into this."
"How old were you?"
"A few days shy of ten," he beamed. "Youngest wolf in the history of the Pack to shift."
Claire looked around, amazed again by the emptiness of the space around her. He had lived here since he was a literal child, and there was not a hint of ownership to the home. Yet, he told her multiple times that he planned on staying with his pack.
"So, you couldn't stay in the packhouse, but why couldn't they take you in?"
His face darkened momentarily. Her touch brought him back to a neutral expression. "Peter wanted me available for training and constant supervision. I think when I shifted so young, Mary was worried that I would try to take Chris or Matt's spot as future Alpha. Cillian was never able to tell me a good reason, so I think he only ever got the order.
"So, from the time I was ten until I went to college, I had warriors on me. They said that my "impure" Alpha blood made me a risk. I did struggle with shifting a lot at first, especially keeping from partial shifts. Everyone does. But I never got close to hurting anyone. It was just a way to make sure that no one saw me as fit for any leadership role. Who would trust someone who couldn't even go to tenth grade without a guard in the back of the room?"
Colin's hurt ran deep. Deep enough that the anger beneath boiled it into a thick, indignant smoke, filling the air between the pair. Claire reached through the fog, placing a hand on his cheek. Her fingers could feel sharp tips of his cut beard pressing through the skin, trying to force their way out. She liked the way it felt.
"What changed?"
He was suddenly lighthearted again. She wondered if it was a new memory or simply the fact that it wasn't the old one. "I had been planning on leaving the pack and going rogue. Reed had just mated with Kali, and Lily was off to the city studying design. But then, Cillian convinced me to go to nursing school and become the pack's nurse, since the old nurse had just retired."
It hit Claire in that moment just how little she knew about the man in front of her. "When's your birthday?" she asked suddenly.
Colin chuckled before realizing she was serious. "Um, December 13. Why?"
She blushed, embarrassed. "Because we don't know anything about each other."
"Let's play a game, then. Question for a question?" he suggested with a grin.
Claire caught his sudden shift in mood and placed a curious hand on her chin, stroking it with faux indecision. "Are follow-ups allowed?"
"Only if it's a good one."
She scoffed, "And who decided what a good question is?"
"The judge, of course!" Claire immediately balked at the idea of another person coming into the house. He laughed. "Whoever is being asked the question gets to decide."
Sticking her hand out, she nodded. "I'll go first."
He took ahold of her palm and yanked her closer. She yelped a little, but it was covered by giggling. When she was that close to him, her mind clouded. It was hard to think of anything except him. And now that she knew what his lips felt like on hers, it was near impossible.
"Can I propose another rule?" he murmured, dropping his voice down.
"Only if it's a good one," she replied, smirking.
"To make sure not a second of our time is wasted, I think bad questions should still be rewarded." She cocked her head and bit the inside of her cheek; by Goddess she was sexy. "Like this."
Colin took the chance and kissed her again. He felt bad for not asking; but from the way her body wrapped around his, he was confident that he had read the situation perfectly. She was on his lap, straddling him as her hand roamed his bare back. Claire moaned softly as he moved from her lips to her neck again. She could feel his erection through his shorts, pressing against her thigh. Without thinking, Claire rolled her hips over his, eliciting a sharp hiss from Colin. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips. Holding her with ease, Colin rocked her back and forth against his cock as he lightly nipped her lip. Claire's shoulders dropped as she gave into the pleasure. She closed her eyes for a moment before snapping back into reality, albeit a bit reluctantly. "Questions first."
He grinned. She said first.
Colin kissed her neck. "What's your name?" He paused and added dramatically, "Bad question."
Laughing, Claire rolled off of him, slightly out of breath. It was hard to breathe easily when his scent pulled her in like that. She wondered how much was the mate bond and how much was his blood, but quickly pushed the thought out of her head. "I mean it!"
Colin sighed dramatically and fell onto his back. "Fine!" He turned to face her. "Birthday?"
"March 15."
"Ah, the Ides of March!"
They went back a forth for a few questions, laughing and smiling. Claire teased that she was a cat person. Colin's favorite book was obviously Dracula. Claire studied literature and wanted to be a high school English teacher. Colin minored in Spanish because of a crush on a girl.
Finally, Colin asked, "Um, how old are you?"
Claire paused. "That's… well, that is a surprisingly difficult question."