Chapter 16

Ryan's POV

I had not enjoyed the feast for even a second. I could not see Dylan Harris' table to make sure he wasn't touching her or acting inappropriately. He seemed like the type.

Michael was trying to be friendly, "I guess you get your she-wolf afterall, since she won."

My temper flared, normally I would know his humor, but instead, I grabbed him by the throat. He winced, and gagged. I threw him off.

"Shut up, Michael," I said. "Don't talk about her. Ever. This whole thing is your fault." If he hadn't insisted that she fight in the games, we wouldn't be here now, and Alyson would not be sharing a table with another man. She'd denied me, and I couldn't stand the idea of her choosing another.

"Sorry, Alpha," Michael said, rubbing at his throat with a confused expression. "I'll leave you for now." He disappeared back towards the party.

After Michael left, I was alone with all my fury. I walked as close to Dyaln's table as I could, and I saw that they were talking very close together and I raged with jealousy. I was about to go over there and ruin their little dinner, but a few guards stopped me.

"This is a private dinner." They said.

"Private?" I fumed.

I knew that I could rip both of them apart easily. I wanted to even. I almost did, but I considered that the purpose of this feast was peace between the packs. I imagined that I would make a scene only to have Alyson reject me again. She refused to be my mate, or admit any love, and that was that. She refused the mate bond that she should know, and so it was left to torture me alone.

I trudged away with heavy feet and an even heavier heart.

I brooded over not having thought of a reason to prevent her from that Dylan for dinner. She was so insistent. Could she like him? Why? He was the son of an Alpha, not even an Alpha. He was too outward in his affections. Could she like that? Had I not tried to tell her that I loved her, and she rejected me?

I hadn't talked to her all day- too angry and frustrated to know what to say. She was stubborn, I knew that too well after all the training. She would never back down, her tenacity something I truly admired, but in this instance was infuriating.

I went to bed early, wanting to sleep to end this nightmare of a day, but I couldn't. I felt like I would lie awake all night wondering what happened at their dinner. Suddenly, a breeze hit the flap of my tent. I smelt her. She was standing right outside.

Alyson's POV

I stood there, not sure how to enter and breech his anger. I wasn't sure how I could explain my reasons for meeting with Dylan and wanting him to come stay on Ryan's territory without seeming like I liked Dylan. That would only cause more problems that I didn't want from Ryan.

He was so stubborn, and impossible. I thought of him dragging me around, and trying to prevent me from Dylan's dinner. Thankfully, I would have no mate or love in this life to control me like that.

I wanted to prove him wrong for his actions right then, not wait till morning to do it. I believed he owed me an apology. I wanted Ryan as a friend and ally, not for some controlling pseudo-mate to dictate my actions. That must be why his anger bothered me so much.

I stepped up to the door flap, and backed away. It seemed so obvious that I was out there, couldn't he tell? He must still be very angry, if not he would have already invited me in. And this made me angrier. What did have to be so mad about? I was the one who should be mad?

Maybe he didn't even care anymore, I thought and it troubled me. How could he do that to me? He said he cared, even that he liked me, did that mean he got to tell me what I could do? Shouldn't that mean something? I couldn't draw myself away from his tent flap.

"Ouch!" I yelled towards his door, pretending to twist my ankle to see if he would come out. I wanted to see if he still even cared about me.

His figure parted the flap. "Be more careful!" He was scolding as he came to my side. "What happened?" He wore no shirt, only long and lose pants made of soft fabric.

I was rubbing the ankle of my fake injury. He squatted down to take a closer look, moving it around to test the joint. Each of his motions stirred the muscles in his arms to shoulders to back- his body was like a piece of sculpted art.

His eyes narrowed at me; I was standing up.

"So you do still care," I said, not masking my irritation, but slightly moved at how he was checking my ankle. "You have funny ways of showing it."

He drew back from me, anger in his cold eyes. "What does that mean?" He eyed me up and down, his exposed torso lifting up and down with his shortened breaths.

"Could we talk for a minute?" I said.

"About what?"

"How about today?" I said. "You have no right to order me around."

"Am I not your Alpha now?" He spat furiously. "You wanted to be part of my pack."

While that was true, I refuted. "This is more than that and you know it."

"You're soo…"He growled.

"What am I? I'd love to hear what I am?" I dared him. We were both raging, I felt like I wanted to rip him apart, and wondered if he felt the same. Apparently the adrenaline from fighting to the death today still ran through my veins.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me. All of the sudden, his expression softened a little. He had some version of smirk across his lips as if he was amused by me.. "Want to come in?" With a tilt of his head, he beckoned me back to his tent.

"Are you laughing at me now?" I said as I charged into his tent, full ready to demand my apology in there. It was large enough to accommodate him comfortably with the bed off to one side.

A single candle was lit on the small table next to his bed. In the faint flicking light, the pupils in his eyes dilatated as he stared down at me. Even in his agitation, there was that hunger behind his composure that stirred something new in me.

In my heated anger, I felt energy charging inside me, and between us. I could hardly believe it, and I certainly couldn't admit it. In that candle light, he looked so sexy, and it felt like perhaps if we just mated and got it over with, then he could get over me and we could just be friends. Could I do that?

The surprising thought made me tongue tied for the first time all night, sure I could never act like that. We stared at each other from across the room, but I could feel his body heat, and even imagined him pressing into me like several times during training with that fiery desire burning beneath the surface of his eyes.

He seemed to know as if he could ready my thoughts. I quieted my mind, trying to shut any of it and all of it down. His gaze intensified, and he stepped a little closer.

"You were saying?" He said in a quiet and low voice that sent shivers sweeping up through me.

"I…. You…" My mind had gone blank. He stepped closer even. He was only one step away now, leaning over me, looking far too pleased with himself.

I was still wary that he only wanted me for my blood even if he had not forced me to give him any more.

"So how was your dinner?" His gaze drifted away from me for a second before he smiled. "Much not have been too interesting if you came to me right after."

Suddenly I knew why he was smirking at me like that. He must think that even if I had a dinner with another man tonight, I had left that man to come back to him. He thought that meant something.

My crazy anger boiled up again, "It was informative." I said it in a way to bother him.

"Informative how?" His nostrils flared a bit. "What kind of information?" He did not pull away.

"It doesn't really matter right now," I said. "Dinner was unimportant." I considered telling him that I'd invited Dylan to visit Starstream Pack, but I thought I would never get an apology if I did.

"Surely, your ankle seems fine. Maybe this other guy taught you how to poorly act." He smiled, teasing me as if we were normal.

I chuckled in spite of myself.

The intensity of his gaze was no longer for anger, and I wondered if I was looking at him in the same way with wide eyes refracting the candle light. He was leaning over since I had kept close, wanting to feel his body on mine. Wanting to rip at his clothes in my rage, and… well, I wasn't quite sure by the fantasies I was trying to subdue kept reappearing.

All of the sudden, I felt very nervous, the eye contact seemed too much. What was I doing? I didn't know how to do this. I was not a she-wolf to take a lover when I would never have a mate. Was I?

"I was just passing by. I wanted an apology, but it seems that you are busy right now, and maybe tomorrow your head will be on right," I was stammering nonsense. He was leaning. I was panicking. Would he kiss me? Did I know how to kiss? "So, I should leave now. Before we kill each other."

I was turning away, about to leave, the heart pounding in my chest as if I were in a fight match right now. He interrupted, not letting me finish saying "Good night."

Taking my arm, he guided me back to him, simultaneously securing the flap of the tent so that no one could open it from the outside. He leaned down, his enormous shoulders molding around me and kissed me softly on the lips. I had never felt anything like that. I felt weak in the knees but also wanting more. His large hands pulled my waist in to his body, and he kissed me again, more firmly, his lips moving with mine.

At first, I pushed at him to push him away, but he held tightly. My hands intended to separate us felt up his body, so firm with muscle and strong. I felt so small compared to him. A wave of sensations flooded through me erasing the anger, and resistance.

He reached up and touched my breast, and I gasped a little. My whole world felt like it would turn over. There was a pulsing in my body that I'd never felt so strongly before. I could smell his desire on his breath, and I wondered if he could smell mine. The way he folded me into him, I knew that he must.

I felt the bulge in his pants. I broke away to look down at it, blushing. I felt so dizzy, and confused, and warm all at once.

"Is it ok?" He asked, tilting my gaze back up at him. "I love you; this would mean so much to me if you allow me to continue. For us to continue with this."

I hadn't heard anyone tell me that they love me like that, and I couldn't love him back. I wasn't sure exactly what this was. I knew he wanted to mate, but my education in my past life was stilted.

He might have seen the panic taking over my face. Even if part of me wanted to continue, I was also afraid. "I think it's best if we stop for now." I said, everything in my body wanting to flee before I become too vulnerable. "Good night, Ryan…"

He put his arms around my waist, and I let him, giving in to him, wanting him so badly and not knowing what to do about it. I melted into him, he held me tight, whispering into my ear, "Sleep with me tonight. We do not have to do any more than you're comfortable. I promise I won't push it; we can just sleep. I just want to be with you."

Despite all my resistance, despite all my determination to not love, I knew I'd fallen for him. The thought terrified me, but then again, I considered what would be the harm if I sleep here one night. It didn't have to mean anything.