Eleanor tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't take her mind off Zane. The scenes of Zane pressing her against the tree crossed her mind. Chills pricked her body when she recalled how close he was to her.
The tip of his nose had touched hers. His lips had almost brushed hers while speaking.
Eleanor touched her lips in a trance. She was so close to kissing him. If she had shown a little interest, Zane would have locked his lips with hers. She wanted to experience the sensation of being kissed. The mere thought of Zane kissing her aroused her desire.
She felt a tingling sensation all over her body. She dragged her fingers from her lips to her neck and then to her boobs.
"Mm…" she moaned and sank her teeth into her bottom lip, her eyes closed. But she shot open her eyes in the next moment and drew her hand back.
"What on earth was I thinking?" She hissed, blowing air and fanning her face with her hands. "Zane is not mine. He can't be mine. I should stop thinking about him. Ugh…" She grimaced and rolled to the other side. "I have to wake up early. Stop, stop, stop thinking." She hugged a pillow and closed her eyes.
Thump…
Several minutes later, she heard something fall to the floor. She jerked open her eyes and sat up.
"Mm…"
A silhouette in a hooded, black jacket rushed over to her at lightning speed and pressed her down, sealing her mouth.
"Shh…" The silhouette leaned in and shushed her. "Don't shout."
When Eleanor heard Zane's voice, her eyes widened even more. She remained motionless, not daring to breathe.
"Good." Zane slowly pulled his hand from her mouth.
"What are you doing here?" Eleanor asked in a hushed tone as she sat up abruptly. "How did you get here? And… How did you find my address?" She squinted at him.
Zane chuckled and laid down with his hands under his head. "I am the future alpha of this pack. I know who resides where. And…" he nodded to the window on the left and added, "you left the window open."
Eleanor glanced at the window before resting her eyes on him. "You shouldn't be here. Go back." She reached out to push him off the bed.
Zane grabbed her wrist and drew her closer, encircling her in his arms.
Eleanor froze, her breathing hitching in her throat. Her face flushed when she sensed her breasts pressed tightly against his chest.
'Holy mother…' She swallowed the lump in her throat, nervous.
Zane was intoxicated as he stared into her amber eyes. He couldn't withdraw his gaze.
"These eyes… They are not allowed to watch another man," he hissed.
"What?" Eleanor came to her senses. "Let go of me." She wriggled.
"You can't stare at another man," Zane said fiercely, tightening his grip around her.
Eleanor stopped moving and scowled at him. "I have told you that I can watch anyone as I please."
"And I am telling you that you can't watch any other man, and you can't fall in love with anybody."
Eleanor blinked, perplexed. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts and asked, "Why?"
"Because I am telling you so."
"And who are you to tell me who I should love and who I shouldn't?" She fumed, wriggling harder.
Zane rolled and pressed her down beneath him. He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. He leaned towards her and hissed, "Don't forget that I am the future alpha of the pack. When I say you can't love anybody, that means you can't love anybody. You should obey your alpha."
"I am not your slave." Eleanor twisted her body, desperate to break free.
"Don't move," Zane snarled.
"Why would I listen to you?" Eleanor fumed. "You may be the future alpha, but you are no one to me. I am free to love whomever I want. You can't stop me. You should pay attention to your mate. It won't look good if anybody finds you in my room late at night. It can upset your mate. Go back."
Zane let go of her hands gradually when she mentioned his mate. Ruby's smiling face flashed in the back of his mind. It made him restless.
He got off the bed and left the room through the window.
Eleanor jumped out of bed and dashed to the window, just to see Zane flee. She felt something slip from her grasp when she saw him run away from her. A feeling of sadness took hold of her heart.
She wasn't stupid to not understand why Zane had told her not to love anyone. She figured out that she was not the only one to have feelings for him, but he had also fallen in love with her. This realization brought tears to her eyes.
"Why did this happen?" she murmured.
Zane had already found his mate. He would never cheat on Ruby.
Eleanor assumed Zane was only infatuated with her. It was not true love. Besides, she could never be with Zane, even if she loved him. She wouldn't bring disaster to him.
"You should stay away from me," she continued. "I am not good for you." A few drops of tears trickled down her cheeks.
Zane didn't return to the packhouse. He ran into the woods. He was angry and embarrassed at the same time. His attraction to Eleanor clouded his mind and prompted him to do something he shouldn't have done. He regretted going to her house. He despised himself for not being able to stop thinking about her.
"What is happening to me? How come I keep thinking about her?"
Zane transformed into a wolf before he finished his sentence, shredded pieces of the clothes soared in the air, and fell to the ground. When he ran forward, he perceived a putrid stance of rogues. His ears perked up when he heard the distant growling. He sniffed the air and ran further ahead.
He came to a halt when he saw a group of five rogues killing a patrolling guard. He stood on his hind legs with a rumbling snarl escaping from his throat, his eyes glowing hazel. His dagger-sharp incisors shone in the supple moonlight.
The five rogues turned to him. They growled and charged at him together.
Zane leaped into the air and grabbed the throats of two rogues before crashing to the ground. He ripped their throats in an instant. Blood gushed out of their throats like fountains.
Another rogue jumped on his back. He was about to bite his shoulder when Zane elbowed him in the jaw, knocking him down.
Zane stood up and stamped his foot on his chest, his claws digging into his flesh. He dug his claws deeper as the rogue struggled to get up.
Meanwhile, another brown wolf jumped on him. Zane threw his arm at him, causing him to fly backward and collapse a few feet away.
The remaining one fled, not daring to fight with him. When the brown wolf saw his teammate run away, he also jumped to his feet and fled for his life. The rogue beneath his foot wailed in agony, gradually reverting to human form.
Zane also transformed into his human form and squatted beside him, seizing his throat.
"Who is your leader?" Zane asked, his eyes still glowing hazel. "Tell me the name who kidnapped me."
"I don't know who kidnapped you," the rogue replied, his voice trembling.
"Don't lie if you don't want to get killed," Zane growled as he tightened his grip.
"I am not lying. We rogues never kidnapped you. It's not us."
"Then who abducted me?"
"I have no idea. We are also trying to find out who is behind the kidnapping since everyone blames us. Believe me. We didn't kidnap you. Please, let me go."
Zane's lips quirked into a devilish grin. "Whether you kidnapped me or not, you always cause havoc for the pack. I can't let you go."
Snap…
He snapped his neck in an instant.