"Alpha, we've arrived," the driver announced after he noticed that Alpha Knight wasn't aware that the car had stopped.
"Hmm," Wayne grunted him an answer and opened his eyes. The door was already open and the second bodyguard was standing by it with his hands clasped in front of him. Alpha Knight stepped out and walked straight through the glass doors with his men trotting by him.
The Valor House, a nightclub slash guest house, was his, but commercialized for public use. He had his special room upstairs and that was where he was headed. The workers, as was tradition, bowed to the Alpha as he walked to the stairs. He got to the door upstairs and swiped his card against it and it opened to reveal a big room. Dark red carpet was smoothened from wall to wall and the white and gold cushion sofas took most of the space. The chandelier gave the room a golden-yellow glow and the appliances and other furniture sparkled under it.
Alpha Wayne stepped inside and banged the door behind him. His men stationed themselves at his door because that was his private room, no one entered except called upon.
He walked straight to the small bar and poured himself a drink, then he walked to the glass table between the sofas and picked up the remote control. He turned on the TV and plumped himself on the sofa opposite it.
His fingers raked through his hair and he sipped his drink. Olive's image wouldn't leave his head. Was that what having a mate felt like? If it was, then he didn't like it. He wanted his old self back. The one that was always focused and under control. He had no worries. But right now, he kept worrying about Olive. That he would hurt her. That she would never accept him.
"No, she has to," he said out loud. He heard footsteps coming from the hallway towards his door. There was no other sound except a card being swiped. He knew who it was.
"Jake," he called without looking backwards.
"Hey, Wayne. It's afternoon. What are you doing here?" Jake asked as he walked to the bar and began to pour himself the same drink Wayne was having.
"Was bored," he replied curtly and took a gulp from his glass.
"Well, you were the one who had me clear your schedules. Wonder why you did that," Jake sat adjacent Wayne on another sofa and took a sip from his own glass.
"I can't think straight. I might throw tantrums if I meet people."
"Not the exact mood I expected from someone who just found his mate."
"Not what I expected from myself too. I'm disappointed in me."
Jake chuckled and leaned softly against the sofa. He had been Wayne's assigned beta before he even claimed the position of Alpha, so he knew Wayne. He knew him so well that he could write a book on his lifestyle. But just in 24 hours or so, he was getting confused in Wayne's behaviors. He had seen people finding their mates before, but didn't see them acting too weird like Wayne was.
"How is she? You left her at the castle?" Jake asked.
"Yes. Unconscious," Alpha Knight answered and Jake's brows furrowed.
"Why is she—?"
"—because I choked her and flung her across the room, causing her to hit her head and getting a deep cut on her face."
Jake gasped in surprise and sat up.
"What?"
"I f-__-ked up. And I have no idea why I even did that. I've been restless ever since. Feels like my heart was stabbed by a hot sword," Wayne explained sincerely and drained all the content of his glass. Jake looked at him in awe. So Alpha Wayne Knight could feel this way? When was the last time again?
"You can't hurt your mate like that. She's already scared of you to death. Don't ki|| her before she dies of that fear."
"Jake. What do I do? I don't know what to do. Tell me."
"Wh@ťěver your heart feels."
"Heart? I don't remember that I even have that."
"She's your mate, Wayne. Yours to protect. Yours to keep secure. Yours, Wayne. Show her that."
Wayne ran his fingers through his hair again. He sighed. Maybe he was going to go home and do what Jake said. He stayed for the next one hour and talked about other things with Jake, but his mind had long gone home to his mate. When he finally reached the pack castle, his heart thudded loudly. He walked very fast and almost broke into a run as he hurried with his men behind him. He was about to take a turn towards his elevator when he bumped into his sister, Dolly.
"Watch where you're going," his cold voice bellowed. He was about to keep moving when she grabbed his hand and pulled him backwards. The bodyguards took several steps back to give the siblings space.
"How dare you!" he barked and she scoffed.
"Save the 'big bad wolf' tone for later. Wayne, what is it I'm hearing around today?" she asked in a carefree, yet serious tone. Wayne was her elder brother of two years.
"What is it you're hearing?" he asked in return with his face in a deep frown. He was very impatient.
"You know, if you keep frowning at me like that, I'll have to give you a few shots in your sleep. And you could continue sleeping for all I care," Dolly sn_gg@ed at him. She was a medical doctor.
Wayne rubbed the space between his eyebrows that had formed lines as a result of frowning too much.
"Dolly, no no. Not today," he mumbled and walked away. He entered his private elevator alone and watched the buttons as they moved upwards until the last floor. He hurried out, crossed his receiving hall and entered the small hallway before his room. He heaved a silent sigh. Was she awake? What if she had escaped again? Would she reject him as her mate?
He pulled his doorknob and walked inside. He swiftly looked at the bed to see if it was empty. To his utter satisfaction, she was still lying down there sleeping peacefully. He exhaled and walked to her. Sitting beside her, he stared at her face. She had a V-shaped model like face, with a stunning straight noise and full yet small pink lips. Her eyebrows were lined beautifully, not too thick and not thin either. They were black, just like her hair. And her eyelashes, so long and curled upwards. Olive was beautiful. He had to admit that.
His eyes trailed down and he saw the marks of his fingers in her neck. They were red and a bit swollen. Why hadn't those healed? Though, he knew why. The cut in her brow was already gone like it never came there. He however, wished the red marks could heal before she woke up.
Suddenly, she steered and groaned. A second later and their eyes met each other. None looked away as usual. Wayne brought his hand up and arranged her hair which had scattered because of the half worn hood. She sighed and continued to watch his face. He wanted to apologize already, but he didn't know how to frame his words. However, what she did that instant surprised him.
# Chapter 15
Olive's lips curved into a smile as she looked up at him. He had hurt her, which she h@ťěd. But the sight of him looking down at her made her heart lighter. Her wolf purred just by staring at him. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his soft, messy curls as slow as she could.
He felt tingles in form of electrical energy from his hair through his whole body. Her touch was magical. It soothed him and he suddenly felt at peace. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
"I'm sorry," he muttered as he leaned into her palm, with his eyes still closed. Olive blinked slowly as she stared at his face. Wayne Knight, the Big Bad Alpha was her mate. No matter how she tried to force herself to say he wasn't, she knew he was. He could protect her, and care for her. She would finally feel what it was like to have a mate, made for you only.
"My mate, why are you sorry?" she mumbled. Her throat hurt. He opened his eyes and stared into her beautiful green orbs. He looked down at her neck and curled his fist.
"I hurt you," he answered while still staring at her neck.
"And why?" Olive asked and let down her hand.
"I…I don't know," he broke down and looked away from her.
"Perhaps you're a hybrid?"
He chuckled and looked back at her.
"No. Just a wolf," he said and she cracked a smile.
"Can I get water?"
Before Wayne could even fully understand what she was saying, he found himself speeding to his bar and returning with a bottle of cold water and a glass cup. He poured it out then held her up gently and she drank it. He scoffed inwardly at himself. He was serving someone like a servant.
"Thank you," Olive appreciated and returned the cup to him.
"Did you accept my apology?"
"No. You will have to earn that."
She stepped down from the bed and walked past him to the end of the room where she looked at her neck in the mirror.
"It looks pretty bad. And I have a difficulty with talking," she said and winced as she moved her head left and right. Wayne crossed his arms and stared at her back.
"How am I going to earn it?" he asked with a tone of disbelief plus amusement.
"Be good to me. Genuinely good to me," she answered and turned around to look at him. She placed her hands on her waist and stared at him back.
"If I see you're being a good mate, then I'll forgive you for trying to ki|| me deliberately."
"Deliberately? Come on, that was…that was an accident," Wayne countered her.
"Didn't look like one. I remember you warned me not to ever walk out on you before you th-ru_st me out of your grip," Olive crossed her arms and gave him a 'what's your excuse?' kind of stare. Wayne scratched the back of his head and looked away. He couldn't explain his actions. He didn't mean it. He didn't know why he did it. But it sure didn't look like that.
"Okay. I'll earn your forgiveness," he finally said. He remembered her request tallied with Jake's advice.
"Good," Olive smiled brightly and swung her arms back and forth.
"Now, get me a hot towel for my neck. It's so sore," she whined and pouted. Wayne scoffed.
"A maid would be here with it in a few minutes," he said and turned around to leave the room.
"Wow! Then that maid would be the one to earn my forgiveness."
"Wait. Are you insinuating I get it myself?"
"Yes, Alpha Knight. You have to care for me by yourself. Not assigning someone else to do it."
"You've been here just a day and you're already bossing me around? You have a death wish?"
"If I die, you're dying too. I heard mates can't survive if one goes away."
Alpha Knight laughed at Olive's naivety. He stopped laughing and his face turned into a deep, scary frown. The temperature of the room dropped again and his hair once again began to scamper around like a slow blow dryer was blowing on them. And…they were getting darker. Olive's eyes widened and she moved backwards.
"Ever heard of certain people who reject mates?" he asked in a menacing tone. Olive gulped down. Yes, she had heard about that. But it was rare. And it took a very strong willed person, to break the mate bond. Could Alpha Knight break it? It would ruin her for life. And The Vrek Cult would come for her again. No, she couldn't let that happen. She tightened her fist as Wayne stood right in front of her.
"It would not take me one minute to reject you, Olive. If I find out, that you're in one way or the other a hindrance to me and my park, I'll reject you," Wayne pronounced with so much certainty that Olive believed him immediately.
"Noted. Though same thing applies to you. If you are a hindrance or a thr_@t to my life, I'll walk," she said. He stared at her with surprise then he just turned around and left. Despite the temperature returning to normal, she still felt like she needed him back inside.
"Pull yourself back together, Olive. He doesn't matter to you. You just need him for now to stand against The Vrek Cult," she said out loud and walked into the bathroom.
As she washed her face, she tried hard to stop herself from crying. She wanted to be strong, just as always. But she couldn't help it this time. She cried because her life was just broken. When she was younger, she dreamt of a good and fun life. But she got none of that.
And she had wanted to find her mate so she could pull her life back together. She found him, but he seemed to be the one that would break her even more. However, she craved for him inwardly. The mate bond was too strong for her. Deep down inside, she wished he could love her. She wanted to be able to run into his arms and cuddle him right. Then cry if she wanted to while he whispered sweet, encouraging words to her. But, how could she expect that of the Big Bad Alpha? Wasn't she asking for too much?