Golden Lycan

Chapter 9

Unknown POV

Chapter 8

“Hi, what took you so long?”

Hearing her voice again, I can only stare and once I register her response to my statement, I cannot hold back my laughter. I am not sure if it is a question or an accusation, but her clear confusion about my tardiness is adorable. Never in my life have I felt more excited and complete all at once. Noticing the curious eyes starting to focus a little too closely on me and my mate, I reigned

myself in and asked her, “Can I please have your name? I need to know what to call you.”

My eyes never leave her face as I watch her mouth form, “Vivian, Vivian Grayfur.” I repeat the name in my head, loving the way it sounds and the way her lips form the words, has my mind fixated on when I will get the opportunity to kiss her. “Vivian, it is my honor to know you.”

Watching her shy smile widen just a little, she responds, “My have you name sir? I am thinking I should know the name of the man who is about to change the course of my evening.” I can tell she is nervous by the way her hand is fidgeting with the silver bracelet on the opposite hand, but her eyes never leave mine. This shows me that my mate is brave and courageous. I cannot wait to discover everything about her. I am completely smitten and, for a man of my age and experience, that says everything.

Leaning forward just a little more, I whispered in her ear “Giancarlo Bernardi-Blaque at your service.” I noticed the slight shiver that raced through my mate and leaned back to notice the light blush coloring her perfect cheek bones. The effect I am having on Vivian only adds to my excitement. I want my mate to want only me. I am not a vain man, but I do know and understand the effect I have on females and it seems my mate is not immune to my charms.

Meeting my steady gaze, Vivyan looks over my shoulder and says, “Giancarlo, it is a pleasure to meet you. Who is your friend that seems very interested in our conversation?” I turned to look behind me only to notice both Riccio and Beckham staring and grinning from ear to ear at Vivian. Seeing that my two best friends seem to have lost their minds and are currently drooling over my mate, I clear my throat. When that does not get their attention, I use my body to block her from their view while waving my hands in their faces. This breaks the trance they seem to have fallen into, “Good evening, Professor Grayfur. My name is Beckham and this is Riccio, we are friends and colleagues of Gio and it is lovely to meet you.” Beckham introduces them and reaches out a hand towards Vivian only to have said hand pushed aside. There is absolutely no way either of these two are going to touch my mate in any way, no matter how innocent, when I have not even had the chance to touch her yet. And it is with knowing smiles that my friends realize I am already showing how possessive I can be when it comes to my mate. Well, I am an alpha. What would they think I would do?

“Very nice to meet you both.” Turning to the couple next to her, Vivian introduced her brother and his mate. The woman is all smiles while her very large mate only nods in acknowledgement of the introductions. A man with a very few words, I take it, or just very protective of his beautiful sister. Just as we finish introducing ourselves, the host and hostess announce the arrival of the first course. All around us, conversation is flowing, several people try to engage either myself or Vivian in their discourse, but neither of us has much to say. I notice that she had not really touched the food on her plate. “Are you not hungry?” I asked. She did not say very much, so I am surprised when she responded, “I was very hungry when we arrived but it seems I cannot focus on my food or anything else other than you.” finishing her sentence, she turned to look at me squarely.

Her honesty seems to surprise both of us. Her eyes widened slightly and her hand covered her mouth in her shock at her own words. The blush that comes only confirms that she never meant to say those words out loud. Standing abruptly, she excuses herself from the table as gracefully as possible and walks out of the dining room with the excuse of looking for the ladies’ powder room.

Everything happened so fast I find myself slow to react. However, I noticed her friend was about to get up to follow her. Holding up my hand, I politely let her know I would go and check on Vivian. With this, I stood up from the table to go and find my mate.

Following behind Vivian proved harder than expected. She was moving fast and had I not been following her intoxicating scent I might have lost her. In her effort to run and hide, she passed by two bathrooms. She obviously was not going to repair her make-up. But, why was she running? Yes, her honesty was unexpected, but it was also refreshing and sexy to find that my mate was so open with her thoughts and feelings. Most women played the game of cat and mouse or were overly flirtatious with their own hidden agenda. Vivyan’s responses were straight forward and it was very appealing to my way of thinking.

Picking up a little more speed, I finally caught up to my mate. Reaching out, I took hold of her arm, successfully gaining her attention and pulling her to a halt. Spinning around to face me, I see there is a sheen of tears in her beautiful hazel eyes. My first instinct is to hold and comfort her and heal whatever was bad enough to bring her to tears, and that is exactly what I do. Pulling her into my arms, I want to sooth all of her hurts and worries, the mate bond between us is ridiculously strong. With her head gently pressed right against my chest and I can feel her heart beat falling into sync with my own. Slowing my own breathing, I could feel hers follow my lead. Moving my hand to the base of her neck, I lean her head back slightly so I could see into eyes again. My first thought was, this is the perfect opportunity to lean down and kiss her delectable lips, but not wanting to scare her further, I simply stared into her eyes and waited. Just being able to hold her, comfort her and feel her body fully pressed on mine will have to be enough for now.

Holding her in my arms just felt right. Knowing that my presence alone can bring her comfort makes me feel like a king among men. Dropping my head closer to her shoulder, I realized how close I am to the spot where the mating mark should be, where my mark would be. The urge to taste this very spot where the neck and shoulder meet is almost too much to bear. Realizing how close I am to doing exactly that, I pull myself back, startling us both. Bringing myself together, I ask, “Are you okay? What made you runaway like that?”

Her eyes shy away from my stare and she says more to the floor than to me, “I just blurted out my thoughts and I was so embarrassed by my forward behavior I didn’t know what else to do. I’m not usually so outspoken when it comes to people I barely know.” With the end of this statement Vivian seems to realize that she is still in my arms and takes a step back to put some room between us. The loss of her heat and the bountiful curves of her body that seemed to fit along my own so well, was felt immediately. I needed to do something to make her feel comfortable.

“Would you take a walk with me? We don’t have to say anything, we don’t have to go back to the others just yet. I am here for you, to do whatever you need to feel at ease.” I said to her in the hopes that she understands I am not going to leave her alone but also, make sure she knows that her peace of mind is my priority. I also would love nothing more than to spend the rest of this evening with just her and I. I want to know and learn everything I can about the mesmerizing creature in front of me.

Not willing to move a muscle until I heard her decision, I saw the mirage of emotions on her face. This woman is a treasure of wonders and I can only stand and watch as she weighs her options. The response she gives me is the last thing I would ever except to hear.

“I want to leave here with you. We are mates correct? I want to be alone with my mate.”