He Never Marked Me

Chapter 2: She Wants to Seduce Him

(Isolde's POV)

I tucked the small bottle of moonpetal tincture carefully into my bag and zipped it shut.

Then I walked out of the clinic as fast as I could without breaking into a run.

The examination was over. I just needed to forget it ever happened.

The parking lot was nearly empty. My heels clicked against the pavement as I cut across toward the street.

I kept my eyes forward.

But my brain refused to cooperate.

The image kept replaying - that cold, steady voice telling me to take them off and lie down. The way he hadn't even blinked. The way he'd looked at me like I was just another case file.

My face went hot all over again.

I pressed my fingers against my cheek and kept walking.

A low engine sound made me slow down.

A black SUV rolled up alongside me and stopped. The window slid down.

I bent down out of habit to see who it was.

My stomach dropped.

It was him.

Dr. Orion Nightshade sat in the back seat, jacket still perfectly in place, ice-blue eyes already on me like he'd been watching me walk the whole time.

"I'll have the driver take you home," he said.

I straightened up immediately and took a step back.

"No, thank you."

"It's not a problem."

"I said no." I shook my head. "We don't know each other."

Something shifted in his expression. Not quite annoyance. Something quieter than that.

I felt a small twist of discomfort in my chest, but I pushed through it.

"I have a mate," I added. "It wouldn't be appropriate."

The moment I said it, his face went completely blank.

He turned away from the window.

"Drive," he said to the front.

The SUV pulled out smoothly and disappeared around the corner.

I stood there for a second, watching the tail lights vanish.

Then I let out a long breath and started walking again.

His words from the examination room came back to me as I walked.

Your wolf can't receive what the bond is supposed to provide. Your body is compensating.

The recommended treatment: increase physical intimacy with your mate.

I thought about Garrett.

He was coming back from his business trip tonight.

I stopped in front of a department store window and stared at my own reflection for a moment.

Then I went inside.

I found a deep red dress on the second rack. Low neckline. Fitted. Not something I would normally buy.

I bought it anyway.

I picked up a bottle of perfume at the counter, something light and warm. Then I stopped at a shop on the way home and grabbed a bottle of red wine.

Back at the apartment, I set everything up. Candles on the table. Wine breathing on the counter. I changed into the dress and stood in front of the bathroom mirror.

My hands were already sweating.

Garrett and I had been mates for over a year. In all that time, I had never once managed to get close to him. Every attempt ended the same way - him pulling back, going cold, finding somewhere else to be.

I knew this was probably going to fail.

But I was out of options.

I poured myself a glass of wine and took a small sip.

Then I waited.

At eight o'clock, the front door opened.

Garrett walked in, still in his travel clothes, rolling his suitcase behind him. He looked tired.

I stepped forward and made myself smile.

He glanced at me.

His eyes moved down - the red dress, the neckline, the faint trace of perfume in the air. Something crossed his face. Just for a second, something male and instinctive flickered behind his eyes.

Then it was gone.

His expression cooled back to the usual blankness.

He reached out and pushed me lightly to the side.

"I'm tired," he said.

"I know." I reached for his arm before he could step past me. "I just thought maybe I could help you relax a little."

He looked down at my hand on his arm like it was something unpleasant.

Then he shook me off.

Hard.

He didn't say anything. He just walked straight past me toward the bathroom and shut the door.

I stood in the middle of the room and looked at the candles on the table.

That was when I caught it.

As he'd walked by - just for a second - I'd smelled it.

Perfume. A woman's perfume. Not mine.

I stood very still.

It wasn't a scent I recognized. Something floral and expensive.

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

I stood there for a moment, not moving.

Then I talked myself down.

He goes to business dinners. He shakes hands, stands close to people, rides in cars with colleagues. Someone else's perfume on his jacket doesn't mean anything.

And besides - he couldn't even stand me touching his arm. The idea of him being with someone else was almost laughable.

I walked to the sideboard and poured a second glass of wine.

I set it on the coffee table and sat down to wait.

Thirty minutes later, the bathroom door opened.

Garrett came out in a white robe, his hair still damp. He hadn't bothered to dry it properly.

He looked good. He'd always looked good. That had never been the problem.

I felt that familiar ache start up again, low and persistent, the same one that had driven me to that clinic in the first place.

My throat went dry.

Garrett noticed me looking.

"What?" he said flatly.

I snapped my eyes away.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Nothing, sorry."

The last thing I needed was for him to think I was staring at him like I wanted something. That would only make him colder.

I picked up the glass of wine from the coffee table and stood up.

"Do you want a drink?" I kept my voice soft. "I opened a bottle."

He didn't answer.

He stood there, not taking it, not refusing it.

I couldn't tell if he'd seen through me or if he just didn't care enough to respond either way.

I tried again.

"Garrett," I said quietly.

He turned his head and looked at me.

"Why aren't you in bed yet?" he asked. "It's late."

My heart jumped.

I thought - for one stupid second - that he was suggesting something.

I set the glass down on the table.

"I'm going," I said, and smiled. "Right now."

I lifted my hand toward him.

I hadn't even touched him yet.

His hand shot out and locked around my wrist.

He tilted his head, and his voice came out slow and mocking.

"You don't actually think I'm going to touch you tonight, do you?"