Chapter12
1439 Words
Drake's Persistence
Serenye's POV
The library was my sanctuary. Quiet, peaceful, away from the chaos of campus life and the constant reminder that my mission was going absolutely nowhere. I'd been staring at the same page of my chemistry textbook for twenty minutes, the words blurring together as my mind replayed that night in the study room.
Sebastian's mouth on mine. His hands on my body. The way he'd walked away, leaving me aching and desperate. Bastard.
"Mind if I join you?"
I looked up to find Drake Sterling standing beside my table, holding two coffee cups and a paper bag that smelled like heaven. He wore a grey Henley that showed off his muscular arms and a smile that could melt hearts. Just not mine.
"Drake," I said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Bringing you sustenance." He set one of the cups in front of me, then the bag. "Caramel latte, extra shot, and chocolate croissants from that bakery in town. Lyanna mentioned you've been living on vending machine coffee and stress."
I blinked, genuinely touched by the gesture. "You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to." He pulled out the chair across from me, sitting down with easy confidence. "Besides, I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
"For that night at the party. For getting you in trouble with Alpha Wolfe." His amber eyes were sincere, concerned. "Lyanna told me he dragged you out of there. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
Hurt me? No. Kissed me until I couldn't breathe? Made me so wet I'd soaked through my panties? Left me wanting more despite hating him? Yes to all of the above.
"I'm fine," I assured him, taking a sip of the latte. Perfect temperature, perfect sweetness. "He was just, concerned. He takes his role as host seriously."
Drake didn't look convinced but let it drop. "Well, I felt guilty anyway. I shouldn't have pushed so hard. You barely know me, and I was all over you like some desperate asshole."
I laughed at myself. "You weren't that bad."
"Wasn't that good either, apparently." He grinned, but there was vulnerability underneath. "Look, I know we got off to a weird start. But I'd really like to get to know you better. The real you, not just the girl at a party."
Something in my chest tightened. Guilt, maybe. Drake was sweet. Genuine. Exactly the kind of guy I should be interested in. Age-appropriate, attractive, clearly into me. No complicated revenge plots or forbidden attractions. But he wasn't Sebastian.
Stop it, I told myself. You're here to destroy Sebastian, not fall for him.
"I'd like that too," I said, meaning at least part of it.
Drake's face lit up. "Yeah? That's great." He leaned forward, excitement making him look younger. "So there's this Italian place downtown. Best pasta you'll ever have. Would you want to go to dinner with me? Tomorrow night?"
I hesitated. Going on a date with Drake complicated things. But it also served my purpose. Sebastian had made it clear he wanted me, even if he was fighting it. Seeing me with Drake would push him further toward breaking. And maintaining my disguise meant acting like a normal college student. Normal college students went on dates.
"Okay," I agreed, smiling. "Dinner sounds nice."
"Seriously?" Drake looked like I'd just told him he'd won the lottery. "You're saying yes?"
"Don't make me change my mind," I teased.
"Never." He was practically beaming now. "Tomorrow at seven? I'll pick you up at the mansion."
"Perfect."
We talked for a while after that. Drake told me about growing up in the Silver Ridge Pack, his complicated relationship with his father, his dreams of becoming a pack diplomat instead of a warrior. He was easy to talk to, funny, self-deprecating in an endearing way.
I almost forgot I was supposed to be using him.
Almost.
"So what about you?" Drake asked, stealing a piece of my croissant. "What's your story, Serenye Hale? Where'd you come from?"
The question I'd been trained to answer perfectly. The cover story Damian had drilled into me until I could recite it in my sleep.
"Nothing as interesting as yours," I said, keeping my tone light. "Small pack territory out east. Lost my parents young. Foster system. Worked my ass off to get here."
"That must have been hard." His hand covered mine on the table, warm and comforting. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm fine." I pulled my hand back gently, pretending to need it for my coffee. "Made me stronger, you know?"
"Still. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone."
God, he was sweet. Too sweet. I didn't deserve this kindness, not when I was lying to his face about everything.
"Touching."
The cold voice made us both jump. I turned to find Caius standing behind Drake, his green eyes, so much like his father's, blazing with barely contained fury.
"Caius," I said carefully. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." His gaze moved between Drake and me, lingering on how close we'd been sitting. "But I think I can guess."
Drake stood, his posture shifting to something more defensive. "Is there a problem, Wolfe?"
"Yeah. You." Caius stepped closer, using his height advantage. "Stay away from her."
"Excuse me?" Drake's friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by something harder. "I don't think that's your call to make."
"She's my mate. That makes it exactly my call."
"You rejected her, remember?" Drake shot back, and I mentally cursed Lyanna for her big mouth. "You stood there and told her you didn't want her. So forgive me if I don't take orders from you about who she can and can't see."
Caius's hands clenched into fists. "That's none of your f*****g business."
"It became my business when you threw her away like garbage." Drake moved to stand protectively in front of me. "Now she's free to be with whoever she wants. And if she wants me, that's her choice."
"Drake, stop," I tried, sensing how quickly this was escalating.
But neither of them was listening to me anymore. They were chest to chest now, both radiating aggression, both refusing to back down.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Caius growled, his voice dropping to something inhuman. "The bond between us is, "
"Is what? Broken? Because that's what rejection does." Drake wasn't intimidated, which either made him very brave or very stupid. "She deserves someone who actually wants her."
"And you think that's you?" Caius laughed, the sound vicious. "You think you can satisfy her? Please her? You're nothing compared to, "
His eyes flicked to me for a split second, and something passed between us. A recognition. An understanding.
He knew about Sebastian. Or at least suspected.
"Compared to what?" Drake demanded. "Say it, Wolfe. What are you furious about? That I'm interested in her? Or that your father is?"
Oh s**t. Caius's eyes flashed gold. His wolf was right there, barely contained beneath the surface. The temperature in the library seemed to drop ten degrees.
"You need to walk away," Caius said, his voice barely human now. "Right f*****g now."
"Make me."
I jumped between them before either could throw a punch. My hands hit Caius's chest, solid and hot with fury. He was shaking with the effort of holding his wolf back.
"Stop it," I hissed. "Both of you. This is a library. People are staring."
Caius's eyes met mine, and for a moment, everything else fell away. I felt it. That pull. That connection. Weaker than it should be, damaged by our mutual rejection, but still there.
Still alive. My wolf stirred, just barely, deep inside where I'd buried her. A whisper of recognition. A ghost of longing. No. This wasn't supposed to happen. The rejection should have severed the bond completely. That's what Damian had told me. That's what was supposed to happen.
"She's mine," Caius said, speaking directly to me now, ignoring Drake completely. "And she'll always be mine. Rejection or not."
Then he turned and stormed out of the library, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. Drake touched my shoulder gently. "Are you okay?"
I stared at the empty doorway where Caius had disappeared, my heart racing, my wolf whimpering softly in the back of my mind.
The mate bond didn't fully break.
All this time, I'd thought I was safe. Thought the rejection had freed me from that complication. But I could feel it now, thin and fragile but unmistakably there. A thread connecting m
e to Caius Wolfe. A thread that complicated absolutely everything.
- Writer
