Totally Boxed

Chapter 3

3

In layman’s terms…

A hand on my shoulder shoved me forward. I heard a click and realized I didn't have a clue about the layout of this room. I'd never been to the club side before. Besides, there was a decent possibility they'd rearranged for this event anyway.

My ears pricked up, listening for any signs the soul the gods had created to fit perfectly with mine was in the room. I inhaled deep. While the feminine scent that met my nose was pleasant, it didn't win over my beast. I'd heard about all consuming need that would flood through me the moment I got close to my mate, but I wasn't feeling it.

"Holy s**t, you're hot!" A high-pitched female voice exclaimed while footsteps came toward me.

"Thank you." What else was I supposed to say? It's not like I could see her to return the compliment, and I didn't think telling her she smelled good would get the same reaction.

Hands caressed my chest, then trailed downward. "Oh, my god." She toyed with the edge of my shirt, like she wanted to untuck it. "You're ripped."

Her hands tightened around my belt, and I grabbed them. "I think we should get to know each other more." They slipped from my grasp, but returned to my chest. He didn't like her touch, and neither did I, but I didn't want to hurt her, or make her mad and risk the bears' wrath.

"Sure. What do you want to know?" Before I could ask her a question, she spoke again. "I could describe my Halloween costume to you."

"Uhh, how about a few of your favorite places to go?"

"Hmm… I like bedrooms." Something brushed my ear. "Or cars. Pretty much anywhere with a bit of privacy." I felt fingers sliding through my hair, getting suspiciously close to the blindfold I was wearing. "Let me take this off. Then we can head outside and really get to know each other."

Oh, hell no. Her invitation sounded more like a nightmare. This human woman didn't want a mate, just a good f**k. I clutched the knot, trying to keep her from untying it. The last thing I wanted was to give up my chance to find my mate for an annoying female's momentary interest. Finally untangling her hands from my blindfold, they trailed over my shoulders then down my back.

"Mhm, you like playing hard to get. I'm game." Anger flared inside of me. She wasn't getting the hint. A moment later, her hands settled on my a*s. My beast wanted to scare her off because she wasn't our mate. Touching her felt wrong.

Her fingers dug into my a*s cheeks. This woman was over the top. I had to fight back the noise I wanted to scare her off with. I couldn't f**k this up and get banned. Snatching her hands, I spun her around until her arms were pinned by mine. She pressed her back against my chest while grinding her a*s into me. I jutted my top half forward while pulling my hips back. Jaden would lose his s**t laughing if he saw me like this. I bet the lion shifters were getting quite the show.

After the fifteen excruciating minutes were up, I sighed in relief when the door opened. I heard the deep chuckle of another male and assumed the lion shifter guarding the door watched the entire thing. Bastard.

Blindly shuffled into the next room, I held my breath for a reaction from the unknown woman hoping she wouldn't accost me like the last one. Her soft breathing met my ears, but she wasn't moving. A soft clicking noise, ticking four times in a row, started. Was she tapping her fingers on a table? Why wasn't she saying anything?

I wanted to take a step forward, to get closer so we could decide if she was our mate, but I didn't want to trip. I clicked my tongue, hoping to get an idea of the room's design, but the faint echoes of the noise were distorted. All I could hear was the corny spooky noises on the soundtrack playing. Aside from the clear path in front of me, I didn't know anything else. I'd never been good at human echolocation anyway.

Awkwardness built as neither of us spoke. Was she waiting for me to speak first? I took a step forward and waved in the direction I thought she was. "Hi, I'm…" I remembered at the last second names were off limits. "It's nice to meet you."

"How can you know if it's nice to meet me or not? You don't know anything about me."

I mentally groaned at her confrontational nature. This wasn't going well.

"That's true. Tell me a bit about yourself."

"I graduated top of my class from Harvard University with a PhD in Psychology. I focused on Psychophysiology and have my own successful practice. In layman’s terms, I'm a doctor of how the mind and body interact, and I have my own profitable business. What are your qualifications?" Impressive, if not condescending… though my inner beast wasn't interested. He'd already dismissed her as our mate.

"I research and develop classified technology for the Army."

"So no formal education?" The haughtiness of her voice pricked at me.

"I received my education while fighting side by side with some of the best men this country has while our brothers in arms died around us." My snappy retort hadn't helped the staleness of the room. I crossed my arms, and we remained silent until the lion shifter opened the door after the longest fifteen minutes of my life.

After those two, I was ready to give up on this blindfolded speed dating, but my beast protested. She's here, I can feel it. A few minutes later, I was locked into a new room with another unknown human female. Heat flushed through me the moment I inhaled her sweet scent.

"Oh, uh, hi." The voice soothed all my irritation and called for me to get closer. Then my beast roared to life. This female was our mate.