16. The Mate Instinct
1848 Words
Damien
Emily is staring at me like I’ve completely lost my mind.
Confused. A little pissed. Probably wondering why the hell I just barked at her.
Truth is I’m not angry at her.
I’m trying not to lose control.
My wolf is pacing inside my head like a damn animal trapped in a cage. The second I walked into the rink and saw Bianca and her friends attacking Emily something inside me snapped.
But what really pushed me over the edge was Jack.
That f*****g bastard standing there smiling while she was getting jumped.
My jaw tightens again just thinking about it.
If he had laid a single finger on her I would have broken his damn arm.
I turn away before my temper gets worse and walk to the shelves against the wall. My keys jingle as I pull open one of the cabinets and grab the first aid kit.
When I walk back Emily is still sitting in the chair, arms crossed.
Her hair is a mess. Her cheek is slightly swollen. There is a thin scratch near her jaw. Seeing it makes my chest tighten with rage all over again.
“You don’t have to bother,” she mutters, avoiding my eyes. “I can take care of myself.”
I open the kit and pull out some antiseptic.
“Have you seen your face?” I say dryly. “It’s bruised.”
She makes a small annoyed sound but doesn’t argue.
I step closer and tilt her chin slightly so I can look at the cut near her cheek.
The moment my fingers touch her skin my wolf goes completely feral.
‘Mate, ’ The word slams through my head so hard I almost laugh.
Fucking hell.
Her skin is warm under my fingers. Soft too. My thumb brushes lightly against her jaw while I clean the scratch and I feel the faintest shiver run through her.
Yeah. I feel that.
And my body definitely reacts.
My c**k twitches instantly and I have to focus really hard on not thinking about the last time she was in this room.
The way she looked pinned under me.
The way she touched me.
Fuck.
I dip the cotton in antiseptic and start cleaning the cut.
She winces.
“Relax,” I murmur. “It’s not that bad.”
“It f*****g burns,” she complains.
“Yeah. That means it’s working.”
I move to the small bruise forming near her temple. My fingers brush through the strands of her hair as I check for more scratches.
She smells so good.
Not perfume exactly. Just her natural skin and something warm that makes my wolf restless.
I shift my attention to her arm where Bianca must have hit her earlier. There’s a red mark there already.
My jaw tightens again. “What happened?” I ask, my voice rougher than I intend. “Why were you fighting with them?”
Emily snorts. “They attacked me because of you.”
My brows pull together.
She glances up at me. “She came to the cafe where I was eating earlier. Your crazy ex. She threw my drink on me and warned me to stay the hell away from you.”
My hand pauses. “She did?”
“Yep. Full psycho mode.”
My wolf growls low in my chest.
Bianca is going to regret that.
“She warned me not to come near you,” Emily continues. “And then she shows up here with her cheerleader bodyguards.”
I shake my head slowly. “Why didn’t you call me?”
She gives me a look. “I did. Twice actually. You didn’t pick.”
Right.
Shit.
I sigh under my breath.
I was probably running in the woods then trying to burn off the frustration my father has been giving me all day.
“And besides,” she adds stubbornly, “I can take care of myself.”
I glance at the bruises again. “Yeah,” I say sarcastically. “I can see that.”
Her eyes narrow. “It wasn’t a fair fight,” she snaps. “It was three against one.”
I chuckle quietly. “Fair point.”
I reach for another cotton pad and gently wipe the scratch near her neck.
The moment my fingers slide along the side of her throat my entire body goes tense.
Her neck.
Goddess.
My wolf goes absolutely insane. ‘Mark her.’
The thought hits me so hard my teeth almost ache.
Right there. Just sink my teeth into that soft skin and claim her.
I swallow and force myself to focus on the damn first aid kit instead of the fact that my c**k is painfully hard right now.
Emily is watching me suspiciously. “Why are you looking at my neck like that?”
“Relax,” I mutter. “I’m checking for scratches.”
Barely.
I pull my hand back before I do something stupid.
“Next time,” I say, my tone turning serious again, “don’t fight them.”
Her brows shoot up. “What?”
“If something like that happens again and you have to run then run,” I say bluntly. “I’ll deal with it.”
She glares at me.
“I don’t want you getting injured,” I add.
There’s a short quiet moment between us.
Then she sighs and leans back in the chair. “God,” she mutters. “This is not what I signed up for.”
I raise a brow. “Meaning?”
She gestures vaguely toward her face. “Getting jumped by your crazy ex-girlfriend and her cheerleader army.”
I can’t help it. I grin. “Yeah. That part is my fault.”
She groans and rubs her forehead. “Why did you have to have such an annoying ex?”
“That,” I say with a smirk, “is a long story.”
I close the first aid kit, drop it on the table, and stand up, rolling my shoulders a little to shake off the tension still buzzing under my skin.
Emily sits quietly in the chair, arms resting on her lap. She looks tired and her shirt is completely ruined. Sticky stains cover the fabric.
I reach up and pull my jacket off without thinking about it. Then I step forward and lean down, sliding it around her shoulders.
She blinks up at me. “What are you doing?”
“Your shirt is ruined,” I say while adjusting the sleeves around her arms.
The jacket is too big for her and it nearly swallows her whole. For some reason that makes her look even smaller sitting there.
She doesn’t say anything but I can hear her heartbeat pick up.
My wolf notices it instantly.
A smile tugs at my lips and I pull back a little.
Even with her hair scattered and her cheek slightly swollen she still looks unbelievably beautiful.
If only I could tell her everything and make her mine for real. No pretending. No lies. Just pull her close and claim her.
But that would scare the f**k out of her.
Emily clears her throat awkwardly and stands up. “Thanks,” she mutters, tugging the jacket tighter around herself. “I’ll return it tomorrow.”
Then she glances toward the door. “So your practice.”
“That can wait until tomorrow,” I say immediately. “You need to go home and rest.”
She shakes her head. “No. You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
I pick up her bag before she can argue again and head toward the door.
She sighs but follows.
When we step back into the rink area several heads turn toward us.
Ryan skates closer and stops in front of me. “You leaving?”
“Yeah,” I say. “See you tomorrow.”
Ryan frowns. “Not cool man. The competition is starting soon. You need to take things serious.”
“I said I’ll come tomorrow,” I reply coldly.
Marcus sighs but doesn’t say anything.
Jack, that f*****g bastard, is staring straight at Emily. His eyes slowly move over her body and something dark twists inside my chest.
Goddess I want to dig my fingers into his skull and pull out his f*****g eyeballs.
I force myself to look away before I actually lose control.
“Ethan,” I call.
He looks up from tying his skates.
“Take care of training for me.”
His eyes move from me to Emily and then back to me again. He clearly has questions but he just nods. “Got it.”
“Come on,” I tell Emily, ignoring everyone else.
We walk outside into the cold evening air and head toward my car parked nearby.
I unlock it and toss her bag into the back seat before opening the passenger door for her.
She hesitates for a second but slides inside.
I walk around to my side and get in.
When I reach over to pull the seatbelt across her she freezes.
My arm brushes against her chest and our faces end up a little too close.
Her breath catches and her eyes drop quickly.
So cute.
I click the seatbelt into place and lean back into my seat.
The drive is quiet. Too f*****g quiet.
And honestly it is torture.
Her scent fills the entire car. Warm and sweet and completely distracting.
My wolf is practically losing his mind…drooling.
I grip the steering wheel tighter and focus on the road instead of my mate sitting beside me.
A few minutes later we pull up in front of her dorm building.
She unbuckles her seatbelt and looks at me. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Come on,” I say while stepping out of the car.
She blinks at me. “You don’t have to come upstairs.”
“I just want to see where my girlfriend is staying,” I say casually.
She groans under her breath but follows me anyway.
The building looks exactly like what you would expect from a cheap student hostel.
Old brick walls. Faded paint. Flickering hallway lights.
The place is mixed housing. Guys and girls sharing the same floors.
Cheap, crowded, a little ugly.
The thought that my mate lives here makes my chest tighten.
We walk down the hallway until she stops in front of one of the doors.
She pulls out her key and sighs. “Alright. Thanks for coming.”
“I’ll leave after you go inside.”
She rolls her eyes.
The door clicks open.
The second she pushes it slightly I step forward and slip inside.
She jumps. “Damien, what is your f*****g problem?”
I close the door behind me and glance around the room.
“Well,” I say slowly, looking over the small space. “So this is where you stay.”
She throws her hands up. “What are you doing?”
- Writer
