Chapter 19: Chapter 19

BETA XAVIER

Even after taking a cold shower for nearly an hour, I still couldn’t get my damn wolf to stop thinking about Eleanor, which only made me aroused all over again.

“~Would you stop it!~” I yelled at Kyle, but he ignored me and continued to imagine Eleanor without that damn towel around her body.

“~I can’t stop it. She just looked so damn beautiful with nothing on her,~” Kyle asserted.

This made me shake my head. I knew if my phone didn’t ring, I would have kissed her then and there.

I thought I could control my feelings, but as the days passed, I couldn’t seem to stay away from her. Her laughs, her voice, and just her presence made something strange stir within me. I thought I would never feel this way again, but Eleanor proved me wrong.

All I could think about was how soft her lips were when I first kissed her at the ceremony.

She calmed my inner demons and evoked emotions that I didn’t even feel with Chantelle. I thought I could never fall in love again…

~Damn it! What am I supposed to do now?~

As I closed my eyes, my mind conjured an image of her smiling face, and I knew I couldn’t let her leave. She wasn’t submissive or timid. She was confident and challenged everything I said and did, and that was what made her a frustratingly good fit for me. I quickly finished my shower and left my room.

As I walked into the kitchen, I saw my mom sitting at the table with a cup of her herbal tea.

“Did you have dinner?” I asked her, and she nodded her head.

“Your food is in the microwave. Heat it up and eat.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I told her, and she smiled at me as she got up from her place to leave.

“I almost forgot, there’s some grated cheese in the fridge for you,” she said before she walked out.

She always knew what I wanted. After heating up my food with extra cheese, I walked to the table and started eating.

~Click.~

I heard the front door close, and Eleanor walked into the kitchen.

ELEANOR

I froze near the doorway when I noticed that Xavier was in the kitchen. Why couldn’t he just go upstairs and sleep?

I looked down at his plate to see that he had only taken a few bites from his lasagna, but it looked different.

“Your lasagna looks different,” I said out loud.

Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut?

“I added extra cheese to it,” he nonchalantly replied before he continued eating his food.

~Of course he likes it with more cheese.~

I walked to the stove and placed a pot of water to heat up while I took a cup and placed a teabag in it.

“What’s that?” Xavier asked me, which made me turn around to look at him.

“Peach tea. Do you want some?” I asked him and mentally facepalmed myself.

~Why am I being nice to him?~

“Okay,” he mumbled before he turned around to look at his food.

I poured extra water into the pot, took out another teacup, and placed the tea bag inside it. While the water was heating up, I saw Xavier get up from his place, walk to the sink, and start washing his plate.

~Well, the sooner I give him his tea, the faster I can leave this place.~

The water was boiling, so I turned off the stove, poured the hot water into the cups, and gave it a little stir.

I didn’t realize Xavier was behind me till I felt his warmth radiating on my back.

“Where were you?” he whispered, and this sent a shiver down my spine.

“I was on patrol,” I told him. “Doing my duty,” I added to let him know that this was part of my beta female duty.

“It smells like you weren’t on patrol with Marquez.”

“No, Ivan and I were on patrol,” I answered because I knew there was no point in lying.

“Why does Samuel keep putting you on patrol with him?” Xavier asked me, sounding irritated.

I placed the spoon on the countertop and turned around to face him.

“What’s your problem now, Xavier?”

“My problem is that you’re spending too much time with him,” he answered while his eyes grew a few shades darker.

“Why do you sound jealous, Xavier? You don’t even treat me like your mate, so I don’t see why you’d suddenly start catching feelings,” I said, my voice low but steady.

“I’m not developing any feelings for you, Eleanor,” he snapped. “I just don’t need my reputation dragged down by you flirting with other men in my pack.”

His words hit harder than I expected, burning straight through me like a brand I hadn’t braced for.

“Don’t worry, I’m not like Jade, who spreads her legs wide open to any male that comes near her,” I sneered, but it looked like he wasn’t satisfied with my answer.

He stepped closer, and I instinctively backed away—only to find myself pinned between him and the countertop. Just as I tried to sidestep, his hands came down on either side of me, caging me in before I could escape.

“If you want to prove your point, then stop talking to and seeing Ivan,” he challenged.

I glared at him. Even if this was going to be longer than six months, I would never let a mate control who I do and don’t spend time with.

“I don’t need to prove myself to you, Xavier. I know my limits, and I won’t cross them,” I said.

“Eleanor…”

“Xavy, I…” we heard Mrs. Costa’s voice.

I expected Xavier to step back and move away from me, but instead, he did the complete opposite. He closed the little distance between us, leaned forward, and captured my lips in the most sensual and hungry kiss that I had ever experienced.

My mind was telling me to push him away, but my heart loved the way his lips felt on mine, so I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment.

My hands made their way to the nape of his neck while his hands wrapped themselves around my waist. Xavier lightly bit my lip, asking for entrance, and I gladly permitted. Our tongues started fighting for dominance, but Xavier had the upper hand.

The sparks that ignited everywhere when our bodies touched made me moan in pleasure. I’d never experienced this kind of pleasure before, and a tiny part of me didn’t want it to stop.

“Xavy, I want to…oh…um…I guess I have come at the wrong time,” I heard Mrs. Costa talking to herself before her footsteps faded away.