Chapter 16: Spar With Me!

E M B E R

"Hey, you there?" I lean over and snap my fingers.

Ivory has been in a daze since she caught Sebastian and me kissing on this bed. She didn't even notice the pack doctor leaving after treating my wounds. She has been sitting on the side of the bed with me tucked in and strict orders to make sure I stay by him until now, when she blinks back at me, "Huh?"

I lean back against the pillows and frown as I ask, "You okay?"

It was embarrassing back then, like how awkward it is now.

Ivory straightens up and clears her throat, "Hmm."

I cough up and state, "Uh, I don't think so. I don't think you are okay. If you want to talk about what happened, you can tell me—" "OH, MY GOD! THIS IS NEWS." she abruptly exclaims, which makes me cringe at the interruption, and I murmur, "Uh, maybe less shouting and more talking?"

"Oh, sorry!" she tries to tone her voice down, but her eyes light up in excitement.

Ivory claps her hands in glee. "I just can't believe it. I really can't believe it. This is all so shocking." I wonder how she will react when I tell her I am not just a human being. "No one knew. You and Alpha— I mean, you and Seb being mates. I'm happy, really am happy, but I am just surprised."

I roll my eyes and mumble, "Tell me about it."

"Huh?" Ivory frowns.

Startled, I look back at her and cough up, "I was in shock, too, back then."

Ivory notices that and then clicks her tongue, "Oh, is that why you pretended not to know? But how did you know about our existence or what mates are to us when you are a human?"

Ha, here it is. So we are doing this right now?

I fake a grin.

Cool.

"I didn't take you seriously back then about what we talked about at the mall. I thought we were just playing along with the jokes. You know what I mean," she snorts and sighs. I fake a wider grin and dig my nails into my skin under the comforter. I scratch my neck and clear my throat, "Oh, yeah, about that—"

Ivory looks over at me. Her excitement isn't dimmed, and it makes it harder for me to have eye contact.

I straighten up and clear my throat, "Uh, there is something I need to tell you."

"What?" she blurts out with no judgment in her voice, only kindness.

Ashamed, I lower my head and bite my lip as silence settles between us. I am unbeatable, but this anticipation and anxiety are clearly going to beat me.

Should I even tell her my entire truth?

Or should I lie once again?

It's so awkward to face a friend who is looking at you with so much hope in her eyes. I fidget with my nails enough to feel blood through the sides as I internally wince.

That's when Ivory startles me by grabbing my shoulder and giving it a squeeze as I flutter my eyelashes to look back at her. I frown as she tilts her head and beams, "It's okay if you find it difficult to share whatever it is that you want to. You don't have to force yourself—" it makes me shudder and fidget more before I blurt out, "I'm a werewolf."

"What?" her hand slips, and she gapes at me.

I take a deep breath and sigh with a nod. "Yeah, I am your kind."

"You're a what?" she stutters, clearly bewildered.

"I was trying to be careful since I knew about the pack's reputation. I had to be cautious to recuperate. I have been masking my scent and pretending to be a human these past few days, but now that the cat is out of the bag, I believe I have to be completely honest with someone who has done nothing except make me feel comfortable and warm here." I take her hand in mine and ignore the blood in my nails as I tilt my head and gently smile. "I hope you aren't mad—"

"You're kidding, right?" she scoffs.

I can't help but frown as my grip on her hand loosens up. I feel disappointed. I cough up to give her a response when she squeals and pulls me into a bone-crushing discomforting hug. She squeezes her arms around me and breathes out, "I don't care who or what you are, Emmy. I meant it when I said I can see us becoming besties."

I pull back and raise an eyebrow, "You really do?"

Ivory amusedly rolls her eyes and huffs, "Of course I do."

I blink at her as she takes my hands in hers and says, "Soulmates come in the form of friends, too, it's not just about romance, and I am glad it's you for me."

"Uh, thanks." I smile in return, but why do I not feel relieved? She beams almost enough to blind me with her light and then startles me by jumping into the bed right beside me. I gasp but am cut off as she eagerly says, "Anyway, I have something to tell too."

"What?"

Ivory squeezes my hands and immediately later blurts out, "I got one too."

"Got what?" I ask, curiously frowning.

"A mate," she answers as she leans back, and I notice her face flush. It takes me a minute to register when she giggles, "Yeah, I got my mate. I am so happy."

I blink and exclaim, "Oh, wow, really? Who is he?"

Ivory is looking down at our hands, and I see her shoulders sink a little after my question, like I did something wrong. Or said something wrong.

Oh! "Or she?" I clarify, whispering.

Ivory's eyes dart up to mine. She doesn't have to confirm or deny anything because I can see the truth behind her eyes, and as nonchalantly as possible, I say, "So, did you meet her last night? At the bonfire?"

The excitement returns, and so does her wide sweet smile. She straightens up and shyly nods, making me smile at her deep red blush.

I wait for her to go on, and she doesn't need another silence to tell her that as she coughs up, "Well, I met her at the bonfire. She was probably looking for someone and was so confused, but the moment our eyes met, we knew it. She crossed the backyard to make her way to me. We had the most playful conversation about bread—"

"Bread?" I raise my eyebrow teasingly.

She flushes up and nods. "Yeah, it was peculiar, but at that moment, it felt perfect. We spent about twenty minutes with each other, and I almost took her back into my room before Clayton arrived and declared the emergency."

"Emergency—oh!" It doesn't take me more than a second to realize what an emergency that could have been about. I apologetically look back and purse my lips, "Oops, sorry, because of me, you couldn't spend more time with your mate." "Forget it." Ivory waves a dismissive hand and grins, "I am just too elated to think about anything else. I finally have a mate and a bestie who isn't a pretentious bitch." that makes me laugh, and she joins me.

"So, you and Sebastian, uh?" her eyebrows waggle as she teases me after our laughing session got over. I can't help but feel my cheeks warming up instantly.

Before I can reply, I hear the door creak that is so light that, for a moment, I thought I was hallucinating it, but that's when my head snaps to look and catch a glimpse of a familiar person before he turns around and walks away.

"Clayton?" I straighten up and yell out, making Ivory look over too, and then she murmurs, "Uh-oh!"

That surprises me, and I blink back at her, "Huh, what? What was that? Why did you say that, and why didn't he come in? He looked devastated—"

Ivory darts her eyes at mine. She knows something I don't and just got caught hiding from me. I wonder what. She purses her lips as if in guilt and then clicks her tongue, "Oh, that, uh, he liked, no, he likes you."

"What?"

Woah, that's news!

Ivory runs a hand through her hair and sighs, "Yeah, he told me, um no, actually I sort of confronted him, but he didn't deny nor did he say anything about you now that I think about it." she briefly tilts her head and frowns before she looks back and clicks her tongue, "But yeah, I am pretty sure he was going to ask you out during the bonfire — hey, where are you going?"

At that moment, as her voice penetrates my brain, I'm out of bed and heading straight toward the door.

"I just need to have a chat." I blurt out. I don't know what about it, but I need to clarify with Clayton. Like Ivory, he has been kind and polite to me.

"But Sebastian asked —no, he ordered me to look out for you and see to it that you have a proper rest." she states, which makes me look over my shoulder at her and say, "Don't worry, I need a few minutes, and I won't be long."

I look away and reach the door when I hear her frustrated groan. "Ugh, Alpha is going to be pissed. Great!" She probably runs a hand through her hair, but I am already out of the door, only to halt for a brief moment to glance at a bouquet of wildflowers hanging on the knob and a chocolate box on the floor.

***

"Hey! I caught you." I tiredly huff and come to stand beside the figure facing the evening sky with his back toward me.

Startled, his eyes widen as Clayton turns to me and then lets out a slightly relaxed sigh, "Woah, I didn't think you would follow me."

I lean over to get a good view of his face. He looks handsome with five o'clock stubble on his face. I snort, "Why not? You came to give me this but left in a hurry without coming inside the room."

Clayton glances down at the things I am holding in my hands. It bothered me to leave the bouquet and chocolates on the floor, so I brought them with me.

"Oh, I bought them for you. I didn't actually know what you would like." he lets out a humourless laugh and looks at the front. "Can you believe this? I didn't bother to ask you such a simple thing?"

Why does it ache to see him in such despair?

No, it doesn't.

Now, you come. And seriously? Clayton looks hurt. Aren't you being insensitive?

Why does it matter? He is not our mate. We are not bound to look out for him. He is no one to us. You better go back to your room and wait for our mate, or he will be angry for disobeying— Clayton is a friend, and as someone who has been in a position of power, one must surround oneself with supportive, kind people.

Yeah, right. I thought you were a one-army person. You believe in handling things on your own.

I roll my eyes. Stop taunting me. People can change.

Yeah, people can. You can't. You believe in no one else except yourself.

Oh, please! I have Dexter and Flora to trust. They have been by my side for as long as I can remember, which is since birth.

Still...

"You were talking to Ivory." his voice brings me back to reality, and I blink at him.

"Yeah, so?"

I raise an eyebrow and notice him flush as he rubs the back of his head and murmurs, "So? Uh, it wouldn't have looked good. You know, with me as the Beta and —"

"Me as your Alpha's mate?" I tilt my head, but before he can submissively respond, I straighten up and scoff, "Bullshit."

His eyes widen.

I sigh, "Clayton, it doesn't matter. Just treat me like before." pleadingly.

Our eyes lock before he looks away and shakes his head as he then takes a deep breath and mumbles, "No, I can't."

"Why not?" I frown.

Clayton gives me no response other than the silence that spreads in the air between us, and he seems to be trying to avoid my gaze and stare straight ahead at the setting orange sun when I blurt out, "Why because you like me?"

Startled, he gasps and turns his head toward me. He looks horrified, stuttering, "Uh, how did you?"

"Ivory told me." I shrug.

"Ugh." He groans in response as he rolls his eyes to look away from me and shoves his hands into his coat pockets.

He sighs under his breath when I lean away and cough up, "Well, in her defence, she assumed that, but looking at you, I can tell—" "Tell what? That I like you?" He snaps as he looks back and raises his eyebrows. His words take me by surprise, and I stand there speechless when he leans back and scoffs, "Don't bother, Emmy."

"What?" I say.

"Saying comforting words. I don't need it." his words and his smile sting.

"I wasn't going to," I lie.

"Really?" He blurts out, doubtful.

Dammnit! I gape at him in silence.

Clayton throws his head back, lets out a low chuckle, and then snorts, "Ha!"

"What?" my frown deepens when he looks over at me and locks his eyes with mine. "You are considerate. Sometimes too considerate."

"I don't think so."

I purse my lips in a thin line and clench my fists as he looks back at the evening view in front of us. We stay quiet until he clears his throat, "You know when I first met you—" I look over at his side profile, and he continues, "— the first time I laid eyes on you, I thought what a delicate flower like you needs to be protected from any harm."

Uh. "Oh."

He takes a deep breath. "There are people who come into your life to teach you how to let go. When we met, I wanted to protect you more than anything, which led me to want to make you laugh and smile, and I believe it's love. I felt something remotely close to infatuation with you because you are very likeable, but I now realize it's neither."

"What is it then?"

He looks back at me to hold my gaze and states, "Respect."

I curiously stay still and breathe when I notice a faint smile on his face. A genuine one, this time. "Respect is one of the greatest expressions of love, and I respect you, Emmy."

I almost smile when he surprises me by turning to face me and getting down on one knee.

"Clayton?" I blurt out, frowning when he determinedly nods and exclaims, "I will get over this crush of mine because that's how I can serve and protect the Luna of my pack."

I stare at him and notice that he doesn't look forlorn like he was before. The combination of both makes me pleased. But not before one teeny-tiny game-changing omission hits my brain and causes my head hurt.

Yet, the moment Clayton's proud, smiling face makes its way into my vision, I blink the tears away and the doubts out of my mind as I furiously nod and force myself to smile back at him widely.

***

The sky turns orange, the leaves rustle under my feet, and the wind blows into my hair. It's chilly. I wrap my arms around myself as I take a solitary walk on the green field and watch a group of excited and scared pups training under four instructors.

I take in the grassy dewy air and let a smile on my face.

I like to take walks alone. I get to clear my mind and soothe the heaviness I feel in my heart. I shake my head and watch the training in silence when a hand gently on my shoulder startles me. Without a thought, I grab the arm and flex my knees in the air as I pull it forward. The body clings to my back before I flip it over my shoulder.

I grunt under my breath as I hear a loud thud and somebody groans from under me. It takes me a second to register that voice as I blink and narrow my eyes to find myself locking eyes with familiar green ones that aren't surprised or enraged at all.

Entertained, if I say.

I step away and run a hand through my hair, "What the heck! What are you doing here?"

"Damn, Ember!" Sebastian exclaims animatedly and jumps back on his feet, dusting himself off and then grins at me, "You are freaking strong."

"What do you mean by that?" I frown and bitterly sneer, "Did you realize it just now?"

He chuckles and shakes his head as he sighs, "Oh, no! I did witness your strength the other day when we fought the rogues, but I never had a first-hand experience of it."

I cross my arms and candidly scoff, "Yeah, thank the Lord for that or else you would have if you had kept up with your acts."

"What acts?" he looks up and pretends to bat his long eyelashes innocently. Damn!

I roll my eyes and snap, "Seriously? You don't remember acting arrogantly and making me work to the bone as a freaking maid?"

"Oh, that."

I gape at him and taunt him, "Yeah, that." Sebastian looks remorseful and feels so earnest that it makes me wonder if he truly is or is just sly.

A beat of silence passes when he clicks his tongue and asks, "Do you like sparring?"

Surprised, I turn my head and raise my eyebrows at him. "Why do you ask?"

Sebastian remains quiet for a moment and shrugs, "Eh, just because." he rubs the back of his neck, looks over his shoulder and then states, "I saw you watch them train."

I follow his gaze and then back at him as I snort, "So?"

"So, is that because you like sparring or is it because you like to watch shirtless men train?" he exclaims accusatorily.

Baffled, I gape at him and indignantly scoff, "Ha! Is that what you think of me? Of girls, that they like to stare at shirtless men like pervert stalkers?"

Sebastian flushes up and looks apologetic as the words slowly draw out of his mouth, "Uh, no— but most of them do."

I hostilely straighten up and snarl, "Well, I am not most of them."

Embarrassed, he rubs his neck and murmurs, "Yeah, yeah, you're not."

A moment of silence as I confusingly blurt out, "Huh?"

Sebastian reddens and then clears his throat, "You're probably not interested in guys hitting on you."

I candidly state, "Obviously not."

"So, I don't have to be bothered about Clayton, right?"

"Clayton—wait, what?" bewildered, I raise my gaze to look up into his glistening eyes, and it hits a pang in my chest. His question startles me for a second there.

He nods and sighs, "Yeah, I saw you with him, smiling and laughing when I told you to rest."

"What?" I blurt out, but he continues, "I even specifically ordered Ivory to make sure you stay in bed, but you were —" he shakes his head and sighs again, "Nothing is going on with you two, right?"

"Are you fucking serious? Clayton is your best friend. Are you seriously doubting us now —" I snap when he steps up and intervenes, "I don't want to."

What?

"I don't want to doubt either you or Clayton, and I don't really doubt, but you know how it is. Our wolves get pissed and jealous easily," he answers.

I stay mum. I have to agree with Sebastian. It's hard to control one's wolf because one feels everything in the extreme, whether it's anger or happiness or lust or jealousy or love, but hearing him causes slight discomfort and pain in my chest.

I purse my lips in a thin line and inquisitively blurt out, "Oh, so you don't?"

Startled, he looks over me through his long eyelashes, and it makes my heart miss a beat. Then, a moment of silence when he holds his gaze before he looks away and sighs, "No."

Disheartened, Rayne whimpers.

What?

He looks ahead of him, and I find myself watching him. His eyebrows crease together, his lips pout, and his shoulders tense up. But they ease up when he takes a deep breath and looks back at me. I gasp as if locking eyes knock the air out of my lungs.

"I have been fulfilling my duties and responsibilities for far too long and have been striving to be the strongest, to take over and rule the entire community, but there was I," he doesn't take his eyes off me and shrugs, "— and all I think of is you. You make me curious about the things I never gave a second thought."

He sighs, "I wanted you to be by my side." I raise my eyebrow and almost blurt out sarcastically when he humbly chuckles, "I know making you my personal maid and working you to the bone was the shittiest thing I have done, but I got scared. It was the first time. I didn't know what to do because I had never thought of finding my mate, yet I wanted you to be with me when I did. I began to wonder if my heart was pounding because of my feelings or if it was because you were destined to be with me. I wanted to know if I could like someone out of my volition."

Rayne swoons over his words, and I find my heart hammering so fast.

"— but I denied you."

I blink and interrupt, "We both did."

Sebastian looks over at me, and I nod. I take a deep breath and sigh, "Honestly, I never cared about finding my mate, either."

He looks hurt.

Rayne whimpers remorsefully.

I straighten up and nod.

"I have been so focused on my mission for six years that I never thought about how it would feel to have my mate with me, to feel what it feels like to fall in love, to have that fluttery feeling in your stomach or to be all tingly because, for me, my mission is more important than anything else in this world. I wanted to finish it because they deserve to rest in peace."

I faintly smile.

It's a depressing one since, at that moment, my parents flash in my mind, and so does the memory of their last moment six years ago.

"What happened? Who deserves to rest in peace?" Sebastian asks with warmth and curiosity in his eyes and tone.

Beats of silence pass as I bite my lip from tearing up and watch the people train before I take a deep breath and state, "My parents," I sadly smile, "— and the people who sacrificed their lives for me."

I look over at him and scathingly scoff, "Oh, I'm sorry that your mate is an orphan."

Sebastian says nothing else. We stay still, except for the distant noises of people huffing and panting and the wind rustling of leaves and continuing to blow my hair, almost blinding me when a touch surprises me. I gasp. He is closer than before as he tucks my hair behind my ear and stares at my face.

"What?" I find my voice so low that it would not even be considered a whisper. He forces me to hold his gaze, and I almost lose myself in those dark green eyes when he clicks his tongue, "I just realized that I know absolutely nothing about you."

I blink, and he reverently continues with an embarrassed grin, "I won't say sorry because no one wants pity, but I understand how it feels like to lose your parents."

His words and his faint smile painfully tug my heart, and beats of silence pass by between us before he murmurs, "Well, I know it's not a consolation, but I am an orphan too. I lost my parents too."

"What?"

He turns back around and faces ahead at the field. I can't help but notice a sad, heart-breaking expression on his face.

He straightens up, shoves his hands into his pockets and takes a deep breath, "My mother was kidnapped, and after a few years of rigorous searching, she was assumed and declared dead." he sighs and continues, "Because of that, my father, the former Alpha, became insane and died a year later he was forced to call off the search. I was fifteen when I was burdened with the responsibilities of the pack."

"Yeah. So what happened to your parents?"

I stay mum for a moment, trying to soak in his story and then his question.

I clear my throat, "They sacrificed their lives for the entire pa... for me. I watched them die. I watched my mom die to finish off that stupid vampire who attacked us, and the worst thing is his body was never found."

"So, was that why you wandered around before we met?" he casually asks me.

"Huh? How do you know?" I question him back.

"Revenge." He shrugs as if that's the most obvious answer.

"Am I that easy to read?" I try to be sarcastic, but I sound a little inane.

Sebastian slightly chuckles and then shakes his head, "Oh, no, you aren't, but I can understand the anger and pain you are still tormented with."

I purse my lips and then tenderly murmur, "Yeah, it's have been hard."

"Yeah." he looks over at me and nods.

It makes me stare at him and hits me how much I wanted someone to acknowledge that things have been hard for me, even though I was always in denial that they weren't. I am curious to know more, but before I can ask him anything, he clears his throat, "We were too young to understand, yet we went through tragedies in our lives."

I nod and faintly smile at him, "Yeah."

We stay quiet and in utter stillness until Sebastian says, "You know when I said I am curious about you?"

I look at him and nod.

He nods back and continues, "There is one more person I am curious about."

Okay, ouch. That hurts.

Rayne narrows her eyes and growls.

I give him a look to explain what he means by that when he clicks his tongue, "As far as I have heard and observed, the person I am curious about has never attended any meetings, always sends his second or third in command, no one has seen his face, but everyone has heard that he how kind and righteous, how anyone who comes across his pack brags about compassionate and earnest they are."

"Is that your way of telling me that you like men?" I tease him.

"Oh, please!" he scoffs and then leans in to whisper, "I am only attracted to you. You have no idea how many long cold showers I take where I —" his words flush me up, and his hot breath tickles into my ear when I shriek, "Eekk!" and push him away. He throws his head back, and his playful chuckle reaches into my ears like a piece of gentle melody.

Reddened, I shake my head and try not to avoid his gaze. Keyword: try. I wave a hand and cough up, ambivalently redirecting the subject, "So, who is this person you are curious about? Are you jealous of how different and popular this guy is from you?"

"Oh, hell no." he snaps and then his next words take me by surprise and knock the air out of my lungs, "It's the Alpha of Crimson Shadow. It's the pack who always seems to find ways to go against me." "What?" I blurt out, but it might have come out as a whisper as I gape at him. My heart thumps in my chest, but not for the reason it should have when he shrugs and scoffs, "I don't give a damn about how popular this person is. It's just his pack always clashes with mine, and our opinions are different— hey, you okay?"

He places a hand on my cheek.

I jump, startled, and gasp. "Huh?"

He notices that and raises his eyebrows at me. "Do you feel all right? Your face is white as a ghost!" He remarks apprehensively.

I take a deep breath before I look back and clear my throat, "Of course I am." he doesn't look convinced when I bite my lip and then force myself to continue diverting the topic, "Anyway, you are inhumane to everyone except your pack, and you want to take over and rule the community when all the packs that make the community should strive to maintain peace and harmony between them—"

I wince as I taste metallic in my mouth and force myself to fake a grin. I then scoff, "Ooo, why did you assume he to be a he when he could be a she?"

Oh, great! I am rambling, and his gaze isn't helping at all.

It's unsettling and unnerving.

Sebastian straightens up. "Uh, I—" I fake a disappointed sigh and shake my head, "There are quite a number of Alphas who are female now. Don't tell me you aren't as progressive as I thought you to be."

He rolls his eyes and states, as a matter of factly, "I am progressive. I believe that the one who is mentally, physically, and psychologically capable and strong enough to lead a group, and I look beyond the gender of the person." his words make me slightly smile. He continues, "And for some odd reason, I sense you to have a vibe."

My heart thumps. "A vibe? Of what?"

He shrugs, "Of someone who has great leadership qualities, someone like the Alpha of Crimson Shadow."

Uh-oh! I gulp inaudibly and let out an awkward chuckle. Earnestly skeptically, I then ask, "Don't you hate them? I mean, you said that pack is the opposite of what you stand for—"

He clicks his tongue and nods. "I know, but that's what I respect about Crimson Shadow."

Excuse me, what?

I gape at him, amazed.

"Yeah! Given the interactions I have with that pack and the things I have heard, I like and respect the people who aren't afraid of being themselves around me, especially when I am I am surrounded by people who either love me or fear me." a faint smile appearing on his face as he looks at me.

"That's surprisingly insightful."

"What?" he gasps and looks offended, but his tone is playful. "I can be wise."

I snort.

"Now that I have mentioned, I used to be a romantic at heart too before everything," he exclaims.

I can't help but snort again and say, "Oh, please! I don't believe you, and how is that even relevant?"

I frown as he straightens up and looks up at me smugly. "Why have you made a face like that?"

"I said that because I have to ask you something."

My frown deepens. "What?"

"I want to take you somewhere." Sebastian vaguely says and looks into my eyes. Concealing my amazement, I tilt my head and state, "Wait, are you asking me out?"

He faintly smiles in response.

I cross my arms and scoff, "But why would I go on a date with you?"

It's his time to frown and scowl as he mutters, "Because I want to and that we are mates."

I roll my eyes. "So?"

Sebastian tilts his head and gives me a deadpan expression when I take a deep breath and huff. "Prove it to me."

"Prove you what? We both know we're mates. We have acknowledged each other—" I shrug and grin at him, "That you're worthy."

"Worthy?" he raises his eyebrows.

I place my hands on the hips and nod.

He looks at me as if I am serious or kidding, to which I snort, "I don't kid."

Sebastian rolls his eyes and then straightens up, "Okay, how? How should I prove it to you? What should I do for you? Do you want flowers? Chocolates?"

I briefly scowl, and then I walk closer to him. He notices and narrows his eyes at me. "What are you doing?" his eyes widen for a moment as our bodies touch. I lean in and whisper, "Oh, do you really think I am that kind of girl?" the moment I look back at him and wink, all his toughness melts, and my smirk widens when I hear a low, gruff gulp.

"Ugh, it's not fair, Ember." He moans. It's hot! He's hot!

Rayne seems to be loving this.

As cliche as it sounds, I whisper back, "Everything is fair in love and war."

We stand so closer, his hands on my waist, as we stare at each other in silence that the more I look at him, the more I feel a sudden tension building up between us, and the more I want to get lost in his beautiful eyes, play with his beautiful red hair, and kiss his beautiful mouth. I shudder at how much our proximity already affects me. I want to look away, but I can't.

But I force myself to.

"Uh," I look around, catch a glimpse of something and grin back at him. "Spar with me."

"What?" he looks bewildered.

I take this moment to step back and condescendingly smack my lips, "Yeah! Beat me, and I shall fulfil any wish of yours."

Sebastian gapes at me. "Seriously?"

I pout and shrug. "Seriously."

He still stares speechlessly, and I scoff, "What? I am not that easy to get."

That somehow breaks the tension, and I see him let out a low, raspy chuckle. I grin back and hear him say, "Yeah, yeah, you're not."

My grin widens, and he then pulls away from me and straightens up. He clears his throat, "Fine! I will fight you and defeat you so that you will go out with me and have the best dates of your life."

"Good. We'll see." I challenge and make eye contact with him.