Lunar Temptations

Ch 83

"Is it because of her? I am sure you two must have slept together, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was better than me-" I got cut off by the force of his hands pulling me to him by my shoulders. I gasped when I almost collided with him, but his hold on me was too strong to control myself. We were practically glued to each other, yet his eyes were the only thing that I was finding myself drowning in.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" His voice was low and laced with a promise of something dangerous, yet I wasn't going to back off now. I clenched my jaws and pulled my face closer to his. "Yes, now answer me. You've kept me in the dark for long enough."

The calm before a storm fell over the entire place. It didn't take much to feel his emotions bustling from him in unspoken words. He had a lot to tell, and I was all ears if only he would let me in. I didn't want to be the kind of partner to him who would know nothing while he would be suffering in silence, especially when I was the reason for it. His fist held my arms in them like I would slip out of them if he dared lighten his grip. He wasn't hurting me, and a part of me loved the way he would have control over me; it was addictive.

"Are you jealous of Audrey?" A hint of a smirk appeared on his lips, and I scoffed, sarcastically. "Well, you aren't denying that you wanted to marry her."

His smirk widened, "I don't see how that's a problem. It's not as if you're interested in marrying me." He shrugged, letting go of me and stepping away. He stared at me, amusingly after tucking both his hands in his pocket. I watched him bewildered, was he finding this funny? My jaw clenched as I charged at him to match his stance. I raised my head high with rage filling my expressions.

"Who said I wasn't? Why else would I be here sulking over the fact that you might not want me?" My hands waved in the air as I lashed out at him once again. He really was that clueless, or was he playing around with me? His finger came up, lifting my head even more until I could only see him and couldn't move my head around. The brown eyes were boring through my blue ones, creating an illusion of ice and fire, and that was what we were like exactly. Like fire and ice, when I was bent on hating him, he did the opposite.

"Is that so?" He asked, and this time it was my turn to simply glare at him. If he wanted answers, then he better give some too.

"Answers for answers, Mr. Castillo." I reminded him when he didn't get the hint and stayed silent. There was no way I would be letting him off this easily. He observed me for a while; his eyes roamed over my lips, my cheeks, and down to where my neckline ended in a V. Heat rushed through me, and I tried to control it but to no avail. He was capable of lighting me up on fire with the movement of his eyes.

He inhaled sharply, "You want to know why I locked myself in that room? Or why I am making myself suffer knowingly when I can take you and mark you as mine however I want?" His voice sent shivers down my spine as he began to feed me with what I had been wanting the whole day.

Answers from him.

He clenched his jaws, lowering his face to mine, and just when I thought that he couldn't get any closer, he proved me wrong. "When I look at you, I want nothing more than to do all of that and more." He whispered, and I listened quietly with trembling breaths. I didn't need any proof to know if he meant every word of what he was saying. His eyes were doing that for me well. They held mine honestly as if he only needed to speak through them and words would end up meaning nothing then.

"Do you know how hard it has been to hold myself off?"

I knew it wasn't a question but rather a confession. "Five years, Ray. I have been looking for my mate, craving her, wanting to claim her and make her mine for years. When years passed and she didn't show up, something began to change in me." He inhaled deeply. "I wasn't capable of controlling my wolf all the time. He was always enraged, wanting to be out to hunt down our mate, and when I realized what was happening - locking myself seemed like the only option." He explained.

"I didn't want to hurt you or end up doing something in my insanity that we would both regret later. The mere sight of you drives me insane, saying that I want you would be an understatement. My need for you has become irresistibly dangerous, and the last thing I want is to hurt you."

He clasped my face with both of his hands as if I were a precious jewel he had found at the bottom of the sea, and now he was caressing it with both of his hands. His eyes shone under the light, and even though his expressions didn't give away much except that tiny crease on his forehead, I knew he meant every word of what he had said. I mirrored his expression, and a crease or several of them formed on my forehead.

"What about that night when you walked away?" I asked, not daring to look away. For now, I was sure that he wasn't going to let me get away easily either. Zayden's eyes were fixated on me, and his hands remained holding my face in the most gentle way. It was as if he was scared that I would break into pieces if he didn't hold me to him. It was amazing how he had the most perfect balance of dominance and compassion.