Reborn: The Rejected Luna

#20- Still A Terrible Person

He didn't.

Irabel froze, heart wildly beating in her chest when Maxith slipped his hand into hers and held on. What was he thinking? It was one thing to be held by him when she’d been sad and another for him to do it for no apparent reason.

The weight of it made her even more painfully aware of how close they were seated at the back of his car. She had tried to ignore it the moment she slipped in beside him and discovered he'd left a tiny space for her, forcing her to endure more contact with his body than she intended. And now with this unexpected skin contact, ignoring him turned into one impossible task that left her a hot mess.

She couldn't say the same for him though. Besides her, he still remained so composed one would think the hand holding on to hers right now wasn’t his. The bastard was still winning. Irabel couldn’t have that, but then he squeezed and against her better judgement excitement bubbled, and it took her longer than it should have to decide to pull away.

What the hell? Her attempt was met by a stronger grip when she tried to pull away and a decision to glare at him ended with a gasp. He was close. Too close she licked her lips longingly without realizing. Only when his gaze dropped there, eyes dark with desire did she realize her mistake. A mistake she did not regret at all. Maybe later. In the moment, she relished being the reason for all that want in those electric eyes and when he tilted to face her at a better angle her heart hammered in her chest.

Oh lord. Her mouth suddenly went dry when without warning his free hand reached into the bulk of her hair and pulled gently forcing her to bend to the side and exposing the place on her neck meant for her mate's mark. Even without her wolf, tingles erupted in invitation and that barely woke her.

"W-What do you think you are doing? Isn't this inappropriate?" She croaked out, while she fought the urge to lean in and get a taste of his lips that looked so damn edible up close.

"For who exactly?" Irabel shuddered at the deep sexy rumble from his chest. And because his being close was not to comfort this time around, sparks kept shooting up all over her body and she found herself wanting to be touched. To have those large hands exploring her body in places that would have her shutter under intense goodness that only his touch could unearth. "You have a fiancée and…" She arched her back when his warm breath fanned her neck, thirsting for some more skin contact right there. God, she wanted him. She shouldn’t have, but how in God’s name was she supposed to escape this? When his touch felt so… electric and he was not even touching any part of her that was screaming to be touched.

“Irabel…I”

“Y-Yes–”

"We are here." Ken's announcement had both of them jerking away, while curses escaped Maxith's mouth. He was obviously just as fired up as she was and she wondered if that counted for a point for both, or did they just score zeroes on that revenge scoreboard?

"Where are we?" Still flushed and desperate for a distraction, Irabel stared out of the window, scanning her surroundings. They seemed to have gone deep into the woods with nothing but a dirt road bearing evidence that there was something up ahead. The road wound a few times before they came to an old rusted gate. Men, pack security, she assumed, where posted in front of it. A few others were spread out following some kind of perimeter. It made her think that whetever lay beyond the gate had to be something worth protecting. And when Maxith did not furnish her with an answer to her question, Irabel resolved that it probably had nothing to do with her, so she sat back and waited. Maybe Maxith was here on some alpha business before they proceeded to wherever he invited her to.

“Your Highness.” Burly figures stood at attention before bowing ever so gracefully towards their alpha. Again, Irabel couldn’t help but marvel at how much respect Maxith commanded in his pack. Staring at his warriors, it was almost impossible to think he’d earned all this through pretense. Almost. Because she knew the beast behind that mask who did not deserve any of this.

"Come with me." Irabel froze at the sound of the alpha king’s voice that sounded too close. Maxith was already out of the car, but he was leaning towards her while he held his hand out to her. The raspiness their little encounter seemed to have added to his voice plunged her right back in the want she’d desperately wanted to escape. And knowing taking his hand would only make her situation worse, Irabel ignored him and got out by herself.

Irritation flashed on the alpha kings's face, but Irabel ignored him, refusing to put herself through what just happened in the car earlier. The mere thought made heat spread in her cheeks.

“Right this way.” Ken looked amused at the awkwardness that followed and she would have glared at the beta if only the ground beneath her had not shifted. She yelped when her attempts to grab hold onto something left her with nothing but air.

“Careful, my lady.” Her knight in shining armor possessed piercing electric blue eyes. “It seems the shoes are not cut out for the terrain.” Maxith held her gaze and thank God for the sharpest squeal that kept her from drowning in them.

“Irabel!”

“Mateo?” Maxith let her go just in time for her little brother to barrel into her. He seemed to have come out of nowhere. “I missed you!” The boy squealed in delight when Irabel held on tight.

“I missed you too. I didn’t know that I would find you here.” Surprised, Irabel glanced back at Maxith, but she was met with his back. He was deep in conversation with one of the guards and without her wolf hearing, she couldn’t tell what that was about. “Are you okay?” Focusing back on the little boy, she couldn’t help but scan his entire frame. For what? She did not know. Was he capable of imprisoning and torturing little boys too?

“I know that look.”

“Mother?” Irabel had not even been aware that she had missed her mother this much. Her eyes stung when she laid her eyes on the woman who had never looked better. “What look?” She asked with a teary chuckle.

“You are worrying about something.”

“I am not.” Irabel melted into her mother’s embrace, but the woman only chuckled, letting her know that she saw right through her lie.

“His highness is not forcing us to do anything–”

Really? “I never said he was.” Irabel said with less conviction than intended, but her mother merely smiled.

“He was gracious enough to let me choose where we wished to stay.” The woman turned her around to reveal a beautiful sight.

“He did?!” The cottage, despite being so deep in the woods, Irabel had to agree was beautiful. Nothing about it said, Maxith had tossed her family out of the castle. It was perfect. Miles away from the little rooms they had shared at the Green Forest Pack. Besides, delight was written all over her mother’s face. The woman loved the place. That made it hard to imagine that she was a prisoner there.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Irabel’s mother turned them back around and bowed. “Welcome, your highness. Please do come in.” Her mother invited, but Maxith only shook his head while Irabel watched. Amazed at the man who was making it impossible for her to hate him at the moment.

"Is everything to your taste? The men report that you have not asked them of anything.”

“Taste?” Her mother looked at a loss for words. “You have already given us more than we need, my king. What does it matter if something is not to our taste?”

“Still, do not hesitate to inform my men whenever you are in need of anything. Anything at all.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

“Would you mind showing me around, mother?” Because she could not stand what was unfolding before her, she pulled her mother away before her stupid heart let her fall into the same trap that had ensnared her once before. Maxith was still a terrible person. She needed to remind herself of that. No amount of kindness on his part should be able to erase that truth.

“May I have a word before you uh…go?” His pleading tone willed her to stop. But because she still needed space, she wiggled out of his grip and took a step back. Something close to hurt flashed in his eyes, but Irabel ignored it. And if he took offence, he did not show it.

“I should have told you they were here.” Maxith mumbled when she arched a brow at him. “I’m sorry for making you think they were…dead.”

“What? I never thought–”

“Nykka… She almost had my head this morning for killing your family.”

Irabel stiffened. What was that she thought? That it was impossible to hate him?