Page 6

LIVIA

“There’s something I just can’t put my finger on,” Elijah said, placing his hand on my knee underneath the bar counter. His lips were curled into a small smile, his brown eyes glowing underneath the dim light. And if he wasn’t our enemy, I might’ve actually been interested in him.

We had been flirting for the past hour and a half over drinks. After I told Dad and Caelan that I planned on staying in tonight, I snuck down here to meet up with Elijah because I knew Caelan would follow me.

“Oh yeah?” I asked, leaning forward, my cleavage brushing against his arm.

Since I moved in with Dad several months ago after Mom died, nobody showed me any attention like this anymore. Except Caelan but he didn’t count. And part of me was dying to be wanted again.

Elijah didn’t know that I couldn’t shift, and I wasn’t sure that he would even care.

Across the restaurant, I spotted Caelan sitting at the bar by himself, his glare on me. There was a girl near him, trying to spark up a conversation. He’d say a few words to her every now and then, but he never, ever took his gaze off of me.

Warmth spread through my body, and I leaned closer to Elijah to piss Caelan off even more. While I continued to hope that one of these days I would get him to break and claim me, I highly doubted that would ever happen.

And Dad was right. I needed to find someone.

“Are you sure you’re a wolf? You’re bratty, and most wolves I know are obedient.”

“One hundred percent positive,” I hummed. “I have the blood of a beta wolf, and honestly, alphas need mates who are strong, not those who submit willingly. Don’t you think? Or are you one of those guys who gets intimidated by a woman’s strength?”

I didn’t know why I said what I said when I couldn’t even shift.

But it was fun thinking that I was strong. Maybe one day I’d be.

“Me?” he asked, chuckling. “You wish. You wouldn’t be able to handle me.”

My gaze fluttered to the bar, spotting that bitch’s arm wrapped around Caelan’s. Who the fuck was that? Why was he with her? Was it to make me jealous? Well, he had another thing coming. He didn’t know how possessive I could make him.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be able to handle you ?” I asked Elijah with a smirk.

“Nah,” he murmured, his nose buried into my hair. “I don’t think you could.”

“And why’s that?”

“You smell too innocent.”

“Too innocent?” I repeated, giving him my full attention now. “Me?”

“Mhm,” he hummed. “Unless you want to prove it to me.”

“And how do you expect me to do that?”

“We can get out of here,” he whispered into my ear. “Explore a bit.”

I sucked in a breath and swallowed hard, feeling Caelan’s gaze burn into me from across the bar. While the flirting was fun, the last thing I wanted to do was go home with the enemy, though he was really hot and felt strong.

Really strong.

In my peripheral, I saw Caelan being led out of the bar by that woman, and my blood started to fucking boil. It was sweltering inside me, pumping so hard and fast through my body that I could feel it simmering.

“You think I’m that easy?” I asked, hopping off the bar stool in an attempt to get out of here and follow Caelan as soon as I could. “Try harder, and maybe by the time this festival is over, you might have earned a night with me.”

“Why don’t you show up to the Mortal Combat games tomorrow?” he asked, grabbing my hand before I could escape him. “I’d love to see you there to show you just what I’m capable of, you brat .”

Brat?

Heat rushed through my body at the nickname, but I nodded along, my lips curled into a small smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Before Elijah could keep me any longer, I ran the hell out of there and tried to trace Caelan’s scent. It was very, very faint, but it led toward our rooms. The last thing I fucking wanted was for him to disappear into his room with another woman.

I didn’t think he’d dare do that, but… I had never seen him so pissed before.

If he did, though, I would fucking lose it. My legs were moving faster than my mind could keep up. And his scent was becoming stronger and stronger. I followed it until we came to the hall where our rooms were. And then I heard a door close.

I fast-walked over to it, trying to hide my scent so he couldn’t smell it. But this was exactly what he wanted. He wanted me to be jealous because he was jealous. He wanted me to hurt because he was hurt.

And I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

But dear Lycos, I needed to know if she was in there with him.

So I snuck over to the door and put my ear to it. And there was silence. Complete silence. My heart was pounding inside my chest, and I had to force myself to walk away, or else I’d barge right in there.

I sniffed the air. Once. Then twice.

Then someone’s hand was on my lower back. “Looking for someone?”

I shrieked and jumped around, spotting Caelan behind me. “ Lycos , you scared me!”

“What’re you doing out of your room?” he asked.

“What were you doing with that bitch at the bar?”

“I’d ask you the same, but I knew you went to see him to piss me off.”

I crossed my arms. “Is that what you were doing with her?”

“No, I’m not that childish.”

“You sure about that?”

A low growl left his mouth, his canines extending from his teeth. “You should be preparing your gown for tomorrow. There are several meetings you will attend with me and your father. Don’t be late to any of them.”

After gritting his teeth, he stepped into his room and slammed the door. I balled my hands into tight fists and glared at the wall.

Fuck this wedding. Fuck those meetings. And fuck Caelan.

I was going to the Mortal Combat games tomorrow instead of doing whatever he wanted me to do. And I wasn’t going to watch. No, I planned on competing.