Kissed by Krista Street

Chapter 15

~ WYATT ~

What the fuck just happened?

I stood at the kitchen counter, my breaths still coming too fast. So Nicholas had been right? He’d told me my overprotectiveness could come between Avery and me.

Dammit.

But before I could get over my shock and round the corner to talk to my mate about why I’d asked her to go to the Whimsical Room, she had already disappeared into my bedroom and closed the door.

I didn’t think she was even aware of how fast she’d moved. She’d sped from her barstool as fast as a vamp, the goddess’s power shining in her eyes.

With soft steps, I prowled to my bedroom and stopped outside of it. Disbelief filled me when I saw the pillow and blanket on the floor.

She’d actually kicked me out. She was really gonna make me sleep on the couch. Fucking A.

Okay, so she was pissed. Really pissed. But my mate and I were going to talk about this whether she liked it or not. But if she wanted me on the couch tonight, then fine. I would sleep on the damned couch.

But come tomorrow morning, she and I were talking.

With a huff, I collected the pillow and blanket.

My wolf snarled inside me. His growls and irritation weren’t helping. What I needed was a run. A long, pounding run under the moon with nothing but his paws thundering on the ground to make me forget how much I was fucking everything up.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t fix it.

Still, I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall.

Growling, I stormed back to the living room and threw the pillow and blanket on the sofa. I paced a few times, but as much as I needed a run, I couldn’t leave her. Because if I did, then Avery would be here alone after I’d insisted that she had to come here with me so I could protect her.

I scoffed. What a crock of shit. It was more like she was protecting me. Twice she’d saved me from Lord Godasara. Twice she’d gotten the SF out of situations we couldn’t handle. And twice she’d done it all on her own.

The reality was that I hadn’t done anything to protect her, because she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

And I was only just realizing that.

Nicholas was completely right. I constantly underestimated her.

I tore a hand through my hair when the door cracked open behind me. The scent of lilacs carried with it.

I stilled, my back to the room.

“Wyatt?”

Blood thundered in my ears at her soft tone. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” I said stiffly over my shoulder.

My voice stayed even despite the frustration riding high inside me. I expected her to close the door again, or maybe retreat to the bathroom to relieve herself before she fell asleep, but what I didn’t expect was the soft pad of her footsteps on the carpet.

She paused at my back.

Her lilac scent called to me. What I really wanted to do was lift her against the wall and fuck her anger right out of her, but I wouldn’t exert my will on her. I knew now that forcing my dominance over her led to nothing but problems, and dammit, I would figure out how to suppress my urges.

“I’ll wake you in the morning and take you to the command center,” I said gruffly, still refusing to face her. “If you would rather have your own accommodation, I can arrange that—”

“Wyatt, look at me.”

The sharpness in her tone made my heart thump. I turned to face her, the movement slow and precise. When I finally did, my breath caught.

Wild violet light danced in her irises, swirling and blending with the natural brownish-gold that I loved so much. Damn, I loved her fire.

“I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I’m sorry. I never should have said that.”

Her apology had my jaw dropping. She was apologizing to me?

Shame crept into her vivid irises, and she took a step forward. “I was mad at you. So mad, and I lashed out in anger, but that doesn’t excuse—”

“No. Don’t apologize. You don’t need to feel bad. You were right to tell me off like that. I haven’t protected you. I’ve totally and completely failed at protecting you ever since—”

“I didn’t mean it!” she said vehemently. “It was cruel to say that, and I don’t want to be cruel. I’ve just been angry with you. So angry because—”

“Because I’ve been an ass, I know—”

“No, that’s not why!” She blew a strand of hair from her face, zapping energy radiating off of her. “Just listen to me, dammit. You’re not an ass. Well, sometimes you are, but I’m mad at you for what you did at the estate. I didn’t want to go into the Whimsical Room, but you basically forced me into it, and it’s made me resentful. I feel like you keep trying to control my life, and it’s driving me crazy. I get to make my decisions. Not you.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but she continued.

“Initially, I blamed my capture entirely on you because I was drugged in the Whimsical Room. Even though I can’t remember all of the details, I do know that I did things with Nicholas, which left me feeling violated in an entirely different way from what the sacred circle did. I also know that if I hadn’t been drugged when Lord Godasara grabbed me then I would have been able to fight back.

“I blamed you for all of that when I was in those caves, but just now when I was sitting in your room hearing you outside the door, it finally dawned on me that my anger was misplaced. You didn’t drug me. Marnee did. I see that now. And you didn’t physically force me into the Whimsical Room—guilt-tripped me, yes—but not physically forced. I chose to go to appease you when I should have chosen to fight. Basically, I’ve been blaming you for Marnee’s and my actions and I shouldn’t have. It’s not fair to you, and I’m sorry for doing that, although you do need to stop answering for me and trying to make my decisions. I don’t care if you’re an alpha. I make my decisions, not you.”

The breath rushed out of me. Avery was legit apologizing.This incredible, vibrant, strong, beautiful woman was apologizing to me.

“No.” I shook my head. “You do not need to be sorry.” I wanted so desperately to gather her in my arms but stopped myself. I needed to look her in the eyes so she wouldn’t feel these misguided emotions. “You have every right to be furious with me. I’m the one who fucked up, not you. You were right to be angry with me for asking you to go in that room. I shouldn’t have. I should have let you fight. I shouldn’t have locked you away. I should have listened to you, but I let my wolf instincts take over. And even if I didn’t put that drug in your drink, I’m still to blame. I’m a commander. I might not have been Marnee’s direct commander, but both Bavar and I were distracted, yet we knew she posed a threat and we didn’t do anything about it. It’s our job—my job—to see things like that and make the right call. I didn’t. So, you’re right to think that if it wasn’t for me, you never would have been in that room in the first place, and you never would have been drugged.”

She shook her head, her long hair falling over her shoulders. “You can’t be expected to know everything and make the right calls every time. And even if you believe you’re to blame for Marnee, you’re not. She’s one hundred percent responsible for her actions, and I see now that she was determined to cause problems between us.”

A low growl rumbled in my chest. “That she was.”

“And it worked.” She raised her hands in exasperation. “Look at what she accomplished by drugging me. I blamed you, not her. Unknowingly, we’ve both played right into her hands.”

My jaw dropped. Avery was right. Marnee had gotten exactly what she wanted. She was causing problems between me and my mate.

“Shit,” I whispered.

Avery shook her head again. “Do you think she’s still in the sea?”

“Probably. She was due for a soak. She was supposed to take leave a few months ago for one, but things got rather busy. Bavar and I think that’s why she acted how she did.”

“So she wasn’t always that crazy?”

I scoffed. “No, not at all. She was normally level-headed.”

“What will happen to her?”

“It depends if she returns to the SF on her own or not. After a soak, her mental state will improve and she should revert back to her former self. If she turns herself in, her punishment will be more lenient. If she makes the SF hunt her down, that’s another story.”

“Well, she must have had it really bad for you to do what she did.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Marnee’s actions are entirely unforgiveable, even if she did have a crush on me.”

A clouded look filled her eyes, and her upper body stiffened.

I immediately went on edge. “What?

“It’s just I feel like I’m coming to know you bit by bit, and one thing that’s becoming quite apparent to me is that women notice you. No, more than that, they’re attracted to you and want you.”

“Just because one siren went a bit crazy over a brief one-night stand—”

“There was that redhead at the healing center too.” Avery’s eyes gave away nothing, but I still caught the slight tightening around her mouth. “I’m guessing you hooked up with her at some point?”

“The redhead?” I stroked my chin, frowning. “Are you talking about Sally?”

She stiffened even more. “Is that her name?”

“If you’re referring to the red-headed witch at the healing center, yes, her name is Sally, and no, nothing’s ever happened between us. I never dated her. I never slept with her, but she’s shown me signs on a few occasions that she would be open to the possibility.”

“Oh.” She made a move to cross her arms, but I stopped her and closed the distance between us.

“This reminds me of something,” I whispered, leaning down to her.

She grew rigid. “What’s that?”

“You were jealous of Sally, too, before the alignment.”

Her head whipped back. “I’m not jealous!”

My lips twitched. “Are you sure about that?”

She rolled her eyes, but a reluctant smile tugged at her lips. “I was jealous of her before as well?”

I nodded, a smile streaking across my face which I couldn’t stop. “I think I like it.”

“You like that I’m jealous?” She slugged me in the arm. Hard.

Damn. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the right thing to admit, but fucking hell, I could feel my mate’s fire rising and it was turning me on.

“Yeah,” I whispered, brushing my lips near her ear. She shivered. “I like it. It means you have feelings for me, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

Her breath quickened, growing shallower as my lips danced over her skin. “Well, I for one don’t like it at all.”

“It’s not just you, you know,” I said, kissing her softly below her ear.

A shiver wracked her body.

“It’s me too. I get jealous any time another man looks at you. And the thought of some other guy touching you . . .” My fingers curled into her clothing. “That I can’t handle.”

“But no men ever look at me, not like women do at you.”

I whipped my head back. “Is that what you think?” I asked incredulously, then dipped my hands lower until I was softly kneading the muscles in her lower back. Another shiver raced through her. “I’m pretty sure Nicholas has a permanent boner around you. Not to mention the dozens of SF members who give you second looks when they pass you on the sidewalk. Or how Bavar is obsessed with your cookies—”

She slugged me again, except playfully this time. “Just because Bavar likes my cookies doesn’t mean he likes me that way.”

I chuckled, loving the teasing light dancing in her eyes. “Maybe he hasn’t overtly flirted with you, but that’s probably only because he knows I’d rip his head off if he did.”

A smile curved her lips. “Hardly. Nicholas’s head is still intact even though you claim he has a—how did you put it so eloquently? A permanent boner for me?”

My mood darkened. “I almost ripped his head off when I found him on top of you in the Whimsical Room. If Bishop hadn’t been there, I would have.”

Horror lit her eyes. “You found him on top of me?”

“He was feeding on your neck, and you were—” I cleared my throat. “Enjoying it.”

Her face paled. “Oh Gods.” She twisted her hands. “Were we doing . . . anything else?”

“No, thankfully. You still had your clothes on, and while he was shirtless, he did have his pants zipped.” I plowed a hand through my hair. Just thinking of that moment made my wolf snarl, and fury lit my blood on fire. “Your embrace was rather passionate, but that was all that happened. I would have scented it if it’d gone further.”

A flush filled her cheeks. “And you walked in on that? Oh Gods, Wyatt, I’m so sorry.”

I cradled her face in my palms, her tone cutting through the agony that moment had born. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You were drugged against your will with a powerful aphrodisiac. Anybody would have responded as you and Nicholas did. I’m just glad that I interrupted before it went any further.”

Her eyes widened even more. “I still haven’t fully remembered what happened after we drank that poison. It’s still all a blur, but I’m glad it didn’t go past an embrace.” She shuddered. “If I ever walked in on you doing that—”

“You never will.” I tilted her face up, my gaze drawn to her plump lips that—fucking hell—I wanted to kiss so desperately. “Because I’m yours. Forever. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. You’re my mate, which means you’re the only woman I’ll ever want now. That I’ll ever”—I swallowed down the thickness in my throat—“love. And I know that’s a lot to take in and ask of you considering you don’t remember who I am, but it’s the truth.”

“But what if we’re not actually compatible?” Her winged eyebrows knit together. “What if this bond is the only reason we’re together? What if we stay together and learn that we don’t even really like each other?”

I shook my head. “I already know I like you. For years I liked you before it became anything.” I cradled her face more. “You’re smart, Avery, and so strong, and you care about others. You help people when they need it. And you’re so damned resilient. You stand up again and again even when you’re knocked down. I saw that daily in your training. Your magic may have been weak, but your soul is strong. I saw who you really are then and back in Ridgeback, and I love that woman. I love you.” I kissed her jaw, her ear, the tender skin on her neck.

She shivered.

“And I know you don’t remember me, but at one time in your life, you liked me too. And I’m okay with that. I’m okay with you needing to get to know me again before committing. You can bet your damnedest, though, that I’m going to do everything I can to make you fall for me all over again. But to answer your question, no, it’s not just the mating bond that attracts us to one another. Yes, that contributes to my insatiable need for you and why I can get it up again and again, even if I’ve fucked you fifty shades since Sunday, but it isn’t why I love you. I love you for you, not because of the—”

She was on her tiptoes, closing the remaining distance between us before I could utter another word. Her lips pressed to mine, and I couldn’t hold back.

I gripped her to me, the savage need to claim her so strong I nearly ripped her clothes off.

Her lips opened, her tongue sliding out to dance with mine. She threaded her fingers through my hair, a low moan escaping her.

Fuck, she tasted good. I tore my mouth from hers, knowing that if I didn’t get this off my chest now, I never would. I was two seconds away from wrapping her legs around my waist and fucking her against the wall.

“Avery, you need to know something.”

Her glazed eyes stared up at me, her rapid breaths making my dick strain against my pants even more. “What?”

“I’m a werewolf, Avery. You need to understand what that means. Every instinct in my body demands that I protect you. Do you understand what that entails? My wolf, my inner being, orders me to protect you from everything and everyone that could harm you. It’s why I so desperately wanted you in the Whimsical Room. I thought it was the safest option. I didn’t want you to fight even though you could have probably ended Lord Godasara right there.”

She nodded, some of the lust fading from her eyes. “Okay. I understand.”

“But do you? That’s instinct, Avery. I can’t overcome instinct. It’s the essence of who I am. I’m always going to want to fight for you, protect you, cherish you, save you, even if I’ve been shit at saving you lately.”

She laughed softly.

My grip on her tightened. I didn’t want to say the next bit, but I knew I had to. I would never rest easy if I didn’t. “But I’ve also seen the hesitancy in you. That maybe you want something different than me. And you deserve someone who doesn’t force you into rooms to hide. You deserve a man who will proudly march into battle with you by his side—”

She pressed a finger against my lips. “Okay, first off, I don’t plan to make it a habit of going into battles. And secondly, even though your overbearing dominant nature is infuriating at times, I’m capable of saying no to you, which I plan to do from now on. And I don’t mind your dominance all the time. In fact—” A rosy blush filled her cheeks. “I kind of like it, in other ways.” A scent rose from her. A rich, musky scent, tinged with heady lilacs that told me exactly what kind of other ways she was referring to.

A jolt of lust shot through me. Fucking hell. So she liked a bit of dominance in the sack. And fuck if that didn’t make my dick just go as hard as iron.

She threaded her fingers through my hair, the sensation utterly distracting and arousing. “I just don’t like when I feel I don’t have a choice. At the estate, I felt like I couldn’t say no to you. And yes, I know your reasoning for me going in that room made sense—we still didn’t know if the goddess’s power inside me could be trusted to work—but I still felt like you undervalued me. And for the record, it’s been twice now that I’ve been able to fight when it was needed, so I think I’ve proven that I’m not a complete weakling. I can be trusted to hold my own.”

“You’ve never been a weakling,” I groaned. I crushed her to me, no longer able to hold back.

Her breath came out in a sharp exhale.

I cradled her to me, then leaned down to bury my nose in her neck and inhale. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry for doing that, but you have to understand that sometimes my instincts rule me. I can’t stop them, but I can learn to control them better. Fuck, Little Flower, if you give me a second chance, I will spend the rest of my life working to control my instincts each and every day.”

She tenderly brushed a lock of hair from my forehead. “You don’t need to control them that much, but I do ask that if I want to do something that you don’t try to stop me. Even if your instincts want to cover me in bubble wrap, please don’t guilt-trip me again into doing what you think is best when I don’t want to do it.”

“I won’t.” I shook my head. “I mean, I probably will do that again, but point it out to me when I do, and I’ll stop. I don’t want you to feel suffocated or grow to resent me. I want you to stay as you are and keep fighting me when I’m being pigheaded and unreasonable.”

She ran a finger along my chest.

My erection grew even stiffer.

“I can do that,” she said coyly.

I kneaded her hips, drawing her even closer to me until she felt my stiff length. Her breath hitched.

“Does that mean you’re going to give me a second chance?”

She laughed. “I didn’t realize we were already done with the first chance.”

“I thought you weren’t sure if you wanted to be with me.”

Her eyes flashed violet, the shade mixing with her natural hue. “You’re right. I’ll be honest, I was having second thoughts. But the truth is that I’m as drawn to you as you’re drawn to me. I don’t think I could walk away from you.”

“So that means we’ll always figure things out? That you won’t ever run from me?” I rubbed her against me more, and the musky scent in her lilacs grew. Fuuuuuuck.

“Well, I can’t promise I’ll never run from you. I have a feeling that if I did make you chase me, the sex when you finally caught up would be worth it.”

I groaned. “If that’s the kind of chasing you want, babe, I’ll chase you all damn night.”

“In that case—” She abruptly tore from my arms and sprinted from the living room.

The next thing I knew, my apartment door was open, the scent of lilacs growing fainter.

She did not just do that.

For a moment, I stood there, shock filling me. But then my wolf rumbled in excitement. He was right. She did just do that.

That’s right, buddy, I said to him, tearing my shirt off and exploding into my wolf form in a glimmer of magic. If my mate wanted a chase, I was more than happy to appease her.

Game on, Avery. Game on.