Chapter 29: Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… The confrontation!

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Jeremy entered his room after about six hours of running and went directly into the bathroom to take a shower. It was almost dawn. His huge bathroom looked like something out of a magazine. It looked simply luxurious and elegant. For one, he had a mini swimming pool in there, a doorless shower that could hold about ten people at the same time, and a Jacuzzi that could massage his body when he needed to soothe his body. Jeremy stood under the spray with a hand against the tiled wall and his head bowed. Even after all that run, he still hurt.

He’d needed that ran to revive his wolf. Hearing all those hateful words coming from his mate made his wolf want to curl up and die. So shifting and forcing the wolf to run was usually necessary for the survival of his wolf. Because without his wolf, he was nothing. Much as his wolf didn’t want to live knowing how much his mate hated him, Jeremy needed him if he was going to be the alpha that his people expected. He felt drained but he had to do what was necessary.

Jeremy heard the connecting door between his room and Ryan’s opening and felt fear. He didn’t know what Ryan was going to say to him next to cause his heart to feel as though it was going to explode inside his chest. He knew he was going to live with the pain he’d caused Ryan for the rest of his life. But for that day, Jeremy felt he’d had enough of that excruciating pain that came with Ryan’s utterances. He didn’t know what he would do if Ryan told him he hated him one more time that night. He knew he deserved it but there was so much he could take. Jeremy could sense the presence of Ryan in his suite. He didn’t attempt to enter the bathroom though. Jeremy felt himself begin to shake. He really dreaded seeing Ryan and hearing what he had to say. He wished he never had to leave the bathroom. But he had to leave the shower at a point.

In Jeremy’s suite, a much calmer Ryan’s eyes were wide as he took in the opulent luxury of Jeremy’s suite. He’d been too angry when he went in there earlier to notice just how beautiful, elegant and huge the suite was. Even the paintings on the walls looked expensive. Ryan could have bet his last cent that they were originals. There was a seating area that had some comfortable-looking couches, a uniquely designed glass center, and coffee tables, with a plush white Persian rug completing the setting. There was a dining area too, set up for ten people. Ryan was sure the purpose was not just for eating. Jeremy obviously held private meetings in his suite sometimes.

The suite had a wide bar area which had a display of assorted drinks arranged on a whole portion of the wall…from top to bottom. Through a transparent sliding door, he could see an abnormally huge beautifully made bed. One had to climb about three steps to get to the bed itself. All the furniture in the suite was made out of beautifully polished solid mahogany. The only other colour used in the classic décor was white. The green plants that were strategically positioned in the suite, together with the mahogany brought an earthy feel to the setting, making the suite cozy and inviting. The suite was simply elegant and screamed class and wealth. Ryan heard the bathroom door open and turned to watch Jeremy enter the room.

The man looked totally yummy with a white towel sexily wrapped around his waist. Ryan swallowed hard, feeling his whole body flush with arousal. At least now he knew the reason behind that uncontrollable lust for Jeremy. He told himself silently to concentrate on why he was there and not on his mate’s sexy body. Jeremy was drying his wet hair with a smaller towel. He didn’t acknowledge Ryan’s presence in the room though Ryan knew Jeremy had seen him. He watched as Jeremy walked into his huge walk-in closet and pulled on grey sweatpants beneath his towel. Then he pulled on a white t-shirt and went back to the bathroom, obviously to hang the towels. When he got back, he took a seat on one of the couches in the seating area, picked up a remote control, and clicked on the TV.

With a deep sigh, Ryan went to stand in front of Jeremy, effectively blocking his view of the TV. Jeremy’s eyes dropped to his hands which still held the remote. Ryan sat on the classically beautiful glass center table in front of Jeremy and took the remote control from his loose grip. Then without turning around, Ryan clicked the TV off.

“That was why you lost it, wasn’t it?” Ryan asked quietly. “You realized that I was your mate. And you couldn’t handle it.” It wasn’t a question. “Your mother told me what happens when your kind meets their mates for the first time. From what she said, it’s always a joyful moment. But that was nowhere near what happened with us. Tell me, Jeremy… Did you flip because you thought your mate was a hunter or…because of my sex?”

Jeremy’s head snapped up at that question. He stared into Ryan’s eyes but couldn’t utter a word. He’d linked up with Philip immediately after Ryan had started talking about being his mate and asked whether he’d told Ryan. Philip had quickly apologized, explaining that it had slipped out. Now he stared at his mate, trying to read his mood. But all he saw was curiosity. Jeremy cleared his throat.

“Both.” He responded simply.

“I see,” Ryan said, not really seeing anything at all. As far as he was concerned, it couldn’t have been possibly due to the hunter factor. “Have you ever been with a man?”

“No.”

“Neither have I,” Ryan said dryly. “That didn’t stop you from fucking me though.”

“I couldn’t help my…”

“Don’t give me that crap,” Ryan growled. “You knew what you were doing. Knew you were fucking a man’s arse. If you hated it so much, why did you go through with…”

“Because I wanted you okay?” Jeremy bellowed. “I didn’t want to. I tried to stay away. But I smelt you…” Jeremy covered his face with his hands. “I smelt you, Ryan,” Jeremy whispered. “Your cum smelt so damn good. It called to me. I just had to have you. I couldn’t resist…” He removed his hands from his face and stared Ryan in the eye. “I wanted to fuck you nearly as badly as I wanted to kill you. The lust was unwelcomed but it was there.”

“So I wanked off and unknowingly invited you to rape me. Great.” Ryan’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Gloria said the foremost instinct of a wolf is to protect its mate. She said a mate makes your kind melt inside. Even the most fierce and powerful of werewolves become softies where their mates are concerned.” Ryan gave a bitter laugh. He remembered Jeremy’s mother explaining to him that the instinct to care for a mate was not necessarily love. It was a bond. Some did fall for each other along the way but it was not common. They were animals after all. But that urge to protect one’s mate from harm was a constant. “Are you telling me you didn’t feel any of those things? Not even a little? That all you could think of was hurting me? Your so-called mate?”

“I’m sorry Ryan. God, I’m so sorry.” Jeremy choked. “I don’t know what to…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, I’m not gay either. And even if I were, you would be the last man I would want to end up with taking into consideration how you treated me due to my sex. We both obviously don’t want this. Is there a drug or a ceremony that can take away this mate thing? I want to sever…”

“No,” Jeremy screamed, going on his knees before Ryan and wrapping his arms tightly around Ryan’s waist. “Don’t say it, Ryan. Please don’t say it. I’ll do anything. Just don’t say what you’re about to say, please.” Jeremy tried very hard not to lose it. The last thing he wanted to do was show weakness in front of Ryan. “Please Ryan…” But the level of emotion within him had reached a peak that he had no control over.

And right there…in his suite…on his knees in front of his mate, one of the most powerful alphas of all time showed the ultimate form of submission… Jeremy Stanton completely broke down. With his face buried in his mate’s lap, the alpha’s body shook with gut-wrenching sobs.