Chapter 3
"There won't be many people staying here after today," Jessica said. Cassie bit her lip, trying to keep her worried thoughts to herself. After she had shoved Abel, he'd given her this weird smile, and told her that was enough for today. Her strength was always something that scared her. She'd never shown that side of herself to her pack before, not until they all crowded around her, and she'd known pain was coming. Her reactions scared her, and she was worried that the wrong person would feel her pain. Abel had looked more amused by her sudden outburst though, which was strange.
"Why don't people stay?"
"We all have lives and stuff to get back to. We're here for the full moon, and whenever Abel calls pack meetings, and for training. There will be a couple of people around. You'll see them. Curt will need to stay because he couldn't prove himself this morning, and it's important to Abel that everyone does that. Can you cook?"
"Erm, yeah, a little."
"Good. Abel likes to have a nice, hot meal every single day, but he doesn't employ a cook or a cleaner so we as the pack do that. There will be duties for you to complete and then some training. How did you find Abel?" Jessica asked, stopping on the stairs and turning around to smile at her.
"He was intense."
Cassie saw the dreamy look in her eyes. "I know, right? I mean that man is just, he gets me going every single time, and I just want him."
"You and Abel are not together?"
"No. Abel has yet to pick a pack female. He refuses to settle down with anyone. Of course, we'd all willingly stand in a line for him to pick who he'd like to spend time with." Another sigh came from her again. The thought of standing in a line while Abel picked out the woman he wanted didn't appeal to Cassie in the slightest. In fact, she found it very fucking rude. Sex was not something she was interested in right now. She wasn't a virgin or anything. She'd gotten rid of her V-card when she was eighteen and had screwed her prom date. Deep down, she'd known that the pack were going to make her life hell, so she'd been with a human before she'd turned into a wolf. It had been … interesting. A little pain, a lot of boring waiting, and hip thrusting, then it had been over. One thing she did remember from the experience was wet, sloppy kisses, something that reminded her of a dog. Jessica kept on walking, and, keeping her thoughts to herself, Cassie followed at a steady pace while also checking out the large home. It had an old smell to it, and she noticed lots of artwork on the walls. She couldn't really call it a home. It was more like a mansion as they passed several rooms and doors.
"In case you ever need him, Abel's room is on the top floor. He likes his privacy, and I wouldn't recommend disturbing him unless you really have to."
Cassie had no intention of ever disturbing him.
"I'll let you get settled and then I'll take you on a grand tour. How does that sound?"
"It sounds lovely, thank you." Entering the room, Cassie closed the door behind her. Jessica was already walking away. Pulling out a couple of her hairpins, she stepped into the room and felt him. Instantly her gaze followed the path, and there Abel stood.
"How did you get in here?" she asked.
"I left the gym before you, and I heard Jessica prattling on." He stood in the corner. He'd changed out of his workout clothes, and now wore a pair of jeans torn at the knees and a white shirt that stretched over the muscles of his arms. His ink contrasted with the white color.
"Jessica likes you," she said, feeling her cheeks heat. "Would she know you're here?"
"No. Jessica is many things, but her sense of smell is off. Unless I make my pack aware, I tend to get around without being detected." He tilted his head to the side. "You, however, sensed me."
"Only when I walked into the room."
"It's still a huge deal that you knew I was here."
"I don't think it is," she said.
"You like to play down your abilities?"
"I don't like to talk about them." She'd been in the process of taking pins out of her hair, and now she felt so fucking silly not finishing.
Abel was the alpha here, and still with her gaze on him, she began to remove her pins, keeping them in one hand as she ran her fingers through her hair. The moment she did, she felt so much better. The red locks were long, and other than a trim to remove split ends, she liked to keep it long. All the time she did this, Abel watched her."Am I allowed to stay in this room?" she asked.
"This is your room." She nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with his scrutiny. This was the first time she'd been left alone with an alpha. "You're not mated." Again, her cheeks were on fire, and still he kept on staring at her.
"No, no woman would be able to handle me."
"Are you that bad of a boyfriend?"
He snorted. "No. I'm strong, Cassie. I've hurt women who have said they can handle what I do to them, and yet each time, they've lied." She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she looked at him. His blue eyes held so much pain, and yet she saw death inside him. Like he was constantly thinking of ways to hurt someone. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she waited for him to turn or to move, but he did neither. He just stayed perfectly still, waiting.
"You're not curious?"
"No, I'm not."
He chuckled. The sound didn't hold much humor to it. "Your pack was afraid of you, weren't they?" This time she didn't look away from him. Keep her gaze locked on his, she refused to glance away, even though she wanted to. "It was because of my weight." His gaze did drop, staring down her body. She was used to men looking at her with a certain amount of disdain, but this man, he wasn't looking at her like that. There was appreciation there, and did she see a flare of desire? Clenching her hands into fists, she waited.
"Some men are complete assholes, and a lot of women are bitches. They like to find a person's weakness and exploit it. I see no problem with your weight. I'm aware that a lot of packs have a problem with certain things. Carl, for instance, he can heal. Jessica's different-colored eyes. Richard's need for pain, and how he likes to take it. Each of us has a vice. The thing is you could have been kicked out many years ago when you didn't lose weight. I take it you couldn't?"
"No matter how much they tried to starve me and work me, I never lost a pound." Her body had stayed the same. Her wolf had lost weight though, which was just fucking weird, but she didn't say that. Once again, he watched her, and this time, he came away from the wall. She stood perfectly still, not wanting to move an inch in case he pounced, or her wolf came out, and then bad things happened. I'm okay. I'm not afraid. Everything is cool. She tried to make herself as small as possible, which was kind of funny considering one of the reasons she was here.
"I can feel her," Abel said. "Your pack liked to abuse. I bet they got off on prodding you, waiting for you to snap. Believing that your weight made you weak." He stroked a finger down her arm, and her wolf didn't respond to that in the way Cassie thought she might. Her wolf liked it.
If she was a cat, she was sure she'd purr, but she wasn't feline in any way.
"I'm guessing they got rid of you, Cassie, because you're strong and they didn't like that. The way you grabbed my hand, anyone else in the pack you would have shattered their wrist. I felt the power that's inside you." He stood behind her, so close, too close. His hands went to her hips, and she closed her eyes.
"I feel your fear. I bet you avoid touch a lot, don't you?"
"I hurt most of my pack, and I didn't even try. They all collapsed around me as if they were nothing."
"That's because they are nothing, Cassie. They couldn't handle you. You scared them, and that's why they forced you out. They'd been poking and hurting you for years. Then you showed them what true darkness is all about." His lips were against her ear.
"I don't want to die," she said. "I don't want to go feral, and I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Then I will teach you how to handle your strength. I will help you get in control of your wolf, and I will prove to you that they had no right to do those things to you." His warmth surrounded her, and she didn't want him to leave.
Of course, the moment she didn't want him to, he was gone.
"I like my steak rare, and I love everything correctly seasoned," he said.
"What?"
"My food. During your stay, you will be cooking for me, and don't even think about spitting in my coffee. I will know about it."