Chapter 3
POV: Cain?
The moment she entered the office I smelled it.
Jasmine.
The forest after it rains.
Cinnamon.
Her.
My mate.
I knew it was her almost instantly.
I waited with bated breath from my office, knowing that the woman on the other side of the door had to be my mate.
My wolf prowled inside me, desperate to shift, desperate to claim what he desperately sought after for so long—his mate.
It felt like fucking forever by the time my office’s doors opened and in she walked.
I didn’t turn. I couldn’t.
I just felt her there. And the closer she got…her scent morphed..what was that? Fear? Surprise? Confusion? I could smell a mixture of sweat tangled with the smell of the cinnamon perfume she wore.
My mind got the worst of me in that instance as I stared at the flames swallowing themselves over and over again.
Could it be?
It couldn’t be.
It’s not possible.
But the thought lingered the closer she got.
She was human.
I could scent it almost immediately.
My mate was a human.
And as the doors closed behind us and we were the only two in the room, I knew with no mistake that she was a human. Her scent was purely human.
I squeezed my fists together, feeling my nails puncture the skin of my inner palm.
Fucking hell.
And there I saw it—big blue beautiful eyes staring at me in shock.
She was feeling the same thing that I was but instead of living with the knowledge that she was my mate, she was probably confused as all hell why she felt this connection—this attraction—this pull to a man she hadn’t even met before today.
I stared at her across from me, sitting in a chair twice her size. She looked fragile. Pale, too. She almost looked like one of those Disney princesses.
I forced myself to speak, my teeth grinding together as I tried to keep from touching her—marking her—kidnapping her.
“So, Ms. Sorens, tell me why you would like to be my assistant?”
It was probably one of the most difficult questions I’ve ever asked.
She almost responded, but something inside her stopped her cold.
“We—well, I—I, well,” she paused, taking a deep breath trying to regain some sense of normalcy, when I knew she could never, not unless I sever the mate bond. “Excuse me, Mr. Naughton. I’m just a bit—”
“Nervous?” I interrupted, as my fingers tapped along the desk. I was trying to keep my hand from instinctively reaching to touch hers.
She nodded, offering me a slight weary but innocent smile. “I’ve had experience as a personal assistant before,” she pointed towards the resume and offered another soft innocent smile.
She was….charming.
A human was charming.
“I see,” I mumbled, barely even looking at the resume. All I could look at was her. But then I noticed it, the attachment—a letter from the last place of employment she worked at, not offering her an employment recommendation.
She babbled on, “I know they haven’t offered me a recommendation for future employment but I can explain.” She obviously practiced for this and knew this would come up.
“Go on,” I said, keeping my hands on the table. Anywhere but near her, please goddess.
She shifted nervously in her seat, scooting her butt forward and causing my gaze to drop down to the bare skin of her lower thighs.
Soft. Pale. Mine.
Stop that, I told my wolf internally.
“Well—something happened—and—-and well we just shared differing views.” She went tight lipped after that.
Differing views? A load of crock. I’m not buying it.
“I’m not buying what you’re selling, Ms. Sorens.”
“Excuse me?” she scoffed.
Fire.
There was fire in this innocent creature after all.
She quickly straightened her shoulders going back to her innocent persona she tried so hard to uphold.
I definitely wasn’t buying that now.
I cocked an eyebrow, smirking, “A bit opinionated, aren’t we?”
She tried to keep from looking at me.
Good girl, submit.
No, don’t submit, I mumbled to my wolf.
She looked at me strangely as I recovered my composure and straightened my shoulders. “What really happened, Ms. Sorens?”
She bit her lip as if she was avoiding the truth.
“Honesty is the first policy here at Naughton Technologies.”
She looked defeated then finally decided to speak, “I only took the job because my ex convinced me to become his secretary, then I found him cheating on me and he fired me as retaliation.” It seemed like a weight was released from her shoulders when she gave her admission.
My hand balled in a fist and instinctively I slammed it down onto the table.
She startled immediately, slamming her back into the chair and removing her gaze from mine.
Damnit Cain. She’s going to think you’re psychotic.
I softened my tone, “Thank you for your time, Ms. Sorens.”
Her gaze darted back up to mine—-like a puppy desperate for love and for a moment.
I thought about holding her, about cradling her in my arms, kissing her head and telling her that she’s mine and she doesn’t have to worry about cheating boyfriends anymore, but it took every molecule inside me to refrain from doing so.
Instead she nodded, clearing her throat and scrambling to her feet with shaky, unsteady legs. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Naughton. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Fuck.
Because baby, me too.
I let her leave the room. I let her walk towards the elevator. I let her leave the goddamn building.
But all I could think about was making her mine.
When I knew I shouldn’t. When I knew that a human would never be accepted as a Luna. When I knew that she would be terrified of my wolf and of my pack and everything that was a part of me.