Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
After years of failed attempts to sort my feelings about the frosty man, I’d come to the end of this slippery, dangerous road. I’d wrestled with my emotions toward Alpha Torin but had reached a breaking point.
I couldn’t understand how I felt about him because so many emotions swirled in my chest that I couldn’t take my next breath.
There were days when I wished he’d just disappear and others when I craved his presence so much that it was a borderline obsession.
I was torn between wanting to confront him and running away—a never-ending battle.
As a child, I was curious about the icy Alpha Torin. His overpowering aura spread everywhere like a blinding fog. I hid behind walls in the kingdom manor to get a glimpse of him.
But as a hormonal teenager, I was so drawn to him that it was suffocating—a one-sided obsession on my part. He avoided me, but when he was stuck in a room with me, he’d watch me through narrowed eyes, something he only reserved for me.
I wanted to look him in the eye and confront him about his glares, and at the same time, I wished to submit to him and let him have his way with me.
My skin would grow hot, fluttery sensations took flight in my chest, and my pounding heart threatened to escape. My fascination with the hostile man wasn’t normal by any standard.
My patience had been spent, and my hopes shattered with each failed endeavor to decipher the man’s feelings toward me. Torin left me teetering on the edge of a cliff, and one final push would send me over the abyss.
When I turned twenty, the thought that Torin could be my fated mate crossed my mind so frequently that I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t bear this burden any longer. I couldn’t live in my own skin, and I had to find out if my suspicion was true.
Dad taught me that a mate was sacred, and a mate’s touch was the most divine feeling for a werewolf. Except I was human-born, and Torin wore thick leather gloves to hide his talons.
So when my parents told me we would visit the Alpha of the neighboring pack for the holidays, I took the chance to get my answers. I was on winter break from college and flew to visit my family for Christmas, using up all of my savings.
It pained me to exclude Tammy from the supernatural world, having to keep their secret hidden from humans. But it was for her own safety that she couldn’t come with me.
Torin’s reputation was that of a cold-hearted and scary beast who could shift into a vampire and a wolf—a unique hybrid.
Rumors of his vampire outbursts and aggression during bloody battles circulated in the kingdom.
Because his vampire powers were feared, the Alpha wasn’t allowed to show any signs of his vampire side within the werewolf domain.
Inside Dad’s boardroom, Alpha Torin was a model of composure. A cold statue.
I didn’t care what other people said. People in the kingdom gossiped about my human heritage, but I paid them no attention. I wanted to find out on my own who Torin really was.
Once we pulled into the manor’s driveway and climbed out of the car, it didn’t escape me that there were no festive decorations for the year-end holidays, no presents, and no tree—living or artificial.
There was no warmth inside his living quarters. The decor and furniture were beautiful and cold, just like the man himself.
Had celebrating the holidays become trivial for Torin, who had lived longer than any of us and had an eternity more to live?
I needed to speak with Torin privately. When I requested to extend my stay on his territory with one extra night before I caught my flight back to London, my dad only agreed if I stayed with one of his warriors.
My chest clenched as I imagined Torin’s vampire breaking free. I’d never seen that form before and didn’t want to meet it anytime soon. Dad was right to worry about his vampire emerging unexpectedly—the consequences were unpredictable and devastating.
Hayden was my bodyguard, but my dad needed him to travel with him to another pack, so I agreed to Dad’s terms.
My heart dropped when Layla announced she’d stay behind for a day as well.
Even the King could not argue with her words. "If the first princess stays, the second princess stays.”
I took a deep breath and braced myself to endure her moody behavior for another day.
Alpha Torin didn’t volunteer to give me the grand tour of his manor. Most of the color schemes of the interior were white, gray, and beige. The room I was assigned had a king-size bed with the softest beige sheets and tons of fluffy pillows.
The floor-to-ceiling windows displayed magnificent views of trees and buildings in the distance. The lounging chair in front of the window near the bed was perfect for cold and rainy days. I imagined snuggling on it with my fuzzy knee-high socks and a book.
I shook my head slightly and entered the bathroom.
The blinds were rolled up, and the morning sunlight hit the white marble of the oversized bathtub in front of the large window. I would have indulged in a warm bath if I had more time to stay.
This room and bathroom were bigger than my one-bedroom apartment in London.
I stood at the window, letting the warm sunlight roll over me. I drew a few deep breaths, calling on my strength. No matter what happened today, my life would continue with or without Torin.
The Alpha was unpredictable, and my conversation could go in one of two ways—he could agree or disagree that we were fated mates.
I didn’t expect the Fates to gift me, a mere human, a true mate. But if I were given a soulmate, I would treasure him.
What would I do then? Would I have to move here and transfer universities? Or would we have a long-distance relationship?
I used to lie in my bed at night, dreaming of the ordinary family I always wanted, although I never fathomed that my husband would be anything other than human. I was still ready to give Torin my love and devotion as his mate and, if he wanted, give him children someday.
My mother’s adoration for me had been undeniable. She said she considered her life blessed for having me as her daughter. I longed to experience such unconditional love from my own children.
I exited my bedroom to find Torin and walked down the stairs.
My nerves were shot. Would Torin accept me as a human? If I didn’t care that he was a half-vampire, then I held a flicker of hope in my heart that he would like me for who I was.
Dorky and defective.
Every muscle in my body tensed at the unknown, but my inner strength urged me not to turn back.
I can do this because if I don’t, I’ll never know.
My heart raced as I rounded the corner and almost bumped into his Beta.
“Hello,” I said and smiled. “Where can I find Alpha Torin?”
“He’s in the boardroom. Early, as usual, to make the rest of us look bad,” the man said and chuckled. “We’re meeting in ten minutes, so if you can say your goodbyes now, two of our warriors and your guard will accompany you to the airport. They’ll be downstairs waiting.”
The Beta gave me a slight bow and left.
I fought the urge to frown and put on my stoic mask. Torin couldn’t make me a priority and drive me himself to the airport. As the King’s daughter, I’d be safest with the strongest Alpha in the country in the car.
But I wasn’t as important as I thought.
The boardroom was clean with white walls, mostly bare, and a carpet, mostly gray. Although the Black Moon pack was one of the wealthiest packs, I couldn’t tell by the decor of the pack manor.
Around the long conference table, twenty fabric chairs sat pushed in, all the same shape and size. Just like Dad, Torin didn’t have a throne in his boardroom.
I did a double take as my eyes settled on the Alpha. He sat at the head of the table behind an open laptop, and Layla sat next to him with her hand on his shoulder, leaning into him. To do what? Kiss him?
When my eyes locked with amber ones, Torin’s widened and emitted anger.
I gulped. I hadn’t even said anything yet.
A few years ago, Layla told me she liked everything I liked because we both had the same great taste. At the time, I had no idea about the true meaning of her words.
“Why does the princess look like she’ll cry?” Layla’s voice sharpened the pain in my heart.
I must have made a face, my stoic mask slipping away. I was a terrible liar.
But I was already here, and if I didn’t speak with Torin, I’d go crazy in London, overthinking what could have been. I had to move on with my life, regardless of what he said to me now.
I swallowed hard, reminding myself that I was brave enough to face him and expose my feelings. Layla’s presence only added more vulnerability to this moment. My cousin had her hands on the man I’d been longing for.
His jet-black hair was pulled back, the sides brushed and tucked behind his ears, revealing his sharp features. His slightly pointed nose and thick eyebrows added more to his mysterious aura. His amber eyes radiated intelligence that spoke of decades of wisdom and suffering.
The hardness of his face lured me in, calling out to me in a way that made me fidget.
“Can I talk to you in private, Alpha Torin?” My breaths came out quickly, and I did a small bow out of nervousness.
My parents would be proud of me for displaying excellent royal manners.
My dad mostly turned a blind eye when I talked with a full mouth, didn’t follow the royal dress code, and didn’t use titles and ranks in the kingdom.
Werewolves were very hierarchical and proud creatures and were taught to follow orders.
I didn’t try to suck up to the Alpha. If I showed him respect, I hoped to receive the same treatment.
The Alpha studied me carefully with narrowed eyes—intense scrutiny that made me squirm—and abruptly yanked Layla by the waist and onto his lap. My gaze lowered involuntarily to where his bare fingers dug into my cousin’s hipbone.