Communication had broken down between William, and I, and we weren’t exactly talking today. He had gone to bed still angry, and kept a pillow between us all night long, and even growled at me if our feet accidentally touched. I followed him to the hall when he decided it was time to go eat. Thankfully, in the hall, my aunt was there too getting food. Departing from his side, I sat beside my aunt as she poured me a cup of tea.
“Elias, you look like shit.” She muttered.
“I feel like shit. I slept like shit, and William and I are fighting.”
“Over the wolf bite?”
“Oh, that and more. Tell me, What do you know about wolves mating and the mark?” I asked, wondering if there was anything she knew about it.
“I know a little, but why do you ask—--Oh Elias, what have you done?”
“Nothing, I did nothing.”
“Did he—-”
“Hush. He is very upset about it.”
“Elias, when did he bite you?”
“Last night, after the entire ordeal with the wild wolf, he lost it.”
“You best come over later, and we will have an endless discussion about your mother and her wolf lover, because you seem to be following your mother’s path.”
“I wasn’t trying. I still know nothing about the mark that he put on me.”
She lowered her voice as she spoke. “That mark is the end, all for wolves. They can’t remove it, they can only bite and bond to one. And if that is another wolf, then they can both live in the feelings of the bond. You being a vampire, that is purely one sided. You can’t experience the real, true mating bond of wolves. But the blood bond is the closest you can come, but times that by a hundred, that’s what it’s like for William.”
“So what you’re saying is that William is bonded to me for life, even if I decide that isn’t what I want?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“How heartbreaking.” I muttered. “No wonder he was so mad about it.”
Sighing, I sipped my tea and pulled my other hand through my hair. I didn’t know where to go from here. I had no clue what to do.
“That other Alpha and his vampire partner have made it work, so can you.”
“While you’re not wrong, William and I have different issues than they seem to have.”
“Have you fed recently?”
“I’m fine.”
My aunt used the end of one of the knives to slice her hand open discreetly, and she held her hand over the cup and allowed it to fill up with a few sips before she moved her hand and licked it.
“Drink that quickly before the scent of my blood catches the attention of the alpha,. He isn’t fond of you making public feeding displays.”
I brought the cup to my lips and sipped it down. Setting the cup down, I dumped my cup of tea into the cup and stirred it to clean the cup before downing my glass of tea.
“If you need more, you know where I am. I’ll find some who can feed you properly again.”
“I’ll manage, I’ll find some healthy balance and—-”
“You are going to get sick.”
“I’ll manage.”
“You haven’t eaten a single crumb of human food since you’ve been at the table, and that’s because you didn’t have enough blood to process it, Elias. Tell me I’m wrong?”
“You’re not. But I said I would manage.”
She stopped speaking. She was mad at me but wouldn’t turn this into a point to argue about. That wasn’t her style.
“I’ll stop by when I can to speak about the mark.”
“Try to have a better day, Elias.”
William noticed me when I sat down, but didn’t say a word, just slid his plate over a small amount of food on it. He was speaking to the beta, and they were speaking rather hushed.
“Good afternoon, Elias.” The beta said, acknowledging me.
“Good afternoon.”
“Eat.” William said, harshly, and the beta gave him a look.
“I’m not hungry.” I said, matching his tone of voice without thinking twice about it.
William set the cup in his hand back on the table, and the beta sighed.
“You know I know you’re lying, but yet you still allowed the words to come from your lips? Are you trying to eat away at my patience, Elias?”
“You don’t have any patience to eat away at, if that were to be my intention to begin with.”
“Eat, before I lose my temper with you.”
“No, thank you.” I said, going to stand only to be yanked back down, and the space between us gone. He wrapped his arm around my back and dug his fingers into my hip. I parted my lips and allowed a growl to be heard. A warning.
“William, We need to discuss the placement of things coming back from Elias’ kingdom. I have assigned a few of the others to start building new homes, and the barn for Elias’ horses, but there is still plenty to work out.”
William turned his full attention back to the beta, and I snagged a chunk of the meat off the plate and ate it. I tried to ignore the fact his entire mood improved once I accepted his offering of meat. But it was hard to do.
The longer his conversation carried on, the more tired I was getting. He pulled me against him as I closed my eyes and continued speaking. His voice faded out, but his body heat just made me feel cozy and sleepy.
When William tried to move me, however, not long later, I woke up and didn’t want him to touch me. I was warm and comfortable. Opening my eyes, I was tucked against him and my head was resting against his shoulder.
“I’m taking you back to the bed, so you can rest.”
“No. Mm fine.”
“William, take him to rest. I have enough to manage today that our conversation can wait until another day.”
“Let me put him to bed, then I’ll come find you.”
William picked me up, and I growled at him, wide awake again.
“Enough you.”
“I’m wide awake. Put me down. I’d hate for others to think that we are—-“
William cut me off by leaning down and whispering in my ear. “Me holding you won’t make them think that, not when they can smell my mark on your skin.”
“You’re what?” I said in disbelief.
“Every single wolf in this room can smell the mark I left on you.” William said, no longer whispering.
“What William says is true. I can smell the mark on your skin from here. A warning that another of our kind has claimed you,” The beta said.
“I can’t?”
“No. It’s a werewolf thing.” William said.
“Oh.”
William tried to set me down, and I clung to him.
“First you wanted down, now you don’t. Make up your mind, Elias.”
I kept my voice low enough for only him to hear. “I’m going to bite you.”
“Elias, wait.” William said.
“Fine.” I growled at him, annoyed. He set me down, and I groaned.
“Come along, I’ll get you sorted, then I have to help the beta.”
William walked alongside me back to the cabin, and tossed some wood on the fire, before he sat down on one of his chairs. “Come here, feed if you need to.”
“I don’t need to. I want to.” I muttered, closing the space between us. “But not here. Can we do this in the bedroom? It would be more comfortable for you.”
William narrowed his eyes, and I felt like at that moment he didn’t believe me. He stood up and looked at me. “Alright, if you are sure that’s where you want to feed, as long as you don’t make a mess, I don’t care.”
“Don’t make a mess, I understand.”
William got into the bedroom first and sat on the bed. He pulled his jacket and shirt off before even asking where I wanted to feed from. I figured he was just assuming I was going to feed from his throat again.
“I don’t need you to take that off. I can feed from your wrist.”
“No, no, You can feed from my throat. I’ll allow it.”
“Alright, but if you need me to feed elsewhere, let me know. I don’t want to hurt you purposely, William.” I said truthfully, worried about hurting him.
“I’ll be fine.” William said, as he visibly relaxed. Getting closer, I debated how I was going to feed without being all over him.
“Sit on my lap, Elias. It will be the easiest way.” He said, pulling me closer by the hips. Doing as he said, I sat on his lap and I was aware of the heat flooding off his skin. I could feel it. I closed my eyes to calm myself down, because my bloody heart was racing for some reason. Tucking into his shoulder, I bit down and he tensed.
I paused, waiting for some kind of reaction, but he spoke instead. His chest vibrated against me. “I’m alright. Feed.”
Slowly, I let his blood flow into my mouth, the spicy flavour taking over my senses. He was leaning back, and I was going with him. Laying flat out, he kept his head turned to the side and his hand tucked around my waist. I didn’t even know when he had snaked his hand around my waist. Laying like this, it was hard to focus on feeding and not on the heat of his bare skin under me.
I felt his own lust come through the blood bond, stronger now that I was feeding and choked on the blood in my mouth. Pulling back to cough and meeting his golden eyes, narrowed on me. Not in anger, like I had seen many times before. But rather something I feared more.
Lust.
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