"Rise and shine, Princess." A husky voice chirps happily, crushing the beautiful silence I was peacefully sleeping in. A defiant grunt bellows out of my chest as I roll over in the silkiest sheets I've ever slept in, refusing to open my eyes. They smell so good, like dancing lilacs in the summer breeze.

Wait... that voice! I jolt awake, just before springing myself out of the comfortable bed. I stumble over my feet as I try to scamper across the room. My heart races like the speed of a drag racing car as it dawns on me that the voice is the wolf that I met at Luigi's.

How the hell?! What the hell?!

I frantically scan the unfamiliar room, my beating heart pounding like a herd of wild horses in my chest. I look to my left to find him leaning against the giant wooden door frame with a charismatic smirk curving his lips, softly chuckling to himself.

"What the hell happened?!" I yell hysterically. How did I get here? I turn to him, my mouth gaping open as I realize I was laying in his bed. "Oh god. We didn't—did we?"

I scratch my head, trying to recall last night. All I remember is drinking with Kenz on the dance floor, and then it all went blurry. I search and search my brain, trying desperately to remember. Did he kidnap me? Or worse, did I willingingly go home with a complete stranger? Have I sunk that low in life that I would get black out drunk and sleep with random men like my mother?

"Relax, Princess. Nothing happened." His words are smooth and calm as they effortlessly flow from those perfect lips. Like the flip of a coin, a mischievous smirk glides across his lips as he says, "However, I do recall a certain somebody really wanting to though."

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." I whisper, pushing back stray hairs from my face. I press my palms to the side of my head and pace back and forth, turning away from him to hide the sheer embarrassment expanding across my cheeks. "Is that how I got here?!"

"Yeah, in a way. You were a drunk, defiant little brat who wouldn't tell me her address, so the only place I could take you was here." He innocently shrugs, pointing to the room around us before he stalks towards me.

From his words, I recall a small snippet of last night. After the brutish encounter with that choking-women-out-creep, I recollect sitting in the truck with him but that is all. I don't remember the conversation, and I especially don't know what the hell I was thinking!

How could I go home with a wolf?! Or anyone for that matter! I don't run off with some strange man into the night unannounced. Oh my gosh, I'm turning into my mother. Oh my gosh—what about Kenzie?! I picture her sitting on her sofa with her pink cellphone in her dainty hands, knees crossed with her foot impatiently kicking the air, waiting for me. Does she even know I left? And what about Ryder? Not that he would care, but have mercy on his soul for having to endure Kenzie's merciless rage.

"I-I-I need to leave." I say frantically as I look around the room like a headless chicken, rushing to find my clothes. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my clothes--which are neatly folded on top of the slick black dresser--and immediately lunge for them.

Before I could reach my clothes, I feel my shoulder He places a warm and calming hand on my shoulder. I look down at his large hand, which covers my entire shoulder, and pause. His touch feels so good and so safe.

I look to face him. His hair is tousled. Sleepiness evident in those jungle green orbs.

If it is only eight thirty, then Kenzie and Ryder are probably still sleeping off their own monstrous hangovers. A sigh slips out of my lungs as I begin to calm down. I take in some deep breaths before he guides me back to the bed. 

I pick up the silky sheets and tightly hug them to my body as I lay back down. I watch him as he sinks into a large, leather chair just a few feet away from me. Darkness clings to hollows of his eyes, showing evidence of sleep deprivation. I didn't notice until now that he was shirtless, but damn is he a beautiful sight.

"How did you sleep?"

A quick smirk tugs on his lips as he leans his head against the chair backing and shook his head with a faint chuckle. "Sleep is for the weak."

Though sarcasm pierced his voice like a speeding bullet, he couldn't hide the groggy tone or the redness around his irises. Tufts of his dark brown hair lay wildly in his face, framing his strong features.

"Why were you at that club last night?" I ask out of curiosity. He was everywhere I was and quite frankly, no matter how attractive he was, it was scary and creepy.

"I had business to tend to." He says matter of factly.

"So you're at the same restaurant, and then, miraculously, you're at the same club as me within a couple of days to handle business?"

"Must be divine fate." He closes his eyes, a small smirk curving the edges of his lips.

I snort before softly whispering to myself, "or you're a serial killer."

Within mere seconds, he was within inches from my face. My heart stops as I feel his warm breath fan my face. Those beautiful green eyes twitched from green to gold as they stared into my soul. "If I wanted you dead, you would be dead."

His words were cold to the touch as our locked gaze lingers still. My breath quickens with every second that slips by. His intimidating stature and powerful presence steals every precious breath from lungs. I try to shift underneath him, but I'm paralyzed.

My stomach growled loudly, breaking the tense air. A smirk pulled on his lips as he stood up, his eyes never leaving mine. "Let's go."

He walks over to the dresser and pulls out a T-shirt for himself.

"Where are we going?" I push the cool sheets off my body as I push myself to sit on the edge of the bed.

"To get the Princess something to eat, of course." He gathers my clothes from the dresser and places them on the bed next to me.

"I'll be back in five minutes. I need to settle a few things before we can leave," He stands before me, broad arms "Do not leave this room."

I patiently wait for him to exit the room before getting dressed. Once he leaves, I strip every piece of clothing off, neatly folding them and setting them aside, then reach for my clothes. The stench of Rikki's still lingered in them.

As I slip my shirt over my head, I think back to the other evening. The veins bursting out of Christian's face as anger and annoyance swell like wild fire in eyes; it still haunts, and unnervingly, tickles me. The mere thought of going home today makes my heart sink. I have to confront mom today. I just hope she's well enough to listen.

I finish getting dressed before a soft knock echoes in the room. The mighty door slowly opens, revealing the wolf from behind it.

"Are you ready?" He asks. I nod my head gently, grab my things, and walk out of the room with him. Suddenly, his hand wraps around my wrist as he draws me closer to him.

"Stay close to me." He commands, his voice lowering. I open my mouth to retaliate, but after quick thinking, separating from the one being that ultimately has the power to protect me from others like him in the heart of their territory, doesn't sound like a smart idea. So, I keep quiet and follow him outside.

We scurry out of the house and make it to his truck without anyone noticing. He asks for my address again, and this time I'm more willing to cooperate.

"Twenty-Nine Circle Creek Road." I recited to him my home of ten years. The home I grew up in without any worries of an unmuzzled creep disguised in luxurious suits looming around the corner.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now was it Princess?" He responds with sarcasm deeply embedded in his voice. I roll my eyes and softly shake my head.

The journey to my house is quiet. I suppose we both had a lot on our minds. I know I did. He whips his truck around the bin into my neighborhood. As my home comes into view, I notice a strange vehicle parked beside my mom's grey Honda Civic. Panic twists my stomach into a million pieces. Anxiety drops like a heavy weight in my chest as my breath begins to quicken.

"Here we are." Sighs the wolf as he parks the truck. I swallow hard, staring at that new white Tahoe down. My heart begins to race vehemently in my chest, beating so hard it hurts. No. No. No!

I feel the wolf's eyes watch me carefully, but I didn't care. I was too busy staring a hole into the engine of the Tahoe. Could it be Christian? Why would she do this? How could she do this?!

"Hey, are you okay?" He asks cautiously as he gently rests a hand on my forearm. His tender touch brings me out of my daze and I struggle to regain my words.

"Uh. Um. Yeah. Yeah! I'm great," I manage to sputter out before opening the door. "Thanks for the ride!"

I jump out of the truck before he has a chance to say anything else, and swiftly scurry to the door. I place my hand on the cool knob, and slowly turn it open. My heart thumps in my temples as fear and anxiety destroy every nerve in my body.

As I step over the threshold, I hear rustling in the kitchen. I immediately bolt off towards the kitchen to see who it is. I'm praying it's my mom, and solely my mom. Or maybe a girlfriend of hers stopped in for a visit. Please be a visitor... But when I rush around the corner, I'm sorely mistaken. There before me stood less than a man, rummaging through our fridge. He slowly turns on his heels to face me. His hair is tousled, sleepless bags cling under his eyes and he's wrapped in nothing but a towel. A devious grin slicks across his lips as his eyes wander all over me.

"Good morning." That all too familiar honeyed voice breaks the silence in the air.

Fuck me.

A/N

What do y'all think?  Sorry for slow updates! This pandemic has made me super busy with work so we will be having slow updates ❤️

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