Chapter 17

"Catherine. Stop it," Blake commands. I'm pretty sure he just used his Alpha tone on me from how deep and cold his tone was.

My body tensed up for it. Even as a werecat, it's impressive how much power another species - especially an Alpha - can have on me. Nevertheless, I shake it off and fasten my walk.

"I'm unaffected by your Alpha power, so you should probably try another tactic," I say.

My body is already begging for more oxygen. It feels as if I'm running a marathon, but I'm just fast-walking. Hell, I'm starting to sweat.

"Well, as you wish, then."

Just like that, Blake lifts my body from the floor. A tiny scream escapes my lips as he carries me around on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My cheeks heat up, his arm tightly holding me. My beating heart is loud in my ears as more blood rushes on my face. He's focusing on me again. A small smile lingers on my lips while I uselessly tell him to put me down, which of course, he ignores.

Wait a minute.

I freeze, and the smile drops in a heartbeat. My mind is processing what I just realized, and an unsettling feeling crashes in the pit of my stomach. For the past week, I was angry because Blake's focus was all over Margot.

The way he went from treating me like I was his closest friend to a mere acquaintance pissed me off more than I thought. I watch his black sneakers tap against the white floor, leaving that annoying sneaker sound echo through the empty hallways.

The fact that my mood is back to normal by just being in this position with him leaves me with a frown on my face. What's wrong with me? Why is he affecting me so much? Why don't I like the fact that he's with Margot? She's his girlfriend after all.

I should be happy for him. I should support him, but I'm doing the opposite of what a friend should do. I'm acting selfish, and I would be lying if I said that I'm not envious of her, because I am. I'm jealous of Margot having Blake all for herself, and I don't know why.

I have Theo by my side, which I like very much, so I don't think I have feelings for Blake... Right?

Without realizing it, my feet touch the floor again. I blink, looking around the confined space filled with toilet papers, brooms, mops, and plastic bottles for every type of cleaning. It's the janitor's closet. Blake's average height is right in front of the door, which leaves me with no escape.

"What are we doing here?" I quietly ask. My green eyes lower to the floor, admiring my tight blue jeans paired up with my black leather boots. My arms fold themselves over my chest as I feel my body warm up.

"Communicating. Something that you clearly lack, so talk to me. What has been on your mind? You've been weird for the past week now," he asks. His soft hand grabs my chin, forcing me to look into his sapphire eyes, who are now frowning at me.

Damn him.

I push his hand away from my face, but don't dart my eyes anywhere, holding his concerned gaze. "You've changed, alright? There's your reason."

Blake's eyebrows move upwards. "What? When have I changed?"

"Now! Ever since you got with Margot, you're different!" I confess, blinking back tears that are leaving me even more confused.

There. I said it.

I glare up at him, seeing his eyes briefly close, and his hand covering his mouth. His shoulders shake as if he's holding back a laugh.

My face is on fire, and I try covering my embarrassment by rolling my eyes. "Why are you laughing now?"

He looks at me, dropping his hand to my shoulder with a smirk on his face. That simple touch makes my insides churn. "Well, everything is clear now. You're jealous."

I blink at him, remaining silent for a moment before bursting out in laughter. Blood rushes up to my face. One thing is admitting to myself that I'm jealous, but when he's the one pointing it out, I feel embarrassed. "That's ridiculous! Why would I be jealous of you? You're clearly not my type."

His grip on my shoulder tightens, shutting my laugh up in an instant. I look up at him, catching his light eyes darkening in seconds. I think I hit a nerve. I gulp as I watch his jaw clench.

He crosses his arms over his sculpted chest. "Tell me, who is your type then? Theodore?" he asks. His voice is different. Rougher and raspier. A sound that makes Panthera's ears perk up to attention.

I snort, taking a step back. "Theodore has nothing to do with what I said. Oh, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you think that I was interested in you in any way."

He releases a growl, his eyes staring at me intensely. The beat of my heart resounds in my ears as he takes a menacing step forward. "Let's test that, shall we?" he says, moving toward me. I walk back until my back bumps against the cold creme colored wall. I swallow a nervous lump.

Breathe.

I'm at a loss of words by his proximity. He puts his forearms on the wall, trapping me before dropping his head, his nose tickling my neck. My arms unfold to touch his chest. "Blake... Take back control before something we might regret happens," I manage to whisper out.

More like I'm the one risking to do something we might regret.

"I don't know about that, kitty, we might not regret anything. In fact, I believe it will be the answer to all of our questions," he says, his face now mere inches away from mine with his eyes dark as the night.

My heart stops beating only to start at a fast pace. Blake's eyes drop on my lips, which makes me take a shaky breath. I can't seem to make my vocal cords work, and licking my lips doesn't help my situation at all.

Panthera is watching him closely, which means my eyes must be glowing by now. For once, both Panthera and I are speechless and powerless. Do I want him to kiss me? Or do I want to kiss him?

It seems like the silence has been in my favor since I see his eyes starting to shift to their original color. "Why are you jealous of Margot?" he utters out in a soft tone that destabilizes me.

I open my mouth, spurting out the few words that pop in mind. "I am not jealous, and I have no reason to be. Keep dreaming about that, though."

Panthera snarls at the way I'm treating him.

Blake's face is so close I can feel his minty breath on my face. "Then why have you been avoiding me? Why do you shrug every time you catch us outside in the morning? Why do you roll your pretty cat-like eyes in the afternoon? Why do you glare at me every time we cross paths? Have I broken that little heart of yours?"

This fucking werewolf.

I find the strength to push him away. My blood is boiling for his last statement, and the fact that Panthera is whimpering for it infuriates me even more. No one but me makes Panthera whimper. "Love really is blind because I honestly wonder what the fuck she finds in you. In fact, I wonder how so many she-wolves find you attractive. You've been nothing but a fucking piece of-"

"I will fucking make you submit to me, werecat or not, if you dare finish that sentence," he snaps, shutting me up at once. He massages his temples with his fingers. "I thought I was talking to someone who's old enough to hold a conversation, but it looks like you lose your shit when the truth is spat at you," he says, dropping his hand from his forehead.

I take a deep breath. I hate to admit that Blake is right. I need to calm down. My adrenaline is pumping all over my body, ready to insult him in every way possible.

Luckily, he stopped me in time.

"I don't think we can be friends any longer," I blurt out, quickly blinking back tears.

I watch all kinds of emotion leave his face. "Are you serious?" he whispers.

Not at all.

"Yes."

My stomach twists at the cold gaze he's giving me. I see nothing, not even his wolf.

He nods a couple of times, looking upward for a second before stepping away from me and nodding again. "As you wish."

With that, he walks out of the janitor's closet, leaving me with a tightness in my chest that I've never felt before.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

"Hey, you didn't have to come," Theodore says when he opens his front door.

I smile, showing him the pizza boxes I have in hand. "I know, but you said you were too lazy to cook, so I brought the food to you. I can always bring it back home, though," I say, turning around and pretending to walk away.

Theo instantly grabs my arm. "Don't. Come in, love," he breathes out, letting me in.

My eyes rapidly scan him, ignoring the heat that's coming up my face. He's shirtless with grey sweatpants that are hanging dangerously low.

I wonder how Blake would look in only sweats.

Ugh, fuck me.

I shake my head and clear my throat that went dry for a moment. "Do you always walk around the house like that?" I ask, putting the boxes of pizza on his light wooden kitchen table.

I think up until now, Theo's kitchen is the prettiest one I've seen. It's small but cozy and modern. The moment you step inside, you catch on your left the black sink merged with the wooden light brown counter, followed by an electric stove a few inches away, a wall-mounted oven and microwave, finishing with a white fridge.

On the other side, there's a wooden table with four white matching style chairs around. Oh, and the beautiful window in the front that gives you the view of the forest.

I turn around, watching him throw me a boyish grin while picking up a pair of scissors. "Well, we're in April, and it's pretty hot, so yes."

Pretty hot? I should be pretty dead by now then. I'm wearing skinny blue jeans and a black cowl neck sweater.

"I think it's your house's temperature, not the weather, " I say, taking a seat near him.

He shrugs. "Probably-" He stops. I frown as I watch a smirk perk on his lips. "Do you want me to put on a shirt?"

"No- I mean, I don't mind, so up to you," I quickly say, picking up the first slice of pizza he cut.

He hums. "I don't know. I like making you uncomfortable."

My eyes widen, soon followed by a devious smirk with my ears shifting into my feline form. "I'm feeling everything but uncomfortable, darling."

His rosy cheeks, probably caused by the fever, become redder, and I chuckle at him. He looks at me for a second, his eyes shifting from regular green to glowing dark green. "Then, please, tell me, what are you feeling right now?"

I tuck a brownish curl behind my ear. "Just a simple excitement with a mix of playfulness."

He drops the scissors on the table and turns my chair until I'm fully facing him. He scoots closer enough that our knees touch. "It's weird how I'm feeling the same things," he breathes out, standing up. I watch his hands rest on the sides of the chair before he kisses me.

My arms wrap around his neck as I slowly stand up and push the pizzas away. I jump on top of the table with our tongues intertwining beautifully and pull him even closer by wrapping my legs around his waist.

My mind catches me off guard when a memory of Blake looking at me with hooded eyes shows up. I gasp, pulling away in an instant. Theo frowns at me, his breath is ragged, and his eyes clearly in a daze from the kiss. "Are you alright?" he softly asks.

What was that?

I nod, absentmindedly. "Yeah. Everything is good, " I murmur under my breath, pulling Theo back in the kiss.

Leave me alone, Blake!

My hand comes up to his wavy brown hair while the other rests on the back of his neck. He groans in my mouth, snaking his arm under my sweater. My body warms up, and my back slightly arches to his touch.

He pulls me even closer, making me feel how hard he is for me now.

I honestly don't think I can wait for my mate to do this. I mean, I'm pretty sure he won't be a virgin when the time comes, so why should I?

I feel my underwear slightly dampen as he touches and kisses me. Blake slightly pulls away to look at me, with his green eyes that make me quickly blink a couple of times, seeing that it's Theo, not Blake. I gulp, kissing his nose gently. "I want you, Theo." I utter out, followed by a flash of a smirking Blake once again.

Panthera is loving the way my mind is fucking me up.

I take a deep breath, shoving his existence away from my brain. Theo's eyes are looking at me with pure hunger. "I would take you right now if I could, but I know how important losing your virginity with your mate is even though you keep denying it."

I groan. "Just fuck me already."

His eyes widen at my statement. He looks at me like I have just grown a third eye, only to shake his head before leaning for another kiss. This time, he picks me up and manages to take the stairs, taking me to his room without leaving my mouth.

I feel my back lying on something soft as his hands swiftly go underneath my sweater and unclasp my bra in one try. My heart is drumming loudly in my ears while he slowly undresses me. He leaves light kisses in every part of my body for every piece of clothing he takes off. His ears have long shifted into his feline form.

With shaky hands, I pull down his sweats with his boxers. My eyes move from his face to his manhood a couple of times. It's long, that's for sure. I don't know how dicks are supposed to be, but he seemed average in thickness.

I don't think everything will enter.

Theo is hovering over me by now, and I put my hands on his lean chest, looking at him with pure panic. "You know, now that I think about it, I think it's best if we don't-"

"Oh please, it's not going to hurt so much. Trust me, love," he replies with a laugh, cutting me off.

I take a deep breath with my eyes still glancing down. Theo smiles at me. I bite my lip, slowly nodding my head. "Alright. I trust you. I do," I breathe out, pulling him into a gentle kiss.

I feel one of his fingers smoothly invading me, leaving me breathless as they start moving. My hips start moving on their own, and he doesn't wait for long before adding another finger.

Wow, it actually feels good.

I pull away from the kiss and drop my head on his neck, breathing him in as soft pants leave my mouth.

An image of a familiar boy comes back in mind at the same time we hear a loud bang that makes us stop. He reluctantly pulls away, and we exchange a confused look.

I hide the fact that I'm glad at the interruption because I don't think that Blake's constant appearance will leave my mind soon. I mean, can you imagine what would happen if I screamed Blake's name instead of his? Gods, I'd give him permission to bury me alive.

"Theo, are you home?" a loud feminine voice says.

I frown. "Who's that?"

He sighs, rolling off of me. "My dear step-mom."