Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
“Ah,” He groans, his arms gripping me tight as if he is dragging me onto him harder.
“Oh, oh…shit!” I cry out, trying to keep my voice down before he buries his head into my neck and grunts.
“Fuck, Leandra…yes…fuuuuck.” He groans.
My heart stops, my ear throbbing and my chest burning. It shouldn’t hurt this much. I should understand that she means something to him. After all, I had a mate I loved severely before him.
But…I knew who I was with. I knew it was Hayes who was making love to me in the woods. But then again, maybe my mistake is that I assumed we were making love and not just having a good fuck.
Tears threaten my eyes as my throat nel grows thick, and it feels like I might rip apart at any moment. Gone is the high of the moment as I turn my head away and gently press against his chest, disconnected us on too many levels before I stumble to the side and fix my shorts. I clear my throat, unsure of what to do, how to act now.
Does he realize what he did? Who he called me and how much it hurt?
“You okay?” he asks, concern filling his voice.
“Of course,” I say, clearing my throat. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He doesn’t say anything as I take my hair out of its ponytail, run my fingers through it and tie it back up, just looking for ways to buy myself time before having to look at him.
“Was I too rough?” He asks, and I scoff, shaking my head.
“No, it was fine.” I mutter, turning with the fakest smile I have ever mustered. He frowns at me, his hand on his hips as he tries to read my reaction.
“It was fine?” He arches a brow, clearly wanting to go back to our usual bickering. But I can’t…what I want is space, but that isn’t an option either. So I smooth my shirt and lie.
“Sorry, I’m just…can we pretend that didn’t happen?” I ask him and he seems a little shocked before he nods his head.
“If that is what you want…” He offers, but I see the way confusion tickles his brow and his lip twitches into a disappointed frown.
“Hayes, why did you do that?” I ask him and he seems shocked before he chuckles.
“Do what? Fuck you?” He asks, the way his crass words make it seem like it was emotionless stings. Then he shrugs, “A guy needs a release every now and then, and you kissed me first so…”
“Yeah, I did. I get that but…I just.” I stumble over my words and he takes a step closer to me.
“Woah, Ky. You don’t have to overthink it.” He smiles. I swallow and lick my tips, looking away and nodding. He doesn’t feel it. My heart sinks. Hayes doesn’t feel the mate bond, instead of that being some breakthrough, some…thing that might have potentially been special. It was a quick release for him.
It was nothing. Noted.
“I’m not,” I sigh heavily. “Just…it can’t happen again and I don’t want anyone else to know.”
His face grows dark, and he glares at me.
“You mean you don’t want Marcos to know?”
My hurt demands I hurt him back.
It’s juvenite and idiotic, but I don’t care. I want him to feel an iota of the ache he has caused me. So I roll my shoulders back and look him square in the face.
“Yes. I think I could like him and I don’t want to live the rest of my life alone. He understands what I have been through.”
“So does Nisha, Dean and Koda.” he snorts.
“But they aren’t Marcos. He has the face of an angel.” I give him.
Hayes scoffs, his thumb coming up and rubbing over his lips before he nods and clears his throat.
“You are right. We really should get a move on.” He grumbles, brushing past me. I roll my eyes and chuckle to myself. He is so used to being in charge that he forgets I am the tracker and he is heading in the wrong direction.
“Might be better if we head in the right direction.” I say, crossing my arms over my chest, not bothering to hide my cocky smirk. “Unless you would rather take the long way.”
Hayes slows before coming to a stop, his head hanging low as he turns to look at me. He places his hands on his hips as if he is trying to restrain himself, then he mutters under his breath before he walks back toward me.
“Less time with you, the better it is for both of us.” He says, flashing me a forced smile.
“Seemed like you wanted to spend time with me earlier,” I grumble before I roll my eyes and turn to the left and walk away from him.
“That wasn’t exactly quality time, Kyra.” He says behind me. “It was-“
“Just a quick fuck?” I grind out, finishing the sentence for him. “Yes, Hayes, I am aware of that. You do know that you are not the first man I have been with, right? I know what it feels like to be loved and now I know what it feels like to be used. Thank you so much for that lesson.”
“Wait a minute.” He scoffs, rushing past me before he puts his hands out to keep me from walking further. “You are the one who came onto me, Kyra. It was you who kissed me.
What he doesn’t realize is that it was his words and confession that made me weak enough to act on the bond. I didn’t want to kiss the man who left me for dead and then tried to make me watch him die. That was the cruelty of the moon goddess and her damn games she plays on us for the fun of it. I rub my face and shake my head.
“Can we just…agree it was a mutual arrangement to scratch an itch? And now we can consider the itch scratched and we can move on.” I say, feeling a bubble of confusion as he frowns at me. He has no right to act like this isn’t exactly what he planned or wanted.
“And yet you keep bringing it up,” he says, “Like you can’t get it out of your head.”
“I do not! And It just happened, I haven’t had the time to get it out of my head.” I scoff, offended by his preposterous accusation.
“It’s fine Ky, I get it. You aren’t the only one who struggles with no strings attached sex.” He shrugs, looking smugly at me.
I guffaw, a dark chuckle bursting from my lips. This asshole really thinks so highly of himself, even when he wants to die and is such a dickhead. No strings attached. Right, the issue I have with everything isn’t the lack of strings, but the insurmountable strings that only I can apparently feel tugging at me.
“I haven’t scented Ezrah since before I was struck by that tree. So hopefully, if we head back that way, we can find something.” I murmur, choosing to take the high road.
Well, more like the silent road, unless it refers to Ezrah.
“Really?” He scoffs. “You are resorting to ignoring the whole thing now?”
“Sure am. Now, shut up so I can listen for anything out of the ordinary.” I say, shooting him a scowl.
We probably should discuss it…” he says, gently and for the first time, it feels like he is actually being sincere.
“What is there left to discuss, Hayes?”
I wait for him to keep talking, but when he doesn’t, I look at him curiously. He looks away before he finally meets my gaze with pity in his eyes. My brows furrow in shock as he takes a step closer to me and then sighs heavily.
“What?” I ask, a feeling in my stomach making me more nervous than I was when I kissed him.
“Was that your first time since Tyler?” He asks, his voice soft and coaxing as if he is trying to tread lightly.
My face heats and my lungs grow tight. I instantly look away, unable to think of a single word to say to him. I came to terms with losing Tyler and our baby some time ago. Not to say that I moved on, but that I know what he wanted for me if I ever lost him.
It was a conversation we had once the war started to rage. I loved Tyler, but my world did not cease to exist when I lost him. We both know I couldn’t go through that after how terribly I took Hayes’ initial rejection.
“Truth be told, that was my first time doing something like that.” I say, clearing my throat. Hayes’ eyes grow wide and then his brows knit together. “Are you saying I took your virginity?” He asks. It is clear Hayes is not following what I mean. I scoff and roll my eyes.
“No, Hayes. Tyler and I made love. It was never a quickie in the woods against a tree. It was the two of us. making a promise, showcasing how we felt about each other.” I whisper, remembering how much he hated anything that seemed rushed. Tyler was a romantic, one who, even when he was tempted, took his time and planned things out.
“Are you serious?” Hayes asks, looking appalled. “You guys never had the passion to just do it and then go about your day?”
“You know what, never mind. This isn’t a topic I want to discuss with you.” I mutter.
“Oh, come on, I’m just shocked, that is all.” He claims, but I can see the way my words seem to befuddle him. It’s clear to me he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body, even if he occasionally says something that makes it damn near impossible to not kiss him.
“How about you tell me about Leandra?” I ask, whipping around to glare at him. His face hardens, his lip twitching in a sneer.