Hate mates, p.4
Hate Mates, page 4
She paused on the stairs and turned toward Gertie. “You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not. You have both brought this on yourself and have become a danger to each other as well as the pack.”
“How are we a danger to the pack?” Landon asked.
“Neither of you has asked how Cheryl is doing,” Gertie said. “Do you think she is handling her time well? She attacked another pack member. Was willing to kill her because of her obsession with you. That is how this silliness damages the pack. Now, if we believed neither of you were mates, we wouldn’t be doing this. You are mates, and this pettiness will end. Simple as that.” She waved her hand at them. “Now, go and shower. Hold hands, and I will know if you don’t.”
Alexa wanted to ask how she would know, but she was also a little afraid to test the older woman. She didn’t want to cause trouble. There was only so much pushing she was willing to do to Gertie.
Taking hold of Landon’s offered hand, she made her way upstairs. She didn’t want to think about how good it felt to hold his hand, or how … amazing and real, and just … everything. She had ignored these feelings for so long, but clearly the pack and their parents knew what was going on.
Back inside the bathroom, she glanced at Landon, who released her hand and closed his eyes.
She quickly stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. Would Gertie truly know if they didn’t hold hands?
Looking out the shower, she took his hand, and he opened his eyes, but she was covered by the curtain.
“I don’t want to risk it,” she said.
They locked their fingers together, and she tried to wash and shower with only one hand. Her stomach gave her problems. The bites from Cheryl were not truly healing. She still had the scars present, but she knew inside, something was wrong. Her skin had healed over, but something didn’t feel right.
She didn’t tell her parents about it. What was the point? They’d only worry.
After managing to wash her body and her hair with shampoo, she decided she’d had enough.
“Er, do you have a towel?” she asked.
Landon shoved one inside, and she took it, having no choice but to let him wrap the towel around her. After stepping out of the stall, she leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and waited for him to finish. This was so embarrassing.
Her arm moved up, and she just knew he was soaping his body. Alexa tried to get the image of him touching himself out of her mind. She wasn’t about to bring attention to the fact of what he was doing.
Was this punishment?
She knew her own accusations were ridiculous. Marcel had every right to do what he did. After Cheryl’s attack, she kind of knew something was going to be forced upon them. With her free hand and the towel wrapped around her body, she touched the spot that was still sore, that hadn’t quite healed properly. In the few hours she’d spent with Landon, they no longer hurt quite so much. Was it possible for her to be healing the more time she spent with him?
Jerking her hand back, she clenched her fingers into a fist, refusing to believe it could be that simple. Surely, there was no way it could happen like that.
She wasn’t so sure.
The shower switched off.
“Could you hand me a towel?” he asked.
She grabbed one and shoved it into the stall, being sure to keep her eyes closed at all times, not wanting to catch a glimpse of him naked.
He took the towel from her, and she went back to leaning against the wall. Her other hand moved as he made himself decent.
Alexa didn’t know how much of this crap she was going to be able to take. They’d only been in this position for a couple of hours, and it was pissing her off.
The shower curtain was pulled back, and there he stood. Towel wrapped around his waist, and his naked chest on full display.
There was no way she found him attractive.
“We better go get changed,” he said, stating the obvious. They walked together toward the bedroom, nearly hurting each other as they both tried to fit through the door at the same time.
“You go first,” Landon said.
“You go first.” She held her hand open, trying to be polite.
Neither of them moved.
Alexa frowned as she glanced down at their hands. The cuffs were not on, but they were still holding hands. Still treating this as if … they had on the metal cuffs. What was wrong with them? They could just stop holding hands and then be in the bedroom.
All of a sudden, Landon grabbed her waist, spun her toward him so that her back was nestled against his front, and moved them into the room together.
She jerked out of his hold and turned toward him.
“Don’t moan. Neither of us were going to budge. It was the only logical solution and you know that.”
She wanted to stick her tongue out at him. Something she did multiple times as a child when he irritated her. Her tongue stayed in her mouth, though, and any petty action remained in her mind.
Now they had the challenge of getting dressed.
“You showered first. It’s only fair you get dressed first.”
This time, she wasn’t going to argue because she needed clothes, something to cover herself up. There was no way she was even a little bit tempted by this … guy, but just in case, she just needed to be sure.
****
After they had both gotten dressed, only letting go for as long as needed, they headed downstairs. Landon took the lead, still holding Alexa’s hand.
He was very much aware of the fact they had treated their bound hands as if the cuff was still in place. Only, it wasn’t.
His mother had it.
Speaking of his mother, she wasn’t at the front door or the sitting room. They found her enjoying a hot chocolate in the kitchen. The scent made his mouth water. He’d always been a sucker for a hot chocolate.
“Well done,” Gertie said, nodding at their hands.
“The only time they separated was to get dressed,” Alexa said.
“Wonderful news.”
Landon had an idea how their parents and the pack would be able to find out if they didn’t keep the cuffs on, or keep their word in holding hands. He and Alexa were terrible liars. Always had been.
He didn’t like to lie. Even as a kid, he’d found the whole experience uncomfortable, that even if his parents believed the lie, within a few hours, he’d confess. As he got older, the urge to lie had simply faded. There was no point in it, so he stopped.
Gertie picked up the cuffs that had been set on the counter.
“I hope you two will take this seriously. You both need to realize how important it is for you to become true mates, and to end this hatred once and for all.”
“Mom, can I talk to you for a second, in private?” he asked.
His mom looked toward Alexa and nodded.
“I’ll make a hot chocolate,” Alexa said. Her gaze went to his. “Do you … want one?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if she was going to spit in it, but then he decided against it. “Yeah, I’d love one.”
He stepped out of the kitchen, and they made their way to the sitting room.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Gertie asked.
“We get it, okay? Our lesson has been learned. Can we just … call it quits?” Landon asked.
Gertie folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
That wasn’t the right thing to say.
“Mom, please, don’t you think this is a little unfair, to force us?”
“I’m not forcing you, Landon. No one is forcing you, but you need to realize how important this is, not just for you, but for the whole pack. Cheryl is … she is being helped and guided. She truly believed there was a chance with you. I’m not going to state the obvious here.”
“I didn’t make her think there was going to be more between us. I swear. I’d never do that.”
“I believe you, but this with Alexa has to stop. The whole pack, not just us, or Alexa’s parents. The entire pack is fed up with this feud. No one knows how it started, and to be quite honest with you, Landon, I’m disappointed you would even ask for me to end this. You of all people know how important peace means within a pack. You’re learning from your father about how to help a pack.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” he said. His request was selfish. “I don’t think forcing us together is going to help this issue. What if we kill each other?”
“If you were going to kill each other, you’d have done it already. You’re going to be surprised. Please, trust in your father and us, that we know what we’re doing.”
He wanted to trust, but it was a little too hard to do, especially when it came to Alexa. Their constant prediction of how close he’d be with Alexa had never come to pass. Not even as kids.
Gripping the back of his neck, he tried to knead out the tension within his muscles, but that was pretty much useless. He was way too tense.
Two more mugs of hot chocolate were on the counter, and Alexa sat at one of the chairs. Landon moved to the opposite one, and together, they held out their hands.
“One of us will be by in the morning.” Gertie put a hand on both of their shoulders. Landon figured it was her way of her attempting to be comforting. He didn’t feel comforted. Far from it.
She stepped away from them. “Enjoy your night.” She got to the doorway before she stopped and turned toward them. “Try to embrace this with each other. See it as an opportunity to be together with no interference from the pack.”
Neither of them spoke as his mother left the house, closing the door behind her.
“No interference from the pack?” he asked.
Alexa chuckled. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”
They looked at each other, and he couldn’t help but smile. Then, realizing they were actually agreeing on something, he averted his gaze and grabbed the cup. He glanced inside, looking for any sign of sabotage.
“I haven’t spat in it,” Alexa said.
“I wasn’t even thinking that.” He cringed as he spoke.
“Liar.”
“Well, it’s not like you haven’t done it before.”
He looked at her and saw her roll her eyes. “That time doesn’t count. In fact, all the times in high school don’t count. You always stole my drink.”
“So you started to spit in it, so you got your own back.”
“It was gross, but the idea was that you didn’t steal my drink. If you knew I spat in it, then you wouldn’t take it. It seemed logical to me, but looking back, it was gross.”
He laughed. “I stopped stealing your drink, so I guess your logic won.”
“Yeah, I guess it did.”
Landon took a sip of the hot chocolate.
“At least it doesn’t hurt,” Alexa said, holding up her wrist and taking his with her.
“Yeah, it could have hurt.”
“We have to … go to bed,” Alexa said.
“Yeah, I know.”
He’d never slept with a woman. Landon didn’t even know if Alexa would believe him if he told her he’d never been with a woman, ever.
He was still a virgin.
Ben and Drew, his buddies, they’d enjoyed sex. Neither of them had found their true mate, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy fellow singletons within the pack, and they did. They’d told Landon to go and enjoy them. To explore. To learn how to fuck and please a woman.
He’d refused. Not that he’d ever admit it to Alexa, but being with any other woman felt like a betrayal to her because they were mated. There was no reason to deny it.
Landon knew she was his mate, just as he was hers. They hated each other, but he couldn’t bring himself to be with anyone else. It was why Cheryl never had a chance. He did tell her repeatedly, even in high school, there was no chance of them being together.
He hadn’t even been tempted by anyone else. Being near Alexa every single day was pleasurable enough, and he hadn’t told anyone how he felt.
He finished his hot chocolate and waited for Alexa to finish hers. They were once again silent, but at least they weren’t fighting with one another, which was a relief.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
Alexa picked up their cups, and he had no choice but to follow her. When she finished putting their cups in the sink, it was his turn to lead, heading back to the stairway. Then, they were making their way up toward the bedroom. The bed looked rather imposing.
“Which side would you like to sleep on?” he asked.
“I think it would be easier if we just slept with our bound hands between us,” she said. “It’s the most logical.”
“Right, of course. I will let you get on first.”
And seconds later, he lay on the same bed as his mate, staring up at the ceiling, very much aware of her warm body next to his.
He wasn’t going to acknowledge the fact that his cock was rock fucking hard or how desperately he wanted to touch her.
The wolf inside his mind flashed, and he just knew what he wanted. It was the same every single full moon. The wolf wanted Alexa, to mate with her, but he held himself in check, refusing to give in to the impulse.
Mating with Alexa was a bad idea.
Why?
The question entered his mind, and he didn’t have a good enough answer.
Chapter Five
Alexa was so warm. It had been a long time since she felt any warmth, but it was so good, and she snuggled against it. The pain in her stomach was almost non-existent, which was odd. She’d gotten used to the slight pain since Cheryl’s attack.
Opening her eyes, she became aware all too quickly.
Sometime through the night, they had moved, and it had caused Landon to wrap his large body around her. His face was close to her neck, his breath fanning across her flesh.
Both of his hands were locked with hers, and one of his legs rested between hers.
This shouldn’t be comfortable, only it was.
With Landon’s body against hers, it felt right. It was … nice.
He wasn’t awake yet, and Alexa breathed a sigh of relief at just how good this was. This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced this. When it came to Landon, her feelings about him were a little complicated.
She enjoyed being near him. There was always this overwhelming sense of peace that washed over her. She never wanted to understand it because it was Landon, and knowing it was him, she always fought against it and him.
Could their parents be right?
Neither of them had ever given the other a real chance at making this work. From the beginning, they had fought against the ideology of what their parents wanted. She had gotten tired of being told how important it was for her to be close to Landon all the damn time.
“I know you’re awake,” Landon said.
“Then get off me. I was only being polite.”
“Please, Alexa, we both know we enjoyed this.” He pressed his face against her neck.
She didn’t even tense.
Instead, she sank her teeth into her lip in an attempt to contain the pleasure that erupted all over her flesh from being close to him. It felt so good having him there.
Landon tensed up, and in doing so, he thrust his pelvis against her ass. They both stiffened, then attempted to scramble out of the bed. However, with their bound hands, it was next to impossible to do so, and with that, chaos ensued. At one point, Landon was between her thighs as she attempted to put as much distance between them as possible.
That didn’t work, and then she ended up falling on top of Landon on the floor. They tried to break apart, and this time, Landon was back on her again.
They were panting as the doorbell rang, alerting them they were not alone.
“Shit,” he said.
“Fuck,” she said.
They got to their feet, trying to catch their breath.
“Are they going to know we’ve been … fighting?” He frowned as he asked.
“No, no, of course, we weren’t fighting. No blows were struck. We were … er … we were…” She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“Making the bed?” Landon asked.
She glanced down at the bed and nodded. The blankets were a mess, but within seconds, they were working together to get the bed made.
“Exactly. We’re struggling to, er, work as a team, without us hurting one another,” she said.
The doorbell rang again.
They were both terrible liars.
“We were not fighting,” Alexa said.
“No, we weren’t.”
They agreed on that, so they attempted to make their way back downstairs. She nearly fell over Landon, and he once again wrapped an arm around her to keep her stable.
She couldn’t believe out of the two of them, he was the one who seemed so in control, like nothing was bothering him, and it kind of pissed her off. No, it didn’t kind of. It did piss her off, completely.
This time, it was her mother, Penelope, at the door with a key.
“I don’t have time this morning, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to rush. Hold hands. Gertie told me she informed you both of the rules.”
The moment the cuffs had come off, she and Landon had already reached for each other’s hands. She wasn’t going to think of what that meant.
Upstairs they went, and this time, they had to use the toilet, which was the single most embarrassing thing in her whole life.
Landon kept his eyes closed. Just as she did. She was very much aware of the heat within her face.
After they were done with their private business, it was washing their hands and face, and of course, brushing their teeth.
Then they were back in the bedroom and being nice to one another as they let each other go to quickly get dressed. Alexa didn’t want to think about how … lonely she felt with their hands no longer together. This was insane.
She had twenty-one years of not holding Landon’s hand, and she welcomed that damn break.
This was just … it was stupid and crazy, and she wasn’t going to relent to it.
“Are you okay?” Landon asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, talking a little too fast.
