71 No longer a child …
L
After I left Nathan in the bathroom , my face was still flushed in embarrassment .
feel abo This was the first time I was letting any man inside my house and I didn’t know how to my friend , suddenly confessing he thought of me as a woman .
On cue , my phone rang – it was
Nanny .
“ Did Nathan get there already ? ” she asked excitement in her voice .
“ This was your n all along ? ” I scoffed .
“ You could have given me a heads up .
Do you know how surprised I was when he showed up in front of my office ? ”
“ I was more surprised than you are , L ! ” I heard her sigh wistfully .
“ Nathan has grown into such a handsome man and for a moment , my thoughts went wild .
It’ll not be bad for you and him to get married you know .
At least he has been your best friend since forever ”
“ He’s the Alpha Heir , Nan … he’s not going to abandon his duties because of me besides we’re just friends , nothing more .
”
“ He came all the way from Blue Ridge to see you , L .
He spent four years in prison just to keep you away from the Lycan Leader .
He told me the Lycan Leader was your mate … why didn’t you
ever mention that .
“ Fuck ! ” I murmured under my breath , casting a re towards the bathroom before answering Nanny .
“ It was a long time ago .
We rejected each other , so I never brought it up .
”
“ Brought it up ? ” she chuckled .
“ You have two men fighting over you , L .
The Lycan Leader and
your
best friend who’s the Alpha Heir to one of the most prestigious packs in the South .
C’mon , you’re living the dream , L .
”
“ This is funny to you , Nanny ! ” I couldn’t help butugh .
If only she knew what I had to go through at the hands of Ramsey Kincaid .
.
“ It is ! ” sheughed “ I wish you had told me , all those innocent Panthers he had sent toe look for you , perhaps I should have been gentle or at best , ask for some sort ofpensation .
We would have been rich .
”
“ And have Ramsey chase me to the human world …
“ He’s a Lycan , L … those creatures are too prideful .
He’d rather have his tongue cut out thane to the human world .
They think humans are savages .
Anyway , I’m rooting for Nathan .
He’s sacrificed so much for you and he likes you … ”
of the “ As a friend , Nanny ! ” I interrupted her before she could say more .
Though the memory kiss we shared outside my office teased into my brain , I thrust it aside .
“ That’s all that there is
to it .
There was a pause on the other end before her voice came again .
“ Are you fine , darling ? You sound gloomy ? ”
C
71 No longer a child …
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“ I’ll be fine , Nan ! ” I took a deep sigh .
“ D – Did Nathan say anything about Mom and Dad and .
rissa ? We’ve not had time to talk … ” I added quickly “ So , I’ve not asked .
Are they doing well ? ”
“ They’re fine , L and I know this is so much for you to unpack but as always , trust your instincts and … ”
“ Always tell me everything ! ” I finished up .
That was our mantra since the incident with Xander .
Nanny made me tell her every single detail of my day , the people I talked with , and how I felt after interacting with them .
She would write them in this big journal of hers and , I thought it was ridiculous but somehow , it helped me .
It was so therapeutic that within six months , I could sleep without waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares .
from
“ And , L ! ” she said softly .
“ It’s time for you to take care of Nathan … he’s a different person what he used to be .
I saw it in his eyes .
The … kind – hearted boy I’d known , who was so shy … all I can see is anger and … ” she paused .
“ Something dangerous is eating away at him , he’ll need all the friends he can get .
”
“ I know ! ” I sighed .
“ Ramsey didn’t have the decency to put him in the holding cells .
He locked him up in the dungeons .
Cut him away from light and human interaction … Nan , I cannot begin to imagine … ”
“ He’ll be fine ! ” she interrupted me with a deep sigh .
“ It’ll be rough but it’ll be fine .
Ask him to stay the weekend and then bring him over to mine .
I’ll brew up something for him .
”
“ Okay ! ” I nodded .
“ He’s bathing , let me see if I can fix him something … ”
“ I hope he doesn’t die though … ” she said lightly .
“ Cooking is not your thing !”
“ Still ! ” Iughed .
“ I’ll try .
Maybe make him an instant noddle or something ”
“ I’ll be praying for Nathan ,” she said teasingly .
“ Did anything happen at work today ? ”
I heard the shower stop running .
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Nathan would be out any moment now .
I’ll just have to tell Nanny about Paul some other time .
“ Nope , same as usual .
I need to go now , talk to you soon .
”
Just as the call ended , he came out of the bathroom , his skin pink from the hot water , and wearing the pyjamas pants that ended just above his ankles .
The awkwardness returned but I hurried to the kitchen and busied myself .
“ Do you want anything warm to drink ? Coffee ? Tea ? ” I asked , my voice slightly higher than usual .
“ I can’t remember what you used to drink but there’s beer stashed somewhere .
”
He came to the kitchen , watching me like a cat sizing its prey .
“ You’re careless , L …” he scoffed .
“ You don’t offer a man alcohol when you’re alone with him .
”
“ You’re talking weird again , Nathan ! ” I gave him a side nce , opening the drawers to see if I could fix him a sandwich .
I didn’t have any instant noodles at home .
“ Can’t we just be normal like before ? ”
He stared at me for a moment , his eyes were filled with amusement before he sighed and
71 No longer a child ….
.
turned away .
“ Can I get a cup of coffee , please ? ”
“ Sure ! ” I nodded ; thankful he changed the topic .
“ Sugar ? ” I asked .
“ I remember you used to take two cubes , has that changed too .
”
He turned back to me , his gaze on me was filled with concern .
“ Am I making you ufortable ? ” he asked .
“ Of course not ! ” I shrugged .
“ Milk ? Do you still … ”
“ L ! ” he crossed the room and came towards the kitchen , topping at the counter .
“ Do I make you ufortable ? ”
“ I don’t think I have milk though .
I’ll just use something else … ” I replied not looking at him .
“ L ! ”
Finally , I met his eyes , my hands gripping the edge of the counter .
I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment .
I was flustered by his presence .
“ We
need to talk about his , ” he said gently .
“ There’s still time , I can check in at a hotel ande back tomorrow .
I don’t want to spend a night here with you walking around on eggshells and I cannot promise that I’ll not try to … ” he swallowed hard but his gaze remained on my face .
“ Make advances at you .
But I’ll not force you
to do anything ”
“ I know , ” I whispered , then forced a smallugh .
“ I just … I didn’t expect … you’re different , Nath .
You’ve changed a lot .
”
He smiled .
“ I know .
”
With that , he turned and went back to the living room while I breathed with relief .
–
A momentter , the coffee and the sandwich were ready .
I bnced it on the tray and brought it to him in the living room .
He was sleeping – sprawled on the couch snoring gently .
I set the tray on the coffee table and stopped to look at him .
He looked so innocent , lying there without a care in the world .
Unable to stop myself , I walked quietly to him and sat at the edge of the couch .
As I reached out to brush the hair from his his hand suddenly shot out and seized my wrist .
eyes ,
I gasped with shock , as his eyes flickered open .
For a moment , I saw intense hatred flicker in his eyes before recognition .
Then without warning , he flipped me over – easily .
So that I was lying on the couch , trapped under him with him hovering over me .
“ Nath … ” I started swallowing hard .
“ My instructions were clear , L ! ” his voice had turned hoarse as his eyes lingered on my lips for a moment longer .
“ But I see you choose to disobey me .
”
“ What instructions / ” I asked bewildered .
He s
smiled , “ I’ll show you .
”
With that he bent and captured my lips again – for the second time but before his lips could join with my own , I wriggled away from beneath him and came out , standing at one corner of the
71 No longer a child …
ac
room .
I wasn’t afraid of him , rather , I was excited … the wrong emotion .
“ You can’t just go around kissing me ! Nathan ,” I tried to sound angry .
“ the first kiss was understandable but all of this … ”
“ You allowed Ramsey to kiss you ! ” he said quietly .
“ He treated you like shit yet you allowed him .
fuck you … what is wrong if I want the same things .
2
I stared at him , shocked at his words .
“ Is something wrong with you , Nathan ? You can’t speak to me like that .
Ramsey was my mate .
It’s normal for mates to … ”
“ Don’t fucking tell me that ! ” he cut me short .
“ Only a castrated man would see you and not lust upon you , L .
Don’t preach to me about fated mates .
That’s just an excuse .
”
“ Regardless , you should know how sensitive that sort of thing is especially to me .
You can’t just mention my past casually … ”
“ Get over yourself , L ! ” he snorted .
“ It’s been four years already , long enough for you to make jokes about it .
Don’t tell me you still have feelings for that bastard ? ” a