When it became clear I wasn't interested in answering uncomfortable questions, mainly because I had no story that made sense to any of them, I was then with the men. Who welcomed me warmly.
"Looks like we've got competition!" One of them said as he slung his arm over my shoulder. "A new face joins the ranks, what's the deal? Foreign aren't you?"
"Easy, Duke, you'll scare him off." I caught the gaze of a man who I realised had been there when Demetri and I had bumped into one another, he was smirking at me silently.
"Oh, come of it! We should know the man whose threatening to make all of us second best to the ladies."
"Trust me, I'm nobody." I assured him, moving his arm as I caught Demetri's stare on the arm slung over me.
They laughed am gave me drinks which were useless to me. I was listening mostly, avoiding every question I could.
"So where you from?"
"Far." I said which wasn't a lie if you really thought about it. They laughed and punched my shoulder and I for a moment realised they were really just like the high school jocks I went to school with, some of them any way.
"What do your parents do?"
"They-" I nearly said they'd died and somehow that felt wrong because even in my time I atleast had one parent left. I pursed my lips. "It's complicated."
"Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands, don't we boys?"
Another horse was being shown, a stallion of pure white, it was beautiful and expensive and it was ridden through an obstacle course and auctioned. I wondered what would be done with all this money.
"Way to blend in." I blinked looking beside me as Demetri drank his drink and watched the show. I stared at him, completely captured by his strong Jae and his dimples. I wanted to stick my finger in it, maybe even my tongue.
"I'm afraid I'm not a social butterfly."
"We can tell." He looked at me finally, his eyes dark and storming. A lot was happening in his mind, I could sense his angst and frowned wondering what was wrong, wanting to pull him aside and ask all these questions. "What are you doing after this?"
I blinked wondering what kind of invitation awaited me if I was free. "Nothing, well," I blinked thinking I didn't have a ride home.
Home. What even was that here? I caught myself in a daze of thought as I realised the little time I had spent with my dad unknowingly had become comfortable and i looked forward to those moments as small and insignificant as they were.
"I don't have a ride home." I chuckled and he smirked before his eyes darted and his smirk disappeared.
"Meet me at a red rimmed carriage then, in an hour." He turned from me and was gone. I watched his back as he walked through the people until a woman stopped him, her eyes batting flirtatiously.
"Careful, young Icarus, you just might burn yourself." I looked over at the man who spoke. The same man who had watched Demetri and I at the shop and who I had decided was public enemy number 1, well, after the caster who scared my dad.
"Icarus?"
"Have you not heard the myth? Very beautiful really."
"I have, I'm just wondering how I match it in your eyes?" He gave a soft chuckle. His eyes were so very green, his stare almost paralysing.
"Oh, well, because of how you look at him." I blinked unfazed and narrowed my eyes at him. "The man is known to break many hearts, and I see you are to add to that long long list." I tilted my head then feeling I was catching onto his issues.
"He didn't appreciate your advances then?"
He blinked at me, his confidence seeming to dwindle before he chuckled. "Oh, you catch on fast."
"I just listen." I told him honestly and suddenly I caught the sad glimmer in his eye.
"Well, word of advice then," he glanced around briefly before stepping closer to me. "A man like Demetri is not kept, do not let your heart wander into his cage." I mused at his words, feeling a slight painful tug in my chest.
I didn't know Demetri, not the way Claude knew Ace, not how Theo knew Winston. He was my mate of course and so I was drawn to him, however I had not yet known him, been around him long enough to feel hurt or sad and yet, despite this complete stranger being a stranger, knowing I didn't know him either, why did his earning made me feel this painful tug? Why, as I glanced to Demetri's strong back, did I feel almost lonely already?
By the hour I was there, the carriage had an outline of red which is what I assumed he meant my red rimmed carriage. I was careful as I had realised through the event how there was a fixed view on men having to be with women.
Demetri found me outside his carriage, he looked around as though we were doing something wrong and I frowned at the behaviour before he opened the carriage for me and allowed me in. I found myself staring into his deep dark eyes, feeling myself melt and turn into a bundle of nerves.
Was this how they felt whenever they looked at their mates? I wondered to everyone I knew who was mated or knew who their mate was. I wondered if they too felt that something was stuck in their throat, that they had somehow swallowed something that had their mouths watering.
"What are we doing?" I asked him finally as the carriage began to move.
"I was hoping you would join me for dinner."
"Don't you have a curfew?" He chuckled, his smile brilliant and I found myself already hooked on the sight.
"That's for if I go outside." He had a mischievous look on his face and I was silent, the warning from before somehow weighing on me.
When we got to his house it was huge, it showed his status which I was beginning to feel mindful off. He had a butler take his coat and lead us upstairs. Everything was clean and pristine and I couldn't keep up.
Yes, I know, in my time I was wealthy, generation upon generation of wealth was what I had grown up into, however I hardly lived a life that screamed wealth, it screamed comfortable because it wasn't necessary. Suddenly I missed the warmth of the pack house, the scent of the members floating around constantly and the random laughter of children.
He lead me to a room that was big enough to fit a decent table with two chairs, dinner was already set up.
"We're eating in here?" I asked him skeptically, eyeing the big bed that looked oddly comfortable.
"Do you not like it?"
There was a romantic feel to the air that had my stomach dropping but the nerves of it had me uncomfortable. I wondered if this is how he broke all those hearts, for a moment I was in my head about a man I didn't know and judging everything as if the words of another stranger held weight.
I blinked and mentally slapped myself. There is always more to a story than meets the eye, I tried to remind myself. Everything is seen differently depending on perspective.
His hand was on my back and I tensed, eyes wide as I looked over at him. He was a little taller than me, I somehow felt vulnerable because of it, his brows furrowed as the door closed behind us. "Are you alright?"
"No, not really." I decided to be honest and he stepped back.
"What is it?"
"I can't..." I looked around at it all. "I don't really know what happening here." He frowned at me.
"Are you..." He flushed then and squinted before looking around. "I assumed... Wait, that night we met, I thought."
"I'm attracted to you," I put him at ease then and he sighed visible, his tense shoulders sagging and his scent shifting. "I just... I don't know what all this means, or where it's going."
"Oh," he smiled almost proudly. "My,my, Trent," his finger slid over my cheek then. "Are you a virgin?"
A\N
Written: 5 April 2022
YOU ARE READING
4. Trent Phoebe{ManxMan}
Lobisomem{BOOK 4: GREATEST LOVE SERIES} "I've always been curious." He admitted bitterly. "I've always wanted to understand why, if not that, then to just know it all." "Your dad?" "He's the biggest mystery, I want to love him despite that."
