Blood Legacy (Rewritten)

55. Jessica

She could hear her own violent heart-beat drumming in her ears, barely allowing herself to breathe as she stood there as stiff as a board, holding her gaze trained on her dirty canvas shoes.

"You'll faint if you keep doing that and then I'll have to carry you like Nathan did with Care,"
She faintly startled at the unexpected sound of his warm voice filling up that way too crammy and uncomfortable space, feeling herself starting to get claustrophobic as she struggled not no inhale too much of his maddening scent or take notice of that alluring tone of his voice.

She was slowly going crazy. That was for sure.

Don't look, don't look, don't look, She mentally chanted, thickly swallowing as a tiny bead of perspiration licked at the side of her face, tickling her skin. She felt hot. Way too hot for her own good.

Come on, come on, come on, She changed her mantra, praying for that damn elevator to go faster or even crash into that freaking shaft at the very bottom for all she cared as she just couldn't stand it anymore. She was fucking desperate. Desperate to get as far as possible away from him and that as fast as possible. He was getting freaking impossible to resist. With each passing second in his close proximity.

She heard him sigh after a moment of utter silence, that exhale of his sounding so tired and yielding, unintentionally managing to draw her attention as before she could even realize what she was doing her gaze had already found his, crashing straight into those sad and mournful chocolate eyes of his.

Her breath immediately caught up within her throat, feeling her wolf swiftly start clawing up from inside of her with a desire to be released, not failing to also notice the way his gaze alternated between pitch black and dark brown as if fighting an inner battle with his wolf as well.
Hers whined as she forcefully pushed her back down, invoking reason over instinct as she cruelly reminded herself and her wolf too who her mate was, and what she'd have to relinquish should she ever dare go down that path with him.

He'll take us away from ma and pa, CeeCee and Bryn included. We'd never see our family again, She reminded her wolf who kept whining but backed down nonetheless as she valued her family and freedom just as much as her human side did. If not more.

He thankfully didn't say or do anything more for the rest of their awkward and painfully long descend to the parking area, finding herself blowing out a sigh of relief as soon as those elevator doors slid open and she practically burst past them, hurrying straight for the car when she suddenly heard him say from right behind,

"Are you that desperate to get away from me?"

Silence. She didn't dare utter a single word, freezing to her spot as she listened to the sounds of his heavy footsteps coming closer to her, forcing herself not to break into a panicked dash as he lowly added,

"Am I that repulsive?"

Her eyelids screwed themselves shut, lips sealed as well as she feared that if she tried to turn around or say anything those tears would immediately start falling as she listened to his equally heavy breaths, feeling him so close behind her back yet not quite touching her as he softly whispered,

"Why? Why won't you give me a chance?"

Why. I'll tell you why.

"Because I don't want to give up my life for you!" She cried out with utter desperation as soon as she turned around to face him, her vision quickly blurring as her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry but I don't want it," Her voice trembled, letting those tears fall down as she continued to speak,
"I don't want any of this. I don't want to be a Beta's mate, I don't want to be part of a pack! Much less the fucking royal pack! I am happy with my life the way it is, with my family and friends, small and unimportant as they are! I don't want to be a part of all that fancy and pompous shit, forcing me to bend over some stupid rules and having to swallow everything your pack may throw at me with a fucking grain of salt! I refuse to openly expose myself to every possible insult or mockery from your pack of hyenas just because I'm smaller or weaker than them! I'm sorry but I will not do this!" Her breaths were coming out in long and harsh pants as she'd finished screaming, those beautiful blue eyes wide and still filled with tears as she kept staring up at him, lost into the moment.

He quietly regarded her, albeit hurt that she'd think so lowly of his family he couldn't help but admire her strong will, her courage to protect her identity and everything that represented her, in spite of that strong bond that kept pushing them towards each other with each passing second, driving their wolves crazy with angst and yearning.

"What makes you think that it will be like that?" He quietly asked back, watching those beautiful features of hers contort with confusion as he tenderly peered down at her.

"You've never even met my family or my pack yet you're already here making assumptions about what they'd be like or how they'd behave towards you,"

"Who lied to you? Who fooled you like this, tricking you into believing that all pack wolves are heartless monsters who like to mock and torment pretty little wolves like you?"

Her lips were already parted open with awe and bewilderment as she continued to stare up at him, too enraptured by every single word tumbling out his sensuous lips to even notice that she'd unintentionally stepped closer to him, drawn by his alluring scent and that soothing lilt of his voice, her hands softly pressing against his hard chest. She could feel that powerful beat of his heart under the palm of her hand as she peered between those chocolate eyes, too stunned to even form a coherent thought, let alone words.

"You...you think I'm pretty?"

"The prettiest wolf I've ever seen," He swore with conviction, fondly gazing into those entrancing blue gems of hers, barely even daring to touch her hip as he feared that she'd get scared and run away again when her lips spread to form a pleased smile, mere seconds before she abruptly turned aside and hurled her guts out.