MATE AND HIS LOVER 11

11. The Kiss Had Happened

"What did you do?" Ethan says.

"What?" Helena manages to utter. It's like she's gathering her bearings after being struck by a lightening.

"What did you do to me?" He says, thinking she must have put a spell on him. He must've been bewitched. Why else would he do something like that?

"What are you talking about?" Helena says. He kissed her out of the blue. Not that she minds. But what's with his attitude now?

"You put a spell on me!" He says.

"What?! I didn't do anything this time— or any time! You are the one who kissed me!"

Probably. He knows that. Probably. But he can't admit. So what else can he do? Wait. Why is she here in his pack land anyway? "How did you come here?"

"Don't change the subject. Why did you kiss me?!"

"You trespassed into here. Outsiders aren't allowed without Alpha's permission."

"Why did you kiss me?"

"It's a serious offense."

"Why did you kiss me?"

"I'll have to ta—"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Helena!" Bess's voice beckons.

Thank God, Ethan thinks.

Helena sees her friends, Bess and Connie, running towards her, with a brown wolf on their toes.

The three friends hug each other at the reunion.

Ethan resists the urge to shake his head at the trio's talent at getting lost. The same happened at the Cauldron.

The brown wolf, Adam, changes back to his human form. He saw Helena's friends stumble into the place of bonfire, and learned they were separated, and offered his help. The girls avert their eyes from Adam's naked physique. But only for a moment.

Ethan quickly blocks Helena's view of Adam. "Go get fucking dressed," he mutters behind to his friend.

"I don't mind being seen by these lovely gir—"

"Now," Ethan growls.

Adam gives Ethan a middle finger before turning around and running to where he left his clothes.

Ethan continues to block Helena's view until Adam's literal ass is out of sight.

"You three, come with me," he sternly says.

Helena and her friends follow him dejected.

"What now?" Bess whispers.

"Are we going to prison?" Connie says.

"No way!" Helena says, "Or else I'll tell everyone he kissed me."

Ethan stops. He heard them. He turns around with a glare focused solely and intently on her.

That gives Helena an idea. She sees a way out of this mess. She crosses her arms and smiles. "What? You'll lie you didn't do that?"

"I'm not a liar like you."

"Good then. You don't turn us in, and I won't tell on you. Good night," she says and starts walking away with her friends but he pulls her back by her shirt.

"Why did you come here?" He asks.

"Why did you kiss me?" She quickly says.

Tch. He lets her go instantly. "Fuck you."

She gives him a flying kiss and resumes her walk.

It must have been a witchcraft. Why else would he kiss a liar like her? She lied about not hexing him, too. That's what she did. And he can't prove otherwise. Just like when they were kids.

His finger raises to his lip. He brushes it. His body warms up at the memory. "For fuck's sake!" He says, dropping his hand. What is this curse?

"IT'S A GOOD thing he did that, or else we would be in a werewolf prison now—" Connie stops and kicks Helena's leg, "Are you even listening?"

On the couch Helena hugs herself and wiggles her body. "My spine tingled," she happily says. That's how good the kiss was.

"Guess you still have hope then, against all odds," Bess says.

Helena's room door swings open. "My friends will be here soon. Get out," Fiona says. At the absence of Helena's parents Fiona is throwing a party.

After Fiona's gone, Helena grumpily gets up.

"How long are you going to let her bully you like this? She nearly cost you a mate," Bess angrily asks.

Helena picks up her things silently.

"It's not your fault her parents died," Bess says.

Helena freezes for a moment before reaching for her bag.

"Bess, come on," Connie whispers. Bess leaves first and the rest follow. Connie says to Helena, "You know, she's just worried about you."

"I know, and she's right. But I can't help being a coward."

THE NEW GUY is at the party, much to Fiona's satisfaction. Ever since they met at a mixer she has been thinking about him.

"Your place is cool," he says.

The two talk. And Fiona starts showing him the house. When they enter her room, she closes the door behind her. He smiles as she approaches him and starts unbuttoning his shirt.

Fiona spends the night moaning aloud on her mattress, for pleasures like these she had never felt before.

Maybe somewhere in the middle of it, when a couple of tears slipped down the corners of her eyes in joy, she might have even fallen in love.

After she falls asleep, he leaves the room. He can tell from the noise coming from downstairs the party must still be going on. Eventually he reaches the end of the corridor where a room is locked with a spell.

He smiles. A good spell. Not good enough. Typical Helena. At the touch of his hand the door unlocks. He knew she wasn't home, but his heart still raced thinking he might see her sleeping on her bed.

This is not like how they meet in school.

This is her room, filled with her scent. Devon smiles. 

FIRST THING IN the morning Ethan debates over choosing her not for the new errand they were given. Now that the kiss had happened. The last time they met she's the one who seemed to have an upper hand over him.

But then he remembers the dream he had again last night, of her. This time it was even better. Vivid. Now that the kiss had happened.

Sexual tension with an enemy. That's foolish. But what's the harm in exploring it? Now that the kiss had happened. He brings up his phone and sends her and her friends' names to the pack office, to confirm his selections.

This doesn't change anything. He can keep what his body wants and what his heart wants separate. After all, even after the kiss had happened, he still hates her.