Resisting My Mate (Book 2 of the Complicated Mates series) Editing

Chapter 18

Arianna

The school was buzzing with talk of the Rogue, Amelia.

It had been a week since her arrival and every one was curious to know more about her now that she’d been cleared. Her story checked out and the suspicion surrounding her situation now turned to compassion. To have lost your entire family then be forced to run alone couldn’t have been easy. My uncle accepted her into our pack and had given her a place to stay with an older couple who never had any children of their own. Today was going to be her first day at school, she was seventeen like the rest of us.

I, personally, was eager to meet her and offer my friendship. Ashtyn was weary of my intentions but he knew me well enough by now to know that once I set my mind on something, there was no use trying to change it. That didn’t stop him from worrying, though.

We were currently in the cafeteria for lunch and I studied his handsome                 features while he talked with the guys about their favorite subject, football. I blanked out the arguments over who was the better Manning brother and instead thought about how things had been between us since he marked me. I was still in heat but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before because I no longer had to deal with unwanted attention. Of course I still got lustful looks but they never lasted long. I was marked territory now, and where that may have bothered me before, it now excited me.

I ran my fingers lightly over my mark which caused Ashtyn to shoot me a hot look. I loved the effect such a simple action had on him. He readjusted his seated position, no doubt due to the excitement I was causing him, and I smiled.

He brought his lips tantalizingly close to my ear and whispered, “You love getting a rise out of me, don’t you?”

“It’s what I live for,” I replied cheekily. He growled playfully before giving me a smacking wet kiss on my cheek.

“Ashytn!” I shouted pushing him away with a laugh. He waggled his eye brows before going back to his conversation. 

My eyes scanned the cafeteria, smile still in place until they landed on a lone figure seated just outside on one of the benches there. My cousin was staring off into the distance, broodingly. He didn’t glance once toward the girls giggling and staring at him just to his side.

I’d never seen those two things happen before. Joshua brood and ignore willing females. I sent Ashtyn a silent message before pecking his lips and getting up. I knew the minute Joshua sensed my approach by the way his shoulders tensed. He arranged his features to one of nonchalance and faced me.

“What brings you out here, squirt?”

I gave him a mock glare before sitting beside him and bumping his shoulder with mine, “I told you not to call me that.”

He shrugged, “I call it like I see it.”

To that he earned an elbow to the ribs.

“Ouch, geez,” he chuckled.

I let the silence hang for a little before diving in, “What’s up Josh? You haven’t been yourself lately.” I stopped the denial on his lips, “Don’t try to lie to me. I’ve known you since we were both in diapers and I’m well aware of your ‘shit’ tendencies so don’t give me any now,” I joked hoping it would loosen him up.