Chapter 7

• Arya
• "What's up with the alpha?" Penny asks me when Logan has left. "Did he ask you to go on a date with him?"
• "Maybe. Something like that," I mumble responding without turning my eyes from the direction where Logan disappeared to. I am still trying to digest what just happened. He stopped me from rejecting him and I was really going to do it. Why on earth would anyone want a mate who despises them?
• "Dung! You don't look like you are even interested. Tell me what's going on. I am dying to know." Penny pleads.
• "He's just so annoying!" I murmur and turn to look at her. She gives me a puzzled look.
• "He dropped by to request you to be with him for a date, and that makes him so annoying? Am I missing the point here?" Penny throws her arms dramatically in the air. I don't think I can keep this secret from my best friend anymore. I give out a resigned sigh.
• "Let's go home. I will tell you everything," I tell her.
• In my room, Penny walks around while thinking out loud. I am sitting on my bed watching her as she does this over and over.
• "So alpha Logan, 'the alpha Logan " is your mate? But your entire family hates him! His father killed your father. He might be hot, tall, rich, handsome, and a million other things, but that can't be ignored. Oh my God, sweetheart. This is a catastrophe!" she leans against my dressing table and crosses her legs.
• "What are you going to do?" she asks me.
• "I don't like him, personally. He is not romantic at all! I have been intending to reject him since that night I realized he is my mate. I almost did it today, in his face, but he just had to force me into a kiss so that I don't finish with it. He thinks that he can get his way with me just because he is alpha, Logan. I proved him wrong," I say.
• "To me, I can see a desperate mate who wants to keep you despite the atmosphere around you. Can't you see he didn't want to be rejected by you?" says Penny.
• "I don't want to believe that. Sometimes I think of that too but what if he doesn't truly want me as his mate? What if he is just insisting to get closer to the gold?"
• "Maybe or maybe not. Why don't you give him a chance? He may not be romantic but perhaps asking you to meet him tonight was an indirect way of asking you for a chance," she says.
• "Why does it sound like you are on his side? You are my best friend so you should stand with me on this," I wonder.
• "First of all, nowadays you spend more time with Jex and I am starting to feel distant. Secondly, I have not yet found my mate and I am burning with jealousy that you get to have the most powerful alpha. Thirdly, the guy is too hot to reject, girl! I am still single and I hope that the moon goddess gives him to me so that I can fuck that body of a god in your face after your rejection!"
• "Easy girl. I get it. Just because we got into trouble doesn't mean that we have been spending a lot of time together so there is no need to be jealous of him. Besides, he is still my mate so don't even dream of getting your hands on my man's body." Both of us are surprised by my words. I blame my wolf.
• "Now if you understand, come on and get your ass up so that we can look for what you shall wear for tonight. We've got to seduce that beast, you will come back home with his marks all over your body," she says while walking to the bed. She pulls me to my feet.
• "I don't want him to mark me soon. I want to remain with the assurance that I can let him go any time," I tell her.
• "Alright, let's make you a little less hot," she rolls her eyes at me. I give her a small smile. She drags me into my walk-in closet and we start looking for a dress. I don't know whether I am scared or excited about tonight. All I know is that my wolf is doing a happy dance right now.
• I try to be enthusiastic to match Penny's vibe because she is trying so hard to be the best friend I don't deserve. I know whatever she said is right. Maybe I should give him the treatment he asked for.
• Evening comes by so fast and I keep getting restless. Tower Hotel. The hotel name kept ringing in my head from the time I heard it. I don't know what to expect from tonight, and that scares me the most.
• Penny stayed with me the whole time keeping me expectant. She is way more excited than I am. I silently pray for her to find her mate soon so that she can enjoy this herself. We settled for a short white dress with big black stripes and black high heels. We styled my hair into waves that cascaded down my shoulders. The dress cuts into a sexy V that shows off a glimpse of my cleavage. This is what Penny settled for a little less hot. She's my personal designer and she deserves all the credit. With a white bag and red lipstick, I am ready to go.
• "Wow!, Girl, you are smoking hot you are gonna burn him to ashes! He won't be able to keep his eyes off you the entire time," Penny says smugly.
• "That sounds spooky. I don't want his eyes scanning through me like I am some meal," I purse my lips to make sure the lipstick sticks.
• "You sure are gonna be the meal, honey," she teases.
• "Get lost!" I wave her off making her burst into giggles.
• At the reception, I am welcomed with a warm demeanor and led into a private suite. I am not sure if I like being alone in a private suite with Logan. My heart beats uncontrollably fast in my chest when the door is opened. Logan is standing by the impossibly large glass window opposite the door. He looks so fucking handsome in a white long-sleeved shirt and black slacks. That is one plain pair of clothing that looks way too sexy on his body. I try hard not to concentrate on how his chest and biceps stretch against the shirt.
• "I am glad you decided to come. You look," his eyes scan me from head to toe. I shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny. He strides with a refined poise toward me. His scent floods my nostrils making my wolf aware of her mate's presence. He stretches out his hand and touches my waist, then looks down and the exposed part of my boobs. A sexy smirk forms on his lips.
• "You look gorgeous, sweetheart," he says as his hand runs up to my back. My breathing hitches when he touches my shoulder and gives me a smooth caress.
• "I like this dress, a lot. It is perfect for your body. It hugs all your curves perfectly as if it was stitched on your body," he tells me. I remain silent. My lips feel dry. If he could just come closer_ his lips crush onto mine without warning and he pulls me into a possessive kiss. He groans into my mouth and the sound is like a storm crushing all my senses and making me respond without holding anything back. He kisses me with a lot of thirst like I could quench it, like he has been waiting forever to do this. I am lost. Lost into the rhythm of his tongue and mine, lost in his touch, and I forget everything else.
• When I pull away, I take my time to come back to the real world. Logan's hand is still holding my cheek and another on my back. I am enveloped in his embrace. His hand caresses my cheek in slow random strokes that send sparks down to my belly and then to my groin. He leans closer and kisses me again and I don't dare stop him because I can't even bring myself to do so. The kiss is brief and leaves me yearning for more.
• "You have no idea how much your showing up here means to me, pretty face," he says, and then holds my hand. This disarms me and puts me at the loss for words.
• "Are you hungry? Come and we shall order something to eat," I follow him through the living room of the suite into its dining. The place is very neat and beautiful and not extravagant.
• There is a bottle of wine and two glasses. He pulls out a chair for me and I sit down and place my bag on the table. I am dumbfounded by this gentleman in front of me. The way he showed how happy he was to see me and how calmly he is conducting himself seems so unreal. I feel like this is a different person. The kind of man I want to fall in love with.
• "Would you like some wine?" he inquires while picking up the wine bottle from the wine basket and opening it.
• "Please," my voice comes out horse. My throat feels dry. I hope the wine can give me some courage.