Page 37 of Mate to the Alpha Predator

"You told me when you were drunk and out of it." He lied, knowing she isn't ready for the truth. "That was after I saved your life and you stole my ring. You do remember that night, right?"

She flushed guiltily and averted her gaze. "I needed the money to buy my meds."

He can understand that, but it doesn't change the fact that his precious ring is out there in the hands of NoOneKnows. The mountain lion prowled around in fury.

"You're doing that growling thing again." It sounds like he wants to eat her, no matter how irrational that might sound to her ear but it doesn't dismiss the feeling. The fear in her eyes was palatable.

He hadn't been aware that he was growling, Wolfariane closed his eyes to get himself under control. Hunger for her has been crawling at him since he stepped onto her front pouch hours ago, he has been battling himself—and his wolf ever since.

Everything about control is turning out to be harder than usual, especially in front of this woman.

If the ring is really where he is beginning to think it is, then this woman is in more danger than her health can ever put her in.

While he does not care one bit what happens to non-changelings, he does not want to be involved in the reason why 'his mate' died. Not when she is already standing at death's door.

After all, he can still keep away from her in Naturiah. It is a big world.

So, he will keep her in Naturiah, protect her until his ring is found, then he will let her go. That is all.

"So, let me get something really straight right now. You are going to keep me captive till you find your ring?"

"Yes." If that's how she's seeing it, he does not care enough to clarify.

"How long is that gonna take?"

"Not more than two weeks." Unless his ring is in the wrong hands.

"What if you don't f-find it?"

His chiseled face turned cold like obsidian steel. "I will find it." He stated simply.

It only scared Ismena more than she already is. The man isn't even considering never finding his ring. To him, that is not even an option. So, what will become of her if he never finds his ring again?

"Look, I made a To-Do List that I need to fulfill before I d-die." She shook her head miserably, "I've only crossed off three out of nine things to do. I really can't be restrained now! If the reason why you want to keep me captive in your home is because of sex, we can arrange that. I'm attracted to you. You don't need to hold me captive in your home before you have sex with me."

He scowled, angry at his body's reaction to that sultry voice laced with fear and desperation. "I do not have the intentions of ever having sex with you, Female. Ever."

She felt relief and insulted at the same time. "You sound so sure of yourself. I remember a certain man chewing on my lips like candy in the afternoon."

His blank face offered no reaction at all to her jab. "That was a mistake that will not happen again. You mentioned a list," He changed the topic, "You can cross off the rest of it in Naturiah. You can also add 'Living In A Whole New World' as the number ten in your list."

"Naturiah? Is that the name of your home?" He has called it that name twice now, it piqued her curiosity.

The hard part he wasn't looking forward to but has to be done if he will take her to Naturiah. "It is a world that probably hasn't existed to you before but a lot of humans know about it. They decided to keep it to themselves and away from the public. I am not human, female."

"So, you are an alien." A smile touched her cheeks as she teased him.

He didn't return the smile. "Look at me really well, Ismena. What do you see?"

The way he spoke her name sounded dark and erotic, she shivered. It's the first time he's saying her name. "I see a gym instructor in a weird but very expensive garment, leaning back against the wall and effortlessly telling me his plans to hold me captive in his alien home called Naturiah."

Gym instructor? What was that? Wolfariane's brows knitted into a frown of confusion.

The changelings do their best to keep up with the changes of the world, but in the end, they are lovers of nature; Land, forest, trees...the wild. Their ways are simple and more like the old ways...in the dark ages.

However, he might not understand fully whatever a gym instructor means, but he does know something else, "My garment portrays monarchy. It is not weird." He sounded insulted too.

"Monarchy?" She inclined her head to survey again his fur-lined black cloak designed with the face of a huge open-mouthed wolf with teeth bared in attack mode, it covered his whole strong body from the neck to his feet, "Well, I'll admit it does look...elegant." she concluded.

---