Page 40 of All for the Beast

“And I will see it through.” Katy’s anger was about to get the best of her. She took a deep breath. “But for now, I need to reevaluate what’s really important to me. I didn’t come here for a fling … or anything else. And I certainly didn’t come here to be someone’s mate, even if he is a prince.”

Vharlk stepped back, looking hurt.Good, Katy thought viciously before she realized what she’d done.

“I’m sorry, it’s just …” She looked around. Melyn had moved to the side but was still within earshot. “I can’t live here. It’s not my home. It’s so strange, and I can’t get used to it. I miss Earth.” She realized it as she said it. Everything was strange and new, and she wasn’t any more used to it than when she started. She regained her composure. “You and Melyn should talk. Get to know each other. I have to go.”

“Where are you going?” Vharlk called as she turned away.

“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” she said and stormed off.

She wasn’t more than thirty seconds away before she started regretting what she’d just done. Sure, she’d just dumped a big surprise on Vharlk’s doorstep, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t support her. Especially if what he said before was true.

But what would be wrong about staying? It’s alien, yes, but it could be her home, right?

No, she thought,keep your head on straight, girl. Staying is just a fantasy. You have to get back home and get back to normal.

The thing was, the farther she walked down the pier, the more regret she felt. Regret for leaving a job she loved despite her misgivings. Regret at leaving a man she had grown to be very fond of.

A man with rock-hard abs, the title of a prince, and hands that held her so sweetly. On paper, he was perfect, and in reality, he was too. So why was she running from everything she ever wanted? Was she too scared to open up and be vulnerable for once in her life?

And then there was Melyn, a new player on the board. It might have been reckless for Katy to just hand over her job like that … scratch that. Itwasreckless. As much as Katy liked Melyn, she didn’t even know her. She was as alien to Katy as the rest of Siborim was.

So why did she give her the title of assistant with no thought or consideration for the reality of working with a new person on their team? Katy was all over the place. She was amess.

Get it together, chick. You can’t lose yourself in the home stretch.

Maybe she really did want to give up this job. Maybe this was always meant to be the last project she took before she gave up the ghost.

This wasn’t her planet. She had to stick to her guns and do what she set out to do here. And then she’d go back to where she belonged.

EIGHTEEN

VHARLK

Vharlk watched Katy go with a pit in his stomach. Was this what she wanted all along? To play games with him and then leave? He was crushed, devastated. It was clear Katy was his mate, but she refused to see it.

Katy disappeared around the corner while Vharlk pined. He wanted so desperately to go after her, but he had to get rid of this stranger first.

“Cher, I had no idea you were so handsome,” Melyn said, a hand on his arm. She squeezed lightly, and Vharlk looked at it in shock.

Was she flirting with him, not a minute after Katy left the scene? Maybe they had planned this … for Katy to give Melyn the job and him too. Maybe she was against the idea of being mates with Vharlk so much that she set him up with Melyn to get herself out of the picture. She certainly wanted to leave the job, judging by the previous conversation.

If she really wanted it that way, then he could play along, and maybe she would get jealous watching him with someone else. It felt awful to betray his mate like that, but if that was what she wanted, so be it.

“And I had no idea Katy would bring such a beautiful stranger into my life,” he replied, plastering on his most captivating smile. He took her hand and wrapped it around his arm. “Shall we take this somewhere else?”

“Really?” Melyn’s expression grew suspicious.

“What?” he asked. “Don’t you want to?”

“I’m just surprised, is all. Rumor has it you and Katy are mates, bonded for life.”

“You should be careful with what rumors you listen to.” He squashed his irritation and kept his smile in place. “They aren’t all true.”

Melyn looked impressed and squeezed his arm again. “Well, I’ll be.”

“Dinner?” he asked through gritted teeth. It wasn’t that Melyn wasn’t attractive, but Vharlk wasn’t in love with her. All he wanted was to be with Katy and have her by his side while he took over the pack as the leader. Wasting time with Melyn was ridiculous because he should have been going after Katy.

Melyn’s blue eyes had nothing on Katy’s green. She smelled nice to Vharlk’s senses, but Katy smelled intoxicating. Melyn’s hand on his arm was just a regular touch, but Katy’s touch lit his skin up like a bonfire. The thought of never having that again pained him in ways he could not articulate.

---