CHAPTER TEN:

Azrael's POV:

“I don't want you talking to my brother anymore.”

I'll admit, that wasn't the best opener for a conversation but I'd been driving quietly for over five minutes—it needed to be done.

She laughed.

Not the soft giggle she gave Izar. No, this was harsh and humorless.

My grip on my steering wheel tightened.

What does it matter? After today, I'd be done with her. We'll never have to speak to each other again. And if she stayed away from him, it’d be easier to ignore her.

“Just so you know, I actually meant that.”

A scoff reached my ears. “And I don't think you get a say in who I choose to speak to or not,” she said sternly, glaring at the side of my face.

I turned around a corner. “I'm not asking, little red.”

“My name is Saphielle,” she said through clenched teeth. “And I'm not going to ditch my friend just cause his brother said so.”

My brows shot up and I laughed a little. “Oh, so you're his friend now?”

“Yes.” Without hesitation and with so much confidence. “And there's nothing you could do to change that.”

Opposite. I can ruin it all in a minute.

Still, it was fun to poke at the angry redhead beside me.

“I should nickname you ‘kitten’ since you're being extra feisty this evening.”

She huffed angrily. “I'm going to ignore you every time you call me anything other than my name.” And then under her breath, “Why did I let you drive me? Ugh.”

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile.

“Where was this sharp tongue when Rosita rained insults on you?”

Hurt flashed across her face and I almost felt guilty. Almost.

“Fuck you,” she spat, her chest heaving.

“You're aware I'm a senior too, right? I could punish you for your behavior.” I wouldn't though.

I wouldn't do that to her.

“Oh, really?” She was fuming now, her face turning red making the freckles on her face stand out. “I guess I should just go ahead and tell you what I think about you knowing you'll punish me anyway!”

I chuckled. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! You rude, arrogant, self-righteous, controlling, heartless prick with your stupid, ugly ass, dumb face!!!”

I bit back a laugh.

Gods. She was fucking adorable.

“...Who even made you next in line to the throne? It should've been Izar!” She raged on.

Well, I was the Alpha King—have been for hundreds of years but she didn't need to know that.

“...Izar's so much better, kinder, more handsome...”

Okay, that did sting, twisted an invisible dagger in my chest.

“...Your arrogance is highly unattractive!”

She yelled at me some more and the crazy part of me that wanted her to hate me enough to stay away did nothing to calm her down. The other part though, the side of me that wanted to keep her wondered if she'd calm down if I ran my hand through her soft hair and kissed her forehead, would she like it if I leaned in and left my nose brush against her neck.

And then a memory hit me…

I rolled the car to a stop as the dorm came into view, turning fully to face her. “How do you move around with no scent?” I cut her rambling off.

She bristled. I heard her heart skip so hard, it had to have hurt.

But then, she recovered quickly. “I do have one, everyone can tell that I do except you. Maybe your nose is as bad as that attitude of yours...”

She went on but I was still stuck on something she said.

‘Everyone can tell that I do except you.’

Could others really smell her scent? Why couldn't I?

Was I imagining things?

“I'm getting off!” She snapped me out of my chaotic thoughts. “And just so you know, I never want to see you, ever again!”

With that, she shoved my door open, climbed out, and slammed it hard.

And as I watched her storm over to her dorm, I fought the urge to run after her. Apologize or something.

Would it be so bad to let myself go for another woman after all these years? I'm not saying I'm in love with her, I'm just saying I want her. I want her by my side, I want her for myself and no one else. It wouldn't be so bad, right?

Yes.

Yes, it would.

I sagged back in my seat, mourning the loss of something that ended before it could even start…

Moments later, I put my car in reverse, turning its wheels when a familiar face appeared in my rear-view mirror. My heart jumped, and my tires screeched as I stepped hard on my brakes.

“Good day, your majesty!” The face was smiling, warm, light brown eyes stared back at me from whatever magic portal bullshit she evoked this time.

“The hell?” I hissed angrily. “I've killed others for less, Nyla.”

She gasped, her eyes widening. “I'm so sorry my king, please, forgive me.”

I didn't like speaking harshly to Nyla. She wasn't just the high priestess's right hand, she was a friendly acquaintance. Kind of.

Her head was bowed. “I… I just needed to pass a message urgently. The high priestess sent me.”

An exasperated sigh escaped me. “You have a phone, use it.”

She raised her head, frowning. “Your majesty, those things are hard to navigate.”

I gave her a pointed look, “I'm centuries older than you and I can use modern technology, Nyla.”

She laughed a little. “But that's because you have to pretend you're young. I don't have to, I'll be dead in a few years anyway.”

More like in fifty years? She was only sixty. Normal wolves died naturally at one hundred and twenty.

“So what was it that couldn't wait?” I asked impatiently.

“I bring message from the moon goddess,” she said, her tone taking a serious edge.

My hackles rose. “What is it?”

“That girl… she unsettles the goddess.”

My brows furrowed. “How so?”

“Since the first day you met that girl, the goddess has been restless because she thought the girl might have been the one we've been searching for,” Nyla sighed. “But she couldn't see into the girl's past, she couldn't even see the day the girl was born. The goddess went as far as looking into the girl's celestial realm and it blocked her.”

“Blocked her?”

“Yes. It had such a strong force that it was impenetrable even the goddess was powerless against it.”

That… that didn't sound good.

But Saphielle looked like an ordinary omega. Was she so beautiful that she looked extraordinary? Yes. But I'd been in close contact with her, and I didn't sense any powerful or bad energy.

“Perhaps the goddess is wrong?” I mean, she had been wrong in the past.

Nyla scoffed. “I've been following you since you drove that girl from your house—she had no scent.”

“I fucking knew it!” I knew I wasn't imagining things.

She eyed me like I was crazy. “That's not something to be happy about.”

“I never said I was.”

She sighed. “Scentless wolves don't exist. Only happened once, thousands of years ago and we all know how that ended—”

“Yeah, he was a vengeful mountain lion disguised as one of us to eliminate our king but Saphielle's not like that.”

It was crazy. I was defending a girl I'd only just met. A girl, who no doubt, hated me.

Nyla waved her hand dismissively, “We can't be so sure which is why the goddess will continue to keep an eye on the girl and she wants you to stay away from her.”

I had already made up my mind to do that but that didn't stop me from getting defensive. “Why?”

I hated it when Nyla gave me that stare—the one that said she could see right through me.

“What?” I snapped, a bit irritated or it was probably agitation.

“You don't think we haven't noticed how you behave around her?”

“There's no ‘how I behave around her,’” I argued. “I've only ever spoken to her three times.”

“And that's enough to see everything,” she said pointedly and then blew a breath. “We are trying to be careful, Your Majesty. We can tell the girl has piqued your interest but you can't afford that now. We have one more year until the curse ruins you and turns all wolves feral forever. One year to either break this curse or doom us all to extinction.”