For a second I stood there dumbfounded and stared at him. Of course, my mind being a dirty dark place, R-rated scenarios popped into my head. Do it. That could mean anything. The memories of his lips on mine, of his body pressed up against me, of that hard cock… I cleared my throat and pushed them away.

“I think I’m gonna need you to specify,” I told him. Logically I knew he wouldn’t want what we had in the past again. He made that very clear when he ran to Father and relaid to him exactly what kind of a disgusting rotten person I was.

“You want to hurt me, don’t you? That’s why you jumped at the chance to get me alone, right?” he said, straightening his shoulders, “You want to yell at me? Hit me? Fine, do it. I’m not scared of you,” he said while reeking of fear. One part of me, the part that still blamed him for all my troubles, couldn’t get enough of the scent, that part wanted to listen to his words and beat him bloody. I didn’t like that part of myself.

“So dramatic,” I snorted out a laugh and went to one of the boxes in the freezer. “What kind of meat did Holly want? Beef?” I asked.

Silence.

I looked up and met his confused gaze. His hands were shaking. Such a cute little rabbit cowering before a wolf… I sighed and stole an apple from one box and threw it lazily in the air. “I’m not going to punch you, you idiot.” I laughed at him, then with a bit more of a sad expression I said, “I did promise I would never hurt you didn’t I?”

He physically flinched at that. I made that promise to him in a faraway hotel room we rented for the weekend. I promised it to him right before I took his ass for a ride. Fun times.

“I don’t believe you…” he whispered.

“Why? I’m not the one who broke our promises and betrayed me,” I couldn’t help but comment.

Another flinch, this time he turned away, unable to look me in the eye, crushing the paper in his fist. “Right…” he said quietly, then turned to face me again. This time he looked angry, his eyes flashing with his wolf. “I broke them. I told everyone about your disgusting practices and I enjoyed watching them hit you, judge you, watching you get chased away like the mutt you are!” he yelled.

Ouch. I felt my chest tighten with hurt and anger. I wanted to hit him at the moment. I wanted to ask him why he did it? Why would he do something like that to me? I wanted to hear him scream as my fangs sank into his flesh. But then I noticed the look in his eyes… They were glimmering with tears, full of pain. Oh. There was no real anger anywhere. There was only fear and pain. I realized he wanted me to hit him, he was purposefully trying to make me angry. Because deep down he did feel guilty… I wondered about that in those years away from the pack. If he ever regretted what he did. I guess I had my answer. Yes, he did and he wanted me to make him pay for it. Well, he was shit out of luck.

“Disgusting practices… Last time I remember my disgusting practices made you scream and beg for more like a good little bitch.” I smirked. Oh, he went redder than the apple I threw back in the box. I stepped forward. He took a step back. “I’ll be honest with you, Hiro, I did come down here to torture you a bit since you so obviously did not want to be alone with me.” Another step forward. He took another step back. One more and he would crash into a closed box by the wall. It was just high enough to reach his ass. Oh, how perfect.

“There is something though I want to ask you.” I rushed forward. He backpedaled quickly and yelped as he hit the box. There was nowhere to run. I grabbed his arm, easily turned him around and with an evil grin I pushed him down, bending him over the box. He whimpered then bit down on his lower lip. He didn’t fight me though, the little pathetic tugs couldn’t be called fighting.

“Was it worth it?” I asked. “Was it worth it to watch the pack chase me away only because you got jealous after seeing me get it on with that random store clerk?” I wasn’t really mad, not anymore, it was simply a question. “You of course didn’t tell them you quite happily joined my disgusting practices. So you got rid of me and then what eh? Did you just spend the ten years lying and pretending to like girls?” I pressed my groin against his ass and my chest to his back, letting my breath tickle the nape of his neck. He shivered. “Was there anyone to take your pretty ass for a ride, tell me? Who was left to fuck you into oblivion?” There it was. The sweet scent of lust coming off him and he pressed his ass against me while hiding his face. “I don’t envy you…” I whispered, brushing my lips on his ear. “You stayed here and pretended and lied and denied yourself pleasure while I finally got to be free and fucked everything that moved. I guess I should be thanking you really…” I chuckled then decided I tortured him enough. It was a quite amusing thought, taking him right here, under everyone’s noses. But I didn’t want him. Not anymore. I used to be mad at him. In that first year after I left, I wished I could get the chance to rip out his throat, but I didn’t really care anymore.

I let him go and moved away. He gasped a bit at the loss and tried to reach for me, but I easily moved away. He stared at me, his eyes clouded with lust and shame, and guilt. Damn, maybe that was a bit too cruel… Still seeing him standing there all alone, trembling and breathless, with an obvious hard-on stretching the fabric of his jeans made that deep dark part of me purr happily. I picked up the piece of paper from where he let it fall to the ground and casually went around to pick up the stuff Holly wanted. I filled two smaller boxes with it and picked up one of them.

“Take the other one.” I pointed to it. He still stared at me, opening and closing his mouth as if to say something but couldn’t seem to be able to produce a single sound. I had to admit I enjoyed the desperately hungry look he shot me as I left him in the storage room all alone.

“Where’s Hiro?” Holly asked as I handed her the box, whistling happily.

“He’ll be right back.” I waved my hand to dismiss her concern. Both her and Lowell, who was helping her, gave me puzzled looks. I just smiled and offered to help with lunch.

Hiro came a few minutes later, reeking of vinegar. “Sorry, I spilled some apple cider vinegar, had to clean it,” he said as he handed Holly the box all the while pointedly avoiding looking at me. Hm… Spilled vinegar, eh? He was probably just trying to hide the scent of lust. Or spunk if he jerked off in there. Either way, he wasn’t hard anymore.

Holly of course made him help out. He looked quite miserable when she stationed him next to me to cut some carrots. I found it amusing. Did that make me an asshole? Maybe, but he did make me undesired number one in this pack. Fortunately for him, he was saved by Nikolai who made his way down the stairs with a not very happy expression on his face.

“Who put fleas in your fur?” I asked, leaving the rest of the vegetables to Hiro.

“Even after all these years, I do not know how to deal with Alistair the way Bran always did…” Nikolai sighed.

“And who can deal with him?” I grumbled.

“Your father is a complicated person,” Holly said, smiling at me. “I have known him my whole life and still don’t really understand him,” her face turned sad, “But there is one thing everyone who ever meets him agrees on. Alistair would do anything to protect his pack. No matter what his personal feelings are. The pack always comes first.”

Too bad he didn’t put at least a bit of that love into his own family.