[36] Cold

Massie slowly circled the dessert table, pensive as she considered all the options. Normally she didn't take long to choose dessert. Today would be the exception, and it was connected to the wereman a few tables away who was getting a second helping of food. His withdrawal from her made her seek treats, as though eating something sweet would somehow transfer that sweetness to him.

When Sebastian came to pick her up for dinner, she had made sure to dress casually in jeans and an average blouse. She refrained from dressing over-the-top, having a mild inkling that if she did he would misread it as doing it for Stevens.

His awareness of the truth regarding recent events did not simmer his anger. The stiffness around her and the mask of indifference he carried was proof of that. He did, however, show something akin to satisfaction when he noted the hickey he gave her was not hidden with makeup or a scarf.

Silence had enveloped them all the way to dinner. Sebastian didn't seem to mind their lack of conversation, in fact he looked rather unbothered and detached. He refrained from touching her until they reached the entrance of the food area. There he felt inclined to hold her hand.

Massie picked a slutty brownie from the selections, deciding the layered variety suited her taste buds. She recalled the Cult's reaction the moment they noticed the hickey on her neck.

"A hickey, Sebastian?" Jordan's mouth dropped. His voice was full of surprise and question.

"My, my. You've exceeded my expectations. Who knew you could be such a convincing fiancé!" Noah congratulated, not missing a beat. He grinned wolfishly, implying he believed something deeper was going on than what was shown at surface.

Jayden had appeared surprised too—his eyebrows rose a full centimeter. He continued munching on his food as he stared. His expression of one who were looking at a weird math equation that worked out but wasn't sure how the answer came to be.

Sebastian had merely shrugged and carried her away to get food. He let her go on the line first, hovering behind her like a massive protective dog that wouldn't leave their owner until they were out of harm's way.

Massie picked a handful of strawberries and dipped them in the running chocolate fountain. When she was on the last one, she looked over her shoulder. Unsurprisingly, Sebastian was staring at her, only half of his plate full from the food he selected so far. She couldn't help but notice that ever since he used the power of alpha over her there was a distinct awareness of him. At first she glazed over it, but when she was alone in their room waiting for him to get her for dinner, she had a few seconds of foreknowledge that he was nearby before he actually opened the door. She wondered if that had anything to do with their new connection.

It seemed her alone on the dessert table seemed safe enough to him, so he returned his attention to the buffet before him. She recalled how at the table, Sebastian declared they would depart tomorrow after lunch. She didn't expect to be so relieved at the news, but to be frank she was tired of Everglades and the problems it caused her. The trip here was suppose to make her relationship with Sebastian more solid, not strained.

"Massie!" Someone called, making her almost drop the cup of mousse she was adding to her plate. "You're already on dessert? We just got here."

The purple eyed beauty turned to the source and smiled, instantly recognizing Blair. The other two were right behind her.

"Your people are so punctual, no one actually comes to dinner on time." Ruby drawled, yawning.

Massie shrugged. "The pack is like that. Sebastian takes everything they tell him seriously. We also had nothing else to do, they're all looking forward to go back home."

"We would probably come on time if weren't for Stevens." Raven jutted in. "He always comes late so we try to see if he will sit with us or not."

Massie didn't comment on the fact it seemed as though he were always unavailable for them. In the mornings they were in the spa. Then pool in the afternoon. Dinner time he also wasn't with them. What time did he actually give these girls? They seemed to be finding ways to entertain themselves each day until he decided to spare them a few minutes.

"I'm going to check out the drink options until he gets here." Ruby declared, stepping away from them.

Only she didn't. Massie saw her bypass the drinks area and go to the regular food one. She took a plate and joined the almost empty line, deciding to cut in right next to Sebastian.

Raven tutted. "Look at her, she has no shame. She saw you guys arguing earlier near the pool and now thinks she has a chance. Disgusting."

Blair seemed more surprised at Ruby brashness. "Aren't you going to stop her?"

Massie shrugged, noncommittal. She couldn't necessarily accuse her of trying to get to her man by only getting a plate. And even if she was... "Poor girl doesn't know what she's getting into."

Ruby puffed her chest out to make her breasts more visible. Sure enough, the moment she tried to have a conversation with him he merely looked at her with distaste. The inviting hand she had placed on his shoulder was glared at and swiftly plucked off. He went from his place of previous solitude and strode back to the table with the Cult.

Ruby appeared aghast at his open dismissal of her, her flirty smile now gone.

Blair gave a low whistle. "Damn."

Raven laughed. "Serves her right. Now she's gonna come here and be all fake. Pretend she just wanted to be friends with your man. Talking about how she just suddenly became hungry."

Massie laughed with them.

"Lovely ladies, I'm glad to see you all in a good mood this evening."

Massie felt her smile wane at Stevens' joining. He was dressed nicely, wearing a blue dress shirt that highlighted his blue eyes with a white tie. He looked like he came fresh from a business meeting.

Raven's eyes lighted with joy. She immediately went to his side and looped an arm around his. "We are. Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

Stevens placed a comforting hand over hers. "I can't. Today I have to sit with a couple of business partners I invited." His eyes maneuvered to Massie, eating her up from head to toe.

His attention felt uncomfortable, like tiny ants crawling all over her. A sensuous smile weaved through his lips. "Unless... one of our visitors decides to sit with us. Then I would be equally obligated to join."

Massie was not ignorant of his implications. He was suggesting she go sit with them and he would grace the girls with his presence. Raven frowned, she got the gist of what he was saying and was none too pleased. Suddenly, Massie felt the awareness seep in again. Glancing at her left, she viewed Sebastian eying them with an accusing glare. He was probably thinking the worst.

Massie pulled her wandering hair behind her neck, letting her hickey into open view. Stevens was quick to notice. "How about you bring the girls with you to the business table." Massie suggested, sliding her way out of this one. The annoyed stare Stevens gave to her neck made her feel oddly empowered.

You have zero chance of ever getting my attention.

Why was he even trying with all these beautiful girls around him? Men like him would never be satisfied. They will always want more and more, finding way too much enjoyment in acquiring many girls.

"Yes! That sounds like a great idea!" Raven supported.

"Ladies have no place at a business table."

Raven lifted a brow, offended. "Excuse me."

Stevens sighed, finally facing her to give her his full attention and save what was clearly an offensive comment.

Deciding she's had enough of this conversation, and enough of Sebastian's withering glare. Massie slipped away before she got dragged into it. Blair caught wind of this and gave her a silent parting wave. As much as she enjoyed hanging out with those girls, their connection with Stevens keeps getting her into trouble. She caught sight of Ruby pretending to be engrossed by food at another table. Massie decidedly ignored her, girls like her were insecure and always felt the need to validate their beauty by enticing taken men. It was kind of weird though, how she approached Sebastian like that all flirty.

Sebastian's glare did not diminish until she was in her seat next to him. Those golden eyes burn her until finally she gave him an annoyed look. It's not like she invited Stevens over there, he hadn't even touched her. Notwithstanding, the dark aura around him was so palpable that the rest of the table noticed. Even Noah—ever the one to make jokes—wisely remained silent. He ate his food with a knowing smile, wiggling his eyebrows at her when he felt Sebastian wasn't looking.

Massie was conflicted between laughing and wanting to smack him in the head. In the end, she smiled. Noah's humor is what she needed before dinner was over and she headed back to the room with her fuming beast.

Massie looked at the new addition to their room with clear distaste. It hadn't been there before they left for dinner. Somehow, in the hour they had left someone came and placed it there.

She didn't just dislike it, she detested it.

The addition was a queen sized bed. It even looked softer than the one Sebastian had, with fluffier sheets and feather light pillows. It sent promises of sweet dreams and comfortable sleep.

Massie could careless about its promises, she had been looking forward to the man in the bed, not the bed in of itself. She leveled an accusing glare at the tall man on the other side. He was grabbing some clothes to take with him before he entered the bathroom to shower. Sensing he was purposely ignoring her, she cleared her throat to draw his attention.

Rather than look at her, he started heading to the vacant bathroom. Massie stopped him before he entered. "You said you wouldn't be ordering an extra bed!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Sebastian pushed her aside. He managed to successfully move her out of the way and enter the bathroom. Before closing the door, he leveled his eyes with hers. "Obviously, I changed my mind. When I come out I'm going straight to sleep. You can shut the lights off if you want. Good night." He closed the door to her face, leaving her red-faced and baffled.

The nerve!

An overwhelming urge to punch something came upon her. She paced the bedroom a few times before changing into the first set of pajamas she could lay her hands on. She ended up grabbing the shirt Sebastian gave her last night, but in her fury she threw it across to his side of the room, choosing her short crop top instead.

I dare you to say something to me.

Not that he would notice. She would be under the covers by the time he came out. Lights out and everything. She was growing increasingly tired of his nonsense and didn't want to bother reasoning things with him. Not right now with her blood boiling so hot. She knew she would say something, it would piss him off and make him pull away even more.

She tied her hair into a loose bun before flicking the switch off and drowning the room in darkness. Much like yesterday, the only light to be seen was a faint glow from the moon. The bed was as comfortable as it made itself out to be, it molded to her body and made her feel like she was laying on a cloud.

Except her body refused to sleep.

Her body tensed when she heard him come out. She knew he had purposely taken longer than necessarily to ensure she had sufficient time to change and go into bed. He was shirtless. The sinews of his back teased her as walked right past her without as much as a glance. He leaned down and grabbed the t-shirt she had haphazardly thrown at his side, lifting it and shoving it into his bag.

His moves were silent as he slid under the covers to sleep. Massie forced her eyes to close. She had to stop staring at him, had to stop following his every move. Otherwise she would be waiting for him to stop his silent rage and come over to her. It wasn't going to happen, not tonight after all that occured.

Her plan seemed foolproof: sleep tonight and wake up to a new morning. He couldn't stay angry for long, could he? For the next half hour or so she continued to force her body to sleep, but there was one thing she hadn't taken into account before.

It was bloody freezing!

One night got her used to the warmth of Sebastian's body. Even though this bed was as comfortable as anything, her body shook under the thick blankets. The room felt colder than it had yesterday. Did these people like to sleep in refrigerators? What was wrong with them! The next few minutes consisted of her mentally convincing herself she was fine. She could handle this for a night. This was nothing.

Except it wasn't. There was no way she'd be able to sleep like this.

Massie peered to Sebastian's bed. His breathing sounded even, his chest rising in rhythm. How dare he sleep so comfortably while she was still over here freezing to death. Stupid werewolf genes. She continued to stare, an idea flashing in her head. Surely... he had to be asleep. An hour passed already. If she was silent and stayed to the side, she would be able to feed off the warmth he naturally emitted and be fine. By morning time there was nothing he could do, anger issues be damned.

With calculated movements, she slowly slid off the bed. Instantly the temperature of the room on her bare body chilled her to the bones. While the thick blankets hadn't warmed her, they were a considerable barrier. Massie tip-toed her way to Sebastian's mattress, sighing in relief when he hadn't moved an inch.

She reached the covers at the very edge to quietly slide beneath, but before she could a growl stopped her in warning. Massie squeaked in surprise, she thought he was sound asleep!

"What do you think you're doing," he hissed, threatening.

Her body shivered, and she wasn't sure she could place the full blame on the cold. His words were just as biting at the temperature. "I'm freezing Sebastian! You're being a selfish wolf keeping all the warmth to yourself!" She accused, her body continuing to shake in the frigid air.

"Go back to your bed," he ordered, unwavering.

Massie groaned in irritation, this man was being impossible. "I won't touch you," she promised, hoping to placate any thoughts he had of her intentions. For a moment he was silent. "Please," she begged. "I really am just cold."

She heard him spout a disbelieving huff but noticed he moved further to the edge to give her some room. "If I so much as feel a finger on my person, I will make no hesitation to kick you off this bed, understood?" His tone was that of no nonsense and Massie couldn't help but like how he sounded with that half-asleep voice, no matter how mean his words were.

"Yes Sebby, I promise." She complied, climbing onto the bed. It was a miracle he even let her in. Immediately she felt warmth envelope her in a lovely embrace, sizzling away all the cold that had seeped in.

She fell asleep in under twenty minutes. Unlike the previous night, she did not wake up in the middle of the night to his comforting arms around her—he did not move an inch from his spot. As a matter of fact, he woke up earlier than she did, and did not bother to address her until he was fully dressed and ready to go.

He's still angry.

With half-lidded eyes, she grabbed some clothes and entered the bathroom. Why couldn't he get over things the way she did? Today would be a long day.

Last night, Sebastian hadn't slept a wink. He had been too tense, his muscles so heavily constricted as he forced himself to not turn around and bring Massie into his arms. She had been so close to him, too close for comfort. He should've known better than to indulge his lesser senses and gotten so close to her. Now, like an addict who's gone long without their candy, he wanted more. Much more.

He grabbed her hand as they reached a more public area. The touch brought some relief to him, and when his eyes briefly flickered to the ring on her index finger it made him even calmer. Even so, he was still simmering with controlled rage, and it all had to do with her. He should have been more careful around her and stuck with his original plan—no females until he graduated. In high school they were much too immature, too foolish, too—

Beautiful.

He shook his head at the thought. No, too reckless. He was mad at her for making him feel these strong emotions, the ones that wanted to be near her all the time. He was mad at her for making him feel a sinister desire whenever other weremen got too close to her with romantic intentions. He was mad at her for making him feel so conflicted whenever she got too close. She was rash, touching him and igniting things she shouldn't within him. And to top it all off, he was mad at her for having him use the power of alpha without knowing what it entailed.

It made this new bond between them feel so fake.

When he envisioned her asking him, he had expected her to know exactly what she was getting into. Instead, she asked him on a whim, merely curious with no knowledge whatsoever of what she was getting into. It was in his power to release her of the bond she started. He had contemplated it all night. His heart clenched too tightly at the thought.

No.

This action of hers angered him the most because now he couldn't even do the right thing. There was no way he would release her. He didn't want to, and this vixen was even evil enough to say she didn't mind. It destroyed the slight possibility he had of revoking this. His eyes unbiddenly fell to her with a glare.

Must be nice to be able to sleep so soundly. She had no idea of the monster in her bed.