☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

My eyes are puffy and my mouth dry when I wake the next morning. A tray holding a glass of water and a bowl of chopped fruit is on the floor by my bed. I eat it slowly and then reluctantly use the toilet, grateful that I am alone.

I lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling, thinking about what I am going to say to Caesar when I next see him. We clearly need to talk, because this is not going to work between us.

Ismena comes and visits me. She sits on the ground in front of my cell and crosses her legs.

'I can't believe what happened last night,' she says. 'I have never seen someone speak like that to Caesar and live.'

I look down at my hands, feeling uncomfortable. I don't know what to say.

Your brother is a dick?

'It's a really big deal, disrespecting him in front of the pack like that. He takes respect very seriously because, without the respect of his pack members, he could be overthrown.'

I hadn't thought of it like that.

'He needs the respect and loyalty of the pack. In his position, he can't afford to be vulnerable. Our pack has enemies that would love to see him fall. But, on the other hand, I can't believe that he put his own mate in the cells, on the first day you met!'

She shakes her head in disbelief. 'I told him that he needs to come apologise, but he's so stubborn.'

I smile at that. I'm not apologising either. It seems we have something in common; our stubbornness.

'Will you apologise, Camisa?' She asks. 'Please? He has been in an awful mood last night. He barely spoke through dinner after you were gone and he has been grouchy all morning.'

'Apologise for what?'

'Swearing at him in front of the pack!'

'The only way I will apologise is if he apologises for the way he spoke to me and grabbed at me, for assuming that I wanted to share a room with him and for not respecting my time or space.'

Ismena grimaces. 'That might be a problem.'

'I'm not apologising, then.'

She sighs heavily and looks up at the ceiling, as if silently asking the Moon Goddess for answers. There's no point asking her, this is the same deity that thought Caesar Drakos and I would be a good match.

Ismena stays a little longer and then leaves. She brings me back a book before she goes off to work. I would be so bored if she hadn't brought me something to read.

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Heavy footsteps distract me from the passage I am reading in the book. I know straight away that they belong to Caesar. It's like my body is perfectly attuned to his, I recognise him instantly.

I don't look up from the pages, but his tantalising scent seeps through the bars and reaches me.

'Camisa.'

The husky way he says my name has goosebumps rising on my skin. I close the book and put it down. Reluctantly, I drag my eyes up to meet his.

He looks annoyingly attractive. His face is impassive but I can spot the tension in his shoulders. The way his jaw is clenched gives away his anything-but-relaxed persona.

'Are you ready to apologise?' He asks tightly.

Is this bitch for real?

'Nope. Are you?'

He remains silent, but his Adam's apple bobs in his throat.

'I would have thought your time in the cells would have allowed you to think about how you spoke to me,' he says somewhat condescendingly.

'I have,' I reply honestly. 'But, if you're still angry about me embarrassing you in front of your pack, I'm fresh out of fucks to give.'

His hands fist at his sides. His eyes narrow. His nostrils flare.

He reminds me of a bull ready to charge and I'm the idiot waving the red fabric in his face.

'You need to learn some respect, Camisa.'

I roll my eyes. 'You need to learn some, too. How about personal boundaries? Like don't grab my arm when I try to leave?'

'I will come back later. Hopefully, you will be feeling more agreeable then.'

I watch as he storms off. A few moments later, the door slams behind him.

What a dick.

I lay back down on the bed, but I don't pick up my book. I think over our conversation.

Am I overreacting? Am I in the wrong? Should I apologise?

I'll admit, taunting him like that was a childish move. I should have remained mature about the situation, but he's so easy to goad.

Even Richard was funny about respect. It's not just an alpha pride thing, I know it can undermine their leadership which can lead to people questioning their authority. No alpha wants that.

I guess I should have been a little more respectful. Not swearing at him would probably be a good start going forwards. But there are things he needs to apologise for, too. This should be a compromise, a mutual agreement to be different moving forward.

I read for the rest of the afternoon, waiting for Caesar to calm down and come back. He doesn't return until early evening, when the Sun is starting to set.

Warm hues are thrown across the room through my west-facing window. Caesar appears at the gate, looking significantly less annoyed than he did a few hours ago. The tension has gone from his shoulders. Instead, they're drooped slightly, as though he is tired and has given up.

He sighs and runs his hand down his face. I wait for him to speak first. He slowly meets my eyes and rubs his lips together before speaking.

'I'm sorry.'

The two words bounce around the room, shocking me with their uttered proclamation. Greeted by my silence, he continues.

'I am sorry for grabbing your arm. I am sorry for upsetting you. I never intended for you to get upset,' he says slowly, as if thinking out his words before he speaks. 'I was...wrong to make you eat with the pack on the first night. I should have given you more time to adjust.'

His words hang between us. I stare at him, letting his apology sink in. I stand from the bed, stretch out my stiff legs and then approach him. I stop just in front of the bars. He looks at me with sincere warmth that makes my stomach fuzzy.

'I'm sorry, too,' I tell him honestly. 'I should not have sworn at you, that was rude and unnecessary.'

He looks relieved by my returned apology. He punches a code into the keypad and the door hisses open. He pulls it open fully for me.

'I never thought I would lock up my mate,' he says ashamedly as I collect my book and step out of the cell. 'I'm sorry. I'm angry at myself, too.'

I'm surprised by his confession. I would have thought he would have been so pigheaded as defend his actions to the end.

'I'm sorry for overreacting, I should have dropped it and we could have talked about it later, in private, like you suggested.'

We walk side-by-side out of the building and along the pathway to his house.

'It's okay, I shouldn't have pressured you so much. It was a lot to ask of you after the day you'd had, no thanks to me.'

'Still, I was wrong to disrespect you in front of your pack.'

We arrive at his door and he turns to face me, smiling in a way that has my heart fluttering.

'I think we're both agreeing that we're sorry for yesterday,' he says, still smiling. 'Can we start over?'

I take a deep breath and nod. 'Yeah, I'd like that.'

I'm not just forgetting that he killed my alpha, but I understand that we come from completely different backgrounds, with different views on killings.

'Good, I would, too. That's why I've cooked you dinner.'

He opens the door and delicious smells reach my nose instantly. He takes me through the kitchen and serves up the mouth-watering dish he pulls from the oven.

We sit at the table, opposite to one another. I thank him for cooking and help myself to seconds of the food, it really is so good.

After we've eaten, we agree to talk some more. I feel myself wanting to explain my reaction to Richard's death.

'I'm not as comfortable with death as you. Ismena explained that capital punishment is common in your pack. It isn't with mine, at all. I am not used to someone having to give their life to pay for a crime they committed, especially a non-violent crime.'

Caesar's eyes soften as he looks at me.

'I understand that, I honestly do. I was raised differently to you. In my pack, you take responsibility for your actions, something your ex-alpha never did.'

I have to agree with him on that.

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Hey, angels! I missed you.

The weather hit a whopping 21°C (70 F) this weekend and in typical, embarrassing, white-British fashion...I burned to a crisp.

Rocking the lobster look and spending my time wincing whenever something touches my burn.

I don't know where I found the ovaries to try and sunbathe without sun cream but I'm not falling for that shit again 😅

Sun- 1, Laila- 0