14. Of broken Doors and clingy Lions.

I woke up to a pair of golden eyes. I didn't jump off the bed in fear this time. I stayed there staring back at him in silence.

He crept closer and nudged me with his nose when he realized I wasn't going to react to him. I took a deep breath and let my fingers finally feel the silk oh his mane. He leaned into my touch.

"Hey" I whispered, my voice heavy from sleep "You're back"

He settled comfortably next to me.

"It's not weekend though" I thought out loud "Don't you have a job to keep?"

He only let out a throaty growl in response.

Okay! Arthur did something. He did something to drive his animal to the forefront. The beast refuses to leave me. He wouldn't even let me take a bath. He watched me as I brushed my teeth, he waited patiently for me to finish my breakfast and then we once again watched a movie.

I had to call Sophie and give an excuse for skipping work. He better have a good reason for making me lose money.

I was expecting him to be gone by the time I woke up from my nap. Nope, He was there, sitting on the couch, once again creepily watching me like I would disappear if he blinks.

"That's it" I stood up from the couch "As much as I prefer you to your human, my bladder does not agree with me. You need to relax and let go of whatever is agitating you. What can I do to make you feel better Arthur?"

I sighed when all he did was roar back in response. Spirits! I hope Mrs. Jones lost her hearing aid again.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Arthur's office. I asked for Keith at the reception. He came up a few seconds later.

"Take him away" were my first desperate words to Keith as Arthur calmly looked on.

"He's with you" He responded mechanically. It wasn't an enquiry. He was simply confirming his doubt.

"His animal" I said curling my toes and gritting my jaws together.

"He'll come around" The effing bull replied like it was none of his business.

"You don't understand" I pleaded "Listen, just do something okay" I said shifting from one foot to another "He isn't letting me go out of his sight even for a moment. I am desperate here. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I effing hope the bull gets my point without me having to be more embarrassed.

"He'll come around" he repeated.

That's it.

"Which part of I f*cking need to pee didn't you f*cking get?" I yelled and threw the phone onto one of the couches.

The beast let out a bored yawn before settling back to go back to his favourite activity......staring at me.

I stood there for five more minutes, letting him relax. Once I knew he was comfortable, I jumped on my feet and dashed upstairs. I knew I had to be fast with my plan. I skipped to my bedroom out of habit and closed the door as fast as I could. I then rushed to the washroom and shut it too. I could hear the beast slamming onto the bedroom door.

I know I can't save my doors from the beast but really, can you blame me? Between the doors and your dignity, what would you chose? Yeah! I chose my dignity too.

By the time the beast broke down the washroom door, I was washing my hands, all safe and alive. My bladder wasn't killing me when I turned to glare at the roaring lion.

Whoa! Look at him getting all angry and violent as if I was the one breaking two extremely costly doors in someone else's house.

"You are getting that fixed" I pointed at the doors to him before walking out of the room with him in tow, this time closer.

Needless to say, I starved for the rest of the day and didn't let a single drop of water pass my throat. By the time I was in bed, I was ready to murder someone. And that someone has a name. And that name starts with an 'A'.

Oh! Do I need to put it out there that he watched me sleep? He did. It was way past midnight when he finally left my side most probably to go for a hunt.

I hate Arthur Leoline, the human not the animal.

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We sat in silence facing each other on opposite couches the next evening after work. I should say something. Probably yell at him for making me stay at home all day. That's what we usually do, don't we?

"I'm sorry" he started. My eyes snapped to him "for the inconvenience I caused you yesterday and for making you skip work"

"You skipped work too" I found myself saying.

No damn it, you should have taken advantage of his apology. But then he looks so drained out of life and energy that I didn't have the heart to start a fight over yesterday's inconvenience. Am I pitying the devil?

"Yeah!" He sighed rubbing his face with his palm "I couldn't shift back. I got the doors fixed by the way"

I nodded in acknowledgement "Does that happen often?" I asked "Not being able to shift back?"

He shook his head "It has started happening after I took the decision of breaking the bond. He feels threatened"

So this is just the beginning. His animal isn't going to let go without a fight.

"What happened on the date?" I asked him.

He shrugged "Nothing much"

Arthur makes it look like the government demands tax on every word we speak.

"Something must have happened that made your animal feel threatened" I insisted.

"We talked"

I scoffed "Just talk?"

He narrowed his eyes at me "What do you want to know?"

"Did you kiss her?"

What the f*ck is wrong with me? Who asks someone that? How's that my business?

"How's that your business?" he voiced my words.

"I get paid to make that my business" I defended myself. Yep that's the right argument.

"Ah!" he nodded "Ms. Matchmaker"

"That's me"

He chuckled "Didn't your little birdie inform you already?"

My face heated up. I told Alice to be discrete.

"Did you?"

"Did I what?" he frowned.

"Kiss her"

"Spirits! Woman. No" he sighed, defeated "I don't go around kissing people on first dates"

"Then why is your animal feeling threatened?"

He sat up straight and cleared his throat. All the irritation and laze swiped away from his now grim face.

"We talked" he repeated.

"I got that" I gritted my jaws together "What did you talk?"

He looked away, his eyes fixed on something behind me "I told her I won't beat around the bush when we both knew what we were there for"

"Why would you do that?" I frowned "She's your best friend. It's not just about getting together. You have...."

"Oh cut the crap" he glared at me "I had no contact with the woman for almost fifteen years. She's as good as a stranger to me. She's not my high school crush anymore. She is a new person with a lifetime of experience without me. I don't know her"

I blinked trying to understand him. He has a point.

"If I'm doing this," he leaned forward "then I'll do this my way. Do you understand me?"

I nodded mutely.

"Good" he continued "I told her my mate isn't dead"

"Of course you will have to tell her the truth if you want to marry her" I agreed with him when I realized I couldn't reason with him "But you should have at least given her something to like about you before showing her the disadvantages"

"This isn't a game we are playing to win Amelia" he replied "This is my life. If I want an honest partner, I will have to be honest with her right from the beginning. I don't want us to lie and hide things from each other"

It felt like a slap to my face. Us. He said us. He never used us for me.

What the f*ck is wrong with me? Why am I trying to compete with her? He's planning on marrying her. Of course he's going to treat her better. She's his future.

"Right" I muttered feeling bewildered at my own insecurities "What did she say?"

"She asked why I was doing this" he answered "I told her this was your idea"

"My?"

"Mate's , my mate's" he corrected himself "I told her it was my mate's idea. I told her you and I can't be together and that you want freedom from the bond"

"What did she say?"

"She asked me if that's what I want too" I held my breath, eagerly waiting for his answer "I told her it took me a while but I now agree with you. I think we have both suffered enough. It's getting unbearable now"

I would be lying if I said that didn't hurt, the fact that I'm making him this miserable. It did hurt but it's the truth. We both need this. In fact he needs this more than I do. He's a predator after all. I have only dreamt of a love, he must have dreamt of a soulmate all his life. This must have hurt him more than it did me.

I curled my toes, dug my hands into the couch's flesh and smiled at him "This will be over soon"

He looked away without acknowledging my support "She asked me if she could meet you"

"You didn't tell her did you?"

He shook his head "I told her it will violate your privacy. You don't want to be known as my mate"

"What happened then?"

"I told her because you can't break the bond, I'll have to be the one breaking it and unless I break the bond, I wouldn't be able to be serious about her, to think of a future with her" He explain "I requested her to consider doing it the way the people in the past used to do it"

I frowned "How?"

"They used to mark their mates as soon as they found them, too scared of separation. There was no getting comfortable with each other. You have a lifetime to learn about each other after the connection is established"

"That sounds weird" I wouldn't ever do it if someone suggested.

He shrugged "I don't have a choice"

"Okay!" I raised both my hands in surrender "this is officially out of my hands. Like this is crazy and so fast. Don't tell me she said yes"

"She said she'll consider it" he replied watching me "She had her own list of troubles to worry about"

"Whoa!" I exclaimed "You predators are such a disappointment to Mia's fantasies. That's not how you propose to a woman you are about to spend a lifetime with Arthur"

"I didn't propose to her" he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yes you did" I nodded fervently "That too on your first date"

"Hold on" He scrunched his nose and raised a hand for me to stop talking "Someone's coming"

I jumped up from my seat "Please tell me it's either Mia or Keith" Predators have sharper senses so I have to rely on him since the scent isn't close enough for me to recognize.

He stood up too "No. It's your brother"

"You know my brother's scent?" I asked him trying to usher him towards the door "That's creepy"

"He's already here. I can't walk out of that door" He stopped me "And no, it's not creepy. I had to get myself familiar with the scent of the males around you so I don't kill then by accident"

"What do we do then?" I swayed on my heels anxiously "It's all your fault"

"How's it my fault that he came unannounced?"

"If you can come here whenever you please like you own this place then he's my brother, of course he can come unannounced" I said "You should go hide in the washroom. No the closet will be better. It will cover a little of your scent"

"It won't work" He declared not moving an inch.

The doorbell took that moment to go off.

"What am I supposed to tell him then?" I asked desperately.

Harvey was also impatient on the other side of the door. Of course he is. Arthur's scent is everywhere in this house.

"Just open the damn door before he breaks it" Arthur rubbed his temple.

I prayed to the spirits one last time before throwing the door open to face my agitated twin.

"Hello brother" I grinned awkwardly

"Are you okay?" he asked

"Of course I'm totally fine. Why are you here though? Don't you have bones to put back together?"

Harvey responded to it by flying past me and looking around before his eyes landed firmly on Arthur.

"Umm.....this is my bodyguard"

Arthur nodded in agreement before putting his hand forward "Her bodyguard"

"Arthur Leoline is your bodyguard?" Harvey sneered at Arthur "You must be super rich sis"

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