Valerie

Chapter Fourteen

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In which hatred consumes her.

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I had to hide my shaking hands as I followed Aeneas up to our bedroom after breakfast. "They hate me," I said, laying down on my back.

"You handled it with grace. I'm proud of you."

"That's not what I said." I shifted onto my stomach and looked up at him from between my lashes. "They hate me. Aren't you afraid?"

He scoffed, sending a hearty laugh rippling through his chest. It made me feel....out of sorts. I didn't like it. I didn't. But I was afraid that if I didn't repeat it to myself, it would no longer be true.

"I can protect my mate. So what is there to fear?" He sat down next to me, and set a hand on his back. His fingers worked into the knots of my muscles. "I'm not afraid, not even a little bit," he said. My stomach seized up with something unfamiliar and unwelcome. I don't like it, I told myself. I already knew it wasn't quite true. If we stayed like this, then we'd get wrapped up in each other. I hadn't kissed him yet, but he was growing impatient, I could feel it. He ran his fingers down my back, which gained him a shiver every single time he did it.

"I'll be busy the next few days. You'll move between the education center and the facility. I want the bulk of it done before your birthday." His thumb worked lower, closer to my behind.

"What about my birthday?"

"We're going to celebrate it, of course. A large celebration. You also need to meet my mother and my cousins. My favorites at least. Peytr can rot." His fingers worked into glutes. I curled onto my side and watched his face fall.

"We're going somewhere," I said.

"Which can wait.

"But then you'd expect something from me." My chest rose and fell. He made me too dizzy for my liking. "Which you won't be getting."

"So I'll be giving?"

"No." I stood up and put on my shoes. He had a self-satisfied smile on his face. He thought he'd wound me up, that I was as frustrated as he was. He may have been right.

In the car, he sat beside me, even though I was told it was a security risk for us to travel together. "Is it working," he asked. "Can I see your teeth? "I opened my mouth wide. "Your canines do look a little bigger." But he pulled away with dull eyes. He was disappointed.

"Some girls never shift," I said, gentle, but he picked up on the tiniest hint of glee in my words and grew defensive.

"You'll shift." He had a rough edge to his voice. "We'll make sure of it."

"And if it hurts too much? We'll keep doing the sessions until I break?"

His hard stare caught me off-guard. "You'll shift."

Dr. Breeves sat with us in his office. "I think we're getting somewhere."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Aeneas cut in before me, as werewolves always do. In this moment, I resented him for it. "Her teeth certainly don't say so."

"Luna. Have you had a menses?"

"Was I...I supposed to?"

The doctor's eyebrows lifted. "I'm aware that human females are expected to have a cycle. Unless you're saying you never had one, to which I'd have to update your file because-"