Rejecting Azrael | ✔️

CH 12: Too Close

"What?! You're training Azrael?! Seriously?" Desiraé squeaked.

I groaned, exasperated. "You don't have to repeat it, but yes, I am."

Naomi grinned mischievously in the Skype call, her hand under her chin as she laid sprawled on her queen sized bed. "I wonder if romance will bloom between you two, that would be so cute and-"

"-be so cheating."  Sierra said, jumping right in to cut off Naomi's sentence.

Naomi pouted, "What? C'mon! Think about it!"

"Sierra is right, even though she is a pain in the ass. Coco has Cornelius, she can't have Azrael." Desiraé explained, curling her hair.

Before Sierra could respond, Desiraé made a sound. "Mother fucker, this is so annoying. It takes forever for my hair to dry. Do you girls know how long it takes for black peoples hair to dry and do?! Appreciate us!"

We all laughed with Desiraé, immediately forgetting the subject of Azrael.

***

"No, no! Look at my hands! You always have to look at your opponents hands, Azrael. Hands are a valuable asset and if you use your eyes wisely, you'll be able to see their next move." I explained, showing him.

Azrael kept nodding his head, eyes peered at me as I demonstrated. He soon followed my movement, his actions exactly like mine.

I was impressed, a smile gracing my lips. At the last second, his angle was a bit off.  I stepped closer to him and held his arm where it needed to be. Not knowing that my face was just a few milimetters away from his.

His face turned and I felt him suck in a breath softly. I jumped back quickly, surprised. My heart skipped a beat but I tried to play it off cool by slapping his arm up. He re-focused, doing the moves perfectly.

Watching him from the sidelines now, a thought came into mind...

What was that?

***

Heading inside for a quick break, I'm searching the cabinets when an arm wraps around my waist. I jerked in surprise, but relaxed when I recognized his smell. Giggling, I whisper, "Shouldn't you be somewhere else today, Cornelius?"

I heard him sigh blissfully, "Yes, but I missed you. We were supposed to have a day together, but you were training that... boy... today."

I frowned, sensing that something wasn't right.

"Yes, but we can always be together at school or some other day! I promise, once the training is over with him, our lives will go back to normal." I declared, convincing myself in the process.

He nods, muttering in a uneasy tone. "Are you positive? I feel as though you're slipping away from me ever since he came along."

Nervousness creeped up on my skin, my heart running downstream. No one knows that Azrael and I are mates, no one. Perhaps I was being careless and my behavior was showing that there was something more going on between Azrael and I.

I turn around in Cornelius's arms, forcing his face to look down at me.

"Yes, I'm absolutely positive our lives will go back to normal. There is nothing and I mean nothing... going on between Azrael and I."

"Then can we make a promise to prove that?"

Letting go of his face, my hands land on his chest, "Such as...?"

"This."

Cornelius cupped my face and kissed me. His lips were rough yet soft at the same time, devouring me. I gasped in shock, struggling and trying to push him off me but his grip was so strong.

Finally breaking the kiss, I looked down.

He tried to search for my eyes but I wouldn't let him.

"Cornelius... you said you were going to save your first kiss for your real mate. What will she do when she finds out what you've done?" I asked in a solemn protest.

He shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me anymore. She isn't coming by any soon. Besides, we should be celebrating. We just had our first kisses with one another."

Or not... since my real first kiss was taken by my actual mate; Azrael. I thought.

I nodded, still unsure.

When he cupped my cheek again to kiss me once more, a voice entered the kitchen.

The one I know very well.

"Coco, can we-" he paused, not saying anything as he stared at the scene in front of him.

Alarmed and embarrassed, I pushed Cornelius off me, trying to fix my hair when Cornelius held me captive from the kiss earlier.

Azrael's expression changed from cheerful to dark instantly, but maybe it was only me that could tell. Cornelius didn't get the hint of stopping since he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, his question sounding throughout the air.

"Hey there new kid. Could you please knock next time? I'm having a moment with my girlfriend... here." He said, pausing on the word girlfriend.

My mate's jaw clenched, his eyes landing on mind. His expression seemed so broken and hopeless, but he managed a forceful smile.

"Sure thing man, sorry to interrupt your moment. Coco, I think we're done with training, right? See you tomorrow."

I didn't get a chance to answer before he jogged upstairs and disappeared from sight.

Excusing myself from Cornelius, I bid a goodnight to follow after him. Cornelius sounded somehow coy, pleased with what happened.

As I walked past Azrael's room, I could have swore I heard heart-wenching sobs and whimpers of a grown male wolf.