The Ritual To The Beast | ✓

Chapter 20: Fist Fight

Chapter 20

"I love you." Thane whispered and I felt as if ice was poured down my back.

I suddenly jolted away from him, far enough for his hands to fall from my waist. "W-w-what?" I stammered in surprise and bewilderment.

"You heard me." He took my right hand in his and fiddled with the ring he gave me when I arrived here.

"Thane, you love me?" I asked in incredibility, "How could you...I mean it's only been a month."

"That doesn't matter to me." He gave me a weak smile and I knew he was hurt.

"Love?" I squeaked. "Are you sure?" I covered my face with my hands in frustration because I liked Thane so much that it sometimes overwhelmed me but did I love him? I didn't have an answer for that and I felt like if I can't answer that question myself then how could I possibly tell him my feelings.

He pulled my hands away from my face, "Yes I'm sure." He chuckled and brought my gaze back to the ring on my finger, "When I gave you this ring, it was for two reasons. One you already know as my promise to marry you and secondly I gave it to you because I knew from then that I was in love with you. You're my mate, how could I not." He laughed.

"But you didn't even know me back then." Was my lame response.

"I did. It may have been a few days but I payed attention to every single detail about you. To the way you crinkle your nose when you're confused to the way you unconsciously feel safer whenever I'm around you to the way you bite your lip in concentration. You hate whenever the room's messy, you like the crust of your bread cut off and you think I don't catch you smiling at me whenever I'm in my office working but I do. You're everything I could want in a mate sweetheart and I could go on on about you." His eyes crinkled as he smiled.

"You know for an alpha you're pretty mushy." I nervously laughed.

"Only for you babe." He winked before he adopted a serious expression. "I know you don't feel the way I do-"

"I do. I really like you Thane, I'm in this through thick and thin but I'm not sure about the 'L' word..." I trailed off.

That earned me a genuine smile from him, "Let me rephrase then. I know you don't feel as strongly as I do just yet." He added in the last two words when I glared at him. "But I wouldn't take it back because it's how I feel and I had to tell you. However I don't expect you to rush into your feelings and say it back. The last thing I want to do is pressure you into feeling the same way for me. When and if you ever feel the same way, I want you to mean it with conviction and without prejudice. I won't repeat it until then though because I could tell you feel uncomfortable."

"You never fail to surprise me, you know that." I beamed up at him.

"One of my many talents." He answered as he pulled me to him, closing the distance between the both of us physically and metaphorically.

I giggled as he crushed his lips onto mine in possession but slowly subsided into a passionate lip lock.

~~~

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed since Thane left bright and early to meet up the young wolves from yesterday. The one who initiated it, Blake, Thane wanted to meet with him to both scold him in only the way an alpha can and help him out in training because his initiative showed great potential for a future pack warrior.

I quickly showered and went down to the main floor to find Bailey since Thane practically banned me from the infirmary until further notice. He even left a guard outside the door to prevent me from entering.