Ember
I shouldn't have been shocked by his bossy behavior, the man did everything like it was his job to do everything- regardless of whether or not you wanted him to do everything. But it wasn't until he was hauling out my suitcase and throwing open my drawers that it dawned on me: today was October thirty-first and there was going to be a full moon tonight. Full moons made werewolves liable to explode at the slightest of transgressions, it would explain why Bluebell was trying to kill the dude she'd mistaken for her mate, but it sure as hell didn't explain Kane's sudden need for me to move into his house.
"Why do you want me to move in today?" I asked him, blocking him from grabbing at my neatly folded clothes.
He stared at me for a long moment, amber eyes swirling with something dark. "Go back to the living room."
I huffed. "Why?"
"There's a bed in here," he said, moving to the bed in question and tugging the sheets off with a force that surprisingly didn't tear it.
I rolled my eyes, fed up with all of it. I grabbed both of his wrists, stopping him from shoving the sheets into the suitcase. "What do you really want?"
"I want you to stay over a few days," he replied quietly.
"What's the occasion?"
He shrugged, the picture of nonchalance if it weren't for those glowing yellow eyes. "Halloween?"
"Halloween?" I scoffed. "What kind of boyfriend thinks Halloween is a romantic occasion? Fine, if you're not going to explain I'll leave you here with-"
A flick of his hands, wrists free, an arm banding around my waist and lifting- and I was suddenly falling backwards into my pillows, the mattress creaking as Kane came right after me, arms braced at either side of me. "No leaving," he growled, entire body shaking as its weight held me down.
He was shaking.
Definitely not because his romantic occasion was in danger...in danger.
Not this again.
I cupped his face in my hands. "I'm not leaving. But only if you tell me what's wrong, remember our promise?"
He shut his eyes, releasing a sigh that tickled my nose. I had an abrupt impulse to start giggling but I didn't think he'd find it amusing so I kept it in. Waited for him to answer.
"Trust your mate," he finally replied, the shaking subsiding with his response.
I wasn't used to coaxing (I'm the girl who got a knife in the throat after a negotiation, you know), and it was usually push and pull with Kane but I knew there were times where you had to find common ground. I wanted to make this work. Why not start with fixing this martyr complex of his?
"Trust your mate." I brushed his dark hair from his forehead, massaging the crease in his brow until it smoothed out. "That means you need to trust me with what's bothering you."
A tense beat passed as he considered my words, as I watched him considering my words with his eyes still closed.
He'd been cooperative the last time we'd spoken about this kind of thing, I knew he didn't need much persuading to agree with me. It was only a matter of patience.
And that line of thinking is exactly why I was left speechless when he shook his head violently, burrowed his face in my neck and pretty much dumped the rest of his weight on me so I couldn't get out from under him.
Shit.
So this is what the protective instinct of an alpha looked like when it was directed at you up-front. The whole thing with Alpha was proof of how stubborn Kane could be when he made his mind up too, which meant coaxing most likely wasn't going to work this time like I'd assumed. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel nice to see him expressing concern for me but I also couldn't go easy on him, I couldn't have another Alpha situation occurring again. Never again.
"Kane?" I asked.
"Yes?" His voice was more guttural than it'd been a minute ago and his body was shaking again but I didn't hesitate.
I patted him on the back. "Let's break up."
***
"The man Bluebell mistook for her mate threw her at the monster to save himself?" I asked incredulously. "No wonder she's hunting him down, he must be a horrible person."
Pacing from the front door and past the couch I was sitting on and back again, Kane shot me a look that made me think he thought I was a horrible person. His wolf was still close to the surface and although he'd let me go as soon as I'd made my proposal, he kept jerking a bit in my direction whenever he passed the couch. As if he wanted to pick me up and run straight out of the apartment, caveman style. But he knew I wasn't joking therefore he didn't do the caveman thing, therefore the glares shot my way as he explained what had him so antsy.
"Stop glaring at me," I said.
"Stop threatening to break up," he retorted, twisting around and continuing his pacing, booted feet loud and echoing his frustration.
"This monster that Bluebell's fake mate threw her at to escape, is it still loose?"
According to Kane the monster had disappeared after giving Bluebell a scare, thankfully leaving her unharmed. Like the rest of its victims.
"It's still roaming," Kane said, "and it's been targeting werewolf couples in this neighborhood, sometimes in multiple places at once. Your apartment is right on its path, it will show up here tonight if you don't go to my house."
I hugged the couch's pillow to my chest. "Well that sounds perfect."
He came to a halt, tilting his head. "You'll come home with me?"
"No. The monster has been targeting werewolf couples, we'll stay here and be a werewolf couple and when it shows up-" I punched the air with my fist- "bam. We'll finish it off."
***
I didn't think it was possible for a person to pace for several hours straight but that's precisely what Kane did since I announced our monster-hunting agenda tonight. Pace. Glare. Pace.
He was doing it while I called Jett and asked him to buy the supplies for our date (Kane wouldn't let me go out), kept at it while Jett and I decorated the apartment in a Halloween/Valentine theme, while I took a shower (he continued the pacing outside the bathroom door), and way after night had fallen.
I was watching television when I realized he wasn't going to stop pacing until the night was over. I lowered the volume, turned to him. "Shouldn't we start acting lovey-dovey right about now- ugh, I can't believe I just said that to you."
I also couldn't believe I was watching him have a nervous breakdown over my safety either. All day long.
"You'll give yourself a heart attack at this rate," I pointed out when he ignored me. "Come sit down."
"Why are you so calm?" he demanded.
"Because you're here," I smiled.
He ran a hand over his face. "Because I'm here?"
I gave him a thumbs up. "I'm relaxed because I've seen what happens when someone tries to harm me when you're around." I got up, walked over to him and poked him on the chest. "Which is another reason why I really have to deal with this monster, you'll have more faith in me when you see how competent I am."
He brushed my hand aside. "I never said I wanted to see how competent you are."
I pursed my lips. "Neither did I, but you still went around cutting people's fingers off."
Kane gritted his teeth. "Do you plan on cutting the monster's fingers off?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do you think I can't?"
"Remember what happened with the troll?"
"Jett told me the monster Bluebell saw wasn't all that big."
"Do you remember how you promised me not to throw yourself at bullets again?" he asked.
"I do," I replied. "But what does that have to do with anything? The monster isn't coming with any guns."
He growled.
"The monster isn't all that dangerous, admit it. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken the time to pack any of my stuff- you would've rushed me out the door straight away."
He stepped forward all of a sudden, "Let's go home then."
"Aren't you the one who's always saying I shouldn't run?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I glanced at the front door, the grin dropping from my lips. "What was that?"
Kane stepped in front of me. "Why are you changing the subject? Go on, what were you talking about?"
Eyes wide, I waved a hand behind him. "Can we have this conversation later? I think that's the monster knocking."
"Why? You just said the monster is nothing to stress over."
"I'm not stressing over it," I argued while the knocking continued urgently in the background. "I'm responding to the situation like a normal human being."
"You're not a human being, you're a werewolf and if you were a normal werewolf you wouldn't be making fun of your mate for being worried about you."
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
I gaped at him. "Did you just call me an abnormal werewolf?"
"What kind of werewolf says 'Let's break up' while their mate is hugging them?"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"You call that a hug?" I scoffed as the lights in the apartment went out. "More like you were trying to suffocate me."
"You're the one who's always suffocating me," Kane replied.
"What? How am I the one-"
The lights came on as the front door swung open. The person who stood in the doorway wasn't a monster...or rather it was a person in a monster's costume. Darius to be exact. The costume was so realistic it actually resembled the troll that had tried to kill us all, the head Darius had under his arm had the same furious expression too.
But Kane looked more furious.
"What the hell are you doing, Darius?" Kane asked.
Darius shook his head at us, like a parent showing great displeasure at his arguing children. "It's Halloween so I've been going around the neighborhood scaring annoying couples, but you two were too busy fighting to bother with little old me so I'm announcing my retirement..." Darius gave Kane a wary glance. "Why are your eyes still yellow after you've seen it's just your best friend Darius playing an innocent prank?"
"Your costume is missing blood," Kane said, cracking his knuckes. "Let me help you fix that."
"Happy Halloween!" Darius said, slamming the door shut, footsteps thundering away.
I burst out laughing.
Kane glanced at me, yellow eyes finally returning to their normal blue. "Happy Halloween?"
I took his hand, led him towards the kitchen where Jett had helped me out away the snacks he'd bought. Might as well enjoy them than continuing our argument, we could always get around to finishing it the next time Darius decided to dress up as a monster. "Happy Halloween," I said, grinning.