Chapter 17: Can’t Fall For Him

-Nova-

I shouldn’t have told him anything about myself. This was what I was trying to avoid! I needed to get out of here before he figured out more about me and the pack that I was a part of. If I led Rogan and everyone else to my own family, then I truly would be the worst rogue on the planet! I couldn’t do that to my own family, but Rhys just had a power over me, I realized. When he asked me a question, I found it hard not to answer. I knew it was the bond between us, but still, I liked telling him about myself. I knew I shouldn’t like it, but I did.

“You’re not very good at lying,” he said.

I looked at him shocked, feeling so scared now, but he just smiled at me.

“Relax. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” he said.

“I … I don’t?”

“You think I would force it out of you?”

“Isn’t that what you usually do with rogues?” I asked.

“But you are not just any rogue,” he said.

I wasn’t sure if I should feel flattered. I didn’t like to think the only reason why I wasn’t somewhere in a dark room being tortured, was that I was Rhys’s mate. It meant that if we rejected each other, then I would definitely end up in some dark room and get beaten.

“What is that?” he asked.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“That look on your face. What did you just think about?” he asked, concerned.

“Eh … nothing.”

I looked away, trying to focus on the food in front of me. Oh, we could definitely not reject each other, if this was the only thing keeping me safe.

“No, something is worrying you. I can see it,” he said.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nova, how can we start trusting each other if we aren’t honest?” he asked.

“I don’t think we should …”

I turned to look at him, but he just raised an eyebrow, almost challenging me to tell him that we shouldn’t trust each other. He was really serious about wanting me, wasn’t he? I couldn’t understand it. We were supposed to be enemies, and yet Rhys had not tried tying me down or treating me like a prisoner. He gave me a nice place to sleep, clothes, and food. I had never expected a pack member to ever treat me this nicely.

“Nova, I want us to be able to trust each other. It might take some time, but let us work on it,” he said.

“W-Work on it?”

I couldn’t understand why he would. I understood the mate bond had power over you. I understood that it made you want the other person so badly. They became your whole world, but we were not without a choice. If we really didn’t want our mate, we could say no.

“You sound scared,” he chuckled a little.

“I just don’t see how we could ever trust each other,” I said.

“Well, why don’t we give it a try?” he asked. “Why don’t you tell me why you looked so worried a moment ago?”

“I …”

Should I tell him? Should I just be honest? I mean it might give me an idea of who they were … Oh, maybe I should play along, I realized. Maybe I could learn their weaknesses and then bring it all back to my brothers! I sat there, suddenly seeing what an opportunity this was for me. I could finally earn my place, and I didn’t even have to kill someone to do it. It was perfect! I had to be a little more open though, and I couldn’t keep running. Not if I wanted him to trust me.

“Is … Is the only reason why I am not being tortured because I am your mate?” I asked.

“What?!”

“You just said I was a special rogue, and therefore you wouldn’t force the information out of me.”

Rhys seemed to understand what I had been thinking, and slowly shook his head before he turned in his seat, so he was facing me. I felt our knees touch a little, and I swallowed hard, as I felt myself grow warmer.

“Nova, that is not what I meant. We have our methods to get information out, as I am sure you do too,” he said.

I didn’t answer that, because I didn’t want him to know too much about us.

“But that doesn’t mean we would ever do that to you,” he said.

“No?”

He shook his head.

“How would you choose?” I asked.

He seemed to think it over.

“If someone might have tried to kill us, we might not treat them very kindly back,” he said.

“Oh …”

“Yeah, but I promise you,” he said and reached out, placing his hand on my neck.

I shivered. His touch felt so good. I had never tried anything like it, and I caught myself just slowly closing my eyes because I enjoyed it so much. I shook my head, forcing my eyes to stay open, but it was clear Rhys had seen I was about to do it, and he smiled.

“I won’t ever lay a hand on you, and neither will anyone else.”

I believed him … or I really wanted to. I couldn’t help it. When he was making me promises like that, how could I not believe him? He sounded so sincere. He made me feel like I could truly trust him with everything inside of me.

“I …”

I swallowed hard, trying to get my voice back, and reached up, pulling his hand off me, before slowly putting it down on the table, instead of just dropping it.

“That’s good to know,” I said.

Rhys chuckled a little, and I looked at him confused.

“You don’t really believe me though,” he said.

“I do!”

He shook his head.

“Honesty,” he said.

I sighed and nodded. Okay, I had to be honest if I wanted to win him over.

“You’re right, but I want to,” I said.

“That’s good. I know I won’t just win your trust out of the blue. I know I have to earn it, but I hope to do so,” he said.

“Why?”

“Well, I want to spend my life with you. How can I spend my life with someone I don’t trust?” he asked.

His words surprised me. He wanted to spend his life … with me?!

“You don’t know me,” I said.

“No, but I hoped to get to know you.”

“What if you don’t like what you find out about me?” I asked.

“I find that hard to believe?”

“Why?”

“You just love that word,” he chuckled.

“Answer,” I said and smiled a little.

“I see my mate likes to give orders,” he joked.

“Just answer!” I chuckled, and he smiled.

“Because we wouldn’t be mates if I ended up not liking who you are,” he said. “We were chosen for a reason.”

“And what is that reason?” I asked.

“I believe we are supposed to overcome our differences and fall in love,” he said.

“Fall in love?!” I asked, scared.

He smiled.

“Why did that scare you more than anything?” he asked.

“I …”

Because I couldn’t fall in love with a pack member. I would never be accepted. I would never become the rogue I was born to be. No, we had to continue to be enemies. If I ever fell in love with him, I would lose it all.

**A/N: Chapter 12 is finally up and you can read that one too now! If you want you can follow me on F@cebook (Anne T. Thyssen) or join my group (Anne T. Thyssen: The Royal Pack) to interact with other readers. Have a great day!**