13. Bad, Bad Mate

**MAEVE**

In my quest to illegally exact the truth, I realized two things.
One, I would make a pathetic criminal. Who the hell tries to unlock their neighbor's door with a rusted instrument? And second, my heart was beating so fast within the confines of my chest that I thought I would simply pass out. Ergo, I would be a nerve-wracking criminal.
The first three attempts were terrible. I almost cracked on the fourth attempt and yet did not. Just when I thought I should simply turn around and scurry back to my apartment, the lock clicked. It felt like winning a jackpot for a second as I roughly pushed open the door and slipped in.
The house was exactly as it was when I had left hours ago. For two guys, Xander and his brother surely knew how to keep a place spick and span. Storming my way into the kitchen isle, I quickly rounded the marble top and pawed at the knob of the drawer. Except, Xander had locked it up.
*Shit.*
I tried pulling out the other ones, and they were perfectly opened and stuffed with spoons, knives, and other kitchen equipment. So, I reached for my trusted lock opener once again, except it did not get lucky at all. The lock was not complicated of sorts, but the rusted instrument seemed to have jammed into the keyhole, creating one hell of a problem for me.
"C'mon, c'mon!" I whisper-hissed into the empty space and kept trying with my clammy hands to get it out somehow.
Forget about unlocking the drawer. The bigger threat loomed over my head as I yanked, pulled and wrestled with the instrument.
"Are you looking for something?"
A voice boomed from behind as I froze on the spot. A trickle of fear skated down my spine, and goosebumps crawled all over my exposed skin.
Mustering all the courage I could gather, I slowly turned around and found him standing with his hands planted inside the pockets. The sheer size of his stance and coldness in his eyes was enough to make me stagger back. When my back crashed against the wooden structure, the realization dawned.
I was trapped and caught and nowhere to go.
"Xander," I whispered pathetically, unable to find my real voice as my parched throat closed in and simply refused to cooperate.

**XANDER**

My mate…was *a bad, bad girl*.
When I had an inkling that she had eavesdropped my conversation with Carter, I did not really think that she would go to the length of sneaking up into my house in my absence.
In hindsight, it was cute that she was so interested and curious, but the wolf in me was not happy. We were creatures of dominance, and any devious act puts us off.
If Maeve were a wolf and dared to do something like this, she would have been punished in front of the pack—as swiftly as possible. If not submitted to the punishment, then banished forever into the wilds. Either way, every infraction was dealt with according to the Old Laws enacted by the age-old Council.
But Maeve was not a wolf. She was human.
And my mate.
So, it was my discretion to deal with her the way I would see fit.
I cocked a brow, prompting her to speak when all she did was gaping at me with wide incredulous eyes.
"Xander." The only word she managed to get out.
"Yep, still me," I clipped out, narrowing my eyes.
Nervously, she looked around the place, trying so hard to come up with a story she clearly had not thought before barging in. So, I coolly stood there, crossing my arms over my chest, and waited as she groped for words.
"I thought...I mean." Maeve gulped, licking the seam of her beautiful lips. "I knocked, and nobody answered. And...umm...you left the door open, you know."
"Oh, yeah?" I asked in an incredulous tone.
"Yes." The pretty eyes brightened, desperately struggling to make sense. "I saw it was opened and...and…"
"You saw my door was opened, and you thought it would be nice to sneak in?" I prompted sarcastically.
"I wasn't...I wasn't snooping," she retorted, a little irked, but the expression quickly morphed into trepidation. "I was just..."
"Please, go on and finish the sentence," I urged.
Maeve struggled for a few more seconds, and as I knew the girl to be with considerable grey matter and a little braveheart, she sighed an exasperated breath and dropped the pretense.
"Okay, fine. I was snooping, but you need to hear me out first." She gave in, still clutching her pride. And the alpha in me was literally howling in joy.
I saw the power in her eyes, the power of holding her head high, and admitting to a fault. It was the kind of quality a Luna was born with in our world, destined for bigger and better things.
"Oh, I am all ears," I allowed, as warningly as possible. "And after that, I might decide what to do with you."
Maeve's nose flared with indignation. "What do you mean by 'what to do with me'?" she demanded haughtily, seeming brave. "I didn't do anything!"
"You broke in," I said pointedly and shrugged. "Clearly, that's an offense."
My mate contemplated for a stretched moment before blasting up. "Well, it's your fault, jackass," she scowled, earning herself a glare. But it clearly did not put off her fire. "If you wouldn't have been hiding things from me, I wouldn't have been here in the first place!"
I did not know if I wanted to chuckle or be offended at her tone. For the first time in my life, my wolf felt challenged by another female (just not a she-wolf), but the roaring in my brain did not stop.
My mate needs a little lesson right now, my wolf smirked.
"If I know any better, I think that's a very poor apology," I said and stalked closer to her in predatory steps. Maeve only inches away; her back plastered against the wooden panel.
With our distance reduced, I could feel the wave of fear coming off her. And despite all of that, she pursed her lips and tilted up her chin in defiance.
"I was not apologizing," she said, her demure tone contradicting the boldness of her words.
"Too bad, but you will be. In a minute," I murmured, knowing very well she registered my words, given the way her pupils danced.
A smirk pulled up the corners of my mouth as I tore my gaze off her pretty face and looked at the drawer that she was trying to uncover.
And, seriously, a rusted instrument?
I yanked the tool away, making her jerk back in surprise. Holding the instrument up, I inspected it around and tsked. "You'd have made a terrible thief," I commented in jest.
Pointing the finger at me, her rage flashed. "Listen, I am not a thief, okay? You were a giant---"
Twisting her arm at her back, I quickly turned her around, and the rest of her words drowned into the squeals and shouts. Maeve was bent over the counter, with her hand pinned at the small of her back while I held her down by the nape.
"Xander! You can't do---"
Smack. "Quiet now, kitten!" I cut her off with a stinging slap over her cute cotton shorts. "You have already dug yourself a deeper well. I suggested you hold absolute silence now," I warned.
"You…you can't do that again…" she stammered, trying to crane her neck for a better view.
"Do this?" I spanked her delectable ass a couple of times to drive the message home, and that slice of mild pain was enough to clamp down her lips.
"Xander…" she mewled; her breath scattered.
"Do you realize anyone would have called the cops on you? Maybe I should do that, "I threatened.
"Please, don't. I really meant no harm to you. I was just..."
"Curious," I finished for her, as Maeve sighed into her defeat and meekly nodded. "Maeve, I am going to let you up, and then you are going to tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Alright?"
"Okay."
Releasing my hold, I stepped back as she slowly straightened and turned around to face me. Her skin was flushed, and her palms immediately found her rounded globes, rubbing away the sting.
Good, I thought.
"Tell me."
She narrated how she heard the conversation between Carter and me, how she spied like an amateur through the keyhole and watched as I tucked away from the envelope into the drawer and heard of my insistence that Carter should leave before she comes out. It was hard to explain the complicated wolf feelings, that I wanted her to stay away before another wolf smelled her scent.
"So, that's all," she timidly ended her long narrative and stood with wringing hands before me.
"I see." I pinched the bridge of my nose and regarded her thoughtfully.
"Look, I am really sorry. I don't know what came over me, and I am usually not like this. Please, you got to believe me, Xander."
"Okay. But I can't let this go without a consequence."
Her orbs widened. "You are going to call the cops?"
"No," I quickly replied. "I do not involve the cops. But I have my brand of discipline. If you agree to submit to that, we will forget this matter after today."
I sauntered closer, backing her against the same place once again, and pinched her chin to direct her gaze at me. "Tell me, Maeve, will you submit?"


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