6. A Wolf In Human Clothing

**Xander**

*Fates, have some mercy on me.*
Every time I denied that she was nothing like a mate to an alpha werewolf; she proved me wrong. Maeve was strong-headed, loving, and delicate in her own and unique ways, and it made my wolf impatient every passing minute.
The harder I fought against my animal instincts, the powerful it got. It was only a matter of time before I began to crave her like a drug.
This human was beautiful…beautiful in a brilliant way; the sun shines over rain-drenched tress that I often encounter from a mountaintop. She has the ability to shine and make everything better around her…make everyone feel better. Even a wolf-like me.
Then how does a person self doubt herself?
Whenever she spoke about herself, there was a hidden criticism or doubt lurking in the corner of her mind. It was as if someone pushed her into a rabbit hole, and she shut herself out.
As she slotted into the car beside me, it was just a matter of time, her head lolled back, and sleep claimed her tired human body. By the time we reached, Maeve’s head was tilted against the door and fit asleep.
Every time I looked at her, she looked like a beautiful fantasy.
I imagined what it would be like to kiss her fuller lips, trace my fingers around the contour, and then licked it all over with my tongue.
I wondered how her creamy, velvet skin would feel underneath the rugged callous of mine, how her body would squirm underneath mine. The attraction was a dangerous thing for someone like me…for someone with uncontrollable urges and ruthless temper.
*Fuck. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.*
I shook my head in the darkness and hung my head in my hands.
*A wolf in human clothing wanting a human…how is this, not an irony?*
“Huh?” The sudden voice made me turn my head, and I saw Maeve breaking out of her sleep. She looked dazed one moment and quickly straightened. “I am sorry I fell asleep!”
I chuckled, stroking her shoulder soothingly. “Easy, easy. It’s not a crime to fall asleep in a car. I hope you know that.”
She scowled, unbuckling the seatbelt. “Either your sense of humor is juvenile, or you think I am naive.”
“You are naive,” I confirmed, getting out of the car.
Walking towards the elevator, she pushed the button and stepped back. “Make fun of me all you want,” she said with an authoritative eye-roll. “I know I am a grown-ass woman.”
The doors slid open, and we entered into the confined space—a dangerous idea if you’d ask me. A wolf with mating instincts and an oblivious human, sweet and naive, was never supposed to be anywhere near a hundred kilometre radius if either of them knew what was good for them.
“…Xander?” She poked my muscles, and immediately, a wild heat spread over, jolting me. “Are you even listening to me?”
I stared at her, unblinking until the wave of desire flooded my nerves. I wasn’t sure what possessed over me, but it was, by far, the strongest emotion I ever felt.
A pull far stronger than the one that binds the sea and the moon.
An animalistic impulse, fiercer than the one I felt on my first full moon night when I had shifted.
At lightning speed, I pushed the button that paused the elevator and cornered her against the wall.
The lust came over me, like the imaginary chains binding my wolf-heart broke free, and I gave in. I pulled her into my arms and claimed her mouth in a hard kiss. A kiss of marked passion, urgent need, and a promise. I pulled back slightly and stared into her wide green eyes.
She was stunned but not scared.
And to confirm my thought, she raised herself on her tiptoe and pressed her lips against mine.
Goddess. She would be the death of me.
This time I kissed her back, my tongue dipping into the silky heat of her mouth…claiming and possessing. My hands wrapped around her hips, pulling her close enough to bring alive every drop of emotions she has hidden within her.
Maeve was meant to be kissed, claimed, and marked.
We kissed deeply, long, and hard, and by the time I had pulled back, her lips were deliciously swollen and red. They were parted, but with the loss of words.
A pregnant pause hung in the air in that confined elevator as we regained our ability to breathe easy. With utmost effort, I slowly pulled myself back and pressed the button to restart the elevator as it silently rode up.
Her rabbiting heartbeat and strong musk of hormones were the only things that occupied my brain until we stepped out and awkwardly faced each other.
“I hope you—”
“It was really—”
Both of us tried to speak up at the same time.
I smiled, waiting for her to finish. “Thank you for…I mean…for everything. The lift and um…dinner. Thank you.”
“Right.” I nodded. “I hope you have a goodnight.”
We parted ways, our respective doors on the opposite sides before throwing one last look at each other. When her door closed and locked, I almost wanted to kick my own ass.
“I hope you have a goodnight.”
*What a shitty human line was that?*