Crashing Waves

RHEA
"And if you're wrong?" He asked, his voice low.
"I can't be wrong. I mean--"
Before I could complete my statement, he had pulled me closer to him, cupped my face, and kissed me. My heart was jack hammering in my chest and there was a wild rushing in my ears when his lips met mine. My eyes slipped close and my fingers sank into his hair.
My brain had shut down completely and the world around me had completely muted. I started to kiss him back and my legs became jelly. All I could feel was his soft lips on mine, kissing me senseless.
When we pulled away, his eyes had darkened and we were so close, I could see the beautiful mix of brown and green in his eyes. We had both be rendered speechless. My wolf had been stunned too. Neither of us had expected it. But, I wanted more.
He rose to his feet and I did the same. When he started to turn away from me, I grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving.
"Let's just say you only did that to shut me up. I want to know what I mean to you. I want to know that you're not trying to deceive me" I said and he turned to face me, his eyes firing up.
"I didn't kiss you to shut you up, Rhea Stone. I'm don't kiss women for random purposes," he said.
His husky voice was doing something to me. Something I really liked.
"Then, tell me. Tell me that you want me like you should" I rasped.
He took one step closer to me. Then, another. His eyes burned a bright crimson.
"Are you trying to test me?" He demanded, his words nearly a purr.
I swallowed hard and took a step backwards. He stalked towards me and my heart began to beat faster in apprehension.
He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me flush against his hard muscled body. And, boy, did my inner belle squeal in delight.
Jaden brought his face to the crook of my neck, then he brought his lips to my ear.
"Do not test me, Rhea. You are my mate and my soon to be Luna. You should know you place" he drawled.
Tonight, I was feeling wild and I didn't care about what could be the repercussions of what I was doing.
"Do your worst" I rasped in a sultry voice. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and started to nibble on my skin. My senses were on fire and I let out a moan as heat pooled low in my stomach. I tilted my head to give him better access, then he chuckled darkly. The hair on my skin rose but I was too carried away.
"Don't worry we still have a lot of time to do that" he said and pulled away. My cheeks heated up and a satisfied smirk curved Jaden's lips.
"I'm sure that answers your questions. Goodnight" he said and walked away. I lowered myself onto the bench, patting my cheeks which were already burning. Jaden sure knows how to rile a woman up.
...
I awoke to the chirping of birds just outside the window. Groggily, I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed, my cheeks heating up at the thought of my encounter with Jaden the previous night. It was the confirmation I needed.
Jaden wanted me.
He wanted to keep me as his mate.
I went about my morning routine and when I stepped out from the room dressed in a white T-shirt and black jeans, I saw a couple of warriors training with Darryl. I'd never seen Darryl so serious. He was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a white wife beater. I waved at him and he nodded in response, a smile ghosting over his lips.
"Now, what do I do?" I thought aloud.
'How about you work on letting me out?' Crystal suggested and I nodded.
"That's a good idea. But, how do I do that? Besides, Jaden is nowhere in sight. I have no idea where his office is" I said. I went toward the third building where I'd met Haru and Dana. When I knocked on the door, Haru responded with a, "Come in! Just push the door in!"
I did as she'd asked and walked into the house. There was no sign of her or Dana.
"Haru?!" I called out, carefully looking around the sitting room.
"I'm in the kitchen! Follow the sound of my voice!" She responded. I went down the hallway. There were a lot of rooms in the building. The kitchen was at the tail end of the hallway. My jaw dropped when I saw how large and well furnished the kitchen was. "There you are" Haru said, grinning at me. She was wearing a large yellow long sleeved T-shirt and a pair of jeans cut-offs. Her short hair were in pigtails with a few strands lingering on her face. "Morning, Haru" I greeted and she gestured at me to come closer.
"This kitchen is large" I commented and Haru nodded in agreement as she continued to stir fry some chicken. "It is. There is one other kitchen in the main building too. We are quite populated, you see. Jaden makes sure that we are all fed and cared for" she said and I smiled, impressed.
"You must be hungry. If I'm done with this, I'll get you something to eat" she said.
"You don't have to bother yourself with that. I can do it myself" I said.
"Okay" she beamed at me.
"Are you the only one who cooks for the pack?" I questioned. Haru shook her head. "They are presently at the main kitchen serving breakfast"
"You must like stir fry chicken a lot" I said and she snickered. "I like them, but not as much as Jaden does. I'm preparing it for him" she told me. "Oh...So, where is he?" I asked and she gave me an all knowing smile.
"Can't stay away from him for too long? I get it, I've been there" she said, winking at me.
"I haven't shifted yet, you know. My wolf manifested recently and I really don't know how..."
Haru turned to look at me, her gaze warm and inviting. She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Speak no more. If anyone's going to help you with that, it's your mate. He might be busy, but he always has time for his beloved stir fry chicken. So, when I'm done with it, you're going to take it to him. Is that okay?"
I gave her a smile. "Okay."
...
A couple of minutes later, I was standing in front of a white door with a golden door knob, a tray containing Jaden's meal in my hands. Taking a deep breath, I raised a fist to knock, trying to keep the tray balanced, at the same time. Just before my fist could make contact with the door, I heard his voice. "Come in."
I opened the door and walked in. He was sitting behind a polished red desk, his swivel chair turned towards the window with his long legs resting on the window sill. He seemed to be keeping an eye on his epsilons who were doing laps on the field. He had one hand resting on the arm rest with the other rubbing his chin.
"Morning..."
I hesitated, contemplating calling him Alpha, Jaden or Alpha Jaden. But, before I could come to a conclusion, he dropped his legs from the window sill and spun his chair around to face me. He did it so quickly, it startled me.
"How did you sleep?" He asked, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"I slept well."
The corner of his lips curved upward and in a blink of an eye, he'd risen to his feet and was now standing in front of me. He was wearing a black button down shirt, blue jeans trousers which was folded at the ankles, brown timberlands and a brown coat. Jaden was gorgeous; there was no denying that.
"What do we have here?" He said, his gaze resting on the tray I'd carried with me.
"Haru made them. She made me bring them to you" I said, trying not to think of what had happened between us the previous night. He was too close and his scent was driving my wolf crazy.
One minute he was standing so close to me, such that, my legs were already turning jelly. The next minute, he was sitting on his chair, once more, drumming his fingers on the surface of his desk.
"Are you going to stand there and stare at me, all day?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. I snapped out of my stupor and walked towards his desk, placing the tray on it's surface.
I watched him as he brought the glass of orange juice to his lips, leaning back on his seat. I took my time to look around his study or office.
There were a lot of books in it, but they were all arranged perfectly. On the walls, a couple of abstract paintings hung there. The walls were painted a vibrant orange which was kind of odd.
"Trisha picks the color every month. I think it gets tiring for her" Jaden said as he wiped his mouth with some wipes. Half of his food was gone. I stared at him with disbelief, wondering how on Earth he'd managed to consume such an amount so quickly.
He snorted like he knew what I was thinking.
"Is there anything you would like to say?" He asked and I lowered myself onto the chair in front of his desk. He watched my every movement with curious eyes.
"I need to do something.... anything to get my mind off..."
I swallowed hard. Before now, I'd never been embarrassed to say it. But now, it wasn't something I wanted to say out loud. Jaden clearly understood what it was that I wanted to say because he continued to gaze at me intensely.
"Stealing?" He said. I bit the inside of my cheek and folded my hands on my lap.
"Yes, stealing" I said, through gritted teeth.
"So, what do you want to do? Join the scouts or the warriors to train? Monitor the movements around our territory? Read a book?"
I glared at him, annoyed.
Read a book? Seriously? Was he doing this on purpose?
"I want to learn how to shift" I said. He stared at me for a moment, his lips parted.
"You don't learn how to shift, Rhea. It's natural for you, as a werewolf. You just need to meditate more and relax more. It'll come to you when you're ready"
"Fine. I want to explore the woods"
"That can be arranged. I can tell Trisha to show you around"
"No" I said. The mention of Trisha's name made me upset, it riled me up, annoyed me. Jaden didn't know that.
"No?" He stared at me with a raised brow, a look of incredulity on his face.
"I want you to come with me. I'm not taking no for an answer, Jaden. You are my mate. You should take full responsibility" I said and his eyes darkened, a chilly smile curving his lips.
"Tell me, Rhea. Do you really think you can make me do what I don't want to?" He asked, a taunting note in his voice.