Chapter 8 - A Battle of Wills

There he said it again. Her name. He knew her name. The sound of it rolling off his tongue affected her in ways that she couldn’t describe.

She turned away trying to work out what was going on.

“This doesn’t make any sense” she questioned herself.

“What doesn’t?” Kai probed.

She looked back at him puzzled. Surely he could see the strange situation that they were in.

“You know, you..and me. You’re a prince and I’m.. and I’m…” Adalyn stalled whilst trying to find the best words to describe herself.

“And you’re ..?” Kai prompted with one eyebrow raised.

“I’m just a lowly wolf, a commoner. How could we possibly be mates?”

Kai looked bemused. How could she not see how incredible she was. He smiled softly again. Her flustering was starting to amuse him. He hadn’t smiled so much in such a short period of time. His face was already starting to ache as he attempted to contain them.

“There’s definitely nothing common about you Adalyn.”

There he went again, dropping her name again like he owned it. Whilst Kai had discovered her and the fact that she was his mate nearly a year ago, he had already come to terms with it, but this was all completely new to her and she was struggling to comprehend it.

“Wait, how do you know my name? How did you even know that I was here? And what was all..” she gets gestured to the whole room “..this?”

Adalyn started firing off questions like bullets.

Kai’s lips tightened. He realised that he was going to have to tell her everything that he knew. He had been fighting hard the past year to keep away from her, to try and shield her from this cut throat life he had grown accustomed to, but with this direct attack on her he knew that that was no longer going to be an option.

“I can answer all of your questions Adalyn but I can’t do it here. I don’t know who else is watching or who else might be on there way here. You’re going to have to come back with me.”

Looking out the window the half moon was already high in the night sky. It was late, very late. Adalyn suddenly threw her hands up in the air animatedly as it instantaneously dawned on her how long she had been out. She told her aunt that she’d be back in 10 minutes. She must have been pulling her hair out in worry. She started looking around the room wildly for the exit.

“I have to go!” she blurted out.

“Go?” Kai countered.

“Yes, I have to leave, my aunt she was waiting for me. She’ll be worried sick about where I am.” Spotting a door she hastily started making her way over to it. Before she could reach it, Kai stood in front of her blocking her path.

“No! You can’t go, it’s not safe anymore! Like I said you’re going to have to come with me.” Kai interjected.

“Go with you?” Adalyn questioned again. That wasn’t even an option in her mind. “I don’t even know you. For all I know you were the one that set this whole thing up.”

“What?!” Kai was stunned. “Of course not! I’m your mate Adalyn, why would I want to harm you?”

A growl escaped her lips “Stop that!” she snapped back. Adalyn balled both of her hands in to fists in frustration.

“Stop what?” Kai was genuinely confused at her response.

“Stop saying my name and ‘mate’ like that. Stop acting like you know me.” Every time he said her name the heat in her belly roared back to life, weakening the already small resolve that she had to leave.

Gobsmacked Kai struggled to make words. What was he supposed to call her if not by her name? She wasn’t making any sense. Maybe she was still suffering the effects of her concussion. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she looked to see how she could bypass him.

Kai, still confused with how everything had suddenly managed to take a strange turn, was trying to work out what was going on in her head. She looked like a cornered animal. He had to calm her down to make her understand.

He extended out an arm cautiously to her shoulder in an attempt to pacify her. Before he could touch her his world flipped upside down and he realised he was now on his back with her leaning aggressively over him. She had him pinned to the floor before he could even work out what had happened.

'Wow, how had she done that?' Kai gawked. It had been a long time since anybody had him on his ass like this. This girl was more than impressive, she was incredible. His wolf was instantly aroused by her feminine display of dominance

'Down boy!' He chimed back to his wolf in his mind. This was not the time to get turned on.

Suddenly an old memory of dark haired girl he used to play with, back when he was a kid, suddenly swept in to his mind. When they used to play fight as pups she was always able to best him too.

Kai shook the thought out of his head. This was also not the time to be taking a leisurely stroll down memory lane.

Looking up at his mate he had seen that her eyes had turned black. Her wolf had somehow managed to break through the after effects of the wolfsbane cuffs she had on earlier. How could this be possible? This was not normal. The potency of the wolfsbane along with the enhancer should have disconnected her connection with her wolf for weeks. Yet, here her wolf was, denying all sense of logic. Adalyn was quickly shattering every expectation that he held of her.

Still pinned to the floor he searched her eyes but he couldn’t find any hint of Adalyn there. Her wolf had completely taken over and she snarled in his face waiting for his next move. Was her wolf trying to protect her? From him?

He could easily overpower her and remove herself from him but he didn’t want to rile her up anymore than he already had done. Remaining calm he allowed some of his wolf to surface and his eyes turned black to match hers.

He collared her throat gently but possessively with his one free hand, allowing some of his dominant waves to leak through.

“Calm…down” he said very slowly but authoritatively. He starting stroking the back of her neck with his fingers to try and placate her.

Feeling some of the tension in her body starting to ebb away, Kai started to push himself up off of the floor with his other hand whilst keeping his other hand firmly around her throat. He could see that her wolf’s eyes were starting to soften as she started to recognise her mate in him and she slowly offered him her submission.

“Good girl” he crooned softly.

Adalyn’s eyes grew heavy as her wolf hold on her body started to recede. As her eyes started to roll back he released his hand from her throat and then caught the full weight of her body in his arms.

Laying there in his embrace he could fully take in all of her beautiful features. She was glorious. This girl was made for him and he knew it. He’d give up everything that he had to make her his, to protect her, even if meant going against her wishes.

With newfound resolve he scooped her up off the floor and carried her out of the building.

Arrow was waiting patiently outside. He looked and smiled curiously at the girl in Kai’s arms as he approached.

“Everything all went as expected?” Arrow smirked. He knew the answer to that question having watched most of the action from the adjacent building’s rooftop but he asked anyway. He assumed that he’d soon have to to commence with the cleanup operation.

“There’s a guy lying unconscious in the back room where they were holding her,” Kai followed up. “See what you can get out out of him”

“Oh you left one alive huh, how generous of you. Sure leave it to me.” Arrow glanced down briefly at the girl in his arms. Reflexively Kai’s lips curled up revealing one of his canines and a low growl escaped from his lips. His wolf was still riled up from all that had happened and with Kai’s refusal to claim her then and there he was looking at all other males as a threat.

“Woah! Easy there!” Arrow instinctively took a step back seeing the flash of black that briefly filled Kai’s eyes.

Kai closed his eyes and took a deep breath to further restrain his wolf. “Just meet me after you’re done. I’m gonna take her to a safe house up north for now.”

“Okay” Arrow nodded and with that Kai was gone.

Arrow rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles as he entered the building to look for the guy that Kai wanted him to interrogate” I always get the best jobs.”