He touched his ear and informed me that I should go to my room. I assumed this was a matter of protocol since I was an important member of a pack with which they had a good relationship.
"Would you like me to escort you?" he asked me.
I shook my head and walked to the stairs, starting up.
I detested elevators, and I was hoping that with the physical effort, my body would get over the effects of the wine.
The stairs seemed endless, and each floor I climbed was like a challenge for me. I felt exhausted, and I was sweating like I was in a marathon.
Damn, what a good wine! I thought as I climbed to the top floor.
The door was wide open, and on the floor was a girl in a gold dress staggering toward my bed.
"Who are you?" I asked her, but she threw herself on the bed and ignored me completely.
I was so tired that I didn’t feel like saying anything, but I still needed my own space. She was drunk enough to trip and fall as soon as she stood up, yet I wanted her to leave.
"She told me you were coming," the girl stammered.
"Who are you talking about?" I asked.
"The Moon Goddess; she appeared in front of me!" she stated.
"You're drunk, and I'm sure you imagined it."
"Maybe you're right. I’m drunk and horny as fuck," she commented, turning her face toward me from the bed. Briefly, a frown pulled at her lips as she seemed to process her words. "Why did I say that…? I'm really hot."
Her face was so close I could smell her wine-soaked breath, but I could also see her gray eyes, similar to the color of a storm cloud.
"I have a mate," I told her curtly. "I'm so sorry, but I can't do anything for you. You don’t seem well, either."
Her pupil expanded as she looked straight into my eyes, and a scent similar to that of a jasmine plantation flooded the room.
"I’m fine! And I don't see anyone here. You're lying," she continued. "If you had a mate, she would have accompanied you, right?"
Again, she seemed to drift off into her thoughts. Her conflicted expression stood in stark contrast to her more forward words.
She is our destined mate, growled the voice of my inner wolf as I looked upon her.
My wolf recognized her as my destined mate, born to be with me. Although I felt it, too, I repressed that emotion immediately.
"Go to sleep already!" I growled at her.
She reached her hand out and brought it close to mine, hesitating for a second before catching it and cradling it with her own. At that moment, my whole body bristled; I felt our connection beyond understanding, and for a brief moment, I saw in the reflection of her eyes an image of her and me embracing in the forest.
All uncertainty seemed to slip away as her stare bore into me. When her eyes met mine, it was as if she had truly seen me for the first time.
"Don't do that!" I shouted, pushing her away from me.
Immediately Chloe, my current mate, came to mind. She nearly lost her life to save mine more than two winters ago. And since then, I have carried the guilt that if she hadn't removed her belt to wrap her body around me, I would have received a mortal wound, and now she was paralyzed. I couldn’t do this to her. My heart and my love must be for her alone.
"I can hear your heart. You feel what I feel," she said.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" I replied, though I knew I couldn't lie to her, not about this. "Stay away from me!"
She ignored my command and moved closer to me, the tip of her nose brushing against mine this time.
"Just give me a kiss," she demanded.
