Chapter 368: Tense reactions.
DANIEL.
I finally managed to get into my room, with Galen right behind me.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt a strange sense of relief wash over me. At least we were away from everyone else now. Away from the annoying Lycan prince, the conversations, and the noise.
Without saying a word, I walked toward the bed and lowered myself onto it. The mattress dipped beneath my weight as I sat down heavily.
Galen, however, didn’t do the same. She remained standing, while staring at me. A soft smile rested on her lips as her eyes followed every little movement I made.
The longer she looked at me, the more uncomfortable I became. I shifted slightly on the bed, clearing my throat, before looking at the floor, and then at the wall. Just trying to look anywhere except at her.
The silence stretched between us.
And somehow, her gaze only seemed to grow more intense.
"Galen, aren’t you going to sit down?" I finally asked, as my voice came out awkwardly, almost forced.
I deliberately kept my eyes away from hers as I spoke. I just simply couldn’t bring myself to look at her.
"No, Daniel." She replied softly, as the smile on her face widened. "I want to get satisfied first from looking at you."
Her words instantly made my shoulders stiffen, and I moved uncomfortablely on the bed.
"I really don’t know when I would see you again." She added with so much sincerity in her voice.
And the sincerity in her voice only made things worse. I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
My fingers moved through my hair before settling at the back of my neck.
My gaze dropped even lower, as the floor suddenly seemed far more interesting than looking directly at her.
"Galen..." I muttered slowly and then I swallowed. "You know two unmarried people of opposite genders shouldn’t be in the same room." I added, my voice barely above a whisper.
It was so low that I almost wasn’t sure she had heard me.
But she did.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, and the sound filled the room. It was warm, playful yet dangerous.
I immediately felt my heartbeat stumble, as she took a step closer to me—Just one step.
Yet somehow it felt like she had closed an impossible distance.
"What now, Daniel?" she asked, as her voice dropped lower, and softer.
The sound slid through my ears and settled somewhere deep inside me.
"I’m too beautiful that you can’t look at me now?" She added with a trading tone.
My breath caught.
I didn’t answer her question right away, because I just couldn’t answe, so instead, I swallowed hard.
The action felt unusually loud in the quiet room.
What’s wrong with me?
The question echoed inside my head.
Why can’t I look Galen in the eyes?
Why was something so simple suddenly impossible?
I frowned slightly, as I was trying to understand myself and trying to understand this strange reaction—I knew It wasn’t fer, nor was it dislike. If anything, that was exactly the problem.
Every time I thought about raising my head and meeting her gaze, something inside me immediately resisted.
As though a part of me was desperately trying to stop something from happening, as though the moment our eyes met, some invisible line would be crossed.
And I wasn’t ready for that.
My fingers tightened against my knees, and my breathing became uneven.
Meanwhile, Galen continued standing there, smiling patiently and quietly at me, completely unaware of the battle raging inside my head or perhaps she was aware.
Maybe that was why her smile kept growing.
Maybe she could see right through me, maybe she could see the nervousness I was trying so hard to hide.
My wolf certainly wasn’t helping matters, as the beast had been restless from the moment Galen entered the room with me.
Now it was even worse, as It paced endlessly inside me. It was agitated, uneasy and alert. Every instinct seemed focused entirely on the woman standing before me.
And that only made me lower my gaze further.
Because no matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, one thing had become painfully clear.
The real reason I couldn’t look Galen in the eyes wasn’t because I didn’t want to. It was because I was terrified of what I might see if I did.
"Relax, Daniel!" Galen said immediately, as a soft laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head. "I was just joking!"
The amusement in her voice did absolutely nothing to calm me down. If anything, it only made me more aware of her presence.
Then, before I could respond, she finally closed the distance between us. The space separating us disappeared in an instant.
My breath caught.
And then I felt it, the light brush of her fingers against my shirt. Her fingertips slowly and carelessly ttraced downward across my chest.
The touch was innocent and even harmless, yet my entire body reacted as though she had done something far more dangerous.
My muscles tightened immediately.
A strange tension settled inside me.
Without even thinking, I reached out and grabbed her wrist.
My fingers wrapped around hers before gently pulling her hand away from my chest.
The moment I removed her hand, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
What was wrong with me?
Why was I reacting like this?
I felt tense for absolutely no reason.
Or at least that was what I kept trying to tell myself.
To hide my discomfort, I deliberately lifted my hand and flicked her forehead.
Click.
"Ouch!" Galen instantly winced and rubbed the spot, as her lips formed a pout as she glared at me.
I couldn’t help it, and a grin immediately spread across my face.
"You are becoming naughty, Galen." I said, as I shook my head playfully while the bright smile on my face remained, even though my heart was still beating far too fast. "You’re lucky you’re doing this with me." I added, as my voice softened slightly. "Don’t ever do it to anyone else." I uttered, and the smile on my face faded a little. "I mean... they might take advantage of you."
The words came out quieter than I intende, almost like a mumble.
But Galen heard every single one, and her eyes sparkled instantly, while that mischievous smile returned.
"Show me how?" she asked. "I mean, how they might take advantage of me?"
Before I could process her question, she leaned closer, much closer and then she whispered the words directly into my ear.
"I’m waiting! Daniel."
My entire body froze, and immediately a violent shiver shot down my spine. From the back of my neck all the way down.
My breath hitched and I immediately swallowed hard.
The reaction was so strong that it genuinely startled me.
This was getting out of control, I mean completely out of control.
None of this was supposed to be happening. I wasn’t supposed to be reacting this way and especially not to Galen, as I didn’t want her to misunderstand.
Not to talk of anyone else.
Only Maria had ever managed to pull reactions from me before.
Only Maria had ever made my heart race unexpectedly.
Yet even then...It had never felt like this, because it was never this intense, never this overwhelming and never this impossible to control.
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
And for the first time since entering the room, I slowly lifted my head.
My eyes found Galen’s, but the moment our gazes locked together, something shifted inside me.
Everything else present in the room disappeared instantly as there was only her.
And for some strange reason, I suddenly didn’t want to look away.
I should have.
Every sensible part of me knew I should, yet I just couldn’t.
Her eyes held mine captive.
The longer I looked at her, the stronger the feeling became—an overwhelming urge and a dangerous urge.
I wanted to pull her closer, wanted to wrap my arms around her waist and I wanted to keep her there, right in front of me where no one else could take her away.
My gaze drifted to her lips, and the thought that followed nearly made my heart stop.
I wanted to kiss her.
The realization hit me with terrifying force.
My wolf surged forward instantly, but this time, it was stronger than before. I mean more desperate than before.
The beast practically slammed against the walls of my control, begging and demanding to be unleashed.
It wanted freedom.
It wanted her.
And then I heard him say it out loud. It was just one single word. The very word I had been unconsciously avoiding this entire time.
The word that explained everything.
"Mate."
My entire body went rigid, as the world seemed to stop turning. Even my breathing ceased for a moment.
The word echoed inside my head, again and again. It was non stop. And I was sure colour drained from my face, as I continued staring at Galen.
I was completely frozen—unable to move, unable to think and unable to speak, as the truth had crashed into me with the force of a tidal wave.
Galen was my mate.
Comments