Chapter 414: Sexually attracted to each other

Kaden’s POV

?Rebecca placed her phone beside her plate and folded her hands together.

?"The full moon is in two days."

?For a moment, I simply stared at her.

?The full moon?

?Then realization struck.

?Of course. How the hell had I forgotten?

?The pack had an established system for handling the full moon. Unmated females and those without active mate marks often experienced heat during that period, and arrangements were always made to protect anyone who couldn’t manage the effects on their own.

?There were suppressants for those who preferred medication, and a secure facility where affected females could stay until the full moon passed. The facility was supervised, and no male was permitted to enter without authorization. The entire arrangement existed to prevent vulnerable females from being approached or taken advantage of while their instincts were heightened.

?Logan and the pack’s medical team handled the preparations for every full moon, which lasted two nights and occurred every six months, so I rarely needed to involve myself unless there was a serious problem.

?But Rebecca was unmarked.

?And if her scent was already affecting me this badly, I could only imagine what would happen when the full moon arrived.

?"Is that what you’re worried about?" I asked.

?She nodded.

?I leaned back in my chair. "Rebecca, there’s nothing to worry about. We have a facility specifically for females who need protection during the full moon. You can speak to Logan, and he’ll arrange everything for you. If you prefer suppressants, the healers can also help with that."

?She shook her head. "I don’t want to go to the facility."

?I frowned. "Why not?"

?"Because I don’t want to spend the full moon locked away somewhere."

?"Rebecca, nobody is going to force you into a room. The facility is there for your safety, and you can choose whatever arrangement makes you comfortable."

?"I know," she replied quietly.

?"Then what’s the problem?"

?She looked directly into my eyes.

?"I want you to stay with me."

?For a moment, I thought I had misheard her.

?"What?"

?"I want you to be with me during the full moon," she repeated.

?My wolf surged forward so violently that I had to grip the edge of the table.

?Yes! he growled excitedly.

?Absolutely not, I snapped back.

?I stared at Rebecca, wondering whether she understood what she was asking.

?"Rebecca, no."

?Her eyebrows drew together. "Why?"

?"Because it’s a terrible idea."

?"Why is it a terrible idea?" she demanded.

?"Do you seriously need me to explain that?"

?She sighed. "Kaden, I’m not a child. I know exactly what I’m asking."

?"Then you should also know why my answer is no."

?She looked away briefly before returning her attention to me.

?"Kaden, can we please stop pretending?"

?I frowned. "Pretending what?"

?"That nothing is happening between us."

?I remained silent, watching as she leaned forward slightly.

?"Let’s not lie to ourselves. We’re sexually attracted to each other. I know it, and you know it. I see the way you look at me, Kaden. Even now, you’ve barely been able to take your eyes off me since you entered this room."

?I clenched my jaw. "Rebecca—"

?"And don’t tell me I’m imagining things, because I’m not," she interrupted. "You’ve been avoiding me for the past week, and I know why."

?"You don’t know anything," I replied firmly.

?"Then look me in the eyes and tell me you haven’t thought about what happened in the bathroom."

?I said nothing.

?"Exactly," she murmured.

?I exhaled sharply. "Rebecca, in two months and a few weeks, all of this will be over. Our arrangement will end, and we’ll both return to our separate lives. I don’t see why we should complicate things any further."

?She stared at me for a moment before speaking.

?"And so?"

?I frowned. "What do you mean, ’and so’?"

?"So what if we’re going our separate ways? Does that mean we have to pretend we don’t want each other while we’re still here?"

?"Rebecca, you’re dating Melvin."

?"And you’re dating Rola," she reminded me.

?"Exactly!"

?She gave a humorless laugh. "Kaden, you don’t even know what Melvin and Rola are doing over there."

?My expression darkened. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

?"I’m not suggesting anything. I’m simply saying that neither of us knows what’s happening between them. Ever since that morning, things have been strange, and you know it."

?"Whatever Melvin and Rola are doing is none of my business," I replied.

?She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

?"Yes."

?"Then why are you using our relationships as an excuse?"

?I stared at her in disbelief. "Rebecca, this conversation is getting ridiculous."

?"No, Kaden. What’s ridiculous is the fact that we keep acting as though we don’t feel anything when we’re around each other."

?Before I could respond, she pushed her chair back and stood up.

?I watched her walk around the table toward me.

?"Rebecca, what are you doing?" I asked, immediately becoming suspicious.

?She didn’t answer. Instead, she stopped beside my chair, placed one hand on my shoulder, and slowly lowered herself onto my lap.

?Every muscle in my body went rigid.

?Fuck.

?Her scent hit me so strongly that I almost stopped breathing.

?"Rebecca," I warned, struggling to maintain my composure.

?She looked into my eyes. "Please, just listen to me."

?I should have moved her off my lap immediately. I knew that. But my hands had already settled against her waist, and my wolf was practically celebrating inside my head.

?Finally, he growled triumphantly.

?Shut the hell up!

?Rebecca drew a shaky breath.

?"I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Kaden."

?Something about her voice made me stop struggling with my wolf for a moment. She wasn’t smiling anymore, and the seriousness in her expression made me pay closer attention.

?"I think about you every day," she continued quietly. "Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and promise myself that I’m not going to think about you, but before the day is over, you’re all I can think about again."

?I swallowed. "Rebecca..."

?"I want you, Kaden. Every single day. And I hate admitting that because I know how complicated everything is between us."

?My grip on her waist tightened slightly as she lowered her gaze.

?"Sometimes, when I’m alone at night, I can’t even sleep because I keep remembering what happened between us."

?I stared at her, unsure of what to say.

?Then she looked up again, holding my gaze.

?"Kaden, I pleasure myself almost every night while thinking about you."

?My eyes widened, and for several seconds, I couldn’t say a word.

?Because, fuck, if only she knew.