Chapter 36: I Should Have Hated It!

"We need to talk," Dante gritted out.

Selene pulled at her hand. "Talk?" She knew what this talk was going to be about and she was not in any way interested in being in such an awkward situation.

She snatched her hand from him.

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Nothing to talk about?" He narrowed his eyes on her. "For a week now, you’ve completely avoided me and you don’t think there is anything we need to talk about?"

"There isn’t."

Selene stood firm on her word.

"I have things to do. I’m leaving first. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast."

She turned away and hurried off.

Dante meant to go after her, but Meris who’d hurried up to her feet, gripped his arm, stopping him.

"Dante, where are you going?" She stood in front of him, staring with a pained expression.

He looked at her.

She shook her head at him. "Dante, you are hurting me. How can you try to run after another woman while I’m here? I’m your mate, Dante... Please..."

Dante gazed at her.

"I;m not running after her," he said, and moved her aside.

But she held him. "Dante—"

"I just have something to discuss with her." He moved away, shrugging off her hand.

Dante found his way up the stairs.

He stormed to the guest room Selene occupied and knocked.

No one came out even after a minute.

He knocked again.

Then again.

And again.

Yet no one responded.

He took a deep breath. "I know you’re in there."

No answer.

"I can hear your breathing, Selene. Open the door."

Selene still didn’t.

He let out a deep breath. "I know it is uncomfortable. And it is uncomfortable for me as well. But we need to talk. I’m sure you are just as confused as I am. Open the door, Selene."

Seconds passed.

Then a minute.

He parted his lips, ready to say more, but then the handle of the door turned. It was pulled open and from the side, Selene poked out her head and eyed him.

"You’re annoying."

He met her gaze. "May I come in?"

"A man with a mate shouldn’t be walking into another woman’s bedroom. Are you sure about that, Dante Baris?"

Dante pressed his index finger to her forehead and pushed her head aside.

"Ow!" She snarled at him.

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

Selene rubbed her forehead. She looked up at him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I’m sorry."

"What?" She was confused, furrowing her brows at him. "What are you sorry about?"

"That day...it was un-befitting of me to lose control of my pheromones like that. I caused you to fall into a dangerous situation and...I’m aware things could have gone bad. That I’m apologizing for."

Selene blinked at him.

She lowered her eyes and cleared her throat, saying, "That...is fine. I don’t think you had much control over it anyway. What alpha would want to do that when they have a mate?"

"Mate..."

Dante’s hands balled by his sides as he drawled his words.

"Right..."

"What...?" Selene looked at him. "Why do you sound like that?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, "Why did that happen to us?"

"What?"

"That night."

"Dante—"

"I’m sure you felt it too. I’m sure you noticed. Why did that happen to us? There has to a reason, don’t you think?"

As he asked, he began to take steps towards her.

Selene moved steps back.

The closer he came, the further back she got.

"D-Dante, what are you doing? There is nothing to it. You are just overthinking things!"

"Overthinking things?"

He shook his head.

"I don’t think so. For many nights now, I have stayed up, thinking things through, trying to figure out what the heck is going on between us."

"What are you talking about?!" Selene snapped at him. "An accident happened and that is all there is to it. Why are you—"

"You’re a wild omega." He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to a stop. "Wild omegas are unmoved in the face of alphas including a supreme alpha like me. Yet...you reacted to me. You went into a pre-heat, and I...I lost control of myself, something that has never happened to me before. I have never lost control of my pheromones."

He buckled in the ludicrousity of the entire thing.

"I have always had complete control over my pheromones and my wolf, even in front of my so-called mate. Yet, before you, not only did my wolf run wild, but I lost so much control of my pheromones. Now you know the funny thing?"

The more he spoke, the more Selene felt like she was shrinking, her wolf rising wildly little by little inside of her.

"When our pheromones clashed, they didn’t hate each other. How can that happen? I have a mate! My pheromones should completely reject yours. My pheromones should disgust you! Yours should disgust me! I should have hated it! But I didn’t."

With each word spoken, his expression grew horrified.

"A wild omega like you, you already have naturally offensive pheromones, yet...my wolf felt attracted to it. Why? What the fuck is going on?!"

"Do you think I know?!" Selene finally snapped back, shoving him. "I don’t know what is going on either. I don’t know why I reacted to you. I don’t know why I lost control of my pheromones. I don’t know anything. I am just as confused as you. And you know what I don’t want to do, Dante?"

He stared at her.

She crushed her hands into fists. "I don’t want to go further into this. I’d rather ignore it completely. So if you could, please—"

"No!"

"What?!"

Dant tore off the bandage around his neck and bared his neck to her. "Do you know what you’ve done to me? What you’ve caused me?!"

She was confused, eyes shifting to his neck, at his mating spot that has yet to be marked by any Omega. "W-what are you talking about?"