Chapter 166

*Kyra*
I scoff, giving Hayes’ chest a gentle shove. How long have I waited for him to want me? How long did I grieve and now he thinks his words, his empty, useless words, are going to what? Make me swoon? My lycan craves him. Hell, all of me wants him. But I refuse to be
used again other than what my alpha has asked of me.
“Wow, you really know how to make a girl weak in the knees.” I tell him, and he frowns.
His hand extends out like he might try to touch me again, but he stops, making a fist before he exhales and looks away.
“I’m not trying to make you weak in the knees.” He says, his tone flat and expressionless.
“I don’t want to be your reason to live, Hayes.” I tell him honestly. “What I want is for you to stop almost getting yourself killed.”
“Because you are worried about potentially dying if I don’t try my hardest?” He asks.
I have lots of reasons why I don’t want this dense beta to just stop trying and die. But what I also have is a little bit of pride and I refuse to tell him it is because I care about him. What I need is for him to keep his distance and stop touching me so I can think straight. “Something like that, now. Can we go?” I ask, motioning to where the other two have disappeared.
“No.” He grits out. “I do not want that dragon in my camp.”
“Then Teiran and I will go on our own.” I shrug, as if leaving Hayes wouldn’t be the hardest thing to do right now. Not when I can’t trust that he won’t just up and die.
“Over my dead body,” He grinds out, taking a step toward me.
“Oh? See, so willing to die and unwilling to cooperate.” I tut at him, waving my finger in his face as if telling him no. “Teiran and I are a package deal.”
He roars in laughter, throwing his head back as if I have told him the funniest joke he has ever heard.
“You go where I go, end of conversation,” he finally says after a few moments of shaking his head with an amused grin.
“Then I guess we are a trio.” I smile at him sweetly.
“Kyra…” He growls low, his eyes meeting mine, all his emotions unmasked as he captures my full attention.
I swear I can see into his soul. The torment he lives in and the way he looks at me makes my mouth go dry. Instantly I am flushed, my lungs screaming for air and my heart so loud in my ears that when his mouth moves I can hear nothing but the pattering away. “W-what?” I ask, licking my dry lips as I blink and break from his intoxicating hold.
“You stay next to me. You will never be alone with him or anyone else. I say we can not trust. Is that understood?” His entire presence is intimidating, the glint in his eyes informing me he isn’t messing around this time. So instead of provoking him anymore than I already have, I swallow roughly and nod my understanding.
He struts past me, looking over his shoulder when I don’t follow closely, and he arches a brow.
“We are done talking now.” He says, pausing when I don’t move, standing frozen in silence. I have more things I want to say, things I want to do now that I see he is okay when earlier I was so damn worried. “Do you plan on fighting me the entire way?”
His shoulders slump a little, his intimidation tactic slowing as he turns around to face me.
“No. It is exhausting fighting with you.” I admit. He smirks.
“So no more smart ass comments and bickering?” He asks, and I snort a laugh.
“Not a chance.” I smile, a genuine one that makes my eyes squint as I walk to his side. He gives me a gentle elbow and I wince in pain, my shoulder still sore from that damn tree, but at least my ankle seems to be happier now.
“How badly did you hurt your arm?” He asks, concerned.
“It was a deep cut, but I also messed up my ankle, which seems to be healed already.” I tell him, looking down at my dirt riddled leg, a shiver running through me. A shower would be extremely nice about now.
“It’s healed already?” He asks, sounding shocked.
“Yep.” I nod before I pull my bloody sleeve up and look at my bruised skin. A long pink jagged line runs through the deep purple and green bruise. “Looking much better here, too.”
“Have you always healed this fast?” Hayes asks, tilting his head to the side in thought. I don’t have the heart to tell him it is because I am near my second chance mate. That his presence is what is making my lycan work in overdrive to fix my injuries. “I don’t think I have ever actually timed it,” I chuckle, trying to brush it off and drop the subject.
“Mmm,” He hums in thought, looking
at me curiously as we walk. The silence is almost worse than the talking of the looks he keeps giving me. The tension with just being close enough but yet too far away feels like it is tearing at the seams of my sanity.
I was hoping adding Teiran to the mix would at least get me time away from Hayes. Less time for this mate bond to grow stronger and more unbearable. The sex was a mistake, in every way possible only working against me emotionally and physically.
“Thank you.” He whispers, after a long stretch, Teiran and Marcos now insight as they continually look back to keep tabs on us.
“For what? Agreeing to be nicer to you?” I tease, trying to break the tension. Hayes shakes his head and exhales through his pursed lips.
“No, for saving me.” He says and I squawk in shock and dry chuckle breaking from my lips.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Mr. ‘Let me die’ is happy I saved him?”
He glares at me.
“I just said thank you. Let’s not get too carried away.” He grumbles.
“Okay, okay.” I say, smiling. “I suppose I can take it for what it is. And you are welcome, Hayes. It was my pleasure to be your knight in shining armor.”
He laughs lightly, shaking his head.
“More like chaos in freckles,”
“You can make jabs all you want, but you can’t take this win from me,” I beam at him, the tension evaporating and the pressure of trying to keep a wall up falling away.
This feels like home, like how things were before the world went to hell and our souls were tattered. The fun little banter that wasn’t meant to sting or hurt, but bring laughter and lightness to the air.
“Yeah, yeah.” He grins, rubbing the back of his neck before he pauses and lowers his hand, looking at it as if he forgot he was disfigured. His demeanor changes in a heartbeat, the smile wiped from his face and he clears his throat.
“It’s good to know you are still in there.” I say, giving him an encouraging smile. And I mean it, seeing him like this a breath of fresh air, “Even if you look like a mess on the outside.”
He blinks at me as I toss him a wink and that childlike shimmer in his eyes comes back for a moment.
“Kind of a dick move to call someone disfigured a mess,” he says as I shrug, unmarred by his words.
“Friends are honest with each other.” I remind him and he slows down. A look of disbelief and hope morphing his face to something softer, less harsh, even with his scars.
“You think we are friends?” He asks, his voice a hoarse whisper.
“If we are going to be next to each other until all of this is over, it will be easier to be friends.” Tell him. His eyes narrow and his lips press together in thought.
“So we are only friends for now, for the sake of this mission?” He asks, sounding disappointed.
“No.” I exhale. “We can be real friends. Friends with barriers.” and walls, and tall barricaded gates that keep me from touching him. He blinks slowly and then moves a step closer, his hand brushing mine as we walk for a minute. “Are you friend zoning me, Kyra?” He asks, as we approach the bickering Marcos and Teiran in front of us.
“Hell yes I am,” I say, flashing him a victorious smile. “And there is nothing you can do about it.”
He frowns, his mouth falling open like he might protest, but he thinks better about it and closes his mouth. Then he grabs my hand, forcing me to stop as the sparks from the mate bond dance over my skin, forcing a shudder from my body. “Not even when I do this?” He whispers, his thumb stroking over the top of my hand as he gazes into my eyes so intensely I am forced to look away.
“Especially when you do that,” I say, extracting my hand from his. “Friends don’t hold hands.”
“Even when there is something there?” He asks, seeming almost frantic.
“”Like what?”
“Sparks?” He whispers, licking his lips. “The kind that are life changing. Do you feel anything?”
My skin goosebumps, the air
growing thin as I feel like I might
faint. Is he saying that he feels them too? Does Hayes finally feel the mate bond? My chest rises and falls and + clear my throat and glance around, rubbing my sweat palms over my shirt.
“Sparks? No.” I lie looking him right in the eyes. “Uncomfortable, yes.”
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