Chapter Thirteen Vincent

W ho did that fucking asshole think he was?! Not only did he interrupt my date that was going very well, but he thought it was okay to paw at me and stick his tongue down my throat as well? What the fuck?!

I practically wrenched my door off the car before I threw my bag into the passenger seat. My date was long gone, probably never to be seen again. As I flopped into the driver's seat and slammed the door, I cursed River's name under my breath. I'd been on a good track to get laid tonight.

Granted, I was pretty sure blondie was a bottom and that wasn't really my style. But hey, I would've given it a shot, anyway. Getting some ass was better than being forgotten by the guy you actually liked.

Well, obviously he didn't forget me. Or at least he did until it meant I was about to have a good time without him, then he strutted up like he fucking owned me or something. I couldn't believe how possessive and jealous he acted. He made it look like the pair of us had been dating for months or something. And then calling me his mate? Again, what the fuck ?!

I threw my car into drive and hit the gas. Then I realized it wasn't on. So then I turned it on and tried that again and it went much better. I peeled out of the parking lot heading for the highway. I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't care. I just needed to get out of town for a bit to think.

On my way out I nearly ran over a child that darted into the road. A parent screamed at me from the side of the road and I slowed down a bit. People needed to keep their crotch goblins on a fucking leash. Just because this was a park didn't mean the road was a playground. Fuck.

However, the moment I was past the gate and on the main road, I put my foot to the floor on the accelerator and headed north. I followed the shoreline, watching the countryside whiz by as I ran away from all of my problems. It was a habit I'd developed a couple of years ago. Whenever things got crazy, I'd head out of town for a little while. The open road helped me think and I could have some time to myself where nobody else could get to me. Plus I could talk through things out loud and not be looked at like I was fucking crazy.

Usually that meant coming to a satisfactory conclusion. But this time… not so much.

Even after driving for ten minutes, my cock was still pulsing hard against my leg. I could taste River on my lips and smell him on my skin where he'd touched me. No matter how much I tried to hate him for the way he'd acted, I just got more turned on by it.

Did he really think I was his mate? Some wolves, younger ones especially, used mate as a term for when they were dating and to be honest, it meant nothing. But River wasn't a pup, and he didn't seem like the type to throw a word around like that all willy-nilly. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more he seemed surprised that he'd said it in the first place.

And that look in his eyes when he stood over me, ready to fight for what belonged to him… That golden Alpha fury had me weak in the knees. I was sure his wolf had taken over in the moment and everything that came out of his mouth was true. Wolves were notoriously honest even when it wasn't helpful to our human halves.

I felt stupid. The fact that I was fawning over a guy that was so obviously red-flagging was infuriating. Jealousy wasn't fun, and I wasn't a possession that could be owned by anyone. Not even River.

But I couldn't help feeling like I wanted to belong to him. There was a feeling of safety and completion that oozed through my body when he said I was his mate. And it was also terrifying. Belonging to someone was a big commitment and not one that I thought neither River nor I were ready for. Besides, I couldn't be that special, right? Why would I belong to some Alpha from wherever the hell he was from? I was just a rogue with no family, no life, and no sense of self-worth. If anything, I was probably just applying meaning where there was none.

The logical side of me was confident that I'd never see River again. For one, I bitch-slapped the shit out of him. And then I'd told him to go fuck himself. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't come after me.

However, the wolf inside me was full of hope now. And not just any kind of hope, but the kind of hope that makes you do stupid shit and gets you in trouble. I knew that if I saw River again, my wolf would take over just as his had. I was his mate after all and that had to mean something, right?

To put it simply, I was at war with myself.

So I drove. And I drove. And I drove.

Eventually, I noticed the sun was riding low in the sky. I wasn't sure how long I'd been going, but I had to pee and I was getting hungry. A quick stop off the side of the road took care of the first problem, but the second took a little more work. My phone showed me that while I'd driven mostly north, I'd managed to not stray more than a couple of hours from home. So, I punched in my address and turned on the navigation.

The only detour I made was to a small nowhere town just off the highway so I could get some fast food. It wasn't exactly something I made a habit of eating, but it was easily available. Rural eastern Michigan didn't offer a lot of fine dining choices when you were wandering in the middle of nowhere. A McDonald's was about the best you could hope for. However bad the food might have been for my person, it tasted heavenly after not eating all day long.

From there I was able to hop on the highway and expedite my trip back home. It took me a little over two hours to see the exit for Shifter Grove and I breathed a sigh of relief. My long journey had brought me no solid conclusions. Regardless, I was exhausted and ready to call it a night. I didn't wander about town or make any stops. I just drove straight to my apartment and pulled my car into my usual parking spot. I hardly looked up as I got out and headed for my door in the pitch dark. There were a bunch of missed messages on my phone, but most were from Andy looking for details about my date with blondie. The rest were just business things that I didn't care about at the moment. It could all wait until tomorrow when I was back on my feet.

However, as I neared my door, my lack of attention meant I tripped over something and stumbled into the wall.

"Ouch!"

My heart sank. I knew that voice…

Pulling out my phone, I hit the flashlight button, illuminating the hallway and my door. And there, sitting on the ground rubbing his side where I'd kicked him was River. There was still sand on his skin in places and he was wearing the same swim trunks he'd had on earlier that day. Next to him was a folded up blanket and a pair of flip-flops, both of which belonged to me. I'd left them on the beach when I stormed off.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I sighed, trying not to show that my heart was beating a million miles per hour at the sight of him. It wasn't fear, it was pure ecstatic excitement. "Are you stalking me now?"

"N-No!" he stammered, getting to his feet. He reached down, grabbing the blanket and the shoes before handing them to me. "You left these at the beach and I wanted to return them."

"How long have you been here?"

"I…" He trailed off, but didn't finish.

"You've been sitting here all damn day?!"

"I didn't want anyone to steal your stuff," he said, obviously avoiding what he really wanted to say.

I snatched the items out of his hands and tucked them under my arm. "Well, I hope you know that you just wasted and entire fucking day guarding a dollar store blanket and four bucks worth of foam. Idiot." I turned away from him and jammed my key into the door lock. "Thanks. Now go away."

The lock clicked and I pushed the door open. But before I could get inside, I felt a hand on my arm.

"Wait–"

I turned back, growling and snapping. "Did I give you permission to fucking touch me?!"

"S-Sorry…" He pulled his hand away. "You're right. I should've asked."

"Damn right you should have you creep."

We stared at one another for a long moment. I tried to look as intimidating as possible while River looked… well, uncomfortable was putting it lightly.

"I'd like to talk to you," he said. "If I can. And explain."

"Who says I'm interested in an explanation?" I snapped. "Especially not one you've been sitting outside my door all day rehearsing."

"I haven't been–"

"Don't lie to me."

He sighed. "Alright. I've been thinking about it. How could I not? But I'm not gonna lie to you."

"I bet all truthful people say that. Telling me you won't lie makes you sound really trustworthy–"

"I was out of line today," he blurted.

I stared at him. "No shit."

"I know you know… I just… I felt like I had to say it. I don't know what came over me…"

"Oh really?"

He shook his head. "Okay… I do know… but honestly… it scares the shit out of me."

I snapped my mouth shut, cutting off a scathing retort. I hadn't been expecting that response from him.

"There's things I feel that I know I shouldn't feel… and I don't know what to do about it."

"So," I said. "Because you're having a hard time with your feelings, I'm the one that has to have my date ruined and have your tongue shoved down my throat? How is that acceptable in any way?"

"It's not. You're totally right. I was so far out of line today. I… I can only plead insanity…"

I cocked one hip to the side, crossing my arms. "Insanity?"

He looked up, his eyes glimmering in the moonlight. "Something about you Vincent… I don't know what it is… but it drives me crazy ."

I stared at him for a long moment. My heart was pounding in my chest, his words sending a tingle up my spine. The wolf inside me was running in circles chasing his own tail out of pure joy. But the human side of me only had one thing to say.

"You're stupid," I replied coldly. "I'm not gonna fall for your cliche romance lines just because they sound good in movies." I stepped closer to him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and yanking him toward me. "Your behavior on the beach today was intolerable . If you want me that badly, you're going to have to fucking prove it. I'm not gonna chase you anymore." I let go of him and stepped into my apartment. "Time for you to do the chasing."

And I slammed the door in his face.