Page 23 of Half Wolf Mate
His jaw clenched when he looked at me, but he didn’t seem surprised.
“Let her in, Damian,” Cole’s exasperated voice echoed behind the door.
Damian pulled the door further open, revealing a few familiar faces. I didn’t remember all the names I’d heard when I was at the compound, but I remembered Alex. My gaze zeroed in on Cole, and I gulped. His face was twisted in the same stony mask he’d worn since I met him.
I thought Damian was scary, but the Alpha was right at the top of the intimidating spectrum with him. The only difference with Cole was that he appeared to be someone who could be reasoned with. That was why I’d garnered the courage to try speaking with him again.
“Violet,” he said coolly. “I’ll deal with you later.”
I heard Violet’s soft sigh and felt terrible for getting her into trouble.
Not once did Cole take his eyes off me. “Everyone out,” he ordered.
There was a scurry of movements as men cleared the room. I noticed that they all kept a wide berth between them and me when they walked past me. It was the same way Alex and Damian had refused to touch me after discovering I was Cole’s mate.
“Good luck,” Violet whispered and hurried off.
I stood in the doorway, staring at Cole and Damian.
“Damian, give us a minute.”
The man Violet had called the “Beta” folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
“I think I’ll survive if the tiny half-wolf launches an attack,” Cole said, sarcasm dripping from his words.
Damian turned to glower at Cole. “This isn’t funny. She could be a hun—”
“Go, Damian.”
I frowned, wondering what Damian was about to call me.
He said nothing more. The authoritative tone had him sighing and walking out with stiff shoulders. From the interaction, I gathered that the Alpha’s orders were always to be obeyed.
After Damian disappeared—to my relief—Cole and I had a stare-down. His gaze lingered so long on me that I was about to start squirming until he said, “Come in.”
Stepping inside, I glanced back at the door, wondering if I should leave it open in the event that I had to hightail it out of there.
“I won’t bite,” he drawled, getting up.
It was hard to tell if he was teasing or not because his expression didn’t change. Figuring there was no need for polite pleasantries, considering the suffocating tension in the room, I said, “You knew I was here.”
He stepped around the desk, unbuttoning his jacket. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets. I observed him keenly, taking in his stance. He didn’t appear to feel threatened by me. But maybe that was because he knew he could crush me with one wolf’s paw.
“I’ll always know when you’re close,” he said.
“Because we’re mates?” He didn’t answer. “Maybe you could explain the whole mate thing to me. I mean, I’ve grasped the basic concept, but I suspect there’s more to it, and I…” I stopped my nervous babble when he just continued to stare.
“What do you want this time?” he asked, perching on one corner of his desk. He didn’t invite me to sit, so I took that as a sign that I still wasn’t welcome.
Taking a deep breath, I tried my best to mimic his impassive attitude. Anything he could do, I could do better. I stepped closer to him. He visibly tensed, and his nostrils flared. It comforted me to know he was affected by me, too. Whether it was the mate’s pull or his hatred of me, it was satisfying getting a reaction from the impossibly aloof man.
“I want answers.”
He blew out a long breath. “If you’re here to give me a hard time about rejecting you, you’re wasting your time.”
The arrogance of the man. Fury almost outweighed my hurt. “Look, I’m not here to beg you to claim me or whatever you guys call it. I just want to know why you or the pack won’t accept me. None of you know me.”
“I already told you the pack won’t accept a half-breed.”