"How do you feel about me?"

🌖

Mani turns off the shower, letting the last few drops of water fall from his tired body, but even though he still possessed the pains from the day before and the early hours, he felt happy. Mani was finally at peace with himself. If their connection yesterday was anything to go by, he now knew how he truly felt about the alpha and more importantly to Mani, he knew how the alpha felt about him.

He pulls back the curtain, grabs his towel, drying himself off just enough to not feel the discomfort of the cool air on his skin. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he heads to his dorm, a little further down the hall. "So I've decided, I want pancakes with syrup…" Mani begins as he heads into his room. But when he sees the alpha partially dressed, only in sweatpants sitting on his bed, with the room still a state, he stops his sentence. "Teddy, why haven't you done anything? It's still a mess?" Mani looks at the alpha, who just stays seated, staring ahead as if he hadn't heard a thing. "Teddy?" Mani says once again, sensing now that something was up, but still no response.

Teddy, why are you ignoring me?

Mani tries to connect to Teddy's mind, but it feels like the alpha has created a mental wall.

"Tell me the truth." Teddy finally utters with words. He now looks over at Mani, still stood by the door.

"The truth? The truth about what?" Mani can't help but laugh lightly at the question. What did he mean? He makes his way to the bed where Teddy was sitting, settling down next to him. "Teddy. What's the matter?" He looks up at the alpha, who is still staring straight ahead.

"How do you feel about me?" Teddy says. The words were put across so plainly and without emotion that Mani felt a slight pain tug in his chest.

"Haven't I shown you how I feel? Didn't I show you yesterday? How about when we were in the woods." Mani can feel his heart beating faster. He felt scared by Teddy's coldness. He wasn't sure what the alpha would do next.

Teddy gets up from the seat and heads to the side table next to Mani's bed. Mani watches as Teddy seems to pick up something small in his hand. He turns around, showing the tiny object to Mani. "Is this what I think it is?" Teddy says, his voice still with the same emotionless tone as before.

Mani looks into the palm which Teddy was holding out. There, in the centre of it, was a tiny white pill. Mani instantly stands up, he reaches out as he tries to grab the tablet from Teddy's palm, but Teddy curls up his fingers, making a tight fist. Mani instantly retracts his hand, looking up at Teddy. "I can explain."

"Damn right you'll fucking explain!" Teddy says a little louder. "Is this from the bloodkind? Are they trying to change you? They gave this to you didn't they. That scheming professor…"

"No, you've got it wrong. They're Tyler's…" Mani begins.

"What? I knew I shouldn't have trusted him. Once a vampire…"

"I stole it!" Mani shouts. The sudden confession cuts through the tense atmosphere like a knife. Teddy lets the tightly clenched fist lower by his side, but the silence felt like too much to bear in Mani's ears, feeling the need to fill it. "He had the pills…in a bottle by his bed. He showed them to me. Told me that he takes them to fit in. They dull his instincts, I don't know how, but they work both ways."

Teddy swallows hard, taking in the words Mani was saying. "So, you stole one because you don't want to be a wolf now. Is that it?" He says, the sadness pushing through in his voice.

"I do Teddy. I swear! I just…'' Mani looks down at his feet. He knew exactly why he had taken the pill from Tyler's bottle. That doubt. The persistent doubt that Teddy would have never chosen him if fate hadn't played a part. The alpha had said on more than one occasion that he was expecting a female mate. That he had never looked at another man before he had met Mani.

But it hurt even more because fate aside, Mani had grown fond of Teddy. He had shown him that he could be soft, caring, be whatever Mani had always romanced about. Teddy was not just the 'A' typical. But he would never know Teddy's true intentions. Mani thought that if he took the pill it would give him answers.

"Do you not know how I feel about you?" Teddy says, taking a step closer to Mani. "Haven't I told you, shown you, over and over?"

"Then why are we talking about it?" Mani shouts, trying desperately to push it all aside. "Just let it go!"

"Because it will always be there!" Teddy shouts back. "I am your mate. We bonded, I fucking knotted you and yet you still don't trust my intentions….Well you will get your answer."

"Teddy no!" Mani screams, he reaches forwards to pull on Teddy's arm, but it's too late. Teddy has opened his mouth, and the pill is knocked back down his throat….