Since I no longer have to check the barrier, I spend all day at the guesthouse doing nothing.

Without Nara and Jenny, I'm bored. So when Sabrina asked me to join her at the bonfire this evening, I agreed.

The fire is big, and I mean big. I thought this would be a small get-together or something with her friends, but this is the whole pack, PLUS people from other packs.

Despite the number of people, it doesn't feel crowded — probably because the fire is this big and the place where this is happening is large and wide open.

And since she's the Alpha's sister, Sabrina finds us some good seats close to the fire. However, soon after we'd settled in our seats, she was whisked away by her boyfriend.

Which is great, because now I can stare at Leon without any reservations. He's at the opposite side, talking to Irene. Fortunately, Irene is keeping her hands to herself this time. However them talking doesn't bother me any less because of that.

Perhaps it's the general mood at the bonfire, or because it's nighttime or something else, Leon looks exceptionally sexy to me.

The light from the fire accentuates his muscular figure and sharp face.

Soon, Irene leaves him and just when I was thinking I got a clear sight of him, a couple of his friends block my view to talk to him.

Frustrated, I turn my attention to the fire. Mesmerised by the flames, I allow myself to zone out briefly before checking if the guys had moved away from Leon.

I look at Leon's direction and see that he's looking back at me. My heart rate speeds up and face heats up. I continue to look at him, and he continues to look at me. For a moment, it feels like it's just us two in here. And the way he holds my gaze... I'm unable to take my eyes off him.

However, all good things come to an end, right? Irene returns to him.

Unable to contain my irritation anymore, I leave my seat and go to the drinks section. Luckily, someone had thought to bring a crate of juices along with all the insane amount of alcohol.

I grab a bottle of orange juice.

"Don't like beer?"

A handsome guy, about the same age as me, is standing next to me.

"No," I tell him.

He gives me a dashing smile. "The taste?"

I nod while returning his smile. Then curiosity gets me: There's something about him that makes him stand out. "You're not from Red Peak, are you?" I ask.

"No, I'm not. Let me introduce myself: I'm Reagan, Alpha of Manis Creak Pack."

An Alpha. No wonder he seemed different from most of the other werewolves. "I'm Cassandra Winston. A witch and currently, an unwilling guest of Red Peak."

He lightly laughs, making me smile, too. "Yeah, I can see you're not really enjoying the party, which is expected considering your mate is talking to someone he chose over you."

"Oh, so you knew who I was?"

"You stand out – and I asked Sarah who you were."

"Could've asked me directly. Unlike them, I don't bite."

He laughs again. "So," he says, "Cassandra, wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

We both walk away from the bonfire. Once we're far enough and the sounds from the crowd start to fade, he says, "I also heard about your brother."

"I hope you didn't bring me out here to kill me and avenge for what my brother did."

"I wouldn't dare even lift a finger against the next chief of a coven," he says, smirking.

"Is there anything you don't know about me already?"

"Hmm, let me think," he says and pretends to really think before saying, "No, I think I know everything I need to know about you."

"Then why don't you be fair and tell me about you? All I know is your name."

Reagan tells me about his pack. It's the first time I'm freely talking to a werewolf, and it's refreshing. The way he speaks and the way he describes his pack, it's interesting to hear.

Our conversation changes from his pack to my coven and I tell him about my home.

"You must be really missing your home," he says.

"You've no idea. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against werewolves, but there's just too many of them here, and then there's..." I trail away.

"Leon," says Reagan, finishing my sentence. "I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. Leon is an idiot."

I smile. It's nice to hear Leon being called an idiot. "So, what about you? Got a mate?" I ask.

"I– had a mate. She passed away when we were young."

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't k–"

"It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry. I really am," I tell Reagan.

He nods, understandingly.

I say, "If you don't mind, how..."

"She was sick," Reagan says. "It was incurable. The good thing was she didn't suffer."

A sad smile is all I can respond to that with. "So, you haven't dated anyone else?"

There's something about the way he speaks tells me he rarely approaches girls. For all I know, I could be the first girl he has had a decent conversation with since forever.

"No," he says. "I just couldn't. But I'm thinking about it now," he says, quietly.

"You are?"

He stops and faces me. I stop, too. "Cassandra, I–"

"Cassandra," Leon says from behind us. "I need you to take a look at something. It's urgent."

I throw a quick smile at Reagan and follow Leon.

Leon takes me to the other side of the main house, away from all the people. He enters his garage and I follow him in there. "What do you want me to take a look at?" I ask him.

In the blink of an eye, Leon pins me against his car. "You looked like you were enjoying your walk with Reagan very much."

I smirk. "Yes, I was. Just as much as you were enjoying your chat with Irene."

Leon slams his hand against the car, surprising me. "I told you, there's nothing between us."

"She's going to be your mate. I'd say that's something between you two."

His jaw tightens. "Your jealousy was cute for a while Cassandra, but now it's just bothering me."

"You feeling bothered makes me happy."

He smirks. "Is that why you were pretending to show interest in Reagan?"

"Oh, I didn't pretend. He is very interesting. Also, it seems he is interested in me, too. If you hadn't interrupted us I might've gotten myself a date. I guess, even after we break our bond, I might still end up with an Alph–"

As if on cue, he kisses me. He deepens his kiss, and I forget I'm supposed to make him feel bad, not go along with his impromptu make-out sessions.

It's not my fault, though. I can barely resist him. With each steamy encounter of ours, my desire for him only grows. I grab his hair at the back of his head and press against him with all my might.

He gently bites into my neck, driving me insane. This feels like deja vu, probably because it all has happened multiple times before. But I want more this time. Much more.

As if he knew that, he swiftly unbuttons and unzips my jeans. He slides his hand into my pants. His large and rough fingers start caressing me, making me lose all the strength in my body.

As his fingers continue to move, I moan out, arching my back. All the muscles in my body clench in pleasure.

Soon the pleasure becomes harder to bear as I desperately want relief, and once I get it and my breathing returns to normal, I notice his condition.

His pupils have gone completely dark. I can feel his arm muscles are taut. He presses against me between my legs, making me both lustful and fearful.

I do want to have sex with him. But not like this. He's still arranged to break our bond and mate with Irene.

"Leon," I whisper his name nervously.

"It's okay," he says. His voice comes out strained. "I won't do anything you don't want me to."

He zips up my pants and opens the car door behind me. "Get in," he says. I do as he says without a second thought.

He turns away from me and leans back on the door. I can't see what he's doing but I have a pretty good idea what it is.

His muffled moaning and irregular breathing make my face go red.

I've always thought of boys masturbating as disgusting. But when the guy I love is fully turned on by me and is desperately trying to find relief, right on the other side of a car door, it arouses me.

After he's done, he turns around, opens the door, leans in and kisses my lips. "No one can ever touch you like that but me," he says. "And you will be interested in no one but me."