Chapter Two
The first thing Kelly did was check every single room in the house. There was one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen, one everything it felt like. The space was cozy, intimate, and small. Damn it. One year they were meant to be here. It was hot outside, so they had the entire summer, fall, winter, spring, and then back to summer before they would get home to their pack. She felt the need to cry, but she didn’t. Instead she sucked up everything and went to check to make sure they were fine. There was food in the fridge, fresh water, and electricity. At least they had that, which meant she could charge up her e-reader.
“Are you done walking around the house needlessly?” Drake asked. He was leaning against the doorframe, staring at her.
“I don’t like you,” she said.
“Well that’s good to know because I don’t like you all that much either.”
“I checked, and we have clothes.”
“Yeah, and I also saw there was one bed, and, sweetheart, this ass is not sleeping on the couch. I need my beauty sleep.”
She rolled her eyes. “I guess you’re going to have to learn to share because I’m not sleeping on the couch either.” She folded her arms. This hatred for one another was going to cause them a lot of problems. Kelly refused to give in, even though it probably wouldn’t do her any good to not do so.
“Fine. If you think I’m going to be a gentleman and give it up to you, you’re so fucking wrong it’s funny.”
She glared at him. “I don’t think you’re going to give it up to me.” Storming past him, she entered the bedroom, and grabbed a spare blanket. Rolling it up, she placed it down the bed. “There, see? Enough room for the two of us. Equal.” She turned toward him and smiled. “We can make this work.”
Next, she moved to the wardrobe.
“Are they our clothes?”
“Yes. They moved everything while we were sleeping or knocked out. Either way I am so not accepting dinner at my folks’ place any time soon.” Clapping her hands together, she decided to pick her spirits up. “We can do this. I think we have a real chance to make all of this work.”
“And at the end?” he asked. “What then?”
“We go our separate ways. It ended. The elders made a mistake.” She pushed open a window and breathed in the fresh air.
“Kelly,” Drake said.
She turned toward him. “What?”
“What if they didn’t make a mistake?”
“It’s not possible for you and me to be mated. We both know this. I want nothing to do with you, and you don’t want anything to do with me. It has to be a mistake.”
Drake had been an asshole to her since they were kids. Whenever their parents weren’t looking he’d pull her hair, pinch her, and then as they got older, the names started. She was a curvy girl, and he seemed determined to try to give her complex.
Still, she had let everything he said to her roll off her like water. Never was she going to pay attention to what he was saying to her. He didn’t know what he was talking about as far as she was concerned. She rocked her size eighteen body, and no one was going to tell her what she was to eat or do with her life.
“Yeah, but what if this is it? You and me.”
Kelly stared at him. This was a guy that had made her cringe the moment she saw him. She didn’t even find him attractive. Yes, he was attractive, but she always made sure to tell herself that she didn’t think he was.
“It doesn’t matter, Drake. Can you see yourself with me for the rest of our life?” she asked, pointing at her chest.
He hesitated, and she didn’t like that. “It’s—”
“We’ve both spent a lot of time telling each other how insignificant the other is, Drake. You and I, this is a mistake, and all we can do is make the most of the next year. I don’t want to kill you, so how about we stick it out, and try to be friends? Do you think we can do that?” she asked.
“Sure. I’m happy to do that.”
“Good, good.” She looked around the bedroom as it suddenly felt incredibly small. “I’m going to head out for a walk, some fresh air.” She moved past him without even touching. The greater the distance became, the sadder she grew.
As she stood outside of the front of the house, everywhere she looked was forest. This was heaven for a lot of the pack, and even she saw the tranquility of it, but right now, it felt like a prison.
Her cell phone began to ring, and she saw it was her mother again.
“Are you calling to say this was a sick joke?”
“Kelly, honey, I can’t.”
“This isn’t supposed to be happening, Mom. This is a big mistake.”
“You saw the video we left, right?”
“Drake hates me, and I think he’s the world’s biggest asshole. How is this going to work?” she asked, feeling desolate and alone.
“Something magical always happens there, honey. The elders have never been wrong.”
“Mom, it’s a bunch of old men that look at signs. It’s the twenty-first century. Cell phones, e-readers, modern day stuff all exist.”
“The old ways have their place, and a lot of pack mates are more than happy with the elders’ decision. You and Drake share a bond.”
“Being born on the same day is not a bond, Mom. There are millions of people in the world that were born on the same day at the same time.”
“One day you’ll see.”
She rolled her eyes as her mother disconnected the call. This was her only contact to the outside world.
Calling the authorities wouldn’t help. Who would believe a werewolf pack had kidnapped her with the intention of mating? It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears.
****
Drake stood at the window, watching Kelly. Part of him wanted to believe that this was a total nightmare, the worst thing that could ever happen to him, but the truth was, he didn’t think or feel that way. Yes, he and Kelly didn’t have the best history. Over the years since they’d been kids, he’d been a total bastard to her. But he didn’t hate her, far from it.
She held the cell phone in her hand, dropping it down to her thigh as she stared up at the sky. Her hair cascaded down her back, and he couldn’t look away, nor did he want to. In that moment, he wanted her to turn around, look at him, and smile. She never did smile at him.
He’d seen her smile of course, so many times before, but then he wasn’t the guy or girl she’d look at.
They had a complicated relationship. He didn’t like being told what to do, so he’d fought every single thing his parents had said. Everyone had said that Kelly would be his, so he’d made sure that she despised him.
Even though he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, he’d called her ugly. Her curves had made his cock ache in ways no one else could, but he’d called her fat. Everything he’d done, it had been a rebellion to be his own man.
The process had made Kelly hate him, and at times made him not be able to look in the mirror.
For the next year they were going to be alone with each other. The only company for the other. Part of him was thrilled, but another hated it. Everything had led to this moment.
The elders had called it, and so had his parents and Kelly’s.
She entered the front door and sighed.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked.
“My mom called.” She rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t seem to think this is all that big of a problem. It’s natural, and we have to roll with it.”
“Just out of curiosity what usually happens during this one year … gap? It can’t just be us, can it? There’s couples all over the world.”
“Did you never pay attention?”
“It was a class about mating. I was a guy who wasn’t interested in one girl,” he said, lying easily.
She sighed, running fingers through her hair, which for him seemed to make it glow even more. The life in it called for him to run his fingers through. He fisted his hand instead.
“Everything is supposed to happen in this one year, Drake. We’re here, together, and no one else can interfere. Yes, this includes sex and love. By the time we leave, we’re supposed to have this union, this bond that’s magical.”
“Not all pack members do this though, right?”
“No. Some are mated before they’re chosen. The elders are only supposed to send those that have a special connection.” She air quoted the last two words. “I don’t know. I think I’m doomed.”
“You’re not doomed. We’re not doomed. One year of walking around in the woods, hiking, eating, watching television.”
“And reading. I have my music, my e-reader. We can make this work.” She clicked her fingers. “I am hungry, and seeing as the sun is starting to set, I’m going to make dinner.”
“Okay.” Drake didn’t have a clue what to do.
He followed Kelly into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the large chairs as she stood at the fridge.
“Are you going to be mean to me right now?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him. “Say something about the amount of food I eat, or what I look like?”
“Nope.”
“We need boundaries,” she said, slamming the door to the fridge and stepping up close to him.
“I’m all ears.”
“Good. You don’t take all of the hot water, and I want half an hour every evening in the bathroom. You will not enter, and you won’t demand to use the bathroom. If you need to take care of your … needs, it will be before or after my time, okay?”
He smirked. “What’s the matter, Kelly? Does the idea of holding my cock get you hot?”
“You’re a pig!” She turned her back to him.
“If you ever need me to handle a few of your needs, let me know.”
“I wouldn’t let you touch me with a barge pole, Drake. It’s never going to happen. Stay out of my personal space, keep your distance, and if you don’t have anything nice to say, stay quiet.”
“I’ve been really nice. You’re the one that has been calling me a pig.” He held his hands up, trying to appear all innocent.
“Yeah, it doesn’t work for me. I still don’t like you. You’ve proven me to all the years before now that you’re a horrible person.”
Drake didn’t say anything. Instead, he sat back in his seat, prepared to watch her as she began to work her magic in the kitchen. He loved to tease her about her love of cooking. This time he kept his thoughts to himself.
There was no need for that fire in her eyes to be directed at him. One year alone with her. It was like a blessing and a curse all mixed into one. His father’s warnings years ago had gone unheard, and now he had to try to make the most of it.
Did he want to mate with Kelly?
The idea didn’t repulse him. He watched as she removed her jacket to get started on the stir-fry. The crop top she wore clung to her curves, enhancing her hips and large tits.
His dick began to harden.
He had a feeling it was going to be a long fucking year.