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Three.

Elijah was sat, watching the black haired beauty from his booth at the far end of the bar. He didn't really have a choice on that front at the moment. Her scent had hit him as soon as he had entered the resort compound, and he felt relief at knowing he had finally found her as well as an overwhelming excitement to finally claim what was his. The scent was driving his animalistic instinct wild, his inner wolf desperately clawing at the surface to get to her. To conquer the woman who had evaded him for so long.

He had waited ten years longer than most to find his other half. In that time to be fair he had amassed a level of strength seldom seen by any wolf pack anywhere in the world. His territory stretched larger than any other, all built out of his frustration and determination that she had to be somewhere.

In truth that is exactly what he was doing, theoretically the more territory he conquered, the more he increased his odds that he would actually find her.

Then he came here to this famous resort, built by some strange hybrid creature so they say, in an effort to offer safety to all apparently. He only came because he was forced by his beta and gamma to take a break for a week. A break he was loathed to take. But then, he arrived and her scent hit him from all angles. It smelled like paradise here, because it smelled like her.

How he kept his preoccupation hidden from his two friends as they checked in to their cabin, even he isn't sure. But he had to lay eyes on her first, and then they went for dinner in the bar.

She walked in while he was eating his spicy chicken fajitas, and went straight behind the bar not even giving him a second glance. He almost choked when it happened but chose to blame the spices in his food.

It was infuriating, but he quickly got over it when he realised he had the one opportunity almost all mates don’t have. He could just watch her. Without her knowledge of his existence. After all this time Elijah Lupus could finally just relax and appreciate watching the woman he would spend the rest of his life with as she did she needed tondonin this moment.

So now he sat in silence, watching her move gracefully behind the bar, as she chatted happily with all the customers and sang along to the loud music. She was enchanting to him. In his peripheral view point he was aware that Marcus and Zachary his companions had disappeared to play pool elsewhere in the bar. Unfazed about his reluctance to join them.

He was sipping contentedly on his drink when it happened, and to his horror and astonishment his mate was laughing along playfully with the lion behind the bar as he placed his filthy hands on her.

What's worse, Elijah’s nose would have had to be plugged with vapour rub to not smell the shifter's attraction to his mate. HIS MATE!!

Then his vision went fully red though, when the lion wrapped his filthy arms around her. He stood abruptly just as they parted, and heard his mate make a comment about leaving him. Which thankfully stopped his wolf from making an appearance in the bar and getting him banned from the resort before he even had knowledge of his temptress' name.

"Well, I for one think that's a great idea." he interrupted them growling. "Step away from the cat, Little Mate. You belong to me." he added then inwardly cringed at his own caveman esq comment.

Colt felt like she had just been drenched with a bucked of ice water, and as half cat, that is not a pleasant experience.

The stranger in front of her never broke his commanding eye contact as he approached the bar waiting for her to turn her face as he quite obviously tried to assert his dominance over her.

But, for Colt this was an insult. She may only be half wolf but her father was a beta, and raised her to not take shit from anyone, no matter how important their piercing eyes, evidently chiselled good looks made them think they were, a challenge was a challenge.

As he got to the bar their eyes were still locked on one another as the other few wolves in the vicinity started to whisper about what was going on. Colt was obviously openly glaring at him now, while he who was oblivious to it all seemed content just basking in her attention.

Elijah leant over the bar and chimed out, "Collect your things, your shift is over now. I'm taking you home, Little One."

The jukebox finished playing precisely at the moment Colt lost her senses and for the second time today broke her no violence rule and punched Mr. Handsome square in the right eye, causing him to stagger back, mostly from shock. His mate just attacked him.

There was a dead silence as Colt looked him in the eyes with disgust. Her head held high she almost snarled as she said, "I am no man's mate Mr Lupus, least of all yours."

His eyes shot up at her formal use of his name with confusion, masking his hurt momentarily at her public rejection.

"Oh yes, your reputation preceeds you. The most powerful alpha in the country, potentially the modern day world. But here, you are just another customer, and if you ever so much as look at me in that condescending "Little One" manner again, you will be escorted off my property before you have the chance to blinkwilShe spoke with absolute authority, "And I will stand where and next to whomever I damn well please. Do you understand me?" She asked, demanding a response.

In his mind he was whimpering at his own confusion, this had never happened before. It wasn’t so much her tearing him down, although even he could feel her power over him in that moment, but she had acted disgusted that he would want her, even taking a term he meant as an endearment as an insult. Then she threatened to have him removed, claiming this was her property, does this mean the resort is hers? He wondered as he consoled his inner turmoil over his mate's anger and actions towards him. Using words like soon and I can be patient a bit longer, at least I have found her now.

Elijah straightened up and Colt felt like she had been stabbed in the gut when he looked at her. She had always prided herself on never causing undue hurt or pain to anyone. She only ever condoned violence as a method of self defence, and although in that moment she had felt uneasy, she knew deep down she was in no danger. She was just extremely pissed at his attitude, and now the look of pain and hurt in Elijah's eyes would haunt her dreams.

She stood partially frozen, staring at him while wondering what she should she do now. The man was just standing looking at her, all presumption gone, like in that moment he was as lost as she was.

"Boss, I think I can manage the rest of the night now if you want to finish that paperwork you love so much now." Felix chimed in, throwing her a lifeline.

It was moments like these she was reminded just how glad she was to have him on her side.

"That would be great, thanks." she said turning and smiling genuinely at him before heading out through the back to head to her office.

Elijah was torn now, because seeing the smile the cat just got from his mate made him want to howl and rip out the lion's throat. But that smile suggests they were friends and he is pretty sure he would lose her forever if he so much as tried. So, instead he grunted out an order for some scotch and asked for an ice pack. Damn, she had one hell of a right hook, he inwardly smirked as Felix passed him a drink, and a towel with some ice.

He didn’t want to dwell on the fact that the lion seemed to be looking at him with pity in his golden eyes.

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