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Chapter 5

CAESAR

My statement causes her eyes to go wide. Disbelief colours her pixie-like features and it's far from what I'm feeling. Solid conviction settles in my chest. I'm going to mark her.

Make her mine.

My wolf howls, joy and excitement slipping into our bond. I decide then that I'm not going to fight it. I'm not going to let the ghost of my first bride hold me back any longer.

Gradually, something else registers.

She is bleeding.

"F*ck." I dab at the wound helplessly, fingers slipping over the trickles of red. I must have put more pressure on it than I thought.

Rising, I scoop her into my arms. She shoots me a stunned look. "There's a first aid kit in my room," I explain. I start walking. "Let's get you there."

Her wide eyes are locked on the blood flowing from her knees, her thin fingers clutching my shirt. I think she's unaware of that. Good. I quite liked the feel of her hands on me. Even though it's not skin to skin and the situation is far from ideal.

I shoulder my way into my room, laying her down on the king-sized bed. She sinks into the pillows and a look of surprise and awe briefly flashes across her face.

Did she not sleep on a soft bed?

The thought follows me as I march into my bathroom. I wrench open my cabinets. Finally, I catch sight of the first aid kit. Grabbing it, I make my way back into the room. I carefully prop her leg on a different pillow.

Just as I start to clean it, a pained noise slips out of her. When tears trail down her cheeks, pain lances through me. I don't want to see her hurt. Aiming to distract her attention from the pain, I ask gently, "How did this wound come about?"

Her voice is frail. "I...fell."

"Are you lying to me again?"

"N-no."

Even though the twin blotches on her cheeks tell otherwise, I decide to humor her. "How did you fall?" Withdrawing a tourniquet, I tie it around the area above her knee just to ease the bleeding.

"It was... I tried to climb a tree," she replies.

"What tree?"

Her tone is unsure. "An orange tree?"

"Is that a question?"

"No. It's just... I..." Frustration slips into her tone. "It's obvious that it'd be an orange tree."

I try to hide my smile. There's fire in her. That realization has heat flaring through me.

"And what makes it so 'obvious'?" I ask.

"Because... Because it's the most common tree in our state."

"Really now?"

"Yes. We have bananas after that."

I notice her voice has started to grow stronger the more we speak. I roll a bandage over her bruised knee, checking in another smile. "How come you know so much about our geography?"

Her voice is dry. "Because I live here."

Smart ass.

Taking the opportunity to find out more about her, I ask, "Have you lived here all your life?"

Her eyes flit away. "Yes."

The air is suddenly tight with tension. I work toward restoring the mood. "You must love oranges. Are they your favorite fruit?"

"No."

"Colour?"

"No."

"Shape?"

Those eyes briefly lock on mine before they light with amusement. She laughs.

And it's the most beautiful sound.

"Orange is not a shape, Caeser."

A purr breaks out of my chest and her eyes widen.

"I like it when you say my name," I say in all honesty.

She looks everywhere but at me.

"You should do it more often." My fingers graze her jaw and I note her breaths grow heavy. My nostrils flare. Gritting my teeth, I make a conscious effort to pry my hands away from her.

"I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves," I say lightly. "I'm Caeser, and you are?"

I think I see her lips twitch. "I... I'm Bella."

"What is it short for?"

"Nothing. Just Bella..."

I am briefly surprised when she questions, "And... What is your name short for?"

"Nothing," I say, giving her a smile. If my men could see me now...

Having an innocent conversation with a woman that isn't going to lead to either of us getting out of our clothes. I stiffen. A mental image of Bella naked, throbbing and aching for me rises and I groan.

Her eyes widen and she stares at me from under her lashes, unaware of the turn of my thoughts.

I reach for her shoulders, wanting to adjust her to a more comfortable position. But once my fingers make contact with that part of her, she yelps. I stiffen.

"Do you have other wounds?" I ask slowly.

Instantly, she shakes her head, a shadow of fear crossing her face.

"Bella," I growl warningly.

"Please," she stutters in a broken whisper. "Please I--"

Her voice dies when I grab her bodice with both hands and give a forceful rip. It splits right to the middle. A roar tears out of me when the material falls away to reveal a scattering of deep scars. Tears blind her eyes. She reaches for me in an aim to calm me but I'm past the point of caring.

"Who did this," I snarl.

"Caese--"

"Answer me!"

A tremble wracks through her entire body and the whimpers turn to sobs.

"Is it Dylan?" I ask quietly.

At length she nods, her bottom lip trembling.

My claws throb, threatening to extend, to kill. My body shakes with a fury I didn't think was possible to feel. It only dimly registers that I've started to pull her dress back together. "Why does he hate you this much?"

"Because of w-what I did."

"What did you do?"

"Poisoned our parents. W-with wolfsbane." She swipes an arm over her face, drying her tears.

"Like I said," I growl, "if they truly had Alpha blood, wolfsbane wouldn't have ended them so quickly. Who was it that found the wolfsbane at the bottom of their cups?"

"It was Dylan."

A chill works its way through me, anger and suspicion rising. I stand. "Stay here. I'm going to go get a doctor."

Her fingers tighten around the remains of her dress. Something occurs to me. "I'll be right back," I add. Perhaps she's afraid of staying alone?

But just as I turn around, I hear her quiet voice.

"Wait."

I do just that, turning to face her.

"Why... why do you believe I'm not the one who killed my parents?"

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