Fifty three

JASON

Pearl had a point. My distrust was tearing my already strained relationship with Olamide. As much as I didn't want that, I just couldn't be sure I could cause myself to be honest. It was funny to reflect on because Devin was the one who had much more baggage. His mate had seen him kill both her parents in the cruelest of ways. She hated him. Yet for some strange reason, Devin knew he could trust her completely. As I walked the house to find where Olamide was hiding, I questioned myself. Why couldn't I have faith in my mate?

I heard things rustling around in the kitchen and went ahead to check. Olamide was reclined on a chair as she sipped water from a glass. Her eyes were fixated on the ring I had gifted her and sneaking into her mind, I could tell she was wondering what magic I had performed with the ring back at the graveyard. I observed her from a distance. She was beautiful because all I could think about from where I stood was how sumptuous her lips were and how it was killing me that I couldn't sample them here. I needed to focus but my tactics weren't working. My mind–my wolf rather was intent on driving me back to scenarios that would make sure we ended up tangled together on the kitchen floor. Nope, I chastised my wolf. That was too creepy

"Um..." Olamide coughed to gain her attention. Apparently, I had concentrated so hard on fighting my instinct that I didn't notice Olamide staring right back at me. "Why are you here?"

It took me a few seconds to speak. For strange reasons, I was tongue-tied. "I want to talk." I supplied lamely. Odd.

"About what?" She asked, taking another sip from her glass.

"About what you said in the car. I've been thinking and I would like to apologize for shutting you out. You are right. I have issues trusting people. But you have to understand that I believed I was doing what I did in your best interest."

"That's not it. I don't know how you keep telling yourself that lie. You shut yourself out because it benefits you. I can read your mind, Jason, It isn't a one-way communication and from what I garner, you are afraid. You are scared that the second you trust me, you'll become vulnerable and once you have a weak spot, you know you can be hurt by me or those I choose to align myself with. That is why you do it. You don't want to end up like them."

"Like who?" I demanded, finding myself a seat.

"Like Sofiane." Olamide chipped in curtly. "Am I wrong?" Her brown eyes were focused on me and they made me smile. She knew this all these while. I had imagined Se was naive but she kept on proving me wrong. I wondered what else she knew but proceeded to keep a secret.

"Well, am I wrong? Do you see how broken Sofiane is? I don't want to suffer that fate."

"You agree..." Olamide muttered. She was surprised. "So you can be honest."

"I can," I said. "What about you? Can you be honest with me?"

"I don't have to. Your brother has dug into my life so much that I doubt I have any secrets you don't already know."

"Your brother," I began, a bit wary of her reaction. For some reason, she managed to keep the chaos inside so I continued. "I don't know much about him. Other than my brother querying, that's all there is to it."

Olamide swallowed. It was like her throat itched. She took another sip from her glass before proceeding to speak. Her emotions heightened and from where I sat, I could tell her cheeks were stinging. "I don't have to tell you anything," She muttered.

"Why not?" I smiled. "I was honest about my marital issues." She cringed when I referred to her as my wife. Another smile crawled up to my face as I watched her actively avoid my gaze. Something about her discomfort made me burn. "The least you can do is de-escalate the obvious cringe."

"I don't want to."

"We can start small. Two truths, one lie for example. You are familiar with that game, are you not?"

"I was sort of sure you would bring up something risque like truth or dare but maybe I misjudged you. I love my cat, Zeus. I hate mayonnaise. I cried the day my stepfather died." She rattled the words so fast. It took me a minute to register that she has actually begun playing the game.

"I'm going to guess the lie was you hate mayonnaise."

"Wrong," Olamide announced, very proud of herself. "I actually laughed my ass out when that douche bag kicked the bucket."

"Ouch, that's dark. Even for you but why did you think I would opt for truth or dare?"

"You made me masturbate while you watched the first night you captured me, do I need to go on?"

"Not really," I gulped, red as a tomato. "But I wouldn't opt for truth and dare. I think I would have rather chosen a strip game."

"Educate me." Olamide requested, facing me squarely.

I waited for her to burst into a loud laugh or something but she didn't. She simply sat in preparation for whatever nonsense I was going to spew. "You are actually curious?" I asked.

"Of course. I want to know how demented your mind is. Considering we barely talk."

"Okay. How about this? I ask you a question and if you can answer it honestly, I remove a piece of clothing while you ask me a question of your own, if I answer it with sincere honesty, you remove a piece of clothing. But you probably wouldn't want to do it, right?"

"What was your most awkward moment?" Olamide blurted out almost immediately.

"Okay, I was perhaps sixteen? Young anyway. And I found out Satake had a crush on me. He wrote a lot about me in his journals and Devin would not stop revealing to me what he had managed to find out at every opportunity he got. I felt so guilty about the whole thing that I had to tell Satake Devin was reading his journal. It didn't end well. Satake burnt the journal and tried to kill Devin. Not to mention that our friendship was strained for months as he wouldn't stop avoiding me."

Olamide covered her

lips with her hands as she wouldn't stop laughing. "I didn't know Satake was... You know? I was sure we had something."

I shrugged. "Your top."

"You horny wolf," She glared, undoing the buttons of her shirt to reveal a lacy black bra that cupped her breasts. "Your turn."

"Let me see," I paused, gathering my thoughts. I could be cold and direct. The last thing I wanted to do was kill the mood I had set. It was practically novelty to see Olamide be a willing participant. I didn't want to ruin this by asking her about her brother or her family. "What are your favorite things to do?"

"My favorite things to do..." Olamide mused on my subject of interest. She was suspicious and she wasn't wrong. Of course, I was going to use her response to my advantage. The ritual was coming up soon. I needed to familiarise her with the absurdity that came along with the mating ritual and what easier way was there to do it than break the ice with interest that could connect us.

"Your interests," I supplied.

Olamide recovered after a second and cleared her throat before speaking. "I enjoy dancing. I love to spend time messing with Zeus. I also love reading. Rom-coms to be precise. Hiking used to be on the list but things haven't really been the same after my brother died." Silence filled the room once she was finished, weighed by her grief and the sexual tension. It hurt to see her in pain so I did the only thing that popped into my head to de-escalate the situation. I ripped my shirt off. I was beyond pleased when her breathing hitched as her eyes locked on my bare chest.

"The ball is in your court again nerd, how do you choose to play this time?"

She grinned at my tease. "This is a bit personal and it might break this fun lighthearted session we have got going on but I have to know. What does Candice Blossom have to do with your trust issues."

It got me good. I wouldn't even lie. I had not the slightest idea how that foul name got to her ears in the first place. It had to be Sofiane. That bastard. I was going to flare up when I realized what was happening. Olamide wanted this fun lighthearted session to end before it got too hot to handle. My mate was one scheming Luna. I was impressed. "Candice was Sofiane's mate and before the war, My father and his were close friends. Candice betrayed both my pack and her mate's pack in hopes of absolute power. Not once did she think of what would happen to the people she betrayed and I'm certain it didn't even cross her mind that her future pack would suffer the brunt of the action. She completely cut her Alpha out of the equation and that makes me doubt the supremacy of the mate bond over personal interest. Forever and happiness aren't guaranteed even in such a unique union. That's why I keep my distance. It is bound to happen and when it does, I don't want to feel betrayed."

"That was weirdly honest and when you put it like that, your fears are valid but you also have to remember that I cannot adjust to your world and your way of life if you will not let me. It might be a stretch but I need you to give me the benefit of doubt. I am sure there are many mate bonds that didn't end as tragic as Sofiane's did. You can't let someone's foul experience determine yours." Olamide's hands then dropped and she proceeded to remove her shoes.

"What was the darkest moment in your life?" I laid out thickly, thoroughly enjoying that we were getting to know ourselves better.

"The night my brother was killed," Olamide swallowed as her eyes dropped low. "I called my parents to give them the bad news. Before that unfortunate night, my brother and I had tried to reach them numerous times but nobody ever picked. That night was my low. I just wanted someone to talk to. Someone to tell me everything was going to be okay. They didn't pick. I felt utterly alone and it hurt so I decided life was too difficult for me. I tried to take my own life." She didn't cry but her voice cracked nonetheless. I could imagine what that was like. To have the only place of solace taken away from you. I could see why she was so hell-bent on believing he was somehow still alive. Grief was a painful thing. I removed my shoes and scooted closer so I could comfort her. I was certain she would push me away, do something to fight away my warmth but she didn't. It might have been a moment of stupid relapse. She was at her lowest after all but I ravished the moment. She looked at me with those sloe tainted eyes and I felt my entire world shatter. She felt it too.

"What are you doing?" Olamide asked as my hands closed around her.

Her question might not have been part of the game but I had no problem answering it with brutal honesty. "I want to devour you." And right before she could protest, my lips slanted across hers. Lazy hunger curled through the kiss and intensified into a slow burn of sexy torture. Precisely what my wolf wanted. Sin.