"Well, you called me here for a reason, so let me help you unpack," Atlas said, smirking at me.
"What?" My mind was all over the place.
"Unpack? Unless you've decided that you didn't need my help after all. Then I'll just go." Atlas shrugged his shoulders.
"Wait! I do need your help to put the heavy stuff away," I rambled. Since when do I ramble? Oh right, since I found out Atlas was my mate.
Atlas just stood there and smirked. "First you claim me as your mate, and now you call me strong. Best day ever."
"I didn't call you strong!" My cheeks felt warm.
"Maybe not directly, but you implied it." He smiled.
I rolled my eyes and pointed toward the boxes.
"Right, let's unpack then," Atlas said.
It took us about half an hour to unpack all my things. Obviously Atlas wasn't allowed to unpack my clothes or undergarments, much to his dismay. Men — they have a one-track mind. Once we unpacked, Atlas took me downstairs where Gabe and Lexi were.
"Wow, I didn't think we'd see the two of you today." Gabe winked.
"As if you and Lexi weren't bad when you first met. In fact, if I recall correctly, you two didn't come out of your room for three days," Atlas replied.
Lexi blushed and Gabe pushed Atlas.
"Okay, enough. What should we do now?" Lexi asked.
"How about a tour? I don't really know where anything is in this massive place," I suggested.
Lexi's eyes lit up. "That's such a good idea! Of course you wouldn't know where everything is! Let's go, guys."
Okay, Anaa, this is the time you can look for potential exit points. Take notes, this information is useful.
I didn't really pay much attention to Lexi's explanation as she took me on the tour. The men were trailing behind. What I noticed on this tour was that every exit was guarded. Atlas was clearly very strict about who enters and who leaves. For some reason the thought of not being able to leave didn't make me sad. The very fact I was thinking about leaving was now causing me sadness. A few hours in Atlas's presence and I was feeling like this? The mate bond was something very powerful indeed.
Lexi showed me where the kitchen was, and as we entered, many people left. These people stopped in their steps and bowed to me. What the hell? I didn't want to be bowed to, it made me feel weird. Lexi sensed my discomfort and pulled me ahead of the boys to whisper, "I know you're not used to people bowing to you, but it's their way of showing their respect to you. Anaa, these people have prayed for you to arrive and help their king."
Her words stuck with me. Atlas was alone for so long; his people must have given up hope as well. I guess Atlas finding me was the best thing for him and his people. Wow, I was turning into a softy, but I wasn't mad about that.
Once the tour was done, Atlas and I said our goodbyes. Atlas told me he'd meet me upstairs after he'd ordered food for us. I hugged Lexi before heading back to the room. Atlas's heavenly scent lingered in the air, and I breathed it all in. His scent warmed me; it was an amazing feeling.
Hunta's necklace caught my eye, and I walked over to it. If only he had given it to me sooner, I thought as I ran my hands over it. If he had returned my feelings sooner, then I wouldn't be in this mess. However, something deep inside me told me that Hunta was never the one for me, that he was never going to keep me eternally happy.
Sighing, I picked up the necklace to chuck it in the bin. As much as I didn't want to, it was for the best. I didn't need any reminders of my past lying around here. Before I could chuck it in the bin, Atlas walked in and his gaze immediately narrowed on the necklace.
"Why are you holding that thing?" he asked, closing the door.
"Well, I was..." I didn't get a chance to reply as Atlas stepped even closer to me, his chest rising up and down.
"Why are you sad over this necklace?" His deep voice caused sparks to shoot down my spine.
"I am not sad over this necklace. In fact, I was going to—" Again, my sentence remained unfinished, this time because I looked into Atlas's eyes. His stunning hazel eyes were switching to black. I knew what that meant. His lycan was in control.
My heart was racing faster and faster, but not from nerves — from excitement. I blame my wolf for that.
"Tell me the truth. I saw the way that boy looked at you," Atlas spat.
Oh shit, don't tell me he figured out that Hunta is the one who broke my heart. My mouth opened, ready to tell a lie, but one look into Atlas's eyes shut it real quick. I felt compelled to tell him the truth.
"Yes, Hunta is the one who broke my heart. But now all he does is make me feel uncomfortable. I hate being in the same room with him anymore. This necklace was only in my hands because I was going to chuck it in the bin," I explained.
The necklace fell from my hand and dropped into the bin. Without wasting a second, Atlas picked me up and placed me on top of the dresser. He buried his face in my neck, causing me to gasp. That small action of his made the desire for me to run my hands through his hair grow.
My hands found Atlas's soft hair on their own accord. Atlas let out a groan. Gosh, why was that so hot? That sound caused my core to tighten, and I clenched my thighs. Atlas would not smell my desire, although he was making it hard to disguise it. Lips trailed from my jaw to my neck and I closed my eyes, relishing in the contact. I gasped as I felt him nip at my neck.
"If you think about running away, I will find you, and when I do, I'll show you why people have nightmares about me," Atlas whispered in my ear.
He walked out of the room, leaving me flustered and incredibly turned on.
My brain was still processing what had just happened moments ago when the door opened. My eyes widened as I saw Atlas stalking toward me. What was he going to do now?
"On second thought, I'm not going to give you a chance to leave me," he stated.
Before I could reply, Atlas kissed me. His warm lips pressed against mine and sent sparks rushing down my body. Holy fuck, why did he have such amazing lips? My thoughts were consumed by that kiss—Atlas's lips, soft but commanding. Please, don't let this moment end. I wanted to keep kissing him until my last breath.
A sudden knock at the door forced us apart. I wanted to scream! Curse whoever decided to interrupt us.
A flustered maid entered, set down a tray of food, and quickly retreated. Poor thing. It didn't take a genius to know something had been going on before she walked in.
How embarrassing. She probably thought we couldn't keep our hands off each other. Unlike me, Atlas had a smirk plastered on his face. I wanted to punch that smirk off him—or maybe kiss it. One kiss and already I was acting like this. Just great.
"Enjoy that?" he asked.
"Yes… I mean no." I shook my head quickly. "You know it's unfair for you to distract me with your sinfully good lips," I complained.
"Really? I think I should be telling you that. Seeing your lips swollen from my attack on them makes you look even sexier," Atlas murmured, brushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. I shivered from his touch.
"It's been a long day. You need to eat and rest. Tomorrow we start training," he told me.
"Training? Me?" I asked, confused.
"I want my queen to be able to defend herself. And I know you are more than capable," Atlas explained.
My mouth dropped open in shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Atlas had a slight smile as he gently closed my mouth.
"Your lack of faith wounds me, little one. Keep an open mind and you might not be so shocked next time." He chuckled.
He told me he'd be back later, leaving me alone with my thoughts—always a dangerous thing. Now I felt like an idiot. I should have known Atlas was different when he had no issue with me continuing my pack doctor training. In my head, I had painted him as a tyrant who wouldn't let his mate do anything, but he was proving me wrong at every turn.
Stupid romance books. This is why I shouldn't read them.
Still, a part of me was looking forward to training. It would be much different from pack training, especially since everyone here was a lycan.
I hopped off the dresser and went to the tray of food. Everything smelled divine. I seriously needed to be best friends with the chef. After my delicious dinner, I got ready for bed—only to catch sight of the mark on my neck from Atlas's earlier "attack." Honestly, I didn't mind it. It felt like his little claim to show people I was taken.
The bed was calling my name after today. Obviously, I didn't fall asleep straight away—that would be weird. I spent an hour on my phone, catching up on social media and letting my family know I was alive. No one seemed worried. Mom assumed I'd be with Atlas and was shocked to see my text. Typical. They probably thought I was busy having sex or something.
I would have said "no sex for a while," but after getting a taste of Atlas's lips, I wasn't so sure how long I could last. I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. For now, I needed sleep. Plugging in my phone, I let my eyes close and drifted off.
Normally, my wake-up calls were either Mom yelling up the stairs or my stupidly loud alarm. But this morning was different. My wake-up call was the sensation of someone playing with my hair.