Chapter 11

"Don't worry. Saige will be back." His wolf seemed to assure him. But he guessed his wolf was right. She had no choice, just like him.

She immediately left right after she heard his proposal. She practically ran out of the door. He could have stopped her. But he guessed she needed time to accept the terms of their new arrangement.

"Are you sure you have this under control?" Nanny Penny raised her brow at him as she cleaned up after them.

He could see the older woman was skeptical, but he knew what he was doing. He believed Saige just needed time to wrap her mind around their situation. Then, she would come around.

"I am confident." He responded with a boyish smile that usually reassured his Nanny. "Now, I have things to finish before leaving this evening."

He locked himself in his private office, wanting some time for himself. He still debated whether he had done the right thing. After all, it was a big decision.

But then again, he believed he had no choice as he stared at the ring on his finger. But was it that bad? His wolf reminded him that he loved her once.

No, twice.

He loved her with all his heart before everything went to hell. Suddenly, a flood of memories washed over him. Once again, he was transported to his past when he first learned about love.

"I'm not the least interested in you." He could still hear those words. Instead of putting him off, it had become a challenge since nobody dared to say no to him before.

Besides, her words did not match what her eyes were telling him. Her lips said no, but everything else about her told him otherwise.

"Ok, I will start." He ignored her. "My name is Xavier Axel Lockwood. I am sure you heard many things about me." His boyish smile usually was enough to charm any girl, but he doubted it would work on her.

He realized she might be different from the usual girls he fancied, probably because she was human. No human had interested him before.

Only her. 

"Everybody calls me Xavier. And by the way, I hope you don't believe everything you hear about me. I assure you that not all of those rumors are true." He continued when she refused to ask any questions or say anything.

However, he could hear her erratic heartbeat, indicating she might be tense. Nevertheless, she exuded a strong front as she stood at her spot, neither moving towards the door nor planning on sitting down.

He leaned on the back of his chair and pulled his feet up on the other chair, sitting comfortably with his hands at the back of his neck.

"You are Saige Callahan." He stated when she remained quiet. "A transferee and an A student."

Truthfully, he felt lucky today. 

Unexpectedly, bumping into her had become the highlight of his day. He had been trying to get her attention since he first saw her, but she seemed determined to avoid him at all costs.

Nevertheless, he had enjoyed their cat-and-mouse game, but not today when fate presented him an opportunity. He was not about to let this pass by and waste a chance to talk to her.

"You don't do well in sports." He remarked, remembering how she would hide at the back of the line to avoid any physical tasks. "But you are excellent in biology."

Frankly, he had been eyeing her since she transferred to their school. But she had been hanging out with a different crowd. 

Usually, the varsity jocks did not intermix with the other groups, especially the nerds. This time, he wanted to make an exception with her. 

"Correct me if my information is wrong. I don't want to misjudge you if someone fed me half-truths about you." He dared her, wanting to get a reaction from her.

More than that, he genuinely wanted to get to know her. However, he knew his association with her would be frowned upon by his friends and the other students. But he did not care.

As head of the varsity team, he had a say in what happened inside the campus. That included the rules. As he said, nobody would dare to question him.

"Fine! It is unfair that I should judge you based on what I heard about you." She reluctantly responded, looking like she had finally conceded. "But as I said, I am not interested in getting to know you."

She still insisted on not wanting to be friends with him. He almost believed her, but he could tell she was lying. The quickened pulse, her eyes that spoke volumes of how she felt, indicated the opposite.

"Bravo! I almost believe your performance." He could not stop the sarcasm as he caught her lie. "Unfortunately, you are not as immune to my charms as you wish me to believe."

He was positive it was not just his imagination. He felt their connection, especially when he entwined his fingers with hers earlier.

He had no idea what his fascination was with this girl, but he could not stop thinking about her ever since he saw her. 

"I think most of what I heard about you is accurate." She nodded as if she believed every word of it. "You are arrogant, conceited, and a narcissist."

He admitted many considered him arrogant, conceited, and even a narcissist, probably more. But to him, they had misinterpreted his actions. 

Therefore, he was innocent.

In truth, he only wished to exude confidence, to show his leadership abilities and his strong belief in what he could do. 

It was part of his wolf trait since he would soon become the next Alpha of their pack. Nonetheless, humans did not understand it as they twisted his actions while his enemies fueled the misconception with negative rumors.

"Not guilty to three counts." He was not about to admit to something that was not true. "If you give me a chance, you will see that all those false accusations are baseless."

"But if you would be honest with yourself, you will finally admit that I am a person you might find worthy to get to know." He added before she could counter his defense.

"I..." He could see her hesitation. He could even sense the awkwardness between them as it became more palpable. But he also believed she had slightly put her guard down.

"Why don't you sit down?" He stood from his chair and offered it to her. "I'm just going to sit over there." Pointing to sit on a chair a few feet away from her. "So, we can talk much better."

He did not want to spook her and make her run away. He already had her where he wanted her. He had waited so long for a chance to talk to her. He could not mess this up. 

Funny thing, he never had to do this with any other girls. Usually, the girls would fall all over him to catch his attention. But apparently, he wanted someone who did not want him.

"I don't think that would be necessary." She suddenly appeared like she was ready to run away. "Anyway, I better leave. I am already late for class."

Again, he stopped her, but he did not touch her. "Please, another five minutes." He begged her before she could take another step. 

"We don't even have to talk. Just stay for five minutes here with me." He was also perplexed by his request. 

He had no explanation for it. All he could figure out from his irrational behavior was that his beast side felt calm when she was near. He had never felt like this before.

It was as if she was taming him even without touching him, making his aggression subsided. He had felt this before when he first saw her. Now, it intensified as he listened to her breathing and heartbeat.

"Why?" She asked, not finding a reason for them to sit in silence.

"I like your company. You are interesting compared to the other girls I talk to." He shifted in his seat until he faced her. "What about me? Am I that bad to be with?"

He knew he was getting to her, judging by her reaction and sensing how her pulse beat faster. It was different, not the same as earlier. She was starting to listen to him and not judge him by the stories she had heard outside.

"I don't know you," Saige answered with hesitation. She seemed unsure, unlike before. He believed that was a good sign.

"Then, go to the dance with me. Give me a chance to show you who I am. Maybe at the end of it, we can be friends." Xavier appealed to her sensibility.

Well, he had been hearing good things about her. Her academic achievements were superb among her other talents. He was sure that she could rationalize that she could trust him and go out with him.

"Let me think about it." She answered him, but it gave him hope.

"Good enough." He answered. At least she did not shut him down immediately this time. That was another good sign.

He could tell they would soon become good friends, if not more.