"Is it that obvious?" Killian chuckled softly. He appreciated women who were not only smart but also straightforward. What surprised him was that even his beast liked Inez. Though his beast didn't show any kind of dislike when it came to Killian's choice of women, he had never shown any attention to them either.
This was the first time his beast was paying rapt attention to a female, and that too to the point where he was drinking in her every move. Even her smallest frown made his beast peel his lips in appreciation.
The two of them knew that Inez was not a dominant shifter. Her scent made it clear. However, she still held his gaze with confidence and looked at him with annoyance that was as clear as the day. It wasn't every day female shifters called him out on his bullshit.
"Very," she responded in a clear and crisp voice. From her glare, it was clear that she was not happy with his response.
"You seem unhappy, Miss Sinclair?" he calmly remarked and that only made the woman even more angry. Her spine straightened up and subtle vibes started to ooze from her skin as she gave him a smile. Which was most probably her fakest smile.
"Of course not," Inez gritted out through her teeth. "How can I be angry at someone who knew from the start that he was not interested in signing a contract but still agreed with the meeting that pushed workers like me…haha… To work overtime? When this certain someone could have said a simple—no? So , no, Alpha Sokolov. I am not at all angry."
She clenched her fingers on her lap when she recalled the beatings she received yesterday. Dominic and his lackeys treated her worse than a criminal tied to the torture chair for this meeting. A meeting that was nothing but a farce? If this man had said that he wasn't interested from the start, then would she have been beaten like a dog on the street?
Ignoring Inez's raging expression, he placed his hands on the table and remarked in a soft voice, "Sweetheart, I hope you are not really that naive. The world is not a kind place. You will meet with all kinds of people, some rude, some problematic and some who are right down arseholes. You cannot blame me for the troubles you went through; I did what I thought was right and as much as you might think it was selfish, I have no obligation towards you. But I do have some towards my pack."
He lounged back in his chair and said to Inez, "You might not know this but I have an alliance with your alpha. If I said that I didn't and wasn't interested in signing a contract with your pack, it could have caused strife between the two packs."
Inez pulled the sunglasses off her eyes and Killian felt his wolf go really still. A sudden rush of anger washed over him and his beast, who was notorious for being cranky and sullen, and the cold creature suddenly showed a new emotion—anger. The beast didn't give a rat's ass that the woman in front of him was a complete stranger and that they had no right to show concern towards her.
The only thing that mattered to him was that Inez was hurt, and he was not happy about it.
This sudden rush of emotions came as a surprise to Killian, and it even spooked him.
She placed the sunglasses on the table and stated in a cold voice, "True. You have no obligation towards me, Alpha Sokolov. But maybe the next time you do something like this, remember to be a kind person."
"Because you might never know what someone has to pay for your bullshit!"
After she finished speaking, she stood up and fished out a couple of dollar bills that she placed on the table and walked past Killian.
Killian watched the angry wolf storm out of the cafe, and though his inner beast whined at him and asked him to chase after Inez, Killian told him that it was fine.
However, as he got to his feet and chased after the woman, he realised that he was so full of shit that he himself didn't know.
He wasn't a chaser. He had never given a woman a chase in his entire life but after meeting with Inez, he had a feeling that there were going to be more of these instances.
"Hey!" He opened the door of the cafe and rushed after Inez. Killian didn't know why he had stopped her or why he even rushed after her but he moved before he could stop himself.
"What?" Inez turned and looked at the Lycan shifter who had come running after her. Her eyes eyed him warily as she pulled her bag close to her. It was only after rushing out of the cafe that Inez realised what she had done. Though she regretted her actions, she couldn't go back and apologise to the man, as her pride didn't allow her to do so.
Inwardly, she had prayed to the Moon Goddess and hoped that Killian wouldn't chase after her; unfortunately, she had underestimated a Lycan's desire for revenge. This man actually chased her out of the cafe! What was he planning to do to her now?
Killian saw the look in her eyes and curled his lips in amusement. "Do you think I will hurt you, sweetheart? I am hurt. I might not look like it, but I am quite a gentleman when it comes to beautiful women like you."
Inez eyed the man in front of her with a strange glint in her eyes. She straightened her spine and gave him a dismissive smile before saying, "Why don't you go and play with the Dumb Dumb Dummy?" As she spoke, she tipped her head to the spot where the waitress who had served them was standing.
The woman was staring at the two of them, and her jealousy was quite evident.