Chapter 570 – Why can’t we be together?
Corvine froze under the hot spray, every muscle locking tight. A storm of anger, shame, and something else he couldn’t even put a name to darkened his eyes as his jaw clenched hard enough to ache.
He couldn’t even fake being nice. "Get out," he said through gritted teeth.
Jasmine went still behind him, but she refused to back down. Maybe he didn’t understand her. Maybe she just hadn’t made herself clear enough. Her voice came soft and urgent against the steam.
"Why should I? I love you, Corvine. Why can’t we be together?" Corvine loved kids just like her, so what was wrong with their being together?
Corvine’s anger burned hotter, the heat of the water doing nothing to cool the fire under his skin.
He couldn’t even reach for a towel without turning around, and there was no way he was about to expose himself to a woman who didn’t have his heart. Damn it. Liah had warned him.
He should have taken precautions after what she told him, but he had grown too comfortable around Jasmine. This wasn’t the first time they had been alone together at the mansion.
There had been a time when it was just the two of them taking care of Espe while Voren took Seraphine back to the pack to break the spell. Nothing had happened then.
Nothing had ever given him a reason to suspect that Jasmine felt this way about him. So how the hell was he supposed to have seen this coming?
"Jasmine, truth be told, I see you just like every other she-wolf, and that’s all there is to it. Now get out before I use force." The fury in his voice was hot enough to fry an egg but Jasmine was a woman on a mission.
No, she couldn’t accept his rejection when she felt so attracted to him. Her arms wrapped around him again, and she pressed herself against his back as if holding him tighter could somehow change his mind, the wet heat of her skin shocking against his.
"Corvine, I understand that the princess is beautiful, but so am I, and things were going well between us until she showed up."
Corvine’s fingers curled into fists under the water. If he could just get a damn towel, he would drag the crazy redhead straight out of his room himself.
"Jasmine, I’ll say this for the last time. I don’t see you that way. Yes, I like your red hair, but that’s all there is. Liah is the woman I love, and I suggest you keep your dignity intact and get out."
For a second, Jasmine went completely still. Red hair? That was it? That was all there was to her in his eyes? The humiliation hit hard, sharp and stinging, but Jasmine refused to let it crush her.
No, maybe the problem was that Corvine had never truly looked at her as a woman. Maybe he hadn’t seen what she had to offer. A thought came to her, and she clung to it, voice rising with challenge.
"Why not turn around and tell me you don’t want me? I promise I’ll never bother you again."
Corvine wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. He forced his anger down, keeping his voice as even as possible even though every nerve felt raw.
One mistake and he would no doubt lose the woman he loves forever. How foolish of him to not heed her warning when she had a love wolf? Now it was clear that Liah had sensed it through her wolf right from the hotel or the centenary pack.
"Alright. Help me grab a towel." He spoke as if he was ready to do her bidding but Jasmine was a little conflicted.
It was better for him to be naked, as even his back was sexy enough to make her wet. Now, she was eager to see what was in front of him.
She pouted, almost ready to refuse, but then she remembered that Corvine wasn’t the only one standing there without clothes.
Perhaps if he finally looked at her, he would forget all about the princess. They could live peacefully at Grimroot Pack, and there would be no need for him to keep fighting for the Alpha King title, no reason to carry all those responsibilities when they could simply have a life together.
Jasmine reached for the towel rack and grabbed one. As she brought it toward him, her hand moved toward his side. Corvine reacted immediately.
The second the towel was within reach, he snatched it from her hand, pulled himself away from her embrace, and quickly wrapped it around his waist. Then he turned around.
But what Jasmine expected never came. His eyes never moved over her.
His gaze stayed fixed above her head as he grabbed a robe and wrapped it around her before she could react. The next thing Jasmine knew, he was pushing her toward the shower room door, steam still curling around them both.
"Corvine—"
He didn’t let her finish. The second they stepped into the bedroom, his eyes fell on the clothes scattered across the floor. Corvine bent down, gathered them without looking at her, and shoved them into her hands, the fabric still warm from the heated floor.
"I’m so disappointed in you."
The words struck harder than his anger had. Jasmine stared at him, her fingers tightening around her clothes until her knuckles went white.
"Liah shared the same room with me for close to three nights and never tried anything like this." His eyes hardened as he made sure every word reached her, the quiet intensity in them cutting deeper than a shout. "And read my lips. I don’t love you. Never have, never will. Now, this is the last time you step foot in my room."
Jasmine’s face drained of color. Before she could find the words to answer him, Corvine opened the bedroom door and pushed her out. A little harder than he intended. The door slammed shut behind her with a solid thud that echoed down the hallway.
Corvine stood there, breathing heavily as anger continued to pound through him, the leftover steam from the shower still clinging to his skin. He didn’t notice the small item that had fallen behind the door during the chaos. But luck was not on Jasmine’s side...