Chapter 6

• TRISTAN'S POV
• Seeing how her lips clamped shut, I could tell that was what she was truly about to say, and it only served to make me feel worse than I already felt. Was it the way she was being treated by those people inside the most irritating, or how she had hoped last night would be a one-night stand? I couldn't decide. But both options were getting on my nerves.
• The shock that I felt, confirming it was really her earlier, knew no bounds, as I was not even expecting to find her so soon. I had thought it would still take a while for Ethan to retrieve the CCTV from the hotel and find her, not expecting she would be in this pack.
• Thankfully, I didn't decide at the last minute to pull out of the meeting today. Otherwise, I would have missed her altogether.
• She was still cornered against the wall by me, but she was still trying hard to prove she was not intimidated. Her brows were tightly drawn as she tried to look serious, but whatever image she was hoping to convey in my eyes was failing because all I could see was how petty and childish she looked, faking a tough front.
• Not to mention how she tried to make me think she was used to pulling strangers into her bed and sleeping with them.
• Staring at her, I couldn't help but reach out and part those brows slightly, and she flinched in my arms. Seeing how embarrassed and uncomfortable she was, I decided to free her.
• I stepped back gently, putting at least three feet of distance between us as I regarded her. I could practically hear her breathe out the moment I put space between us.
• "You can't just sleep with someone and escape overnight. It's rude," she seemed to have just returned to her senses, and she looked at me carefully, probably weighing several options for escape in her mind.
• Her eyes were dull as she responded, a little too mechanical for my liking, "Can you please let me go? I admit it was rude to leave like that, but surely, there is no need to keep going around what happened last night. It was a mistake, and I'm sorry..."
• "It was not a mistake," I cut in, unable to stop myself. I added, "I DON'T make mistakes."
• "Sure," she shrugged, sighing. "Regardless, I'm sure you don't want people knowing you slept with someone like me. Also, it was consensual, so don't make it seem like I took advantage of you. Let's just forget it happened and go our separate ways."
• Everything she was saying only went in through my right ear and escaped through the left, annoying me along the way. But, I didn't show it.
• That was what she wanted. She wanted me to be mad or disgusted at her and tell her to leave. But, I couldn't bear to muster any of such emotions toward her.
• "I don't want to," I replied. "I don't want to move on or forget it all happened."
• "But I would rather not have anything to do with you!" She objected, her voice rising a few notches higher. "It's just a one-time thing, and it's not as if any of us was taken advantage of. I would appreciate it if you just let me go and we forget about all this. I can't afford to play this twisted game with you."
• She was so serious that I involuntarily loosened my hold around her, and she slipped out, escaping immediately. She took to her heels, and I watched her retreating figure as she soon disappeared through one of the stairways.
• I continued to stare even after she was long gone, and it was only a few seconds later that I returned to myself. I couldn't help but smile.
• She was bent on making me feel she was promiscuous and used to such things. She must have forgotten she was still a virgin until last night, or she was trying to bluff her way through.
• Either way, her naivety made me laugh. Did she really think I couldn't find her if she ran away? I had several ways to clutch her to my belt and carry her around if I wanted to.
• I didn't bother chasing after her, now that I knew where she was, and it would be easier for Ethan to narrow down his search about her and whatever was between her and Lucas.
• As if he could read minds, Ethan's call came in immediately, and I accepted it, placing my phone beside my ear.
• "Hey, where are you right now?" I asked the moment the call connected, and there was a traffic of noise in the background. After a second, they all faded, and I figured he moved to a quieter place.
• He replied concisely, "Just finished going through the records. She only appeared in the CCTV twice, the first where you carried her in, but her face wasn't that clear. And the second was when she left, but it is clearer, so I'll be using that to find her."
• "Never mind," I told him. "She is a member of the Moon Peak pack. Just make sure you get all the details about her; I want a full background report."
• "Okay, Alpha."
• He paused for a moment before asking, "But is there a reason you're looking for her so intently? Did she steal something from you last night?"
• I nearly responded that she stole my heart, but knowing how serious my beta was, he'd likely complain about my cheesiness. Instead, I answered succinctly, "No reason."
• He seemed taken aback but didn't argue. However, I couldn't help the smile that came to my lips at the thought of her.
• After inquiring about the progress of the meeting, he hung up, and I slipped my phone back in my pocket, returning to the meeting room.