He gritted his teeth, angry with himself. This was fucked up.
“Poppy, tell me what you need me to do. Tell me what I can do to make this easier for us. I hate lying to my dad. He even believes Lionel’s pack might have my mate for me.”
“Stop it. Okay? Just stop. I’m already getting that from my mom. How important it is to find a mate. How amazing it would feel to finally know who he is. I have never lied to my mother. Never. Not once in my life. I’m close to her. She is my best friend.”
Klaus put his hands on his hips and frowned. “Then tell me why I was never punished.”
Poppy stopped, her back ramrod straight.
She wore a beautiful dress that fell to her knees. The dress fit her through the tits and waist, flaring out, but as she moved, he caught sight of her ass. How had he not realized how curvy and sexy her ass was?
So much wasted time and opportunity. This was on him, and he wasn’t going to squander another moment.
Poppy was perfect.
Yeah, and she won’t even let you get close to her.
I got close. I was able to touch her. Kiss her.
She wasn’t in control.
Her wolf was knocking on the door.
Klaus gritted his teeth as he watched her.
“You want to know why? You’re right. I never told her.”
“Then that’s a lie.”
“She never asked.”
“Lying by omission is still freaking lying, Poppy. You can’t dress that up.”
Poppy stormed over to him, and she looked mightily pissed. He couldn’t help but admire her full tits as they bounced.
He was missing out on so much. This woman was all his. All woman. Curves that now belonged to him.
Klaus wanted to get his hands on her, but of course, he couldn’t.
“You want me to tell you why I never said a word? My dad died, Klaus. My mother’s soul mate died protecting your dad. That’s right, in case you forgot, your father was being hunted, and my father put his ass on the line. He got hunted and torn apart. My mother lost her soul mate and I lost my dad. I had to listen to her pain for months and years. She never got over that. By some miracle, she was able to find some kind of peace with random pack men. They were never mated. Never married to anyone else, but she found a small slither of peace, enough to help with the pain. Why the hell would I tell my mother that I was getting bullied by the son of the very man who was there when she lost her mate? How do I tell her that I’m being called fat, ugly, and the daughter of the whore? Being shoved. Hair pulled. Huh? How do I do that?”
She took another step toward him. “And I wasn’t an idiot, Klaus. I know you did all of that with no witnesses. So don’t you dare come at me with any accusations.”
She spun on her heel about to leave, but he couldn’t let her.
He grabbed her hand, stopping her from going. She drew her hand back as if to slap him, but he caught her wrist, stopping her again.
“Let me go!”
“Do you think I don’t regret what I did?” Klaus asked. “That I’m not paying that price?”
“Fuck off. I don’t believe a word you say and I never will. I won’t say anything, and if you don’t want to end up with a mate who hates you, I suggest you keep it to yourself as well.”
She pulled away. Klaus didn’t want to hurt her, so he released his grip on her. She took a couple of steps away.
He should turn back, go back to the pack, and have dinner with his parents and sisters. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Poppy might turn. He’d seen it, and he didn’t want her to do anything to herself that she might regret.