Taming the Beast

Chapter 8 (Keegan)

(Keegan's POV)

I watched the game closely. It wasn't that I was a big volleyball fan or anything, I was just watching

Caroline. I noticed the way her brow furrowed slightly and she chewed on her lip when she was

concentrating. I noticed how she bit her lip after getting a point to keep from trash-talking. I noticed how Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

it was harder for her to stretch her arm up on her right side than her left. I wondered what that was

about. She spiked the ball, earning the Bulls the winning point. She celebrated with her teammates. I

saw her glance at me. I smiled lightly as the guys dispersed to go talk to girls. I walked down to where

she was standing. I had to resist the urge to touch her.

"Good game," I said, leaning over slightly so she could hear me over the noise. I smirked as I took in

her volleyball spandex shorts and spandex top. All in all, they fit tightly, hugging every wonderful curve

of her body.

"So, what, you're stalking me now?" she asked, amusement clearly written all over her face. Okay, so

maybe I was stalking her a little bit, but she didn't need to know that. Thankfully, Nick already gave me

a great excuse. I chuckled, trying to laugh it off, and motioned to the guys.

"They wanted to watch the volleyball team because of the shorts and dragged me along with them," I

lied easily. Her cheeks turned rosy in embarrassment. All I wanted to do was touch her cheeks and pull

her into me. Natasha called to me but I wasn't really paying attention. I kept up an easy conversation

with Caroline. It was like breathing, it came naturally.

"Ninny!" a little kid screamed, interrupting our conversation. A wide grin spread across Caroline's face

as she knelt to meet the little boy. She picked him up and kissed his cheek.

"There's my big boy. I think you're getting too old for this," she smiled towards him. The look of love in

her eyes for this child made my heart break. The kid rested his head on her shoulder and it looked like

a natural occurrence. The boy looked just like her, granted his hair was a tiny bit blonder and he was a

boy, he looked just like her. I could only stare at them, shocked and... hurt. I was hurt because my mate

already had a son. And if the son was here, the father was probably not too far behind. My mate

already had a family. I wouldn't want to pull her away from her family... her son.

"Keegan, this is Preston. Preston, do you want to say hi to Keegan?" she asked motherly towards the

child. I felt like my heart had just been ripped out and stomped on. It was getting a little harder to

breathe. The kid clung tighter to Caroline, making her chuckle. She looked so happy. Blue... her eyes

were blue as the skin around her eyes crinkled with laughter.

"He's really beautiful," I said politely. I couldn't help but think of what our children might have looked

like.

"Hey, I have to go, but I'll see you at school tomorrow," she said, smiling at me quickly before leaving

with the child in her arms. A tall blonde male was waiting for her. He slung his arm over her shoulders

and kissed her head. I felt tears prick my eyes.

Wait, tears?

I didn't cry. I don't cry. My fists balled angrily. How could a girl I just met, have me feeling like this? And

she wasn't even trying to do it. She was just living her life. The life she established way before me.

Anything I did to pull her away from her family at this point would only make her hate me. And I didn't

want her to hate me. I wanted her to be happy. So I guess I finally did find my mate... but it was too

late.

Natasha came bounding up to me; her shorts were hiked up higher on her skinny legs than the other

girls. She smiled a toothy grin as she tucked a loose piece of dyed-blonde hair behind her ear. She was

tall for a girl, only half a head shorter than me and that was saying something because I was 6'5''.

Caroline was a good head shorter than me. Natasha wrapped her thin arms around me as she pressed

her body closer. Growing up, she was teased for being a little on the heavier side. When she hit high

school, she dropped a ridiculous amount of weight, threw herself into everything, caked her face, and

became the person standing here now. She used to be so nice and gentle. I guess time changed that.

Her standing here was an awful reminder that I was stuck with her. My plan for tonight was to break up

with her so I could pursue my Caroline. Great, I was already calling her mine and she clearly wasn't. I

was stuck with Natasha. Caroline was happy with her life. She had a kid for God's sake.

"Aw, you came to watch me play? You're such a good boyfriend," she smiled as she pulled away. I

gave her a half-assed tight smile back but she seemed pleased with it. She reached forward and

pressed her lips against mine. Her kiss had nothing on Caroline's touch alone.

I had to stop thinking about that girl, but it was hard.

"The boys dragged me along," I said, feeding her the same excuse I gave Caroline. Natasha wrapped

her hand in mine. I didn't pull away. I let her do what she wanted, despite the curious glances I was

receiving from the guys. Because the God awful truth was that Natasha was going to be my Luna and

wife.

Because I couldn't have Caroline.