ROSALINE'S POV:No, this could not be happening.Of all the people to resurface from our past, why did it have to be him? Goddamn Stephen Rickerson.He was the former quarterback of the soccer team in high school during our time and, of course, Damien's best friend.I didn't know they were still close. Fuck!This is bad. This is really bad.His eyes held the same shock as mine, and it was clear neither of us had expected to see each other again, especially not like this.Damien's eyes jumped between the both of us, and I could see the confusion within them. So this is where it all ends, right?"You two know each other?" When Damien asked us, it was obvious he did not like our familiarity, judging by his tone."How can you forget her?" Stephen snapped, and my heart rate accelerated.No, no, no. This is not how I wanted it to end!"You know, that damn accident made me forget a lot of things and people, man. I thought you had reminded me of everything and everyone," Damien said with an a
DAMIEN'S POV: Rage.That was all I felt as I watched them speak to each other in hushed tones. They were oblivious to my presence right above them; too bad I couldn't hear them.There was this hidden tension between them, and it made me angrier when I did not know why.But that was when a question came up in my mind. Were they lovers?My teeth gnarled, and my grip on the railings tightened. Fuck! Why can't I remember anything about her?Maya… Maya… Maya…That name was so strange and unfamiliar to me that I have no memory of anyone with that name. But her face... I could not deny that her face did look familiar, but that was it.“Why do you think I wouldn’t remember you?”A groan leaves my lips as those words ring in my head. They were my words; I can remember saying that once before. But to whom?So many questions, so few answers.I watched them for only God knows how long; I could not tear my gaze away from my wife. The way she looked so troubled and worried bothered me. What in God
DAMIEN'S POV:I always knew when she was lying.Whenever she did, she could not look me in the eye. Like right now.Her eyes went in every direction except mine, and I could see her mind swarm with a million truths as she tried to decipher which one of them I meant."I don't understand what you are talking about," she said once she managed to recover from her shock. She made her way to her closet, acted as though I were not in the room, and just asked her a question. My jaw clenched, and I shot to my feet and made my way towards her. I grabbed her by the waist, and a gasp left her little lips when I pushed her against the hardwood."What were you and Stephen talking about?" I clarified, and she visibly relaxed against me.What truth did she think I was asking for? Does that mean she was hiding something else from me?"I told you to forget about that, Damien," she said while trying to free herself from my grasp, but it only made me tighten it."Like hell, I would!" I snapped, and that
ROSALINE’S POV:What the hell happened last night?I have never felt so awkward before in my entire life. Why would Damien suddenly stop and then request to go to sleep? He looked like he was just as eager to have me, but then all of a sudden, he just stopped.I had hoped that we would talk about it in the morning, but to my disappointment, he was not even in bed when I woke up. My lips pouted when I did not feel his presence in the room; he was not even nearby.Judging by the faint scent of his cologne, I could tell that it had been some time since he left. A sigh leaves my lips, and I force myself out of bed. I would confront him about his weird behaviour whenever I saw him. I get myself ready for the day, and I am surprised when Stephanie and Peace are nowhere to be seen.I guess it was not only Damien who decided to act strange today.As I head down to the kitchen, I get this odd feeling at the back of my neck, like I am being watched. And I was not wrong.I spun on my heels swif
DAMIEN’S POV:FEW HOURS EARLIER:“Alright, I will help you find your mate,” Stephen said with a smirk on his lips. His eyes sparkled in a way I did not like. In a way, that said he was planning something.“Okay, then let’s go,” I said, but he shook his head negatively.“No, not right now. Tomorrow, I am guessing you did not tell your wife where you were heading this morning,” he said before returning his gaze to the table as another opponent stepped up to challenge him. Guilt overtakes my heart, but I do my best to ignore it. “How did you find out you have a mate anyway?” “I have been having these flashbacks of a woman, but I can’t see her face. I just know her name is Rosaline and that she is angry,” I explain, and he paused to look at me like I was crazy. But there was this hint of curiosity mixed with amusement in his eyes.“Angry? Why so?” “I do not know; I can only feel it. it’s frightening…” I trail off. I hated the way I was sounding; I was so confused and did not know what
DAMIEN’S POV:FIVE YEARS AGO:She was gorgeous.Extremely.I had been awake for the past three hours, and I could not get my eyes off her. I took in every one of her angelic features, and I wanted to trace them so badly. I wanted to embed her face in my memory, but that would be weird, wouldn’t it?If I were going to talk about something weird, I should talk about what happened last night. Fuck! What had gotten into me? I have never felt so angry and possessive over something or someone before. Was this what the mate bond was like?What now? What do I do now that I have a mate? I will not be the Damien Creed I once was, that is for sure. So no more late-night parties with girls, no more fooling around, and no more having fun? Shit, if my parents find out I have found my mate, they would mount me on that fucking throne, and I am so not ready for that.No, I am not ready for a mate. Not now. For fucks sake, I was not even twenty yet; I can’t have an entire dumped on my head because of
Rosaline’s POV:He killed him.Damien Creed killed his own best friend. Because of me.I could not take my eyes off Stephen’s lifeless ones; they bore deep into mine, plaguing me with a guilt that I might carry forever.The sound of Damien’s heavy breaths causes me to look up at him. He had his head grasped in his hands and appeared to be going through the worst pain imaginable, yet something told me it was not because he had taken the life of the man he had spent his entire teenage years with.“Damien?” I called out but got only a grunt in response. His face was turning a bright shade of red, and that was when a sense of urgency arose in me. Something was happening to him."Damien, what’s wrong?” I asked him, managing to summon enough courage to walk over Stephen’s body and to my mate, who needed help. I never cared for Stephen, even while we were in high school; Damien has always been far more important. I reach out my hand to him, but he retracts the second our skin makes contact,
ROSALINE’S POV: A groan leaves my lips as the sun's warm gaze infiltrates my eyelids. I turn to my side but am still given the same result. I thought this room was underground; how were there any windows? That was when it hit me. My eyelids flew open, and I sat up quickly.I was in my room—well, Damien's room.Anxiety shoots through me as I begin to wonder if everything has been a dream. I am the only one in the bed, but when I see Damien getting ready in front of the mirror, I immediately relax. He wore a white shirt and black pants. His gaze was focused on the mirror as he tried to fasten his tie around his neck.A smirk lifts my lips as I see him struggle. Quietly, I get off the bed and walk up to him. I made sure not to make a sound as I neared him, and when I wrapped my arms around him, he stiffened.“Hey,” I said against his chest, and he cleared his throat.“Good morning,” he said stiffly before getting out of my grasp. He put some distance between us before looking at me an