~Brielle
It was Mabel who spoke first. Eventually.
The silence that fell after the scream left us all chilled right to the bone. Mabel shakily smiled, which was proof enough that this wasn’t her doing. She wasn’t trying to frighten us. From upstairs, someone had screamed, in need of help. Yet none of us could move.
“Okay, that’s a bit strange,” Mabel says, followed by a breathy laugh. Girls around me exchange glances, skin pale, eyes widened. “Should probably go have a look shouldn’t we?”
Most girls called Mabel stupid for wanting to go investigate. I offered to go with her while they cowered in a corner. If there is a chance to save wh
~BrielleInitially, the new job was not that impressive.For the first few weeks, no one came to the estate. I didn’t even see Ren, who had become seemingly elusive recently. A lot of the staff began to wonder if he was even occupying this residence much anymore. It left me with nothing more to do but to make sure staff coming in from the docks were managed okay.At least I’m getting paid well. Which means I shouldn’t have to be here too much longer to get money. Then I can escape.I was surprised when Rose, the first person to accept into this place, approached me with my next set of work. These past few days I’ve spent in a side office close to the main door, in c
~BrielleThe Alpha’s didn’t start arriving for another four hours after Ren left me.Most of that time I spent hurrying around, trying to ensure everything is running smoothly. Almost everyone that I talked to is as nervous as I am. Even Mabel, who won’t be seeing the Alpha’s in person. Just the idea of them being in the same building as her has left her almost useless to Ambrose, who has failed to calm her down when she realised she would be in charge of cleaning the Alpha’s linen when they were done with it.Others are simply struck by the fact that Ren is having guests. It’s an event that is unheard of to those who have worked here many years. Nevertheless, an excited buzz prevails.
~BrielleNot long after I had left, the Alpha’s started up to their rooms for the night.The moment their doors closed, their air in the room cleared, and there wasn’t so many girls running around as if their heads were cut off. Even Mabel calmed down, allowed to head to sleep since her duties didn’t require her until morning. I, however, wasn’t going anywhere. I’m in charge of these girls, and I can’t have a single on of them slack off.I didn’t catch sight of Ren while I was wandering around, checking that not a single thing was out of place. He must have went back to his quarters also, since it’s getting late. It caught us all by surprise, though, that he cut his meeting off so abruptly.
~BrielleI have no idea how to react.This isn’t my Alpha. This isn’t Ren. His gaze is too sharp, his expression too sinister. I can’t escape his grip until mercilessly, he pushes away, giving me space to breathe and think through what is happening. Something is up with Ren, whether it’s a night terror or another unexplainableRecovering myself, I pretend I didn’t hear him claim I belong to him. “I’m going to get back and leave you to it.”For once, Ren doesn’t look as if he wants to stop me. I watch him carefully, waiting for him to say anymore and intervene. When he doesn’t I sm
~BrielleI can’t tell if Noah is being helpful, or warning me.He looks deadly serious, the expression of amusement and curiosity now long vanished. I have a feeling that if I retaliate, and do the opposite of his advice, I might see another side of Noah that I don’t want to. All he has done is confirm in my mind that Ren is hiding something from us all. And I want to find out what it is.“Shouldn’t it be considered unfair that my boss is hiding something from his staff?” I question, hoping he would feel so kind of sympathy for me. “Especially for me, being in a higher position in his staff roster.”Noah shrugs, opening the fridge to pull out a chilled b
~BrielleMabel’s words didn’t leave my mind.I met Ren near the front door, ready for my tour around the grounds. Within me is a mix of excitement to see the island I have stared at from the docks on the mainland since I was a child, but also nervous. That’s Mabel’s fault, feeding me thoughts about Ren that I know aren’t true.I should be concentrating on Ren’s secret, and finding out what I can about it. Not wondering whether he sees me differently from all his other staff. As far as I’ve noticed, he couldn’t care less about me.He even forgot my name. And his excuse for that was rather questionable, and I still have to consider how tr
~BrielleI was asked to stand in while the Alpha’s ate dinner.It wasn’t Ren who asked, instead being a girl who caught a sickness and needed me to be there to tend to the Alpha’s. The moment I stepped in I felt as though I was breaking many rules, however, no one questioned me. Ren wasn’t there when I entered, so I cast my gaze to the floor and hoped nobody would notice.At first, it was only four Alpha’s sitting in. Malik, who had come across Ren and I early leans casually back in his seat. His eyes are on me, but I keep my gaze pinned to the floor, mortified.He didn’t tell anyone, did he? I have to admit, Ren has been giving me a strange amount
~RenI’ve never been so intimidated.There isn’t a single person in this room who doesn’t have their eyes on me. If I didn’t care about my job so much, and didn’t want to get on the bad side of Ren, I wouldn’t have stepped toward him. In fact, I probably would have run out of the room to cower back in the sleeping area, refusing to speak to anyone until the next day.However, my feet step on in front of the other, coming to stand beside Ren. My cheeks are heated beyond belief, and the hands I hide behind my back are quivering. Hopefully no one is noticing.Ren looks up at me, that cool icy blue eye on the left side is unnerving as ever. A part of m
~Brielle Something doesn’t feel right. That’s been a thought on my mind for the past few weeks. In one instance, it seemed like everything should be righted in the world. Fate helped me, kept his word and I kept mine. Chase wasn’t exactly happy, but knew he wouldn’t have been awake to deal with Ren in time, so he let it slide after a few days of moping. Really, he’s using it as an excuse for his mourning of his mother. I could hardly believe he didn’t confide in me with any other this, but I didn’t berate him after going through what he did. Of course, he explained that she was sick, and wanted to sacrifice herself. He agreed only on the grounds that she didn’t have long left, but it took him months of consideration, and didn’t want me to convince him out of it. So here we are, lying in the sun on the seating outside, me leaning against his chest, him playing with my hair. It’s been like this everyday for awhile now. But like I said, something doesn’t feel right. I’m not sure w
~Brielle I’m not sure what my first reaction should be. Immediately I fall to my knees by her side. I grab her limbs, feeling her cold skin, feeling how limp they are. Completely lifeless. I shake her a few times, put my ear to her mouth to catch a breath and even feel a pulse. Nothing. There is no life left in her. Had I known this was her choice, I would have never left the table. I may not know her, or even what her name was, but she’s Chase’s mother…why didn’t he tell me? He came in here, acting as though he had no clue who she was. He must have known to. I feel as though the entire plan was done without me even knowing. “Can’t you mourn later? She’s going to wake soon,” I hear Fate from behind me. There’s no need to turn around and shoot him a glare. He knows this isn’t a normal situation.Walking up behind me, he steps out and around the body carefully. Not because he cares all that much for the corpse lying here in the middle of a tent that was her home, but because he doe
~Brielle My blood runs cold. I know Ren doesn’t like me. I know he doesn’t want me getting in the way, but I never thought he would actually want me dead. He’s evil, pure evil, and manipulative to add to it all. When was he planning on doing this? I bet he didn’t think Chase was about to get control again, and was planning to do it that night. Just thinking about what might have happened sends chills down my spine. “He won’t be getting control over me again. I don’t care what it takes,” Chase says quickly, glancing at me. The Gaze Reader still stares at me, clearly trying to decipher why an Alpha wants to kill me, of all people. She must have seen within Chase’s gaze that he is my true mate, not Ren. The Gaze Reader looks skeptical. “I don’t want to be dragged into an Alpha’s mess. That’s dirty business.”Chase and I exchange wary glances. “He was never meant to be the true Alpha. His brother was, before he murdered him and cold blood, and still feels no remorse. I can tell, I ca
~Brielle Shame is all that I feel. Chase and I lay in bed, my head on his chest, as I cry. I can’t help the tears, as they pool onto his shirt. At least the bleeding from my neck has stopped, thanks to Chase and his first aid abilities. But the mark is still there, stuck upon my neck, a false representation of a mate bond that doesn’t actually exist. “This doesn’t change anything, you know,” Chase murmurs, his fingers running gently through my hair. I glance up at him, raising an eyebrow as he gazes down at me. “I still love you. You’re still my mate. We will fix this.”“Quiet,” I breathe. “He can hear us.”Chase sits up, forcing me too as well. He’s frowning at me, and for a moment I can’t tell why. I’m numb, nothing makes sense right now. But of course, this is big news. “He admitted that all this time, he has been seeing through your eyes. I’m assuming it’s because he is the original host of the body. He can hear everything right now. It means no more talking about anything. Ok
~Brielle This should be easy. Should be. If I weren’t suspicious of him, or knew nothing about Chase, then I would have no trouble going into my mates room. But still, I’m hesitant, unsure of what will go down if I take a step inside that room, with Ren, and no Chase there to protect me in case something happens. In case something is brought too far…Lying in my bed, staring at the roof, I contemplate my next move. Maybe I’m being over dramatic. Ren had interest in taking me to bed at some point, but that was a few days ago. Now, it seems like the idea of me turns him off completely. If I get this key, none of that will matter anymore. All I need to do is find it, and it has to be in that room. And if it’s not…Well I guess I’m out of options. Should I do it now? Somehow I doubt that Ren will be all that accommodating if I do show up at his door, wondering if I can come in. But it is something a mate would do, and I am trying to be his mate. I’m just as curious as to why he has su
~Brielle I’m convinced I’ve gone too far this time. Ren would have given a tip off earlier if he has any interested in sharing information with me. He doesn’t want to be honest with me, or share anything with me, even has his mate and Luna. All these doubts flood my head at once, my heart sinking deep within my chest. I’m going to fail Chase with the one thing he trusted me with. “I don’t have much that I keep to myself, really,” he tells me, leaning back into the grass. I’m still disappointed, despite knowing this was going to be his reaction. “But anything I would keep would be somewhere I spend a lot of time, if I were ever to need to.”It’s subtle, and not intended as a hint, but I cling to that piece of information. It’s the first real lead I’ve received from his mouth. I just have to find out what he means. “Alright, your turn,” I say, forcing myself not to react too dramatically. We are playing a game still, and now that I have what I want, all I want to do is find this ‘s
~Brielle I have a game plan. Whether it is going to work or not, I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try. After my escapade with Chase, I snuck back into my room to ensure Ren didn’t reappear with me in his bed. This morning, I’m going to assume everything as normal. Hopefully, Ren will send the Alpha’s home so I have room to get to him without him being distracted by them. Kaden is already suspicious of me, and even with Ren’s assurance that I can be trusted, I know he doubts my motive. Once they are all sent away, Ren will have no one to confide in other than me. Perhaps I can find out this secret Chase doesn’t want to find out from Ren himself. However, if he makes him look bad, perhaps he won’t be honest with me. It doesn’t matter, anyway. What matters is that Ren trusts me enough to get this key. There is nothing more important than that. Approaching the dining room to where I’m planning on having breakfast with Ren alone, I start to get nervous. What if I can’t do this? What if
~Brielle Nothing feels better than being within my mates arms. My back is pressed up against his chest, his arm slung over my waist. I’m enjoying the stories he whispers in my ear about magic and the Devotion Pack. He has so many amazing stories that I could listen to all night without fail. There is something to intimate about being up against him will he shares all he can with me. “I would say you’re easily one of the most interesting people I’ve met,” I tell him. It’s not just because of his stories that I say that, but also due to his knowledge and how charismatic of a person he is, and has been this entire time. I mean, he did manage to convince everyone he was causing us harm in order to keep us all from interrupting his plan. He even let himself take the fall in place of Ren. “You need to travel more, my love,” he comments, his tone amused. I chuckle, but I know I’m right. Twisting around, I lay facing him, looking up at him. Through the darkness, I can still see his eyes
~Brielle It feels shameless, doing this. I’m not going there to do anything with him, simply let him think I want him. Yet it feels dirty, walking to his room with a robe covering my half naked body. This lingerie isn’t too sexy, but it’s sexy enough for me to feel shy, my confidence seeping out past the lace and ribbons of the stupid outfit hidden beneath this silk gown. Ren tried to hurt me. All because I disagreed with him. Now, I’m having to manipulate him into believing me. All so he won’t hurt me again. Will I tell Chase about this? That’s the question. I’m not sure how he would react, but something tells me he would understand. He wouldn’t lash out and hurt me like Ren would. Just because they are in the same body doesn’t mean they have the same reactions. All of this, I know. When I reach his room, I don’t bother knocking. I simply click the door handle open, and slide inside the room cloaked in darkness. From the bed, I can see his shadowed outline lying in the bed. Jus