When Ashly woke up, she refused to get out of bed, telling herself she deserved to hide for a little while. But she was rudely exposed by Monika, who opened the door and shoved her grinning face into Ashly. She snapped back, nearly poking Ashly in the eye. "Morning sister," Monika sang at her, and Ashly flipped her off, hiding under her covers. Monika ripped the covers back again, then laughed. "Ashly! There's a bitchy girl on here; you didn't think to put on pajama bottoms." "Piss off, Monika," Ashly sighed, but she got up anyway, wrapping the sheet around herself until she found her grey sweat pants, slipping them on, and wandering over to the breakfast area. When she saw Alex, she noted with sadness but not a lot of surprise that Alex refused to meet her eyes. Ashly decided then that she was going to act like what Alex had done last night was no big deal, that it'd just been a bit of casual fun, even if her heart was still aching over it. "Morning," Ashly called out with a mock c
"I guess you had fun?" Rose asked with a laugh at the way Ashly was smiling. "Hell yes," Ashly grinned. She risked a glance at Alex and found that he was smiling the face off of Jasmine; it looked like Alex was trying to compete. Ashly considered going back onto the dance floor and finding another person just to piss Alex off even more, but honestly, she was not in the mood. So she just snuggled up to Rose, craving the affection that she doesn't get from her mate. "You have fun, Ashly; it's gross," Rose said with a wrinkled nose but a smile to show she was joking. "You're just jealous," Ashly said back smugly, and she saw Alex's face harden slightly despite the fact that he was still kissing Jasmine. "You're just jealous you didn't get him," Ashly continued, just to be an annoying little shit and piss Alex off more. "I really didn't need details," Rose laughed, her face red with a slight blush. "He is great," Ashly giggled, and this time just because it was funny watching Rose's r
When Ashly finally woke up for good, it was 4 in the afternoon, according to her phone. She turned over to find Alex sitting on the floor beside her bed, playing a game on his phone, but at the sounds of movement from Ashly, he quickly turned off his phone and faced Ashly with a gentle smile. Ashly said, her voice horribly cracking, "I feel like a truck hit me in the head." Alex handed her a bottle of water, and she sat up and drank it gratefully. "Ashly? How are you feeling?" Alex asked carefully, and Ashly gave a sharp bark of laughter that hurt her throat. "Like shit, Alex. I was stupid and got spiked and almost raped in an alley. How do you expect me to feel?" Ashly snapped, then sighed, regretting it. "Sorry, I'm just pissed off, I guess." "It's okay to be pissed off, Ashly, some guy... Some guy molested you and would have done a lot worse if he could," Alex said, and there were tears in his eyes. "Don't cry, Alex," Ashly whispered, wiping under Alex's eyes with trembling fin
"Are you in a bad mood?" Seth asked, reaching over to steal one of Monika's cookies as he said it. Monika turned a pouty face on her in response, to which Seth shot her a smirk and a wink, making Monika blush deep red and look back down at her remaining cookies with a soft smile. Rose and Adom shook their heads at the two of them with a chuckle; they all knew by now that Alex and Rose had figured it out not long after Ashly, and they'd all decided to keep it within the five of them. "Yup," Ashly said, popping her lips on the 'P' and sitting down next to Rose with a frown. "He's a right little sod when he's ill," Ashly continued, cuddling into the arm Rose placed around her shoulders. "I can definitely agree with that," Rose said wryly, rolling her eyes, and Ashly reluctantly smiled. Ashly was silent in thought as the others chatted amongst themselves, and she smiled as an idea came to her. "What time is it?" Ashly asked anyone. "Like half past 5, why?" Rose answered after glancing
Alex hummed around Ashly's arse and ran his tongue around her private parts until he removed his lips from around Ashly, at which point he licked Ashly's private area and smacked her back. "You always act good, love," Alex smiled as he pulled off and kissed Ashly's hip. "Alpha," Ashly begged. Please, I need to be fucked. "I will, babe," Alex promised as he kissed Ashly before he finally rid himself of his remaining clothes. "Need you," Ashly begged as Alex kissed her stomach and left a bruise on it. "I need you so bad." "Alright, love. You've been so drenched, but this is your first time, so I still need to properly prepare you, right?" Alex said as he grabbed the small package from his wallet, and Ashly ignored the painful clench in her chest when she thought about the fact that Alex could have had the intention of using that on someone else. "Yes," Ashly mumbled. Alex reached over and grabbed the bag, taking the bottle of lube from it to slick up his fingers before he pressed on
They had a few days off, and Ashly spent all of it locked in her room. She didn't care that she was sulking, and she didn't care that spending days in bed was not something she would normally do. It had been days since she'd seen anyone when she heard a room key slide in her door, and it opened. She sat up, still completely wrapped up in her blankets, as Alex walked into her bedroom. Why can't you simply leave me alone? Ashly groaned, falling back onto the bed. "I miss you," Alex mumbled as he crawled into the bed next to Ashly. "Alex, why are you doing this?" Ashly asked in a low whisper. "I don't know," Alex answered in a voice just as quiet. Ashly rolled over, so she was facing Alex. "You know that you're hurting me." Alex nodded. "I see it in your eyes every time." Ashly closed her eyes and shook her head. "When do you keep coming back? What's the point of all this? You want a good fuck with me? You know I'll keep my mouth shut because I'm fucking in love with you, so I'm th
The next day, Alex is calling everyone, but no one answers his call. Ashly is with Rose, and they plan to meet Monika and Adom. Alex already gave her permission to tell everyone about their plan. After talking to Ashl and telling her everything, Alex feels happy, like he has achieved everything in his life. And then he got a call from a weird number. "Hello?" "Is this Alex Branson?" "Uh, yeah, who's this?" "I'm on the hospital staff. You're listed as Miss. Jasmine emergency contact." Alex dropped everything in his hand. "Oh, my God. Is she...what happened?" "You should come to the hospital. This is something you want to hear in person." Alex grabbed his keys and ran, breaking about seven traffic laws to get there. He ran into the door and immediately stormed up to the front desk. "Where is she? Where's Jasmine?! Where the fuck is she?" A doctor cleared his throat. "Mr. Branson, come with me. I'm sure you want this private." "She's fine, right? She's going to be fine? Someone
It's rushed and hot. It's silent and heavy. It's lust and pain. It's what Alex needs and what Ashly craves. It's never enough, though. It will never be enough. Ashly liked to believe that she was strong and resilient. She once was, when her head was full of all her wildest dreams and highest hopes. But watching the rise and fall of the chest of the Alpha sleeping next to her, she doesn't know what to believe anymore. All she's come to know is the ache deep in her bones and heart. Alex cancelled their ceremony and ordered her to come back. She was confused, and when she saw Rose and Seth's faces, she got more confused. Alex fucked her without saying anything, and she enjoyed it, but she felt like something bad was going to happen. The clock next to her blinks at 2:45 a.m. She allows herself a minute before gently running her hands through Alex's hair to wake him. It takes six minutes for Alex to finally open his eyes and stare at the ceiling, letting out a quiet sigh. "I want you to
By the time Ray arrived at the Downtown, the tavern owned by his 22-year-old childhood friend, Alvin, it was only a quarter to seven. It was still so early; there were only two patrons there, sitting at the bar. Henna was their bartender. RK, another friend of theirs who also worked with RK, was setting up the stage. It was jazz night. Alvin was at the bar, cleaning some of the glassware. Ray went to the bar and sat in front of Alvin. The older man took one look at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Well, you look like shit." "I feel like shit too." "What happened?" "Milly pregnant." "Ah," Alvin said, now understanding Ray's troubles. "You knew she was pregnant, didn't you?" There was no accusation in his voice, just resignation. Alvin nodded. "Of course I did. I think everyone who knew Milly knew. This town is not really a big town. People gossip." He took a bottle of beer from the shelf behind him and pushed it in front of Magnus. "Here, have some. It's on the house." "Thanks
In his room, Ray changed and sat on his bed. His phone lay in front of him, and he stared at it. He didn't want to admit it earlier, but he knew Jane was right. But it had only been a few months, and everything was still raw. He loved Milly, and he still does. He had been in a few relationships before Milly, but he never loved someone like he loves the omega. It wasn't just some Alpha lust. And he knew Milly hadn't moved on either. After Milly broke up with him, Ray spent weeks stalking Milly through F******k and I*******m since the latter wouldn't answer his calls, not that Milly updated much. In fact, Milly's F******k relationship status was still "in a relationship". That gave Ray hope, and he continued to stalk Milly's social media updates until Jane, Jack, and Tommy held an intervention. He wasn't allowed to obsessively refresh Milly's I*******m account or F******k page in the hopes that Milly would post something regarding the two of them. Once he stopped stalking Milly on soci
Both of them got up on their feet, and Milly threw away the pregnancy test and cup in the rubbish bin under the sink before washing her hands. She followed Mai to the kitchen, and Mai told her to help herself with any drinks she wanted. She took a soda for the Mai and was about to look for something for herself when the smell of cheese hit her nose. She was hit by a bout of nausea and quickly excused herself and made her way to the bathroom in the hallway between the dining room/family living room and the second living room, where they entertain guests. By the time Milly returned, Mai had set everything up in the family room. On the coffee table, there was a bowl of popcorn, a plate of crackers, and a pot of tea. The cheesy nachos Mai made earlier were nowhere in sight. "How do you feel about the Marvel movie marathon?" Mai asked as she held out three DVDs. "I just bought a collection of Marvel movies." "Sure." Milly wasn't that interested in Marvel, but she knew quite a bit because
Ray laughed before removing his robe and boxers. Then, he continued his meditation on Milly's jaw while his hands started playing with Milly's boobs. He trailed kisses down to Milly's neck, nibbling on it, biting it, and marking Milly while pinching and twisting the reddened verginia with his fingers until she became a complete mess. When he trailed kisses down to Milly's chest, he replaced his fingers with his tongue on one of Milly's boobs. His free hand, on the other hand, moved down to Milly Verginia. It was already wet once more. Milly whimpered when Ray gave his attention to her other boob, circling the hardened nub with his tongue. She whimpered, "Please, Ray. Enough foreplay. I want to feel you inside me." Ray straightened up and shook his head. "No, you deserve the best, love. And because it's your first time, I am going to make sure you feel thoroughly loved." He dove down again and trailed kisses down Milly's torso. His tongue dipped into Milly's belly button before he rea
On any other day, Milly would have been amused by the deer-in-the-headlights look on her boyfriend's face. However, today was not like any other day, so she walked into Ray's bedroom without a laugh, with a frown on her face instead of a smile. "Milly, hey," Ray greeted his girlfriend. He quickly sat up on his bed, his legs crossed. "Why are you here?" Milly had her hands crossed over her chest. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question, Ray? You said you had practice today. The funny thing is, Shine told me practice was cancelled." Shit, Ray thought. He forgot that Milly was friends with Shine too, and she always talked to him and Cecily on the phone. The excuse he gave Milly when the final class ended was the first thing that came into his mind before he all but ran out of the classroom. "Sorry?" he said, although it came out more like a question. Milly sighed and climbed onto the bed. "Why are you avoiding me?" Ray forced out a smile. "Who said I was?" "We've been together for
"There's no threat here. I'm just trying to show you that my brother and I are more useful to you alive than dead." Eliott seemed to take in his words for a moment before talking again. The more he considered Ray's proposal, the less focus he put on keeping hold of his brother. If he lost control and became totally distracted, maybe he wouldn't be able to keep Shine under control. Maybe he could free his brother and get Shine to fight alongside him. Apart, they were nothing more than trained wolves with no real fighting experience or skill, but at the bare edge of their full potential. Together, though, they might be enough. They might even be unstoppable. It was a long shot and probably a stupid idea. It was also the only idea he had, so Ray would make it work. "Even if I believed you, how can I know they won't kill me as soon as they find us?" "You must know a defense technique that is strong enough to prevent that." Ray shrugs, trying to appear casual. "Also, my parents value o
The first time Ray ever met Shine, he came back when he heard about his Omega brother. When Ray entered their home, he saw Shine, who was just a mess of pale skin and fancy pajamas on his dad's lap. At the time, of course, he didn't think about being an Omega big brother. Ray was just scared and confused about how he was going to take care of his omega brother. Everyone around him was talking and smiling, and he didn't understand. Nothing made much sense at all. Ray knows the meaning of Omega in this world, but society still doesn't accept it. His own mother is a big example. When Cecily was born, Ray was relieved; she was born as an Alpha, but now... His dad snapped him out of his daydreaming and smiled at him as he came to offer his hug, then offered him a look at the boy in his arms. Even though Shine was already 3 months old back then, he still loves Ray and Cecily's scent. Maybe it'll make him safe, and Ray will make sure to protect him all his life. Seven Years Later: Ray f
Alex and Ashly didn’t write their own vows this time. This time, they just repeated whatever the fake prince told them to, and they swapped the same rings they already had on. Alex even pressed the button on his bouquet to make it sing the wedding march. It was very tacky and nothing fancy. But their friends were there—their family. It was perfect. Monika was tearing up in the front row, with Rose soothing her from the side and smiling at Ashly like she was proud of her. Adom and Seth gave them a thumbs up, throwing confetti over them when they walked down the aisle afterwards. It was a spur-of-the-moment, I-dare-you-to-do-it decision on their part, but Ashly thinks that it doesn’t matter. Because if Alex is really happy with them, he wouldn’t say no to anything. “I thought it was lovely. Priest even sang a few lines from ‘Can’t help falling in love with you’.” Monika comments when they sit on a bridge, looking over the Vegas lights. Her legs dangle over the edge, and she’s hol
They sit in the huge living room, complete with a flat-screen TV that takes up a whole wall and a fountain in the middle of the room. Ashly just knows that Shine would've loved that fountain. "So, we need—Monika, where'd you get that?" Alex eyes Ashly's sister, who's sipping a new cocktail, this time a mai tai. "There was a bar downstairs, duh." She waves the yellow drink at them, lounging on the armchair. She looked stunning as ever in her black glittering dress and black stilettos. "Are you sure you don't want to slow down? What even is that?" Seth asks and comes closer to sniff at the cocktail. "Mai tai. I never mix alcohols, and today is a rum kind of day." Monika responds, ignoring the first part and giving Seth a sip. "That's actually good." "I thought men only drank brown liquids." Adom teases, and Seth flips him off. "People," Alex gets their attention effortlessly, his ringed fingers catching the light from the great chandelier on the ceiling, his voice commanding. "Th