SORAYAXaden stood there, casually leaning against his car like he hadn’t turned my entire world upside down. The sight of him made my stomach burn. His arms were crossed over his chest. The morning light slashed across his face, cutting sharp angles on his jaw. His gaze pierced mine, making my throat squeeze together. I swallowed hard, feeling dryness scrape down my throat. My mouth felt parched, my lips tight. He wore a blue shirt and white pants, looking like he just stepped out of a country club. The outfit gave him a preppy, put-together look that screamed old money.Why did he have to look so damn good? Why did he have to make me feel like this, even now? I hated the way my body reacted without my permission, my pulse quickening, my chest tightening. There was this flutter in my chest. And his gaze made my skin feel warm and fuzzy. But I shouldn't feel this way. I couldn't.I wanted to flee, to turn around, run back into the house, hide away from these feelings, from him. But my
XADENI had her right where I wanted her. But damn it all, why did she have to look so good? Standing there all disheveled and soft and so early in the morning at that. I knew she'd just woken up since I’d made sure to show up early. I needed the upper hand for what I’d decided to do and I knew catching her off guard was the best place to start.My eyes lingered as they traveled over her frame— the way her tousled hair cupped her face and her lips parted in surprise at the sight of me. I could relate, but I doubt my surprise was unpleasant— unlike hers.Still, I hated the way my breath caught in my throat at the sight of her.It grated at me that Jeremy— that bastard— had gotten to see her look this way every morning for the past few years. My blood boiled at the thought, but I kept my expression neutral. It took everything I had to school my features into a blank mask when all I wanted was to pummel that son-of-a-bitch into the ground. But I reigned it in because soon enough, she’d b
XADENI couldn't let it happen. This was my mate. How could I let her be with another man when she was supposed to be mine. I knew this was hurting her. But it had to happen. The thought of Jeremy married to her… She'd be his in name and he'd have rights to her body. She’d spend her nights in his bed, his ring on her delicate finger, his hands on her porcelain skin…“Fine,” I snapped, harsher than intended. She flinched but I couldn't hold back anymore— it was hard to stop a rushing dam once it's been broken. “If that's how you want to play it, Soraya, then you've forced my hand.” I bit out the remaining words, my voice ice-cold and detached— the calm facade I'd carefully built had begun to crack. “I'll have my people draw up a petition for the council. I will ensure your so-called wedding is postponed, and eventually canceled. And Jeremy can definitely expect a summons from the council soon enough.” I wasn’t going to let that marriage happen. No matter how much she thought it was so
SORAYAI’d forgotten how just easily my life could get turned upside down in the span of a few days—two, in this case. Who would've thought?How could Xaden be here? After all these years? And not only was he ready to take Kaylee, but he wanted me too. What kind of sick joke was this?And how the bloody hell could he even bring up such a thing after two years? Two whole years.Where was his conscience?— Okay, I was sure he didn't have one.But what made him think he could just show up out of the blue, intent on ripping me away from the stable life I had finally managed to build? What gave him the right?And Jeremy… how could I face him after this? What words could I possibly even say? The thought of abandoning Jeremy after everything he'd done to help me made my heart ache. He'd been an anchor in the storm that was my life, offering me the security and love I craved just when I needed it the most. Could I really leave? Could I give up everything we have together to remain with Kayle
SORAYAI stared at the words, the ink smudged by my tears. It was far from enough. It didn't say how much he meant to me or explain how grateful I was to him for… well, everything. But what more could I say? Nothing. Nothing could make this right or possibly soften the blow of what I was about to do. My heart was heavy as I slipped off the cold metal of my engagement ring, leaving it next to the note— a final heartbreaking gesture of the life I was giving up. With a wracking sob I went back upstairs. I grabbed my single bag and took a deep breath, ensuring all of the tears on my face were gone before I stepped outside, holding Kaylee close to me. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the yard.And there he was. Xaden. Leaning against the car in— the smug smile plastered on his face only deepened my resentment. How could he stand there so calmly after everything he had done?“Is that all?” he asked casually, his eyes flicking to the small bag in my hand.I bit back the urge
XADENShe hated me, that much was obvious. The anger radiating off her in waves was unmistakable. But despite the chaos surrounding us, they were here with me— my daughter and my mate. For the moment, that was all I could ask for. I’d brought them to one of my properties. It was a secluded place I’d kept so I could come to unwind, away from any madness,– which had basically become the constant in my life– not as grand as my primary home, but it was comfortable, quiet, and… mine.Funnily enough, Celeste had never set foot in this place but I’d still kept our picture up. For appearance's sake, especially with my status as Alpha. Just in case an ally or someone important came by. I needed to maintain the illusion that I was happily married. But the truth was, I’d been living here alone for the past two years, ever since Soraya left. Two long years of trying to piece together why she'd vanished without a trace. Afterward, I simply couldn’t stomach being in the same house with Celeste any
SORAYAHaving to settle into a new and foreign home had me feeling out of place. It was undeniably spacious, much more so than Jeremy's smaller place. But I preferred to think of Jeremy's place as cozy, and I’d come to love it over the past two years. No matter how nice Xaden's place was, I wasn't used to it. It wasn't home.And Xaden… being in his space again after all this time brought a wave of emotions I wasn't prepared for. I didn't know what to expect from him. My mind raced, tangling in a web of conflicting thoughts: Did he really not know I’d been in his office that day? The surrogacy contract… the threat of taking my child away… Had he really not planned to force me into any of that? My chest tightened, a hard knot forming beneath my ribs. Had I been wrong about everything all along? It all began to seem so clear, and more doubt crept in— pressing itself painfully against my chest. What if I’d been wrong about him? That would mean…No.I refused to think down that path. E
SORAYA“I… I’m sorry, Soraya. For everything.” The words hung in the air between us, but I didn’t reply, refusing to engage with him. After all there was nothing to say. It wasn't like he would let Kaylee and I go because he was ‘sorry’.I stood up, gathered the plates– still refusing to look at him–, and finally managed to put them in the stupid high tech dishwasher. It was to his credit he didn't try to undermine me by ‘helping’.I snatched Kaylee up and retired to the bedroom I’d chosen for us. I couldn’t deal with him right now— I was done dealing with him for the day. My emotions were raw and my head was a mess.I occupied my raging mind by bathing Kaylee and getting her ready for bed. It was still early— just after 4pm, but our day had been so tumultuous, I wanted us to go to bed early. If only for the reason that I wanted to slip into a dreamless sleep where I wouldn't remember how terribly upside down my life now was.Just as I set her down for her nap, my phone buzzed from t
SORAYA“Now tell me, is there anything I have not done or sacrificed for your protection and that of Kaylee? Or is there even any request you may have made that I have ever deemed as insignificant?” “No there isn’t. You have been most generous and I am grateful for everything.” I said as I threw a look of disdain at Celeste who was already seated and crossing her legs, obviously savoring every bit of that moment. She was having the time of her life at my expense and she wasn’t going to say one word. She wouldn’t risk undermining Xaden again and so she simply kept quiet and enjoyed the show.“Have I not been fucking good to you? Have I not been a loyal mate and genuine partner?” He asked, staring at me like he couldn’t even recognize the woman in front of him.“Xaden please, if we’re going to do this, can we not do it right in front of your ex wife?” I asked, while the pain of the way he looked at me threatened to bring me to my knees.“The same ex wife who got wind of all your escapa
SORAYAXaden’s voice rang out through the halls with such an intensity that it had sent shockwaves thrusting throughout my body and the ominous tone with which he yelled, echoed throughout the space and filled it with a scary ambience. In all the time I had known and been with him, I never heard him sound so furious or intimidating. Sure, he normally had the occasional outbursts and feats of rage but there was something different this time around, this time it seemed as though the fire in his voice would never be palliated. I felt my lips twitch and my fingers tremor in fearful anticipation of what was to come, it definitely was not going to be pleasant.I was still set up in the kitchen with Melissa and had almost rounded up with the pastries we spent the better part of the evening preparing. I had put so much effort into them and now it seemed like in the end, it would all be for nothing. I was still going to get them done and Melissa could keep them for all I care, she worked just
XADEN “You can be honest Dax, you don’t have to be brutal about it.”He paused momentarily, thinking over what he had to say. “If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t say my advice on this would be the most insightful but from the way I see things, I don’t think Soraya is or will ever get over Celeste living in your house. It’s just not right, I mean I don’t even live there and I really find it repulsive. I can’t possibly imagine how hard it must be for her to wake up to that everyday.”“Well, it seems you ended up being brutal with your honesty Dax.” I began, stifling a smile. “The thing is, that is what she said and I don’t believe it one bit. She may not have been comfortable but I knew she was already coming around to tolerating and ignoring her. No—this is more than that, this is definitely something deeper. The switch was too sudden and that’s completely out of character for her. There is something afoot Dax, I’m just finding it hard to place my finger on what it is.”“Like I said boss
XADEN To say that I had the faintest idea of what has been going on for the past three days would be an obvious lie. One moment everything seemed to be fine with Soraya and I thought we were finally in a good place and the next, it’s almost as if her mind did a complete one-eighty and I couldn’t even recognize my mate anymore.I had gone above and beyond for her protection, pulled strings to organize a lavish and fancy dinner for her, I even kept my distance from Celeste, choosing to move her away from the masters and still, it’s almost as if it wasn’t enough. There was something definitely wrong with her and whatever it was, she was choosing not to tell me. If she wouldn’t spill, then I guess I would just have to pry it out of her when I had the chance. But how could I even possibly get the chance? She refused to move back into our room, refused to cook and eat together as a family, it’s like living with a completely new person.Screeeeeech!I quickly slammed on the brakes of my SUV
SORAYAI didn’t know how George had done it but he somehow managed to drop Kaylee off and still get me to the university in time for lectures. Xaden sure knew how to employ those who were the best at what they did and our movement this morning was quite hasty. I couldn’t say the same for the classes though, the entire process just seemed to drag on for hours as lecturers replaced one another in a frenzy. I was grateful for the close of day and quickly made my way to the parking lot. I located the car parked in a corner under a tree shade and hurriedly walked up to it before knocking on the driver window.“Did you wait here all day?” I asked, looking over at George who had his hat hooded over his face and the driver seat reclined. He had probably been napping. He jumped up with a start and quickly adjusted his seat.“Sorry about that ma’am.”“Don’t apologize for resting, I mean what else would you do here all day? So you just stayed here waiting for me?”“Yes ma’am, those were my dir
SORAYA Morning definitely couldn’t have come faster. I thought as my eyes opened to the soft glints of the early morning sun that slowly filled the entire room. The cool fall breeze softly sipped in through the open window and caressed my skin with a tender feel. It was a beautiful morning and I couldn’t even appreciate it, all I felt was an heartache that threatened to tear me apart.I hadn’t had much sleep, how could I? When Celeste had made sure I heard everything that was going on during their dinner, even while I did my very best to ignore. She wasn’t kidding when she said she would be keeping me here simply for the fun of humiliating me and last night was seriously a test of my patience, I didn’t know how much more of it I would be able to take.With every laughter and happy moment that they seemed to share, an equal of amount of pain shot through my body and just seeing them cozy up to each other like that was simply too much to bear.I promptly got out of bed and went into th
SORAYA“Wow! I pulled a lot of strings to get that Italian chef flown in and you’re just going to spit it right back in my face huh?”Damn! He got me Italian food?! What a dreadful waste.“I’m not spitting anything in your face. I just said I’m not in the mood, surely you can understand that right?”“Oh I understand quite alright. I understand perfectly that you’re just a cocktease! Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”“Okay then.” I whimpered as I moved slowly towards the door.“And since I can’t cancel the booking, I’ll still have the chef come over. I’m sure Celeste would enjoy some good food since you would be too busy not being in the mood.” He called out after me. He wanted to hurt me just like I was hurting him but at least I was pretending and he was just being a dick.“You can go to hell Xaden!” I said, choking down my tears.“You first Soraya!”I stormed off and pulled against the bedroom door before shutting it loudly as I stepped into the hallway.“Well, well, well
SORAYA I remained in the kitchen, standing there transfixed, like a deer caught in headlights. I was definitely caught by surprise with what I had just seen. I couldn’t believe it and yet I knew it was true, I mean I saw it with my own eyes.I could feel every hair on my body stand, my mouth suddenly went dry and palms were sweaty. My heart raced and my breathing felt forced, I felt like I was having a panic attack.At that moment, it felt as if time slowed down and I couldn’t help but hold onto the counter for support lest I fall flat on my face. My mind raced and Celeste’s words rang loudly in my head. Stay away from Xaden! Those were her words and she wasn’t one to trifle with her instructions. I felt choked for air and all of sudden I was light headed. The evidence was clear, clear as day and it was good, really good. She had caught me in such a compromising position that Xaden wouldn’t even think twice to dispute it. He believed so much in the things he saw and as long as his
SORAYAI winced as fresh, warm tears poured uncontrollably from my eyes, momentarily blurring my vision but I could still make out Xaden’s expression as the previous look of unbridled rage he had quickly disappeared. He moved closer to me, wearing a much warmer look and took me in his arms. He held me by the small of my waist, wrapping his strong arms tight around me and pulling me closer with such force and intensity that I felt my breath seize. “Xaden..” I tried to call out but his lips said no as they quickly locked on to mine and ravaged without stopping. My entire body fell limp against his hard and muscular frame and I was compelled to surrender to the hunger with which he consumed me.I quivered, my feet shaking as he bit softly on my bottom lip and as if he sensed my legs about to give way, betraying and exposing my powerlessness to the feelings of pleasure he ignited within me, he promptly lifted me up and laid me on the table as he tossed everything on it to the floor.In o