"Yes, I am fine," Alisha snapped back from her trance, keeping her eyes on her lap.She didn't want to look at him with so many emotions swirling inside her head, making her feel overwhelmed."See Alisha, I know I am the last person you would trust to confide in, but if you feel anything is wrong, you should speak up. Even if I'm the last person you want to turn to, I'm still the only person you have, because you have no one else," Alice's words pierced through her thoughts.‘You are not the only person. You make sure of it by forcing others out of my life,’ Alisha answered silently in her heart.She didn't understand why he wanted to know if she was comfortable when he knew how his presence made everything worse. Suppressing the urge to say anything, she didn't want to break the fragile illusion he was trying to create.Alisha remained silent, her mind tangled in a web of conflicting emotions. She couldn't shake off the feeling of being suffocated, trapped in a reality she never ask
Alisha's heart raced as she jumped in her place, hearing his loud and anger-filled voice, not knowing what had made him angry at her when she hadn't done anything to provoke him.He looked at her in anger, without any reason, his eyes screaming that he would kill her and then eat her, without remorse.She gripped both sides of the couch firmly, feeling fear coursing through her veins.“Tell me, what are you looking at?” Alice asked angrily, his eyes blazing with anger.The man who was standing also started trembling. Without wasting a second, he left from there.“I... was…”“What did I tell you about stuttering in front of me?” Alice cut her off, hearing her stuttering fueling his anger further.Alisha closed her eyes tightly, feeling even the veins of her body pulsating too fast; she could hear them in her ears. That's how scared she was in the moment due to his presence, his eyes, and his anger.“Nah, you like it when you defy me, right? Open your damn eyes, Alisha,”Alisha immedia
Alisha wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and disappear, but she kept them fixed on him, even as he sounded like a devil from hell.“I don't think it will end well if I have to repeat myself. It won't be 'sweetheart,' I can assure you of that,” Alice warned, waiting for her compliance.He knew she couldn't defy him, especially after witnessing his outburst firsthand. Despite any shortcomings, she understood better than anyone how to avoid pushing his buttons.Alisha cleared her head and looked at him, her breath caught in her lungs as if it couldn't reach her mouth due to the intensity of his gaze. Whether it was her imagination or reality, his eyes seemed darker, deepening her fear.“Keep standing here and keep looking at me, only me. If you move your eyes away, you'll face trouble. And I don't think you want that, do you?”Alisha swallowed hard, her throat dry with fear as she nodded slowly in response to Alice's question. “Okay”With a sense of resignation, Alisha kept her eyes locked
Alice looked at her, moving his chair in her direction, spreading his legs wide open, his hand resting on his thighs."What good?" Alisha's mind rang, not understanding what he was trying to praise, as there was nothing to be praised.It had been more than an hour, she stood like a statue, her eyes fixed on him, even though he wasn't particularly looking like anything interesting to look at."Do you know what you look like now?" Alice asked, sliding his hand up slightly, as if he might pull something out if he continued rubbing his palm on his pants like that."What?" Alisha asked, knowing there was no way to dodge it.The way he punctuated his words made it clear how he wanted her to respond."You look all mine, the way your eyes are on me," Alice stated, his voice thick and seductive.Alisha felt awkward seeing him rubbing himself like that and sounding so deep. "Are you feeling itchy? Are you allergic?"The words slipped out before she could realise."Do you want to rub me? Because
‘Delusional?’ the voice in her head commented.Because that's the most sensible explanation. He sounds completely delusional, either unable to grasp reality or deliberately avoiding it.Who behaves like this, twisting words out of context and pretending they were the exact words spoken?"Now, can I go sit?" Alisha asked, annoyed, not wanting to continue the conversation. She'd had enough."Didn't you ask me earlier if I had an allergy, so couldn't you rub it? Maybe it'll make me feel better," Alice said, his eyes wide, giving her the most innocent expression he could muster.It was the same expression he always gave his mother, and now, to Alisha.These were the only two people he showed his inner child to, maybe with Alisha, he could show all his sides, even the ones he tried to hide from his mom."I didn't cause any allergies. I never touched you to cause it, so why would I rub it? And since when does rubbing heal an allergy?" Alisha asked, struggling to maintain her balance.Her fe
‘Does he think I have no work?’ Alisha questioned herself, feeling hurt by his words.She did have work – she was a student and needed to study. But with him invading her life and not knowing when she would be able to return to her studies, more than a week had already passed.First, he took her with him and she went into a coma. Then, after she recovered, she couldn't leave the orphanage because Mary was selling the orphanage and they had to move out. And now, here she was again with him.He is parading her from his place to office, as if it's her who asked it.She wasn't free – she was literally forced into this situation. She didn't have her books or anything else to keep her busy. So, of course, she would appear idle.But what did he mean by saying she was "looking at people"? She had eyes, they were meant for observing. It was absurd for him to blame her for that. He couldn't make her feel any more annoyed than he already did."I have work too, Alice," she replied, her voice ting
“Ahhh!!!!!”Alisha screamed in shock as she fell to the floor, startled by the sudden sound of Alice punching the glass table, causing it to crack in the middle.As Alice stood up, his knuckles bleeding from the impact, he ignored the pain and directed his gaze towards Alisha, who was now on the floor with her hands covering her ears, looking pale and frightened.Internally seething with anger, Alice couldn't comprehend how Alisha could feel pity for someone else when she seemed to only harbour disgust and hatred towards him."What's wrong, Alisha? Why are you scared now?" Alice's voice was laced with bitterness as he extended his hand towards her, blood dripping onto the floor. "Don't you feel pity for me now? I'm bleeding too."He stared at Alisha with intense anger in his eyes, demanding an answer. "Tell me, don't you feel pity now? Instead of fear, you should be feeling pity for me because I'm bleeding more than that bastard guy you felt pity for.”Alisha felt a surge of fear and
Alisha raised her head, her doe-sized eyes filled with terror and innocence simultaneously, met his gaze.Shock etched on her face as she struggled to decipher his words, aware they carried more weight than they seemed.“I said stand up, sweetheart. Did you hear me?” Alice commanded, one eyebrow raised, jaw clenched.Too weak from standing too long, Alisha felt immobilised.It wasn't just fatigue, but fear rendering her unable to move; the metallic tang of blood assaulting her senses, the dampness on her neck and feet screaming of the dire situation.Summoning all her strength, she rose, keeping her gaze fixed on him, knowing any shift would only provoke him further.“You know what you've done wrong?” Alice's voice, cold as ice, pierced the silence.That's exactly how he sounded—cold and dangerous.Wrong? Alisha replayed the scene in her mind, struggling to identify her error.She couldn't recall any misstep; it was him twisting her words, unfairly blaming her and growing increasingly
"Then what about you? Always behaving so high and mighty, you're just a witch, don't forget," Jackson growled, having had enough of this woman. Though he didn't like her from the start when she came to the pack, why was a witch even needed? But then again, she helped with healing and other things, so he let it be.But he hated her whenever their paths crossed."You're angry because you were rejected, and your whole life went to hell after your wife died, and me, just a fucking witch, rejected you as a second chance mate," Lima spat her words venomously.Maya and Alice's eyes widened in shock. Mostly Maya was stunned. Of course, she knew how Jackson lost his wife in the attack, but she never knew that Lima was his second chance mate and had rejected him too.It made sense why she didn't know, because she was away for 18 years, but this whole situation was quite strange. He showed no sign of discomfort while they talked and decided to come here."I don't want a mate like you. I had on
"What brought you here? Let me have some peace. Didn't I tell you last time that I am now too old to help? Even when I helped before, my powers are still recovering, so find someone else," Lima softly sighed, seeing three familiar faces.It's not like she doesn't want to help, but her old bones can't assist at all. Even though Alisha is a royal heir, that doesn't mean she will put her life at stake. She is here due to a treaty, or else why would a witch live among werewolves?When the attack happened on this pack, she got sent here because Alisha's mother had some witch powers, so she was considered part of the witch side too. She helped them when they needed it, so as Lima came here to help the warriors and to heal others, she had to stay due to the circumstances, and how the pack needed her powers for healing and recovery.Now, she did help by telling about the curse and curing Alisha a bit. That doesn't mean she will keep doing it; she hates sticking her nose into business that isn
"Come here, sit down. Now tell us what you all found," Levi immediately came with water as soon as Alice, Maya, and Jackson entered.She, Rish, and Alisha were all so eager to know what happened about the whole building scenario.And all three of them were dissatisfied too because they were left behind. Usually, they all went there to train and were very familiar with the area, but today Maya allowed no one other than Alice, who obviously saw the building, so it was necessary for him to go.Elk had some work, so he couldn't go with them or stay at home either."Let us breathe. Why are you so eager?" Maya sighed as they all settled in their seats and took the water."How can we not be eager?" Rish stated. "You all went there without us, of course we are curious, and it's so hard to keep our calm after seeing you all.""That's because it wasn't necessary for so many of us to go there, and we can't just leave one person alone here, even though this house is safe. That doesn't mean I'm no
"Is this the place where you found the key?" Jackson asked, unsure of what to do next."Yes, this is exactly where I saw the building and got this key," Alice replied. How could he forget? Even in his dreams the previous night, he had seen that damned building and felt the exact same feeling as the moment he stood in that place. Now that they were here, the building was nowhere to be found, just as he had been unable to see it after exiting yesterday. Again, he wanted to dismiss yesterday as a dream, but this key wouldn't let that happen – nor would the vivid, detailed memory ingrained in his head.So it was useless to even try. But what now? There was no building here, and he didn't know what he was meant to do with this key.He brushed his hair back, stress clearly visible on his face. He didn't look panicked, but he was far from comfortable or at peace.This was mostly because of his involvement with the mafia; he rarely felt panic unless his mother or Alisha were somehow harmed
"I know you've suffered a lot, but that doesn't mean it'll set things straight," Maya said, her wrinkled face showing the weight of her exhaustion and stress. "It doesn't matter, Alisha. When you're in a place where you have to fight, death is unavoidable. Did you think you'd get the Alpha position peacefully?"How could she not be tired? Everything was taking its toll on her mind; she didn't even want to count it all. Finding Alisha had been her first priority, but back then, she hadn't thought deeply about what she'd do next or how things would work out.Now, when she did think about it, it seemed like a far-fetched dream. It was as if she'd only dreamed about the starting point—finding Alisha—and then never dreamed beyond that. And now she was suffering in her success: the attack, Alisha's curse, the pack's new Alpha, and this building mystery. Everything was crushing her.She didn't even know how to mend her relationship with Elk. He'd said he forgave her, but since that day, she
Alisha sighed, watching him sleep peacefully. She didn't understand why she felt compelled to comfort him and talk with him like this, especially when he had been inches away from forcing her into a situation she would never want.Somehow, she felt guilty because he was here because of her. Maybe he wanted to be here, but that didn't mean she could simply push things aside. He wouldn't have to be here if it weren't for her; he was away from his mother and everyone else, all because of her. So, she couldn't bring herself to deny him some peace.It wasn't that she was particularly good at providing comfort, but she thought he needed someone to rely on. At the dining table, he had looked pale when talking about the building that no one else had seen. She was shocked when he showed the key, knowing that Alice wasn't a paranoid person who would joke about such things.It might have been believable if it were about a place she had never seen, but she had trained on that ground for a whole w
"Maya, I wanted to ask you something," Alice finally spoke, pushing his dinner around the plate.What happened today—the old building, the key—it had messed with his head. No matter how he tried, the building wasn't there again. As if it was all a dream. But the key in his pocket was solid proof that today was real."Ask," Maya looked up, her gaze sharp.Levi, Rish, Alisha, Jackson, and Elk all turned to Alice, waiting."So I was running on the training grounds today," Alice began, fiddling with his spoon."And?" Maya prompted, confusion lacing her voice."There was... a building," he stumbled over the words, not sure how to explain."What do you mean, 'a building'?" Jackson's eyes narrowed."Yeah, what building? There's nothing out there," Elk added. "Even the pack doesn't use those grounds. That's why we picked it for training.""Maybe you ran too hard," Rish chimed in, swallowing a mouthful of food. "We're out there every day. No buildings in sight."Alice's fingers twitched. How c
'Why do I always lose my temper and control like this? I was doing fine, but then I ruined everything,' Alice mumbled to himself, regretting his actions with Alisha in the room.It was as if everything had slipped away, and he wasn't in control of his own body. Most of the time, he never regretted what he did with Alisha, but today, what happened in the room felt different—as if someone else was controlling him.The way he wanted to consume her, though she always allured him in a way that made him lose his mind, today was too much.'I need to be in control, or else Alisha will hate me more than she already does,' he reasoned with himself.He'd held his patience for weeks, trying to make Alisha comfortable with him, and again, things went exactly how he didn't want them to.He started running on the training ground they'd been using for a week. The exercise felt refreshing to a certain point; his fuzzy mind began to clear as his legs picked up pace and the soothing air hit his system.
"I don't want it. Or has my dumbness turned on you and you've caught it whole? Is that why you're unable to hear what I'm saying?" Alisha sneered, not liking even the tiniest attempt to manipulate her like this.And yet, her body was betraying her. She felt a heat crawling up her skin, a readiness to give in that had nothing to do with her will. Maybe it was the mate bond, something she didn't fully understand but couldn't ignore. The effect his touch had on her lately was no joke. But that didn't make it right."You're making this so hard for me. You know that, right?" Alice's voice was crisp and curt as he grabbed her by the neck. Not with too much force, but enough to startle her, enough to make her whole body shake."Ahmmm," Alisha whimpered, his grip on her neck tightening just shy of pain. His chest rubbed against her forehead as he towered over her, a predator watching his prey. His eyes, dark and intent, seemed ready to devour her."Just like that, moan for me," he growled, hi