AURORA:I whipped my head to face Jackson, forgetting about the pains I felt on my body, i winced at the sharp movement“Are you okay?” Jackson asked in a worried tone as he made moves to touch me I flinched , and I saw a hint of what looked like hurt flash on his face but it was gone before I could decipher if it actually was , maybe it was just my imagination.My imagination that wished for and created an alternate universe where I and Jackson had gotten married, one where I was his fated mate and even if I was not, in that universe, he chose me over Clara. He loved me but then again, imagination will forever remain what it is, an imagination, it was so far from my actual reality.“I meant what I said Audrey” Jackson said again and I shook my head at him wincing at the pain from the sudden movement.“Don't say anything or move, just let me finish, just hear me out”I was so anxious to hear what he had to say to me but I could not let him still think that I was still so eager and ha
AURORA“I did not know, I thought….”“You thought that what? That you choosing Clara over me, over the five years we spent together was okay, that it was not going to hurt me?”“I did not mean to hurt you”“Jackson, if you had said this to me a year ago, I would have believed every bit of your words but now I find it hard to even believe anything. ““It is still me, this is still us”“You ruined us”“Don't say that please”“Is it me?”I asked Jackson as he looked at me in confusion.“What do you mean?”“Are you choosing me?”“Aurora…” Jackson began“Please answer me” I said , my voice shaking “You cannot ask me that, you cannot ask me to go against my pack. I am the Alpha it is my duty and I must fulfill my duty ,it is what makes me be alpha and what makes me who I am, so no matter how much I love you and how much I care ,please don't”I looked up at him, tears running freely down my face, at this point I made no efforts to stop it . Despite everything I was still not the first choic
ETHANIt took everything in me not to track down the man with the dragon tattoo that hurt my mate. She was my fucking mate, and he dared laid a hand on her, I would burn the world down to find him, just for her and I knew I would, she was mine and I would do anything to protect her.I almost lost her today and the thought of that killed me, I did not think that within such a short time, I would feel these kind of emotions, when I saw her ,all I wanted to do was to hug and and never let go of her and protect her.Today was a sign of my failure, I could not protect my own mate and she was kidnapped, the bastards responsibility for this would pay with their heads, I would rip them apart till nothing was left of them“Derek, go back to the hospital and watch over Aurora, nothing should happen to her, I have some things that I would like to take care of”I said using the mind link to Derek as I hopped into the car , I inserted the key into the ignition and that was when the events of the d
JACKSON'S POVI almost had her; I felt it in the kiss; I felt her resolve begin to crumble in that kiss. I was so sure that if we had continued, she would have agreed to even go away with me if I had suggested it.But that damn call had to come in at that time, Clara could have could at any other time, why did it have to be when I was so close There was no possible way that Aurora would reconsider my offer anymore; it was hard enough as it was to get her to listen to me.It was evident in her eyes that she was finding it hard to believe me or anything I said to her while she lay on that damn bedAnd fucking Ethan, how on earth could he accuse me of hurting Aurora. No matter how angry I got, there was no possible way that I would hurt her, I still cared about her so much. I still loved her.Aurora had always been very understanding, she never questioned my decisions and always took it to be the best option. Why on earth was she finding it difficult this time around? Why could she not
ETHAN'S POVAs I drew closer to the meeting point, I began to have doubts regarding my plans.I had promised myself that I would not have any dealings with him, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.I could not afford to waste time on this one, the more time I wasted, the more time the tattooed man had to get awayOne thing I could not do was to let him get away, I had to think of Aurora and Heather's safety.The reason for the attack was something that I was not sure of yet, neither was I sure of who was being targeted.Was it Aurora or was it Heather??I had time to spare wondering the reason, I had to take measures to prevent it from ever happening Even if it meant having to deal with him again, it was just one of those things that had to be done to achieve what you needed I was different; I was no longer the old me; the old me then had no responsibilities and restraint, but now I had a lot riding on me.There was no possible way that I would fall back to
Jackson’s POV“what the hell is going on here?” I didn’t intend it but my voice was loud, booming in the vast room, the workers had all paused sharing a stare between I and Clara then between themselves before they scurried away from the living area. I knew that I should mind my tone with Clara but she really couldn’t be reasoned with. I had left Aurora, skipping kilometers to get to Clara, thinking she was hurt or ill, not that I really gave two fucks, but she was my mate and her father’s daughter; if she goes; first, I wasn’t getting away unscathed either. God! The frustration.Clara merely turned, a stupid grin across her lips. Her effort to stand up from the couch was a fail given that the bag of chips she was eating turned over on the expensive chaise lounge.“babe!” she piped up, “you came.” She finally stood up arms wide open and embraced me. My body stiffened in response, she noticed because I felt her head turn to glance at me. Whatever it was that she made me feel at
CLARA'S POVAs I walked up the stairs, anger simmered in my vein.Jackson was a douche bag. A pathetic loser.No wonder he was given an ultimatum to assume a position that was his. Thinking about it made my finger nails curl and dig crescents in my palm.I pushed the double doors to the en suite I shared with my husband, the cold air sweeping through my skin, the vastness of luxury was to my taste but the loneliness I felt whenever I entered this room and slept all by myself, was sickening.I deserved better.Jackson wasn’t the only one who had been in love with someone else, I had someone else too. I loved someone else but he wasn’t my fated mate.Jackson was, and somehow, over a short time of forced proximity pioneered by our families, I found Jackson lovable, I was bonding with him but the fool was obsessing over another woman.The distance in his eyes whenever I spoke to him about my concerns.What! He had a problem rushing over to his wife?But he took the time to be with Auror
CHAPTER 32CLARA'S POV Maybe my wolf was enjoying it too much, and my brain was too foggy to decipher. Jackson's tongue roamed my mouth, stealing any chance of air that I had and, at the same time, removing every question of doubt in my head.He let go of my hands and pressed his hand onto my waistline, squeezing. His mouth drinking in more of me.My hands, erratic at their freedom, roamed his body, my nails scratching against his dress shirt. I squirmed against him and a distressed moan escaped from me. His hands wrapped around me as he unzipped my dress, the zipper bearing the grunt of his innate desires. The sound of my dress ripping halted both of us briefly. I chuckled, and he smiled against my lips.He smiled. He smiled.Jackson fucking smiled at me.What was he on?What was he thinking? Did my threat really do the trick?The thinking was brief, foggy. Sensible thoughts didn’t last a minute. He was kissing me, intoxicating me with his scent.We were back to kissing. Our han
ETHAN'S POV“What the hell do you mean by you were coerced? What the fuck are you talking about Dahlia?”I asked in confusion , releasing my grip from the glass I was holding unconsciously.“I could not tell you then because I was afraid, I was afraid that you would not believe me, that you would be so angry with me. I was afraid that if I had told you the truth, you would do something rash and get yourself into trouble, that you would lose favour in your dad's eyes if you go trying to defend my honour”“What the fuck are you talking about?”I growled loudly at her, even more confused by her words.“André..”Dahlia started , then burst into tears.I was at a loss of what to do, was I meant to go to her side and try to calm her down? Or stay put?The anger in me was slowly disappearing with the increasing amount of tears that flowed from her eyes.“He threatened me. André threatened me, I did not know what to do, I had to just go along with it. He told me that if I did not go along wi
ETHAN'S POV“D..Dahlia?”It took me approximately two minutes to gather myself and even after those two minutes, I could feel my blood grow cold as I stared at the woman standing in front of meDahlia Monroe, the love of my life who betrayed me and left me shattered and broken, the mate I had chosen for myself who took up and left when things seemed bleak.The woman claimed that the little boy in her hands, who looked like a splitting image of me, was my son.I had not realized that I had tightened the grip I had on Aurora's hand till she gasped.Immediately I dropped her hand like I was burnt.“Sorry, I..”“Who is she?”Aurora asked me in a soft voice, one full of confusion similar to the tone of her voice.“Oh me? I am the mother of his child and I would say the love of his life”“Dahlia”I said in a sharp tone immediately.Aurora's expression changed from that of confusion to disbelief then to hurt and betrayal.It was written as clear as day on her face. I had never mentioned anyt
ETHAN'S POVWhen I got news of the unrest at the pack, I had to drop everything to go settle things back there like I usually did, but this time, it was different.In the past, it had always been so easy for me to drop everything and just go but that was when I did not have Aurora.The mere thought of going to bed without her in my arms, without the feel of her soft skin, which smelled so sweetly of lavender, er, and her hair that smelled like jasmines killed me.The soft sounds she made while she was asleep became my ho, m,e, and her habit of leaving her bunny fuzzy slipper everywhere in the house was comfort.But I had to remember that no matter what, the pack came first; I had to go and nip the unrest in the bud before it became something else.“Can I follow you at least?”Aurora asked me as she folded my clothes into a bag while I got dressed.“No, baby, you have to stay here and watch things for me, we can't both the gone at once, we still have a company under our care”“But..”
One month later DAHLIA'S POV“It is a beautiful place André, but I would have preferred somewhere closer”I said as I walked into the house that André had purchased for me. As usual, it met up to all my requirements and my taste.“Are you sure you want to go through with this? Is there even any point to it, I thought that you had moved past all of it ?”André asked me as I picked up a white vase and admired it quietly.“Say something”“What do you want me to say? There is nothing that you can say to me that would change my mind now. My mind had been made up; the plans had been set. It is happening André, whether you like it or not.*****************************************I had worn this dress only once; I had bought it to receive one of the most important awards of my career, and today that was exactly what I was going to wear.It was a sequined green dress that exposed my cleavage and my long legs, it made me look extremely sexy and exoticI stared at my mirror, I looked like perf
Weeks laterAURORA'S POVThe hostility I had expected was found lacking. I had thought that many of the workers would hate me but it seemed that little by little they were getting used to the idea of me in the office.Having Jackson just opposite my office was honestly really crazy. Most times, I caught him staring at me, with anger and longing in his eyes.He had made it clear that he hated the fact that I had a higher position than him in the office.Knowing Jackson, I was not surprised that his male ego was bruised. After all, he had always been like that, everything was always about me.Not only was he prejudiced about that, but he had also made it his life mission for some reason to get me back.I came to the for a few days to see flowers, chocolates, plates, and little gifts on my table, and I knew immediately that they were from Jackson.One thing I did not want to find out about was that. I could not let that happen, I had to stop Jackson one way or the other.Dropping my bag
CLARA'S POVOver the years, I had perfected restraining myself and burying my emotions.Mummy had always told me that a lady should not show emotions. Honestly, I think that because she was incapable of showing it having emotions, she thought it was normal.Jackson's words never left me; I could have dismissed them as drunken words, but deep down, I knew that he meant every word he said to me last night.There was no way that I was going to let it go; he had said those things to me, his mate, because of that dreadful bitch.“Did you complete the job?”I said into the receiver.“I did exactly what you asked me to but someone got in the way and saved her”The hitman that I had hired to kill Aurora replied “What?! Are you trying to tell me that she is alive?”“I am sorry ma'am”“You are so fucking stupid, I gave you one simple task, one little task and you could not carry it out. You are so damn useless”I shouted into the phone and threw the phone to the ground.Jackson and Aurora were
JACKSON'S POVThe ride to the office was filled with me regretting my life choices after that little stunt of Clara's this morning.I had had it with her already, but I was in a cell, and I just had to butter up my prison guard to survive.Handing my key to the valet, I walked into the office, heading straight to my new but not-so-new office.After I had gotten married to Clara, Ethan had done well on his promise and promoted me to manager which had very nice perks.I had my own office, it was luxurious, not as much as I would have loved it to be, but it was quiet and private. What I loved most about it was the name tag on my door.As soon as I sat down, a knock resounded in my office.“Come in”I said as Pearl, my secretary brought my daily cup of coffee whilst balancing some files on her other hand.“Good morning, Mr Jackson. I hope you had a very nice and relaxing weekend?”She asked in that shy little voice of hers.Pearl had not always been my secretary, initially when I had been
AURORA'S POVSaying I felt jitters was an understatement. I had stalled resuming my position in the company with the excuse of after the marriage and I knew that there was no excuse I could give again.I was married to the CEO of Thompson Incorporations, and I was meant to be the COO. To say that I felt very unworthy was an understatement. Knowing how people were, I was aware that I would be gossiped about and called names, like being a gold digger, a slut, and the like.I took deep breaths as I stared into the fog-covered mirror, running my hands through my wet hair; I sighed.No matter what, I was worthy of this position. Over the years, I had worked my ass off to attain my qualifications, and even today, a fortune only smiled at me because I was married to Ethan. At the end of it all, he was my mate, and he felt I was worthy, and that was all that mattered.I picked up the blow dryer and started drying my hair, still unable to shake off the nerves that were growing and increasing
JACKSON'S POV“Argh! Close the damn blinds”I mumbled as the light entered into my eyes and worsened the banging in my head“You are late for work. There's aspirin beside the table and a glass of water; take it, get dressed, and come downstairs. We need to talk”Clara said in a stiff voice and walked away.I had only heard that voice once, and that was when Clara was planning to annihilate a shop attendant who spilled wine on her limited-edition white gown.“Fuck! Why did I drink so much”I mumbled as I grabbed my head between my handsPopping the pills, I swallowed it down with some water, immediately feeling a little bit of relief.I hopped into the shower and as I washed my face I remembered all my words to Clara last night“Fuck!”I groaned.The soap I had applied to my face entered into my eye.“Ow, ow, fuck!!!”I grimaced, trying to wash it off, the sudden movement had me spiraling to the floor and I hit my face on the tub “Argh”I groaned.Why was this morning so bad? Was this