ALEISTER No one ever dared to disrespect me the way she does as if she is sure I won’t harm a hair on her head. Normally, I know I shouldn’t harm her but she makes me so mad. What did she say? She prefers a gutter over me and would like to lose her title as a Princess if she can just get away from me? That’s fucking gutsy of her. Who does she think she is? She has no importance in the South. If it’s not for me, she will be crushed mercilessly because she is the enemy and no one likes her. But she dares to say these things to me and then even hurt my people? Does she think I am dying to fuck her or what? She is delusional. I am not desperate and I don’t give a fuck if she dies right there. That will serve her right. I continue to read through the document that contains the terms of the peace agreement with the witches but my mind remains blank. No matter how many times I go over a line, I find myself unable to process the meaning of it. My heart is hurting worse than my head.
AVERY I can hear the waves crashing against the shore, loud and fierce. The cold seeps into my bones as my hollow eyes scan the surroundings. There has to be a way out of this even when a whole unforgiving ocean stands in front of me and the heavy footsteps from behind draw near. Thump, and thump, and thump. The noise only gets louder. Even the sound of the waves is not enough to drown the scary noise of death approaching on several feet. “ They won’t harm you, Avi. Go wait in the corner and don’t speak a word. ” The commanding voice is not deep or authoritative. It’s just a child—my brother. I look at him, fear gripping my bones and leaving me as hollow as my eyes. He stands at some distance, silently waiting for the approaching feet to come get him. This is not the way to go. I try to scream, but in that state, my lips remain sealed and my terrified gaze rests on his back. When those footsteps stop outside the door, my heart leaps to my throat and my trembling body rushes
AVERYFear rolls down my spine in the form of shivers as my breath hitches. But I steel myself and glare back at him.“ Oh no, Aleister. Only the weak threaten. ” I gasp, sensing his fingers flex around my throat. He looks dangerous right now, absolutely on the verge of snapping. The tales about the power of Southern Lycans are not a secret either. But can I stop now? It already came to this point where I am digging my own grave so it’s better to tag him along now.“ Up until now, I never threatened you. I promised you the things I was going to do, and I did them, Aleister. ” I whisper, ignoring the pulsing electric jolts underlying his warm touch.His breathing quickens as he grits his jaw. I place my hand over his wrist, carefully trying to push him away but he doesn’t release me. “ So if you want to save yourself, reject me now. ” My heart misses a beat.If he rejects me, I will have no leverage over this man. Until now, I have only relied on my conclusion that he needs something
AVERY “ But there is one thing I don’t want by force. ” His velvety voice says seductively. My heart leaps to my throat, “ W—What? ” “ Given how disgusted you feel at the thought of letting me fuck you, I am tempted to do just that. ” He smiles lazily. “ Aleister. ” My mouth dries. “ What? You can’t even do that to save everyone from me? ” His body seems to have grown bigger, now towering over me alarmingly. For a moment, I find myself struggling to breathe but the next moment, I calm down and straighten my spine again. “ Will you leave everyone alone if I agree to this? ” My nails dig into my palms. His lazy smile becomes forced. Suddenly, his fingers grip my nape and tug me forward. I gasp, and my hands lift to his chest. “ We have a deal, don’t we Princess? ” Aleister hums huskily. So much for telling me that I am below his standards! I almost scoff but knowing this is a crucial moment, I hold my tongue and nod. “ Do you want me to take off my clothes then? ” My mind goe
AVERY Something purrs softly, waking me up from my half-asleep state. I pick up my head and look towards the door which is still closed. The lights are turned off in the room. I don’t…remember turning them off before I sat here and tried to catch some sleep. The darkness seems to be unusually thick and suffocating. Even with my enhanced vision… I pause, holding my breath. Because of Aleister, I can’t use that enhanced vision. A sigh escapes my mouth. I get up to turn on the lights when something lightly grazes my cheek. Goosebumps rise on my skin. My hand shoots up and meets nothing but cold air. I don’t think there is anyone in the room…then why does it feel like there is something in the room? I move around the couch to get away from the corner when the touch returns on my hair, swaying them aside. My heartbeat quickens. “ Who is it? ” No reply comes. Am I imagining things or simply dreaming? With a heart that is threatening to beat out of my chest, I stay there, waiting f
ALEISTER“ How is this possible? ” I frown as she touches her throat hysterically.All this time, I never saw her so disoriented before, not even when I locked her in the dark room. Poking my inner cheek with my tongue, I force myself to stay calm and allow her to come to her sense.“ Aleister, there was someone here! It can’t be a nightmare. ” She murmurs, her wide blue eyes roaming around the room as if she is waiting for something to emerge from the corners.I lean in and pick her in my arms. She is so fucking out of it that she doesn’t even protest while I carry her to the bed and sit her down gently. When I felt her panic and agony a few minutes ago, I genuinely thought someone got to her but here she is…giving me a headache over some meaningless nightmares.“ Aleister. Listen to me. ” Her hands fist my shirt, as she refuses to let me go.I grab her hands and remove them from my clothes before rising to my height and looking down at her. Her head falls back, her eyes finding min
AVERY “ If I was just your mate…and not your enemy’s sister…would you have treated me the same as now? ” There is no point in asking but I still do. The little vulnerable moment with him has opened a gateway to more embarrassing moments that I can’t put a stop to. “ Am I not gentle enough? ” He smirks like a true grim reaper and keeps his focus on wrapping a clean bandage on my arm. It still feels surreal to have an open wound that needs care. But he is the one who cares about it and this makes things more weird for me. If someone had told me he would ask Draven to come to my room in the middle of the night just to get a clean bandage while he held my arm and inspected the cut, I wouldn’t believe it in a billion years. But here he is, doing strange things. Maybe, he switches personalities often and has a loose screw in his head. “ Stop looking at me like that. ” He says without picking his head. “ I was thinking— ” “ I don’t believe your brain is on that level of functioning y
AVERY “ Did they do something to you? ” Worry clouds my features as I spin Renee around for the nth time and inspect her body for any signs of torture. “ No, Princess. They didn’t do anything. How many times do I need to tell you? ” She sighs, gripping my rapidly moving hands. Momentarily, I freeze and look into her eyes to find out if she is lying but she looks at peace and…okay. A huge burden lifts off my shoulders. My muscles loosen and my heartbeat slows down considerably. “ Where did they take you? ” I swallow the unease in my throat. “ They gave me a room and locked me in there. ” Renee whispers, slowly dragging me to the bed and sitting me down on it. “ Renee, tell me if anyone attempted— ” “ They gave me food three times a day and provided me with these clothes. See, Princess. ” She stands straight and spreads her arms so I can see the black dress she is wearing. It’s clean and looks new. My brows furrow as my eyes take her in again unconsciously. “ I was worried abou