I paused and searched their faces, waiting to see if I’d be able to figure out if they were trying to pull another prank on me but the expression on their faces was stoic, they weren’t giving anything away and it was a worrying sight. Ever since I left the pack, I had no idea what could’ve possibly happened and I wanted to be positive that they didn’t mean anything bad had happened to me—that’s if they were telling me the truth. After being burned as a result of trusting them the first time, I wasn’t willing to put myself in front of the firing squad so fast after the last time. But this was my mother we were talking about and whatever they had to say, I had to listen to them first and if I deemed it unnecessary, I wouldn’t take it up any further. “What do you know about my mother, Zach,” I asked. “Zayn, I’m asking you as well.”“A lot has happened since you ran away, Ari.” Zach began. He was stalling and I hated it whenever people did that. I hated being kept on the edge, it onl
“Can we start over from the top because I’m losing touch with what this whole thing is about, shall we?” I said. “The reason we’re here is because we need you to help us talk to your mother, Ari,” Zach said, holding my gaze. “Are you being serious right now?” I stared at him like he’d gone mad. In what world did he think that I would be willing to help him in any case scenario after what he did to me?“I wouldn’t be asking if I had any other option, Ari. It took us three days to swallow our pride and shame to look for you because we ran out of options.” Zayn said. They had egos the size of the Pacific Ocean and they saw nothing wrong with it. After ruining my life and my mother’s by extension, they truly believe that I would be willing to help them do anything. Did they think I was stupid or something?“You both ruined my life and deep down, you believe that you will be able to convince me to do something for you, and worse, it includes my mother as well?” “Trust me, we know wha
“Your father did what?” I couldn’t hide my shock, no matter how composed I tried to be. This wasn’t the first time they were both in the news for doing something drastic that shook the pack but if Alpha Jason had finally decided to punish them, I figured it was because their actions affected my mother—his wife and not me. He’d always turned a blind eye to their excesses and it had eventually caught up with him. I didn’t hate him, I had a lot of respect for Alpha Jason but his sons were his weakness and my mother was right, he failed in raising them and they turned out this way because of his neglect and leaving them to grow into their men without any guidance whatsoever. A large part of me felt giddy with excitement about the fact that Zach and Zayn were finally getting a taste of their own medicine. This was all I’ve wanted for as long as I could remember and their last action only made me want it even more. And thinking about it, if they were exiled then they were at the wrong
I shut the door as they left before making my way over to the sofa and falling face-first on it. This had been one of the most intense discussions I’ve ever had and it had taken its toll on me. I hadn’t realized that I’d been holding my breath until they left and I let it all out. They weren’t going to go away if I didn’t sort this out and I didn’t want them around either but I couldn’t force them out without involving the authorities and that would mean getting on someone’s bad books and I didn’t want that. I mean who wouldn’t hate you if you ruined their chances of getting $1,000 every night? If I were in their shoes, I’d hate me too. I could never catch a break when it came to Zach and Zayn, the idea that my life is constantly revolving around them is starting to piss me off. I quickly discarded the idea of running somewhere else and starting all over again for numerous reasons. Firstly, I had no money and I already exhausted my savings to foot my college bill. Secondly, I alr
My mother and I had a private number that we could always reach ourselves on if anything happened to either of us. A couple of years ago, I believed that she was crazy when she suggested this but now, I was grateful that she had suggested it. Danielle handed me her phone and I went into the bathroom, locking the door as I sat on the toilet seat and held the phone in my hand, typing the numbers with shaking fingers. My mother didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of any of these and I was saddened that I brought shame to her after everything she’d done for me. I dialed the number and put the phone on speaker. The phone rang once before she picked it up. “Ari.” Hearing my mother’s voice after such a long time made me burst into tears. I never knew how much I needed to hear it until this moment. She has always been my backbone through everything and I’ve missed her terribly. “I’m here for you, Ari. You don’t need to cry anymore.” She said. I knew she was trying to control her
She was hurting in multiple ways and that meant this was affecting her a lot more than it was affecting me. She didn’t just leave her place of birth and where she grew up, she was also being humiliated with her daughter’s sex tape being paraded, and on top of that, she just left her marriage because of it. It was too much for her to bear and I didn’t want that for her, she deserved better than this. “I want to talk to you about something and I want you to listen to me before you say anything.” I began. “I’m not going to like this very much, am I?” She sighed. The truth was that she wasn’t but on the flip side, she needed all the help she could get. “I know how you feel about Alpha Jason but I know you’re still in love with him. You’ve experienced a turnaround ever since he came into your life and I want that to continue for you. This is my cross and I don’t want you to carry it for me, I can take care of myself.”“Did anyone get to you, Ari? I thought you’d want me to be on your
She was trying to cheer me up in her way and the thought made me smile. Friends like her were rare and I was grateful to have her in my corner.“We left some for you because I knew you’d be hungry when you’re done. It’s in the microwave so whenever you’re ready, you can have it.” Danielle said. “There’s yogurt in the fridge as well and if you girls need anything else, I’m only a call away,” Tyler said as he stood up. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping? I heard you’ve got trials in a few hours.” I said. “I had to stay until I was sure that you weren’t in trouble or anything of that sort. Now that I know you’re fine, I’m going to bed.” He answered. “Thank you, Tyler.” He nodded and kissed Danielle tenderly before he left the apartment, leaving my roommate and me. I handed her phone back to her and walked to the kitchen, deciding on having yogurt for breakfast. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to eat anything and I didn’t want to take any chances. “So. . .” Danielle trailed off, waiti
Zach’s POV.The bed felt small and uncomfortable. It squeaked with every movement I made and the sound was pissing me off.Zayn and I were large men and if we had both laid down on the bed, it’d have broken just like the other one we tried lying down on. The only option was for one of us to stay on the bed while the other person made use of the couch. “We should’ve gotten an apartment outside the school’s environment and saved ourselves all this trouble,” Zayn said as he walked into the room where I wa. “It’s only for a few hours, Zayn. You need to shut up and suck it up until we get what we came here for.” I sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to do, isn’t it?” Zayn retorted. It was pointless picking a fight with him, it would lead us nowhere and if we wanted to appear as a United front, we had to be on the same page in front of Ari. “You can take the bed and I’ll use the couch,” I said, standing up from the bed. “It’s not like either of us is going to get any sleep. I don’t know a
“I’ve got a ton of questions and I need answers, Maya. I need to understand what happened to her, someone has to have an explanation for that.” I snapped, pulling at my hair. “If you need answers, you’re at the wrong place then. There’s only one person who can give you the answers you desperately seek. I’m sorry but I’ve told you everything that I can, it’s why I had to call you to come back home because you deserve to know the truth.” Maya said. “Do you know where I can find Alpha Jason?” I asked. “There are two places where I believe he’d be in if he hadn't moved her away from the pack and I wouldn’t blame him for being cautious,” Maya said.I gave her a quick hug as I hurried out of her store deciding to stop by the hospital first. If I can’t find them there, I’d stop by the house next and if they won’t let me in—I’d burn it down. I arrived at the hospital and I could recognize a couple of the faces I saw, they were members of the Alpha’s private bodyguards and it spurred my be
The more time I wasted, the longer it would take me to go after what I was after and it didn’t make any sense. None of them knew what was going on and they deserved to at the very least. “I got a call from Maya and she told me that my mother had collapsed and I had to return home quickly,” I said. Danielle gasped but the Alpha twins remained calm like they always were. “Did she say what happened to her?” Zach asked. “I don’t know—or maybe she did, I don’t know. As soon as I heard my mother had collapsed, nothing else mattered to me and I don’t know what’s her current situation either.” I sighed. “If Maya hasn’t called you again. It means she’s being looked after and I’m sure she’ll receive the best care possible.” Zayn said. I didn’t doubt that Alpha Jason would do everything to make sure that she didn’t die but I couldn’t be here while that happened. “We’re not asking you to stay here either. We understand why you have to leave, anyone would.” Zach added.“Good. Because I have
It felt like my whole world was collapsing yet again in front of me, I dropped the phone as I slid to the floor, ignoring the sound of the phone slamming against the ground as I broke down in tears. I didn’t deserve to be in this situation and my mother didn’t deserve this fate either. She was supposed to be home with the man she loved, having the time of her life, so who would dare harm her? I could feel the tears drop down my face as I angrily wiped it away, sniffing and trying to clean up my face. Crying wasn’t going to solve a lot of me right now, I had to do something other than sitting here and moping. Danielle pushed the door open and stared at me worriedly. “Is there a problem, Ari? I came rushing as soon as I could.” “I—uh, I just got terrible news, Danielle. And I think—I can’t, I need to go home. My mother. . .” I broke down in tears again, my body racking with sobs. Danielle wrapped her hands around me as she comforted me.“I know you’re hurting but you can’t do anyt
I walked back into the apartment still reeling from the shock of what had just happened. Last night, Zach and Zayn had been flirting with the idea of returning to the pack and today, they invited me to their house to have dinner. I was too stunned to say anything and Zach came to my rescue, asking me to think about it before giving them an answer. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I heard Danielle’s voice and I jumped in fright, throwing my bag at her head, narrowingly missing hitting her forehead because she was quick enough to duck. “What the hell, Ari?” Danielle snapped. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, Danielle!” I said, trying to calm my racing heart.“We’ve been living together for a long time now, why are you acting like you saw a stranger?” Danielle snapped. “You’re right, Danielle. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out like that. It’s just that I thought were spending the entire weekend at Tyler’s like you said you would.” “His room is just still in this building
Zach and Zayn didn’t relent in protecting me and trying to sway me with gifts either. Robert had come looking for them at a party after he had been discharged from the hospital and he ended up getting beat again and his friends all faced the same fate. No one knew who did it because no one saw anything to begin with. Zach confided in me that they saw Robert coming and they lured him and his friends away from the party before taking turns beating them to a pulp. Robert had reported them to the police but there was no sufficient evidence to prove what he was claiming and no one aside from his friends was willing to corroborate his allegations. “I’m curious, Zach. How did you get everyone to like the two of you on campus?” I asked. We were in my room, after Zach coerced me—yes, coerced me into allowing him to make me dinner and here we were. “We are very likable people, Ari,” Zach replied, his eyes glued to his screen. Did he forget he was supposed to be in the kitchen or something
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said. The more I complained about the way they acted, the more they did more harm to my plans of staying quiet throughout my time here on campus. Their antics were starting to get on my nerves and I hated the fact that they were trying so hard to please me. “We’re trying to help you to get more friends because you need them. Nobody tries to bully the popular kids and trust us, we know how these things work. We might not always be around to protect you so we’re helping you get insurance.” Zayn said. DoHis explanation would’ve made sense if I wasn’t pissed at both of them. “I didn’t ask you to do this, Zayn. I shouldn’t have invited you here in the first place, this is another one of the mistakes I’ll live to regret for the rest of my college life.” “You’re being dramatic, Ari.” Zach said. “We haven’t done anything to harm you or anything that had to do with you,” “On the contrary, you have.” I scowled at both of them. “Really? Let it out then.
There was a cheer from the crowd after Zach and Zayn left Robert and his friends in a bloodied heap and we heard the sound of security guards coming before anyone else did because of our super hearing and we left the scene before either of us would be taken in for questioning. We were in my dorm room and I was in the bedroom with Danielle, whose mouth was still hung open as I narrated everything that happened on campus today. Tyler was in the sitting room with the twins and they were discussing sports at the top of their voices. Boys would always be boys and I wondered if it was like this for every male—supernatural or not. “Do you think Robert is going to tell them that you were involved in the beating he and his friends got?” Danielle asked, she was worried about the aftermath but I wasn’t. I knew guys like Robert and I knew how they think. Zach and Zayn were literal blueprints, they taught me everything I needed to know about bullies and how their mind works. “Do you think that
“Your first mistake was thinking that you could stand up to me and your second mistake is actually allowing your intrusive thoughts to put you in this position.” Robert snarled at me. He was turning every shade of red already. His tight fitted shirt was already straining against his neck and biceps, he looked like he would burst if care wasn’t taken.“Isn’t it convenient that you’re getting mad and you believe that you have every right to be mad?” I scoffed. If he thought that he was going to scare me, he had to rethink. He wasn’t half as scary as Zach and Zayn, if I could stand up to them, he was nothing. “You dared to insult me in front of the whole class and I can’t let that slide.” Robert yelled. He was drawing attention towards us and I hated being in the center of any commotion but I wasn’t going to be able to escape this one—I could see it already. “You called me a sex worker in front of the whole class, Robert. All I did in retaliation was call you a crying little bitch.”
"Charles and Ella will be forming a group together...""Robert and Ari, you’re both up next..."Professor Robin’s voice boomed round the class as he continued to read from the note in his hands.I didn’t like Robert and working with him would be draining but for the sake of having a good grade in this course, I was willing to do this and if he didn't want to, I would do it alone without any complains. My eyes widened as I heard a familiar voice. I had been the first to arrive to class today and she felt proud of myself. My eyes had constantly flickered towards the door to know when he would come to class but I obviously missed him when he entered."Excuse me, Professor Robin." His voice was deep.Professor Robin stopped reading abruptly and looked at him, clearly unimpressed at being interrupted."Is there a problem?" He asked sourly."I believe you made a mistake, my name wasn't supposed to be called yet." Robert said. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I stared at him. What the