Aniston's POV I could perceive the aroma of freshly baked bread as I stirred on the bed. I opened my eyes and for the first time I stared at the ceiling. Slowly, everything came to focus. There were little faded stars all over the ceiling and someone had tried to paint over it. I don't why anyone would do that, they were beautiful."Hmm"A voice inside the room startled me and I jumped. Earlier today after the encounter with Ari, I went home feeling like crap and I probably dozed off soon after.I looked around. It was Ari."Didn't mean to scare you""I wasn't scared. I was just... vigilant, Ari"Ari stepped into the light. I wondered how he had been able to sneak up on me or be in the same room with me without me waking up.He was holding a plate containing freshly baked bread. He sat on the bed and offered one to me. I took it. That I was angry at him didn't mean I should pass over a perfectly edible bread.I didn't ask him what he was doing in my room and for a few minutes, we s
R18Ari's pov I know Aniston.If she wanted something she simply asked for it or she took it.I was tempted to kiss her the way she wanted to be kissed but I was rather enjoying the game we were playing because as long as we kept playing she couldn't go back to hating my guts.If I keep playing this game, she will remain in my arms glued to me. "No. You can kiss me properly, Aniston....if you wanted""What if I don't know how?" She asked with a raised eyebrow."If you can tie the devil's knot then I am confident you will figure out how to kiss a man passionately""Alphson Ari, you just challenged me. And I have never been one to back down from a challenge"Aniston had the same mischievous look on her face like she did when she tied me up the first time we met. I felt the urge to warn my mischievous mate."Darling? I should warn you to fight that little voice in your head telling you to plant the same meaningless kiss on me. You wouldn't like the outcome" She smiled."Okay. I will d
Ari's pov I watched her. I wanted her to say she wouldn't try to kill herself again. That she wanted to be with me. But she didn't, she simply went back into my arms and she didn't press kisses on me anymore.I was disappointed. I know now that she was going to try and leave me again.I stood up from the bed and made sure the blanket covered her before I made my way to the door."Are you going to Dev?" She asked me before I could open the door."I don't know" I answered truthfully "But I know my mate doesn't want me. It's not a great feeling, Ani" I had called her by her nickname."It was never going to work. I am only going to get hurt. Just let me go. It's better for everyone and if I come back then it's meant to be"She looked at me as I thought about what she said. For a while, I struggled with it."I can't take the chance that you won't. We leave in an hour. Get ready"Aniston watched as I closed the door behind me.How could she think for a second I was capable of not loving he
Aniston's POV We started our adventure near noon and we traveled to the next dweller called Trinity.Yeah, it was a first for me too since Dryer red wasn't divided into little towns called dwellers but Bayblue was so large that it had towns and villages and dwellers.The dweller we stopped by was very beautiful with down to earth people, this was probably because most of them were omegas but I saw beta bloods too and they seemed nice.I insisted we stop by a market to get something.I was excited as I went from one local shop to another getting items I had no need for. I bought a butterfly hairpin, a horse rope, a dress and some wooden cufflinks.Ari kept his distance but was close enough to me in case I needed him.He can be an adorable human at times."How does Alpha Ryan keep an eye over Bayblue? It's so huge!" I asked Stormi."Each village, town or dweller has a ruling Beta which in most cases are the previous Alphas who bowed to Alpha Ryan in exchange for protection for their pa
Aniston's POV I know Ari hated that I referred to him as my brother instead of a thousand other things. I thought he was going to let it slide but I guess his desire to punish me proved bigger.He grabbed me and pulled me closer to himself. He kissed me through the gasp that escaped Jared and May's mouths, even Lee and Raven seemed shocked. We were supposed siblings and we were behaving like lovers and it was an abomination.Ari parted my mouth and sank his tongue loose. The kiss had the power to force me to get over the shock of the kiss itself and without thinking of the way I had introduced him, I kissed him back. It felt good to give as much as I took. Yeah, if he would kiss me in public like this all the time then I would bear his children in a minute!Why can't he be like this towards me all the time?!If only he would accept me publicly instead of loving me in secret like a disgusting pile of dirty clothes…if only, right?Storm couldn't take the horror on the host couple's fa
Ari's pov "Wolfie, do something!" I barked at my wolf."What do you want me to do? Huh, Ari…her wolf, Malia is just as stubborn" Gideon was just as upset as me."Well, I guess it is up to me!"I barely made it a few steps when I ran into something that felt like a log of wood and I lost consciousness temporarily.When I came to, I was tied up and Aniston was waving me goodbye."Bloody fuck! I am going to spank you when I lay my hands on you!" I cursed."Yeah? Well, good luck getting out of the demon's knot, genius!"And just like that she was gone.I stood up very slowly. Any wrong movement and I would suffocate before help reached me.Bloody hell! Who taught the homicidal maniac how to tie the demon's knots with such precision. Only a handful of people in the world could actually tie the demon's knots.I looked for weak points in her knots but found none.I knew what I had to do to create space to free myself and recover my runaway mate before she killed herself, I have to fucking d
Aniston's POV "Did it hurt?" I asked.I really wanted to know."Yes. Yes, it did""Perfect. My only regret is not watching you do it. How long do you think your chains can hold me?" I asked him.He rubbed his face."Long enough for me to go to southern Vale to rescue Maya, so you don't have to"Wait what?!"No! You can't. You will get in trouble with the Alpha. It could mean war" I was agitated in a second."What other options do I have? If I don't, you would. Better me than you, Aniston" he said and opened the wardrobe to take a backpack."No! I won't let you!" I yelled at him.Ari stopped and looked at me.""I have to go" he said abruptly to me."No, Ari…come back here. It's my fight not yours!"He was halfway to the door when he stopped and he turned around. He walked in long strides towards me.My heart kept beating faster and faster as he moved towards me. I knew what he was going to do yet I did nothing to stop him.His arms went around me as he pulled me to himself. I felt the
Ari's pov I took the dagger I dropped on the ground earlier and before Raven could announce her presence, a dagger was pointed at her throat. "You shouldn't creep up on me, Raven. Not when I am armed" I spoke with a calm voice but she simply ogled me. "Your chest is smooth and sculpted. It is evenly toned like the rest of your body…hot" she commented like I was an object. I made no immediate move to clothes myself, I simply stared at the girl that intruded with a firm look. She stared at me. When I saw that she was in no hurry to cower like every proper unmarried girl was supposed to react when seeing a half naked man, I picked up the shirt and pulled it over my head to dress up. "What do you want, Raven?" "I need help undressing. There are so many hooks than I am used to" I watched as she came closer to help me with my cuffs. I knew she was flirting with me but I didn't stop her from helping with my cufflinks. I just watched her curiously. "Thanks" I whispered when she was d
R18Warning.This chapter contains explicit sex scene. Please read at your own discretion.Aniston’s POVI stood in the shower naked as a new born baby counting minutes till my hot…hot mate who just told me he was in love with me joined me.Then the doubt started to creep in. He was going to see me naked and be…inside me and stuff. Did I even shave?I am supposed to shave right?! Quick Ani, check!I was about to when the door opened and Ari walked inside and locked the door behind him.He joined me in the shower and stood behind me and let his hands wander.I should say something…right? I could sneak out for a minute and shave my legs.I opened my mouth speak...All that came out was a hum.A hum?Are you fucking kidding me?!A freaking hum like a cave person. Ari ran his hand through my dark thick wet hair that fell to my back before grabbing a handful of it to rub on his cheek. When he was done, he pushed them away to expose my bare back. First he kissed my neck as his left hand
Aniston’s PovI sat on a swing by the playground for a while. God, I don’t think I have ever been so nervous like this before. Forty-five minutes and counting, that is the amount of time I have sat at this spot waiting for Ari to come, refusing to accept that it might just be over for us.I tried not to imagine a world without him, I did just the opposite. I allowed myself to daydream…about a possible future where I was actually happy with the love of my life, we had two children, a daughter named Dani and a son name Ari-Storm. And two rescue dogs and a white picket fence.I knew that the possible of that happening was slim…it got slimmer when I felt the first drop of rain.It was almost an hour, he wasn’t coming.Storm came to sit beside me."What are you doing?" he asked me."Waiting" I murmured."For?" he asked but I kept quiet. "What are you waiting for? It is going to be a downpour, Ani. I don’t think he is coming".I turned to look at him. My eyes had a glint of tears in them bu
Aniston’s POV“Few weeks ago when you told me you love me, did you mean it?” Ari asked.“Yes. I love you”“Okay…okay then, because maybe I can live with your secrets” he murmured. “Even thought it hurts that you can’t trust me with them but I am tired, Ani…tired of hoping I could catch a glimpse of you in my dreams...Tired of hoping, praying that maybe you would give me a reason why I am so untrustworthy. I have recurring nightmares of you lying dead in a ditch somewhere and then I would wake up and pace and scream and pray! I am tired of being left on the side walk”“You asked me to leave, Ari”“Well, you didn’t want to stay. You would rather be elsewhere but with me, Aniston! You chose your bloody secrets over me! That hurts you know”I grabbed his arm. "I am sorry. I got scared and I panicked. And I just…ran. I didn't think, I couldn't think…I just ran. And I thought I would never see you again but you are here and I am here now and I want to tell you everything, Ari…everything fro
ChapterAri’s POVI stared at her face and then everything stopped. Time stopped like I wanted it to, because right this minute…right this second, everything just became too real and I had to deal with it.But I don't want to.I want to go back to the beginning. To the time when I was a boy and my only concern was the butterfly outside my window, when my mother's embrace was the safest place for me.I want to go back to the time when my father's shoulder was the highest place in the whole wide world…to the time when crying meant a smile was just around the corner.I want the beginning, when mother's laughter was music to my ears and father's voice was a source of admiration and solace.I want the little tree house behind the house, I want the fake dance parties and fast car races…to the time of tooth fairies and little gods, when Santa Claus was real…when all I had to be was… good and everything worked out just the way they were meant to be.I want the beginning and the goodies that c
Ari's POV I must have stood there for a very long time, just staring at nothing. Images of a naked man in Aniston’s room stayed with me for as long as i stood there. I mean nothing made sense anymore; nothing seemed real anymore too…everything has gone to shit. “Ari?” Everything seemed so far away like I was floating and nothing was keeping me tethered to earth anymore. Something didn’t feel right. I could feel it from the depth of my soul…I could feel it. I just can’t explain it. “Ari? Hey, are you alright?” Dev’s voice brought back to reality, I turned around and looked at her. She had a smile on her face. “Making this trip is the best thing to have happened to…” “I have to go” I murmured, more to myself than for her benefit. “What? Go where?” she looked puzzled. “I just saw a naked man in Ani’s room” I said and looked at her with this deep frown that came from my soul. “I am so sorry” She said. It sounded like she meant it. “It is a good thing we are here…away from all t
Aniston's POV "No, I am not""Yes, you are. It was idiotic of me to trust someone like Anton, I know but I was going crazy with boredom and…" I was interrupted by Markle "Do you know what is worse than boredom? Death, sis. You went with a strange man to God knows where, outside the scope of my protection and he could have hurt you…really hurt. Did you even think it through….""I am not a child, Mark. I can fucking take care of myself and stop treating me like some porcelain doll that will break at the sign of trouble! I am not breakable! Or I would have shattered a long time ago…so, just stop! Just…cut me some slack" i voiced my opinion strongly before continuing on my journey to my room, he tried to follow me but I stopped him"I know you suddenly want to be a good big brother but Just give me some space…I am serious, Mark, don't follow me!"I walked away and banged the door as loudly as I could when I got to my cabin.I went into my makeshift closet to change into something less
Chapter "Wow…you are really…really bad at threats, Aniston. Laxatives? Laxative was the best threat you could come up with. Even the way you are standing doesn't encourage fear and your face looked like you are about to offer me chocolate"I was taken aback and I couldn't speak. Anton removed his hand from his pocket."I am going to do something I rarely do. I am going to teach you how to effectively threaten someone and get them to take you seriously. Now stand upright, it will make you taller, narrow your eyes…please stop smiling…move closer to your intended recipient, pout and make sure to voice out each word with precision and bone chilling coldness, none of your sweet soprano voice, for Christ sake you are threatening someone not trying to get them to fall in love with you. Now, give it a try" Anton instructed me.I relaxed. I was always in the mood to learn something new.I stood upright earning another inch; I narrowed my eyes and pouted. When I opened my mouth, every word was
ChapterAri's POV Chioma didn't give it much thought; she just went around the table and hugged Veronica. "It won't be enough for the whole project but it is a good start. You can stop hugging me now, I haven't told you but…there is only a tiny hiccup, we need an engineer""Oh that's okay, Ari is one and a damn good one too. I am sure he is happy to help" Lee said and I turned sharply to glare at him in shock.Why on earth would he volunteer me for a project that huge when we leave in three weeks for home?"Will you?" Chioma asked me with a puppy dog look I couldn't turn down."Sure. Excuse us, come on guys" I ushered my friends out the door specifically to get my hands on Lee and murder him.When we were out of a hearing distance from Veronica's office, Lee took off on a run.I looked at Dev and I didn't have to ask too. She seemed pissed off."I will get him and I am going to fucking kill him!" She ran after him leaving just Caleb and I to stand in the middle of the hallway stari
ChapterAri's POV "Yes, that's one reason and second, is I don't want anything complicated right now. Nothing about starting up a relationship with Chioma screams simple. So, just drop it" I told him firmly. "And Lee, don't talk about Aniston like that ever again"Lee was quiet for a few seconds before he said something."Let's see how long you can go without sex, Ari""You make it sound like I am an addict" I turned to look at him."Just saying….the only thing the two of us have in common is the fact that we aren't saints. We all including Caleb love a good bang, maybe you more than all of us""I love sex! I ain't ashamed to acknowledge that but I am not a dog and I have self control. And I refuse to treat women like a sex object. Worry about yourself, Lee"I said and walked away but not before I heard him mutter "you are so full of it"I almost made it to my room which was opposite Chioma's when I saw a boy knocking on her door.He was skinny, average and had a dark chocolate skin