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140
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2025-02-05 01:21:46
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PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 141
APRIL The chocolate isle was beckoning to me as it always did when I walked into the grocery store. I came here to grab some snacks since Nick was at a meeting with his dad. I encouraged him to get involved with the family business since he took a semester off school on my behalf, and he’s been doing really great so far. Thinking back to the sacrifices he’s made to my life a little brighter even when it should be filled with nothing but gloom brought a smile to my face. “All I need to add some sugary goodness to the excitement I feel is a big box of ma—”My speech was cut short when I turned into the next isle and immediately bumped into a hard chest that made me a little dizzy. I pressed a palm over my forehead and looked up, only to stagger backwards in awe. “Xander? Oh my goodness,” I found myself exclaiming and jumping towards him to wrap my arms around him in a hug. There wasn’t a bone in my body that wasn’t overjoyed to see him back to his usual self instead of the pitifu
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-05PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 142
APRILXander had just asked me out on a date for the first time ever and I was completely frozen in shock. He’d become a man I never knew could exist because of who he'd been when we first met. Each time he did something sweet, shared someo thing personal, showed some vulnerability, or was willingly truthful with me, I couldn’t help but be stunned. And right now, my shock was at the very peak after being asked on a date by him. Part of me wanted to freeze the moment and keep it forever, and another part of me was warning me against being roped into his arms again after what happened the last time. I never wanted to be the reason that any of the guys would get hurt again. It would tear me apart so badly, especially since they were all magically tolerable and sweet to me.But Xander’s eyes were so full of hope as he waited for my response and I couldn’t bear to crush that hope. I was unable to keep him company in the hospital and I hadn’t even known that he’d been discharged for day
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-06PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 142B
APRIL“How did you think of this?” I asked him as he helped me out of the car and shut the door behind me. He looked back at me like I was the most intriguing being he’d ever come across and then he broke into a genuine smile.“Let’s just have a good time, don’t worry about all that,” he leaned in and kissed my cheek and warmth spread throughout my entire body at how good it felt. Even though I wanted to bombard him with more questions, the lingering feeling of that peck made me nod and simply tighten out intertwined fingers as we walked into the paintball arena. “Mr. Davenport, we’ve been expecting you, everything’s set up for you and your lovely date, please follow me,” the man who I’d known to be the manager told him, and seeing how much older he looked made me realize how long it had been since I visited. “Sure, thank you,” Xander said politely and we trailed behind him. When we finally got into the private arena, I was completely blown away. As a kid, I’d always wondered wha
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-06PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 143
BROOKEA woman’s wedding day was meant to be the happiest day of her life, but my mom was easily making mine one of the worst and most nerve wracking days of my life. “Fat,” she poked at my barely existent stomach through my dress, “fatter,” she poked at my arms, “and hideously fat,” she poked at my neck. I’d practically starved for the two weeks since the wedding was announced so she wouldn’t nitpick at my weight today, but obviously there was no pleasing her so I should’ve just eaten as much as I wanted to. “Did you even make any effort to get into shape for your wedding? I had the most beautiful dress made for you from across the world and you have the effrontery to wear it over an overweight body?” she looked me over with contempt and huffed, “how disrespectful.”“I’m… I’m sorry, mother,” I muttered, knowing that anything other than an apology would likely be met with a slap or an even worse degrading punishment. She looked at me, then rolled her eyes as she gave a ridiculous
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-07PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 144
ACE“There’s still ample time to walk into that hall and tell everyone that the wedding isn’t holding,” I announced as soon as the door of my dressing room was pushed open. All I needed to know who had walked in was a scent and I’d easily picked his scent up from miles away. “There’s even more time for you to shut that wide mouth of yours, man up, and stop whining like a child,” my father shot back as he closed the door behind him.I laughed at his failed attempt to take a jab at my ego and maturity. With the kind of brutally honest friends I’d grown up with, it wasn’t that easy to poke at my self worth.“How exactly am I supposed to stop whining like a child when you won’t stop treating me like one?” I asked, fondling with the tie the designer had knotted an hour ago that was now seconds away from suffocating me. “I’m treating you like a child? That’s fucking laughable, because all I’m doing is trying to help you keep your life on track before you get yourself foolishly killed,” h
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-09PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 145
ACEI’d been waiting for that question from the second I walked into the hall, so anxiously that I didn’t even realized I’d yelled out my response. It was the hundreds of eyes focused on me that made me realized I’d been the one who said, “Yes.”My dad was clearly livid, and at the same time, he looked like he’d seen a ghost as he stared at me in complete and utter shock. My mom on the other hand seemed more interested in covering her face from being captured by the spinning National TV cameras. But neither of their reactions was any of my concern, nor was their discomfort. When I was on the other end of the coin, pleading and trying to reason with them to call off the engagement, they didn’t care about my feelings either. It was only fair for them to turn the other cheek now that the ball was in my court, where it belonged. “Wha… What the hell, Ace?” Brooke whispered shakily, trembling far more than she was during the procession, like everything was riding on the wedding happenin
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-09PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 146
APRIL I’d been grumpier than the grinch since I woke up. I made sure I was in bed early the night before, I even chomped down some melatonin gummies to get a good night’s sleep, but I kept waking up at night and when morning finally came, I had a blinding headache that I knew would accompany for the rest of the day. Nick hadn’t spent the night at home because he had to handle a shipment for his father’s newest establishment that arrived pretty late, but I woke up to the sweet scent of breakfast and his adorable face smiling at me. That only managed to keep a smile on my face for a few seconds, and then my mood was back to being absolute shit. Even Nick’s delivery of Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes in bed with a steaming cup of hot chocolate didn’t do anything to raise my spirits. In fact, with every minute that passed, my mood tanked terribly. I barely ate breakfast and I just ended up telling Nick that I had a huge dinner last night and that’s why I couldn’t eat more, but he clea
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-10PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 147
BROOKEEvery single breath I took was more overwhelming than the last. It was all too much. The world around me was spinning and I just remained frozen to a spot at the altar while staring down at the ring on my finger. Being a jilted bride was one of the worst things that could ever happen to a woman and I still couldn’t believe that it had just happened to me. Nothing about Ace’s actions made sense to me and I still wasn’t able to wrap my head around it. When he mentioned that he was putting an end to the wedding so that we could both have the luxury of being in a love marriage, it sounded like nothing short of gibberish to me. Ever since I was a little girl, my mother had imbibed the belief that marriage was nothing but a means to an end in me. And that end wasn’t living happily ever after or being in love. No, the point of it was to elevate your status and fatten your wallet. Why couldn’t Ace accept that that’s how things worked amongst people in our social status? Why couldn
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-11
บทล่าสุด
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 176B
APRIL Natalie was on her third chocolate sundae when we dove back into the sore topic of my disappearance. “You turned me into a crazy talker ex,” she scooped some of the coconut shavings on my plate as she spoke, “I had to go on a date with Steve from the student council to help me get a hold on your files so that I could get your guardian’s address.” She made the same disgusted face that I had on after that revelation. “What? Creepy Steve?” I had to confirm for sure. “Which other Steve is there on the damn student council? It was the worst date I’ve ever been on and nothing on earth will make me recount it to anyone,” she glared at me like she was plotting against me for being the reason she experienced that. “I’m so sorry, Natty,” I gasped, “I really am, ugh… that must’ve been… I .. I’m just… I’m really sorry.” “Oh you will be sorry when I’m done eating at least twelve sundaes that you’re paying for,” she pointed her little bear shaped spoon at me which made the threat even
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 176
APRIL “Who’s that?” Ace leaned in and whispered to me.I remained frozen in time, watching her wave at me with a smile as she approached us. While I knew that I couldn’t avoid her forever, I’d expected our next meet up to be filled with hostility instead of the sweet smile I was being given. If I’d known that she’d welcome me so sweetly, I’d have gone in search of her the second I returned to the country. “April! It’s you!” she leapt into my arms, chuckling and tightening her hold around me, “I thought my eyes were fooling me.” A warmth spread over my heart and I found myself smiling as I wrapped my hands around her, happily returning the hug and welcoming the familiar feeling of belonging I always felt with her. “I’ve missed you terribly,” I confessed, refusing to let go off her after what must’ve been minutes or hugging each other. “Uhm, akward third party here,” Ace cleared his throat loudly, reminding us of his presence. Reluctantly, we pulled away from the hug, but I drap
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 175B
APRIL “You must’ve been unremarkable, because I remember the people I fuck, and nothing comes to mind when I look at you,” Ace’s voice was steely and cold. I turned around, and from the way one of the blonde girls shielded her face shamefully, I could tell that she was the one that’d been tapping about a threesome with Ace. And clearly, she’d made it all up.“Now fuck off before I make sure you never get into any college in the world,” he spat angrily and the girls immediately scrambled to their feet and ran out. Once the door was shut behind them, his angry demeanor dropped and he was suddenly a ray of sunshine, grinning as he made his way over to me with open arms. “I can handle these mean trolls just fine, Ace. You didn’t have to swoop in on my behalf,” I half-frowned at him. That didn’t stop me from also opening my arms to receive him, I couldn’t say no to hugging him even though I was a bit upset by how he and the other guys kept treating me like a defenseless damsel in dis
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 175
APRILToday would go down in history, a day I would never forget. Why? Because after today, I’d have officially moved in with the loves of my lives and I had no intention of ever living with anyone else but them from today onwards. While I was glad that we’d be moving in later that evening, what I didn’t understand was how the entire college also knew about it. Ever since the mating ritual, everyone in school had found a way to dig their noses into our business because they guys and I arrived at school together almost every single day. Each time we went on a date, there were pictures of it flying around school the next day. It was borderline creepy that there were always people trailing us. I wasn’t spared from mean comments from girls that saw me as the poster girl for whoring, and there was a surprisingly disturbing amount of girls that just kissed my ass and begged for tips on how to bad three men at once. All the gossip and educational blogs for Enigma were carrying one new
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 174
APRIL We stood before the altar, hand in hand. Xenia, the officiating sorceress, was behind the altar, chanting something under her breath as she sprinkled a purple bubbling liquid all over the altar. I sucked in a sharp breath, finally experiencing the burst of excitement that the guys had been radiating for days. Now that it was about to happen, it felt like the most destined occurrence in history, nothing had ever felt as right as this decision to be mated with them. In realizing that, I figured out why I’d been a mess of nerves earlier. It’s because it hadn’t dawned on me that it was real, it had felt too good to be true. But now, as we were preparing to proceed with the ritual, it felt more real than anything ever had.“You’re fucking perfect, your ass looks like a peach in this dress,” Ace whispered to me and I blinked in shock, my cheeks turning red at how nasty he sounded. A sinful bout of heat washed over me and I poked him in the side with my elbow for toying with my e
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 173
APRILThe mating ritual was in a few hours, and I seemed to be the most antsy person about it. Xander, Ace, and Nick seemed to be feeling nothing but excitement. The same emotion they’d been rolling off in waves two days ago when they confirmed that they’d landed a sorceress for the ritual. Believe it or not, finding a sorceress to mate us officially was hectic.First off, their fathers had instructed every sorceress in the country not to attempt mating us or they’d rain hell on them. When I heard of that, I wondered bitterly why they hated our union so desperately when we were clearly in love with each other and having the best time of our lives. I mean, since their meeting with their fathers a few days ago, I learned the reason why they hated me so much, but I still didn’t understand it. Why were they so willing to hang on every word they’d been told by some messenger who conveyed a false prophecy? Why was that enough for them to plot my death without even giving our love a chan
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 172B
NICKOur fathers were seated at a round table, passing a bottle of whiskey amongst themselves in a way that was habitual.From the first glance, I could tell that they’d been seated at that table more times than I could possibly guess. What had they been plotting at every unfortunate meeting? April’s demise? I hoped the fuck not. “You called us here to drink?” Ace spat rudely, breaking the tense silence in the room. Xander, on the other hand, just pulled out a chair and made himself disturbingly comfortable in it, throwing his feet on the table and proudly crossing his legs. I considered myself a hothead, but I was definitely the cooler friend of the three of us, especially when our parents were involved. But after the way they’d treated April, I had no plans to show them even a shred of respect. So, I followed Xander’s lead and made myself as comfortable as I could, enjoying the annoyed looks that spread over our fathers’ faces. “That’s no way to speak or behave in the presence
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 172
NICK“Do we have to go?” Xander groaned, pouting childishly as Ace drove into the gates of Enigma. April rolled her eyes at him, smiling, “for the millionth time, Xander Davenport, you have to attend the mandatory meeting your fathers set up.” “Frankly, I’d rather not,” Ace shrugged as he turned towards the finance lecture halls, “What I would love to do is drive my friends to the nearest pub and get shitfaced with tequila.” A swat over the head from April made Ace yelp and burst into laughter. “What? I’d rather do that than entertain the assholes that tried to kill you barely a week ago?” he was still laughing, but there wasn’t a shred of amusement attached to it, just suppressed rage. “I don’t want to fucking look at them,” he spat.“Neither do I,” Xander backed him up. “Nor I,” I tagged along. April pressed a palm over her forehead, sighing tiredly as she looked from one of us to the other, then repeated the motion. “We talked about this all morning, guys,” she shut her eye
PLAYTHING OF THE ALPHA PREDATORS 171B
BROOKE My ex-fiancé was in the premises.I forced myself to swallow the dumpling in my mouth and my stomach felt hollow and painfully tight as I slowly turned around to get visual confirmation of my suspicions. Indeed, it was him. And as though his presence wasn’t ruining my appetite enough, I spotted my replacement beaming right beside him. Seeing her hold his hand as they walked into the restaurant made me so fucking nauseous and I was on the verge of exploding into a pile of jealousy where I sat. Ace being at her side was already enraging enough, but the fact that she also had his best friends wrapped around her little deceitful finger somehow managed to make me feel even worse. Xander and Nick were walking behind her and Ace and they all looked dressed up for a date. It made me green with envy that she was able to whip up not just one, but all three of the most powerful heirs in the country. What was so special about a human tramp that made them so eager to kiss her feet? W
