CLINTON.I wasn't happy that I left my mate alone back in the hospital. I needed to stay with her and be there when she woke up. But I knew that would not be possible.I knew I could always count on Asher to handle the rogues, but this time around, I needed to be there.Not that I didn't trust he could torture them enough, but because I needed to be the one doing the torturing myself.I needed something to vent my anger on—or someone—and that was the only thing I could think of.So I did what I thought was best.I mind-linked Kiara, the woman who manages my penthouse, to keep my mate company and keep me updated if she woke up or anything happened.And like always, she agreed without any questions.When I got to the pack house, I met Asher already waiting for me at the gate. His face was pooled with sweat, hands stationed on his waist with his head tipped in a frown.I narrowed my eyes on him and wondered if the situation was that bad. Asher and I sort of grew up together, and we soon
CLINTON.I immediately stopped what I was doing, but I didn't let go of the rogue's head. My heart was bursting with pain—pain at the thought of what she might be experiencing, pain from not being with her the moment she woke up, and not being able to take care of her now."Get her some pain relief. I'll be there as soon as I can," I informed her, then snapped the mind-link shut.“You did not just say what I heard you say now, did you?” Kai snarled.“Of course, I did. You want me running off to meet her like this, smelling like dung and blood?” I snapped.“Not like I’d let you leave for the hospital without a proper bath and a change of clothes.”“Now what, Kai?” I was nearly on the edge of frustration. I couldn’t pin down what he wanted from me. I obviously stated I’d soon be on my way to go meet our mate, but that didn’t help to satiate his anger, no?I resumed slamming the rogue's head on the wall, gnashing my teeth as Kai tried to fight his way out. He wanted me to leave him to As
RUBY.I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the big bad Alpha standing before me. Seriously, I don't have a place to stay? Words hurled like lava in my mouth, but I managed to shove them down beneath a thick layer of self-control. So I managed to say, “I'm not in the least homeless, Alpha,” even though it came out as a snort.I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes before it vanished, but maybe I was wrong.“I never said you were homeless.”I shrugged, “Yes, but it was the meaning behind your words.”He heaved a sigh, propped his hands on his waist, and fixed me with a serious look. “It was only an offer I thought you needed considering…”I hiked up my brows when he stopped, sighing as he let out a puff through his mouth.“I can take care of myself,” I replied, challenging him to give another rude remark. Not that I'd do anything to him, but I'd at least be able to kick his ass and be on the run.He grunted. “So, you'd rather run back to the woods than accept my invitation
RUBY. Kiara stood before me carrying two large fancy bags filled with clothes and other things I could not identify.I closed my mouth, then parted it and shut it back.She softly giggled. “Here, I was supposed to deliver them to you last night, but you were sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb you.”I smiled at her, then nodded, looking down at the bags she was carrying before lifting my gaze to hold hers.“All these are for me?” I said in disbelief, stepping aside to let her in and then shutting the door behind her.Kiara walked to the bed, dropped the bags on it, then sat down and smiled at me.“Yes, because they can't exactly fit me, and the only person with the right size is you.”I smiled. “Thank you. But you didn't really have to. You could have just lent me some clothes to wear rather than wasting money on so many clothes, money that could have been spent on something else.”Kiara swatted my words playfully, then shrugged. “It's not a big deal, actually. I like to render he
RUBY. Relief washed over me immediately, and it seemed like he noticed it because he cocked an eyebrow.I shrugged and leaned back on the bed, crossing my legs as I mulled over what to tell him. I couldn't tell him the truth even though I was innocent, because I knew he would not believe me. He didn't take his eyes off me as he waited for me. Three minutes passed by until I finally found a way to skirt around the truth. “I happened to find out that I was adopted, so I ran away from my pack.”His eyes changed to molten black again, almost as if his wolf was trying to come out. That brought a painful reminder that I had lost Falcon, tears filling up my eyes, but I managed to control them.In an instant, he was beside me, pulling me into his arms, and with a sniff of his scent—a mixture of musk and fresh rain—caused the tears I had been holding back to spill freely.I felt him rub my back as I hugged him, and I bet I heard him mouth something to me, but I didn't catch what was said.Af
CLINTON.After leaving Ruby in my penthouse, I called Kiara and ordered her not to reveal too much to Ruby if she asked about me, especially the part about having a mate or a girlfriend.Then I returned to the pack house and issued a stern warning to all the pack members via the pack mind-link not to disturb me for any reason, as I was busy with work. Then, I went straight to my chambers.I locked the door behind me and paced around my room. Ruby's face flashed back in my mind and I groaned in frustration. I had fucked up twice just the first day I got to have a conversation with her; now she'd think I was an asshole.Biting down a growl, I marched towards my bed, fell on it, and sighed. I needed to fix this if I wanted her to trust me or even like me at this point.The pain that had passed through her eyes was unmistakable, and I felt hurt that I was the cause of it. Whatever made her leave her pack that day must have broken something in her, making her think I said she was homeless.
CLINTON.“Oh... alright, I'll soon be with you. Love you,” Seraphina cooed from her end, and I bit down on my lower lip. Hard.“Hmmm,” I sighed. “See you soon.”I brought down my phone from my ear to my face to swipe it off, but it seemed like she wasn't done yet. “I'm waiting.”I knew what she meant but played ignorant. “You're waiting for what?”“Seriously? I just said I love you. So I'm waiting for you to say it back.”I sighed and rolled my eyes. If it were in the past, it wouldn't have taken me long to say the words back, but now things were different. I didn't feel for her the same way I did back then. Now that I had a mate, it didn't feel right to keep saying them when I knew those feelings had died.I had a mate, and I'm only allowed to say those words to her.“No,” Seraphina shrieked, and an image of a storm raging in her eyes flashed through my mind.“I love you too,” I conceded, because I didn't want to upset her more than she already was because of what I was going to disc
CLINTON.I didn't know what to say, and I just can't deny her...Kai growled in my head, and I sighed. If I want her to agree to us breaking the oath, then telling her that I had a mate would be mean... really mean.“There's no way you will deny our mate!” Kai roared. Like really roared.“I have to, unless you don't want things to get easier for us,” I told him. He must have realized how right I was because he retreated at the back of my mind, still shaking with anger.“No, I did not find my mate.” Her eyes narrowed into slits. I continued, “I only wanted the best for you. We've been together for years now, and I think us taking a break from one another would be the best—”“And?” She interrupted with a snort.“—for now. We need to figure out what we actually want. I don't want you to regret anything; that's why I'm suggesting a break.”Damn. Did things really have to be like this?Like a flash of lightning, Kiara closed the distance between us, her lower lip between her teeth as she p