At that moment, I saw a side of Alex I hadn't seen before. I had seen him furious, and seen him fight. But none of them could match the deadly intent in his gaze as he spoke of how he would have loved to torture those who tried to harm me. He looked like he would love to resurrect them — if he had the power to do so — just so he could make good on his threats. “Damn man, you are a badass!” Pink gushed. “I had to do what I did.” Alex lifted his shoulders in a shrug, keeping his focus straight ahead. “They made a mistake when they targeted Aithan. I couldn't let it slide, not when they touched the man I love.”I had to avert my gaze at those words. I felt a warmth creep from my face to my neck. Alex was just throwing the love world like it was a daily talk.“Wow. The power of a man in love.” I stared at Pink in the rearview mirror and frowned. I didn't like the way his eyes sparkled as he looked at Alex. A territorial feeling took hold of me, and before I could stop myself, I growled
ALEXI made certain he was safely inside before I left. I had to turn the car when he reached the gate but didn't leave until I heard it close behind him. Only then was I satisfied he wouldn't be harmed. He was back home, where his father would protect him. I had never doubted his strength to defend himself, but you couldn't blame me for always looking out for him. As his mate, it was my duty. I was the Alpha, after all, the one with the most strength. Of course, his safety is my priority and will remain that until we both die. I drove into the compound and parked my car before I got down, looking around the estate. I half thought Marcus wouldn't let me in after everything that happened, so I came prepared. Unlike the guards, I know the property like the back of my palm. I grew up there. It would be a pity if I didn't know all the hidden places and how to sneak in without detection. “Brother!” The front door opened and Sophie flew down the stairs, her hair flying everywhere. She ha
AITHAN“We can't let Alex do all the work,” I said to Pink as we walked towards the main house. “We need to contribute, so it wouldn't seem like what we know is how to stay back home and let others do the work for us.”“What do you suggest we do, then?” “Find Maximo. Alex is undoubtedly doing that at the moment, but we need to speed up and get his location before he does.”Ever since the attack on me, Alex had been the one doing all the work, trailing the men and punishing as much as he could, for my sake, and I didn't like that. I wanted to show him how capable I was, even though I hadn't gotten into a situation for that. He hadn't seen me fight, to know what a badass I was, and I wished to change that, to alter his view of me and make him see me in a new light. “How do you suggest we do that when we don't even know what he looks like?”“I know. Alex once sent a picture of him to me. All we need to do is get the phone back from Viktor, and we can check out all the information I hav
ALEXMax took a lot of convincing before he agreed to help me. Whatever Marcus did to him was strong enough to make him resist helping me, which was so unlike Max, who always jumped at offers to help me. He was acting rather too strange for it not to be suspicious. “Here.” He called my attention to him. “I have been able to trace him to the last place he was seen before he vanished. I believe you might find something worth it there.” He pointed to the space on his screen. “I'm sending the location to you. You need to check it out tonight, or else there won't be any guarantees tomorrow.”“Thanks, man.” I lightly patted his back, and he stilled. He slowly turned his head to look at the hand I had placed on his shoulder before he looked up at me. “The old alpha, your father, won't want this,” he whispered, his eyes wide in fear. “Why?” I stared down at him, still trying to know why he changed completely. He sounded scared like someone might try to attack him should he turn his back.
AITHAN “Are you certain you don't need me to go with you?” Pink asked, watching me from my bed with his eyebrows raised, and his mouth turned up in a frown.Since the call I had with Alex, he had been bugging me, asking to go with me despite knowing my reply to his pleas. Taking him like Alex mentioned, would be a handful. “I can take care of myself. You don't have to do it.” He sat up on my bed and folded his arms, glaring at me. “Just take me with you, Aithan.”“You know my response, don't you?” I buttoned up the red shirt I chose for the mission. Pink said black would be the best choice for the occasion, but I didn't think so.“Please.” He blinked cutely. “I will be on my best behaviour. I won't make you worry about me and I —”“You can be the backup.”Hearing him beg me for minutes non-stop was grating on my nerves. I just wanted to yell at him to drop the matter, but I knew he only asked to follow me because he was worried. He wouldn't have been disturbed if he wasn't. “Backup
ALEXI leaned on my car, waiting for him, constantly checking my wristwatch and wondering how much longer it would take for him to reach me. He refused my offer to drive him, which didn't sit well with me. I drew away from my car and paced, wondering why he was wasting time. I called him an hour ago, and I expected him to arrive 30 minutes ago. I was getting worried, thinking of different scenarios and the reason for the delay. There were a hundred and one reasons for it, but the one that kept resounding in my mind with each pace I took was a worry of him being attacked. I had just fished my phone out of my pocket to call Pink when I noticed a car coming my way. I pocketed my phone when I recognized the blue sports car. It was one of Aithan's cars and his favourite. The tyres rolled to a stop in front of me, parking next to my car. Aithan stepped out of the car with Pink, who was looking rather smug. Who knew what he told Aithan to make him change his mind about letting him stay at
He let go of my hand after we had walked a distance and turned to me. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth upturned in a frown. “What the hell were you doing back there? Arguing with my gamma like a kid? Are you for real, Alex?”Oh, here comes the tongue-lashing. I should have known he was only waiting until we were out of Pink's earshot to give me an earful.“I won't do it again,” I promised, lowering my gaze. “You won't?” He sounded sceptical. “Of course. You have my words. I will always be on my best behaviour with you, unless….” “Unless what?”I looked up, shaking my head with a forced smile on my lips. “Nothing.”There was no need to tell him I would do more than argue should anyone stand between us. He didn't need to know that. “It better be nothing,” he gritted out through clenched teeth, with his suspicious gaze still on my face. He stared at me for a long time before he let out a sigh. “So, what next? What are we doing?”I glanced towards the house Max told us about. Just lik
I joined the attack, taking down the men with ease. As the fight intensified, Alex grabbed my arm, pulling me close. “Stay behind me!” he yelled, his voice husky with adrenaline.I nodded, loving every moment of this. It was the first time someone had ever tried to protect me, and I loved it. As long as it was Aithan, I would do anything.I couldn't help sneaking glances at him, though. His smooth movements, the way his shirt clung to his sweat-drenched skin… it was all so incredibly sexy. Have I told you Red is a good colour for him? Makes me want to see him in red lingerie, and a red choker, with red cuffs and…Fuck, Alex. This isn't the freaking time to be thinking of something like this! One attacker lunged at us, and Aithan dispatched him with a swift kick. As the man crumpled to the ground, he turned to me, his eyes blazing with excitement.“You okay?” he mouthed, his chest heaving as his eyes returned to the blue I fell irrevocably in love with.I nodded, barely keeping the s
I never imagined that such a day would come, and faster at that. I wouldn't have believed that I would tie the knot with the person of my choice someday. I had always resolved I would get married to a girl Viktor picked, but Alex showed up and changed my mind. “You look handsome,” Pink said, standing behind me. “You are the most beautiful groom in the entire world.”“Oh, spare me that.” I rolled my eyes. I had gotten enough compliments from Viktor and Sophia, who thought I needed to hear how good I looked, for my ego. I smoothed my suit even though it wasn't necessary, staring into the mirror as a small smile crept up. They were right. I had never looked as good as I did today. It being my wedding made it the best. The black suit fitted me more than I thought it would even though it was custom-made.I paired my black jacket with a crisp white shirt and a black tie, a gift I got from Viktor. He didn't want me to match with the tie that came with my suit. He wanted something of his on
But I wanted more. I wanted him. I tugged him up, kissing him fiercely, then rolled us so I could straddle him.“My turn.” I licked down his chest, tasting salt and heat, then lingering on his nipples until he groaned my name.“Ly, you’re driving me crazy.”I went lower, sucking him slowly and deeply, savouring every shudder he gave me.I moved lower some more and gagged, and Alex’s hand pushed my head back down when I tried to escape, his fingers tangling gently in my hair.“Easy, Ly,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, his eyes locking onto mine, soft but insistent. I groaned around him, the stretch of my lips around his thick cock sending a shiver through me. I held his gaze, determined to please him, to make him see how beautiful this was.The moonlight spilt over us, catching the gold in his hair, and I felt my chest tighten with how damn beautiful he looked, all raw and open for me.“Fuck, Aithan, you’re so good at this.” He kept brushing my cheek, guiding me as I took him dee
AITHANIt has been a month since the encounter with that bastard rapist, and things had gotten back on track. Ryder like I had suspected wasn't as bad as they made him out to be. Marcus was the one who pulled the string, controlling him with his position as the head of the family. With Ryder gone, the rest of the family united. We got rid of the mafia families that tried to challenge us. After a long day of work, Alex suggested we take a walk in the spring close to his cabin.The spring glittered under the full moon. The surface was a mirror of silver light that stretched across the clearing.I sat beside Alex, my bare feet brushing the cool grass, my eyes fixed on the sky.His golden hair caught the moonlight, shimmering like a halo, and I couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. His eyes were soft yet intense as he stared upward too.He could feel it as much as I could do, the beauty of this moment.The air was crisp, laced with the scent of pine and damp earth, and the night felt
ALEXMy heart left my body when I heard Sophia's words. I leapt from my chair and reached for her, ripping the phone off her hand. My blood grew cold as I read the text. “Did they say what they want?” Ryder asked behind me, reaching my side in a few strides. “Yes, they —”I passed the phone back to Sophia before she could complete her words and headed out, almost ripping the door off its hinges from the force I tore through it with. I heard echoing footsteps behind me as I headed for my car, but before I could open the door, Ryder placed his hand on the doorknob, stopping me. “Get your hands off!” I growled. “This isn't the fucking time to play!”“Do I look like I'm playing?” He glared, matching my tone. “You can't drive in your state. Let me do that. I promise I will take you there in time.”“Fuck off! This doesn't concern you.” I ripped his hand off, but he was persistent, holding me before I could open the door. “It concerns me, Alex. Now that I have decided to forgo the past
AITHANI know I was such a fool when I left the house without telling Alex the truth of where I was heading. I lied to him that I was going over to my bar when I wasn't. Today made it 2 days and close to 48 hours since I received the letter, and I was on my way to meet whoever sent it. On the back of the letter, they had written how to meet them. One of the specific requirements was for me to come alone else they would send the video to Alex. To keep my lover from discovering my past from them, I had to do something stupid.I know I can fight should it get to that, but there was no way of knowing what I would be up against. What if they had a gun? What if they had other people with them? I couldn't risk it. I had to play it safe, no matter how much it pained me to do so.I didn't take my car with me, as that would make it difficult for me to keep Alex in the dark. He has a tracker in my car and would know wherever I am. To be on the safer side, I had to leave my car at home and take
ALEX“Can I have a chat with you?” Ryder said when he walked into my study. He knocked before he stepped in, though. What I didn't like was how he looked like it was his right to speak to me, even if I didn't want that. “What do you want to talk about?” I closed the laptop to face him. He lifted a brow. “Won't you offer me a seat?”I gritted my teeth, keeping my anger in check. So he wouldn't gloat that he had won. I gestured to the seat across from mine. “Have a seat.”“Now that's more like.” Grinning, he sat on the chair and crossed his legs, watching me. He didn't say a word for a long time. He just watched me. “What is it you wish to discuss? Don't tell me you came in here to stare at me?” I broke the silence between us, irritated. “What if I did?” I narrowed my eyes. “I don't have all the time in the world for your shenanigans, Ryder. Why are you here?”“Where is Aithan? Your lover?”“Why? What's with you asking about him?” If I was suspicious about him from the time he step
AITHAN Ryder was lucky I was in the sitting room with Alex when he arrived, else his blood would have decorated the floor. Alex would have had his head for just looking at me, but I stopped him. My lover just doesn't seem to know his stepbrother was baiting him. Ryder, despite knowing what would have gone down if I didn't stop Alex, smiled, winked at me, turned on his steps and walked towards the stairs with his small bag. We watched him leave, humming under his breath and with a slight swag to his steps. It wasn't until he was out of earshot that I heard Sophia exhale. “Thank fuck," she whispered, looking at me with a sad smile. He didn't even look at her. What a brother he was. I bet he only wanted Sophia to return with him to the city, so she wouldn't be near Alex. “I hate him,” Alex muttered under his breath. “He's not —” I swallowed down the word I wanted to say. Letting it out would infuriate my lover, who looked like he was losing it. Ryder wasn't bad, though. I didn't
ALEX I would be a damned liar if I said I didn't feel there was something Aithan was keeping from me. I knew he didn't tell me everything, but there was no way to confirm that. He hid that letter, and I couldn't find it in the room when I searched for it. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right, but Aithan kept on insisting that he was okay and that the letter was just from someone who might have seen him killing those men. I asked if it was the same man he thought he saw at the restaurant. He hesitated before he denied it. I didn't believe that, but who was I to argue with him?I couldn't just afford to be given cold shoulders, as that was something Aithan was excellent at. Any minor argument, he will keep a long face, and make me grovel on my feet just to get back with him. Not like I was complaining or anything. “Good morning,” he whispered, rubbing his eyes. I had been long awake, staring at the ceiling, while he slept. I didn't just want to disturb him
“Open the letter and check. You might get an inkling of who sent it,” Alex said, his voice breaking the silence.I hesitated for a moment, my heart racing with anxiety. What if it was something bad? What if it were someone from my past, come to haunt me? I didn't want to open it. I wanted to throw the letter as far away from me as I could, but Alex's encouraging gaze gave me the courage to open the envelope. I slid my finger under the flap and pulled out the letter inside.As I unfolded the paper, my eyes scanned the page, my heart sinking with every word. It was a letter, all right. But it wasn't from a friend or a bill collector. It was from someone who knew my darkest secrets, someone who threatened to expose me to the world.My hands shook as I read it, my mind reeling with fear. How did they know? Who told them? And what did they want from me?Blinking, I reread the letter. "Aithan,I know what happened that night. I know what those men did to you. And I know what you did to the