“What?”“What if I'm weak because of the emotions Aithan invoked in me? I can't always be strong, can I?” I drew some steps towards his desk. “You might not believe in love now, but you once loved my mom, didn't you?”He paused, glaring at me like I had made the greatest mistake of involving my mother in the conversation. “Don't you dare talk about her with that same mouth you kissed that fucking slut with!”“He's not a fucking slut!” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Aithan is a pure man. You are just blinded by your hatred for him, and the intense desire to get rid of him, just for your so-called revenge.”"Shut the fuck up!" Marcus's face turned beet red with rage, and he slammed his fists on the desk. “How dare you defend him! You're my son, and you'll do as I say. You'll stay away from that…that…abomination!” He fumed, his eyes turning to a deep golden to show his fury. “Ever since he came into your life, you have been acting like a fucking moron!”“Because I love him. Love makes every
AITHAN Pink drove me back to the estate. He didn't ask me what I was doing at the train station when I begged him to pick me up after a supposed holiday with Michelle. I knew he wanted to ask about it, but couldn't bring himself to do that.“What do you want to ask about?” I asked when he packed the car into the only space in our outdoor garage. "You can ask me anything you wish to know instead of looking at me like that." “I…” He gulped, staring hard at his steering wheel before he focused on me. “Where were you? Viktor said you went on a trip with Miss Michelle, but I saw her three days ago, shopping.”All the blood drained from my face when I heard his words. Gulping, I pinched the bridge of my nose before I asked in a tiny voice, “Did you tell Viktor about it?”“Never.” He shook his head. “I called to confirm with you, but your phone wasn't reachable, so I decided to wait for you to return so I can ask about it.”“Oh.” I exhaled in relief. Knowing Viktor wasn't notified was the
“Well… That's the right thing to do.” Pink smiled at me. “Rest assured, I will keep your secret. I will take it to my grave.”“Thanks, man.” I nodded at him before I removed the seatbelt and got out of the car. Pink followed me shortly and headed up to the main house with me. “Do you need my aid with anything?” He asked before I could open the door and step in. I paused and turned to him. “Huh?”“Do you have any task for me to do today? Alpha Viktor gave me an off today. He said I deserved to rest after working for a week in your absence, so I —”“No, I don't need your help with anything.” I waved him off. “Since he asked you to take a day off, do that. You deserve it.” I smiled at him. “Have a nice day. Do whatever you want, you can even visit the bar if you like,” I added with a wink, knowing he could tell what I meant by that. “I will.”“You better. Just go lose some steam.” I turned and headed into the house, gently closing the door behind me. “I'm baackkkkkkkkk!” I yelled in
I gulped, still thinking of a way to salvage the issue. “It's… I…”“Why him? You have always claimed you hate him. Was that all a lie? Why will you even do that?" He looked confused. "I always felt something like this only happens in movies. Who would have guessed a son of mine would do that?!”Viktor was beyond pissed at me. He didn't even try to control his anger. He just let it out, so I would know how he felt. “I only sought him out for his help,” I explained, looking straight into his eyes. “You have to believe me. It wasn't intentional. I —”“Did he force you?” Viktor got up from the loveseat, with his eyes blazing in fury. “Did he make you do it against your will? Did he kidnap you?” I so badly wanted to nod, to lay all the blame on Alex, to claim he seduced me and held me against my will, then videoed it all just so he could blackmail me. Viktor would believe that. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to me. He would think I was the victim. His hatred fo
Alex called me the minute I got to my room. It was as if he were keeping watch on me to know when I would be alone. Letting out a frustrated sigh at the flash of his name on my screen, I answered the call.“Hello?” I yawned, stretching my muscles. The conversation with Viktor drained me more than I thought it would.“Aithan, where are you?” He sounded urgent, a tone that I would never associate with him. Alex had always kept his cool with me unless he was confessing his love for me.“At home. Where else?” I plopped down on my bed, the soft mattress enveloping me in its comfort. “What's wrong? Why did you call? Don't tell me you missed me?” I lifted a brow, a hint of amusement dancing in my voice.“I do, but it's not that. I have something to tell you. Can you meet me at my casino in a few?”“Coincidentally, I also have something to tell you.” I got up from the bed. “Your call couldn't have come at a more perfect time.”“Okay. See you then.”He disconnected. I pocketed my phone before
“Let's do what??” Alex's eyes widened in shock, and he took a step back as if I had physically punched him. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice shaking slightly as he tried to hold my gaze, but I averted it. “Why are you saying this?” This time his tone was low. “It's just…” I drew a deep breath, trying to steel myself for the conversation. "I mean it, Alex. We can't be together anymore. My father…he knows about us. He saw a picture of us together."“A picture?” He repeated as his face fell, and he looked as if I dumped the worst news on him. “How did he…? Never mind. What did he say to you?”“It doesn't matter what he said. What matters is that he knows, and he will not let us be together. We have to end this, Alex. For our good.” I forced a smile. “You can have my mark removed if that's what's bothering you. We don't belong to each other. We are only together to —”“No!” He growled. Alex's eyes flashed with anger, and he took a step closer to me. “I won't let you do this. We ca
ALEX“Fuck!” I slammed my fist on the desk, making the wood reverberate with the force of my anger. Yet, it didn't sate me. “Fuck!” I cried out, my voice echoing off the walls of my office. I felt like my heart had been ripped out forcefully and trampled under people's feet. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Aithan's words lingered in my mind, cutting deep into my soul. The thought sent a wave of rage coursing through my veins as I tried to regulate my breathing, but it wasn't easy. I couldn't think of a life without him. These past few days with him made me rely fully on his warmth, and on my mate, who knew nothing about our bond. I felt so fucking dead. He hadn't been gone for up to a minute, but it felt like he had been gone forever, leaving a void too big to be filled behind.“No!” I screamed, placing both hands on my head, to stop it from splitting from the pain.With a sudden burst of fury, I swept my arms across the desk, sending papers and pens flying. I kicked ove
AITHANIt hurts. So damned much. I couldn't tell how many hours I drove around the city, trying to clear my mind from the guilt and pain I got from the breakup before I decided to return home. I didn't know it would hurt like this. If I did, I wouldn't have broken up with him. No. Separating was the right choice. I shook my head, trying to dispel it from the thoughts that wanted to take over. I knew staying with Alex wasn't an excellent decision, or else I wouldn't have been affected by this just like I was. All it took was breaking up with him for me to feel like a considerable chunk of my heart had been removed from my body. The nearer I got home, the more convinced I became I made the right decision. However, I couldn't bring myself to call him, not after the hurtful words I said to him. Not only that, but I ignored his calls. “Aithan, what's wrong with you?” I whispered to myself as I stared ahead. It had now gotten dark, showing how long I had driven around to clear my mind.
“No, I don't!” He lifted me from the bed before I could say another word and walked straight to the other door opposite the one I stepped in. “What are you doing?!” I panicked when he opened the door and I realized we were in his bathroom. “Getting her scent off you." He carried me to the bath and placed me on it, switching the tap on. “You are mine, Aithan. I don't want you to smell like other bloody people. I hate it. It makes me want to rub it off you." Despite the tingle in my stomach at how possessive he sounded, I couldn't help but lament, “And that's why you want to soak me up?” “Just bear with it. I don't want to perceive her scent on you. It's irritating.” He glared hard at my neck, his face pulled up in a dark scowl. "Why did you let her come close to you?" "It's not that strange, is it? She's family and —" He cursed under his breath, cutting my words short.“Don't go after her,” I warned, narrowing my eyes at him. “Why? Are you taking her sides now?”I rolled my eyes
I walked down the hallway to Alex's room. Sophia would have escorted me, but she got a call from her brother and had to speak to him. I left her alone to do that after I saw her expression. She didn't seem that thrilled to talk with him.I knocked on the door but didn't get any response. Trying it for the second time, I pushed it open and stepped in. The first thing that assaulted my senses was his scent. It enveloped the room, instantly wrapping me up in warmth. I closed my eyes and inhaled the smell I liked the most in the entire world. It was almost like the time when I rolled on the bed after spending time with him in his cabin, inhaling his sweet scent. I opened my eyes to look around, seeking the owner of the room, but he was nowhere to be found. Letting out a sigh, I let my gaze run around the room, taking the furniture, the masculine decor and the arrangement, in. The bed, a sturdy oak frame with a plush grey duvet, perched against one wall, flanked by two nightstands with
He didn't disturb me anymore. The promise of a reward was enough to keep him in his room for the rest of the hour. I looked through the photo album with Sophia, laughing at how cute Alex was. Who would have thought someone like him had such a soft side? I realized, though, that the cute pictures stopped when he got older. I didn't need to calculate to know it was around the time our mothers died. Obviously, his mother was the one taking those pictures of him. When she died, Marcus stopped it. He started training his son to take over from him in his death. I noticed how sad and serious the pictures after the cute ones were. Alex only smiled in three of the pictures, and they looked forced. His eyes lost that sparkle they had when his mother was still alive. Whatever happened to him was enough to rub him of his innocence, turning him into the man he was.“Alex changed after he met you,” Sophia whispered, causing me to look up at her. I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot she was
AITHANWho knew women could be so strong and energetic? I didn't know, though, but it all changed when I met Sophia De Luca. She looked harmless with those soft brown eyes and auburn hair that she had up in twin ponytails. I watched her walk around; the hair bouncing with each step she took, intrigued. I'd never had a sister before, and the brother I had was almost non-existent. To me, I was an only child, and that never bothered me until I met Sophia. She was so fun to be with that she made me imagine how my life would have been if I had grown up with her. Would it have been the best?“Have you seen our photo album??!” she asked, rather excitedly. From the door, she led me to the house and straight to her room. She wasn't shy about having a man in her bedroom, and I realized it had to do with my relationship with her stepbrother. She knew I was taken and wouldn't have any thoughts about her. Her room was as feminine as she looked, with her cute pink sundress and ribbon she used in
ALEX I felt like the only man in the entire world. Having my Aithan with me was the best feeling, like the first drop of water after a long winter. For the first time, I felt like I had found my meaning, the place I belong, where I was supposed to be.I got down from the car and walked around it to open the door for my mate. Aithan humoured me by staying put, waiting for me to do so. He smiled when I opened the door. “We are here.” I offered my hand to him, and he took it.He let me help him out of the car. I closed the door behind him and took his hand in mine, turning to look at the house. As if on cue, all the men gathered in front of the house, in two straight lines, leaving a space between them, enough for two people to walk through. Puzzled, I watched them, waiting to know what was going on. It was the first time I had seen something like this with the men. Max stepped out of the house and walked toward us, smiling. “Welcome home, alpha.” He bowed to me when he was a few pa
AITHAN “What the hell are you talking about?!” Viktor yelled, his veins popping out. His eyes looked like they would jut out from their sockets should he add more strain to them. “I'm leaving with Alex.” While he was seething, I was calm. I had already decided on this. Alex killed his father, to save me. Not everyone would do that. If he didn't love me, he wouldn't have harmed his blood just because he tried to kill me. It was time to break free from Viktor's hold. I'm no longer a kid who hides behind his father. I could tell it was near, the time to start a new life and a family. “You don't know what you are saying.” He drew close. “Did you, by chance, hit your head on anything? Is that why you aren't making any sense?” He placed his right hand on my forehead, to feel my temperature. “It's not hot. You are okay. So, why are you talking like a kid who lost his mind?!”“I didn't.” I shook my head and sat up on the bed. “I know what I'm talking about, Viktor. It's time to let go of
Aithan woke up two weeks later. I had lost hope of ever seeing his pretty blue eyes, of ever seeing them smile when he finally opened it. The two weeks I spent by his bedside were the worst days I ever had. My heart felt like it was slowly dying each day that passed. His mark on my neck felt hot like it was being melted in a cauldron heated several times. I thought the worst. I thought the pain was because my mate was leaving, slowly losing grasp of the world. Sophie and Max stayed by my side, rendering their support the best they could while keeping the house running in my absence. I was too worried about my mate to care about the family and anything else. Viktor located me a few days ago, but I refused to let him see his son. It wasn't easy to do that. Had it not been for our location, there would have been a bloody fight between us. He was the father, after all. It wasn't like I cared. I didn't trust him enough to let him see my Aithan in this state. He might take him from me,
I changed my mind on my way home. Instead of taking Aithan to the house like I planned to do, I drove him to the hospital instead. I needed to be careful with him, to avoid regretting my decision just because I wanted to hug him to myself all day. I had to drive him to the only hospital owned by the werewolves, the one with werewolf staffs instead of humans. To keep the humans out, the hospital always charged an obnoxious amount whenever they got human patients, so they could drive them out. Since the time they built it, they had admitted no human to it. I was right to take Aithan to the hospital, though. The doctors confirmed the poison would have slowly killed my lover if I didn't bring him over. Marcus knew it was lethal. He recognized how dangerous it would be to Aithan, and how it wouldn't affect me. It was clear he wanted to kill him and keep me alive, so I could return to the heartless killing machine I was for him.For a week, Aithan remained unconscious. I'd never been as w
I froze, and so did Aithan. I wasn't expecting to hear something like this. With Marcus, it was always one surprise after the other, but never in my wildest imagination did I think this would be something he would say. “You don't know, right?” He smiled, pleased he had gotten my attention. “I once thought you guys might be siblings, you know? Seeing how your mother didn't think twice about opening her legs for —”“That's a lie.” I shook my head, trying to deny everything I heard. “It can't be true. My mum never cheated on you. I knew it!”He scoffed. “You do?” “My father never cheated on my mum,” Aithan uttered. “Viktor always spoke about how they were meant for each other.”“Just like you and my son?” He chuckled. “It's a pity Alex believes the same.” He shook his head, looking at me with a mischievous smile, as if he knew a secret I didn't, one that would shatter my life if let out. “What do you mean?”“Are you acting like you don't know what I'm talking about?” He strode over to