Ares' pov I woke up with a start, and immediately snapped my eyes shut as the bright light from the window flooded in and momentarily blinded me.“Fuck,” I groaned and pressed a finger on my throbbing temple.The sound of running water from a distance echoed loudly in my ears, making me groan.Slowly, I opened my eyes again till they got used to the light, and a crease formed on my forehead a second later when my environment wasn't in any way familiar.I massaged my temple, trying to remember how I got here but the splitting pain in my head limited my memory.I took in the scent in the room and my body stiffened at the familiar scent. It smelled like Noelle and sex.I took deep breaths and focused on remembering.The meeting.The rain afterwards.Rodolfo stopping me.The pub.Noelle.Noelle!My eyes snapped open at the last one and I jumped out of the bed.I looked at the time on the clock and my eyes widened.“Fuck!”11:30.Tabitha.It wasn't until I was fully out of the bed that I
Ares' pov The house was eerily dark and quiet by the time I finally picked myself from the ground. The maids and guards had been sensible enough to leave the house after my roars.My eyes were bloodshot and my hair was disheveled as I stood up. I had never felt as empty as I did right at that moment in my entire life.I staggered on my feet like I was drunk with wine, but I was drunk with pain and guilt.A few feet from me laid my phone, or what was left of it, after I smashed it against the wall after calling her number to no avail for three straight hours.My wolf withdrew into his shell and I felt utterly alone.How did I fuck up so bad?How did I go from anticipating my date with my mate where I was going to ask her to marry me and mark her afterwards, to letting her slip right through my fingers?How did I go from having everything in the world to watching it all wither away in the wind?I didn't only cheat on her, I fucking rubbed it in her face.My heart was clenching with gut
“Hey, beautiful.”A warm smile spread on my lips, mirroring Rodolfo's expression.“Come in,” I moved to the side. “Well, technically, I don't have to ask you to come in because it's your place,” I laughed awkwardly.“Nonsense,” he waved me off. “You can stay here as long as you like,” he repeated the same words he'd been saying for the past two weeks.“Breakfast?” I asked, forcing cheeriness I didn't feel into my voice.“Sure,” he nodded and came all the way in.I skimmed through the space that had housed me for the last couple of weeks and went towards the open plan kitchen. The house was spacious, peaceful and airy, and as much as I liked staying there, I knew I had to leave soon.All my attempts at buying a ticket to go far away from here with the little money I had saved up, proved difficult, which was why I was still here. The flight was always cancelled last minute.“Where are you lost?” Rodolfo's voice brought me back to reality, and I flipped the pancake just in time before it
Ares' pov I gawked at the message till it started ringing like an alarm in my head. I couldn't believe my eyes even though the words stared boldly at me.“I've moved on. Stop looking for me.”A bitter laugh escaped my lips and I ran a finger through my hair as anger started to well up inside of me.“Fuck,” I yelled, slamming my fist down on the table and throwing everything down, but the chaos was nothing compared to the turmoil going on in my head.Just like that? She had fucking moved on? I hadn't slept in days and I drowned myself with work in a bid to distract myself from the negative thoughts clouding my mind about her safety. I had searched everywhere for days on end, and all she could tell me was that she had moved on.My heart broke all over again and I resisted the urge to slam my head into the wall.I dialed her number, but it went straight to her voicemail. A string of curses flew out of my lips.I tried a few more times, but got the same response and I stared blankly, let
Ares' pov My cheek stung, but it was child's play compared to the ache in my heart as I realized how big of a dick I was after the words left my lips.“Tabitha, I'm…”“Don't,” she held a shaky hand up, making me swallow the rest of my words. “You may leave and I'll really appreciate it if you don't show me your face again.”Her cold, emotionless voice caught me off guard, but I knew it was just a front to hiding what she was really feeling inside, so I pressed.“Tabitha…”“Rodolfo, please see them out,” she said and turned around.Different emotions ran through me as I watched her retreating back, but all the words melted in my tongue at the reality of what was going on.“You heard her,” Rodolfo broke my thoughts with a smug look on his face and his chest poked out.I knew I should be thankful to him for keeping her safe, but the thought of him being so close to her sprung a bitter feeling in my heart and my anger returned a hundred fold and I gripped his shirt. “I was with you that
Ignoring Rodolfo's worried eyes on me, I poured the brewing coffee into the two mugs in front of me while silence ensued between us.He had stayed till late last night and was here first thing in the morning to make sure “Ares didn't come back to do anything I didn't want.”It was nice knowing someone was worried about me, but I knew Ares definitely won't come back.The thought made my heart squeeze.I placed his mug in front of him, dropping it harder than I meant to, and some of its content spilled on the island.“Sorry,” I rushed out and started wiping it down with a towel.But he held my wrist gently, stopping my movement.“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.“Yeah, I'm just…” I rolled my eyes and chuckled awkwardly.He didn't take his eyes off me till I was seated opposite him with my own mug in my hand.“Don't look at me like that,” I said dryly.“Sorry.”“And stop apologizing,” I let out an exasperated sigh.He had been walking on eggshells around me and apologizing constantly l
Ares' pov My eyes scanned the page for a few seconds before I crumpled it and tossed it into the trash can.My teeth were clenched, eyes dark and hair disheveled, the same state I've been in since morning.I didn't even know if it was evening yet because my curtains were drawn close and time seemed to stop around me.I grabbed my bottle of whiskey and took a big gulp, some of its content spilling on the paper in front of me, but I didn't care. My wolf life was a mess, so everything around me could as well be a mess.Her words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record, haunting me, mocking me.I had remained in my frozen state, just looking into space and everything she said about the beautiful life the child would have breezed past my ears.I had a hard time accepting it.It was too difficult to.I had never knocked up any woman, not because I was able to, but because I was always extremely careful.And now this.I couldn't deny the child and bring it into this world to suffer f
Six months later.My snout was raised high in the air as I sniffed the warmth of spring, letting the sprouting grass calm my nerves.Nyx chased some butterflies, earning bursts of laughter from me.I ran for another few minutes before tracing my way back to the backyard of the cottage. I shifted to my human form and wore my neatly folded clothes I had kept on a rock.It had been a long day teaching the kids in the area fighting skills. That was what I used as a past time and that was the sole reason I wasn't eaten up by depression yet.The wind blew past my short hair which I had dyed brunette for the sake of it.Six months passed in a blur and the more each day passed, the more I realized that there was nothing more false than the saying “time heals all wounds”.I scoffed at the absurdity of it but shoved back the bitter feeling that was creeping into my mind as I stepped into the house.The feeling I've never been able to ignore no matter how much I told myself I was past it all.Si
Six years later“And there you go,” I placed Adele's little plate in front of her.“Mama, give daddy some,” she said when she noticed I was yet to serve Ares.“Yeah, give daddy some,” Ares wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.“You're disgusting,” I laughed and swatted his arm before going back to the kitchen to get our own plates.Breakfast went by quickly with Ares asking the kids about their week in school, and light chatter went round the table.After breakfast, I sat on the couch, surrounded by the loves of my life. Ares snuggled beside me, his head on my shoulder, while the twins, Emily and Jackson, and their baby sister Adele, played on the floor. The room was filled with laughter and the sound of tiny feet pattering around.I couldn't help but think about just how lucky I was to have a complete family with the man I love. In the last six years, the pack has thrived to new heights, but no matter how busy he was, Ares always made time for his family and I couldn't be more gratefu
I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, surrounded by beeping machines and sterile walls so white it made my head ache.I felt like I'd been run over a train many times and every part of me ached.Ares jumped up from where he was seating on the couch, grabbing my hand. His eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep, tugging at my heart painfully."Hey," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "Welcome back."I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and sore. He helped me sit up, and quickly handed me a glass of water, and I drank greedily, the cold water sliding down my throat and bringing life back to my body.“You're here,” I mumbled after handing the cup back to him.He nodded rapidly and clasped my hand with his, bringing it to his lips. “You're here too. You came back for me,” he kissed my hand.I brought my hand hooked with IV up and ran my fingers through his overgrown hair. His shoulders shook lightly and I knew he was crying.
I gulped. The malice and anger in his voice were so palpable I didn't doubt him.He sneered, seeing his words had the desired effect on me before pulling away.My eyes followed him as he walked to the far end of the room and picked a sword from the wall.He let the sword hang loosely on his hand and the tip grated on the concrete floor, making a shrill sound.He stopped a few feet in front of me, and I clenched my teeth, looking as bold as I possibly could.“Jason, do we have to kill her?” Galia asked, biting her lips.He turned to her and his eyes narrowed in slits.“Don't tell me you're chickening out now,” he spat.She shifted her weight from one feet to the other, looking uncomfortable. “It's the Alpha we want. We don't have to kill her,” she repeated.“It seems like you've forgotten what this bitch did to you. To me!” He yelled. “Let me remind you.”I could see Galia's resolve breaking, but he was trying to get in her head.“She made you irrelevant. You lived in her shadows for y
My eyes opened and the first thing I noticed was the banging pain in my head. The room was utterly dark and somewhere in the far corner, I could hear the steady leaking of water, and the putrid smell of the place hit me square in the face.I groaned in pain, as I tried to move the searing pain in around my chest and arms told me I was bound. The silver burned deeply into my skin, causing me to roll my eyes in pain, and stay still on the chair.I felt something cold trickling down the side of my face and one sniff in the air, I knew it was blood.I tried to remember how I'd ended up in this position and after a few seconds of trying, my memory came back to me in bits and pieces till I made sense of the whole picture.I gritted my teeth and tried to break out of my restraints, but the more I did, the more it burned my skin.I closed my eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. Just when everything was beginning to fall in place, this happens.My mind went to Ares, and I tri
The meeting was dragging on longer than expected, and I shifted uncomfortably many times in my seat.I sat at my place at the head of the table, staring blankly at the papers in front of me while the presenter’s voice grated at my consciousness.I was supposed to be attentive and giving my inputs on crucial business deal with the foreign investors, but my mind kept wandering and my wolf kept pacing, making me even more restless.Pulling out my phone, I dialed her number for the third time and clenched my fist around the device when I was sent straight to her voicemail.I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had been plaguing me all day.After a few minutes, I tried to focus on the numbers and figures, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Tabitha, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.I tried to mind-link her through the matebond, but all I got was silence.“Fuck!” I slammed my fist on the table.Some people jumped in fear and others looked up at me warily, concerned
I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face, feeling like I was walking on air. I was back with Ares, and this time, they were mated. My fingertips traces his mark on my neck and I smiled at the tingly sensation. So this was what being bound to someone felt like.Nyx was as happy as she could be and I'd never felt at peace like I was doing now, in his arms, knowing we had overcome the hurdle that separated us, and I was his like he was mine.It had been two weeks since we got back together, but we still couldn't get enough of each other.We had spent the everyday in these two weeks snuggled up together, only leaving the bed to receive our food that Ares had ordered for, and when totally necessary, and these two weeks have been the happiest of my life.I felt closer to him more than ever now and understood him on a different level since I could now feel what he was feeling through the mate bond, and most times, those feelings were unholy ones that had us tangled underneath the
Ares' pov I opened my eyes to the rays of sunlight peeking in through the curtains and the memories of the night before came playing in my eyes like a record.A smile covered my face and I turned to snuggle up with her but the bed was cold and empty.My eyes opened, wide awake now and my heart slammed in my chest at the thought that it was all a dream, but before I could go into a panic attack, the bathroom door opened.I released a deep breath as my eyes landed on her innocent brown eyes, her hair tied I a messy bun at the top of her head.“Everything okay?” She asked with a small smile, but I didn't miss how nervous she was.Six months apart, and yet she looked even more radiant than I remembered. Her now short brunette hair framing her face beautifully, and her skin glowed with a warm, golden light.I took a deep breath and reached her in three long strides, wrapping myself around her in a warm embrace.She squealed before relaxing into me. It was a wonder that the connection bet
My breath came out in short, quick pants as I rode out my high. Ares had said he wasn't going to last, but I didn't expect the heavy orgasm to crash down on me the way he did.In less than a minute, my body was heating up again and shame filled me.We still had a lot to talk about and having sex this way didn't solve anything. Heck he was still with Noelle and she was pregnant!I immediately felt terrible but the ache in between my legs made those thoughts fade.I clenched my legs shut, momentarily embarrassed so he wouldn't see me like a sex deprived maniac, but it was well beyond my control.“Don't hide from me,” his husky voice said from behind me.He turned my body so I was facing him and kept his knee in between my legs, keeping me from seeking friction from my legs.“Wee shouldn't be doing this. It's so wrong,” I shook my head.“Why?” He asked, his filled with different emotions that made my insides curled. “We're mates.”“Not anymore,” I said but I sounded like a moan at the en
Ares' pov I saw red as I stormed in and saw Rodolfo on her. On my mate!My feet moved before my mind, and the next thing I knew, I was pinning him to the wall.His eyes widened with fear but before he could say anything, I let my emotions take control and began slamming my fist into his face.He was helpless in my hands and my wolf was out to play, but nothing seemed to soothe me. Not the repeated scrunch of his bones breaking under my fist, or his painful growls, or the blood splattered all over his face and my fucking fist.Nothing seemed to calm me.My wolf wanted blood and I wasn't sure I would stop even if he dropped dead to the ground.My relentless pounding on his face continued till a needy whine rolled out of her lips and everything around me stopped.I let him fall like a sack of potatoes on the floor and mind-linked my guards I'd come with to come in.I immediately rushed to her quivering side before they entered and yanked off my coat, wrapping it around her and scooping