Ares' povIntense pain flashed through her eyes and even though it only lasted a nanosecond, it would have felt better for my heart to be ripped out of my chest than seeing that pain, knowing I caused it.I was about to say something to redeem myself because my wolf cursed me out and my conscience, which I thought I'd buried decades ago pricked me.“Right,” she beat me to it and nodded once.She stood directly under the lighting of the bathroom and it illuminated her red hair, giving it a fiery orange color.She looked so magical and I was lost in her misty eyes momentarily.Her clothes and parts of her body was stained with blood, my blood, and I balled my hands in fists to keep from walking over to her and dragging her into the bathroom to scrub every part of her delicate skin.She was probably also bewitched by the enthralling air around us like I was as she stood transfixed.Or maybe she was regretting ever letting me in.Something flickered in her eyes and she finally broke the s
Ares' pov I passed her room and walked down the stairs, vaguely hoping not to bump into her.Not because I didn't want to see her but because I wasn't sure how to react to her.I had healed considerably well after all the silver had been removed from my body and I could move with grace again.“Alpha!” I heard a feminine voice from the side.I knew instantly that she wasn't the one because she hardly ever called me by my title when it was just the both of us, not that I minded, plus her voice was more velvety than nasal.I turned to see the head maid and I gave her a questioning glance.“You're up and running already after….” I couldn't tell what expression I had on my face but she trailed off and knew better than to mention it. “I was thinking you'd want to eat first to gain energy after all the blood you lost,” she said.“Do I look like I need energy?” I asked.“No, but….”I cut her off with a glare and she swallowed the rest of her words before bowing and turning to leave.I've alw
Ares' pov“What happened to him?” I turned to the guards closest to me.“I…I don't know, Alpha,” he looked genuinely confused.I growled lowly and could already feel my anger on the lid.He was just about to say something.Heck, I could finally put an end to all of this.And then this?I was about to land a blow on the guard when something from my peripheral vision caught my attention.The guards held their breaths as I stalked towards the small table on one side.“What's this?” I lifted one of the two empty glass cups.“We had given them water when it looked like they weren't going to wake up,” the head guard said.I narrowed my eyes and then it made sense to me.I sniffed the cup but there wasn't anything suspicious but I knew better.“Who gave you the water?” I asked coldly.“The head maid,” he replied.As soon as the words left his lips, I smashes the glass hard against the wall.The guards exchanged worried looks but I didn't spare them a glance.“Clean this up,” I said and storm
“What?” I asked in a flat tone as I folded the comforter I had been using.“I want you,” he said without missing a beat but what missed a beat was my heart.I bit the inside of my cheeks as anger welled up in me at the same time sweet tingles ran down my spine from the intensity of his stare.He took a step forward and I tossed the neatly folded comforter to the side and it landed in a pile on the ground.“Do you enjoy this?” I spat. “Do you enjoy all of this?” My tone grew and I pointed at the space in between the both of us. “Do you enjoy messing with my mind?” His brows knitted together and I would have thought he was genuinely confused about my accusations if I didn't know just what type of devil he was.“What…”He trailed off and I closed my eyes in a bid to control my anger and tongue.“Just leave,” I said calmly.“Why?” He retorted.Are you kidding me right now?!I narrowed my eyes in slits and we got caught in a mini staring contest.When it became obvious that he wasn't goin
He stumbled backwards a bit like I had physically jabbed him with my words.I immediately felt a pang of guilt but that only lasted a second.I had finally let it out.I had fallen for him in the midst of all this chaos, so quietly that I didn't realize when he rubbed off on me.But for him, this was all a game.He looked like he was trying to process what I'd just said as his eyes searched mine.But I put my guard up and crossed my arms.The silence between us was so loud and the tension thick but none of us seemed to be ready to break it.We stayed that way, suspended in time and in each other's gazes.Mine, firm. His, confused.His lips were still swollen and wet from the kiss we just shared making it difficult to focus on my anger.“Tabitha…” he finally broke the silence.“Don't,” I cut him off with a shake of my head. “Domt say anything.”I was so convinced that he was just going to walk all over my feelings that I had laid at his feet with his words and I wasn't sure how much m
I didn't say anything because I couldn't, but he probably took my silence as a nudge to continue.“The wedding is taking place at my cottage down west and we'll be there all weekend.”I was certain my mortification was evident on my face but he didn't seem to read between the lines.He didn't even get to just spring up something like this on me especially when we weren't on the best of terms.“Do you have any objections?” He asked.His formal tone irked me but I had more important things to worry about.It was one thing to know Jason and Galia were getting married but it was a whole other thing to witness it.“No objections. I'll like to kindly decline,” I said, imitating his tone.“You can't,” he said through clenched teeth. “You're going and that final!” He growled, leaving no room for arguments.But I wasn't done.“I'm not going! You can't just force me to do something against my own will!” I was almost yelling.“The contract you signed states otherwise,” he said with an evil glin
Ares' pov I clenched my fists to keep from slamming them against Jason's face as he eyed Tabitha up.He was fucking getting married.“Assistant,” I filled in for him.The words sounded very bitter in my throat because deep down, I wanted her to be more but I couldn't risk it.I couldn't tell if it was the satisfied smile on Jason's lips or the unbothered smile Tabitha returned to him that made my blood boil more.I was about to lead her upstairs when we were interrupted.“Look who it is,” his annoying voice made my muscles stiffen.I turned around to see the big shit-eating grin on his face.“What the fuck is he doing here?” I growled angrily at the sight of my half-brother.He wasn't even close to Jason and I knew without being told that he was up to no good.He always was.His eyes left mine and raked Tabitha's body and desire filled them.Why did she have to wear those goddamn sexy shorts?I growled lowly and pushed her behind my back and away from his predatory stare.She didn't
Surprisingly, the shower had been warmer and more relaxing than I'd expected and I felt all my worked up nerves rolling away with the water down the drain.Nyx was very ecstatic about this new development while I could manage was a scowl but I hoped to get by the weekend without any friction.In any way or form.Hopping out of the shower, my eyes fell on the piles of white towels neatly folded.They looked neat enough so I picked one and dried my body and another for my hair.I put on the new pair of clothes and not knowing what to do with my hair, left it to air-dry.I took a deep breath by the door and focused on calming my breath.When I was sure I was ready to face him again, I opened the door.His scent lingered but he was no where in sight.I had expected to be relieved by his absence but to my chagrin, I felt disappointed.I grimaced at my own feelings and walked to the bed.It was huge and could easily fit half a dozen of people. Ares and I could share it and there would be a
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