“Bitch,” I muttered under my breath and resisted the urge to smash my phone against the wall.At this point, I couldn't tell if it was a prank or a threat but with each passing second that I read the message, it seemed more like the latter.“What do they want from me?” I thought to myself.If it was an ex-girlfriend of Ares', I definitely wasn't a threat to them.My mind played back the image of the chandelier falling on me.I couldn't just wait for them to launch another attack, could I?I pondered but I knew deep down that there was nothing else I could do.Walking over the bed and laying on it, I closed my eyes and remained that way for a long time.Soon, the bustling in the house returned and when I opened my eyes, it was already dark outside.I breathed in the air around me and my heart fell when I realized then Ares hadn't been in here all evening.My rolled over on my side, as I became more awake.My presence wasn't even needed here. What exactly was I here?Ares could have had
Me and Rodolfo, Galia and Jason, Chloe and the blonde guy, Ares and Noelle, and the other two couples, that was how we sat and that was how the circle went.Maybe it wasn't an entirely bad thing that I was sitting next to Galia….“Chloe, what's the most spontaneous thing Matt has done?” Galia started.“Easy. Stealing a car and driving in a hot chase from the police before returning the car,” she said and the circle erupted in laughter. “Had to pay an insane fine,” matt added.From the way the looked at each other, I could tell they were a couple.“Noelle,” Chloe asked. “What's the Alpha's favorite color?” “Easy. Blue,” she replied with a wide grin and I ignored the stab in my heart.She turned to give him a peck but his eyes were fixed on me. He didn't push her away either.The questions went round till it got to our turn.“Tabitha, what is the most interesting thing about Rodolfo?” The girl next to me asked.I resisted the urge to slap the amused smile from his face before I grabbe
He was so close to me.I could feel the heat from his body.His scent of musk, spice and a cologne mixed with the sea was so comforting and I resisted the urge to close my eyes and lean my back against him.“Tabitha,” he made his presence known even though he didn't need to.But at the same time, my name rolling out of his lips that he had probably kissed Noelle all day with, felt like a wake up call, and all the anger that the view of the sea tried to suppress, came rushing back to me.I wiped my tears angrily with the back of my palms but didn't move.Maybe if I stayed still enough, I would leave me alone.But there was no such luck for me.He gripped my elbow and turned me around.I immediately yanked my arm away from him like he had burned me.A flickering of hurt flashed through his eyes but he quickly masked it with a hard look.“Tabitha…” he took one step forward and I took two back.He clenched his jaw and ran his fingers through his tousled hair and I resisted the urge to loo
Ares' pov My heartbeat was loud, the waves louder, but none of it could drown the chaos in my mind as I watched her leave.My fingers ached to draw her back. My claws itched to dig into her full hips. My voice almost betrayed me and yelled her name. My wolf tried to break out and nuzzle his snout in the crook of her neck but I couldn't bring myself to do any of it.Her words resonated in my mind and I hated myself a little more each passing second I let her take a step away from me.She wasn't even lying.I was weak.Too weak to fight my demons and choose to be with her.But then, this was the plan, right?This was all I've wanted from the first day she opened her mouth to reject me.To get her to love me so that when I left this earth, I would leave a void in her heart that nobody would ever be able to fill.But each time I stared at her eyes that reminded me of a drop of honey in a bowl of milk, I couldn't bring myself to do it anymore.She was better off hating me than loving me.
Ares' pov I stared at the empty bed but shook away the words my mind was telling me.Not even her faint scent in the room, indicating she hadn't been there for hours, could convince me.My legs suddenly developed minds of their own and I walked deeper into the room.Empty.Walking towards the bathroom, I knocked once and waited for her response, hoping with everything in me that she was in there in a pool of bubbles.But given the time of day, I wasn't sure how likely that would be.When I didn't get a response, I pushed the door open.Everywhere was dry and cold, like nobody had been there in months.Dashing towards the closet, I pushed it open but only the glaring white paint of the walls and my clothes on one side of the wall greeted me.Her things were gone!I stumbled on my feet and as if on cue, my head split in a terrible headache, reminding me of my excessive drinking last night.I massaged my temple in a bid to ease the drumming in my head but the more I thought about her le
Dropping the book and cup of coffee on the coffee table in front of me, I stood up.My eyes were fixed on him with my lips in a thin line.He looked terrible, miserable even. But even in this state, he still managed to take my breath away.His hair was sticking out in ever direction, probably from incessant tugging. His eyes were bloodshot with heavy eye bags underneath. He looked like he could get some more sleep but he was standing there, in front of me.I subtly pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming and that he was really standing there but he was.His eyes were thick with emotions and his chest heaved rapidly.“Tabitha,” he whispered and my stomach flipped, the feeling I always got when he said my name.He charged towards me and before I could register what was going on, his arms were around me in a tight hug that restricted my airflow.My arms laid limp by my sides as my mind swirled at what was going on.Nyx purred, cooed and jumped in my mind and I glared at how cheap s
The world spun around my head but somehow, the only constant remained Ares' striking blue eyes that stared back at me with a thousand unspoken emotions.“Say something. Anything!” I yelled in my mind but no words could come out of my throat.My heart leapt out of my chest and did a number of backflips as I stared at his parted lips.After a while of induced dumbness, my tongue soon connected with my brain and I remembered how to speak.“I…”“Shhh,” he interrupted me with a shake of his head.His calloused palm stroked mine in a firm, yet gentle caress.“Don't feel pressured to say anything back. I'm not telling you all of this so I can get a reply from you right now. I'm just tired of running, and I'm ready to face anything that happens from now heads on. No woman has ever made me feel the way you do and I want you to know how special you are. We're not going to rush anything until you're totally ready,” he paused and darted his tongue out to wet his lips. My eyes followed his moveme
I clasped my hands over my mouth but my lips quivered uncontrollably and another blood-curling cry escaped my lips.In an instant, a pair of strong hands gripped my elbows, pulling me into a hard chest.The murmurs around me began to grow and Ares was whispering things to me but I couldn't hear past the ringing in my ears as I stared at Candice's body hanging off the ceiling, held by a thick rope, with her dead eyes staring right at me.“Shhhh, you're okay. It's okay,” my senses came to focus and I heard Ares whispering.He tried to lead me out of the room but my feet felt like jelly and he held my sides to keep me up.My eyes traveled to the maids, some of them looking horrified while others crying hysterically.“Get this cleaned up,” Ares commanded the guards but I couldn't hear anything more as he simply carried me away, up the stairs.I bunched a fistful of his shirt in my palm as I needed to hold onto something to steady my steps.He pushed the door of his room open and led me to
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