I didn't think much when Thorne said he'd do anything to win me over. I thought he would keep sending gifts or just go ghost as he had done some days before the ball. But his attitude completely surprised me this time. He showed up everywhere. Diedre thought he was following me around before, this beat what he was previously doing by far. He tried to sit in my classes which made all of us uncomfortable by his presence. He showed up with gifts which I declined each time. He tried to engage me in conversations whenever he found me alone which was most of the time because my friends had given me a lot of space, knowing his recent change in attitude. He tried to invite me to dinners and private spots but I turned him down. I didn't want to do any of that. And I was more annoyed by the fact that he could actually try if he wanted but never did. Only until it had gotten to this point. But I wasn't interested in his outings or conversations. I spotted Torren in the hallway which was a surpr
"You look surprised to see me," he said as he drew closer "I was surprised""I was hoping for happiness" I laughed because I had nothing to say. "You look beautiful as always" I flushed at the compliment. I rarely got that so it made me feel really happy. "Thank you" I beamed at him and he smiled wider, showing his teeth. "So what are you doing here?""Some business. I have to leave now I have to deliver something""Okay then. Let me not waste your time" I tried to walk past but he grabbed my arm. His touch was like a searing iron and I quickly yanked my arm away, uncomfortable with his touch. "Sorry" he mumbled and I just nodded. 'Don't let him touch us again' my wolf yelled in my head. I agreed with her and I was confused. Since when did the touch of other men feel like fire burning my skin? "Are you okay?" He stared at me, and concern filled his eyes. I nodded again. "It's just paintings. A little delay never hurt anyone""If they are expecting you, then you should go""T
ALPHA THORNE'S POVI was in a terrible mood. Anyone who came two inches close could tell. Even those who stood at a distance were wary of my terrible mood. And it hasn't gone without notice that they were doing their best to avoid my path not that I cared in the slightest but it made me aware of how shitty my mood was. Not too long ago, I wouldn't have minded the calmness and lack of disturbance but now it was constantly at the forefront of my mind. Because I suddenly cared. Just at the moment, she chose not to give two fucks. I ran my fingers through my already tussled hair. My wolf was silent giving me no assistance. He had already said all he wanted to say and now he was watching me pay the consequences of my actions alone. I was mentally exhausted from thinking about what I could possibly do to gain her favor back. Anything to make her look at me like I hung the stars on my neck. "All you want is her unwavering devotion to you" my wolf shot at me angrily. "What do you plan to
The three of us looked at ourselves. "Are you expecting a visitor?" Eiza was the first to speak. He had a frown as he shook his head. "No" the pounding increased and grew louder. "Whoever it is seems impatient" he stood up. "Stay here. I'll go check" he said and walked out but I felt uneasy so I followed out quickly. The door opened and he just managed to get out of the way as a large wolf tore through the door. I don't know how I knew but I recognized him immediately. It was Thorne. What was he doing here? The large wolf turned on Armand, baring his frightening canines. I felt the hit of power and my legs swayed. Armand and Eiza had fallen to the ground and the wolf was going to attack Armand. Why was Thorne trying to kill him? I had no time to think about it when the wolf lunged and I jumped in the way. He stopped a few inches away, eyes shining and body shaking with barely constricted fury. He snarled at me sending more of his intimidating aura and my legs swayed again almost
What were they doing here? That was the question I kept asking myself when I saw them standing right there at the top of the stairs. I was nervous and I hoped no one noticed it. I did my best to hide the turmoil of emotions I was feeling at this moment but my palms remained sweaty and my heart raced. The last time I was with them it almost didn't end well and I swore that I'd never see them again. I was happy to be free from them so why did they show up here? Their presence was threatening to ruin everything I’ve had for myself since I escaped their clutches. Fear was gradually taking over my body and I was shivering, goosebumps covering my arms. I felt someone's presence beside me and a hand slipped into mine, squeezing them a little and then holding me tight. I looked up and saw Thorne, he had a small smile on his face. I was still angry at him but I accepted his comfort. It was like an anchor in this storm that was going to sweep me away. Nothing missed his eyes. He must have n
The time for dinner finally reached and I wore a simple gown, I didn't want to be overdressed or underdressed because I was not trying to impress anyone. I was only attending the dinner because Eiza said it was mandatory since Thorne was attending. And I needed to show them that they didn’t scare me at all. "The gown is okay for the occasion" Eiza's voice interrupted my thoughts. I was looking at myself in the mirror lost in my head. My thoughts were still a mess and I was trying to appear confident even though I was anything but that. I looked away from the mirror. "Is everyone at the table already?" I asked her. "I think so. It's been some minutes since the time for dinner"“Do I really have to be there?” It was the fear speaking. A last-minute attempt to get away from dinner. "You have to be there for different reasons. First of all, you're the alpha's mate and secondly, if you don't go Bianca and Jonathan would think they still have an effect on you and they'll try to make you
He had a cruel smile on his face as he drew closer. "W-what are you doing here?" My voice was breaking and I was scared to my bones. I didn’t want him to know I was scared even though my heart was pounding in my chest. The memory of that night in the forest. His threat to me…. It was coming back and making me a nervous mess. "I came to see you but you are not happy to see me. Not even a smile or hug to welcome your dear brother” he said with a wicked smile. I scoffed. "Dear brother? I’m supposed to be happy for what reason?" I eye him up and down as I speak. “Don’t you miss me?” He had the audacity to look pitiful like I had a reason to miss him. “You’re insane Jonathan” I spat at him. "I couldn't get my eyes off you during dinner and I've been looking for a way to get you alone to talk but you've been avoiding me. It hurt me deeply that you didn’t want to see or talk to me as much as I wanted to speak to you. And now I've gotten that chance I'm going to use it wisely. I'll con
We entered his room and he led me to the bed and I sat down. This room still looked exactly the way it was when I left it. Nothing much had changed except the absence of my things at the side of the bed "Are you alright?" He asked me and I looked away from the bedside table, looking at him and that's when I noticed the bruises on his hand. "You're hurt" I sprang up and took his hand gently. He looked down at his hand. "It's nothing," he said trying to cover it but I pushed his hand away. "Have a seat" I stood up and went to get the first aid box from the bathroom, it was sitting exactly where it usually was and I grabbed it. When I came back to the room he was already seated and opened the box taking out what I needed and then I hit to work cleaning it.“Does it hurt?” I asked in a gentle voice.“No,” he said simply. Even though it looked painful but he probably wouldn’t admit it. “It’s okay to feel some pain,” I said and pressed down harder a bit. He winced and I smiled. "Sorr
When I finally got to the room and took a shower, I felt better and I sat on the bed. The door opened and Eiza came in, she had a smile on her face. "Good morning Ava. How are you doing today?""I'm fine Eiza. You look so happy this morning, care to share""I don't know the reason for my happiness. Maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed""Are you sure or you don't want to tell me""You know I can't hide anything from you and if there was anything I would have told you the moment I entered here. Did you go for training today?""Yes, I did. I just arrived here before you came in""How did it go?""It went well" She clicked her hand like she just remembered something. "That reminds me, I saw Torren the other day. The day you went out with the alpha and he wasn't looking happy. I tried to ask him what was wrong and he was hesitant at first but then he spilled. He was very sad. Have you heard anything from him?""Yeah. Not too long ago in fact. I met him after training today.
"What?" I was shocked by his utterance. He was going to leave here? Why?"That's a rash decision Torren. Why do you want to leave? Where will you go to?"He shrugged. "I don't know but I'm going to leave here and I'll never return. Maybe Matthew would finally know my worth when I'm gone from here" he said bitterly and I didn't think that was a good idea."Don't go Torren. Will you leave everything behind just to prove a point?""Yes. Didn't you want to go far away just so Thorne could realize his mistake?""I didn't want to leave because I liked him, I wanted to leave because of the way I was treated. You of all people should know that. I regretted mating with him because I rushed into everything thinking he liked me. And look how it turned out in the end. It was never a good idea. Running away from it is never a good idea""Hut really, How is it any different from my own? If he doesn't come after me then I can move on. But staying here, grasping at straws and hoping he'll change" "
The next day when I woke up, Thorne wasn't by my side. I wondered where he could have gone or if he was in the bathroom. What if he regretted what happened last night?‘Why would he?’ My wolf asked annoyed.‘Again with your insecurities’ she huffed but I ignored her. 'No, I won't think about it. It was a mistake' I said to myself. 'It's too early this. The day just started' my wolf said and shut me out. 'I was talking to myself. Not you' I spoke but she was already gone. I removed the covers and stood up from the bed, I went into the bathroom to freshen up for the day. I was going to read some books to keep myself busy after my training session later. I went to take a shower and I couldn't help but remember last night and how Thorne held me. No matter how hard I tried not to remember it was just in my head. 'That's because you can't take him off your head' And she was back again. 'Stop it, I don't need your input right now. You always have a way of putting things into my head'
"W-What..." I stuttered, a bit alarmed by his sudden entrance but also self-aware because I was exposed to his gaze."I-I... had...." He stuttered, also unfocused as he gazed at me, coming closer and closer. I stood at the sad spot, my eyes following him as he drew nearer. The moonlight shining on him was intoxicating to look at. His body and huge frame were like a work of art as I gazed at him. When he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around my naked body and kissed my shoulder softly."You look so beautiful" I purred in his touch, pushing my body against his. My nipples had hardened into pebbles and brushed against the rough material of his shirt. "I've seen so many beautiful things in my life. Paintings... Even The view outside is breathtaking." He whispered reaching his hands up to touch mine."But not even the greatest painter in the world couldn't capture the breathtaking beauty of you standing in front of me right now." He whispered with a second kiss on my neck.My e
"Sorry," I apologized again, just for the sake of peace because with the look brimming in her eyes, she was out for trouble and I wasn't in the mood to engage her. "What exactly are you sorry for?" She snapped and I pressed my fingers against my forehead. She really was going to take the long road. "Diedre... this isn't....""I really want to know what you're fucking sorry about. Bumping into me and breaking with what I'm holding or you're sorry for not seeing. Are you blind?" She raged angrily."I just said I was sorry Diedre. You don't have to be rude about it" I raised my voice equally even though I regretted right after for engaging her. "Would the sorry pay for what I was holding, it's very expensive. Not like you can tell the worth of anything with how measly you are"I pinched my lips tightly together, trying to stop myself from exploding. ‘She’s not worth it’ I repeated to myself.“Do you even have the money to buy it or do you just go and steal my brother's diamonds like
Days passed after the incident with Henry and Thorne had contacted the other alphas, they were going to track down the others so they could stop the trafficking of young boys and bring all those who were involved in the disgusting trade to book, serving as a déterrant to others who would think not starting or engaging in something as horrendous as that against small children. I couldn’t believe what they had done all these years, the lives they had ruined. Children were taken away from their families and forced into the harshness of that business. I was alone in the room and I was bored, I walked to the window and looked out. Today looked dull and I was thinking of something I could do to keep myself busy. Eiza had only dropped by earlier in the morning but I was still sleepy so I asked her to let me be. I had yet to see her since that time. Torren would be occupied too. I huffed as I moved away from the window.Since I woke up extra late today, I haven’t done my morning routine and
ALPHA THORNE'S POVAfter speaking with Ava, and she fell asleep in my arms, I left the room. It was hard to convince Ava that I was fine even with the cut, I saw how worried she was but I needed to speak with Mathew. I needed him to clarify some things. I wanted to be done quickly and get back to Ava before she realized that I was gone. And again, despite the situation, I just wanted to go back to holding her in my arms. It’s been a long time since I got to hold her like that and be surrounded by her addictive scent. It wasn’t fun to throw that moment away for crisis. When I arrived at the front of my office, Busta was waiting.“Henry is in the dungeon. Is there anything you’d like us to do until you’re ready to see him?”“Have him bound and watched at all times. I don’t want him slinking out of our sight. He could be the key to cracking the trafficking case once and for all”“Of course alpha. Do you need any other thing? You were injured”“I’m fine. Get me Mathew immediately. We nee
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice full of concern as I checked Thorne. He held onto the place where he had been stabbed, an annoyed look on his face.“I’m fine” he tried to smile but it did nothing to reassure me. The guards had grabbed a struggling Henry and dragged him away. “Are you fine?” Mathew tried to come close but he held up his hands stopping him. Diedre was crying loudly and I felt pity for her. She had just learned in the most cruel way how her mother had passed.“Let’s go” I tugged him gently and he let me take him away. I led him to his bedroom and sat him on the bed. The healer was called and the stab wound was attended to. He was in slight pain before the healer arrived and after the wound was treated he no longer felt pain, but he looked pale and I was relieved it wasn't something serious. I had been very scared when he was stabbed and I thought something was going to happen to him. I was supposed to be the one lying on the bed with the wound but he came just at the
Thorne came to me after I was dressed.“You look exquisite” he complimented as he kissed the side of my cheeks. “Let’s go” he offered his hands and I took it. We arrived at the large double doors and it was opened wide by the guards who stood at the entrance. We entered the dining and it was only Diedre who was seated, she looked shocked to see Thorne and I coming in together and holding hands. Thorne pulled out my chair for me to sit down and I sat before he took his own chair. "Good evening brother" Diedre greeted Thorne but he only acknowledged the greeting with a nod. I wasn't expecting her to greet me so I just kept quiet. But I felt her flare on me. The bitterness from her was reeking. One could perceive it from a thousand miles away. The servants started dishing the food at Thorne’s order. The others had not yet arrived. I wondered who the special guest was and why the person had not yet arrived. I wanted to ask Thorne about it but I decided to keep it to myself. If he de