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73: COLD AS DEATH
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The Mate Agreement 74: DEADLY RIGHT HOOK
It’s almost like swimming; just like swimming.I’m swimming in dreams; I try to grab at the portals and gateways to other worlds, other realities, but it’s like trying to catch a specific droplet of water in a cold, deep swimming pool. Reality fills my lungs like chlorine.My eyes flutter open.Above me is a chandelier; unfamiliar, golden, it’s bulbs gleaming like stars. I have never seen that chandelier before. Not once in my entire life. I’m sunk in a sea of soft white sheets, and I cant quite feel my hands because they’re buried so deep beneath the softness.And then a man’s face looms into view above me, blocking the chandelier.I scream, shooting out of bed; electrified, my right fist tightening, my arm swinging the punch carelessly out of my panic. But it makes blunt contact with the guy’s jaw and pain spreads like molten lava over my knuckles.“God of chaos!” The guy swears, reeling back as he cradles his jaw, working it like it might've been hanging off the hinges. He chuckles
The Mate Agreement 75: TWO BUTTERFLIES
The Ravenstone’s home is not just a pack house. It’s not even a simple pack mansion. It’s a freaking pack estate. And Mila Ravenstone takes no liberties in wowing us on the tour. Whenever Wilma and I become convinced there is no cooler building than the last, the next one turns out to be even better.We start the tour from the private quarters; reserved for the alpha and beta’s family, where Wilma and I were being hosted, and moved to a movie theater, the hospital building, a freaking general store, a swimming pool that’s open to all pack members, a massive parking lot with at least more than forty flashy cars, a restaurant that even serves Italian dishes, a sports arena with all kinds of sports equipment and even a kindergarten.“It’s practically a town.” Wilma says, impressed, and I can only speechlessly nod, my mouth ajar like an idiot.We had to drive a golf cart around just for the sake of easier navigation. Now, Mila restarts the engine, having finished showing us the kindergart
The Mate Agreement 76: SELFISH LOYALTIES
I blink.In a flash, Ethan has the hooded figure pinned to the wall, arms twisted behind their back in an angle that looks painful. “What the fuck?!” The hood falls away, revealing black hair held up in a high ponytail, and Alexia Haufmann’s face contorted in pain.My eyes widen. “Lexie?”“You’re gonna break my fucking arm!” She yells.“Ethan, let her go.” I order quickly.Ethan glances at me hesitantly, then lets her go, stepping back.She glares at him, wincing. “The fuck, man?”“What the hell were you doing?” I demand of her.“Braiding her hair, what else would I be doing?”I look over at mom and sure enough, her hair has carefully been parted in two, and there’s an unfinished braid on one side.A breath of relief leaves me. “I thought…”“You thought what?” Lexie prods, looking at me with hurt.I shake my head. “Nevermind.”It was ridiculous of me to even think that. We’re safe here. And I can trust Alexia. Right? I steal another glance at her; the brown rope of her shark tooth nec
The Mate Agreement 77: CLASHING AESTHETICS
I try on more dresses than I care to count.I thought prom dress shopping with Wilma and Bibah was torture? Mila’s idea of a makeover is basically hell. Two maids have been fussing over my hair for an hour now, trying to shape my red tendrils into a hairstyle that suited Mila’s taste. I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten heat damage from the amount of times a curling iron has passed through my hair. My lungs feel like they’re congested with hairspray.Mila holds up a sparkly blue dress with a corset bodice. “Perfect.” She mutters to herself, beaming, pleased.It’s not my color, but I’m not about to argue right now. I’ll willingly wear a potato sack of her choice if it means she’ll stop making me try on more dresses. It’s more workout than I’ve had since fighting Lucien and his men.A stray curl falls over my eyes, and I huff it away with a breath.It falls right back.I sigh, resigned.It would be rude and discourteous to decline the invitation to the pack dinner, and that’s the only reason ke
The Mate Agreement 78: IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES
“Uh, sorry to interrupt your display of authority, oh mighty one-eyed alpha, but you see that look on my sister’s face? It means she’s either gonna throw a mean comment or her fists.”Luke Ravenstone raises a singular, dark, military straight eyebrow. His gaze travels to my fists, and sure enough, he finds them clenched. A mild threat, although I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in the world this man can feel threatened about. His eye darts behind me, straight to Wilma, still snuggled in the bed.“She doesn’t like being told what to do.” My sister adds, and I almost crack a smile.Luke tugs at the glove on his right hand; the only tell-tale sign of discomfort I can decipher from him. “And I don’t like being disobeyed.” He counters, his frown deepening although I can tell that his annoyance is being replaced by something else; curiosity.Maybe even amusement.“Ha! You should tell that to your tie.” Wilma says, and from my peripheral vision, I see her point to it. “It’s crooked.”It’s not.
The Mate Agreement 79: NOT UNFORGIVABLE
What a mess.I realize I don’t know where William’s room is when I exit the dining hall to find him. And these sparkly heels are fucking uncomfortable. They don’t even fit well.I kick off the heels and pick them up.Sighing, I begin to roam the hallways of the private quarters. It’s like a maze; confusing, large, frustrating, and I don’t stumble into anybody I can ask for directions. Although I think that’s probably a good thing. I don’t want to have to talk to any strangers right now. For safety measures, I turn another corner and hope no one followed me out of the dining hall.I try my best to think of it logically; mine and Wilma’s room are upstairs on the second floor. Shouldn’t his be somewhere around there? But our rooms are guest rooms. There’s a third floor above, but I have no idea where it leads to. I huff out a breath. Mila left the private quarters out on the tour.Mila…I wonder if she’ll still be as hospitable as she had been before, now that her husband has all but ann
The Mate Agreement 80: STARS
Silence answers me.Is he asleep in there? Or is he even in there at all? I knock again, listening closer for any sound. Nothing. I glance at Rosa questioningly, and she gives me a nod. I take a deep breath before opening the door.It’s empty.William Ravenstone is not in here.I walk in, and a shiver wrecks through my body. It’s so cold in here, because the air conditioner has been left on full blast and all the two windows in the room are open, letting in the chilly night air.I look around the space. It’s so different from his room back in the Acadia Academy dorms. First off, it’s gigantic, furnished with a king sized bed, a walk-in wardrobe, a workspace, a bookshelf on the far wall, and a chandelier. But it lacks… life. There are no chessboards, or plants, or a cat named after a chess prodigy, or sketches on the desk. The whole room could’ve simply been copied from a home magazine and pasted in real life.I turn to Rosa, and she’s already looking at me. I swallow the small sense o
The Mate Agreement 81: A KILLER AMONG US
“Bella!”I groan and turn away from the voice, trying to sink deeper into sleep. I’m underneath the embrace of clouds, floating through my dreams, but the voice comes again, shaking me out of my slumber.I peel my eyes open and find my sister’s panicked face, looking down on me. Something about the way her eyes are wide and seem to be in shock makes me bolt upright in bed.Wait, bed?I don’t remember when I got back to my room last night. All I can remember is the rooftop, with William’s head on my lap and staring at the stars. I must’ve fallen asleep there, right after he had. I’m still in the blue dinner dress, which explains why my body feels like it’s bound.“Bella!” Wilma calls again, shaking my shoulders.I blink back at her, fully awake now. Her expression makes a shot of panic flash through me like electricity. My heart climbs up to my throat. I don’t want to think of what could get Wilma shaken like this, but the worst case scenario comes to my mind. Mom. “What is it?” I dema
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The Mate Agreement 111: EPILOGUE
The Mate Agreement 110: THE END
The Mate Agreement 109: PREMONITIONS OF CHAOS
The Mate Agreement 108: MOTORBIKE
The Mate Agreement 107: SPEEDBOAT DINNER
The Mate Agreement 106: LUCKY GIRL
The Mate Agreement 105: YOU’RE KINDA HOT WHEN YOU NAG
The Mate Agreement 104: LOST TO WHIMSY
The Mate Agreement 103: IMMERSED
