I was lost in a maze of unanswered questions as I watched the retreating maid. Images of Vyn having these same facial expressions at the hospital when I had asked for some cold water flashed in my head. "Tia, is it a taboo to request for a cold glass of water?" I inquired, feeling uneasy. "No, it's not. Everyone knows that I prefer a room temperature glass of water," Tia revealed, and I opened my mouth in silent realization. "Why are you just telling me this?" I questioned and then added, "How am I supposed to pretend I like drinking a glass of water that isn't cold?""You'll get used to it. Tough luck, honey," Tia said, and I thinned my lips. I headed straight to the restroom, accepting that this was what fate had in store for me. I freshened up, returning to a glass of water sitting on the vanity mirror with a sticky note beside the cup.I inched closer to it and scanned through the note. "Hi, I know you are still recovering, but turn around and make a choice." I read out lou
The door behind me creaked open, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a few maids and guards, flooding into the room. "What's going on?" The ginger-haired man that had hugged Vyn earlier, asked, his hand already gripping the head of his sword. I returned my gaze to my front, watching as Vyn tried to pry the cub off my dress, but the little tiger was adamant. It growled and pulled harder. A loud, sharp tear echoed through the air, and with wide open eyes, I tried to pull myself back, earning more tears that exposed my bare thighs. "Calm down. He wouldn't bite you. He's still a cub. The more you struggle, the more he attacks," Tia advised, but I wasn't buying it. "Did the cub tell you he wouldn't bite me?" I asked Tia, watching as Vyn and ginger-haired man pried the cub off of me. Tia snorted, "You have no idea what suspicions you've brought upon yourself." I blocked Tia out, pushing her to the back of my mind. I didn't want to hear anything else from her. My heart
He sat beside me, eyeing me with skepticism. "Are you okay?" I nodded, feeling my heart constrict with anxiety. "I'm sorry about the cub. I should have left you to get better before bringing such a surprise to you," Vyn apologized, and I was flabbergasted. I thought I blew my cover. Another knock on the door, and I could sense that it was Lana. Giving her permission to come in, she entered with a tray of food. "Since we couldn't get to the best part of the surprise, I decided to bring it here," Vyn said. I caught myself smiling, and I thinned my lips immediately into a neutral expression. Vyn was a charmer, but no, I wouldn't let there be a second Richard. "Stop restricting yourself. Answer the call of the mating bond and that of your heart. Vyn is a good man," Tia said. "I don't think he trusts me. He looks at me with suspicion," I replied back, staring at Vyn, watching him uncover the plates. My mouth watered at the sight of rice, filled in a wide plate and chicken curry s
I juddered, spinning to face him. "Er, hi," I simpered, waving awkwardly at him as I tried to stand properly. "No, what? No. I was..." I trailed off, racking my head for the perfect excuse to give him. "...I wasn't–I am not learning how to fight again. You know I haven't gotten much of my mobility back since I was in a coma for a month." Vyn crossed his arms against his chest, narrowing his eyes into slivers of scrutiny. His jaw grew taut, and the expression in his eyes showed that he wasn't buying what I was saying... yet. "I also thought it'd be fun to learn again. You know the excitement that comes with learning something you love," I explained, turning back to my reflection. I took the stance of a fighter in a battlefield, waiting to lunge at his or her opponent. After a moment's silence, he spoke. "It will be an honour for me to teach you then. Hopefully, I can help you regain your mobility back." I eyed him through the mirror, nodding enthusiastically. With his
My body shook, and I could feel nothing but blind terror. I swallowed her in a bid to push down the lump that had grown in my throat. "What–what do you mean by who I am?" I struggled to speak because his fingers gripped my neck tight, almost restricting my inflow of oxygen. "Answer me," he snapped, his teeth still jammed together. Vyn's face was flushed with anger, glowing a bright shade of red. Fat veins throbbed in his temples, conveying just how agitated he was. Furiously, I tapped on his hand, tears brimming in my eyes as he gripped my neck tighter. I was going to grow unconscious if he didn't let go. "P–please," I stammered, gasping for air. "I can't breathe. I'm going to die–die if you keep doing this." "Then speak up before you die," he said with a low growl. I tapped furiously with ragged breathings. Vyn eased his grip around my neck, but his fingers still clutched my neck like a bracelet. "I can't b–breathe," I gasped, and he completely let go of my neck. "Now, spea
"What's going in?" I asked, and Vyn released his hold on me. "Some kind of dispute," Slade answered with a grim expression. He shifted his weight to one of his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. "Majority of the pack members are outside, chanting." "Chanting?" I repeated, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. Vyn and I shared a concerned look, both of our brows knitted into a deep frown. Vyn picked up the television remote, turning down the volume. Their muffled voices filtered into the room, prompting Vyn to turn off the television. "Do you have an idea of what this is about?" I asked Slade, and he shook his head with a hint of apprehension in his eyes. "But they seem really displeased," Slade revealed. "Tia, do you have an idea of what is going on?" I inquired, and she replied with nothing but silence, which reflected the uncertainty she felt. I headed towards the door with a gnawing feeling in my stomach. Slade stepped aside, holding the door open for me.Once
Once I stepped into my room, it enveloped me in a comfortable and warm silence. A sigh of relief mixed with weariness slipped out of my lips, and I kicked off my training shoes. Trailing my eyes to the bed, it invited me, and I accepted its offer, plopping down on it. The tension that had intertwined my muscles dissipated, and the pain from today's practice seeped into my joints. I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. Today was one hell of a roller coaster. I still hadn't recovered from Vyn's attack after he figured it wasn't me. "That was really a close one," Tia sighed, and I agreed with her. "We have to be more careful from now on. We might not be so lucky next time." "You still haven't told me the things I should know about you to avoid such clumsy mistakes," I said, thinking of how to get off this bed and head to the restroom. I needed to shower. "Yeah, that's true. We can do that under the shower," she responded, finally giving me the motivation to rise from my bed. I ho
He sat beside me, butt naked, and I resisted the urge to steal a glimpse at his dick. I grabbed the duvet off the bed and wrapped it around my body, still feeling flushed. I couldn't comfortably stand naked in front of him yet. "Is something wrong?" I asked, feeling a faint lump in my throat. What did he want to talk about? Had he found out I wasn't Tia and wanted to calmly talk it out with me?The look in his eyes grew dark when he angled his head, staring intensely at me. What had I done this time? "Did I say something bad?" I asked him, and then sadness filtered into his eyes. Was this man bipolar? How could he switch between different emotions in less than a minute? I felt a dull ache in my chest when a thought crossed my mind. "Did something happen to Sa–mom?" I inquired. "What? No." He shook his head. "Then what is it?" I probed. "Your silence is killing me.""Sorry, I acted that way. The thought of it made me angry, and then sadness breezed through me at the memory of ho
Tia’s povI stared at my bedroom door, transfixed on the man’s shadow seeping into my room through the space underneath the door. I knew exactly who was standing there and I prayed to the goddess that he would knock.I stopped myself several times from ripping the door open and pulling him in. I missed my mate, I missed his scent. I missed him in my space, I missed everything about him, and I hated this insignificant rift between us.Jayven walked away after standing in front of my door for so long, and I fell onto my bed, screaming my frustration into the pillows.Why was he making it so hard for us? All I needed was an olive branch- or a goddamn leaf. I wanted him to make an effort before I made one, was that too much to ask?“I don’t know if this is the right time to intrude on your thoughts” Tia’s sarcastic voice made me roll my eyes.“What do you have to say oh wise shaman?” I placed an arm over my face, “If you’re going to berate me like you always do, I’ll plead with you to ple
Jayven’s PovI swallowed the sigh of relief when I saw a guard standing in front of my door with his hand in the air as if he wanted to knock again. He saluted the moment he saw me.“Good evening, Beta.”“Good evening.” I stuck my head out of my door, and looked from left to right. There was no one else there. “What can I help you with? Is there a problem?”He shook his head, “One of the town’s representatives came by and refused to leave without seeing the Alpha, I told him she was indisposed and now he won’t leave without seeing you.”“What could the town representatives want at this late hour?” It was a rhetorical question, “Tell him I’ll be down soon, let me step into the bathroom,”“I’ll wait here Beta. If I leave without you, he might start trouble or hound me to death with questions.”I smiled at the guard and closed the door. I should have hopped into the shower after Slade left, but I was too tired to, and I had no idea I would be meeting anyone else tonight.A sniff under my
Jayven's PovI was going to create a new path in my former room with my pacing, but my thoughts were all over the place. I grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled until it hurt my scalp. How did I get so sloppy? I wondered how Lyra had cornered me once again into her games.How had she sent those two girls to implicate me? My mind turned over every possibility. How had she gotten the idea to pay a woman to seduce me? The worst part was the plan to get a video of me showing the intimate moment we shared. I punched the wall, gritting my teeth. How did I find myself back here? Her web was pulling me into a dark place.“Are you trying to break the house down?” Slade's voice rang from the doorway, and I turned to see him frowning at me and the fist sized hole in the wall.I ignored him, too lost in my head and my thoughts. I was drowning in my head to be bothered about the wall.“Look, I don’t know what’s wrong but I can see there’s something. If you are upset about Tia, the truth is I
Lyra’s pov“A little help, please.” The doctor glared at me over her shoulder. “We need to clean her up, help me carry her to the bathroom. Her pulse is weak but steady.”I stepped into the room with my hand over my nose, eyeing Dina’s crumpled body with disgust. “Can’t I get someone else to help with this? I feel like I’m going to throw up.”The doctor stared at me in disbelief. “Aren’t you supposed to be her sister? I’m asking you to help me; she might get worse if we don’t attend to her now. Grab her ankles.” Of course the bitch would want me to grab the legs, giving me a great view of the mess Dina had made. I hated the plan for going so well. Why didn’t Dina stumble into the hall and shit herself to death? Or better still do all the shitting in her room?The doctor and I managed to get her in the bathtub. “Her clothes have to go. I need to run down to the clinic to get what I need to treat her.”“What?” I managed to keep my voice low. “I thought you said we were going to do thi
Lyra’s pov“What the fuck did you do?” I jumped off my bed, watching my well drafted plan stain my rug. “That is going to be fucking hard to wash out.”Dina jumped at the sound of my voice. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to drop the plate, it just slipped from my fingers.”I squeezed my eyes closed, stopping myself from throttling her. “It’s fine, Dina. You’re still recovering. I’ll go check if there’s another plate for you.”“No, it’s fine.” Dina stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. “I don’t want to stress you like that. I’ll survive on water for the rest of the day. I’ll eat after the doctor’s re-examination.”“But you haven’t eaten anything since morning, aren’t you supposed to test out your strength with the doctor? If she rules you out, then you won’t be able to resume.”Dina frowned, “You’re correct, Lyra. I’ll go downstairs to get a new plate for myself, I feel really bad for stressing you this way.” Dina opened the mini fridge in my room, and pulled out a bottle of water.“
Lyra’s PovDina stepped out of the room gracefully, and I cut off a snarl that was climbing out of my throat. I had always hated the way she did everything without stress; she glided into rooms like a queen walking on air.I stood rooted to my spot, biting my thumb. I hated the fluidity between Tia and Dina, and to top it off our Alpha was behaving weirdly. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and my eyes roamed over her as she laid comfortably on the bed. There were so many plans playing over in my head and all those plans would not move forward if Dina returned to her post. I needed to remove her permanently from her spot and fast before she fully returned. “Why are you still standing there?” Tia’s soft voice snapped me out of my murderous thoughts. “If you’re wondering, I am not upset about the ashes; we’ll buy a new vase to replace the ashes- what’s left of it.”“Thank you, Alpha.” I bowed my head. “I was extremely worried about that disturbing incident, especially since you hav
Lyra’s PovMy throat constricted, burning with each saliva I swallowed down. I nursed my neck, feeling my tears stinging my eyelids. I eyed him, my chest rising and falling as I thought about ways to make him pay for what he just did. Nobody threatened or hurt me. I always got away with things just like I did when I was much younger before I was sent away from my pack, and I was lucky enough to have been taken in by the Solaria pack. Jayven raked his eyes over my body from head to toe with contempt in his eyes. He hissed, averting his gaze and turning to comb his fingers through his hair. "Leave before I make it your last breath," he said with venom dripping down his voice. Gritting my teeth, I picked up the last of dignity and walked out of the room. I caressed my neck, hoping it would ease the pain I felt. My ears perked up when I heard the sounds of Tia's cub growling from the other side of the hallway. "Shu!" I heard a familiar voice trying to usher the cub away. "Don't do
Lyra’s PoVWhat? Dina was back? I was hoping she'd stay there for a longer time. Why was she back so soon. Skye dashed out of the study, and the head maid jolted a little as shoved out of the way for Skye. "Oops!" I exclaimed, holding my cheeks as I looked back at Alpha Tia with fake apology. "I'll go get him." "He's such a bundle of joy," Tia said as I walked out of the study. "Skye!" I exclaimed, scanning the entire hallway for the little cub that was warming its way into everyone's heart. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Why did Dina get better? I needed to act fast. I needed to look for another way to keep her out of the Alpha's life. I didn't want to leave when I was just getting started. When I had initially gone into Tia's study, thinking she was alone and might need her fur-baby to cheer her up, I was elated to have seen Slade seated beside her. A devilish smile gripped the sides of my lips. She was following my advice, and I was happy to see that. I should apply
I waited patiently, singing along with the clock–tick-tock, tick–tock. I could swear I looked like the devil with the way I was seated upright with my fingers clasped on the desk, waiting for Slade to walk past that door. The door burst open, and my eyes landed on those of Vyn. There was fear in his eyes, and worry lines marred his forehead. I quickly let the smile of my lips disappear as I sighted him. His chest heaved, and I could tell he got scared that there was something wrong with me. "Is everything alright?" Vyn asked, but I looked past him, now glueing my eyes to Slade, who stood behind him. "Alpha Moon," Slade called, letting himself into my study. "Is everything okay? One of the men said you needed help.""Oh. Yes, Slade." I cocked my brows, picking the file from the table and holding it in the air. "I didn't mean to have scared you and your friend. I just needed help with the treaties and other contracts I'm to sign. I don't want to make a mistake and sign a death contr