LYRIC
We left the bar together, heading to his hotel as he called it. We drove off in his Arcanis GT. It was one of the most expensive cars in the world.
Whoever this man was, he was filthy rich. Could he possibly be an Alpha?
A part of me had been tempted to ask questions, but none of it mattered. We were simply going to make love and never see each other again.
......
It was the best night of my life. He made love to me in the sweetest way. Although, it was my first time, I wasn't sure intimacy could be any sweeter. I didn't want us to stop.
The stranger had been shocked to know I was a virgin. The entire session, he kept asking if I was fine and needed him to be more gentle. For the first time, someone cared about my feelings.
But something unusual happened during the intercourse.
Everything had been going so fine until he suddenly jerked while inside me and came with a deep groan.
I was shocked, but we were both in the moment and could not ask questions.
He got off me almost immediately, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"That is strange," he muttered to himself.
I was equally confused. I thought he couldn't finish on a woman?
He looked at me, and from how long it was, I could tell he was staring at me like I was a puzzle.
I was still lying on my back, exhausted. Soon, he joined me, lying beside me. He held his head up with his elbow.
"Who are you?" He ran a finger along my jaw. The touch was electric.
I swallowed hard. I am just an ugly girl who has been abandoned by everyone she's ever come across.
To my surprise, he took off his mask.
My mouth fell open in shock at the face before me. Good Moon! If he wasn't the most stunning man I'd ever met!
He was too good-looking. I could never have someone like him. He was too good for me.
I pulled the duvet further to conceal my body.
"You should've told me you were a virgin at the bar," he said.
What did it matter? I didn't care about being a virgin anymore.
Slowly, his hand reached for my face. Realizing what he had in mind, I gasped and recoiled.
"No." I shook my head, gripping the duvet tight.
"Why? You've seen my face."
Still, I shook my head.
"Our deal still stands. There's nothing to be afraid of." He added.
You don't understand! You'll hate me if you see my face.
The night was going too smoothly. I didn't want anything to ruin it.
"I'm ugly." I mumbled, dipping my head.
He seemed surprised.
He reached for my face again and this time, I didn't try to stop him. This was my fate.
He pulled off the mask, put a finger under my chin and tipped my head up to meet his gaze.
Tears glistened in my eyes as I stared into his—his silver charming eyes.
He was staring right at my face; at my scar. He was going to run away now.
I shivered and closed my eyes when he ran a finger along the scar. What was he doing?
"What happened?" His tone was soft, his fingers still caressing my face.
I met his gaze and so far, there was no resentment in his eyes.
"S—Someone attacked me." I swallowed. "I was abducted and blindfolded while they hurt me. I've visited a lot of doctors, but none has been able to help"
Seconds passed. He didn't take his eyes off me.
"You're beautiful," he murmured. I frowned. What was he talking about? "You really think the scar makes you ugly?"
I shook my head, pulling my face away from his grasp. "I am ugly. Everyone tells me."
More to my surprise, he pulled me in beside him, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. "Until tonight, I don't think I've ever met a lady as stunning as you, Princess."
My heart quickened as I listened to his heartbeat with my head on his chest. Uncontrollably, a tear escaped my lid. He was lying. He only wanted me to feel better.
"Do you think we could adjust our deal? I'd love to spend another day with you," he said, shocking me to the core.
What!? This was not possible.
"I—I—"
"Please."
My heart melted instantly. For the first time in my life, I was being begged to stay. Not leave.
I buried my face in his chest as I responded: "I'd love to."
........
But like everyone else, he lied to me.
Like everyone else, I was deceived.
By morning, he was gone.
I woke up and couldn't find him in bed. There was no note, no trace that he had even been with me aside from the ache in-between my legs.
And to make it worse, someone showed up at the door, asking me to leave.
"The man I came with last night, do you think he'd come back?" I asked the man, my heart racing in my chest.
"No. It was his idea to get you to leave. He said he doesn't want to see you anywhere near this property. Please, leave this instant," the man said and left.
And just like that, my heart was shattered all over. But surprisingly, it hurt more than when I had been rejected by Roderick.
LYRIC "I'm sorry, ma'am; but I'm here to pick someone. I can't give you a free ride, if that's what you're asking." I struggled to hold back my laughter as I listened to Rufus, one of my father's oldest guards say, his eyes darting past my shoulder, looking out for the person he had been assigned to pick from the airport. "I know. You have been sent to pick Lyric Harper, right? It's me, Rufus."His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You still haven't told me how you know my name. And...And how can you be Lyric? It's not possible." He shook his head. "Lyric is—""Ugly?" I finished for him, a broad smile on my face. He frowned as he shook his head. Back then, Rufus was the only one that had never been able to call me ugly. He was among the very few that had cared about my feelings, and even now, to a stranger, he still couldn't call me ugly. I laughed. "Well, would it help if I reminded you that your favorite soup was butternut squash and you and little Lyric used to
Roderick Fletcher. The one man I'd hoped would love me but never did. The mind was a bitch. I thought I was over Roderick's betrayal and wouldn't feel a thing when I met him. But watching him as he approached me, looking like he was the one in charge made my eyes rim with tears. I sniffled and looked away, forcing the tears back in. "So, I had to come over to speak to you myself," he leaned against the counter beside me. "How daring."My throat was tight, unable to find any words. I feared there would be a crack in my voice if I managed to speak. Three guards hovered beside him, their eyes darting around. Roderick looked sophisticated, like he'd obviously been having a good life. What was he even doing here? Was he picking someone?"What's the name?" He tilted his head as he asked. I said nothing, won't even look at him. "Hello?""I don't feel like disclosing my name to strangers," I finally managed. My voice was tight. His eyes beamed with amusement. And here was a man who n
LYRIC It had to be a joke. Or at the very least, not what I was thinking. Father's eyes turned more serious as he moved toward me. "I thought of offering Nora to him, but she's already with someone else, and the Alpha King might become furious if he thinks we're trying to offer him someone else's woman. This is the reason you're the only choice we have, Lyric. And... you have no idea how perfect it is that you have your face back. Initially, I had been worried we'd have issues with the Alpha King accepting you, but now, I am confident he'll be thrilled.""Hold on," I scoffed, placing a hand on my thigh. "Please don't tell me you made me travel all the way from Draconis just to be told that I am about to be sacrificed to a demon."No wolf was stranger to the name ' Darkspire'. Even me who knew little of Pack matters still knew how dangerous they were and nobody wanted to have anything to do with them; not in this life, not in another. "Alpha Jaris is not a demon,
"Jaris, you're here." Isolde said with relief. "Please, meet Alpha Bennett of Ravencrest. This is his daughter we talked about."I'd stopped breathing since he walked in. In that moment, nothing else, other than the pain in my chest seemed to exist. Memories I'd been fighting so hard to stay buried reared their ugly heads at me. And the name 'Princess' echoed in my head, hauntingly, I wanted to scream. He had been Jaris? Alpha of Darkspire? I couldn't believe this. Unlike that night, when he looked at me with those charming eyes and called me beautiful, his eyes were very cold now; devoid of emotion. He didn't look like the man I'd wanted to spend an extra day with. He looked ruthless, like a man I wanted to run as far away as possible from. Now it made sense. That night, he'd only been sweet 'cause he wanted to deceive me. Oh, how foolish I had been. And how he must have laughed at me when I laid my head on his chest. He must have been disgusted too. I contemplated running. I di
LYRICOn the bed was a young boy, just about the girll's age, shaking profusely. It wasn't shivering-kind of shake. He looked like someone that was in hell. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his tiny hands were fisted around the sheets. I didn't think I'd seen a little child in so much pain before. "My goodness, what is wrong with him?" I asked, alarmed, as I ran to meet him in the bed. His eyes were tightly shut, small grunts of pain escaping his throat. "It happens to him often but it's getting worse by the day. I don't know where mummy went, and daddy's busy. I can't go to him."Touching the boy's forehead, it was as hot as burning coal, I almost hissed. For the love of Selene, he was in a terrible state! A child like him didn't deserve to go through this. I should be finding a way to get him to his parents to take him to a doctor, but I think I might know what to do. I turned to the little girl to ask her something, only to discover she was crying.
"It must be mere luck," she cleared her throat. "I'm sure she didn't have to do much."I was tempted to laugh. Mere luck? Did she have any idea the effort I had to put in?She stepped away from the door. "Leave. Now."For a spitting second, I wondered why Jaris wasn't making her his Luna. She looked beautiful and already had kids for him."I'm sorry I invaded your kids' privacy. The little boy just needed help, and I thought it'd be wrong to ignore him." Dipping my head, I left the room. JARISI knew what would happen the moment I walked out on them. My mother was never one to let things go, especially not this. Although, for the first time, I wish she'd get off my back.My beta—Kael—and head of security—Ner
JARISSomeone else treated Xylon? How did that happen without my knowledge?And was it really effective like Xyla claimed?Xylon had been suffering from this for years. No one has been able to help. "Who was it?" I asked, more interested than ever. "Oh, silly Xyla," Marta suddenly cut in, chucking. "Did you really have to call me someone else? You want it to be a surprise?"Holding a cup of what she had been mixing, she approached Xylon with it, urging him to drink. "Xyla just wants it to be a surprise, Jaris. I actually came up with a new formula, and thankfully, it worked. Right, Xyla?" She offered a smile and touched Xyla's hair with tenderness. "Why don't you go get some water for your brother, honey?" Xyla stood up and left without saying a word. She looked uncomfortable. "So, it was you?" I asked Marta. "Of course. Who else would come into the kids' room?"It made sense. No one would enter to treat Xylon without my permission. Besides, Marta was the head d
LYRIC I woke up feeling better than I'd slept the previous night. I made a mental calculation of the things I needed to do. Since father's union with Darkspire didn't work out, it was safe for me to return to Draconis, right?Draconis was a human country. Over there, I had a job, good human friends, and kind neighbours. It was nothing like the chaotic and violent world of the wolves, and I'd very much love to return to it. I concluded on telling father about it before the end of today. I'll also end my final mate bond with Roderick, then I'll be free. My life would go back to being perfect.My heart was light with joy as I freshened up and decided to drive out for breakfast. Of course, there were tons of food in the house, but I felt like cruising around the Pack—one last time, at least. My father's pack was quite beautiful.But just as my car turned onto the street, a ridiculously bright red car swerved right into my lane, nearly slamming into me. I had to stomp
A heavy lump formed in my throat."I'll just forward the footage to you.""Okay. Thank you. So much."The call ended.I inhaled nervously.While I was hurting, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something might've happened to me that night. Something I did not remember.I eagerly waited for the footage, but the manager appeared to be slow, and until I reached my destination, the footage did not come.I stared at the tall building in front of me.Ugh. Was I making the right decision?Yes.Grabbing my bag and file, I stepped out of the car, into TCH.The place was bright and busy.Large, glass windows lined one wall, allowing natural light to flood the space. Colorful artwork adorned the walls, providing small bursts of warmth amid the clinical atmosphere. The reception desk buzzed with activity as calls were answered and visitors were directed. Sitting in the reception, I put a call through to the woman I was supposed to meet. I told her I was there, and in a few minutes, she join
JARISI was on my sixth bottle.It was infuriating because I hated drinking this much. I was always in control of how much alcohol I took into my system, but tonight, I wanted it all.I stayed in my office for hours, replaying everything in my head. Drinking made me feel slightly better.Nerion came in to remind me that it was too late and I probably should get some sleep. Ugh. The good guy. It was in such situations that I missed Kael. He'd have drunk with me, knowing I needed the sensation.Unfortunately, he was out, executing a task.But Nerion was right. I was tired and could use some sleep.I left the office for my room, and right there, on the bed was Marta.She was wearing a red transparent night dress. I could see the small red bra she had on, and the small red pant. The dress was as good as useless because it was a see-through.Her hair was stretched and packed to one side, a red color tinting her lips. Right there, she looked like a seductress."Fuck, Marta. What did
LYRIC"Why would he do this to me?" I whimpered against father's chest. "I thought we had a deal. I thought he wanted this."The humiliation was crippling. Twice, I tried to end this deal, but he wouldn't let me. Did he only push it this far just to humiliate me? Was I cursed?"Jaris?" I heard Luna Isolde call.Sniffling, I lifted my face off father's chest for a look, and there he was, striding into the hall with a look of cold detachment.My face remained pale as I watched him. He did come. After three excruciating hours? After all the guests had left!"Jaris, where have you been?" Luna Isolde asked in a cutting whisper when he reached her side. But Jaris walked past her without sparing her a glance.He didn't spare me a glance either as he walked down the aisle, stopping in front of the altar.The Priestess must have been informed of his arrival, because she stepped out again, taking her place at the altar.I'd stopped whimpering, but my tears were still flowing. Was this a
LYRIC Jace was at the Pack house when I arrived. I told him about the weird dream, and he only made fun of me. We sought out my jewelry and every other thing I'd be needing for the ceremony tomorrow. Later at night, I went to Jaris' office. I still felt like telling him the truth about five years ago. I was eager to see his reaction and know what he'd say concerning why he left that morning. To my surprise, his office was locked. When I checked his room, it was locked as well. Hm. That was strange. Normally, he'd be back by now. I was headed back to my room and conveniently bumped into Marta. "You left without telling me. I was there, asleep on the table." I told her. She was just as dressed as she'd been at the garden. She shrugged unapologetically. "I had to take care of something. And I didn't want to wake you." Okay. There was the mean Marta I knew. Before I could say anything else, she walked away. .....It was the day we'd all been waiting for. The day that
LYRICFor two days, I avoided Jaris like a plaque. And I think he was doing the same.I know we've both been intimate before. But that was five years ago! When I was a very different person, right before he abandoned me.This body is very special now. He couldn't just look at it when he wanted."Congratulations, aunty," Xylon said with a sweet smile as I massaged his sister's scalp on the bed."For what, honey?""The mating ceremony tomorrow. We know you'll become daddy's Luna," Xyla answered.Oh. "Thank you."Actually, I'd been quite nervous about that. Jaris and I would finally be mated tomorrow, only to be broken apart after a year.But I was still more concerned about the fact we were only going to be together for a year. While it'd help my father clear his debts, I still didn't understand what Jaris would be getting out of this.Someone knocked on the door. It was the children's nanny, followed by Jaris who stood before her.Oh, damn it.I got goosebumps instantly, my t
LYRICEvery organ in my body tightened with rage. Clumsily, I managed to lock the towel around my body, but it felt useless.I'd wasted enough time for him to see every inch of my naked body."What the hell!? Don't you knock!?" I said at the top of my voice, my fingers shaking as they weakly held the towel to my chest.I didn't care that he was the Alpha I didn't want to piss anymore. Right now, I was fucking pissed!Jaris just saw me naked without my consent! And it wouldn't have happened if he'd just knocked!Or maybe it was my fault for not locking the door. No, how was I supposed to know that someone like him would want to come in without knocking?Jaris looked stunned. Too stunned. I'd never seen him this way before. Didn't even think I'd was possible.His
LYRICAfter long hours of research, I managed to come up with something I could substitute for Jaris. Although, there was no guarantee it would work, I was hoping it would.It was evening when I finished making the tea and proceeded to his office to give it to him. It was insane that he was always working even when he was in the Pack. It made me wonder if he had any resting time at all.I knocked repeatedly on the door of his office but got no response. Looked like he wasn't in. But I'd already told him I'd be bringing the tea later on. So, maybe I could just go in and leave this for him.I went into the office and carefully placed the tea on the very messy-looking table. I wondered what he was always researching on that made his table always look like a warzone.Well, I do hope that this tea gets to work a little. It'd sa
JARISI kept thinking about something else through the night.Lyric had comprehensive knowledge in healing techniques. If she could heal Xylon, wouldn't she be able to heal me?By morning, I'd made up my mind and sent for her in my Pack's office. I was running late as I had an important meeting at the company. But this was more important.Lyric looked a bit surprised as she walked in."Did you sleep well?" I casually asked while scribbling down in my book."I uh... I did."Good. Because you're about to hear some really shocking news."I called you here for a purpose. But first, you need to swear secrecy. What I'm about to say to you cannot be heard outside this room."Her eyebrows knitted together in intrigue. "O... kay."
LYRICJaris started the car and kicked us into the road. Initially, I thought I was lucky, but it wasn't until that moment that I thought maybe, Jaris was trying to kill me for everything that just happened. Because why the hell was he going so fast!?He was driving at an incredible speed, making all the buildings and people pass by in a blur.I thought he was mad, but when I looked at him, I saw amusement in his metallic eyes. Then, it dawned on me that he was enjoying this, and he wasn't doing it because he was mad or wanted to punish me.I laughed at some point, also enjoying the thrill of it. But I soon became worried from how dangerous it was."I—I think you might want to slow down," I stuttered when we'd narrowly missed a truck.He glanced at me and smirked. "Are you afr