《Scarred Luna》


 The Unleashing

    My heart pounded in my chest as I sprinted through the chaotic vige. Smoke filled the air, and the sounds of destruction echoed all around me. The screams of my fellow vigers pierced through the night, their cries for help haunting my every step. Fear gripped me, threatening to consume me whole. I could not believe it. My parents were dead. I had barely had time to process it.


    I ran with all my might, desperate to escape this nightmare. But just as hope began to flicker in my heart, a strong grip closed around my arm. I turned to face the menacing faces of Lucas¡¯ men, their eyes filled with a twisted sense of power.


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± one of them sneered, tightening his hold on my arm. I struggled, but their grip was unyielding. They dragged me through the wreckage, towards the heart of darkness itself, Alpha Lucas.


    As we approached Lucas, his piercing gaze met mine. The Alpha exuded an aura of dominance, his presencemanding and intimidating. I could see the bloodlust in his eyes, the hunger for power that had driven him to destroy my vige.


    ¡°Wee, littlemb,¡± Lucas growled, his voice sending shivers down my spine.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine now.¡± He said as his men forced me to my knees.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill me¡± I begged. Like a fucking coward but I really did not want to die. The thought frightened me.


    His cruelugh filled the air and I sucked in a breath as he reached out for me.


    He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me up to my feet with it and I shrieked in pain.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to beg me. I intend to keep you alive but mark my words, by the time I¡¯m done with you, you would regret the day you begged for your life.¡± He said, with an evil intent lurking behind his eyes.


    I swallowed in fear as his men tied me to the saddle of a horse and they all settled on their individual horses.


    My panic rose and my heart shattered as I took onest look at my vige, my home, where I grew up and I realized this might be thest time I¡¯ll ever see it.


    My heart sank as the weight of my predicament settled upon me.


    The ride to the city of Albertos was bumpy and rough. I was hanging with my head upside down and by the time we got there, my face was red and I was struggling to breathe.


    I was shocked when I felt a hand p my ass hard. Tears began welling up in my eyes as I prayed it was a mistake.


    ¡°Take her to my room¡± I heard Lucas¡¯ order someone.


    I immediately felt the knots loosen around my feet and hands and I sighed in relief as someone pulled me off forcefully.


    I took a satisfying whiff of breath as I took in my surroundings.


    We were at the grand pce of Albertos.


    Up until then, I had never seen it in person but only heard stories about it from my father.


    My heart ached at the thought of him.


    ¡°Get up¡± One of the men ordered and I struggled to scramble to my feet, so he yanked me up by my cloth and I groaned.


    ¡°Follow me¡± he further said and I hurriedly followed him.


    I could barely take in the interior of the pce because I was too focused on what was going to happen to me.


    We finally got to Lucas¡¯ room and the man that led me there pushed me inside, making me fall to the ground.


    He red at me in disgust.


    ¡°Touch one thing and you¡¯re dead¡± he simply said before mming the door closed.


    I jumped out of shock before I sighed and looked down at my fingers as I picked at my nails nervously.


    I could not believe my parents were dead. Reality hit me as I knelt in the middle of the room of the person who ordered their deaths.


    I could not stop the tears that streamed down my cheeks and sobs racked my body.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I had lost my mother when I was little before my father fell in love again and married someone else and she was so nice to me.


    I had been so lucky to have the best parents and Alpha Lucas just took that from me like it didn¡¯t matter. I cried for my parents, friends and all other vigers.


    Anger bubbled beneath my skin as hot tears streamed in waves down my cheeks. An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood.


    I mentally repeated the chant just as my father had taught me.


    My sobs caught in my throat when the door suddenly opened.


    He towered over my small frame on the ground and closed the door and I shivered in fear.


    His eyes, his build, every single thing about him was frightful.


    He walked past me, eyeing me with a look I couldn¡¯t quite decipher.


    He sat on his bed and looked straight at me. I didn¡¯t dare look at him.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± He asked and I gulped.


    ¡°Sixteen¡± I replied softly.


    A small smirk made its way to his mouth and I shivered with fear.


    ¡°Strip¡± he ordered and I froze.


    I must have heard wrong.


    I looked up at him in shock and he repeated himself.


    ¡°Strip¡± he said again and I slowly started to shake my head.


    I was only sixteen. What kind of monster was he?


    ¡°Do not make me repeat myself¡± he said and I began to beg him.


    ¡°No, please no.¡± I begged as I sobbed.


    He rolled his eyes and got off his bed.


    He searched through a table and faced me again.


    He was holding a whip!


    I gasped in fear as he neared me and without warning, whipped me once on my back.


    I shrieked in pain as I tried to touch the area but my hands couldn¡¯t reach it.


    It hurt a lot and I could not stop crying.


    He stooped to my level.


    ¡°Now, listen to me¡± hemanded and I instantly looked up at him.


    ¡°Rule number one, no screaming. No matter what I do to you, I must not hear a single noise. If I do, it would most definitely get worse¡± he said and my heart hammered in my chest.


    ¡°Rule number two, when I tell you to do something, you do it, or else, I will whip you repeatedly and make sure you¡¯re on the brink of death but just enough to keep you alive.¡± He said with a wicked grin on his face.


    ¡°Rule number three, follow those two rules¡± he said and got up.


    Out of the blue, he whipped me again and I screamed. I had never felt that much pain in my entire life.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, you¡¯re a slow one¡± he said and I held my breath as I awaited the next whip.


    He whipped me again and I managed to stifle a scream.


    ¡°Good girl¡± he said and went back to sit on his bed.


    ¡°Now, strip.¡± He ordered and I shakily got up and began to pull my clothes off my body.

 Mate

    It¡¯s been four years. Four years of constant torture and sexual abuse. By now, I was already used to it and nothing could really surprise me anymore. There is absolutely no way for me out of this world of torture.


    I¡¯m stuck and even though a part of me still hurts, I¡¯m mostly numb.


    It was my twentieth birthday yet I was still going through this hell.


    I stood right in front of Alpha Lucas¡¯ room and I stalled. I knew what awaited me and I knew there was no escaping it yet I stalled.


    I finally knocked on his door and I heard his voice, urging me toe in. I took a calming breath and turned the knob before stepping inside.


    I curtsied.


    ¡°Your Maje-¡± the words hung halfway in my throat as my eyes met his and my heart beat quickened.


    I felt tingles run down my spine as he turned around and looked at me, his face mirroring the same shock mine did.


    I gasped unwillingly as we both whispered.


    ¡°Mate¡± we said, uncontrobly.


    No, no, no. Of all people in the world, not him.


    I couldn¡¯t move, it felt like someone had poured cold water all over me. I wanted to scream my lungs out.


    He dropped the book he was holding on his table and rolled his eyes.


    I swallowed and bowed my head.


    ¡°Strip¡± he ordered and I bit my lip as his words actually did something to me this time. I quickly removed my clothes till I was butt naked.


    Lucas hated slow people.


    He stared at me, eyeing me from head to toe distastefully but the bulge in his pants said otherwise.


    He motioned to me.


    ¡°Come here¡± he said and I walked towards him, my breasts bouncing in the process.


    As soon as I was within arm¡¯s reach, he pulled me closer and grabbed my ass.


    He whispered.


    ¡°Fuck¡± he said it like he was struggling to control himself.


    I felt my area grow wet with pleasure. I hated how my body betrayed me. I hated this man but right now, I wanted him so bad.


    He walked around me and stopped behind me.


    ¡°Bend over¡± hemanded and I did, my hands immediately gripping the bed.


    I heard him unzip his trousers and he pressed his bulge against me and I let out an uncontroble moan.


    Fuck. I had never moaned for him before. Never. I hated myself and I wanted to cry so bad but I dared not.


    He pped my ass before putting his dick in my pussy all of a sudden.


    I gasped and moaned at the same time. He rolled his waist, adjusting himself in me and the movement sent waves of pleasure through my entire body.


    Then all of a sudden, he started ramming himself rapidly into me and I could not help the cries of pleasure that escaped my lips. I hated it so much, I hated how much my own body betrayed me. Tears pricked my eyes as he kept on ramming himself into me.


    I focused on the pain to escape the pleasure. I forced myself to stay quiet, I didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of my pleasure. I bit my lips so hard, I drew blood as I forced my body to feel nothing. It wasn¡¯t something that was hard for me to do. I did everytime he had sex with me.


    I could tell I had a different effect on him as well. His suppressed moans filled the air as he reached his climax. He hurriedly withdrew and came all over my ass apanied by a relieving moan from him.


    He pped my ass again and pulled me up by my hair, my back flushing against his chest.


    ¡°If you tell even one soul about it, I¡¯ll feed you to my men¡± he said and I swallowed in fear before he let me go.


    ¡°Now, get out¡± he said and I hurriedly picked my clothes, trying to wear them as fast as possible on my way out.


    I wasn¡¯t stupid. I knew what he meant. No one must know that we were mated. I knew that was how it would y out, but it still hurt a lot.


    I took a deep, calming breath once I was outside his room and adjusted my clothes properly.


    I quickly ran to my room in the maid¡¯s quarters and cleaned myself up before I hurried back to the pce kitchen to get his breakfast. I ignored the throbbing in my thigh as I finally made it to the kitchen.


    I tried my best to ignore the snarkyments I got from other maids. Most of them hated me and the rest just ignored me.


    I hurriedly served his breakfast and carried the tray back to his room.


    I ced it on his table and left while he ignored me throughout.


    I realized I was going to be less busy for the next hour and tried to look for Mia, my best and only friend. I trusted her with my life.


    I went into the garden I was almost sure she would be in and I was right because I found her there.


    ¡°Mia!¡± I called her name and she turned to me and waved her hand in the air, her hair bouncing around her shoulders as she urged me toe join her where she sat at the edge of the cast field that oversaw ake.


    I ran to her and sat down beside her.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Hey bestie. What¡¯s up?¡± She asked and I plucked a stranger of grass from the field and fiddled with it, my mind roaming back to the realization I had a few minutes ago.


    I did not consider not telling her because she was my best friend and I told her everything.


    ¡°I found my mate¡± I said and her eyes widened in shock and part excitement.


    ¡°Really?! Who is it?¡± She asked and I sighed sadly, tears pricking my eyes.


    ¡°Hey hey, are you okay?¡± She asked as she moved closer to me and put her hands on my shoulders in support.


    ¡°It¡¯s him. Alpha Lucas is my mate¡± I said and she gasped, her initial smile fading into a deep frown.


    I shook my head as hot tears fell down my cheeks.


    ¡°Of all people, Mia. Of all people! The universe just had to screw me over. Again.¡± I said as sobs racked my body. She immediately pulled me into a hug, as she smoothed my hair with her hand.


    ¡°Hey, hey. It¡¯s okay¡± she cooed as she tried to calm me down.


    When I was eventually calm, she looked at me and smiled sadly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll figure this out¡± she said and I nodded, trying to be hopeful.


    I felt much better. She always managed to make me feel that way.


    I sighed as we bothy down in the grass and rxed again. I closed my eyes and tried to forget all my present problems.

 The Rejection

    Days had gone by with the usual routine. Wake up, get abused, get his food, get abused again and the cycle continues.


    The only good part of my day constantly remained Mia.


    I checked the clock situated on the kitchen wall and I knew it was time to go to Lucas¡¯ room again.


    I sighed as I washed my hands and left the kitchen, leaving the other duties to the rest.


    I made my way to his room, passing by guards on the way there.


    Finally, I got to his door and just before I knocked, I heard moaning. I frowned as I pressed my ear against the door to be sure I heard right.


    My heart hammered against my chest as I cracked the door open slightly.


    I could not help the gasp that escaped my lips from the sight that met my eyes.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    I watched as Mia¡¯s curls bounced on and off her naked back as Lucas pounded her from behind and her moans filled my ears.


    They both froze and turned towards the door but I quickly got out of sight and began to run away from the room, as tears pricked my eyes.


    I was almost out of the corridor when Lucas¡¯ loud voice stopped me from behind.


    ¡°Get back here¡± he said and I gulped nervously before I turned around.


    I walked back to his room as I forced myself not to cry.


    My heart felt like it was on the verge of breaking apart as I got back to the door.


    ¡°Come in¡± he said and I froze. What?!


    ¡°Come in¡± he said again, emphasizing on each word. Fear washed over me as I slowly pushed the door open and walked in, only to see their still naked bodies.


    I kept my eyes on the floor out of fear and disbelief.


    It was not possible.


    Mia would not do that to me.


    She would never. There had to be an exnation of some sort.


    ¡°Close the door and sit down¡± he said and I gulped before following his order.


    ¡°Now, look at us,¡± he said as he turned Mia around to face me.


    I frowned slightly and hesitated.


    ¡°Do not make me repeat myself¡± he said and I froze before I immediately raised my head and looked at them.


    His face heldplete disgust as he stared at me and my eyes slowly turned to look at Mia. She had a huge smile on her face as she stared at me with mockery.


    I felt out of breath as I looked at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look away¡± Lucas said and I kept my eye on them as tears streamed down my cheeks in pain. My heart shattered into a million pieces.


    He bent her over and made me watch as he rammed himself into her and she moaned his name with pleasure till they both came.


    Pants filled the air as I tried to blur them out of my view but it was hard.


    The pain I felt was just too much and it felt like I was actually going to pass out.


    ¡°You are supposed to be my best friend,¡± I whispered. I did not know when I did. I heard my voice before I realized it was me.


    Mia giggled.


    ¡°Best friend? Oh,e on Kieran, get over yourself. No one likes you. Not even your mate¡± she said and Lucas whipped his head to me.


    ¡°Mate?¡± He asked angrily as he pulled his pants on.


    ¡°I made my instructions clear, did I not?¡± He asked and I gulped.


    I was not supposed to tell anyone and I did. I was as good as dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alpha¡± I said as I hoped for the best I knew I would not get.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is long overdue anyway¡± he said as he walked towards me and I immediately got on my knees.


    What was long overdue?


    ¡°Please, Alpha, forgive me¡± I begged and he chuckled humorlessly.


    He raised his hand and pped me, really hard and the impact made me fall to the floor before I quickly got back on my knees.


    He dragged me by my hair and pulled me outside, with Mia following quickly behind us. I shrieked from the pain that I felt in my scalp as he dragged me.


    I cried and begged but he didn¡¯t listen.


    He dragged me outside till we were in the middle of the pce grounds, already calling a crowd to us.


    Then he kicked me with extreme force in my ribs. I gasped as I grunted and coughed.


    I kept begging him out of fear of what he might do but he just scoffed with disgust.


    ¡°What a rat¡± he said and everyoneughed.


    ¡°I, Lucas Culkin, reject you, Kieran Franklin as my mate¡± he said and surprised gasps erupted from the crowd.


    I screamed from the pain I felt in my chest as our mate bond broke and my wolf howled in my head as well. I gripped my chest from the pain I felt as he stared at me with that same disgust and kicked me in my ribs again.

 Beta Carlos

    I honestly don¡¯t know what I was expecting. For him to magically fall in love with me and make me his Luna?


    I wasn¡¯t even sure which was worse. The rejection or the betrayal.


    Was that even supposed to bepared?


    Of course, the betrayal took the cake. My heart and mind still couldn¡¯t fathom the hurt I felt from Mia¡¯s betrayal. It was really hard to process.


    I sighed, painfully as I forced my feet to take me further towards the royal kitchen. The pain I felt in my ribs from the impact was consistent and it made it hard to breathe properly. It felt like he had broken something when he kicked my ribs.


    As I made my way to the kitchen, I was walking down a long corridor when someone suddenly pulled me to the side. I yelped from the sudden force and the pain it brought about and I almost screamed from shock when a warm hand wrapped around my mouth.


    My eyes finally met his.


    Beta Carlos.


    I let out a breath of relief from the revtion that it was just him. Beta Carlos, tall, handsome, bright blue eyes, long blonde hair and pink plump lips. The man any girl would die to have. He was beautiful. Admittedly.


    But, I was in no way attracted to him.


    He was more of my big brother.


    Surprising? Yes.


    But contrary to what you may think, Carlos is theplete opposite of Lucas.


    Carlos hated the way Lucas treated us ves. He always tried to help as much as he could.


    He would sometimes help me treat my wounds so they could heal properly but the scars of the ones he couldn¡¯t help with still remained and some wounds were just too big to heal right.


    Not just me though, he would help anyone he could in any way he could.


    But I had it the hardest. I was Lucas¡¯ personal venting material, punching bag, rage object and sex ve. To Lucas, I was not a living thing, I was an object of pleasure in more sickening ways than one.


    But Carlos, he was a literal angel. Although, everything he did had to be behind Lucas¡¯ back. Alpha Lucas was a hard man to reason with, he always did things his own way. He would ask for Carlos¡¯ opinion on something out of formality but go through with his own decision, andpletely discard Carlos.


    He doesn¡¯t care about anything or anyone but he is still closest to Carlos.


    His hands slipped off my mouth and gripped my shoulders.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked, his eyes swimming with worry.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Yes¡± I lied through my teeth.


    I was not okay. I felt like shit.


    He narrowed his eyes at me and I sighed deeply, about to convince him when I wheezed in pain.


    He closed his eyes in frustration.


    ¡°Goddess¡± he murmured before looking at me again.


    ¡°Kieran, you need to get treated. The impact on your rib was too much and with the way you¡¯re breathing, you could actually die¡± he exined and I hesitated as I looked down the corridor that led to the kitchen.


    ¡°I have a lot of duties that I -¡± I started to argue¡­ well, exin but then, he cut me off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Stay here¡± he said and hurriedly made his way down the corridor that led to the kitchen.


    I sighed as I looked at his retreating figure. There was no stopping him.


    I leaned against the wall behind me as I thought back to the events from earlier.


    Mia.


    What she did still shocked my very soul.


    Mia and I go way back. While she has her entire family in this pack, I was a ve from another pack, the only one that survived Lucas¡¯ wrath.


    We bonded when we were kids. The field that oversaw theke was my spot first and one day, she walked there while I was rxing. Then, she started a conversation with me and we just bonded really quickly. We¡¯ve been friends for four years, so it made it quite hard for me to be able to fathom the betrayal.


    Like, I just could not understand why she would do it.


    My heart told me there must be a valid reason but my head told me there was none.


    Carlos appeared again and grabbed my wrist.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go¡± he said as he tried to pull me but I hesitated, nting my feet on the ground.


    ¡°But, I -¡± I argued again and he sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of it. Now,e on, your health matters most¡± he said and I sighed stubbornly and finally gave in, allowing him to lead me to Greta¡¯s room.


    I could not go to the royal clinic, I dared not.


    Greta was the lead nurse but she loved Carlos like a son, so she always helped him with me and she had somehow grown to like me as well.


    We snuck past guards until we finally reached her room and Carlos knocked on her door.


    She opened up shortly after and let us in.


    She groaned.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°What the fuck the Lucas do this time?¡± She asked and I was genuinely surprised she had not heard. Nothing flew past Greta but then again, it only just happened.


    Carlos sighed.


    ¡°The main thing is she had a forceful impact to her ribs and now, she¡¯s breathing weirdly. Could you please just check?¡± He asked and she sighed.


    ¡°Lie down, dear¡± she said and I did as Carlos finally let go of my wrist.


    ¡°Turn around, Carlos¡± she said with a strict voice as she turned to him and he did, without hesitation.


    I sighed in relief as she bent over me and slowly raised my dress up and examined me, gently poking my stomach in certain ces, making me either groan or hiss in pain.


    ¡°Oh dear¡± she said as she stood up and walked to her table.


    ¡°What?! Is it bad?!¡± Carlos asked from where he stood still, facing the door.


    Greta sighed as she rummaged through some items and brought some medicine out with a cup of water.


    I sat up and adjusted my dress as she gave me the drugs to use and I did.


    Then, she turned to Carlos and called him so he could turn to her.


    He did and nced at me with worry.


    ¡°We need to get a lot of ice. She needs proper treatment but since we wouldn¡¯t be able to get that, this is the most we can do¡± she exined and he nodded.


    ¡°Lots of ice. Got it¡± he said before he left her room.


    Greta turned to look at me and smiled softly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be okay¡± she said and I forced a small smile in return.


    I was anything but okay.

 The Revelation

    Weeks had gone by and although I was feeling much better now, the full ache remained to remind me of the brutality of Lucas. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, he still made sure to have sex with me every day.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    In a way I was d he rejected me. I was d all I felt was pain all over again with no single ounce of pleasure.


    I hated him so much. He was my own personal hell on earth.


    I thought about Mia and how I¡¯ve actively avoided her since the incident. Or maybe, she was the one avoiding me.


    I was finally ready to confront her. I wanted answers and I would not find peace until I got them.


    So, I was currently searching for her. I checked the field but she was not there and I rounded the pce walls in search of her.


    Familiar blonde locks appeared in my sight and I almost smiled. I sighed in defeat as my heart ached.


    I was about to call her name when I realized she was not alone and reflexively, I hid from them.


    I peeped to see who she was with when I realized the person was wearing a cloak and I could not see the person¡¯s face. That was weird. No normal person had their cloak on in broad daylight.


    I managed to move closer to them without them noticing and I hid again, and listened to the conversation.


    ¡°No, no. Not yet. We can¡¯t make our move yet¡± Mia said, seemingly getting irritated.


    The cloaked person replied.


    ¡°Why not?! This is the perfect moment to strike. He won¡¯t see using¡± a masculine voice said.


    ¡°I have a n. A bigger n. I finally have him wrapped around my fingers. He¡¯s warming up to me. I just need a little more time and we¡¯ll attack. I can¡¯t wait to get rid of the stupid bastard. Lucas will pay for everything he has done¡± Mia said and I had to p my palm over my mouth to stop myself from gasping.


    Mia wanted Lucas dead?


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you two more weeks¡± he said and she nodded and they hugged before he disappeared around the corner.


    I hurriedly left my spot and ran back into the pce.


    Mia wanted Lucas dead.


    My mind raced with confusion.


    I hated Lucas for everything he has done to me and my family and I know this should be good news for me but I just did not feelfortable with knowing that he was going to die just like that.


    I contemted for a while before I decided to tell him.


    My wolf warned me that it was a stupid idea but I ignored her.


    I made my way to where I knew he was and I opened the door without even knocking.


    My eyes widened in shock.


    What the fuck did I just do?


    For some reason, Ipletely forgot that a meeting was going on there.


    I gasped as all eyes turned to me.


    My eyes met with Lucas¡¯ eyes as it zed with fury and I gulped.


    Well, I might as well just get it over with. My entire body shivered in fear.


    ¡°Speak¡± Lucas said and I swallowed before I managed to find my voice.


    ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty. I have rming news. I just overheard Mia speaking to a cloaked man and plotting your demise¡± I said and I was shocked by the courage that oozed out of my words.


    Silence.


    Complete and utter silence.


    Lucas blinked nkly at me and then started tough and the other people in there slowly joined him. I looked around in confusion.


    What was so funny?


    Then, he stopped abruptly and they followed suit.


    ¡°Guards!¡± He called and they came into sight.


    ¡°Take her to the dungeon¡± he ordered and my eyes widened in shock.


    ¡°N- no. I¡¯m telling the truth¡± I argued, fighting them as they grabbed my arms.


    Lucas looked at me with contempt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter¡± he said and I swallowed in fear as tears streamed down my cheeks.


    I struggled against their arms as the guards dragged me out of the room and into the dungeon.


    Hours had passed in the wretched dungeon when I got a visitor.


    Mia.


    I swallowed and stared at her with anger.


    ¡°I heard you said I wanted out dear Alpha dead¡± she said and I stood up from the filthy floor.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s the truth you psychopath¡± I said and sheughed before moving closer to me.


    ¡°Maybe. But guess what¡¯s also true? Lucas does not believe you and you are going to die¡± she whispered and I let out a shaky breath as realization dawned on me.


    ¡°You bitch¡± I said and she smiled.


    The smile I once used to see as pretty now looked vile.


    ¡°You deserve to die. Just do everyone a favor and make it easy. You fucking whore. Who do you think you are?¡± She said and I frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Why?¡± I finally asked the question that had been bugging my mind since the whole incident.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± I asked again, further exining what I meant.


    ¡°Because I hate you¡± she simply said and I sighed in defeat.


    That was all? There was no reason. She just hated me.


    I swallowed as I turned away from her and sat on the filthy floor again, as my heart shattered into a million pieces.


    She eventually left and some minutester, guards approached my cell and I swallowed in fear.


    ¡°Get up¡± One of them ordered as they unlocked the gate.


    It was time.


    I really was going to die.

 Death Sentence

    I got dragged to the feet of Lucas. I shivered as the guards threw me to the floor, right at his feet, before they moved back.


    I swallowed in fear as he towered above me. I dared not look up at him but I could feel the heat of the familiar irritated re.


    ¡°How many crimes did youmit this time, littlemb?¡± He asked and I shook with fear, barely taking a second before I answered him. Lucas hated slow people. I didn¡¯t even think about the question enough before I answered.


    ¡°Two, Your Majesty¡± I said and heughed before he suddenly went silent. I was about to crane my head up when I heard the sickening tearing of my own skin. He had whipped me and it caught me so off guard, I shrieked in pain.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. You forgot rule number one¡± he said as he whipped me again and I stifled a groan as tears streamed down my face. I was not caught off guard this time and I was very much used to this.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said.


    ¡°Now, let me ask you again. How many crimes did youmit this time?¡± He asked me again and my brain worked at full speed.


    I did not know! Fuck.


    ¡°Four¡± I answered him and he chuckled beforending another whip on my back.


    This went on for a while, with me getting the answer wrong every time and him whipping me repeatedly.


    By now, the back of my dress was torn and I could feel air blow against my new wounds and ones that have reopened.


    I was bleeding and my dress was beginning to get soaked with my own blood.


    Finally, he stopped and then, he sighed deeply.


    ¡°You see, littlemb, I have tried. I¡¯ve given you numerous chances and you lost it every single time. So, now I have no choice but to do the needful¡± he said, his voice mocking, and I almost went crazy, trying to figure out what he meant. That was until he spoke and cleared up my confusion.


    ¡°The world reeks enough because of you, so it¡¯s time to do everyone a favor and get rid of you. At least, the world will stink less¡± he said and sobs racked through my body as I stared up at him. His dark eyes regarded me with disgust, as always and it showed no mercy.


    His eyes, his build, every single thing about him was frightful, just as the same as the first day I got here. You would think it¡¯ll get better with time but no matter how much I grew, he remained a frightful monster.


    I lowered my gaze to the floor. There was no changing his mind. This was what he wanted to do, he was just having fun by prolonging it.


    I sighed in defeat. I might as well just die and get it over with. I¡¯ve had the worst life, I wasn¡¯t even sure why I was fighting to live anymore. There was nothing left for me in this world. All I had was ripped from me but I still had sixteen good years that I got to spend in peace and happiness. I¡¯ll cling on to that till I take myst breath.


    So, I did not beg for my life and somehow, this angered him even more.


    Heughed humorlessly like a maniac before he spoke.


    ¡°Looks like the littlemb has finally grown some balls¡± he said and he suddenly pulled me by my hair and I fought the urge to yelp.


    He craned my head towards him as he gripped my hair so hard, and my eyes met his.


    Dark, soulless, scary. Like the depths of an ocean at night.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯m thest person youy your eyes on,¡± he said. He made it sound like he was doing me a favor and I should be eternally grateful.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I looked him dead in the eye, until he let go of my hair and suddenly kicked my ribs, making me groan in pain.


    They were only just getting better.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± he ordered his guards as he began to head outside and two of the guards hurriedly grabbed me and basically dragged me after him.


    Eventually, we got to the forest of wolves and I gasped in disbelief. One of the most deadly forests in the kingdom. It contained raging wolves that offended the moon goddess and got cursed to stay in their wolf form.


    No, no, no.


    These wolves will literally tear me to pieces. I wanted a fast death, not a slow death.


    I struggled against their arms but they held me in ce.


    Lucas whistled loudly and I swallowed in fear as we waited in utter silence. Then, distant sounds of rapid footsteps grew scarily closer.


    Lucas turned to his guards.


    ¡°Do you n on dying with her?¡± He asked them and they hurriedly shook their heads and threw me on the floor.


    They all moved backwards as I scrambled to get on my feet, picking a tree branch in the process. Just as I managed to get up, wolves began to appear and they slowly circled me, stalking me like I was their next prey.


    I refused to go down this way.


    Then all of a sudden, one of them charged for me and I suppressed the urge to scream as I raised the branch.


    I mentally repeated the chant just as my father had taught me.


    An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, blood for blood.

 The Escape

    I was hanging by a thread by this point. All I could see was blood. My dress was even more torn. I was bleeding from different parts of my body. I struggled to stand from the loss of blood.


    Lucasughed at the sight in front of him. I could hear genuine happiness from the way he sounded and soon enough, Mia¡¯sugh joined in. She had alsoe to watch my demise.


    The wolves were vicious, angry and I was the perfect prey for them. They rounded me again and one of them lunged for me and I dodged it but another one jumped on me from behind and its teeth sunk into my arm.


    I screamed in pain and I tried to shake it off. I raised the sharp branch I was holding and stuck it in its side. It let out a loud welp and jumped off me, tearing off some skin in the process.


    I winced in pain as I backed off from them.


    I couldn¡¯t hold up much longer but it was hard to just give up. I needed to live up to my father¡¯s mantra.


    Three of them lunged for me at once and I jumped out of the way but one of them caught me, giving the other a chance to sink their sharp teeth into my skin.


    I screamed again as I tried to pry them off but they wouldn¡¯t budge. I felt myself grow weak as I sank to my knees and they all wanted a piece of me. That would have been funny if I wasn¡¯t being mauled to death.


    Hot tears streamed down my cheeks and loud screams escaped my lips. I could barely hold myself up anymore.


    I was starting to feel numb when I heard my name being screamed. It sounded distant but I recognized that voice anywhere. Beta Carlos.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on but I could tell he was helping me. I could hear loud howling and whimpering of the wolves as they were thrown off of me. I could also hear their feet scampering off into the forest. I finally managed to look up.


    Lucas and Carlos were engaged in a heated conversation. I sat on the floor, wincing from all the pain I felt. My head felt heavy as I watched them.


    ¡°Carlos. You are my beta. Remember your ce¡± Lucas warned and Carlos red at him.


    ¡°How could you be so evil?! You¡¯re the Alpha, you¡¯re not meant to be a monster¡± he argued.


    ¡°Stand down Beta¡± Lucas warned again.


    Carlos sighed and turned to look at me.


    ¡°Run¡± he mouthed.


    ¡°You little -¡± Lucas shouted as he tried to punch Carlos but Carlos stopped his hand mid-air.


    I tried to get off the floor.


    ¡°Run, Kieran! Now!¡± He shouted this time and it felt like all the energy I needed entered my body at that moment.


    ¡°Seize her!¡± Lucas ordered his guards and they charged towards me.


    I jumped to my feet and raced deep into the forest. This was the most deadly forest in the kingdom but it was also the only way out of it that was not the gates. I ran with every ounce of strength I had left in me as adrenaline pumped through my veins. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I tried every way to escape the men who followed me, and at the same time, avoid wolves.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Once out of the forest, there was arge stream of water and I had to swim across it to the other side to actually get out of Albertos. I looked back as I heard the distant voices of the guards as they searched for me. There was no way I would make it to the other side in time without them seeing me.


    Think, think, think, Kieran.


    An idea popped into my head at that very moment and I immediately gathered my tattered dress in my arms and quickly walked into the water. Once I was in, bright red pooled around me. My blood. Shit, shit, shit.  I started to panic as I hurriedly tried to mix it away. It worked but not enough. There wasn¡¯t enough time. The moment the men were close enough to me, but too far to see me, I held my breath and dived into the water as I silently prayed to the moon goddess that they would not find me.


    I watched as they searched for me but they couldn¡¯t find me and I tried to stay put. I was running out of breath when they finally gave up and turned away. Thank goddess. I waited for a few extra seconds before I slowly swam up to the surface again. I took in arge whiff of breath as I coughed and gasped for air.


    When I finally calmed down, I swam to the other side of the stream and staggered to the maind again. My chest heaved heavily as I kept running, just weaker this time. I finally gave up when I was sure I was at a safe distance from Albertos.


    I couldn¡¯t hold myself up anymore and I fell to the floor. I looked around for any sign of life. I needed help. I was bleeding so much and I didn¡¯t want to die.


    There were a few buildings far in the distance and I groaned as I tried to get up again. My wet dress clung to my body and my hair matted on my head and face. By now, blood had started seeping out from all my wounds again.


    Oh goddess, give me strength. I dragged myself on the ground for as far as I could before my strength and body betrayed me and I literally could not move anymore. I sighed in defeat as tears pooled in my eyes.


    I really did not want to die. I had to stay alive and take revenge on Lucas for ruining my entire life and my family. I had to do it for the people of my vige that he murdered in cold blood without any mercy. I had to stay alive for Carlos who has quite literally put his life on the line for me.


    I needed to.


    But I guess we don¡¯t always get what we want. Maybe this was how my story was meant to be. Well, fuck. I guess I was going to die.


    Tears streamed down my cheeks as my eyes slowly grew tired. I smiled at the possible peace I could have after my death as the world closed in on me.

 The Afterlife

    Every part of my body ached as I roused awake. I slowly forced my eyes open and I blinked to allow it to adapt to the lighting of my surroundings. When it finally did, I studied where I was. I was in arge room with white walls that stood out. I looked around therge room. Almost everything in it was white, from the vanity table to the white drapes which had golden swirls on it, to the bed spread. I groaned as I tried to sit up. I had never been on a bed like this before. It was soft and warm. Asides, the aches I felt all over my body, I felt peace.


    That was when it hit me. Was I dead? My head considered the possibility and it made so much sense since there was white everywhere.


    Oh goddess, I really was dead and I made it to the moon goddess. Happiness took over the pain and I instantly tried to get off of the bed. Bad idea. Was it supposed to hurt this much in the after life?


    Memories of the way I got hurt stormed my brain and I sighed. I could not believe I died in such a shameless way.


    I stared down at my body. I had healing wounds in some ces and some had bandages on it and I was wearing a simple but super pretty dress.


    I sighed dreamily as I slowly lowered my feet to the ground and slowly walked to the door, which was tall and white, as well.


    For the first time since I¡¯ve gotten her, I could strongly feel my wolf. She always felt weak but right at that moment, she radiated a vibrant and strong energy.


    A small smileced my lips and I wrapped my hand around the cold door knob. It was quite heavy but I opened it slowly, cracking it open by a notch. This door was so big to the extent that that notch was enough for me to pass through. So, I slipped through as quietly as I possibly could. Once I stepped outside, I marveled at the sight before me. The entire corridor I was standing in was filled with different doors that most likely led to rooms and the walls and doors were also themed white. The walls had little streaks of gold on it though.


    I gasped at the absolute beauty and I followed the path that I thought would lead out of there. I came to a stop still at the top of a spiral golden staircase that led downstairs. I hesitated before stepping on it because it looked like it was built for royalty.


    I slowly made my way down, taking in the sight of every possible thing I could. As soon as I got to the base of the stairs, I finally saw someone. I sighed in relief because it was beginning to look like no one else was there.


    I spotted her first.


    ¡°Excuse me¡± my voice croaked out as she whipped her head to me and I had to clear my throat to be able to talk again but the moment her eyesnded on me, she immediately walked away. I watched her retreating figure and that was when I noticed she was wearing a maid-like uniform.


    ¡°Please, wait¡± I called out but she was long gone. I sighed in defeat as I paced the base of the stairs in anxiety. Just when I decided to follow the same path she did, she showed up again but this time an elegant looking woman was with her. She had long, straight ck hair and brown eyes that stood out beautifully. She was built like a literal goddess. I almost sighed dreamily as I stared openly at her and admired her features.


    ¡°Finally, you¡¯re awake¡± she said with a smile that could captivate anyone.


    I blinked nkly.


    ¡°Erm¡­ I ¨C ¡± I stammered.


    I did not know what to say. I struggled to find the words because I was so confused.


    She smiled brightly and pulled me into a warm hug.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand that you¡¯re confused and I¡¯ll exin everything to you¡± she said before she pulled away and looked at the maid beside her.


    ¡°Leave us¡± she ordered and the girl curtsied in respect before she obliged.


    All the while, I kept staring at the person in front of me. She looked so unreal.


    ¡°Am I dead?¡± I blurted out carelessly, without thinking.


    She stared at me in confusion for a second before she burst outughing. The melodious sound filled my ears and it made me feel warm all over.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    She finally stoppedughing and stared at my now red face.


    ¡°Oh goddess. No, you are definitely not dead¡± she said and I gained a whole new perspective. Where was I? How did I get here? How did I not die with so much bleeding?


    No wonder everywhere on my body hurts.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± She asked and my focus went to my very empty stomach.


    ¡°Very¡± I said shyly and she smiled.


    ¡°Follow me¡± she said and she led me to where the food was, hopefully.


    We got to the biggest and most beautiful kitchen I had ever seen. It was nothing like I had ever seen. It felt homely.


    There was a counter in the middle with high chairs surrounding it.


    It all still felt like a dream.


    She dismissed every maid that was in the kitchen till it was just the both of us. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was but she started to cook something and I offered to join but she insisted I sit down and do nothing.


    I reluctantly did because it was not something I was used to.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She asked and I cleared my throat before answering.


    ¡°Kieran¡± I answered and she hummed.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sabrina, but most of my friends call me Sab¡± she said and I nodded in understanding.


    She nced at me before she continued what she was doing.


    ¡°You¡¯re a very lucky person. Once every month, we usually do a border patrol and I mostly lead it. That¡¯s how we found you. We don¡¯t take well to strangers but I insisted on bringing you back here¡± she said and my eyes widened in surprise. I was indeed lucky. Once every month and the stranger part? They could just as easily have left me to die.


    Then it hit me, she saved me.


    I looked up at her with appreciation.


    ¡°Thank you so much¡± I said and she smiled brightly.


    ¡°You need to tell me how you got there and what happened¡± she said and I nodded slowly. Where exactly was I supposed to start from? I felt myself grow anxious and scared. Lucas was still out there somewhere, probably looking for me. Or not. What did I even mean to him? He just didn¡¯t want me alive.


    Sabrina sensed my hesitation and turmoil and she smiled again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can talk about itter,¡± she said and I visibly rxed.


    I looked at her appreciatively.


    ¡°Thank you¡± I said and she nodded.


    I looked around the ce awkwardly. Where exactly was I?


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked, voicing out my thoughts.


    ¡°Deathshade pack¡± she simply said, without so much as batting an eysh.


    My heart raced and her answer. Chills ran down my spine. The Deathshade pack? I was so screwed.

 Deathshade Pack

    The Deathshade Pack, was the most feared pack in the entire werewolf kingdom. Every single person feared the pack. Even Lucas.


    I heard stories about it as a kid, my father and stepmother used to tell lots of stories about how ruthless the pack was. There was also that one time that something happened in the Albertos and one of the guards mentioned something about The Deathshade Pack and the look on Lucas¡¯ face was clear as day. He was terrified of them.


    And now, I sat here,fortably, about to get fed.


    I gulped in fear. What if it had poison in it? No, that did not make any sense. They can¡¯t save me just to kill me again. Maybe I was about to be a ve. Or maybe she was feeding me to be good meat for their rabid animals.


    My body trembled and I swallowed again.


    ¡°Dea- Deathshade Pack?¡± I asked, hoping my ears heard wrong. My fear was audible so I wasn¡¯t surprised when she raised a brow.


    Then, a look of realization crossed her features.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared¡± she said and I swallowed again before looking away from her.


    ¡°Oh sweetheart, the Deathshade Pack is vicious but we¡¯re not evil¡± she said and I looked at her skeptically.


    ¡°What are you going to do with me?¡± I asked and she chuckled before she suddenly stopped and looked me dead in the eye.


    ¡°Throw you in the caves filled with hungry giant badger moles¡± she said with a straight face and my breath hitched before my eyes immediately wandered around the house for a way out.


    Her voice drew me back to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no escaping your fate¡± she said and I sighed in defeat. I was tired of running.


    ¡°Can I please ask for a more merciful death?¡± I asked and she immediately burst intoughter.


    ¡°Oh shit, you thought I was being serious¡± she said when she finally calmed down.


    ¡°You¡¯re so fun to tease¡± she said and I cocked my head to the side in confusion.


    ¡°Listen, here, we don¡¯t just kill people as we please. We havews, rules that the people must abide by and we have consequences for each rule broken and it¡¯s not always death¡± she exined and I nodded slowly.


    ¡°So, you see, only a part of the rumors are true. You¡¯re most definitely not going to die here¡± she said and I sighed in relief.


    Thank goddess.


    But despite everything, I still remained skeptical. I felt the need to be careful.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s just the rumors¡­¡± I started to exin and she nodded.


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said with a smile and I went quiet, suddenly ying anxiously with my fingers.


    She served both of us some of the food and I immediately thanked her, before she settled right next to me.


    ¡°Your house is really nice¡± I said and she smiled brightly.


    ¡°Well, technically, it¡¯s not my house but thank you¡± she said and my mouth formed an ¡®oh¡¯.


    ¡°Then, whose house is it?¡± I asked and she smiled.


    ¡°This is the Forge mansion¡± she said and I nodded.


    ¡°Forge¡± I repeated the word. The name sounded so familiar, but I couldn¡¯t ce it.


    ¡°The Alpha went on a trip¡± she mentioned and my eyes widened.


    ¡°Ki- King Xander Forge?!¡± I asked in shock and she nodded.


    My stomach clenched.


    If stories about the pack were scary, stories about the Alpha were even worse. His name alone scared people. He was rumored to be ruthless and arrogant.


    ¡°Shit¡± I cussed under my breath and she smiled in amusement.


    ¡°You sure are scared of a lot of things¡± she said and I bit my bottom lip nervously.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ he¡¯s -¡± I started to exin before she cut me off.


    ¡°Ohe on! Xander is a ball of sunshine¡± she said with a shrug and my eyes widened in surprise. Did she just call the rumored to be ruthless and cruel Alpha King a ball of sunshine?


    ¡°Wh-what-?¡± I asked and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known him since we were little, so trust me, he really is¡± she exined and I nodded slowly.


    I was trying my best to wrap my head around all this new information but it was really hard to believe.


    I decided to let it go and hope for the best.


    ¡°So, this is his house?¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°Mansion and yes, it is. The pce is a few minutes walk from here but ultimately this is where he stays when he¡¯s not being an Alpha or King¡± she exined and I nodded.


    Sadness tugged at my chest. He was the Alpha and the King, and he could do whatever he pleased with me.


    At that moment, I decided I was going to try to escape but this time, with enough things to keep me alive.


    ¡°Is he going to be mad to see me here?¡± I asked and she shook her head.


    ¡°Not if I exin everything to him and hopefully, there¡¯s a really valid reason for finding you out there, a step into the afterlife¡± she said, clearly asking if she won¡¯t regret helping me and I shook my head. Everytime she brought it up, my head went crazy with where to start from and my heart raced with fear. I sighed before looking at her.


    ¡°There definitely is,¡± I said, silently begging for a little time before exining and she smiled warmly.


    She clearly got what I meant but chose to ignore it. Thankfully.


    ¡°I have a really good feeling about you, Kieran¡± she said and for the first time that morning, a genuine smile made its way to my lips.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Me too¡± I said and we both made small talk as we ate, mostly about the Kingdom.


    She let me know some of thews and rules and I also grew to learn that the people existing in the pack were really peaceful people.


    It gave me some sort of peace of living there for a while until the king would arrive from his trip.

 Alpha Xander

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    A smile tugged at my lips as I made my way down the stairs, taking them two at a time. I ran my fingers along the smooth surface of the banisters that curled downwards to the floor below. As I continued my descent, a small hum slid past my lips.


    I couldn¡¯t exactly tell why I was particrly happy, but that had been my life ever since I arrived at the Deathshade pack. Contrary to how I felt upon my arrival, I¡¯d settled in quite well and just like Sabrina had said, it wasn¡¯t such a bad ce to live after all.


    My eyes roamed the hallways as I got to the foot of the stairs. Bright lights hung up on each side cast a warm glow against the tiled floors, adding a glimt to the wallpaper. I had lost count of the number of times I¡¯d gone through this hallway because it connected a major part of the rooms in the mansion, but no matter how many times I¡¯d walked through here, I still found myself in total awe of the entire ce.


    I was currently headed to the garden. Right now, it was my favorite ce in the world and no matter how many times I visited there in a day, I never got tired of the ce. I would drown myself in the fragrance of a variety of Flowers ranging from roses, hibiscuses, daisies, lilies and every other one you could think of. The mansion even boasted of a rare exotic species in all of thend, and I was more than lucky to have them just underneath my fingertips.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± The sound of my name had me halting in my tracks. I paused as I took a cursory nce at my surroundings, an attempt to find out where the voice hade from. I was currently a few inches away from the kitchen door, so that was my best bet. ¡°Is that you, dear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I beamed, the moment I realized who it was. It was Sabrina. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    Without wasting any more time, I stepped into the kitchen.


    ¡°Hi Sabrina.¡± I grinned before settling on one of the stools propped against the huge kitchen ind. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too.¡± Sabrina turned to me with a smile, two tes in her grip. ¡°How did you sleepst night? I was just about to send someone toe get you for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Ouuuu.¡± A steamy aroma wafted into my nostrils the moment she dropped a tray in front of me. In just one te I had bacon and eggs, with an evenrger portion of protein to top it all up. ¡°This isn¡¯t breakfast, Sabrina. This is a three course meal on its own.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Sabrina shrugged, before taking the seat opposite mine. ¡°There¡¯s more if you still want some.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± I dipped a forkful of food into my mouth and rxed as my taste buds came alive immediately. ¡°Oh my God Sabrina, this is delicious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sabrina beamed, as she did a mini victory dance with her fists. ¡°Hopefully, Alpha Xander will like it too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My mouth hung wide open the moment the name slipped past Sabrina¡¯s lips. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± The woman in front of me nodded as she dug into her food, pretending like she wasn¡¯t aware of the bombshell she¡¯d just dropped. ¡°He¡¯s been on a trip for a while and he¡¯ll being back today. He should be getting close, I think.¡±


    No, no, no. There was no way this was happening. How could I not know about this? And why was Sabrina just telling me this now? Everyone knew about Alpha Xander and no matter how angelic Sabrina had painted him the day I arrived, I just couldn¡¯t believe it. I said I was going to run away but. ..


    Shit! I got so carried away, I totally forgot about it.


    ¡°How long?¡± I stuttered. My voice croaked as anxiety swirled in my stomach, but Sabrina didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°How long will he take?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know honestly.¡± Sabrina let out, still engrossed in her meal. ¡°But since he was gone for a moment and a half, I know he¡¯d be itching to get here as soon as possible.¡±


    What! He¡¯d been gone for that long and I wasn¡¯t able to escape? How could I allow myself get sofortable to let my n slip off my mind and¡­.¡±


    ¡°Kieran?¡± The sound of my name cut through my thoughts, pulling me back to earth immediately. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I chimed absentmindedly. It didn¡¯tst though because I corrected myself immediately. ¡°I mean no. I¡¯ve just lost my appetite.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± A wave of confusion spread out on Sabrina¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯ve barely touched your te. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Um, no.¡± I stuttered, slowly pushing the te forward. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m hungry anymore.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Sabrina pressed on. ¡°Kieran?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I was on my feet immediately. ¡°I just need to get to the gardens. The fresh air from there will help me feel better.¡±


    More like, would help me escape. Thete was no way I could let Alpha Xander find me here.


    ¡°Oh no, no, no.¡± Sabrina was on her feet too in a matter of seconds. Before I could take my next step, she has rounded the corners of the ind and was standing in front of me. ¡°You¡¯re not going alone. We¡¯ll go together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not important. I can help myself..¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Sabrina caught me off and I shut my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re bound to needpany, right? And also the garden is the perfect ce to greet the Alpha when hees back soon¡±


    ¡°Back?¡± My eyes flew open immediately as my heart thundered wildly against my chest. ¡°What do you mean by back?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already on his way.¡± Sabrina exined, steering me in the direction of the garden. ¡°He sent wordst night so he should already be on his way by now.¡±


    This was bad. Really bad. How could I screw up like this? Thest thing I wanted was to meet him. No matter howany good things I¡¯d heard, he would always be a ruthless monster to me. And that wasn¡¯t even the worst part.


    Since he was the alpha, he had every right over me, and no one would go against him. He could do anything he wanted and no one would bat an eyelid about it. What if hees back and I suffer the same fate asst time in Lucas¡¯ hands.


    Goosebumps trailed the surface of my skin at the thought of it all. With each step I took, I found my heart dropping lower and lower to my feet.


    Goddess, please save me. I don¡¯t want to go through all of that again.


    The sound of footsteps that weren¡¯t either mine or Sabrina¡¯s reached my ears the moment we stopped at the entrance.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°Alpha!¡± Sabrina eximed excitedly. My head was hung low and id barely stolen a nce at him, but I could already make out some features.


    His aura smelt heavenly and I could tell he radiated nothing but regal authority, no one could dare question him and get away with it. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open and I was mesmerized immediately.


    I locked eyes with the bluest pair of eyes I¡¯d ever seen, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The face that belonged to that of a Greek god stared back at me, while I drowned in his features. His nose was pointed and spread out perfectly to fit his plump pink lips and brown hair. By the side, a small dent adorned his cheek, making him look more handsome than ever.


    Tingles spread through my body and I found it strange. In my entire life, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d experienced this kind of feeling, but there was something else. As I stated at him, realization hit me square in the jaw.


    He was my mate.


    Alpha Xander was my mate.

 Escape Gone Wrong

    Kieran¡¯s POV.


    Shit. There was no way this could be happening. Of all the million things that could happen to me, why did the moon goddess have to choose this? I was aware that fate was inevitable and sometimes we really just had to leave our happy endings in the hands of nature and believe that everything would turn around for the better, but as I stared at the man in front of me, I wasn¡¯t too sure about that saying.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    I gulped loudly. No matter how many times the words seemed to ring in my head, it did nothing to change anything. This was real.


    Alpha Xander was my fucking mate.


    No, no, no. Right now, I would ept anything else asides this. Anything at all. If I had to face the revtion that Alpha Xander was my mate or to eat hot coal, then, I would dly pick thetter.


    Why would the moon goddess think I needed another mate? I had barely gotten over what the first one did to me, so there was no way I was looking forward to another one.


    A small tremor spread through my body as an unpleasant memory filled my mind. I thought that I¡¯d forgotten and safely locked away all of Alpha Lucas¡¯ inhumane treatment to me, but I guess I was wrong, all I needed was a reminder.


    I stole a nce at Alpha Xander. As tiny tid-bits of Sabrina¡¯s conversation filtered in and out of my ears, I watched the man in question.


    Was he aware that he was my mate? What if I was only hallucinating the whole thing and I wasn¡¯t sure of anything? Perhaps I¡¯d misjudged and clearly didn¡¯t hear well?


    No matter how many questions I threw at myself, the answer still remained the same. Alpha Xander was my mate; I¡¯d felt it, and there was no way I could be wrong about it.


    The idea of a second chance mate didn¡¯t sound too bad if I was being honest. Growing up in the pack had filled me with stories who people who got their happy endings but Xander was an Alpha and a King, so, expecting to be treated well by him would be nothing but wishful thinking.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± The sound of my name on Sabrina¡¯s lips was all it took to bring me back to earth. I blinked a couple of times, as I tried to tune back into the conversation and catch a whiff of thest thing they¡¯d said, but I was lost. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I stuttered. I cleared my throat awkwardly as I avoided Xander¡¯s gaze as often as possible . ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m fine. I just zoned out for a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Sabrina beamed. ¡°I was just introducing you too. Alpha Xander this is Kieran and Kieran, this is Alpha Xander.¡±


    I found my eyes going back to the Alpha instinctively. What was I supposed to do? Bow? Shake him? What if I did neither of those? Would he have my head and give an order thaty remains be fed to the wolves if the wild? He could do all of that more because he was King.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Xander spoke, his voice piercing through my many unanswered questions. ¡°And wee to Deathshade.¡±


    Call me crazy if you wanted, but there was something about the way he says Deathshade that didn¡¯t sound right with me. If I was being honest, It sounded more like a threat than anything else.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I croaked, my head hanging low in a bow. ¡°And thank you for having me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± He quipped immediately and without so much as a second nce, Sabrina and I watched him storm off in the other direction, but not without giving her a look that clearly spelt we need to talk .


    As I watched his retreating figure, something settled in the pit of my stomach. Something I might have forgotten about before, but not anymore. This was a gentle reminder that I wasn¡¯t supposed to be here and had probably overstayed my wee. So that was why, as I followed Sabrina back into the house, I decided I was going to run away. Tonight.


    ***************************


    The moon shone brightly in the night sky as I stared at it from my window. A dozen stars twinkled in the background and if I wasn¡¯t so busy tonight and had other ns, I would have stayed back to enjoy the view.


    But I couldn¡¯t. There was no time for that now.


    I shifted my gaze from the window to the clock on the wall of my room. Eleven forty five pm stared back at me, and I gulped, it was time.


    Immediately, I got off my bed and strolled to my wardrobe in the far corner of my room. All it took was a swing of my hands, and I yanked the wooden storagepartment open. Without giving it too much thought, I stuffed everything and anything I could find.


    I hadn¡¯t figured out where I was going yet, but I wanted to be prepared. If Icked so much as a good change of clothes, then it would throw my ns off bnce. I stuffed as many clothes as I could into the bag at the foot of the wardrobe. After I¡¯d sessfully packed all of the clothes, I uncurled a small ck bag. It didn¡¯t contain much, only food that wouldst me a couple of days.


    Getting the food proved to be more difficult than I thought because Sabrina just wouldn¡¯t let go of me. She clung tightly to me, almost as if she smelt something fishy or maybe she was just worried.


    That didn¡¯t matter now. It was in the past and thank the goddess, I¡¯d sessfully evaded her. She was asleep now and hopefully she would keep sleeping till I was long gone.


    With onest nce at my room, I hurled the bag over my shoulder. Luckily for me, it wasn¡¯t too heavy so carrying it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    I hoped.


    Slowly, I pushed open the door to my bedroom, loud creaks piercing the night sky. Dim lights flickered on and off in the hallway, making it look like a scene from a horror movie. I stepped out, but only after inhaling and exhaling. With each step I took, I found my heart dropping lower and lower to my feet.


    Fear nipped at my skin as I continued tiptoeing. The mansion was usually swarmed with guards but they usually went to bed around this time. What if they hadn¡¯t all gone to bed? What were the chances that I was going to run into one of them?


    I muttered a silent prayer to the goddess.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to get caught. Honestly, I didn¡¯t even want to think about it. Aside Xander getting furious, I wasn¡¯t sure I could bare the look of disappointment on Sabrina¡¯s face if I fumbled this up. She¡¯d taken me in, a total stranger, for almost two months, and how was I repaying her, by running away.


    It broke my heart to do so and running away was probably selfish, but I would do anything not to go through all that I did in Lucas¡¯ hands. I wasn¡¯t even sure I could take it anymore.


    I put a halt to my thoughts when I realized I¡¯d gotten to the back door. This was it. All I had to do was sneak out of the mansion through this door and get to the gates. Once I¡¯d crossed over, then I would be free atst.


    Or so I thought.


    I sucked in a huge breath as my hand cradled the door knob, before pulling it open. A tiny part of me hoped and prayed for everything else to be seamless from here on, but I guess the goddess couldn¡¯t answer all of our prayers at once.


    I paled immediately at the sight in front of me. Just at the other side of the door was thest person I¡¯d expected to see.


    Alpha Xander, in flesh and blood.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I mumbled incoherently. Panic raced through my veins as I struggled to speak. ¡°Alpha Xander, I¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± His voice was low and icy. I shivered as his eyes raked over me, before resting on the bag propped on my back. ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I let out abruptly. ¡°You see this is all a misunderstanding and¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He snapped and I flinched. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a misunderstanding or not. You, Kieran, aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    Goosebumps lined my skin the moment those words slid past his lips. It waste and I could barely see a thing, except the glint in his eyes, and if I could deduce anything from that, it was the fact that he meant every word he had just said.


    Shit, I was in deep trouble.

 Mine

    Xander¡¯s POV.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    A cool breeze blew by rustling the trees in the distance. Up ahead, the moon cast its warm glow above the earth, illuminating everything under its wake. Stars twinkled in the background, like tiny specs against a pitch ck canvas. The sight was beautiful and I could get lost out here if I stayed here long enough, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn¡¯t distract myself from the matter at hand.


    I¡¯d found my mate.


    If I hadn¡¯t experienced it earlier today, I would have said it was a silly prank from someone, probably Sabrina. Or perhaps, I¡¯d been worn out by my long travels and I was beginning to hallucinate and see things.


    All my life, I¡¯d yearned for my mate. I spent a good portion of my life praying and pleading to the moon goddess to grant me my fair share of happiness, but she never did. I even went as far as offering rituals and traveling far and wide for the one destined for me. At least, if she couldn¡¯te to me, I would make things easier for her and go to her. But I never met her, until I finally gave up, just for her to show up on my doorstep.


    Shit.


    I had no idea what I was expecting when I¡¯d first arrived. Hell, this was my mansion and literally nothing exciting ever happened here. It was the same mundane and routine activities everyday, activities I¡¯de to ept as normal, and just when I was looking forward to the normal order of the day, she just had to show up.


    Tingles snaked its way down my skin as something nipped at the surface of my skin. I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯d felt anything like that before, but the moment Iid my eyes on her, I just knew.


    She was my mate. I¡¯d finally found her. Atst.


    As I stared at her while Sabrina chatted animatedly, a mix of emotions coursed through my veins. I wasn¡¯t even mad that Sabrina hadn¡¯t informed me of our August visitor, I just wanted to understand all of the emotions I felt all at once. They ranged from excitement and everything in between, down to sadness and anger. I was ecstatic because after so long, she had found her way to me. In a way, maybe my prayers and rituals didn¡¯t go unheard. But the moment that happiness came, it fizzled out the very next minute just to be reced with anger and hurt.


    Why now? Why did she have to show up now? After I¡¯d literally given up on the search? It made no sense at all as to why the goddess would y a cruel prank such as this on me.


    I sucked in a deep breath, before exhaling again. Did she know she was my mate? What if I was the only one who knew and she was in the dark about it all? Would she believe me if I told her? And what would be her reaction to it¡­


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head, slowly cutting the thoughts away from my mind. ¡°It was hopeless thinking about that. I have better things that need my attention.¡±


    Slowly, I pushed myself away from the railing I¡¯d been leaning on the entire time I was outside. I chose the backyard because it was peaceful and had a perfect view of one of my favorite sections of the garden.


    After giving the flower arrangements onest nce,  I headed towards the direction of the back door. My hands had almost grazed the doorknob when someone beat me to it, swinging the door open from the inside.


    ¡°Um..¡± she mumbled incoherently. I watched her as she bit down on her lower lip. She was panicking, but I¡¯d be lying if I said it wasn¡¯t the sexiest thing I¡¯d ever seen. ¡°Alpha Xander, I¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± my voice was low and icy. As I allowed my eyes roam over her, she shivered. My face contorted into one of rage when my gaze fell on the bag behind her.. ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she let out abruptly and I raised an eyebrow ¡°You see this is all a misunderstanding and¡­*¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I snapped, cutting her off. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a misunderstanding or not. You, Kieran, aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    The air around us crackled with electricity as she stared at me. I found my gaze wandering down to her lips that quivered under the moonlight gaze. In that moment, it felt like I¡¯d lost control of my body and senses, and before I would start giving myself logical exnations, I grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her inside.


    A surprised gasp slid past her lips as I pulled her further into the mansion. It was deathly quiet and you could clearly hear the sound of our footsteps resonating in the whole house, but I couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°What-¡± Kieran stuttered the moment we stopped. Before she could let anymore words out, I opened my the door to my bedroom and pushed her inside. ¡°What am I doing here? Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I shot back at her. ¡°So you can run away again?¡±


    She opened her mouth, only slightly before closing them again. There was nothing she could say. I¡¯d caught her red handed.


    ¡°Listen to me carefully, Kieran.¡± Her head jerked up to meet my eyes at the sound of her name. ¡°Let this be the first and thest time you¡¯d try something like this again. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± I bit back a chuckle as the words slid past her lips. ¡°You have no right to.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± I chuckled loudly and she bent her head low. My fingers found her chin immediately. A small gasp slid past her lips as I circled my fingers gently around a particr spot. Slowly, I tilted her head upwards, so I was staring at her eyes.


    I knew she was beautiful, but staring at her up close was an entirely different ballgame. Blue eyes like the deep ocean stared back at me, a million and one emotions swimming in them. Her plump lips were a soft shade of pink and I couldn¡¯t help but run my thumb over it. She gasped again, but I could tell she enjoyed every piece of it. To crown it all, I watched her chocte brown hair cascade around her face and back in waves. With how luscious it looked, I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through them, over and over again.


    ¡°Kieran¡± her name rolled off my tongue effortlessly. With a shy nod, I watched her hold my gaze. ¡°You¡¯re mine and mine alone, do you understand that?¡±


    The air between us crackled with something even bigger and the more I tried to deny it, the more it made its presence known. I found myself leaning in closer to Kieran and surprisingly she didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°Did you hear me, Kieran?¡± I pressed my lips close to her ear. I had no idea what hade over me, but at this point, I wasn¡¯t so sure I cared anymore. My only worry right now was if I was going to be able to stop myself from going too far. ¡°You¡¯re mine, fucking mine.¡±

 Close Call

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    A shudder raked through my body, causing goosebumps to follow suit. No matter how hard I tried to keep my body and it¡¯s reactions in check, it just didn¡¯t work. In fact, it felt like the more I tried, the more worse it became.


    I pressed my eyes shut, not knowing what else to do. Even that didn¡¯t help one bit. Instead, I felt my heartbeat pick up its pace, the vital organ threatening to tear its way through my skin. Maybe that wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing. Perhaps if that happened, I would finally get a hold of my senses again and know the right thing to do.


    Maybe.


    Right now, it all felt like wishful thinking. My mind fought against it, but my body gave in to it willingly. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end immediately. I gasped and my breath hitched in my throat as he pressed his lips close to my ear lobes. Who, you might ask?


    Alpha Xander.


    I willed my mind to not focus on what was happening right now, no matter how impossible it seemed to be. I pressed my eyes tighter as I thought of something else to distract me.


    How exactly did I end up in this position? If someone had told me than in the course of my escape that I would end up in the Alpha¡¯s room, I would haveughed my head off. Why? Because my resolve to leave was as firm as steel. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t as strong as I thought I was. All it took for him to have me pinned down was his husky voice and his full lips tracing the outline of my ear.


    Finished. I was finished.


    This wasn¡¯t supposed to be happening. By now, I should have been a far distance from deathshade pack. But instead, I was in the Alpha¡¯s room, with the man in question being dangerously close. Thest thing I¡¯d expected was stumbling upon him when I did, but even at that, if I could change the wheels of time, I could bet my life I would dly pick the path of running into him again.


    My world had stopped when he¡¯d called me out and said I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Even as he pulled me along the corridor that led to his room, a tiny part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel excited at the oue of it all. And now that I had seen it, I wanted more.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± I shivered again at the sound of my name, pulling me back to the present. ¡°Did you hear me?¡±


    Of course I¡¯d heard. In fact, for the next few days, that would be my mantra, constantly ying and reying again and again in my mind.


    ¡°Yes, alpha.¡± I croaked, my voice barely a whisper. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Something in between a gasp and a moan slid past my lips as his tongue circled the tip of my earlobe. Alpha Xander was certainly a tease and he was more than aware of his effects on me. ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t mind saying it back?¡±


    I gulped out loud. He was messing with me, slowly tearing up the wall between my sanity and my recklessness, and it was working.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Say it, Kieran.¡± Xander nodded. ¡°Come on, I want to hear you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m yours, alpha Xander.¡± my voice was no more than a whisper, but he¡¯d heard it very clearly. His next action proved it. ¡°I¡¯m all yours.¡±


    Xander grunted out loud, before fisting his hands by his side. Something burned at the back of my chest that I was able to garner that kind of reaction from him.


    Why was I feeling this way? Was this the mate bond at work? Was he aware that we were mates? Maybe that¡¯s what was making us so irresistible to each other and¡­


    ¡°I want to kiss you.¡± Xander didn¡¯t mince his next words. I blinked back a couple of times, as I tried to process what his sentence meant. As if he could read my mind, he repeated. ¡°I said I want to kiss you.¡±


    My brain went nk immediately. This was moving too fast, but that wasn¡¯t even the crazy part. The crazy part was the fact that I wanted it. I wanted alpha Xander to smash his lips against mine and see where it would end.


    My eyes darted from his face to his mouth and back again. Up close, he looked more handsome. He was the perfect embodiment of sin that I was more than ready to dive into.


    My breath hitched in my throat as he slowly came closer. I parted my lips in anticipation as my heartbeat skyrocketed immediately.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± His warm breath fanned my cheeks. He was so close, the scent of his cologne wafted through my nostrils. Maybe if he had quickened his steps, or perhaps I¡¯d pushed my lips to his, the kiss would have been a reality. He was so, so close, until¡­


    ¡°Alpha Xander?¡± Three knocks at the door cut us short immediately. In one study motion, I jerked back, almost colliding with the vase behind me. ¡°Are you in there?¡±


    Shit.


    *************


    I turned to the other side of the bed, before slowly peeling my eyes open. The sunlight basked the insides of my room with a warm glow and I found myself smiling, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason. Apparently, a particr memory had woken up with me too.


    ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Someone¡¯s voice caused me to jerk up. Immediately, I sat up, just toe face to face with thest person I expected to see. ¡°You seem to be in a good mood this morning.¡±


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± I called her out. With my hand pressed against my chest, I took in deep breaths, hoping to calm my raging heart. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too.¡± She quipped. She¡¯d just scared the hell out of me, so how was it supposed to ssify as a good morning. ¡°Or should I say, good afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, good afternoon?¡± I nced at the clock next to me and gasped. ¡°I totally overslept.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you sleptte.¡± Call me crazy but I couldn¡¯t help but feel something elseced under her tone. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrugged, hoping my nonchnce would conceal the effects of remembering what happened thest night had on my cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I slept.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Sabrina nodded as she made her way further into my room. Without asking my permission first, she sat at the foot of my bed. ¡°Mind telling me why you sleptte?*


    ¡°What?¡± I creased my eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I saw you in Alpha Xander¡¯s roomst night.¡± she said and I paled instantly. ¡°Why?¡±


    After Sabrina had knocked on Xander¡¯s door the night before, I¡¯d hidden behind the wardrobe. I was scared and didn¡¯t know what else to do. If it were up to Xanderst night, I would have walked right past her.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Sabrina¡¯s voice brought me back to Earth. ¡°I asked you a question, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± I drawled. ¡°I did go into his room, but only by mistake.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She said, her toneced with something I could not quite ce. ¡± I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleepst night so I decided to do a little exploring.¡± I continued. I was a bad liar and for the sake of everything, I prayed she was buying it. ¡± When I came across the Alpha¡¯s room, I had no idea it was his so I just walked right into it. When I realized my mistake, I apologized and was on my way out when you knocked.¡±


    Silence reigned between us as she stared me down. I could feel the wheels in her head turning, but I had not the faintest idea what was going through her mind.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± She finally spoke up. In one swift movement, she was on her feet and on her way out. ¡± If you say so. You should freshen up ande down for lunch.¡±


    Without so much as another word she disappeared from my room. I heaved a long sigh of relief, but somehow a strange feeling washed over me.


    Did she really believe me?

 Dining Tension

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I took the stairs one at a time as my feet slowly went in front of the other. Usually, it was standard practice for me to always race down the stairs, but for some strange reason today, I just wasn¡¯t feeling it.


    I ran my fingers along the banisters as my thoughts went into a million directions all at once. No matter how hard I ttied to focus, I just couldn¡¯t do it. Why? Because a particr thought kept on haunting my consciousness.


    Xander.


    If I was being honest, up until this moment, everything still felt like a dream. A beautiful dream I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to wake up from. I subconsciously brought my fingers to my lips and a shudder rushed through my veins immediately.


    That was how Xander had touched mest night.


    Shit.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I shook my head immediately, willing the thoughts to go away, but they didn¡¯t. Instead, it lingered at the back of my hand. With his tall and broad physique, one would think Alpha Xander was as rough as anything, but the man who gazed into my soul and touched my skin was far from rough. He was as gentle as ever and I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t craving his touch all over again.


    The sound of pans hitting the wall caught my attention. I blinked back a couple of times, just to realize I was in front of the kitchen.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called, before peering into the room. A heavenly aroma wafted through my nose and my stomach churned. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Kieran.¡± She smiled, before turning her attention back to the pots again. ¡°You came here just in time. Could you help me set these at the dinning?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded, before stepping inside. Carefully, I raised the two tes Sabrina had set on the kitchen ind before heading to the dinning. Sabrina and I always ate in the kitchen. The ind was spacious enough for both of us and if I was being honest, I actually liked it. We rarely used the dinning except for something special, so perhaps she was having a guest over.


    Bright lights from the chandelier illuminated the huge dinning the moment I stepped in. A grand table stood at the centre with a couple of flower vases with spaces between each other. A fresh wave of fragrance wafted in to my nostrils and I took them in, enjoying every bit of it. After I¡¯d had my fill of it all, I got to work.


    I carefully ced each meal in front of one seat, before arranging the cutlery by the side. It took a while, but I was eventually done. I decided to go back to see if Sabrina needed more help when the unthinkable happened.


    I spun on my heels, just before knocking something over. The sound of ceramic smashing against the cold tiled floor reached my ears and I jerked back immediately, fear crawling up my skin. Maybe if I wasn¡¯t so scared shitless, I would have thought it through and realized that jumping on a slippery surface wasn¡¯t exactly the best idea.


    A loud yelp bubbled in my throat as I threw my hands in the air, desperate for something to hold on to. My heart leapt up to my throat as it dawned on me. I was going to fall t on my butt ande out with a severe injury if I wasn¡¯t careful. All because of my sandals, my carelessness and this stupid floor.


    Time seemed to slow down as I fell, slowly anticipating my fall. I pressed my eyes shut before steeling my back and bracing myself for impact, but it never came. Surprise had me opening my eyes immediately when someone¡¯s hands wrapped around my waist, steadying me immediately.


    I heaved a sigh of relief as I slowly got my bnce before standing up to my normal height again.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± I breathed out wordlessly. ¡°Oh gosh, thank you so much for¡­¡±


    The rest of my words dried up on my tongue as I locked eyes with my savior. Bright blue eyes stared back at me, pushing my heart into overdrive. I was not sure which had my heart racing more, the way his gaze lingered on me or the fact that his hands were still wrapped around my waist.


    The skin around my waist tingled as I tried to look anywhere but at his face. Unfortunately for me, that was an impossible feat I wasn¡¯t sure I would be aplishing anytime soon. My insides red up, heat rushing to my cheeks.


    I wanted to speak, but no words came out. He¡¯d just saved me and the least I could do was say thank you right?


    I parted my lips, but I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak. It wasn¡¯t helping that his eyes held the same emotions asst night.


    Was he going to kiss me again? Or would he chicken out before someone interrupted us again?


    Xander hadn¡¯t said a thing in the past few minutes and if I was being honest, he honestly didn¡¯t need to. I understood each and every bit of his silence. His eyes said it all and all I could see in his orbs was nothing but want.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Another voice filtered in through the dinning. ¡± I heard you call my name and¡­¡±


    Sabrina halted in her tracks upon seeing us. I watched as her gaze darted from me to Alpha Xander and back to me again. I watched her eyes hood over as an unreadable expression clouded her face immediately.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was interrupting something.¡± Sabrina¡¯s voice was low, too low for my liking. Call me crazy but I could swear I saw her fingers trembling underneath her te. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Xander cleared his throat before slowly peeling his hands from my body and taking away the heat radiating from his body. ¡± Kieran almost got herself in an ident and I caught her just in time.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Sabrina quipped, and without sparing me so much as a nce, she walked towards one of the dinning chairs.


    The air crackled with an awkward aura as we all sat down to eat. The sound of cutlery clicking against ceramic tes was the only sound that filled the room for a while.


    I hated awkward silences like this and it didn¡¯t help that I could feel Sabrina¡¯s eyes on me all the while. She didn¡¯t say it, but I could tell that there was something on her mind.


    A loud buzz from the table beat me and any one of us to talking. With a quick nce at my right, I realized it came from Xander¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± He chimed as he nced at the phone. Then with an annoying and a loud screech, he pushed the chair back.


    ¡°I have to take this call. It¡¯s important business.¡± he said before walking out of the room.


    If I had thought the air was filled with tension earlier, then this was definitely a discovery. Unease nipped at my skin as I slowly stirred the te of food in front of me, asionally swallowing a few mouthfuls.


    It was delicious, don¡¯t get me wrong but I couldn¡¯t help but feel something off with the cook, and it was weird because Sabrina was never moody unless one of the maids messed something up.


    ¡°You know.¡± Sabrina started out of the blue, her voice cutting through my thoughts. ¡°Xander is a good man right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded slowly, not exactly sure the direction this conversation was heading to.


    ¡°Good.¡± Her response was abrupt. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you can try to y smart with him.¡±


    Wait what?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I mumbled, clearly taken aback. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Keep on trying to seduce him, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± Those were Sabrina¡¯s parting words to me as she got out of her seat, totally abandoning her lunch. Without so much as a nce in my direction, she stalked off, leaving me with the sounds of her footsteps receding and a million and one things running in my mind.


    What the hell just happened?

 More Trouble

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I sat on my bed in my room, as I allowed thefort from the duvet seep into my skin. It wasfy and all, but still wasn¡¯t enough to take my mind off what was bothering me. In fact, the more I tried to get rid of it, the more those thoughts kept crawling back into my mind.


    One would think after three days, I would have forgotten about it or at least tried to get over it. But that was the biggest lie of the century. If anything, my obsession with it had gotten worse and if I didn¡¯t find a solution to it soon, I would be on the verge of running mad.


    A huge sigh slipped past my lips as I scanned the room I was in. It looked exactly the way it looked before, but there was something missing. Sabrina hadn¡¯t been here in three days. Three good days.


    The memories of ourst interaction reyed in my head. If I was being honest, that was actually the first time I was seeing a different side to the woman. How could someone who was always so cheerful switch up in the twinkle of an eye?


    ¡®Keep on trying to seduce him, and you¡¯ll find out.¡¯ Her words rang loudly in my ear. Why would she even say that? Was that what she thought of me? That I would seduce Alpha Xander? In all my years on earth I wasn¡¯t sure I had seduced someone before. In all honesty, I doubted I could seduce anyone at all. I would cringe in embarrassment and pray to the moon goddess that the ground should open up and swallow me whole.


    Alpha Xander of all people? In my opinion he looked opposed to seduction. I doubted the very act would have any effects on him.


    But you almost kissed him the other day. A voice filled my head. And if you had the chance, I know you would have done more.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head, willing the thoughts to go away. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    But no matter how I tried to tell myself otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. Nothing was going to change the fact that I would have missed him if I got the chance, and if we had gotten just a little bit closer at the dinning room the other day, I could bet my life some sparks would have erupted there and then.


    ¡°Wait.¡± I eximed, as a thought popped into my head immediately ¡°Could that be why she was mad?¡±


    I took a small trip down memoryne as I tried to figure out the problem. Sabrina has walked in on Xander and I, in a verypromising position. Was that it? Was that why she felt I was trying to seduce the Alpha?


    I shuddered as a shiver ran through me, snaking around my waist in the exact same spot Alpha Xander held me steady. For a quick moment, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like his hands were wrapped around me all over again.


    I needed to focus. If our proximity had made Sabrina think I was trying to seduce the Alpha, then it was only right I apologized, right?Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    For some strange reason, it didn¡¯t sound right to me. All she could have done was to ask me and I would tell her. Instead of down right using me, a simple conversation could have solved it all. Yet, she decided to just start holding a grudge.


    I got down from my bed and slipped my legs into my fluffy slip-ons. A tiny part of me was against what I was about to do, but I just had to. Sabrina had been nothing but nice to me throughout my stay here so how could I be on bad terms with her over a silly misunderstanding? I¡¯m sure everything would go back to normal once I spoke with her.


    I made my way down the stairs immediately, hoping to catch up to Sabrina. It waste in the afternoon and by her schedule, she was either napping, or preparing for dinner. I slowed down my footsteps when I got to the corridor leading to the kitchen. I was just about to barge in, when something caught my ear.


    Voices.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand.¡± the first one spoke. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there not to understand?¡±  I recognized the second voice immediately. It was Sabrina, and judging by her voice , I could tell she was far from pleased. ¡°I¡¯m speaking in clear terms aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The other voice sighed and when I listened closely, it was none other than Xander. ¡°But I just don¡¯t get why you¡¯re making a fuss about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making a fuss?¡± Sabrina¡¯s high pitched tone held nothing but surprise and shock. ¡°That¡¯s really all you have to say?¡±


    Slowly, I tip toed to the entrance of the kitchen. When I¡¯d gotten close enough, I hid close to the wall. With my position, I had a clear view of both Alpha Xander and Sabrina.


    The duo were facing each other, or more importantly, Alpha Xander was facing Sabrina. Sabrina¡¯s back was turned to me and even though I couldn¡¯t see her face, I could bet she had a huge scowl on her face.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Xander called out to her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re mad at me too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, alpha.¡± Sabrina chimed against the backdrop of her stirring something in the pot. ¡°I¡¯m just expressing my distaste.¡±


    ¡°But she did nothing wrong.¡± Xander called out again. ¡°How many times do I have to exin that you?¡±


    ¡°She was in your room the other night!¡± Sabina fired back. ¡°It was reallyte too. Who knows what she could have done if I hadn¡¯te in? And the other day too, she was clinging on to you so tightly like her life depended on it.¡±


    I felt my stomach drop to my feet. Was this what she really thought about me? And here I was trying to apologize to her and make things right. And Xander, did he agree with her too?


    ¡°Listen, Sabrina.¡± Xander¡¯s words had me tuning back into their conversation. ¡°I already told you. She wandered into my room by mistake and you just happened to knock at that time. As for the other day at the dining room, she almost slipped. She was lucky I was there in time or she could have gotten hurt, and badly too.¡±


    ¡°Hurt my foot.¡± She scoffed haughtily. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel she did it on purpose¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xander cut her off immediately. I had no idea why, but there was something elseced in his voice. A tiny bit of rage that I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to bloom, for both my sake and Sabrina¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sabrina asked, clearly taken aback. ¡°I only said¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not repeat it.¡± Xander¡¯s words had a warning edge to it. ¡°Just don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But..¡±


    ¡°In fact,¡± Xander cut her off again. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t done with her yet. ¡± You will apologize to her.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Sabrina eximed, the exact same time I mouthed the word ¡®what?¡¯ ¡°What do you ¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± Xander nodded. ¡°I want this to be thest time you¡¯ll talk to me about this. Apologize to her and make up.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly do that¡­¡± maybe if I had been a little less clumsy, I would have heard thest of her words.


    Or perhaps, if an ant hadn¡¯t run over my leg, I wouldn¡¯t have screamed out loud.


    A sense of dread washed over me when I realized what I¡¯d just done. I felt my heartbeat pick up its pace immediately. Did they hear me? Did they know it came from me? What if I¡­


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Someone called from the inside, and I froze. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    Shit.

 A Due Apology

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    Growing up, I always thought I was cursed. I mean, what else could exin all the torture I¡¯d been going through since the beginning of time? I¡¯d realized it and epted it to be the truth. That way, it made my view of everything I was passing through less painful. All I did was tell myself that none of the things happening to me were my fault and I would be okay again.


    Lies.


    Honestly, I stopped thinking about it, and the moment Sabrina weed me with open arms, I genuinely thought that would be the end of it all. The end of my suffering, and an avenue to try to forget the kind of life I lived before. But I guess fate was a really tricky yer and somehow I always found myself on the wrong side of life.


    If that ant hadn¡¯t run over my foot the other day, nobody would have known I was eavesdropping on their conversation and I would be able to go with my activities like every other day, without the constant thought of why Sabrina decided to switch up on me.


    I could still remember everything that yed out that day. After I¡¯d screamed and the duo heard me, Xander was the first to call out to me. The moment his voice reaches my ears, my heart went into panic mode. It thudded wildly against my chest as I thought of the next thing to do.


    Was I supposed to walk into the kitchen now that they had realized someone had overheard them? Or was I supposed to just stand out here for as long as possible, till they were convinced that whoever screamed was only a figment of their imagination?


    Whatever idea I picked didn¡¯t exactly sound like the right choice no matter how hard I thought about it. In fact, the more I thought of it, the more stupid everything looked.


    The sound of footsteps approaching reached my ears and my panic levels rose immediately. I searched around frantically as I thought of my next step. Without giving it too much thought and before I would talk myself out of it, I dashed back upstairs.


    I took the stairs two at a time, not bothering to look back. The moment I was in my room, I mmed the door shut, so hard that its hinges rattled throughout the whole house.


    After that incident, I¡¯d been doing my level best in avoiding both Alpha Xander and Sabrina. I had no idea how and what I felt towards the woman that once showed me nothing but care. I wanted to understand where she wasing from, but after what I overheard, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so. For the next couple of days, I missed breakfast, lunch and dinner. Literally everything that would make me bump into her. I only left my room when I had a hunch that she would be nowhere near the kitchen or it¡¯s environs, and once I was in there,  a couple of snacks was more than okay to see me through the night.


    Whenever she came to knock, I always feigned sleep and luckily for both of us, she never roused me from my sleep.


    Xander on the other hand, I always avoided him as best as I could. The other day, I took another flight of stairs just because I saw him descending from the one adjacent to me. I had no idea why I was avoiding him, but you could say I was feeling a little bit guilty for running off the way I did. But what was I supposed to do? Stay till?¡­


    Three knocks on my door cut me out of my thoughts. I stole a nce at the bedside clock next to me, before my gaze rested on the door again.


    Who was that?


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I called unsurely. Slowly, I got off my bed and headed towards the door. After the count of three, I pulled the door knob and yanked the door open. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Sabrina hung around the threshold, a small smile on her lips. The atmosphere was tense and awkward, despite the friendly face she tried to put on.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I drawled awkwardly. If I had known she was the one at the door, I wasn¡¯t sure I would have opened it. ¡°Sure,e on in.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Silence filled the room the moment she stepped in. I rocked on my heels as I waited for her to go first, because in all honesty, I had no idea what I was going to say.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± She finally called out to me. ¡°I know things have been rocky between us the past few days now.¡±


    She was only putting it mildly, because it was definitely worse than that.


    ¡°I snapped at you when I shouldn¡¯t have and I didn¡¯t even try to make up for it.¡± Sabrina sounded really genuine if I was being honest and I found myself being seated by her apology. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°But why did you say that?¡± No matter how much I wanted to forgive her, I had to know the reason behind her words. There was no way she would have said those kinds of things in the spur of the moment. She had definitely thought it through. ¡°Is that really the kind of person you think I am?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± She shook her head furiously. With tender eyes she took a step forward as she continued. ¡± You have to believe me that I didn¡¯t mean any of the things I said. At all. You see, I¡¯ve been under a lot of stresstely.¡±


    ¡°And I thought I could handle it, until I realized I couldn¡¯t.¡± She continued after a short pause. ¡± Managing the affairs of this mansion isn¡¯t exactly an easy task, and instead of me trying to figure out a way to bnce it all, I let my anger out on you. I¡¯m sorry, Kieran.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I guess I understand where you¡¯reing from.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sabrina beamed, and in that moment, I was reminded of the woman that I first met when I regained consciousness. ¡°You have no idea how¡­¡±


    The door to my room swung open, the small creak it made cutting through my thoughts. I peeked from beside Sabrina to see who it was and my heart dropped to my feet immediately.


    ¡°Alpha.¡± Sabrina greeted him excitedly. ¡°What are you doing here? Do you need something? I can go get it for you and¡­¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Xander cut her off immediately. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were having a difficult time handling everything else by yourself?¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡± Sabrina replied with a small shrug. ¡°You already have a lot on your te so how could I burden you with that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bother.¡± Xander replied. ¡°In fact, I know what to do. Starting tomorrow, a new maid will be joining us. She¡¯ll take over all of the kitchen duties and whatever else Sabrina assigns her to do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sabrina and I chorused. While Sabrina¡¯s cry was one of surprise mixed with shock, mine had a tinge of indifference in it. ¡± What do you¡­¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± Xander wasn¡¯t mincing words. ¡°She¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why, but there was something about the way he said it, something that didn¡¯t sit right with me. Honestly, as he stalked out of the room, I felt my stomach churn with dread.

 The Guest

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I knew I should be happy that we¡¯d finally addressed the elephant in the room, but for some strange reason, that feeling never came. I tried forcing it, but it still wasn¡¯t natural. I was troubled, and I couldn¡¯t ce my finger on it as to why I felt that way.


    After Sabrina¡¯s apology, everything quickly went back to normal. We were back to our old selves, almost like we had been speaking to each other in thest few days. It was surprising how quickly we fell back into our old ways. Apparently, I¡¯d missed out on a lot of tea circting around the mansion. Since Sabrina had some sort of authority over the house, she was the first to know about even the tiniest details.


    Usually, it was the other way around but reverse was the case for Sabrina. The moment Xander excused himself from my room, we started talking. Ourughs and talks didn¡¯t end tillte in the night and before Sabrina left, it hade to my knowledge that one of the maids in the mansion was in a rtionship with one of the guards that manned the front gate. I found it hrious because most times, they were usually at each other¡¯s throats.


    When Sabrina had left my room, I took that as a sign that all of my troubles were over, until a knock interrupted.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I¡¯d opened the door to see the Alpha standing on the other side. The moment Iid my eyes on him, I felt my breath hitch in my throat immediately. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Xander asked, a small smile on his face. I mentally facepalmed myself as I pushed open the door further just so he coulde in.


    An awkward silence settled between us as he stepped into the room. Involuntarily, I found myself staring at everything else in the room asides the man in front of me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Sabrina.¡± Xander suddenly spoke up, cutting me out of my thoughts. ¡± I had no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault and we already settled it right? So it¡¯s all in the past now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Xander chorused. ¡°And one more thing, next time don¡¯t try to run whenever you¡¯ve obviously been caught.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Heat rushed up to my cheeks immediately. I hung my head low, praying that my hair was doing a good job at concealing the pink hue that has tinted the sides of my face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard you by the kitchen the other day, Kieran.¡± Xander sounded amused. ¡°Sabrina too. And I definitely saw you running up the stairs.¡±


    ¡°Well..¡± I drawled. There was nothing else I could say, he had caught me red handed and apparently, he was enjoying every bit of it. ¡°What if it was a case of being at the wrong ce at the wrong time?¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± Xanderughed, and I found myself smiling along with him. It was a rich and heartyugh that sounded like angels in a symphony. If I had my way, I would y it over and over again until the sound was etched permanently into my brain.


    Another round of awkward silence filled the room as hisughter slowly died down. Goosebumps lined the surface of my skin as I felt his eyes rake over my body I sank deeper into my clothes as I suddenly became more self conscious than ever.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± His voice was a breathless whisper. ¡°If you ever need anything, you know you can tell me right?¡±


    Yes. I wanted to speak up. Not only that, I wanted to let him know how ufortable I was that someone else would be joining us in the mansion tomorrow. Couldn¡¯t he just pick one of the maids he already had?


    If he couldn¡¯t do it, then Sabrina would. All she had to do was pick one of the maids. It would literally be the same thing as a promotion right?


    Right. Then problem solved.


    I nodded slightly, still unable to look him in the eye. A huge of dejavu hit me square in the jaw. This had happened before. Well, not entirely, but something rted to this.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Was he going to try to kiss me again? The very thought of it was thrilling to say the least and I was sure Sabrina had retired to bed, so there would be no distractions or interruptions this time.


    ¡°I should let you have some rest.¡± If only Xander knew how he¡¯d shattered one of my fantasies, maybe he would have taken his words back. ¡°Goodnight, Kieran.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Alpha Xander.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    I shook my head, willing the memories ofst night to leave my mind. It had been on rey since I woke up, and I was beginning to get tired. Well, I wasn¡¯t tired of thest part though.


    It waste in the afternoon and I was hungry, so I headed straight to the kitchen. The moment I got to the door, something caught my eye. Or more urately, someone.


    A tall and slender woman stood in the kitchen, her back turned towards me. I didn¡¯t have a good view of what she was doing, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel she was up to something. Slowly, I tip toed into the kitchen and only when I¡¯d gotten closer to her, did I let out a scream.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± A loud yelp slid past her lips as something slipped from her hands. A loud ng filled the room and it took me a while to realize she¡¯d just dropped a knife. ¡± Who are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± She mouthed, a hand to her chest. I watched as her chest heaved up and down, her breathsing out ragged and uneven. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I?¡± I scoffed, sarcasmcing my voice. ¡°You¡¯re asking me? I should be asking you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head, an air of defiance all around her. Jet ck hair cupped her face, just stopping short above her shoulders. Her brown eyes held nothing but indifference under the few strands of hair that covered her forehead. As she fumed, I continued my scrutiny downward. A cream colored shirt hugged her upper body, with a navy blue suede skirt hugging her tiny frame. To top it all off, she had a pair of ck shoes to match. ¡°I don¡¯t have to answer to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes you do.¡± I nodded. ¡°You better tell me who you are..¡±


    ¡°Or else what?¡± She cut me off immediately. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a spy aren¡¯t you?¡± I pointed a finger at her. The signs were ringly obvious. The uniform, the knife, the haughty attitude and the fact that I hasn¡¯t seen her before. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me who the hell you are right now, I¡¯m going to call security and you¡¯re going to regret it¡­¡±


    ¡°Do your worst.¡± She smirked, further infuriating me. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what I was about to do, but before I could raise so much as a finger, someone walked into the kitchen.


    ¡°Alice?¡± Xander called, causing the strangerdy to turn towards him. The moment she did, a huge smile made its way to her face. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon, Alpha Xander. ¡± Without so much as a nce, Alice sidestepped me, before walking towards Xander. ¡°I only arrived a couple of minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Wee.¡± The Alpha was all smiles. Immediately, he turned to me. ¡°Kieran, meet Alice. She¡¯ll be in charge of the maids in the mansion from now on.¡±


    The maid. I totally forgot.  As I stared at the woman in front of me, my stomach churned. There was something not right about her. Perhaps it was the way she stared me down, or the flirty looks she was sneaking at Alpha Xander while he wasn¡¯t looking.


    Whatever it was, everything tranted into one thing. I didn¡¯t like her. Not one bit.

 Ulterior Motive

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I allowed myself the time to take in all that had just happened. It was hard, but at this point, I wasn¡¯t so sure I had a choice anymore. I dragged my eyes from the tip of my slip and to thedy in the uniform just a couple of feets away from me. She wasn¡¯t alone, apparently, and the more I watched her chat with Xander, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that wide grin from her face.


    Shit.


    I didn¡¯t like her, not one bit, and Xander wasn¡¯t supposed to either. Couldn¡¯t he see it? Couldn¡¯t he see that she was clearly trying to deceive him by being all nice and fluffy? He was an Alpha right, so how couldn¡¯t he see the aura radiating from her was nothing less than pure evil and diabolical vibes.


    I crossed my hands over my chest as another string ofughter from Alice pulled me out of my thoughts. It was infuriating to say the least. How was she able to do it so wlessly? I mean deceive Alpha Xander that is. Was it her so called charms? If it was, then the Alpha was doing a really bad job at resisting it.


    Another jab of pain poked my insides when someone elseughed. A mini heartbreak ured inside me when I realized who it came from, Xander. He wasughing along with her jokes? What the hell was she actually yapping on about? Was there really anything funny in what she was talking about? Honestly, I would personally like to know what was so hrious about handling a group of people who were supposed to be keeping the entire mansion clean.


    Shit.


    A quick nce at my hand showed my fingers to be vibrating. It wasn¡¯t weird, I was always like this when I was mad or something but the downside was, if I didn¡¯t try to control it, then it wouldn¡¯t be long before I exploded like a pent up can of explosives.


    I must have been staring at the duo for too long because the moment I shifted my gaze from my fingers, they rested straight on Alpha Xander¡¯s. His beady eyes pierced into mine, asking the question his mouth couldn¡¯t.


    But if given the chance, would I really be able to speak up against Alice? If yes, what were the grounds of my im? I doubted that Alice was giving off bad vibes and throwing sultry winks at the Alpha would ssify as a valid reason.


    A thought popped into my head immediately, and a small frown made its way to my lips. I stole another nce at the duo as something stirred inside of me. Xander was cool with Alice and if he were to find out I was rude to her originally, how would he feel about it.


    I was yet to understand what was between the Alpha and I, but thest thing I wanted was for him to find out Alice and I didn¡¯t exactly get off on the right foot. It would be disappointing if he ever found out I was the cause of it all. I wanted the Alpha to feel a lot of things because of me, but disappointment was nowhere near that list.


    I hated being the bigger person.


    I sucked in a mouthful of air before walking up to them. The moment I stopped just right in front of them, every piece of conversation halted.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Xander was the first to speak. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded awkwardly. After Xander had announced Alice was in charge of the maids now, I¡¯d stormed off indefinitely. I had no idea why, but now, I was kind of regretting it. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡± I turned to the elephant in the room. ¡± I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier and I¡¯d like to apologize for being rude to you. I honestly didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    A heavy silence settled amidst us. We all stood, unmoving, the only sound audible to my ears being the loud thumping of my heart in my head.


    My gaze darted from Xander, to Alice and back to my fingers again. Maybe, just maybe I shouldn¡¯t have been the bigger person. Perhaps, I wouldn¡¯t be stuck in this awkward situation right now, and¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Alice spoke up. My ears perked up at the sound of her voice immediately. I raised my head just to see that she looked, slightly less haughty. ¡°I understand, you were probably just looking out for everyone else in here. Apology epted.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Xander eximed, more amused than shocked. A full grin yed out on his lips and I found myself mirroring his expression. ¡°I guess it¡¯s all settled then.¡±


    ¡°Kieran can help you get settled in.¡± He turned to Alice. ¡°If you need anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be more than happy to help out.¡±


    I smiled at him tight-lipped.


    Maybe that was going a bit too far.


    ¡°All right,dies.¡± Alpha Xander was already on his way out of the kitchen. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±


    I trailed Alpha Xander¡¯s back till he¡¯dpletely disappeared from my view. The moment I was sure he¡¯d gone a fair distance from us, I turned back to Alice.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, like Alpha Xander said¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse you?¡± Alice bit back, cutting me off immediately. I blinked back, obviously taken back by her sudden switch in tones. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Truly, I didn¡¯t. I thought we¡¯d both made up? Like it was only a couple of minutes ago, or was I suddenly hallucinating? ¡°You just said it was okay and¡­¡±


    ¡°And you believed that?¡± Alice cut me off again. I felt my anger levels rise by a hundred percent. Who the hell did she think she was to y me like that? She scoffed loudly, before continuing. ¡°I would never ept your apologies, even in a million years.¡±


    ¡°Are you shocked?¡± She cackled humourlessly. She¡¯d obviously seen the shock on my face and was nning on milking every piece of it. ¡°Oh, poor poor Kieran.¡±


    Like that wasn¡¯t condescending enough, she clicked her tongue as she slowly circled me, like I was her next meal.


    ¡°You think I can¡¯t see right through you?¡± She whispered in my ear and I shuddered in nothing but pure disgust. ¡°Your cherry nature and everything else is just a facade to what you truly are underneath.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡± I spat. ¡°Tell me, was this part of your training in that stupid institute of yours?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk down on my profession.¡± She roared and I knew I¡¯d just struck a nerve. ¡°You can only dream of attending that institute.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± It was my turn to scoff now. ¡°The only reason you¡¯re here is to stand around and teach people how to clean, doesn¡¯t that bother you at all?. You¡¯re literally so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think.¡± a sly smirk made its way to her lips. ¡°But I assure you, I have bigger ns and I have my eyes on bigger things.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t an idiot, so I had a very clear picture of what she was referring to. Or more specifically, who, rather.


    ¡°Whatever you do, leave Alpha Xander out of it.¡± It was more than a warning and hopefully she would see it as that. ¡°I¡¯m warning you.¡±


    ¡°Sweetheart,¡± she cooed. ¡°You should know your threats don¡¯t hold a candle to where I stand. I¡¯ll trample on you and your stupid threats.¡± she said and my hands balled into fists.


    ¡°Leave Alpha Xander out of this!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She smiled. ¡°Instead, you¡¯ll watch how I snatch him away from you. Right under your nose too.¡± she said before she shrugged ¡°Not like you ever stood a chance¡±


    Without giving me the luxury of having thest word, she stalked out of the kitchen.


    Goddess, I hate that girl so much.

 Trigger

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I sucked in a mouthful of air as I paced around my room. I was furious, no, infuriated and no matter how hard I tried to calm myself down, it just didn¡¯t work. The mere thought of it was more than enough to make me run mad with fury, but I just couldn¡¯t stop myself from thinking about it.


    How dare she? Who the hell does she think she is? Just because she was dressed in some snazzy uniform didn¡¯t give her the right to talk to me like she owned me. If we were to reallypare it, I had every right over her than she had over me. It hadn¡¯t been up to twenty four hours and she was already showing her true colors? I just knew she was a green snake under the green grass. From her stupid uniform to everything else, I knew she couldn¡¯t be trusted. I just don¡¯t know how Alpha Xander could make such a big mistake and¡­


    Ughhhh


    ¡°Rx, Kieran.¡± I shook my head slowly. There was no use venting to myself about Alice. All it was doing was making me mad all over again and I didn¡¯t like it. I wasn¡¯t exactly great at reeling in my anger, so I tried my level best not to explode all the time. I¡¯d been doing a great job honestly, but now that Alice has arrived, I wasn¡¯t so sure I could keep up with it anymore. ¡°Take a deep and slow breath. She really isn¡¯t worth a second of your time and you know this.¡± I said as I calmed myself.


    I inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, willing myself to stay calm. It worked for a couple of minutes, until a thought popped up in my head.


    Alice had eyes for Xander. She had eyes for the Alpha.


    Shit.


    I muttered a string of curses under my breath. If I cursed out loud, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d be able to stop.


    ¡®But I assure you, I have bigger ns and I have my eyes on bigger things¡¯ her voice rang in my head again.


    She wasn¡¯t even trying to be subtle about it. She¡¯d made me know from the start that she was ready for war, and by the goddess I would return the same energy she was giving out.


    I huffed out loud, as my eyes scanned my room. My gaze darted from one point to the other until I finally found what I was looking for; my flip flops. I skipped into thefy bunny footwear and headed down the stairs. I didn¡¯t have a particr destination, but I knew I was searching for someone; Sabrina.


    I was sure she was aware a new maid would be joining us today, but I doubted she knew she had already arrived. And if that was the case, I had taken it upon myself to warn her of the menace alpha Xander had decided to hire.


    I continued my tour around the mansion as I searched for Sabrina. I had popped into her room first, but she was nowhere to be found. Next, I checked out the kitchen, but she wasn¡¯t there either. I was this close to giving up, but for the sake of this Mansion, I wasn¡¯t going to stop.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    My next destination was the garden and I had almost gotten to the backdoor, when a sound from the right caught my attention.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I whispered underneath my breath. I wasn¡¯t totally sure, but it sounded just like her.


    Carefully, I tiptoed towards the source of the sound. It came off as little whispers, but eventually, I was able to trace the source of themotion to the dinning room. My grin widened when I realized Sabrina was in there, but it fell again the moment I realized she wasn¡¯t alone. She was with Alice.


    Anger and rage nipped at my skin at this revtion. How had she gotten to Sabrina so quickly? The n was to get to Sabrina first and not the other way around. How was I supposed to¡­


    ¡°Wait.¡± I paused. By now, both Alice and I knew we didn¡¯t like each other and a literal battle line had been drawn. I knew little to nothing about the little devil, but I knew for a fact that she wouldn¡¯t stop until she had done something bad to me or my image.


    Was she starting off with Sabrina? Oh hell, no.


    Panic swirled in the pit of my stomach immediately. Yes, Sabrina and I had had a bit of a rough patch in the past, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted it to repeat itself. If Alice were to sessfully turn Sabrina against me then it would break me. Sabrina was literally my only friend in the whole mansion and the thought of us no longer being friends hurt as hell.


    No, I shook my head. There was no way I would sit back and allow Alice and her evil machinations to seed. It just wasn¡¯t possible. I was just about to barge in there when someone¡¯s voice reached my ears.


    ¡°Hold it right there, young woman!¡± It was Sabrina, and if her high octave meant anything, I could easily deduce that she wasn¡¯t pleased. At all. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°What does it look like?¡± I could already tell from the bitchy undertone that it was none other than Alice. ¡± I know you¡¯re old, but you¡¯re certainly not blind, are you?¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± I couldn¡¯t exactly see Sabrina¡¯s full form because I was peeking, but I could tell her cheeks were red from anger. ¡°How dare you talk to me like that?!¡±


    ¡°I will talk to you however I please.¡± Alice scoffed. ¡°In case you missed the memo, I¡¯m now the one in charge of the mansion and how it¡¯s being run, so I can make changes whenever I like.¡±


    ¡°Not under my watch, you can¡¯t¡± Sabrina wasn¡¯t having it at all. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare change anything without my permission! You¡¯ve only been here for¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I did a mini dance in my head. ¡± Scold her so much that¡­¡±


    ¡°So much that what?¡± I froze at the voice behind me. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end as I figured what had just happened. Someone was behind me and it wasn¡¯t Alice or Sabrina.


    ¡°Alpha!¡± I chorused as I turned around immediately. The moment I did, I was pressed flush against his chest, with nothing but an inch keeping us apart. ¡°Xander, I mean, I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Xander smirked. For a moment, I totally forgot I just might have gotten in trouble because he was looking as handsome as ever. ¡± You were busy eavesdropping.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I replied abruptly, too abruptly if you asked me. I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I realized my mistake. ¡°I mean, I wasn¡¯t. I was just waiting for them to finish up.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I sucked in a deep breath as he pressed his hand against the wall, just next to the side of my head. My breath hitched in my throat as he did the same with his second hand, trapping  me in between his body and the wall.


    ¡°And.¡± I suddenly lost the ability to speak. For some strange reason, I could no longer get my mouth to make words. ¡°And¡­¡±


    The rest of my words died in my throat as I found myself gazing into his eyes.


    I was so caught up in how mesmerizing they were that I didn¡¯t realize Xander¡¯s hand on my waist. Shock waves jolted me out of my trance and I flinched. I pressed my eyes shut as unpleasant memories flooded my mind


    I tried to push them back, but no matter how hard I tried, they came back in ten folds. I honestly thought I¡¯d forgotten them, but apparently they were just suppressed. Memories of me being sexual assaulted by Alpha Lucas flooded my mind.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Xander¡¯s voice reached my ears. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± I huffed almost out of breath. I felt the air around me dry up immediately and I wanted nothing more than to get out of here. ¡°But don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± he started to say, confusion clear in his tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± I yelled, causing him to jump back immediately. Using that as an opportunity to escape, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, away from Alpha Xander and farther away from the memories of Alpha Lucas that refused to let me be.

 A Night To Remember

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I sucked in a deep breath, allowing the air to circte around my lungs and every other part where it was needed. My heart thundered under my chest, it had been like that for a while now. No matter what I did to try to get it back to it¡¯s normal pace, it just didn¡¯t work. The moment I thought about it, it would spike up again, its speed threatening to tear a hole through my chest.


    That bastard. It was all his fault.


    I always thought I¡¯d healed and forgotten about all that happened, but, as I allowed my mind the liberty of going over what happened between Xander and I, a couple of hours ago, I realized I was wrong. Very wrong.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    A sigh slid past my lips. It wasn¡¯t his fault, neither was it  my fault. I guess I just had to go through some things to fully understand my potential in life.


    Lies. All of that were just lies and a bunch of bullshit.


    How in the world were different kinds of assaults and abuses supposed to help me reach my full potential? Ever since I got here, I¡¯d done everything in my power not to remember it, but apparently, I wasn¡¯t doing enough. If I was, then there was no way Xander¡¯s hands on my hips would be able to send me spiraling back down the memoryne of when I was being abused by Alpha Lucas.


    Even the very thought of him was more than enough to strike fear in my heart. He was ruthless as he was cruel, and somehow, I felt like I was the only one who¡¯d seen the worst side of him. From being his y thing, to forcing me to have sex with him, the beatings and the tortures, everything struck a new found fear in me.


    But how and why did I remember all of this when Xander touched me? I didn¡¯t mean to, not at all, but somehow I just couldn¡¯t control the memories from popping up again. Xander was in no way like Alpha Lucas, so why?


    A sigh slid past my lips as I slouched a bit. Water drops fell onto my bare back immediately and I jumped. I¡¯d totally forgotten where I was and I found myself smiling a bit.


    A small smile made it¡¯s way to my lips as I stared ahead. The beautiful view of a variety of flowers caught my eyes, alongside the wonderful fragrance of each one wafting into my nostrils. I always loveding to the garden because it helped clear my mind of every anxiety whatsoever. And with the streaks the sun made as it slowly descended back into his hiding spot for the night, it made the whole garden look like a fairytale captured on a canvas.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful isn¡¯t it.¡± I froze at the sound of someone¡¯s voice behind me. If I hadn¡¯t heard it clearly, I could have sworn the sound of water rushing from the fountain behind me was making me hear things. But of course I wasn¡¯t, I¡¯d heard someone speak and it was a man. A man whom I recognized his voice, even if I was in aa. ¡°The sky, birds, nature. It¡¯s all so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± My voice was barely a whisper as it bounced off the background behind me. I nodded, but felt stupid after I realized he couldn¡¯t quite see me.


    A wave of silence rolled into the air surrounding us. Asides the birds chirping in the distance and the sound of my heart thumping loudly against my chest, I couldn¡¯t hear anything else, until he decided to break the silence.


    ¡°Did I hurt you, Kieran?¡± Xander¡¯s voice was soft and with the backdrop the fountain created, he sounded almost angelic. ¡°I had no idea why you suddenly ran off, but if I did, I want you to know that I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to in any way.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I breathed out wordlessly. ¡°You¡­ you didn¡¯t hurt me at all. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Curse Alpha Lucas. I was no longer with him, but somehow I was still paying for the abuse he melted out on me. In fact, not only was I still under his grip, I was subconsciously pushing away the only person I wanted close. Xander


    But that wasn¡¯t all. Somehow, he didn¡¯t mind at all. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t be on the other side of the fountain trying to figure out what he¡¯d done wrong.


    ¡°Whose fault is it then?¡± I shut my eyes at his question. Was he really that clueless? For sure Sabrina would have filled in him on details like what pack I was from and the rest, but I guess she really couldn¡¯t say everything about me because she didn¡¯t know either. ¡°You know you can talk to me right?¡±


    Yes, but I wasn¡¯t sure I was ready to share that part of my life yet.


    The sound of shuffling reached my ears and the moment I peeled my eyes open, I got the biggest shock of my life.


    ¡°Argh!¡± I screamed as Xander¡¯s face came into view. He was no longer seated behind the fountain but he was now next to me. ¡°Alpha Xander you scared me.¡±


    ¡°Just like the way I scared you a couple of hours ago?¡± I locked eyes with him and in that split second, I could see the genuine concern in his eyes. ¡°i really didn¡¯t mean to scare you ¡­ honestly, but don¡¯t you think you need to tell me what happened back there?¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± I drawled.  After letting out a couple of sighs, I continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly had it easy in life. In my former pack, I, I was¡­¡±


    A huge lump formed at the base of my throat. Thinking about it was more than enough to ruin my mood for days, so what the hell would happen if I managed to voice it out? It was going to ruin my life for sure.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± My eyes bulged as Xander intertwined his hand with mine. They were soft, too soft and I found myself melting into his touch. ¡°You can tell me. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I was abused.¡± I rushed out the words immediately. It was better to rush it out then wait for the impending judgement. ¡°It started from a really young age and¡­¡±


    The rest of my words became mere thoughts as Xander pressed his lips against mine. My eyes bulged immediately. Never in a million years did I see thating. My anxiety levels spiked upwards as my brain scrambled for what to do. Luckily for me, I didn¡¯t have to think too much because the moment Xander¡¯s tongue moved over my lower lip, I folded immediately.


    I parted my lips, only slightly, but it was more than enough for Xander to slip his tongue through. I moaned into his mouth as he pulled me closer against him. His breath fanned my cheek as he captured my earlobe in between his teeth, grazing the outer surface of my ear.


    ¡°None of those things matter, Kieran.¡± Goosebumps lined the surface of my skin as he whispered in my ear. ¡°Nothing will ever change the way I look at you and I will never hurt you.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure which was more surprising; the tone of his voice or the way it sounded like he actually meant what he¡¯d just said. Whatever the reason was, I would be lying if I said it didn¡¯t warm a part of my heart.


    I surrendered myself fully to the man in front of me, letting his lips take the lead. This night had turned out in a way I didn¡¯t expect, but apparently I was still in for more surprises.


    ¡°Alpha Xander.¡± Someone shrieked, causing us to pull apart. ¡°Kieran?¡±


    Oh shit.

 Turned Tables

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I¡¯d always heard the word ¡°distractions¡±, but I couldn¡¯t exactly say I¡¯d experienced it one on one. Or perhaps, I never considered it a distraction when they eventually urred. I probably saw it as a wee escape from the task at hand, but right now, this particr distraction in the form of the new help I¡¯d just hired for the mansion wasn¡¯t in the least wee here.


    I wanted her to leave. Now.


    A couple more seconds passed, with neither of us moving. Alice stood quite a distance away from the fountain where Kieran and I were huddled together, but I could still see her pretty clearly. Even though the night had fully darkened and only a couple of stars were out, it didn¡¯t change that I could still see her, and that I wanted her to leave.


    I felt something shift beside me, or more importantly, someone. It was Kieran. Since our faces were still huddled together, I could tell she wanted to leave. She¡¯d gotten ufortable and couldn¡¯t be in this environment anymore. But I couldn¡¯t let her go. I still craved herpany.


    And her lips.


    I bit back a smile at the thought of that. Just a couple of seconds ago, I was running my lips over Kieran¡¯s, a dream of mine I¡¯d been yearning to fulfill ever since the first time I¡¯d pulled her to my room that night. Now that I had finally gotten my opportunity, she just had to step in?


    I ground my teeth in low anger and frustration. Right now, I wanted nothing more to spend more time with Kieran and no domestic help was going to change that.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Alice shrieked again, her octave deeper than thest. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Kieren tensed besides me. Noticing this , I put my hand atop hers. In that moment, nothing else mattered, except for the two of us and it would have stayed that way if Alice didn¡¯t just barge in again.


    ¡°Alpha Xander.¡± She pursed with a bright smile on her face. After she was sure I¡¯d gotten her greeting, she turned towards Kieran with a frown. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I believe I should be asking you that question.¡± I beat Kieran to it, not like she was going to say anything. ¡± Don¡¯t you have duties to attend to on the inside?¡±


    If the gasp that Alice let out meant anything, it was shock. Perhaps she was shocked at what I¡¯d said or what I¡¯d just done. Whatever it was, I just hoped and prayed she would get the memo.


    She needed to leave. Now.


    ¡°I was already done with everything I needed to do.¡± Alice chimed, something strange lining the tone of her voice. ¡°I came to ask if you needed anything.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I quipped immediately. ¡°I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re fine, so you can leave now.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯ste.¡± I bit back a retort at her response. ¡°You should be inside. Aren¡¯t you freezing?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I let out immediately. ¡°The weather outside is perfectly fine and Kieran and I would love to enjoy the sight tonight. Right, Kieran?¡¯.


    ¡°What?¡± Kieran mumbled. That was the first statement she¡¯d made since Alice walked in.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    It was dark, but the moon did a good job in lightening up her face and highlighting her features and as she let out her next words, I could see a mix of emotions etched into her face all at once. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ um¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°You see.¡± Alice scoffed, a haughty undertone in her voice. ¡°Even she can¡¯t say anything.¡±


    I cocked my head at the audacity she had and I was about to talk but Kieran beat me to it.


    ¡°Excuse you?¡± Kieran bit back, like that was the motivation she needed to speak up after all. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± Alice smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was only looking out for you. I don¡¯t see the point of staying outdoors when you¡¯re freezing. It¡¯smon sense actually.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Kieran shrugged. ¡°But how and why can¡¯t you see that we want to be left alone? Isn¡¯t thatmon sense too?¡± She asked and my face remained emotionless but I beamed with pride at watching my mate handle herself.


    ¡°I¡­ that¡¯s not- you ¡­¡± Alice fumbled over her next words. A frown formed up in her eyebrows, but one nce at me and it was gone, just to be reced immediately by one of her pristine white smiles. ¡°I was only looking out for you¡­¡± she started to say.


    ¡°I think you should be more concerned about looking out for those you were ced in charge of.¡± Kieran grinned, while cutting her off. ¡± As for Alpha Xander and I , we can take care of ourselves. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡± I had no idea why, but there was something about the way she asked the question that warmed my heart and I found myself smiling. ¡°Right. So, Alice, thank you so much for your concern but we¡¯re actually quitefortable out here.¡± I said, hoping to the goddess that she would finally leave.


    ¡°With her?¡± Aliceshed out, something unreadable and frankly, annoying, in her tone. I barely managed to suppress the urge to tear her apart as I watched her eyes re up as she let out her next string of words. ¡°But¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean why?¡± Kieran retorted, beating me to it yet again. From the corner of my eyes, I watched Kieran¡¯s eyes narrow down into the size of slits. ¡± Is there someone else you would rather the Alpha be with?¡±


    Silence reigned as the question hung in the air. As the silence stretched into minutes, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was something else in the air, something I was surprisingly missing out on, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn¡¯t ce a finger to it.


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Alice cleared her throat. ¡°For your information, I actually have a good reason foring out here.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± It was my turn to chip in now. ¡°What exactly could that reason be?¡±


    ¡°Dinner is ready.¡± Alice¡¯s reply was tight-lipped. Honestly, she looked like she wouldbust any minute now. ¡°I came to call you in for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then you should have started with that.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alice let out a grunt. ¡± Why don¡¯t we go in then?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±Kieran said and I turned to look at her at the exact same time Alice did too. ¡°We¡¯lle in a littleter.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± It was just one word, but I could tell there was a bit of annoyanceced in it. ¡± Why can¡¯t youe with me now?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not done enjoying the sights yet.¡± Kieran shrugged, as nonchntly as she could. ¡± We¡¯lle in once we¡¯re done.¡± she said decisively.


    ¡°But dinner is getting cold.¡± Alice let out through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve been out here for the longest time now¡­¡±


    ¡°And we would havee in if you had just told us toe in for dinner earlier.¡± Kieran shrugged again, cutting her off . ¡°So, it¡¯s your fault, not ours.¡±


    ¡°Alpha Xander¡± Alice turned to me in the blink of an eye. ¡°Come to dinner with me.¡±


    It sounded nothing like a request. In fact, I almost thought she wasmanding me.


    ¡°You heard her. I¡¯lle in when Kieran says we should.¡± Call me crazy, but I swear I heard Kieran cheer underneath her breath. ¡± You go on ahead without us.¡± I ordered her.


    ¡°But ¡­¡± Alice trailed off, her eyes darting from Kieran to me and back again. ¡°But, but, dinner is ready and¡­¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡± I let out in a monotone and she froze. ¡°Leave. Now. And do not let me repeat myself.¡±


    Without so much as another word, I watched as Alice stormed off, a slight spring in her steps whilst muttering incoherent words under her breath.


    What the hell was wrong with her?

 Oliver, The Flirt

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    A long sigh slid past my lips as Iid on the bed, thefy feel of the duvet pressing into my back. With howfortable I was, it wouldn¡¯t take up to a minute for anyone in my shoes to fall asleep, anyone but me. Why? Because my mind was a whirlwind of emotions and for some strange reason, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to calm the raging storm that was swirling inside of me.


    Focus, Kieran. Focus.


    But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so.  It felt impossible at this point because the more I tried to forget about it all, the more the memory seemed to climb to the top of the list of the memories I wanted to forget.


    Xander. Alpha Xander. Ughhhh.


    Involuntarily, I found myself trailing my tongue over my lower lip. It had been weeks since the Alpha and I locked lips, but I could still very much taste him. He tasted like whiskey with a hint of mint and cinnamon. A whiff of vani too hung around the corner of my lips, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t help but stop thinking that that was the oue of both our mouthsbined together.


    Kieran!


    But that was the problem, no matter how hard I scolded myself, or tried to distract myself, nothing was working. It was like I was stuck in a time loop in my mind, with the only memory on rey being my kiss with Alpha Xander. Even if I were given all the most beautiful words in the dictionary, none of it could do a perfect job at describing how perfect that kiss was. Perfect was an understatement to be honest and trust me when I said I wouldn¡¯t mind a fraction of that kiss every second.


    I wondered if he was thinking about the kiss the same way I was. Was it just me? Or could he not get the feel of my lips mmed against his out of his head too? I doubted it. Alpha Xander was extremely handsome and good looking, and I could bet my life he¡¯d kissed a number of women in his lifetime. He wasn¡¯t like me, who¡¯d just had her very first kiss in forever.


    Yes, Alpha Xander ws my first kiss, and now that I thought about it, the more sense it made. Could it because I hadn¡¯t missed any other person prior to this, that¡¯s why I was reacting this way? You couldn¡¯t me me, I never believed it would happen. Why? Because I¡¯d killed my dreams of having a magical first kiss a long time ago.


    While I was in Alpha Lucas¡¯s pack, there was nothing like romance. I was basically a sex ve to assault and treat as he liked, so where in the world was a perfect first kiss supposed toe into? It was just wishful thinking at that point and instead of thinking about it all the time to get my heart broken, I would rather shelve it to the back of my mind. And I had, until I met Xander.


    With another loud groan at the surge of unwanted memories that filled my head, I got off my bed and headed straight to the garden. The same garden where it had all happened. A particr memory nipped at the front line of all the others, and I shook my head back, willing them to all disappear.


    No matter what happened, I would alwayse to the gardens. It was the one ce that gave me peace and sce when I needed it, and as usual, I was going to avoid reying any memories. How hard could it be, right?


    I skidded to a halt in my tracks the moment my eyes reached someone¡¯s back. He was tall and dark, with a light brown shade of hair curling around the back of his head. The muscles of his back rippled along the lines of the tight T-shirt he wore as he moved his arms right and left, front and back, stretching.


    My hands itched to touch the huge bulge in huge arm, but I kept the urge to myself. How weird would it be if I just started running my fingers across his body? Whoever he was, I wasn¡¯t sure he worked here. Because if he did, I would have recognized him. That and the fact that not a lot of people who worked here were built like that.


    Except Alpha Xander.


    Had he done something with his hair? I narrowed my eyes as I studied him. Nah, it can¡¯t be Xander. I recognized him anywhere, even in the dark. Or did he-


    The rest of the words to my question died in my throat the moment the man raised his head, before turning in my direction. I felt my breath hitch in my throat immediately. It felt like I could no longer speak, as my legs fell to mush.


    ¡°Hey there, beautiful.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure which was more charming, his pristine white smile or the fact that he had an angelic voice. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I managed to get out. My voice quivered slightly and I hated how I couldn¡¯t get a hold of it. ¡°What -what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came here to watch the gardens.¡± He smirked. ¡°But now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯d rather gaze upon nature¡¯s finest artwork.¡± he said and I was genuinely caught off guard.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I mumbled. It didn¡¯t take too long for my cheeks to warm up, a red hue tainting the sides.


    ¡°You must think I¡¯m ttering on you.¡± The young man continued his assault on words as he stalked towards me. Even his gait had a certain bounce to it. When he stopped just a couple of inches short from where I stood, he continued. ¡°But I¡¯m not, even if I was, I doubt anything I would say could match up to your ethereal beauty.¡±


    ¡°I.. I..¡± this wasn¡¯t a usual urrence for me. I had barely had a conversation or be in the same room with a lot of guys so how could I answer him? If anything, I wanted nothing more than for the fountain to open up and swallow me whole.


    ¡°I¡¯m Oliver.¡± The man bowed. Small shivers traveled across my palm as he brought it closer to his lips. Before I could make sense of what he was doing, his lips connected with the back of my palm. Ummm¡­ I was honestly just really shocked and rooted to the spot.


    ¡°And I know you¡¯re a princess, but I would really love to know your name.¡±


    ¡°Kieran..¡± I breathed out, like I was being hypnotized. His courage was so shocking to take in. I cleared my throat again before answering. I was beginning to sound like a fan girl.


    ¡°My name is Kieran.¡± I said, much more clearly.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the most beautiful names I¡¯ve heard.¡± He said as he gave me a lopsided grin. ¡°And it¡¯s quite befitting for an angel who- ¡±


    ¡°You should leave her alone.¡± Someone¡¯s deathly calm voice said from behind me. Xander. The moment he spoke, I froze. ¡°Leave Kieran alone.¡± he repeated, like he meant for it to sink into Oliver¡¯s skull.


    ¡°Xander!¡± Oliver grinned, tilting his head to the side to catch a glimpse of the man who had just spoken behind me. ¡°It¡¯s been so long!¡±


    I stepped aside and turned to assess the conversation.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A ghost of a smile made it way to Xander¡¯s lips as he walked further into the garden.


    ¡°Is that how to wee your friend?¡± Oliver shot back, his grin never faltering. ¡°I thought you would have learnt some manners by now?¡±


    ¡°I would have.¡± Something dangerously low resonated under Xander¡¯s voice. ¡°If you had learned to stop flirting with any woman you saw.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful woman, you mean.¡± Oliver let out a loudugh, before drawing his gaze back to me. I watched something dark flicker in his eyes for a bit, before disappearing again. ¡°And Kieran here isn¡¯t just beautiful, she¡¯s a goddess. A reincarnation of the moon goddess herself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± Xander warned and I almost grinned at how territorial he sounded. ¡°Don¡¯t you try to¡­¡±


    ¡°Rx.¡± Oliver cut him off before he could get any more words out. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make sure she doesn¡¯t fall too hard for me.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    *You¡¯re pathetic.¡± Xander rolled his eyes and I could tell it was just an attempt to block out the jealousy, but there was something in there. Almost like he felt me staring, he immediately turned to me and gave me a weird look before he spoke.


    ¡°Stay away from him.¡± he simply said, a hint of a warning to it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡± Oliver countered and I turned to him.


    ¡°Listen to me Kieran¡± Xander said and I turned back to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Oliver countered again.


    Xander groaned.


    ¡°Asshole¡± he said before he turned his back on us.


    ¡°Now if you¡¯d like, carry your dirty ass into the house for lunch.¡± he said to Oliver and I almostughed out loud.


    Oliver hummed a tune as he followed Xander and they both went into the mansion, leaving me and my thoughts behind.


    So, Oliver was Alpha Xander¡¯s friend?

 Trouble At Lunch

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    The sound of cutlery nging against the ceramic te was all that could be heard for a while, and not just from me too. Literally everyone that was seated at the dining table with a steaming bowl of food in front of them hadn¡¯t said a word since lunch started and I wasn¡¯t particrly sure yet. Of course, everyone probably had their different reasons, just the way I had mine.


    Alice, Sabrina, Oliver and Alpha Xander were all scattered around the circr table, each one doing their thing. The only person who seemed to be a bit cheery and happy was Oliver. He munched happily on his meals, a huge smile on his face. Sabrina on the other hand, was seated directly opposite me and I couldn¡¯t help but notice her throwing some kind of weird looks in his direction.


    Alice, on the other hand, was being bitch as usual. I didn¡¯t pay a lot of attention to her but the little moment we locked our eyes was more than enough to send a scowl my way. From the re in her eyes, you could tell she still hadn¡¯t gotten over the incident that happened in the garden a couple of days back. I¡¯m sure if she could, she would drive the table knife currently in her grip into the deepest and darkest part of my throat. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even sure why she was sitting at the table with us but I wasn¡¯t ready to be that bitch.


    Alpha Xander on the other hand, was just there. He barely said anything, neither did he eat a lot. Since this lunch started, I could count the number of times he¡¯d actually put a spoonful of food in his mouth.


    ¡°Oh,e on now.¡± Oliver suddenly let out, catching the attention of the entire room. We all turned to the man in question immediately. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Did someone die?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I could swear on my life I heard Alice mutter under her breath. Even though she was sort of subtle about it, I knew her nasty statement was directed at no one else but me. ¡°Although I really wish that was the case.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lunch, Oliver.¡± Xander spoke up. ¡°Not everyone thinks everything is supposed to be a freaking party. Not everyone thinks like you.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s wrong.¡± Oliver smirked. ¡°Really wrong, how then are you supposed to enjoy the meal?¡±


    ¡°In silence.¡± Xander pointed out while his friend guffawed out loud. Involuntarily, I found a small smile making its way to my face. ¡°No one talks while eating.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Oliver waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Let¡¯s make this ce lively. Sabrina, tell me something interesting about you.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± She looked confused for a while. ¡°You know basically everything there is to know about me Oliver. Besides, I mostly just spend my time running the affairs of the mansion¡±


    ¡°Used to.¡± Alice coughed out loud, before dropping a forkful of food into her mouth. ¡°Do I always need to remind you that you¡¯ve been reced?¡± she asked rudely and I stared at her in shock. Did she really just?¡­


    ¡°Reced?¡± Sabrina scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than a substitute dear. A mere assistant too, or did you think your uniform was going to make any difference?¡± she retorted and I was so happy, I couldn¡¯t hide it.


    Thankfully, a ripple ofughter spread through the table, so no one was able to notice my excessive happiness and the shocked look on Alice¡¯s face was priceless, it was pure gold even. Apparently, no one had foreseen Sabrina¡¯seback, not even Oliver himself.


    ¡°How dare you?!¡± Alice asked, and saying was red, was a big understatement. Right now, if someone walked into the room and mistook her for a tomato, they wouldn¡¯t be wrong. ¡°I, I, I am not a substitute and I graduated from one of the best institutes in the state. You better take that back or¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Oliver cut in amidstughs. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Now Kieran, what have you been up totely?¡± he asked almost immediately, catching me off guard.


    ¡°What?¡± I froze midway while putting my spoon in my mouth. Goosebumps littered the surface of my skin as everyone¡¯s eyes turned to me, each one holding a different emotion. Even with the feel of their collective gazes on my skin, I could clearly tell one person¡¯s emotions.


    Xander¡¯s.


    His beady eyes were trained at me, but a tiny part of me couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the indifference in his eyes were for me.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­¡± I mumbled awkwardly. ¡°Nothing really. I don¡¯t exactly have anything fun going on.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Oliver chimed, something glinting in his eyes. ¡°How can a beautifuldy not have anything going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal actually.¡± To say I was ufortable had to be the biggest understatement of the century. My fingers trembled and I could hear myself croaking out the words that slid past my lips. ¡°I mostly like being on my own and¡­.¡±


    ¡°You certainly must have hobbies.¡± Oliver chimed in again. ¡°Do you like horses? I know Xander has a couple of horses in his ranch a distance away from here. How about we go horse riding this evening? Just you and me, riding into the sunset.¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I muttered. If someone else had that, maybe it would have given me the reaction he was looking for; butterflies in my stomach. But instead of butterflies, I felt my stomach churn in anxiety. I could already feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead too. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡±


    ¡°But I do.¡± Oliver grinned. ¡°You would look mesmerizing by my side. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°I think horse riding is a wonderful idea. I haven¡¯t ridden in years and I just say I miss the thrill of it all.¡±


    ¡°I could take you, but Kieran first.¡± Oliver smirked and for the life of me I couldn¡¯t bring myself to share in his happiness. ¡°I¡¯d like mydy to experience it first and¡­.¡±


    A loud ng on the floor cut him short. My heart leapt to my throat as we all turned towards the direction the sound came from. It was Xander, he¡¯d just dropped all of his cutlery on the cold tiled floors.


    ¡°Xander?¡± Oliver called. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Peachy.¡± Xander quipped as he stared straight ahead. He looked to be staring at nothing, but I knew better. ¡°just peachy.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I called out wearily. ¡°If something¡¯s wrong you can¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Oliver chuckled. ¡°Little things like this don¡¯t matter to the Alpha. Now where were we? Horse riding right? If you don¡¯t like that, how about a romantic evening?¡±


    ¡°Ouuuu.¡± Sabrina and Alice whistled simultaneously.


    ¡°Just picture the most romantic atmosphere.¡± Oliver sighed. ¡°Just you and me, string fairy lights under the moon¡¯s gaze. We would talk for hours, steal a couple of kisses in between¡­¡±


    A loud screech filled the room as Xander got up from his seat. He¡¯d pushed the chair back with so much force, I was stumped at how it hadn¡¯t snapped on his fingers. With just one menacing nce at all of us, he stormed out of the dining room.


    ¡°Xander?¡± Oliver was on his feet too, looking genuinely concerned. ¡°Wait up man.¡±


    In less than a minute, both men were up and out of the dining room. An awkward silence filled the room as none of us decided to look at each other.


    What were we supposed to say? There was nothing to say because¡­


    ¡°Kieran dear.¡± I raised my head to the sound of my name on Sabrina¡¯s lips. ¡°Would you be a darling and help me out with something? I need to get some things before tonight. Maybe if you and Oliver decide on your date night you could help me get it before it starts?¡±


    What?


    ¡°I..¡± I muttered, not sure of my next words. Was she really serious right now? Had she somehow missed all of what had just happened, or was she just trying to intentionally ignore it? ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sabrina¡¯s eyebrows creased at the center. ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea. All of them , maybe when hees back we can discuss more to find out the perfect one for¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Without so much as another word, I pushed my te back and headed out of the dining room. In the history of all the lunches we¡¯ve had, this just had to be the worst and most awkward of them all.


    By far.

 The Outburst

    Xander¡¯ POV


    Red. Red was all I saw as I walked out of the dining room. I had no idea where I was headed exactly, but at that moment, I didn¡¯t care. I was too mad to do so. My footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, I knew I was being loud, but to hell with that. Anger nipped at my skin and I felt the urge to punch something. In fact, if I didn¡¯t, I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to calm down.


    I shook my head as I continued walking. The lights hung up on the wall flickered lightly with each one I passed, almost as if they could sense the bad mood I was in. I even had the urge to break one of them, but I decided against it. Or more specifically, It was already toote to go back because I¡¯d already walked past them and it would make no sense if I went back.


    Still without a particr destination in mind, I yanked open the first door I saw. I had not the faintest idea of where it led to, until I pulled it open. Even when I did, the scenery up front did nothing but anger me the more.


    Fuck.


    I allowed a string of curses slide past my lips as I went down the stairs that connected the porch to the garden. I¡¯d exited the dining room with the hopes of going somewhere else to cool off, but now that I was here, the garden only seemed to stoke the fire that was already burning bright inside me.


    It wasn¡¯t the garden. It was the memory attached to it.


    I wiped my face with my palm as I fought over the control of my mind. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, I only found the memory climbing back up with more intensity than I was using to push it back down.


    I let out a frustrated sigh as it finally won, the memory reying in My head. This was the exact spot where I¡¯d met Kieran after Sabrina introduced us to each other. Or more urately, the spot where I¡¯d bumped into her trying to run away.


    I shut my eyes as I really thought about that night. Up until now, I still hadn¡¯t figured out why she wanted to escape. Was it because of Sabrina? No, both of them had been together for a while, even before I arrived back home, so there was no way she was trying to leave because of her.


    A tiny part of me knew the answer. She was running away because of me. She¡¯d probably realized that we were mates, the exact moment I did too, and since she had suffered in her previous pack, I guess she didn¡¯t want the same thing happening again.


    I hoped.


    That night wasn¡¯t only about her trying to run away, it was the night I¡¯d actually seen her. The night I¡¯d really seen how gorgeous she was. I always med the goddess for not giving me my mate in time, but all that me vanished the moment I pulled her into my room. Kieran was just so perfect, it made waiting for her worth it, even though I¡¯d initially given up on it.


    I was finally happy to have her in my arms, and out of the blue, someone else was trying to steal her from me, and right under my nose too.


    My anger burned brighter as Kieran¡¯s memory disappeared, just to be reced by the scene in the dining room. I had no grudge against Oliver, mind you. We¡¯d been friends for years, and this wasn¡¯t the first time he was popping into the mansion unannounced.


    In fact, he did it so often if he hadn¡¯te around when he did, I would havee to the conclusion that something was wrong. I was happy he was here. Hispany was nice and genuinely wee, but what irked me to the bones was the fact that he wasn¡¯t letting Kieran be.


    Fuck.


    From the moment he¡¯d arrived, he had set his eyes on Kieran. I honestly thought he was giving her all his attention because he hadn¡¯t seen her before, but Alice was also a new addition and he didn¡¯t even look at her once. Not even once.


    Throughout the whole dinner, I could swear his eyes were solely on Kieran. Even when he started talking, he directed everything to her. How dare he¡­


    ¡°Hey man.¡± Someone¡¯s hand rested on my shoulder from behind, catching me off guard. I spun around immediately, just to realize it was Oliver. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I said nothing as I studied him. He was panting, which made me realize that he had burst out of the dining room shortly after I did. And since I didn¡¯t have any particr destination in mind, it made it harder for him to easily locate me.


    Good. He deserved that.


    ¡°Xander?¡± He called out to me again , cutting through my thoughts again. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I shrugged his hand off and for a moment, I saw something like hurt and surprise sh in his orbs. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you storm out of the dining room like that?¡± He took a couple of steps, stopping right in front of me. ¡°I really don¡¯t think you would have just stormed out like that if something didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°What if something did happen?¡± I tilted my head to the side. ¡°What would you have done then?¡±


    ¡°Tried to figure out what it was!¡± He said calmly, almost like it was the most simple thing in the world. ¡°Whenever you have something bothering you, I¡¯m always there for you to talk to, right? So if it¡¯s one of these scenarios, then you can just tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°With that heavy frown on your face?¡± Him pointing out my frown only made the facial expression deeper. ¡± No way in hell would I believe that.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling the meal.¡± I quipped. ¡°I got tired of the food and that was the only way to excuse myself.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Oliver narrowed his eyes on me. ¡°That food was really delicious¡± he said as he closed his eyes, probably imagining the meal, before he suddenly opened his eyes again.


    ¡°I could bet Kieran was the one who made it.¡± he said.


    What?


    What the actual fuck?


    ¡°For real.¡± Oliver continued, obviously not reading the room. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful, I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to be a good cook as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I let out through gritted teeth as I fisted my hands by my side. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°I would haveplimented her before you left.¡± Oliver smiled, and it annoyed me to the bones that it looked genuine. ¡°Did you see how she was blushing all through? How she bent her head low and¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± I¡¯d had enough of his rambling about my own mate to him. ¡°Just shut up!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, dude?¡± Confusion appeared on Oliver¡¯s face. ¡°Did I say something?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I huffed. ¡°All of this started ever since you started talking.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Oliver stuttered. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Kieran.¡± There was no use mincing words any longer. ¡°Kieran is my mate!¡±


    ¡°Oh man.¡± The look of horror on his face was one I would have made fun of it were under normal circumstances, but right now, there was nothing remotely normal about any of this. ¡°Shit! I swear, I had no idea.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you had calmed down a bit, you would have realized that Kieran is in fact my mate!¡± I yelled at the top of my voice even though I knew that there was no way he would have known that. I inhaled and exhaled in anger, with my nostrils ring at intervals. Maybe if I wasn¡¯t so angry, I would have heard the rustling behind the hedges, indicating that someone had been listening in on our conversation.


    Fuck.


    I really hoped not.

 Best Friends

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I exhaled the moment the words slid past my lips. Surprisingly, after my mini outburst just now, I felt lighter. The tightening in my chest that seemed to be stuck when Oliver couldn¡¯t keep shut about Kieran, had suddenly disappeared. My head felt lighter and my vision was tinted with red anymore. I could see the world for the colors it was in and it looked beautiful. That, and the surprised look on Oliver¡¯s face was more than satisfactory.


    Time seemed to slow to a halt as none of us moved. Oliver who was hyper active just a moment ago was as quiet as a rock. If I hadn¡¯t seen him move his lips prior to my outburst, I woulde to the conclusion that he was now mute.


    ¡°Oliver?¡± I called out after some seconds. It was surprising how after a moments worth of silence between us, something began to churn in the pit of my stomach. Guilt. ¡°Oliver? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Was all he mumbled. He looked lost as his eyes zed over. He was looking straight at me, but I could bet a million dors that he couldn¡¯t see me. ¡± Shit, shit, shit.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± His attitude was scaring me. ¡± What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Xander!¡± He yelled out of the blue and I flimched. ¡°Dude, I¡¯m so sorry. I had no idea. At all.¡±


    I stared at Oliver some more. His eyes were still the size of saucers, and that could only mean two things; he was still more than shocked and was definitely trying to reel all the information in.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I mumbled finally. I heard once before running a hand through my hair. ¡°You just didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡± Before I could dodge, Oliver¡¯s palm hit me square in the chest. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier?!¡±


    ¡°Oww!¡± I hissed. Oliver had caught me off guard and he knew that was the only way he had scored a blow on me. ¡°What did you do that for?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± Oliver frowned. ¡°How could you keep something like this from me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I was going to tell you after you¡¯d settled in. But you were just so impatient you couldn¡¯t control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Oliver grinned sheepishly. With a small smile, he added. ¡°But you can¡¯t me me, have you seen Kieran?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The frown on my face was massive and natural. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Rx.¡± Oliver¡¯s hands went up in mock surrender. ¡± I meant that in the purest way possible.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I folded my hands across my chest. ¡°Remember, you have one trial. If you so much as hint flirtatiously towards Kieran, I¡¯ll break your bones right this instant.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Oliver guffawed. ¡°For a moment I¡¯d totally forgotten you had the protective nature in you. But it¡¯s not your fault, since you were mateless for the whole of your life it¡¯s only natural that part of you would disappear.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Oliver was taunting me and the loud strings ofughs he let out was more than enough proof. ¡°You watch your tongue¡­¡±


    ¡°Or else what?¡± Oliver smirked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong though, I was only saying the truth.¡±


    ¡°What were you saying about Kieran?¡± I asked instead. It was surprising how I didn¡¯t want Oliver talking about my mate, but at the same time, I wanted to know what he thought about her. ¡°Spill, now. Before I change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Has no one told you that threats don¡¯t work between best friends?¡± Oliver grinned. ¡°Even if the other one is a powerful alpha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back inside.¡± I shook my head, before spinning on my heels. ¡°Come back in when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey , hey.¡± Oliver¡¯s exmations had me halting in my tracks. It was a trick to get Oliver to speak, and right now, it was working perfectly fine. ¡°Don¡¯t you walk out yet. I¡¯m not done with you.¡±


    ¡°Say what you want to say and let¡¯s get this over with.¡± I nodded. ¡°You do remember we have lunch to finish, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Oliver chorused. ¡°I¡¯m still starving too. Do you think Kieran would mind getting me some more food?¡±


    ¡°Oliver.¡± I let out through gritted teeth, my voice dropping by an octave. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Oliver didn¡¯t look the least sorry. In fact, it the sly grin he had on his lips meant anything, he was riling me up and having too much fun about it too. ¡°As I was saying, Kieran is beautiful. No, gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± If Oliver had even the tiniest bit of brain mass, he would have understood I wanted him to shut up immediately. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, she makes the word gorgeous sound like an understatement.¡± Oliver whistled. ¡°Literally. She should be called an Angel, or a goddess.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And her voice is so sweet and soft.¡± Oliver cooed. ¡°They¡¯re like music to my ears. I could listen to her talk all day long. I should ask her if she¡¯s a good singer. I can bet my life she has an angelic voice and¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± I grunted. Before Oliver could make the next move, I rushed towards him. A loud yelp slid past his lips as I grabbed his hands, before pinning them behind his back. ¡°You never listen do you?¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡± Oliver let out, in between small yelps of pain. ¡± I told you I wanted to tell you about Kieran¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me you wanted to flirt.¡± I shot back. I gave the back of his knees a gentle nudge and just as I¡¯d expected, he fell to the ground immediately, his kneesing in contact with the grass. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Come on now, Xander.¡± Oliver¡¯s shouts were slowly morphing intoughter. ¡°I was only messing with you.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m messing with you too.¡± I grinned, even though I wasn¡¯t sure he could see me. ¡± Since your idea of messing with me is riling me up with Kieran, then you¡¯ll just have to endure some pain.¡±


    ¡°Look.¡± Oliver¡¯sughter was uncontroble now. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry. I was just joking. Have you forgotten im The joker?¡±


    ¡°Your jokes areme.¡± I quipped. ¡°Really dry.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Oliver chuckled. ¡°Just let me go.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± I did as I was told. The loud thud in which Oliver plunked to the ground was more than satisfying, and if I could do it again, I would pin him the way I¡¯d just did.


    ¡°Asshole.¡± He spat, before we both broke out into augh. Ourughter hit the sky for a couple of minutes, before slowly crashing down again. In a more serious tone this time, Oliver added. ¡°Congrats man, I¡¯m happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡± I know how hard it was for you when you couldn¡¯t find your mate all those years.¡± Oliver continued. ¡°But now, I guess we can say it was worth the wait.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Oliver eximed. ¡°You¡¯re blushing!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I pulled my lips into a tight frown immediately. ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Yes you are!¡± Oliver was on his feet immediately. ¡°Just wait till I till everyone especially Kieran and¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He froze at the sound of my voice.  Slowly, I watched him turn towards me. ¡± No, don¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t tell anyone, you can¡¯t tell anyone else Kieran and I are mates.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Confusion dripped from every inch of Oliver¡¯s voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really.¡± I sighed. ¡± We just want to keep it that way. For the now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±. Oliver pressed on. ¡°If something¡¯s wrong you know you can tell me, right?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± I gave him azy grin. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go finish lunch. And maybe, just maybe I might let Kieran serve you a second round.¡±


    Oliver chuckled, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to erase the eerie feeling that I¡¯d just let one more person in on our little secret.

 The City

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I ran both my hands through my hair, allowing my fingers to dig deep into my scalp. It felt nice and silky until a sharp pain tugged at the root of my hair. Apparently, I¡¯d stumbled upon a spot where my hair had tangled.


    Shit. I really hated when that happened.


    The spot where my hair had tangled was on fire as I tried to untangle the strands of hair. The more I tried to tie them loose, the more tighter the strands wrapped around each other. I adjusted myself on the bed. Maybe if I tried a different angle, I would be able to get it.


    Wrong. If anything, it was worse now and even the small act of me touching it hurt like hell.


    There was no way I could do this alone. I needed some help. Any help at all.


    Sabrina.


    I bit back a groan as she came to mind. Why did it have to be her? Couldn¡¯t I ask someone else? Maybe one of the maids, or perhaps¡­


    Alice? Ha ha. Funny.


    Even the mere thought of the woman was like poison to my mind. I couldn¡¯t even imagine Me walking up to her to ask for help. Without moving an inch on my bed, I could already y out the scenario in my mind.


    Without a doubt, she would definitely harm me, so long as she could get away with it. Maybe if I eventually summoned up courage and decided to put our enmity aside for a couple of seconds, Alice definitely wouldn¡¯t. She would see that as a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally stab that kitchen knife deep down my throat, just like she¡¯d always wanted.


    A sigh slid past my lips forlornly. I guess I was stuck with Sabrina. Sabrina and I weren¡¯t on bad terms, but after how things had turned out at the lunch, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to think anymore. Xander had just suddenly burst out of the dining room, with Oliver hot on his tail.


    I had no idea what I was expecting, but I could tell you I was shocked when Sabrina continued the conversation, almost like she hadn¡¯t just witnessed the whole scenario. Maybe it was normal for her to see Oliver and Xander banter, with one of them storming off, but I wasn¡¯t, especially when I knew very well it had something to do with me.


    Even a child could see it. It was ringly obvious. Oliver was relentless in making passes at me. When we first met at the garden, I tried not to read too much into it. Maybe that was his personality? What I didn¡¯t expect was for him to take it to a whole new level on the table. Honestly, I felt Oliver was the only one who¡¯d enjoyed lunch. Xander had it bad the most. Goosebumps lined my skin with his eyes constantly roaming my body. It was like almost his own way of trying to reel in the situation and put Oliver in his ce, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t see it. At all.


    No matter how things turned out that afternoon, I still felt bad for walking out on Sabrina. She was just probably trying to be nice and take our minds off of what had just happened and instead of weing her kind gesture with open arms, I threw it to her face. Literally. But on the other hand, Sabrina wasn¡¯t exactly guilt free either. Maybe she meant well, but I didn¡¯t like the fact that she was shoving Oliver down my throat.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who didn¡¯t like it either. My safest bet was that was the exact reason that made Xander storm out. Either way, I liked to think both men had already settled and things were okay between them. I could swear I heard loudughsing from the garden that afternoon, after I¡¯d stormed into my room.


    They had fixed whatever had happened between them, and now it was my turn. I sucked in a deep breath as I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do. Sabrina hadn¡¯t exactly changed in her behavior towards me. She was still sweet and all, I just felt pretty shitty for treating her the way I did.


    I took the stairs two at a time as I headed downstairs. Since Alice had started working here, the probability of seeing Sabrina in the kitchen wasn¡¯t all that high anymore. It was basically a fifty fifty thing, but I was still going to try. My slippers pped softly against the tiled floor as I walked in the direction of the kitchen . I guess today had to be one of my lucky days because the moment I got to the entrance of the kitchen, someone¡¯s voice filtered in through my ear.


    ¡°Sabrina!¡± I eximed in a loud octave, causing the poor woman to jerk up in fear. ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sabrina huffed, her hands resting on her chest. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m okay. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I nodded as I walked into the kitchen. I took a cursory nce around the kitchen before asking my next question. ¡± Are you busy though? I kinda need your help with something.¡±


    ¡°Is it about your hair?¡± She smiled a bit and I smiled sheepishly. ¡°I could hear you screaming from all the way here. Come on,e and sit.¡±


    And I did. I walked gently towards one of the stools surrounding the kitchen ind before settling on one. Immediately I was seated, Sabrina got to work. I felt a little bit of ease as she worked her fingers through my hair, gently unfurling every knot. The atmosphere was serene and quiet and I took this as my chance to strike.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called out slowly. ¡°I want to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Her voice was soft. ¡°What is it, dear?¡±


    ¡°I want to get a job.¡± I rushed out the words immediately. A Pin drop silence settled between us the moment I let those words slid past my lips. There was no better time to say it than now.


    ¡°A job?¡± Sabrina¡¯s voice held a hint of shock and confusion. ¡± What do you need a job for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I just need to get something to do. Ever since I got here, I¡¯ve been depending on you and the household for even the littlest things and I don¡¯t feel particrly good about that¡­¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re notining dear.¡± Sabrina cut in and I could swear I heard her heart break into a million pieces. ¡± You¡¯re literally family and we can¡¯t count providing for our family as part of the expenses.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°I know, Sabrina and I really appreciate it.¡± I rotated the stool just so I could see her face properly. ¡± But I want to do this for myself. I don¡¯t feelfortable that I¡¯m not doing something for myself. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to say I do.¡± she sighed. ¡± I understand what you mean. So what did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I smiled politely. Before I got here, there were two obstacles; getting Sabrina to see reasoning with me, and me getting the actual job. Now that I¡¯d conquered the first one, all I was left with was the actual problem, what kind of job did I want. ¡°I honestly haven¡¯t thought that far. Do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Sabrina drawled thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of options, but I do have an idea. I¡¯m going into town to grab a few supplies, if you could tag along, then maybe you just might find something that catches your fancy.¡±


    ¡°I would love that.¡± I jerked to my feet immediately. Ever since I¡¯d arrived here, my sight seeing had been limited to the mansion. I always said I was going to explore, but I never got to actually do it. I guess I got reallyfortable staying indoors. ¡± When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡± Sabrina chuckled.


    True to her words, Sabrina and I didn¡¯t waste any more time before we headed into town. I always thought the mansion was beautiful, but that was honestly just the tip of the iceberg. Beautiful cobblestones filled the streets, making it look like something straight out of a fairytale. While I soaked in the beauty of the town, I was on the lookout for possible jobs I could do too.


    ¡°Keep you eyes peeled, Kieran.¡± Sabrina reminded me. ¡°I know you¡¯re on the lookout for a job, but the town holds a number of fun activities too. If you¡¯re interested in anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± If I was being honest, I was already seeing it for myself. If I couldn¡¯t even decide which activity I wanted to try first, how would I be able to pick up just one job?


    ¡°Kieran, I have an idea.¡± Sabrina spoke up suddenly, after we walked for quite some time. ¡°How about we take a quick detour to the pce?¡±


    ¡°I would love that!¡± I shrieked in pure joy. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±

 The Tour

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I knew the view of the pce was going to be extraordinary, so I¡¯d kept an open mind while I apanied Sabrina towards the beautiful monument. If I was being honest, I didn¡¯t expect to be blown away by how beautiful everything was. I¡¯d heard stories of how the pce in the pack was breathtaking, but none of the stories I¡¯d heard could actually match up to it.


    I couldn¡¯t reel in my excitement as Sabrina led me towards the pce. It was a hassle for me to keep my steps in check. If it weren¡¯t for Sabrina, I would have dashed towards the direction of the pce a long time ago, leaving Sabrina behind. I felt giddy inside, almost like a child who had just been offered her favorite candy on a rainy day.


    ¡°Come on.¡± Itched onto Sabrina¡¯s hand, looping my hand around hers. With all of my strength, I dragged her towards the direction of the pce. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Sabrina chuckled lightly. Obviously, she was enjoying my little disy along the street. ¡± Just calm down, will you?¡±


    I sucked in a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. Luckily for me, Sabrina didn¡¯t waste any more time in steering us in the direction of the pce. With each step I took, I could visibly imagine what it would look like. Nothing could prepare me for it.


    My mouth hung open in awe when we got to the gates of the pce. Beautiful wrought iron gates stood in front of us, with even prettier flowers decorating each and every spot. The flowers seemed to catch the light, and they looked like something straight out of a fairytale. Guards stood their ground on each side, each one of them with nothing but pure focus on their faces.


    ¡°Wow.¡± I gasped and Sabrina chuckled beside me. ¡°This is gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Just wait till you see the inside.¡± Sabrina added with a smug smile. ¡°Just wait.¡±


    I watched as Sabrina wobbled towards the gate. The moment she drew close, two guards walked up to her.


    ¡°Halt!¡± One of them called out and I winced. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going inside.¡± Sabrina replied, her voice as cool as a cucumber. ¡°Don¡¯t you know me?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Sabrina cut him off immediately. Silence settled between them as my gaze darted from Sabrina to the guard and back to Sabrina again. In less than a minute, I watched a look of recognition sh on the guard¡¯s face immediately.


    ¡°Oh my.¡± The guard bowed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t recognize you earlier. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sabrina beamed. ¡°Come on, Kieran. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I walked towards Sabrina as the guards opened up the gates for us to pass. I thought the outside of the pce was beautiful, but the moment I stepped through the gates, I just knew I¡¯d stumbled on beauty personified. A beautiful water fountain stood at the center of it all. The water caught the sun¡¯s rays, filling the atmosphere with a blinding bright light. A fragrant atmosphere wafted through my nostrils and for a moment, I was reminded about the garden back at home. Even if I was not previously sure whether Xander liked nts or not, now I was.


    This was all the proof I needed.


    ¡°Just wait till you see the inside,¡± It was Sabrina¡¯s turn totch on to my wrist. With a gentle tug towards the double doors that served as an entrance into the pce, she pulled me along.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be wowed.¡± she added.


    The closer we got to the entrance, the more servants and maids moved about, each one having to perform one duty or the other. As gently as I could force myself to, I climbed the little stairs leading into the pce. My jaw hung lower than before when I caught a glimpse of the inside. Huge and beautiful chandeliers dangled from the high ceilings. Not only were the ceilings way high up, they were mirrored ones, bathing the entire room in some kind of beautiful light show.


    Growing up, one of my best fantasies was growing up in a pce and being treated like a princess. I had a wild imagination, but trust me when I said nothing in my imagination could stand up to what I was seeing here. The walls twinkled with a deep oxblood color, and gold finishings at the sides. From the size of the pce I could already tell what the rooms contained. A magnificent throne room, the most elegant ball room I¡¯d ever seen, with the most articte library I¡¯d ever dreamed of. Everything I¡¯d mentioned and more could fit in here and there would still be more than enough space for a second yard.


    ¡°The fun starts from upstairs.¡± Sabrina had caught me staring, and I wasn¡¯t at all ashamed of myself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I said excitedly. ¡± Come on.¡± I said as I tugged her hand.


    ¡°Just give me a minute. Wait right here.¡± I pouted at Sabrina¡¯s response. ¡°I need to use the restroom. Just give me a couple of minutes to freshen up and I¡¯ll be back here again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The words had barely slid past my lips before she was gone. All it took for her to disappear from my sight was a little trip down the hallways and she was gone.


    Loud voices reached my ears and only when they had gotten closer, was I able to tell the source. They were guards and I watched as they bustled past me, each one carrying a ridiculously heavy box in their grip.


    Where were they headed? I wondered out loud. And why are they running around so much?


    I allowed my curiosity to get the best of me as I trailed after them. Yes, Sabrina had said I should wait for her, but I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t get mad if she realized I¡¯d wandered off a bit. In fact, she would have wanted me to see a lot of ces in the pce as well.


    Somewhere in between my very loud thoughts and trailing the guards, I lost them. A mild wave of panic washed over me when I realized I was in an entirely different wing from the one we were earlier. The walls were darker, with little to no light illuminating the walls.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I called out, just to hear my voice echoing all around me. ¡± Is anyone here?¡±


    Asides my voice echoing around me, there was really nothing else to behold. Without so much as another choice, I decided to retrace my steps. I took one step at a time as I consciously muttered a prayer to the moon goddess. If she could get me out of here alive, then I would think twice about wandering around in ces I didn¡¯t know.


    Maybe.


    ¡°Oww!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs as I bumped into something. Perhaps because it was so dark, I¡¯d missed the sight of a wall in front of me. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there. ¡°More shock filtered in through my veins. Last time I checked, the walls couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°What?¡± I was even more shocked when I realized the voice sounded familiar. I cocked my head to the side to catch a glimpse at the source of the voice. ¡°Xander?¡±


    ¡°Kieran?¡± I could tell his expression mirrored mine, although I couldn¡¯t see all that well ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡± I chimed. ¡°And what are you doing here?¡± I asked and crossed my arms over my chest.


    Fuck. That was dumb. He was literally the King.


    I mentally facepalmed myself as he chuckled, causing my insides to flutter a bit.


    ¡°Kieran. I work here¡± he said and I bit my bottom lip.


    ¡°Now, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I drawled sheepishly. ¡°You could say I was here because of an adventure gone wrong.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± It was dark, but I could still make out the Alpha¡¯s grin quite clearly. ¡± Did youe alone?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head slightly. ¡°I left Sabrina somewhere¡±


    ¡°So you snuck out?¡± He cut me off immediately. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly nice, you know?¡± he said and I giggled.


    ¡°I just kind of got lost¡± I exined and he hummed.


    I couldn¡¯t hold back my smile as a small chuckle slid from his lips.


    Afortable silence settled between us as I rocked on each foot, trying to bnce out my weight on each of them.


    ¡°Come on.¡± He suddenly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ve got somewhere to show you.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked, my curiosity piqued.


    ¡°Or, I have a better idea.¡± he said, his voice sounding slightly excited. Before I could get the opportunity to ask what he had up his sleeves, his huge hands wrapped my waist.


    I shrieked as he pulled me up, before making me wrap my legs around his waist. My nose bopped his gently and he grinned, while I tried desperately to hide the red tint that was slowly making its way to my cheeks.


    I said nothing as Xander walked in the opposite direction. With each step he took, I could swear I could hear his heartbeat thundering under his chest, or perhaps it was mine. After walking for a reasonable distance, we stopped. Gently, he lowered me from his waist before making sure I wasfortably seated on another tform. I would have totally rxed, if I didn¡¯t sneak a peek behind me.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± I yelled out loud as I clung onto him as tightly as I could. Just behind me was the widest expanse ofnd I¡¯d ever seen. We were at the balcony of some sort and I was seated on a brick railing. ¡°Oh shit! I¡¯m going to fall! I don¡¯t want to fall! I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Xander¡¯s voice cut me off. ¡°Not if I do this.¡±


    It all happened so fast, I didn¡¯t even see iting. Before my brain could get a chance to figure out what he meant, Xander¡¯s lips came crashing down on mine and I gripped him for dear life.

 The Palace

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I froze momentarily, as my brain tried to process what had just happened. Time seemed to stop to a halt as Xander¡¯s lips stayed pressed against mine. My skin buzzed, a million and one emotions running through my mind. It didn¡¯t help that I could barely figure out what they were, before the emotions would switch up again. They ranged from shock, confusion, before finally settling for a swarm of butterflies floating around in my belly.


    Not knowing what else to do, I pressed my eyes shut. Even that didn¡¯t do much. I was still over aware of Xander¡¯s lips against me. Like that wasn¡¯t torture enough, a musky smell wafted through my nostrils. It was intoxicating to say the least and I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t want to sniff him even more.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re meant to kiss me back right?¡± I startled at his words, jerking back a bit. Warm and bulky hands secured themselves around my waist, pulling me flush against him. All of this, he did, without breaking eye contact with me. ¡°That¡¯s how these things work.¡± he said.


    I bit back a smile. For a quick moment, I¡¯d actually forgotten all about him. You couldn¡¯t me me or my reaction. It wasn¡¯t everyday one got a mate as caring and perfect as the Alpha.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me again?¡± My voice was low, barely audible, but with the way Xander¡¯s eyes lit up immediately, I just knew he¡¯d heard me. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m a little rusty and need some guidance.¡±


    ¡°Say no more.¡± The rest of his words had barely slid past his lips before he pulled me closer to him, mming my lips into his. Without wasting any more time, I parted my lips slightly and that was all that he needed.


    A low moan bubbled at the base of my throat as he slipped his tongue in, while trapping my upper lip in his mouth. Sparks clouded my vision and I fought to keep my cool. Xander¡¯s fingers trailed down my sides and I shivered slightly. My insides red up, but I didn¡¯t want to cool down. I wanted more.


    I allowed my fingers to find their way to his scalp, before drawingzy circles underneath his hair. Something in between a moan and a groan slid past his lips and my stomach churned with excitement. He was enjoying it.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± He breathed down my neck, just before his lips nipped at my earlobes. I was already a mess and if he continued with this, I wasn¡¯t sure how much longer I wouldst before bursting into mes. He found his way to my list again, temporarily interrupting my thoughts. There, I moaned loudly as his lips moved deftly against mine; trapping my lower lip in between them and biting when necessary. ¡°You¡¯re so¡­.¡±


    A loud sound filled the air, causing us to jerk apart immediately. In fear, I reeled back, just for Xander¡¯s warm hands to wrap around me again.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I whispered, my heart thundering rapidly in my chest. I knew it came from below us, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to check. ¡°What was that loud noise?¡±


    ¡°Rx.¡± Xander chuckled. ¡°One of the guards probably dropped something. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I muttered, before heaving a sigh of relief.  Silence settled between us, and I closed my eyes. The moment I closed them, I felt Xander¡¯s forehead press against mine.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± He whispered softly, his breath fanning my cheek. ¡°Have I told you that you¡¯re absolutely gorgeous? And even the goddess knows you¡¯re going to be the death of me one day.¡±


    I grinned, despite the heat and warmth that rushed up my cheeks. With how hard I was blushing, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I¡¯d turned red all over. It was only necessary because¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡± His words cut through my thoughts. My eyes popped open at Xander¡¯s suggestion. For a split second, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. His words rang continuously in my ear, each word ringing like an rm in my head.


    What?


    ¡°Um.¡± I stuttered. Never in a million years was I expecting it. At all. What was I supposed to say? A date? I wasn¡¯t even sure I¡¯d gone on one before , so how could I possibly go on a date with the Alpha? ¡°I, uh, um¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡± He nodded, his eyes still trained on me. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    ¡°Kieran!¡± I jerked up again for the umpteenth time. I had lost count of how many times I¡¯d been scared by some kind of loud noise, but right now I was too stunned to care. It took me a while, but I eventually realized it was Sabrina calling out to me. ¡°Kieran?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sabrina.¡± I swallowed. ¡°She must have been looking for me for so long and I have to go¡­¡± I said hurriedly.


    ¡°No.¡± he said firmly. I paused as both his hands came crashing down on my side, preventing me from moving an inch.  ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere until you give me an answer.¡±


    ¡°But, Sabrina is looking for me.¡± I whined. ¡°What if shees up here and¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to decide quickly.¡± He was smirking, and despite the urgency of the situation, I felt a snug grin making its way to my face. ¡°And fun fact, I won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±


    ¡°Alpha Xander¡­¡± I started but the voice from below interrupted me again.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Sabrina called out again. From the tone of her voice, I could already tell she was somewhere around here. If I stayed a little bit longer, then I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she caught us red-handed. ¡°Where did she suddenly run off to?¡±


    ¡°Xander, please let me go.¡± I was pleading.


    ¡°We can discuss this when we get back to the mansion.¡± I suggested but he just wasn¡¯t having it.


    ¡°No we can¡¯t.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll just probably ignore me or run off in the other direction when you see me. You¡¯ve done it before and I¡¯m not going to take that chance again.¡±


    ¡°Kieran!?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed. I should have known there was no way I was winning this, not with Xander on the other side. ¡°Now can I go now? Before Sabrina catches us.¡±


    ¡°Actually.¡± He purred, a mischievous ze in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I blurted out immediately, cutting him off. A huge grin appeared on his lips and mine as I continued. ¡°No, don¡¯t think and don¡¯t finish that statement either.¡± I said.


    ¡°But think about it.¡± He grinned and I was this close to giggling. ¡°It would be fun. Something adventurous to spice up our afternoon, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, thank you.¡± I let out a smallugh at the fakeughter Xander wore on his face. ¡°Can I go now?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± he said and I groaned, until he pressed a kiss to my forehead and cheek. ¡°Now you can go.¡±


    I smiled sheepishly as I got down from the tform, unable to look him in the eye. I felt my insides turn to mush, like the butterflies swarming in there earlier weren¡¯t enough.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter then?¡± He called and I nodded. ¡± Stay safe, okay?¡±


    I nodded, before turning back in the direction we came. As fast as my legs could carry me, I headed down the stairs. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I was going in the right direction, but that didn¡¯t matter now. Right now, what mattered was getting as far away from Xander as fast as possible. Thest thing I wanted was for her to suspect anything. A small part of me couldn¡¯t help but think that Xander wouldn¡¯t mind, but I did. In fact, I¡­


    ¡°Oh my!¡± I eximed out loud, as I felt my body bump into someone. ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Be careful while you¡¯re running¡­¡± I recognized that voice, even before she could finish her sentence. Immediately, I peeled my eyes open just to see Sabrina.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± she said and I sighed in relief.


    ¡°Sabrina!¡± I chimed loudly. ¡°Where were you?¡± I asked and she gave me an odd look.


    ¡°Where was I?¡± a small smile tugged at my lips at the incredulous tone she spoke in. ¡°You¡¯re asking me where I was? I should be the one asking you that.¡± she stated.


    ¡°I got a little carried away.¡± I grinned sheepishly, while praying to the goddess that she would not ask any questions.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t even realized I had wandered off until a while back.¡± I exined further.


    ¡°I was worried, you know.¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Just imagine my shock when I got out and couldn¡¯t find you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I pleaded. ¡°I was only excited to see the pce.¡±


    ¡°You still could have waited.¡± she insisted and I sighed.


    ¡°The wonders of the pce shouldn¡¯t be held on standby.¡± I let out in a deep baritone, almost like I was imitating a clown and she cackled. ¡°And by the way, no harm cane to me here.¡± I said and she scoffed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about you.¡± She smirked. ¡°I was worried you would get into trouble and pester the guards and everyone else.¡± she said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I eximed in mock annoyance. ¡°Take that back. Now.¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Make me.¡± Sabrina pouted, as we both burst outughing. After ourughs had died down a couple of minutester, she asked. ¡°Did you see Xander?¡±


    ¡°Xander?¡± I swallowed. ¡°No, why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He should be here somewhere.¡± She looked lost in thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go find him¡± she said.


    ¡°No.¡± Only when I¡¯d chanted the syble, did I realize I may have done it a bit too abruptly.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s alreadyte and I¡¯m beginning to get tired. We can always see him at home, right?¡± I asked as I yawned.


    ¡°You do have a point.¡± Sabrina let out after a couple of seconds in thought . ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    And just like that, we headed for the exit, with a million and one questions and ideas on how my supposed date with the Alpha, was supposed to go.


    Shit.

 The Date

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I sucked in a deep breath as I stole a nce at my reflection in the mirror. No matter how many times I stared at myself, I just couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. It didn¡¯t add up. At all.


    I pouted as I smoothed my hands over the dress I was wearing. It was a pink pastel dress, withvender flowers printed all over it. It was an off shoulder dress that clung to my skin so perfectly. It was made of pure cotton and it flowed all around me, just stopping above my ankles. To top it all off, it had a high slit that exposed a good portion of my thigh.


    It was a beautiful dress, there was no denying that, but what made it all the more special was the person who gifted it to me.


    Alpha Xander.


    A wide grin made its way to my face. The mere thought of it was more than enough to have me grinning from cheek to cheek. In all honesty, I hadn¡¯t stopped grinning since two days ago. I¡¯d been grinning ever since Sabrina and I came back from the pce. Or more urately, ever since I and Xander¡¯s little rendezvous at a secluded spot in the pce.


    Let¡¯s go on a date. Xander¡¯s words rang in my ear. Go on a date with me.


    I almost didn¡¯t believe him. A tiny part of me couldn¡¯t even believe that Xander wanted to go on a date with me, until a package came in for me this morning. It was a small note, attached to a cute package.


    ¡®Look beautiful for me this evening. We¡¯ll be going on our adventure by five. ~Xander¡¯


    The note was all I needed to put me in an even better mood. The moment I saw it, my happiness levels climbed up to a million degrees. Immediately I read the note, I ripped the wrapper into pieces just to reveal this beautiful dress I was wearing.


    I snuck a quick nce at the clock high up on the wall and I felt my happiness level reduce to a certain degree and turn into a bundle of nerves. Xander had asked me to be ready by five and here I was, far from ready.


    I looked all dressed, but deep down, my mind was aplete mess. My emotions swirled all over the ce and I fought the urge to puke. I had no idea why I was anxious, but who wouldn¡¯t be? Alpha Xander was the most perfect human I¡¯de across and I wanted what we had tost. Thest thing I wanted was for anything toe in between us, not even me.


    I sucked in a deep breath again as I took one more nce at my reflection. If I was being honest, I looked gorgeous and my heart swelled with pride. Even though I was anxious, my pretty face would do a good job at hiding it. I slipped my feet intofortable slip ons and headed down the stairs. The mansion was mostly quiet and I knew why. Sabrina was away on a two day trip in the neighboring pack. Apparently, she had some errands to run that required her going to the neighboring pack and I couldn¡¯t help but thank the goddess for this opportunity. If Sabrina was around, then this date might not even be possible.


    If she was present, I would have no other choice than to sneak out of the house and even that wasn¡¯t guaranteed. In her absence, I could easily walk out, no questions asked.


    The sound of someone¡¯s footsteps reached my ears and I froze. I found a quick hiding spot and wedged myself in between as Alice passed by.


    Alice, I¡¯d almost forgotten about that witch.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    I waited for some time as she passed, oblivious to the fact that I was close by. The moment she was gone, I quickly made my way out of the mansion. It was already ten minutes past five when I got outside the mansion. I had walked a small distance from the house, just so nobody could spot us.


    I had barely waited for more than a minute when someone snuck up on me from behind.


    ¡°Holy!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs as someone¡¯s hands wrapped around my waist. Only when I caught a glimpse at who it was did my heart calm down a little bit. ¡°Oh my gosh, you scared me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xander smiled sheepishly, and in that moment, I totally forgot he had scared me a couple of seconds ago. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I just wanted to surprise you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I blushed furiously as I took him in. He was in casual clothes, but they were more than enough to send the butterflies in my stomach fluttering. ¡°You look nice.¡±


    ¡°But you look gorgeous.¡± He grinned and I blushed even harder. ¡°I could forget about our date and stare at you all day.¡±


    ¡°Stop that.¡± I blushed as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. Where are we even going anyway.¡± I said, in an attempt to change the topic.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± He winked before taking my hand in his. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Wordlessly, I followed Xander to his car parked just a stone¡¯s throw from here. After he¡¯d helped me settle into the car, we drove off, the asphalt road steering us in the direction Xander wanted us to go. As the scenery whizzed past, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where he was taking me. He hadn¡¯t dropped a hint and honestly, I really didn¡¯t want to ask. I wanted the surprise to well¡­ surprise me.


    After driving for what seemed like an hour, I watched Xander pull the car to a stop. The moment I got down, green grass tickled my feet. We were in a remote area, with nothing but nature surrounding us all. The fragrant smell of flowers wafted into my nose and I took it in. Birds chirped in the distance as they flew around, giving me a little show.


    Streaks of color filled the sky, painting it in an array of gold, pink and orange. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale and I wanted nothing more than to capture it.


    ¡°Come on¡± he said, a bright smile on his lips.


    He took my hand and we walked into the open field a little.


    My eyes widened as I looked at what he had prepared for me.


    We stopped in front of a pic nket with an array of food and snacks spread out on it. Then, it hit me. It was a sunset pic. Our date was a sunset pic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit¡± Xander¡¯s voice broke through my thoughts. I turned and a gasp slid past my lips. ¡°The view is more gorgeous down here.¡± I said and it was indeed. I could see why he chose this very spot.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it that you like it?¡± He grinned widely. I was too stunned to speak and from the look on his face, he was proud of himself. ¡°Come on,e sit.¡±


    We settled on the nket with his help. Okay.  About that array of snacks that were spread out in front of us? They were not just any kind of snacks, they were my favorite snacks.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked, as I grinned widely.


    He chuckled.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say some snacks in the fridge runs out faster than the others¡± he said and I blushed.


    ¡°This is beautiful Xander.¡± I let out softly. ¡°Thank you so much¡± I said with a smilecing my lips.


    ¡°Anything for you.¡± Xander mirrored my expression before taking my hand in his. We stayed like that for a while, silently enjoying nature and enjoying each other¡¯spany. We fed each other some food and snacks as time went by with a little bit of light conversation in between.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want anyone to know we¡¯re mates?¡± Xander spoke up all of a sudden. His question caught me off guard, and I stilled, but his hands around me were more than enough to calm me down. ¡± Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I sighed. ¡°Truly, but¡­¡±


    I trailed off, before swallowing the huge lump that had formed at the base of my throat. It had been quite a while, but I still hadn¡¯t gotten over it. How was I going to exin all of that to him?


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Xander¡¯s tone was gentle. ¡°You can talk to me.¡± he said and I sighed.


    ¡°It was a long time ago.¡± I sucked in a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Not exactly but it¡¯s been so long, I really don¡¯t remember a time before everything happened. I¡¯d always dreamed of living in a fairytale but instead, I was cursed with a nightmare.¡±


    A gentle breeze blew by as I paused. My heart thudded in my chest as I waited for Xander¡¯s response. Was he going tosh out? Or twist his face in disgust?


    A wave of surprise hit me as he wrapped a hand around my shoulder, before pulling me close. All it took was one whiff of his cologne, and I felt my insides settle.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Xander nudged me gently


    ¡°I was just abused, a lot.¡± I rushed out in one breath. ¡°Now, everything about intimacy scares me. I¡¯m just trying not to let old patterns repeat itself. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want anyone knowing we¡¯re mates. For now.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± He sighed. ¡°And I won¡¯t tell anyone, except Oliver.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± I eximed and he chuckled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± He grinned. ¡°You remember that day, at lunch, I was so mad I just had to blurt it out, so he would keep his name out of your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I grinned. ¡°Just promise me he won¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± He made a show of drawing a cross over his chest. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The rest of the evening went by in blur and in no time, we were home.


    I literally skipped and twirled to my room. It waste when we got back and I had no one to deal with. My smile didn¡¯t leave my lips even when I¡¯d gotten to my room. I slumped on my bed, just to have the memories from a couple of hours ago rey in my head. I was in the middle of it all when a knock startled me.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I called, before walking to the door. I¡¯d just seen Xander some seconds ago, so what did he want? ¡°Xander, is that you?¡±


    ¡°You?!¡± I eximed as I froze the moment I swung the door open. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±

 So Much For Secrets

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I didn¡¯t see thating. Even in a million years there was no way I would have predicted that. I mean, what were the odds? As I stood rooted to my spot, my mind whirled with a million and one thoughts. How was this even possible?


    ¡°Hey.¡± Someone¡¯s fingers snapping in front of me was all it took to bring me back to earth. I blinked twice, just to realize I was still at my door, with a very unwanted visitor staring me down. ¡°Can¡¯t you speak?¡±


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t. Up until now, we had no reason to talk. No reason at all, except the usual lunches and dinners, and even that was once a while. So why the hell was she standing at my door?


    Like I hadn¡¯t just gone through the biggest shock of my life, Alice turned her head sideways, almost as if she was checking if we were alone or looking out for someone. After a couple more seconds of doing that to her hearts content,  her hands wrapped around mine as she pushed me back.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I eximed as I staggered back into my room. I had barely gotten a hold of my bnce when Alice shut the door, leaving both of us in the same room. My room. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Alice spat, and honestly, I was taken aback by her audacity. ¡°You shut the hell up. Just shut your fucking mouth!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± I scoffed. I even threw in a chuckle because there was no way you could walk into my room and start bossing me around. ¡°This has to be a sick joke.¡±


    ¡°Again.¡± Alice shook her head, irritation clearlyced in her tone. ¡°I should be saying that.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is going on here?¡± I barked. ¡°How dare you barge into my room unannounced, just to ask me useless questions?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t shut your dirty mouth¡­.¡± Alice raised a finger at me, but before she could get any more words out, I cut her off.


    ¡°What will you do?¡± I stood my ground. ¡°You know you could get into trouble for this right? How dare you barge into my room, just to start giving empty threats?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Whatever switch in Alice¡¯s head that had caused or given her so much audacity seemed to have flipped back down again. In the blink of an eye, I watched her countenance change immediately. ¡°I.. I , actually.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you speak anymore?¡± I pressed on. ¡± Why are you suddenly quiet? Where did all of your fiery conscience disappear just now? Have you exhausted all of your threats? How dare you walk in here just to tell me to shut up?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Alice¡¯s voice was low, lower than usual. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done that. It was a mistake.¡± she said forcefully.


    It wasn¡¯t aplete apology, but I guess it was better than nothing. Plus I needed to know exactly what prompted her to do that. From her countenance, you could easily tell the apology didn¡¯te from the deepest part of her heart. It was shallow, but right now, I would take whatever form of apology she gave just so she could get the hell out of this room.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I crossed my hands under my bosom. ¡°Why are you here and how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I want to know your secret.¡± Something shone in Alice¡¯s eyes and I felt my stomach drop to my feet. ¡°How were you able to do it?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± A bigger part of me knew I shouldn¡¯t have asked, but the smaller and most stubborn part couldn¡¯t help but want to find out what she meant. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    She scoffed.


    ¡°I knew you were going to try to y dumb¡± Alice said.


    ¡°And since I¡¯m so curious to know how you did it, I¡¯ll just dive right into it.¡± she said as she narrowed her eyes at me?


    ¡°How did you get Xander to be your mate?¡± Alice let out after a couple of minutes. ¡°Tell me, i¡¯d really like to know.¡±


    I felt the world around me slowly stall to a halt. My vision blurred as Alice¡¯s words got louder and louder in my ear.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Wait, what?


    There was no way I had heard right, right? This just has to be a silly mistake. Since Alice was involved in the gossip that flew between and among the staff in the mansion, there was no doubt she would be up to date on the affairs and everything else in between. But how exactly did she find out about us? No servant or guard had caught Xander and I together, not even once, so howe Alice knew all about us, since she was being supplied info on a daily basis.


    Xander. It sounded far-fetched but the only one I¡¯d told was Xander. I felt something, a sharp pang in my chest and after a while I recognized the pain as betrayal. Xander had promised me that after Oliver, no one else was going to know about us. So how the hell did Alice find out? After trusting him, he went behind my back and in barely an hour too.


    A mix of anger, hurt and shock buzzed across the surface of my skin. I hadn¡¯t told anyone about it, so there was no way she was from me. So how the fuck did Alice find out.


    ¡°Hey?¡± She snapped her fingers in front of my face, just so she could catch my attention. ¡°It¡¯s true isn¡¯t it? I knew it¡± she said knowingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I managed to blurt out. ¡± You¡¯repletely talking nonsense and I would love to find out where you got your information from.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were going to deny.¡± Alice scoffed, not answering my question.


    ¡°That was a ssic response and mind you, I expected it all along.¡± She said as she scoffed again.


    ¡°I knew it. I fucking knew it. You¡¯re a fucking witch, that¡¯s how you were able to get the Alpha. I¡¯m sure you must have charmed him and used some kind of witchcraft to hold him down. Because, how could he think you were his mate? You¡¯re nothing but worthless-¡± she rambled on before I cut her off sharply.


    ¡°Stop calling me that.¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°Stop saying that.¡± I said again, in an attempt to make it sink into her head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Alice bit back with a sneer. The sheer audacity of this girl was insane.


    ¡°Does it bother you that I know the truth so well? That¡¯s because I know what you¡¯re capable of and there¡¯s just no way you would be able to bag him if not for some sort of witchcraft. I can just tell that you have a lot to hide and-¡± she rambled on. Again. But I cut her off, yet again.


    ¡°Now, you listen to me.¡± I let out in a low voice as I walked straight towards her.


    I chuckled humorlessly as I took my sweet time getting to her, and when I did, I made my voice even lower.


    ¡°If I hear so much as a worde out from those dirty lips of yours, I swear you¡¯re going to regret it¡±


    Anger nipped at my skin like a strong breeze.


    With a straight face and a voice I didn¡¯t even know I had, I continued.


    ¡°For this stunt, you just pulled, ¡± I paused dramatically. ¡°Believe me when I say I¡¯ll stop at nothing, and I mean, nothing, just to see you fired and thrown out, and if I¡¯m in the mood, you might just find yourself in the dungeon too¡± I said and I took pride in the brief moment of fear that crossed her eyes.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t leave my room right this instant, I swear I¡¯ll make you pay and it won¡¯t be through money¡± I ended and raised a brow at her.


    The fear that clouded Alice¡¯s face was clear as day. Tension crackled in the air as I took in her reaction. Alice was tall, really tall. Taller than me even but I didn¡¯t care. Even with how she towered over me and her demeanor, I was sure of one thing, there was no way she could bully me, at all. I was not going to let her, of all people, trample all over me.


    At that moment, she didn¡¯t even look like she could do it. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, it wasn¡¯t hard to spot the glimmer of fear in her eyes.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Alice scoffed, but even that wasn¡¯t as haughty as when she had walked in here.


    ¡°I promise you this isn¡¯t over. In fact, it is far from over. You¡¯ll hear from me, I promise you and-¡±


    ¡°Get the fuck out¡± I cut her off immediately with a straight and bored face.


    Alice let out a frustrated groan before she turned around to face the door. Like a child whose candy had just been snatched, I watched her stomp out of the room, shutting my door so hard, it rattled in its hinges.


    The moment my door mmed shut, something washed over me. Uncertainty nipped at my skin as I tried to fight it out. How else could she have known? I literally told no one else.


    Xander. A voice whispered in my head. Even though I didn¡¯t want to believe it, he was the only possible culprit at this point. I had specifically told him I wanted no one else to know about it and he¡¯d promised me, then why would he lie to me?


    It was barely minutes since we got back from our date and he had already broken his promise. My heart ached on all sides. I didn¡¯t see thising at all. Up until now, I thought he was different, different from every other shitty man I¡¯d met in my past. He had given his word, when he knew fully well that it meant nothing.


    Slowly, my hurt morphed into another emotion, one I could clearly recognize. Anger.


    How dare Xander do this to me?!

 The Gift

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    ¡°Tell me you¡¯re joking.¡± I said out loud. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡± I repeated again.


    The string ofughter that slid past Sabrina¡¯s lips wasn¡¯t helping matters either. She had beenughing ever since I walked in here.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called out and she grinned. From where I stood, it looked nothing less than her fighting to keep herughter to herself, and from what I was seeing, she was failing miserably at it too. ¡°Sabrina!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡± She looked up at me immediately and I watched as she pressed her lips into a thin line. From here, it was obvious what she was trying to do. She was trying her very best to stop herself from bursting into another round ofughter. ¡°Did you want something?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I huffed. ¡°I refuse to believe you didn¡¯t get me anything on your way back. Not even a souvenir from your trip?¡±


    ¡°I told you, Kieran.¡± Sabrina sighed, still fighting herughter. ¡°I was sent on an errand there. You could as well say I went to work.¡±


    ¡°Work?¡± I chorused and she nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. What kind of work would have made you so busy that you couldn¡¯t even make out a little more time to get me something? It really isn¡¯t fair, you know.¡± I pouted stubbornly.


    ¡°Well, you do know what they say about life right?¡± She shrugged, a huge grin on her face. ¡°It¡¯s not always fair.¡±


    ¡°Sabrina!¡± I groaned as I walked over to where she stood on the other side of the counter. This time, she wasn¡¯t trying to hide herughter anymore. Her voice echoed in the kitchen as she doubled over in a loud guffaw, while I snatched the bag in front of her. ¡°There¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t have gotten me anything. It¡¯s just not possible¡­¡±


    The rest of my words disappeared into thin air as I stumbled upon something. It was a small parcel, with a name tag on it. My name to be precise.


    ¡°I knew it.¡± I wrapped her in a side hug as she struggled to get her footing. ¡°I knew there was no way you would havee back without getting me something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever¡± Sabrina mirrored my expression as she slowly peeled me from off her body. ¡± I hope you like it.¡± she said warmly.


    ¡°I do.¡± I had already torn out the packaging even before she had responded, and in all honesty, I really liked the gift. It was a bracelet, a pretty ck little thing that would go with anything I decided to pair it with. ¡°Thank you so much Sabrina. I love it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I was the one who got it, right?¡± Sabrina had a proud smile on her face. We rxed at that moment for a couple more seconds before she added. ¡± So, any luck?¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± I asked absentmindedly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your job hunt, silly. You mentioned you wanted to work. Or are you not interested anymore?¡± She asked and I almost face palmed. How could I forget?


    ¡°I am.¡± If I was being honest, I¡¯d totally forgotten all about it. With everything that had happened recently, I¡¯m sure no one would me me either. ¡°It just slipped my mind, but I do have some ideas though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Sabrina nodded as she packed up the rest of the things she¡¯d brought from the nearby pack. ¡°Tell me everything ¡±


    ¡°I was thinking¡­ maybe a stylist?¡± I shrugged. It wasn¡¯t actually set in stone yet, but I just loved styling, whether it was someone or myself. I wasn¡¯t perfect at it either, but for a beginner, I liked to think I would do well in the field. ¡°It¡¯s just one of the many options. I¡¯m still trying to think and figure out which one works best and¡­¡±


    ¡°I think whichever one you choose would be perfect.¡± I froze as another voice reached my ears. Still reeling from the shock, I watched as the man in question casually strolled into our midst,fortably taking a step at a time. ¡°Kieran is very talented and would probably do well, no matter what she chooses, don¡¯t you think?¡± he added and I swallowed.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°You took the words right out of my mouth.¡± Sabrina smiled as Xander walked in. ¡°I think she doesn¡¯t need to think about it too much. Just go for it. Right, Kieran?¡±


    I froze up again. I was already getting more than enough attention from Sabrina, why did he have toe into the picture? I pressed my eyes shut as a particr memory made its way to the top of my mind. I¡¯d been suppressing it for a while, but I guess all it needed to spike it up was the presence of the same person I was trying to avoid.


    Alice¡¯s words rang painfully in my head. The only reason why she knew we were mates was because he had told her, just moments after I¡¯d told him not to tell anyone about it. He¡¯d promised that he wasn¡¯t going to tell anyone, and without blinking twice, he had broken it.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Sabrina¡¯s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded once. ¡± Excuse me though, I have something very important I have to do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Sabrina was shocked. Before she could mutter any more words, I was already heading out of the kitchen. ¡°Kieran, wait!¡¯


    But I didn¡¯t. Sabrina yelling and calling out to me was thest thing I heard as I made my way up the stairs. When I¡¯d announced I was leaving, I could swear I saw a look of shock flicker across his face too, but I wasn¡¯t sure. I didn¡¯t hold eye contact long enough to figure that out.


    I mmed my door shut the moment I was in my room. My heart thundered against my chest as I pressed my back against the door. If Xander had noticed that I had left because of him and I was ignoring him, then he deserved it. He deserved every single piece of it.


    When I was sure my heartbeat had gone back to normal, I headed towards my bed. I had lied through my teeth downstairs. I really didn¡¯t have anything I needed to do, I just wanted to be as far away from Alpha Xander as possible. I inhaled as I snuggled into myfy duvet.


    A memory reyed in my mind and I sighed. Just a couple of days ago, I was on this same bed, happy and literally over the moon that Xander was taking me out. He had and it was the most beautiful night ever, I had no idea who had told him I loved sunset pics. Even after sharing a really crucial part of my life, he had still epted me and made me feel special. I actually thought we were making progress and going somewhere with all of this, just for him toe ruin it at the end of the day.


    Alice was cunning, and it didn¡¯t sit well with me that she knew Xander and I were mates. I might have been able to shut her up the other day, but for how long would she be quiet for? I wouldn¡¯t put it past her if she was already thinking and conniving of new ways to use that information to my detriment and her benefit. How could Xander be so nonchnt? It might not have meant anything for him, but it did for me? Why couldn¡¯t he just have respected my boundaries and just kept his promise.


    Three knocks at the door was all it took to pull me out of my thoughts. I stilled immediately, waiting to see what would happen next. After a couple more seconds, I heard the same knocks again.


    ¡°Who could that be?¡± I muttered underneath my breath. I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone so who could it be? The rest of my thoughts went on hold as an idea popped into my mind.


    Was it Xander? Or Sabrina? Perhaps one of them hade up to check if I was okay? But how would I know who it was, if I didn¡¯t open up the door?


    I shook my head immediately as another idea surfaced. Without thinking about it too much and before I could talk myself out of it, I tiptoed to my door. I never knew I could be this quiet until I walked to the front door with nothing but my toes. My heart hammered in my chest with each step I took and the moment I was at the door, I sniffed the air.


    Surprise filled my senses when I realized who it was. It was none other than Xander and immediately I realized this, I dashed back to my bed. I felt conflicted after I¡¯d sat on my bed. If Xander hade up to my room to check up on me, it meant that he had noticed I was ignoring him, right?


    Right. But even at that, I wasn¡¯t going to be swayed so easily. He had to realize that what he did was wrong and that I didn¡¯t take betrayals lightly.

 Guts

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I stood in front of the door for a couple more seconds before knocking again.


    Had she not heard me the first time? Was I not loud enough? Or perhaps I was too loud and I had somehow disrupted her sleep? Maybe she was already


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I groaned. I was torn in between yelling out my frustration or just reeling it in. After a couple of seconds, I decided on the best option for me. I was going to calm down and hold it in.


    Why exactly was Kieran acting this way? Call me crazy, but I could swear her reaction towards me had changed ever since our sunset date.


    Did she not like it? Or had I done something wrong throughout and she only pretended to put up with me till we were back home?


    But she was genuinely happy. I could feel it. The way her body rxed as she leaned into my touch, there was no way she could have been able to take that. Right?


    Right.


    I hoped.


    I nced at the door one more time. More time had passed and her door was still closed. A sigh slid past my lips as I knocked again. Even if she was neck deep in her sleep, this was bound to wake her-


    My thoughts trailed off as a whiff of something hit my nose. It was a scent, a very distinct scent that I had already memorized, even though I had not been ustomed to it for too long.


    It wasn¡¯t any ordinary scent, it was Kieran¡¯s, and I smelt it right at the door.


    I stood straight immediately as I waited for her to open the door. If I had caught a whiff of her scent, then it only meant one thing; she was probably on her way to open up the door or standing right behind it.


    All it took me was a couple of seconds to realize that I¡¯d been fooling myself and nothing else. Even if I wasn¡¯t sure in the beginning, I¡¯d gotten all the confirmation I needed. She was ignoring me, but that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. The worst part of it all, was that I had no idea why.


    If I had an inkling as to what I¡¯d done to her, then there was no way I wouldn¡¯t have made it up to her or at least, tried to. If she opened up her door at this moment and demanded for a public apology, she would get it, and I¡¯d be damned if anyone in the mansion or outside had a problem with it.


    When I first realized we were mates, I wanted nothing more than to spread it to the whole world. After waiting for so many years, the moon goddess had finally answered my prayers.


    She was a stubborn one, but that didn¡¯t mean I was going to let her be. If she was mad at me, then she probably needed her space.


    With onest nce at Kieran¡¯s room, I headed down the stairs.


    ¡°Xander.¡± Someone called behind me and I paused. If I didn¡¯t have the sound of Kieran¡¯s voice etched painfully into my mind, then I would have thought she was the one, with how soon the voice came.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, turning to face Sabrina. ¡°What¡¯s up? Do you need something?¡± I asked her and she hummed.


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± She chimed. ¡°I was looking for Kieran.¡±


    ¡°She should be in her room.¡± I nodded again. ¡°Do you need her help with something?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Sabrina shrugged. ¡°I just wanted to make sure she was okay. The way she left the kitchen was quite abrupt.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she got tired?¡± I was basically helping myself at this point, with trying to figure out what was wrong with her.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Sabrina seemed to understand. ¡°That would be it. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sabrina, wait.¡± I called out to her, just seconds after she had started walking in the opposite direction. ¡°You¡¯re sure nothing is wrong with her, right? Nothing happened?¡± I asked her. I needed to be sure.


    ¡°No.¡± Sabrina shook her head. ¡°Not that I know of. If there was something, I¡¯m sure she would have told me about it.¡± she said and I thanked the goddess that she did not question me.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± I quipped with a small smile, before heading towards the direction of my study.


    A sigh slid past my lips the moment I arrived at my destination. Without giving it too much thought, I sunk into my chair.


    The air around me smelled likevender and cinnamon, thanks to the diffuser I had in my office. Even though I knew where the beautiful aroma wasing from, I couldn¡¯t help but think about Kieran. She smelled simr to that but even better.


    Her hair and her scent, literally everything about her was intoxicating and if I could, I would drown myself in her scent forever.


    Three loud knocks at my door was all it took to pull me out of my daydream. I almost groaned.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I sat up immediately, as a thought popped up in my mind. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    Was it Kieran? Had she finally realized that she wasn¡¯t being fair to me by ignoring me all this time? She had probablye to apologize so there was no need to keep her waiting right?


    ¡°Come in.¡± I called out again, without waiting for a response from the person. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Alpha¡± Someone¡¯s voice filtered into the study as the door creaked open. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡± The disappointment in my tone was evident and if I was being honest, I didn¡¯t care if she heard it or not. ¡°What do you want, Alice? What are you doing here?¡± I asked as she curtsied slightly.


    ¡°I came to check on you.¡± She smiled, but I wasn¡¯t having it. At all. Check on me? The audacity she had.


    Who the fuck did she think she was? Why did she evene here in the first ce?


    ¡°Okay.¡± I drawled. I was feeling impatient with her here and for the life of me, I really wish she could take the hint and leave immediately. ¡°So, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know if you needed anything.¡± Alice said and I watched as she smoothed her hands over the surface of her skirt, a small smile on her lips. ¡°Maybe lunch, or a drink? Anything at all. Just tell me and I¡¯ll get it for you. You can-¡± she started to suggest but I cut her off.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Alice.¡± I smiled as politely as I could. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. Thank you.¡± I said, before looking at the stack of papers on my table and shuffling through them.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She nodded. ¡°If you say so.¡± she added.


    I watched as she took slow steps towards the door. I could tell that wasn¡¯t exactly all that she wanted, but I wasn¡¯t going to push it, if she didn¡¯t say anything first. I wanted her out anyways.


    She was this close to the door when she suddenly turned towards me.


    Ugh.


    ¡°Um, Alpha Xander?¡± She called sheepishly and I looked at her with a brow raised.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± she asked and I sighed before dropping the papers in my hand.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said as I intertwined my fingers together.


    ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± I asked, urging her to go on.


    ¡°Um, okay. Erm, what did, what did Kieran do to get you?¡± She blurted out immediately and a frown slowly made its way to my face.


    Silence settled between both of us as I paused, trying my possible best to understand what she was talking about.


    ¡°What?¡± A solid minute had passed and I still couldn¡¯t wrap my head around it. It didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°I don¡¯t quite get you.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Alice took a couple of steps closer. ¡°Kieran is well, just Kieran. She¡¯s just a normal girl, pretty boring and basic. So I don¡¯t understand how she was able to bag someone like you.¡± she said again and I froze.


    For a moment, it was more than hard to collect my thoughts. A million and one emotions swarm all around me, but if there was one that persisted, it was anger. Pure and undiluted rage.


    Red spots clouded my vision as I allowed Alice¡¯s words to sink in. What the hell did she mean by that? Kieran was basic? Who the hell did she think she was to talk about Kieran like that? Who in the actual hell gave her that right?


    The mere thought of it was infuriating. I was stumped on which was more annoying, the fact that she saw Kieran in the light, or the fact that she had the audacity to walk into my study to spew all of this trash.


    ¡°Is it her looks?¡± she scoffed as she went on,pletely ignorant and oblivious to the war she had just started in my head.


    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, Kieran isn¡¯t what we would call pretty, she¡¯s just there. For example, she clearly wouldn¡¯t be able to stand next to me. Was it her body? She does have a pretty decent shape if I¡¯m being honest, so I was guessing that was what she enticed you with but then I started to wonder if it was witchcraft, because that would make perfect sense and-¡± She kept rambling on and on and I had finally had enough, so uncut her off.


    ¡°Alice!¡± I roared. She flinched as my fist came in contact with the top of my desk. The sound of my skin kissing the desk reverberated around the room so loudly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it snuck outside too. If I was being honest, it was a miracle how this table was still standing by now.


    ¡°How. Dare. You?¡± I said, cing emphasis on every single word.


    ¡°AlphaI¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I just-¡± Alice¡¯s eyes widened in fear as she continued to stutter. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°How dare you speak about Kieran that way?¡± I asked, cutting her off sharply. Red was all I saw as I spoke. ¡°And to my face too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± her lips quivered.


    ¡°I was just looking out for you, Alpha¡± she finally said and I narrowed my eyes at her.


    Looking out for me?


    ¡°Do you cherish your job?¡± I asked and her eyes widened in fear as she nodded.


    ¡°Then, let this be thest time you¡¯ll spill such nonsense.¡± I roared and she nodded frantically, almost like a confused mouse. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± I asked, my voice dangerously low.


    ¡°Yes, Alpha¡± she answered, her entire body vibrating.


    ¡°Now, get the hell out!¡± Alice scurried out of my office immediately. Even minutes after she was gone, I still couldn¡¯t stop fuming.


    How dare she!?!

 Dancing and Music

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I ran my fingers over my hair, as I stood in front of my mirror. I¡¯d been standing in front of the mirror for the past hour now and was I tired? Hell no. If anything, I was more proud of myself than anything else.


    I let out a low giggle as I tilted my head to the side. Dangling from the side of my head were a couple of braids I¡¯d made in the past hour and if I was being honest, I had done a pretty neat job.


    After I¡¯d angrily fallen asleepst night, I decided to do something worthwhile with my time, instead of brooding over alpha Xander and how he had broken my trust. I wasn¡¯t even sure he was thinking about it as much as I was, and here I was beating myself over it.


    No. No more of that nonsense.


    When I got up this morning, I decided to make good use of my time. A memory reyed itself in my mind and I decided I had to act fast. If I really wanted to be independent and not totally depend on Alpha Xander and the supplies in the mansion, I had to take my job hunting seriously. I¡¯d spent a total of thirty minutes just deciding where I wanted to venture into, and after a million and one back and forths, I settled on being a stylist.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    To further convince myself that I had made the right choice, I decided to make a few braids into my hair, and right now I was beyond impressed. For a beginner, I was sure I could take up a client and they would be more than impressed.


    With a huge smile on my face, I headed down the stairs. I¡¯d originally wanted to take them out, but I thought, how would Sabrina believe I was a good stylist if I didn¡¯t have any proof? I took the stairs two at a time. My body thrummed with excitement and I had a hard time keeping my emotions to myself.


    I had barely stopped on thest step when something reached my ears. It was low and if I could hear correctly, it wasing from beyond the living room.


    What the hell was going on?


    Slowly, I tiptoed towards the direction of the sound. From what I could hear, it sounded like harps and a mix of piano rhythms. Was Sabrina having a party? And without telling me too? This didn¡¯t make any sense.


    I made my way to the living room, without a thought in mind. I had no idea what was going on because Sabrina hadn¡¯t told me anything. Why would she throw a party and not tell me about it?


    The rest of my thoughts came to a halt the moment I got to the living room. Just in front of me were two people I never imagined together.


    My breath hitched in my throat as I watched Xander and Sabrina, dancing under the huge chandelier in the living room. I wasn¡¯t exactly close to them, but from my spot over here, I had a good view of everything going on, and as time passed, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how I felt about it.


    My chest tightened as my gazended on Xander¡¯s hands wrapped so tightly around Sabrina¡¯s waist. For a moment, I felt my vision blur, just to be reced with red spots.


    The low hum of the melodic song reached my ears, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to focus on it. The only thing worthy of my attention was the intimate moment Sabrina and Xander seemed to be enjoying.


    A ripple ofughter cut through my thoughts and I blinked back, just to realize who hadughed; Sabrina. If the wide grin she wore on her face meant anything, she was happy. No, scratch that. She was ecstatic, almost as if she¡¯d been waiting for this moment her entire life.


    I clenched my fists by my side as Xander twirled her around. Under the chandelier, they looked like the perfect couple in one of my favorite childhood stories, and the mere thought of it was more than enough to send a searing pain through my heart.


    My heart thundered violently in my chest, and if I didn¡¯t find a solution to it, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I burst into mes, right here on this spot.


    ¡°Not like that, silly.¡± Sabrina cooed, and I snapped back to the present. Apparently, Xander had attempted to twirl her around and had messed it up. Even with the little mistake I¡¯d just made, I could bet a million dors that she would relive that moment again, if given the chance to.


    ¡°You have to spin me the other way around.¡± she exined to him.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Xander¡¯sughter enveloped the ce. All my life, since I had known him, I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d heard himugh so heartily as he did at that very moment and instead of calming the rage steadily building up inside me, all it did was stoke the fire.


    ¡°You do know better after all.¡± he said.


    I winced as the music reached a high pitched crescendo. I wasn¡¯t particrly skilled in dancing, but you could say I was versatile enough to know the next steps, or what was expected of the dancers when a certain note hits. Time seemed to crawl to a halt as Xander spun Sabrina onest time, before pulling her flush against him.


    The moon goddess must have hated me at this point, because at this point, the rest of the world blurred out, before focusing on the dancing duo. My pulse raced as Sabrina tilted her head closer to Xander¡¯s face. I held my breath as I literally counted down to what was going to happen next.


    No, I couldn¡¯t take this. Not anymore.


    With a steely resolve, I turned to leave the living room. I had almost made it out of the room, when my hand collided with a vase just perked up against the wall.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± Sabrina shrieked, jerking out of Xander¡¯s hold. Her wide eyes searched the room for a moment, before settling on me.


    ¡°Kieran? I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± she said


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t.¡± I muttered underneath my breath. I held her gaze before sliding it over to Xander¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t look too surprised, but I could tell he wasn¡¯t expecting me here at all.


    ¡°You were busy, dancing.¡± I said, my voice holding no emotion.


    ¡°I know right.¡± Sabrina cheered, oblivious to the emphasis I¡¯did on thest words.


    ¡°Dancing is so much fun, right Xander?¡± she said and he hummed in response.


    ¡°Right.¡± Alpha Xander mouthed almost wordlessly. With his eyes still trained on me, I wondered just exactly what was going through his mind.


    ¡°Definitely.¡± he said absentmindedly.


    I didn¡¯t understand him anymore. One moment he was telling me how he wouldn¡¯t hurt me, and the next, he would literally rip my heart into two by his actions. I had barely gotten over the incident with Alice, and now this?


    Was there something going on between them? I knew they both went way back, but dancing under the chandelier on a Saturday morning wasn¡¯t exactly a friendly activity to do.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± I snapped back into the present at the sound of my name. It took a while, but I realized it was Xander who had called out to me and a mix of emotions rushed at me.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Are you fine dear?¡± It was Sabrina¡¯s turn to speak up now.


    ¡°You hit your hand very hard. Are you sure it¡¯s not bleeding?¡± she asked, genuinely looking worried.


    ¡°No.¡± I lied through my teeth, my fists clenching by my side. I could already feel the tear in my hand spreading pain throughout my body, but was I going to utter a single word? Not a chance.


    The couple were having the time of their life and here I was interrupting it.


    ¡°I think I should go.¡± I stuttered out of the blue.


    ¡°I actually came here to talk to you about something, but it looks like you¡¯re busy. I¡¯ll juste backter.¡± I said.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± A ray of hope struck me in the chest as she finally got out of Xander¡¯s grip, before walking towards me.


    ¡°Come on in. We were just about rounding up, right Xander?¡± she asked and he hummed in response.


    ¡°Hmm, hmm.¡± Xander nodded twice. ¡°We were just rounding up.¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, it was so much fun.¡± she said and I kid you not, there was no difference between Sabrina and a child who had just been given her favorite candy right now.  She looked so ecstatic to have shared that intimate moment with my mate. My fucking mate.


    ¡°And Xander is an excellent dancer too. He has definitely gotten even better since after thest ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Ceremony?¡± I mouthed. ¡°What ceremony?¡± I asked, my curiosity piquing.


    ¡°It¡¯s the biggest ceremony in the entire kingdom.¡± Sabrina beamed as she walked up to me. Without my consent, she took my hand in hers before pulling me towards the spot she and Xander once upied.


    ¡°The mating ceremony. It¡¯s an annual ceremony where every werewolfes to find their mate, and then a grand balles up right after to celebrate it. The dancing is usually the most exciting part.¡± she exined.


    So they were practicing for the dance. But still.


    Even with the exnation Sabrina had just given, it didn¡¯t sit right with me, so I did the only thing I thought was best at the time.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± I quipped, releasing myself from her grip.


    ¡°But I have to go now. Enjoy your practice.¡± I said.


    And without so much as another nce or a word from me to them, I made my way out of the living room, well aware of Xander¡¯s gaze, burning into my back and following my every step till I was out of his sight.

 The Test

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I swallowed a huge lump that was lodged at the base of my throat. I had done that thrice in thest minute now, and still nothing had changed. I wanted to ask for another ss of water, but decided against it. What kind of person asked for over five sses of water in the past ten minutes? Me. I was that person.


    Beads of sweat lined my forehead, and a few droplets slipped down and got into my eye. With a huff, I swiped at my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt. The room was cool with the AC set to the highest degree, but even at that, I was sweating, and not just on my face. Even my palms weren¡¯t spared of the sticky assault.


    In case it wasn¡¯t already obvious by now, I was anxious. Overly anxious about what was going to happen in the next couple of minutes. My gaze darted to thedy in front of me. It was Sabrina, but as I ran my fingers loosely through the braids I¡¯d just finished and watched her through the mirror, she looked different, and it was definitely the good kind.


    Sabrina¡¯s hair color, which was a vibrant ck  suited her tan skin, and the way she wore her hair into different styles in the mansion had her looking radiant everyday. But as I snuck onest nce at the mirror, I decided she was absolutely breathtaking. I made a simple updo on her, a half bun with braided tips at the end, and if I was being honest, if I hadn¡¯t been the one who had styled her, I wouldn¡¯t have believed she was the same woman who had walked in here with me.


    She was breathtaking, and even that was an understatement.


    If I knew and could see that I had done a fantastic job, then why couldn¡¯t I summon up the courage to tell the two women I was done with my assignment? I inhaled and exhaled, before counting to three. It was a trick I¡¯d learned to help calm myself down whenever I was anxious, and growing up, it had helped me right from the very beginning to this moment.


    I allowed my eyes to scour the room I was in. For a hairdressing saloon, it was actually a really nice space. Hair posters of different varieties lined the walls and I found myself in awe of the many different styles each one of them held. To the left, two huge shelves were stacked against the walls. These shelves held even more hair products and I wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating when I said I didn¡¯t know what half of them were being used for. The walls were painted a pretty pastel purple color that was cool to the eye. Amidst the beauty of the entire ce, what really stood out to me, were the huge mirrors. The very ones that Sabrina was propped in front of. I was stuck admiring the mirror when I walked in, but now, the very object served as a reminder that I may or may not have messed up Sabrina¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± I jumped to a start at the sound of my name. ¡°Are you okay? You look pale.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It took me a couple of seconds to bring myself back into the salon.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just zoned out a bit.¡± I exined.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sabrina smiled. ¡°Are you finished yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± No. I wanted to scream, but there was no use now. If I was being honest, I¡¯d already spent too much time on Sabrina¡¯s hair and if I was the shop owner, I would be tired too. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°I like it.¡± Sabrina beamed as she peered into the mirror. The moment those words slid past her lips, I let out a breath I didn¡¯t know I was holding. A million and one scenarios on how Sabrina would react badly after I was done with her hair had yed out in my mind more times than I couldn¡¯t count. Now that it has actually gone well, I couldn¡¯t help but grin at myself. ¡°What do you think, Eliza?¡±


    I froze. I¡¯d totally forgotten that I wasn¡¯t going to be needing only Sabrina¡¯s approval. Mrs Eliza, the saloon owner, also had to approve of it, or else, I could kiss my new stylist profession goodbye.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± The middle ageddy beside me let out. Fear gripped my sides as she walked over to Sabrina¡¯s chair. Time seemed to grind to a halt as she stated at mytest creation. She had a stoic expression on and even her eyes gave nothing away.


    Even with the state of unrest in my stomach, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at Eliza. Her oval face looked too familiar if you asked me, almost like I¡¯d seen the face before. Despite her she, she could easily pass out for a young woman in herte thirties and with her brown hair msttee to her head in an intricate updo, it heightened my suspicion that I knew her, or someone who shared the same facial features as her.


    Did she like it? Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life? Maybe I wasn¡¯t cut out for all of this. Was it toote to turn on my heels and go back to the mansion? I¡¯m sure I could be fulfilled living a mundane life, right? No, that wouldn¡¯t-


    ¡°I like it.¡± She announced and I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°For a beginner, you did a great job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, ma¡¯am.¡± I grinned. A certain urge to jump like an excited five year old child washed over me, but I reeled it in. Thest thing I needed was Mrs Eliza thinking I wasn¡¯t serious. ¡°This really means a lot to me and¡­.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no room for improvement.¡± Mrs Eliza cut in again. ¡°You¡¯re good, but this is only the basics. You still have a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°Of Course.¡± Sabrina spoke up. ¡± But her basics can definitelynd her a job here, right?¡±


    ¡°Please ma¡¯am.¡± I sped my hands together. ¡°Please give me this opportunity. I promise I¡¯ll be on my best behavior and do my very best to learn everything there is.¡±


    There was no way I could lose this opportunity. If I did, I would never be able to forgive myself. A lot of things were bordering on this job and I couldn¡¯t afford to mess it up. Even though they wouldn¡¯t say it to my face, I felt like I would lose my value and respect when it came to Sabrina and Xander. And Alice too. Since we didn¡¯t particrly get along, I could urately say she wanted nothing more than to see my downfall.


    ¡°I was going to say,¡± Mrs Eliza drawled as I swallowed a mouthful of air. ¡± That I¡¯ll be more than happy to offer her a job with her skills. She might be a beginner, but she¡¯s good enough to work here and still get paid.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I shrieked in pure joy. Like my loud cheer wasn¡¯t enough, I pumped my fist in the air before waving it around in a small mini victory dance. ¡°Yes! Thank you so much ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Eliza.¡± Sabrina chimed in, equally happy. ¡°This means a lot to me, both of us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± My new boss waved it off. ¡°This is the least I could do. We¡¯ve known each other for years and even though you don¡¯t like to admit it very often, you helped my daughter too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have a daughter.¡± I found myself saying, my curiosity piquing. Only when the two women¡¯s gazes reached my eyes did I realize I¡¯d said it out loud.


    ¡°I do.¡± She smiled. ¡°And if I¡¯m being honest, she¡¯s just a lot like you. Her determination and everything else.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± If her daughter was working here as well, then we could be friends. ¡°I¡¯d love to meet her sometime.¡± I said.


    ¡°Sabrina¡¯s already met her.¡± I turned to Sabrina. Oh? ¡°She even runs into her on a daily basis. Her name is Alice, and she works in the Alpha¡¯s mansion.¡± she said and I nodded absent mindedly.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so nice¡­¡± I trailed off as Eliza¡¯s words sunk into my skull.


    Wait, what?


    Alice was Mrs Eliza¡¯s daughter? Now it made sense why she looked so familiar earlier. There was a striking resemnce between both of them. Both Alice and her mother shared the same hair and eyebrows, even the same heart shaped lips too.


    A frown tugged at my brows. If they shared an uncanny resemnce, did that mean that they had the same attitude as well? No. I shook my head. From what I¡¯d seen, the two of them were pr opposites. Alice was stuck up and rude while her mother was warm and seemed gentle.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t met her¡± Alice¡¯s mother¡¯s enthusiasm was hard to ignore. ¡°Don¡¯t you stay in the Alpha¡¯s mansion?¡± she asked and I almost winced. Oh, I had definitely met Alice.


    ¡°Yes, I do and I have met her¡± I nodded, trying to mask the irritation merely from talking about her. Eliza smiled at me and I felt the need to add to what I already said.


    ¡°She, um- she looks just like you. She¡¯s really nice as well¡± I said and I felt like wing my eyes out.


    I never thought there would ever be a time when I would pair Alice and the word ¡®nice¡¯ together, but here we are. Anything for the job, right?.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± My new boss nodded.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get to serious business. For your first task, you¡¯ll be learning styles that are suitable for the mating ceremony.¡± she said and my eyes widened. What?


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Work starts immediately¡± she said and I froze.


    Again. What?!

 First Day

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    The walk home was one I clearly needed and I took my time with it.


    I finished up my shift at the salon and was currently on my way home. I was actually excited,pletely overjoyed, even more obviously, judging by the rush of so many emotions raging inside me all at once. I sighed, just before tilting my gaze upward. It was evening already, and in about an hour or less, it would be totally dark. Not that I minded though. No matter what happened, I could easily find my way home.


    After I¡¯d passed my test, Sabrina had waited a couple of minutes before saying she was leaving. Truthfully, she had no business in the salon with me and Mrs Eliza. She had done her part by taking me there and I had done my part by proving myself worthy. Sabrina had offered to send a couple of guards toe pick me up, but I declined. The salon wasn¡¯t too far from the mansion, and I wanted an opportunity to enjoy the evening.


    After she¡¯d left, Mrs Eliza and I got to work immediately. I¡¯d originally thought we would be doing just braids, because that was basically the only thing I could do, but I couldn¡¯t have. been more wrong. Mrs Eliza had started a full hour¡¯s lecture on the different hair types and everything all about it. The right hair products to use and what not. Who knew styling would involve all of those and if I was being honest to myself, it wasn¡¯t exactly as easy as I¡¯d expected.


    I halted in my thoughts as the mansion came into view. I nced at my watch and a small smile made its way to my lips. I had told myself I was going to get home before an hour and I had actually beat that time.


    Without wasting any more time, I stepped into the mansion. I was halfway into the building when I stopped abruptly. I didn¡¯t mean to, I had just sighted someone from a distance.


    Alice. And from the way she halted in her tracks, she had definitely seen me too. My mind darted to Mrs Eliza immediately. If Sabrina hadn¡¯t told me, and my new boss hadn¡¯t confirmed it herself, I would have never believed it. They looked nothing alike. In looks maybe, you could definitely tell they were rted, but anything aside that just had to beg the question. Where Mrs Eliza was nice and sweet, her daughter Alice was literally filled with venom. Alice didn¡¯t even need to bite you, one look at you and you would be gone.


    Mrs Eliza was definitely experienced, more than I¡¯d actually given her credit for. It was just the first day and I was already realizing how lucky I was to be learning under her. Despite her expertise in the profession, she didn¡¯t let it show. She definitely didn¡¯t show it off like Alice who wouldn¡¯t miss any opportunity to shove it down our throats and ears that she stuffed at a prestigious institute. Rather than show off, Mrs Eliza brought herself down to the lowest level, just so I could understand, and it made me wonder just where her daughter got her haughty attitude from.


    Was it from her father? Or perhaps a distant rtive? There was also the possibility that our dear Alice didn¡¯t get it from anyone. She was just a in and rude bitch. Almost as if she could read my mind, my gaze met hers and a deep frown tugged at her lips. I watched as she red daggers at me. What else could she do, aside from hate on me from afar?


    We hadn¡¯t spoken since the incident in my room the other day. Up until now, I still needed to know what gave her the audacity  to believe she could speak to me rudely about Xander being my mate. We weren¡¯t exactly friends, but that had actually deepened the rift between us.


    My first instinct was to let Xander know about it, but it died the moment I realized what he¡¯d done; he broke his promise to me, in just a couple of minutes too. Not only did he break the promise, he¡¯d broken my trust too, and once trust was broken, it was next to be restored.


    I blinked back, willing myself toe back to the present. To my surprise, Alice was still roomansionted in her spot, her signature scowl etched perfectly into her face. Without so much as another nce, I continued my journey into the . I had other things to do than to stare at the reincarnation of the devil¡¯s spawn..


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called the moment I stepped past the threshold of the front door. ¡°Sabrina, where are you?¡±


    The mansion wasrge, and thest thing I wanted was to tour round the house, just because I was looking for her. Yes, she has her most favorite spots, but there was still no guarantee that she would be there, so the best option would be to call out to her with each step I took. Hopefully, she would hear me after a couple of tries and tell me where she was.


    Another reason why I didn¡¯t want to go around the house, was Alpha Xander. I had an inkling he was at home and I still wasn¡¯t ready to speak with him yet. If I somehow bumped into him in my search for Alice, then he would make sure we spoke. I was sure of it. I didn¡¯t want that. I was still mad at him and I wanted it to stay that way.


    ¡°Sabrinaaaaa.¡± I drawled. I allowed my legs to lead me in whichever direction they chose first, and in a couple of minutes, I found myself in the dining room. As I snuck a peek at therge hall, I realized it was empty and spotless and it made me wonder


    ¡°Did they already have dinner without me?¡±


    If that was the case then she shouldn¡¯t have gone far.  It wasn¡¯t exactly way past dinner time yet.


    ¡°Sabri¡­ow.¡¯ I collided head first with something. No, someone, because thest time I checked walks didn¡¯t have a thick skull underneath their scalp and was currently rubbing her head. ¡°Sabrina. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She groaned. It was obvious she was far from fine and I¡¯d bumped into her a little too hard. ¡°Just peachy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I cooed awkwardly. ¡°I promise I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±


    Since the dining had turned up empty and devoid of humans, I decided to try somewhere else. I had barely gone a step farther when Sabrina bumped into me. She was obviously trying toe in, the same time I was trying to leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sabrina hissed in pain. ¡°I know, you were in such a hurry and I was too. I¡¯ll be fine. I should have some ointment up in my room. Once I smear it over it, I should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I shuffled out of the way so she could get into the dining room. The moment she passed, I walked straight behind her.


    ¡°So.¡± Sabrina drawled as she settled into one of the seats. I watched her lips tip upwards into a small smile and I hoped she was going to ask what I wanted her to. ¡°How was work?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I shrieked in excitement, before doing a mini dance with my hands and legs. Sabrina giggled on her spot and I decided to continue with the dance for a few more seconds. ¡°I thought you would never ask.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Ooooh, you sound excited,¡± Sabrina chuckled. ¡°So spill, how was your first day being a stylist?¡±


    ¡°It was amazing.¡± I let out in a sing-song voice and Sabrinaughed all the more. ¡°It was tasking, but I had so much fun. I didn¡¯t even know that was possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it.¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°So when will you be going back?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± I pouted. ¡°I do have Wednesdays and the weekend off though.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Sabrina tilted her head to the side. ¡°Mrs Eliza is really pampering you, isn¡¯t she? Some people don¡¯t even get any days off.¡±


    ¡°Like Alice?¡± I found myself saying. Only when the words had tumbled past my mouth did I realize what I¡¯d said. A round of silence settled between us, but I decided to prod further. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Alice was Mrs Eliza¡¯s daughter.¡±


    There was no going back now. I¡¯d already made the mistake of letting it slip past my lips, so what was the use of bordering on it.


    ¡°It slipped my mind, I guess.¡± I watched Sabrina¡¯s eyebrows crease. She didn¡¯t look mad though. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d actually spoken about Alice for me to bring that up.¡±


    She was right. We had never spoken about Alice except for the mutual understanding between us that we both didn¡¯t like her and found her snotty.


    Feeling a bit satisfied with her answer, I decided to delve into more stories and my experience on my first day of work.


    I smelt him before I saw him. The hair at the back of my hair stood as nerves washed over me.

 The Confrontation

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I stood rooted to my spot, hoping he would just go away. It was silly, but anything would do at this point. I had specifically found Sabrina, just so I wouldn¡¯t have to bump into him, and yet, look at what had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± His voice had echoed all around the living room. The deep baritone of his voice was more than enough to cut through my exnation. ¡°Sabrina? Kieran?¡±


    Time seemed to slow to a halt as I refused to acknowledge his presence. In my mind, I was in my world, with his voice nothing but a distant distraction. But even with all of my imagination, it still wasn¡¯t enough. I was really aware of the man behind me and every part of my body felt it. A couple of inches was the only thing separating us both, but I could still feel him all around me.


    His signature scent wafted through my nostrils and I found myself taking him all in, even against my wishes. Like I hadn¡¯t gone through enough, he just had to call out to me, and even that did wonders on my skin. The mere sound of his voice was all it took to have me shuddering, and as I did so, I muttered a quick prayer to the moon goddess that he hadn¡¯t seen it.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± He called out to me again and I pressed my eyes shut. There was something about the way my name rolled off his lips. I could literally feel the angst in every breath. ¡°Did you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Sabrina eximed, and I couldn¡¯t be more grateful for her interference. It hade at the right time. ¡°Alpha Xander, you¡¯re back.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know he had gone out earlier, I thought to myself. But I figured he probably went to the pce or something.


    No, I cautioned myself. I was still mad at him and this wasn¡¯t the time to be concerned with his business.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He huffed and I swear I felt his chest reverberate behind me. ¡°I came in just a couple of minutes ago. I checked for you in the kitchen and everywhere else, but you were nowhere to be found.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just came here to talk to Kieran.¡± Sabrina beamed. With the way her eyes twinkled, it was obvious she was oblivious to the whole thing ying out in front of her. ¡°She had quite a busy day herself. She started at her new job today.¡±


    Silence. Pin drop silence followed after that. The air around us crackled with pure and undiluted tension. It was so thick, you could cut out slices with a pie knife and still have enough to feed the entire mansion.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°I see.¡± Xander quipped. His voice was low, too low, and I didn¡¯t like it. ¡°How was work, Kieran?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± My response was short and simple. A bit blunt if you looked at it closely, and I definitely didn¡¯t miss the pointed look Sabrina shot at me. ¡°Work was fine.¡±


    ¡°Kieran.¡± Sabrina called, the exact moment I muttered. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be on my way to my room now. Mrs Eliza gave me something to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright then¡± Sabrina nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have your dinner brought up to you then.¡±


    ¡°Kieran.¡± Sabrina had barely finished her sentence before Xander called out again.


    ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± he said and I froze.


    His words hit me square in the jaw and I fought the urge to scoff. No way in hell was that going to happen. At this point, I would rather chew my way through ss than talk to Xander.


    ¡°Did you hear me?¡± He asked again, after he hadn¡¯t gotten a response from me. ¡°I said I want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded slowly. It was taking everything in me not to snap at him right now. Maybe if Sabrina wasn¡¯t here, I would have done that. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°In private.¡± His voice was a literal growl. ¡°I want to talk to you in private.¡±


    It was my turn to gape now. Eyes wide and with my mouth wide open, I spun to face him. Before I came face to face with the man, I¡¯d entertained the thought that perhaps I had just imagined what he¡¯d just said. Why would Xander want to speak to me in private? And why did he have to say it in front of Sabrina too?


    I blinked back a couple of times, literally too stunned to speak. I waited for a sign, any sign to tell me that he didn¡¯t mean it or I hadn¡¯t heard right. But if the stoic experience he wore on his face meant anything, I could swear that he was serious.


    ¡°What?¡± I muttered. I was breathless and it was barely a whisper and I doubted he heard me. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said I want to talk to you.¡± Xander wasn¡¯t mincing words. Like I needed any more confirmation, I watched his stoic expression morph into a steely one. ¡°In private.¡±


    ¡°In private?¡± The shock in Sabrina¡¯s voice was evident. ¡°What do you mean you want to talk to her in private?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± It sounded more of a warning than anything else.


    ¡°Are youing or not?¡± he asked me,pletely ignoring her.


    ¡°Xander,¡± Xander¡¯s gaze darted to Sabrina at the sound of his name.


    ¡°Why do you want to speak to her in private? If there¡¯s anything you want to say, I think you should¡­¡±


    The rest of Sabrina¡¯s words were left unfinished as Xander¡¯s hand wrapped around mine immediately. Reflexively, my gaze darted to the spot where our skins touched and back to him again. I parted my lips slowly, but before I could get any more words out, Xander yanked hard on my arm, pulling me along.


    ¡°Xander!¡± I yelled, his grip on me still so strong, enough to pull me along with him against all my struggle. I stumbled on my feet as he led us down the hallway, but he didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Xander, let me go.¡±


    No matter how hard I yelled, Xander said nothing, only pulling me along. Small tendrils of pain shot up my arm, but I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on and where we were headed to care.


    ¡°Xander! Let me go right now!¡± And just as he was told, he did. I rubbed my wrist immediately, trying to cool the burning effect that was circling around my arm. ¡± What the hell are you doing? What did you do that for?¡± I asked, feeling slightly agitated.


    ¡°I said I wanted to talk.¡± Xander huffed and I scoffed. By the time I was done rubbing my wrist, it took me a couple of seconds to realize where we were. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I snapped, focusing my gaze on the backdrop behind him. Xander had brought us to the garden and I stared at the side array of flowers behind, I couldn¡¯t help but recall the few intimate memories we¡¯d shared over here.


    ¡°Yes it is, because I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± I said and he frowned.


    ¡°Why?¡± His voice was strained and for a moment I couldn¡¯t help but think he was in pain, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to talk to me?¡± he asked, his voice and face void of emotions.


    I said nothing. With a deep scowl on my face, I fold my arms over my chest. He may have pulled me out of the dinning against my will, but there was no way he would be able to get me to talk. Over my dead body.


    ¡°Kieran, I know you¡¯re mad at me.¡± He said softly. ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious, given the way you¡¯ve been actively avoiding me but I have no idea what I did wrong and I¡¯m sick of waiting around to find out¡± he said and I rolled my eyes.


    Wrong. Well, only a part of that statement was wrong anyway. I was mad at him and I was sure he was fully aware of the reason.


    ¡°How are we supposed to fix things if you don¡¯t talk to me?¡± Xander prodded.


    ¡°How are we going to put this past us if you refuse to speak to me?¡± he said.


    ¡°You know what you did.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°So, stop pretending.¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Xander shook his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t. I swear I have no idea what I¡¯ve done wrong. After our date, you just started acting weird. Did you not like it?¡± he asked.


    I shook my head. It was a lie. It had to be. Right? He was only trying to bait me into talking to him. That had to be it.


    ¡°You could have told me you didn¡¯t like the date.¡± Xander¡¯s voice came down a notch.


    I stole a nce at him, and for a quick second, all I saw was sadness in his eyes but again, it disappeared as quickly as it came.


    ¡°I just thought it would be something you liked. And you looked really happy during the date, so there was no way I could have known.¡± he said and I almost groaned.


    Was he serious right now? I wasn¡¯t mad about the date. I loved it. What I was mad about was what he did after.


    The mere thought of it was more than enough to have my blood boiling


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you because I didn¡¯t like the date.¡± I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m mad at you for what you did after that.¡±


    ¡°What?! What did I do?¡± he asked as he seemed to try to thinking of it himself but found nothing.


    ¡°Just minutes after promising not to tell anyone.¡±


    I pointed a finger at him.


    ¡°You did just that. You went ahead to tell Alice about our secret!¡± I said usingly and he froze.


    ¡°Wait, what? No! I didn¡¯t do anything like that!¡± he said defensively and it was my turn to freeze.


    Huh?

 Guilt

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Xander eximed and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± he asked and I almost groaned out loud.


    Of course he would deny it.


    What else was I expecting?


    I have had zero experience with men. The only man I¡¯ve known my whole life was Lucas. If not because I met someone like Carlos, Lucas¡¯ beta, I would have no reason to believe men weren¡¯t all the same.


    It made me give Xander a chance and it was worth it but now, I wasn¡¯t sure what to think anymore.


    I hated generalizing or being stereotypical, but at that moment, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else other than my betrayed heart. Perhaps I just expected too much.


    I wouldn¡¯t say I knew a lot about Xander, but with the little I knew, I thought I knew him to a fair extent. Turns out I didn¡¯t know him all too well. I felt like I had foolishly deceived myself into believing that he was different, and all it took was a sunset pic and a couple of stolen kisses here and there in the pce. Anger burned in my veins at the mere thought of it. How could I have allowed myself to get distracted so soon and so easily too?


    ¡°Kieran.¡± Xander called out to me again, his deep baritone cutting me out of my thoughts. I had still refused to look at him, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel his gaze on me soften at intervals.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about, Xander¡± I said as I shook my head in disbelief. You could say I was being stubborn, but right now it was more than necessary. He had to know that what he had done was wrong.


    ¡°You told Alice that we were mates, even after I asked you not to tell anyone. You promised.¡± I said, my voice almost breaking at the end.


    ¡°Yeah, I did promise and so far, I have definitely kept that promise. I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡± he said and I let out an exasperated sigh at his response. How the hell were we supposed to move past this if he wouldn¡¯t just admit it.


    ¡°Why the hell would I tell Alice?¡± he asked and I crossed my arms over my chest.


    ¡°I should be asking you that question.¡± I shot back.


    The more I thought about it, the more stumped I was, because it just didn¡¯t make any sense. Why would he even tell Alice? Prior to this moment, I could bet my life that there was no sort of rtionship between them. She only just worked for him, so what could have led to him telling her? ¡°Since when did Alice get on the list of people that should know certain things? Certain things about us?¡±


    ¡°Kieran, you have to believe me,¡± Xander let out.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell her. I didn¡¯t tell her anything. It makes absolutely no sense for me to do so¡± he tried to reason with me.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t tell her,¡± I snapped. ¡°Then, who did? Huh?¡± I asked, my anger obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯m just as confused as you are.¡± Xander shook his head. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me, I wouldn¡¯t have known.¡± he said and I calmed down a little.


    ¡°But you were the only one I told.¡± And I was right. Literally no one, no one else that was breathing on this earth knew about it, except if you could count that snake, Alice.


    ¡°So how else could she have found out if you didn¡¯t tell her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have no idea, Kieran.¡± I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him.


    Did he really think repeating the same thing over and over would make me believe him?


    ¡°I honestly have no idea. The only person who knows about it is Oliver, but I can bet my life he didn¡¯t tell Alice¡± he said.


    Right. Oliver knows too. I almost forgot.


    ¡°Why?¡± I let out immediately.


    ¡°Because he promised not to.¡± he said and I scoffed.


    Xander had also promised not to let anyone know and look at what had happened.


    ¡°Oliver might act like an idiot sometimes, but he always keeps his word, he makes sure of it. He told me he wouldn¡¯t and he I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t. He hasn¡¯t even been around since then so how could he have possibly told her? Plus, they don¡¯t even talk¡± he said and I clenched my eyes shut.


    I parted my lips to say something but closed it up again.


    What was I going to say? As much as I was mad at Xander and totally refused to see reason or meet him eye to eye, I couldn¡¯t deny that hisst statement actually made sense.


    It couldn¡¯t be Oliver which just turned the knives back to him. But why would he clear Oliver, just to put himself back on the hot seat.


    Unless¡­ unless, he really didn¡¯t do it.


    Xander had told me at the pic that he had identally blurted it out to Oliver after he¡¯d stormed out of dinner the other day.


    He was jealous and didn¡¯t like the way Oliver just wouldn¡¯t let me be by overly flirting with me, so it was his way of putting a stop to it and I understood.


    Oliver on the other hand, definitely tuned down his advances and I could almost swear that he mumbled something like an apology to me before he left.


    ¡°Do you see now?¡±  Xander called out, his voice cutting through my thoughts.


    ¡°Can you see that I did nothing wrong?¡± he asked and I sighed.


    No. No I couldn¡¯t. Not totally. Because still, the question remains. And if Xander hadn¡¯t told her, how the hell did she find out?


    Was there new gossip in the mansion that went out spreading news about people¡¯s mates and whatnot? I hadn¡¯t heard of that before, but right now, I was open to anything.


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make sense that Alice knows.¡± I shook my head slowly. My tone has switched from having molten magma in it, to resembling the cool rush of a river slowly crawling by.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t tell her and Oliver didn¡¯t either, how then did she find out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Xander shrugged.


    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m just d you¡¯ve finally decided to see some sense in what I¡¯ve been saying. Alice didn¡¯t get that information from me.¡± he said and I sighed again, my hands dropping to my side.


    A strange feeling washed over me immediately. It took no soothsayer to know that it was guilt. It was tiny, but it was there nheless.


    Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have jumped into the conclusion that Xander was the one who told Alice. I guess I should have made some findings about it first before holding on to the fact that Xander was the one who had told Alice. Now that he had cleared it out and I thought about it, it didn¡¯t exactly make a lot of sense.


    Xander was Alice¡¯s boss and the Alpha King. There was no rtionship between the both of them, so how could I have concluded that he was the one who had told her?


    Alice on the other hand was a sneaky brat, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she had done some unnecessary digging before she found out. She literally had no control when it came to minding her business. Plus-


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually thought that way.¡± Xander¡¯s voice cut through my thoughts.


    I jerked my head upwards. His jaw was clenched and I could tell he was really hurt that I thought that way about him.


    ¡°Really, Kieran?¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± I whispered, even though I knee what he meant.


    A gust of wind rushed at me, barely carrying my words along with it.


    ¡°You were quick to judge that I was the one who told her.¡± There was something in his voice, something I didn¡¯t like. Something I had never heard when he talked to me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even think it through. You just decided to believe that I was the one who told Alice. Alice? Of all people. How could you even think that?¡± he said and I sighed. n


    ¡°Xander, I-¡± I tried to speak.


    ¡°No.¡± Xander shook his head, cutting me off.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to say anything because I already understand what¡¯s going on. You don¡¯t trust me.¡± he said and I swallowed.


    ¡°What?¡± I murmured, my eyes shrinking into bits.


    ¡°Xander, no, you don¡¯t understand-¡± I started but he cut me off again.


    What was I even going to say?


    ¡°Oh, I understand alright.¡± He scoffed. ¡°I understand perfectly well. If you trusted me then this wouldn¡¯t even be an issue in the first ce.¡± he said and I felt sadness tug at my heart.


    ¡°You know what?¡± He continued. He let out a chuckle and it was nothing friendly. It was hollow and cold, and I could feel it threatening to choke the life out of me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this was the reason why you¡¯ve been ignoring me all this while. You¡¯ve been giving me the cold shoulder and you¡¯ve been avoiding me ever since, acting like I¡¯m not around and non-existent to you.¡± he said and I sighed again.


    ¡°Xander, it¡¯s not¡­¡± I let out but was cut short by someone¡¯s footsteps reaching my ears.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Xander!¡± Sabrina eximed as she walked up to us.


    ¡°Kieran. There you both are, I¡¯ve been looking for you guys. What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked as I turned to her.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Xander quipped and I swear his tone drove a stake deep into my heart.


    ¡°I have to leave now. I have work to do.¡± he said.


    And without so much as a single nce at me, I watched Xander stalk off and saunter out of the garden, with my eyes trailing him. My heart ached so much at the way everything had yed out. I just didn¡¯t realize he was hurting so much.


    ¡°Kieran?¡± Sabrina called out to me again. ¡°What happened? What did he want to talk to you about?¡± she asked and I almost groaned.


    There was no way I could tell her about it, not even in a million years.


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I shook my head slowly, whilst trying toe up with an excuse she would believe. ¡°He just wanted to know some things about work¡±


    ¡°But he could have done that inside, don¡¯t you think?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Maybe¡± I shrugged, and before she could say anything else, I chipped in.


    ¡°I have to go too, Mrs Eliza¡¯s assignment isn¡¯t going to do itself.¡± I said.


    I wasted no time in leaving the garden, and as I headed up the stairs, I couldn¡¯t help the feeling the was eating me whole. Guilt.

 The Renovation

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    The sound of footsteps scurrying past my door roused me awake as my eyes flew open. The noise had been so loud, I had even heard it in my sleep. I could have sworn a stampede was going on somewhere around. Even while I slept, I knew thest thing I wanted was to get trampled upon, whether in a dream world or real life.


    A small groan slid past my lips as I rubbed at my eyes. After my blurry eyes had cleared a bit, I raised my eyes to the clock high up on the wall. A small gasp slid past my lips when I realized what the time was.


    ¡°Half past noon?¡± I mumbled. How the hell did time fly by so quickly? ¡°Exactly how long was I asleep for?¡±


    Honestly, I had no idea. All I remember was crashing into bed and waking up now that I did. I didn¡¯t expect to sleep for this long. Another groan slid past my lips as I got up to stretch. I wondered why Sabrina hadn¡¯te up to wake me. She usually did that anytime I overslept. Or maybe she did. I dashed into my bathroom and took a bath.


    When I was dressed, I made my way outside my room and down the stairs. Even then, the hustle and bustle of the maids and guards didn¡¯t cease. In fact, the more I descended the stairs, the more people that I saw, each one hauling one thing or the other. They were mostly decorations, so it meant one thing, they were decorating the house, for reasons best known to them.


    ¡°Kieran!¡± Sabrina squealed the moment I stepped into the living room. ¡°There you are.¡±


    My gaze darted from the joy on her face, to the living room. Shock couldn¡¯t evenpletely describe the emotion I felt immediately. Just to be sure, I had to tap my jaw a couple of times to be sure that it was still intact.


    Two more chandeliers hung in the living room, and they were bigger than thest one. The baby blue walls had been swapped for a darker shade of the maroon color. More potted nts than I¡¯d ever seen in my life decorated the entire space. Like that wasn¡¯t enough, a maid walked in, holding a huge vase with even more nts.


    The furniture still looked to be intact, but I could swear they had swapped the living room table for an even bigger and better one. The fluffy fur rug that was once there had been swapped too, for an even bigger and better one with white patch-like design all over it. If I was being honest, the entire living room looked like it was undergoing a major makeover.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Sabrina?¡± I called out slowly, still unable to tear my gaze from the new living room.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough nts, for now.¡± Sabrina nodded to a maid, still oblivious to what I had just said.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tell the others to hold on for now. If I need some more, I¡¯ll definitely let you know.¡± she said.


    ¡°Did you say something, dear?¡± She turned to me, seconds after the maid had walked out. ¡°Kieran?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I asked immediately. Even words couldn¡¯t properly describe the question I wanted to ask. ¡± Are we moving?¡±


    ¡°Moving?¡± Sabrina chuckled heartily. ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the decorations?¡± I fiddled with one of the potted nts. ¡°This can¡¯t even be ssified as decorations. It looks like we¡¯re renovating.¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Sabrina giggled again. If there was anything I could pick out from this situation, it was the fact that Sabrina loved ying with doll houses and decorating them when she was little. Because why would someone want to do this to a beautiful mansion, and unprovoked too?


    ¡°But it¡¯s for a good cause, I promise you.¡± she exined.


    ¡°Care to borate?¡± I shrugged. ¡± At least tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± She waved her hand, but if the twinkle in her eyes meant anything, then it was definitely a big deal.


    ¡°These are just small preparations.¡± she said.


    ¡°Small?¡± I chorused. ¡°So what¡¯s the main preparation going to look like?¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s time you¡¯ll find out.¡± She grinned and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. ¡°Ohe on, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have the faintest idea why I¡¯m redecorating.¡± she said and I blinked nkly as I tried to think about it.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I shook my head before settling into one of the couches. From my new position, I had a good look at the living room and if I was being honest, it actually looked nice.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± I urged.


    ¡°Guess.¡± Sabrina insisted. ¡°Come on. Use that big brain of yours to think.¡±


    ¡°Heyyy.¡± I drawled, a yful smile on my lips. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I meant no harm.¡± Sabrina raised her hands in mock surrender. ¡°I swear, I meant it as apliment.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you did.¡± I smirked. ¡°Now back to guessing. Is it some kind of party?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re close.¡± Sabrina nodded and I grinned. ¡°Now you have to guess what the asion is about.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± I shook my head. There was no use trying to guess because I was nk in that aspect. ¡± Just tell me already.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fun.¡± Sabrina pouted. ¡°You have to guess.¡±


    ¡°But I have no idea.¡± I let out. ¡± I don¡¯t even have a single clue¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Someone¡¯s voice cut through my voice, causing me to stop mid way. Before he appeared in the living room, I already knew who it was.


    ¡°She¡¯s preparing for the annual ball.¡± he exined.


    Xander strolled into the living room and I swear I heard Sabrina squeal a little bit.


    ¡°The annual ball?¡± I chorused the exact time Sabrina chimed. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten.¡± Sabrina told me immediately. ¡°Kieran, I told you.¡±


    ¡°It must have skipped my mind.¡± I nodded. ¡± What¡¯s the ball about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mating ceremony.¡± Xander let out slowly and I felt my heart drop to my feet. ¡°Do you remember now?¡±


    In fact, I did. Memories of Sabrina and Xander talking about it rang in my ears, but I didn¡¯t focus on that. I knew what a mating ceremony was, but was that really it?


    My gazended on Xander the moment the thought popped into my mind. His eyes were clear as he held my gaze. As I stared at him, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was going to happen at the ball.


    Since Xander and I were mates, was he going to announce it to everyone at the ball?


    After the whole mate issue, things had been a little rocky between us. We still hadn¡¯t figured out who had told Alice and I guess Xander was still kind of upset that I would think he would be so careless to break my trust just like that.


    Honestly, I really didn¡¯t see it in that light until after he had blurted it out in the garden the other day. I realized just how hurt he was that I actually thought of him that way. But at the same time, he was supposed to see things from my perspective too. After what I¡¯d been through, thest thing I wanted was a repeat of it. Deep down, I was scared. Scared of history repeating itself all over again. If it did, I wasn¡¯t sure I would be able to forgive myself, or anyone for that matter.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± Sabrina snapped her fingers in front of me and that was all it took to pull me back to the present.


    ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± she asked and I sighed.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ yes, yes.¡± I blinked back a couple of times, willing my eyes to adjust to my surroundings again.


    ¡°I heard you.¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She knew I was lying but she knew better than to push it.


    ¡°The mating ceremony will be so fun. What if you find your mate there, Kieran?¡± Sabrina said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I gulped. ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    I avoided Xander¡¯s gaze as I spoke.


    ¡°I know right.¡± Sabrina was overly excited for all of this and I wanted to know why. ¡°It would be so magical. What if he¡¯s an alpha from another pack? Or a really handsome man? Or maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe she has even found her mate.¡± Xander added and I froze. What the hell is he doing?


    ¡°That¡¯s also a possibility, don¡¯t you think?¡± he said, ying it as cool as possible.


    ¡°If she had, she would have told me.¡± Sabrina waved him off with augh. ¡°All I know is, whoever gets you as their mate will be the happiest werewolf alive.¡±


    ¡°What if¡­¡± I put a halt to the rest of my thoughts as the doorbell interrupted me.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s here.¡± Sabrina squealed before rushing towards the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± I asked, confusion washing over me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Xander trailed off immediately, his gaze fixated on the door in front of me. ¡°Please, goddess, no¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Another voice interrupted Xander. It wasn¡¯t Sabrina for sure and if the string of groans Xander let out meant anything, our guest was definitely going to be an interesting person.


    ¡°Xander dear, won¡¯t you wee me?¡± she said.


    Like that wasn¡¯t enough, I heard Xander mutter underneath his breath.


    Shit.

 A Guest

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I sucked in a deep breath, before exhaling again. One would think that I was exaggerating, but with what wasing, you would know that I needed all the peace and quiet I could get, before the storm started. And by the storm, it was nothing short of a nickname for the woman who meant the world to me; my mother.


    ¡°Xander dear, won¡¯t you wee me?¡± her voice rang out into the living room.


    Honestly, I didn¡¯t need to hear her voice to know it was her. I¡¯d been expecting her for the past hour or two, that was why I headed down into the living room in the first ce. Even after mentally preparing myself for her arrival days before, it still did nothing to help.


    I cursed under my breath. I loved my mother but she was the most dramatic person I knew.


    ¡°Xander!¡± She eximed loudly, pulling me out of my thoughts. ¡°Did you not hear me?¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡± I grinned, finally deciding to meet with her gaze. As expected she had a small frown on her face, but that did nothing to hide the smile that was bubbling underneath. ¡°Wee.¡±


    She stood rooted to her spot as I walked up to her. The moment I had gotten close to her, I wrapped my hands around her, enveloping her into a hug.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± She said as did nothing to hide her grin. A small string ofughter slid past my lips as she ruffled my hair. She always did that, no matter how much Iined.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t love me anymore.¡± I said, a smile threatening to peek out. Was that even possible? I sighed. My overdramatic mother.


    ¡°Why would you even say that?¡± she asked as we pulled apart. She held my hands as she gazed into my eyes. From her blue orbs, I could clearly see the yful grin I was wearing.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t love you, who else will?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged, just to get a yful p in the back.


    ¡°Hey, I was joking!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°Of course.¡± she grinned. ¡°Now, where¡¯s my daughter inw?¡±


    I paled. I was well aware who she was referring to, I had just been caught off guard.


    ¡°Here I am, Charlotte.¡± Sabrina beamed as she crept up on my mother from behind. ¡°I was the one who got the door for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The rest of Sabrina¡¯s words hung in the air as my mum pulled Sabrina into a hug. It was a tight bear hug and if I didn¡¯t know the rtionship between them, it wouldn¡¯t take long for me to be jealous.


    ¡°How have you been, Sabrina? And what¡¯s with calling me, Charlotte? Aren¡¯t you my daughter?¡± she said.


    ¡°I am.¡± The red hue that rushed to Sabrina¡¯s cheeks didn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    ¡°How was your journey ma¡¯am?¡± Sabrina asked.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Mom threw Sabrina a pointed look. ¡°What did I just say? And my journey was fine, just the usual stress here and there.¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mum¡± Sabrina corrected herself and mother nodded in approval.


    ¡°Where are your bags? I¡¯ll have the maids take them up to your room. I arranged the guest room for you. Just the way you like it.¡± Sabrina said proudly.


    ¡°I know you did.¡± Mum shed her another smile, before pointing to her stack of luggage just behind her. Sabrina snapped her fingers and two maids hurried in, before hauling all of mum¡¯s luggage away. The ceremony was weeks away, but mum likes toe in earlier, with more luggage than she needed. I could bet my life that on the day of the ceremony, more of her stuff would still arrive.


    ¡°You always take care of me, even more than Xander.¡± she said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I eximed, a mock frown on my face. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mince words, did I?¡± She teased and I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Mother was already on her way towards her room when she paused. Only when she¡¯d halted did I recognize what had caught her attention. Or more specifically, who.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    Shit. Kieran stood awkwardly to the side. For a moment there, I hadpletely forgotten she was still in here.


    ¡°Xander?¡± She called out to me.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    I winced at the way she said ¡°that¡±. If there was anything lying underneath her tone, it was definitely disgust and irritation to say the least.


    ¡°Hi, ma¡¯am.¡± Kieran waved her hand awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯re wee, I didn¡¯t know you wereing or I would have..¡±


    ¡°You would have what?¡± Mum cut her off immediately. ¡°What would you have done? That doesn¡¯t even answer my question. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Mother, this is Kieran.¡± I stepped in immediately.


    ¡°She¡¯s been staying with us for a while now.¡± I exined.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Mum¡¯s gaze darted from me to Sabrina and back to me again. I could have sworn she snuck a re at Kieran before continuing.


    ¡°Since when did you start allowing random people to starting in here? Do you know her background? What if she¡¯s a thief or even worse-¡± she started talking.


    ¡°Mother!¡± I cut her off once again. She flinched slightly, obviously not seeing thating.


    ¡°Stop saying things like that.¡± I said, feeling anger bubbling in my chest.


    ¡°Why?¡± She shot back. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the truth? You can¡¯t be allowing just anyone in this mansion¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I started ¡°It¡¯s my mansion. I make the rules here¡± I said, putting emphasis on ¡®My¡¯.


    Without giving her so much as an avenue to speak, I walked out on her. My footsteps echoed all around me as I walked away farther and farther from the living room. More footsteps reached my ears, till I was certain of the owner.


    ¡°You¡¯re walking out on me now, Xander?¡± My mother huffed from behind me. I didn¡¯t stop though, not until I was in my study and she was standing in front of me.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You were rude to her mum.¡± I stated, like it wasn¡¯t obvious.


    ¡°Was that even necessary?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mum chimed. ¡°I only know Sabrina, so what else were you expecting me to do? Be nice to her?¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I eximed, like it wasn¡¯t already obvious. ¡°It¡¯smon courtesy. What does it take you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care.¡± She huffed and I almost groaned out loud.


    ¡°What are your preparations for the ceremony?¡± She suddenly asked.


    ¡°Preparations?¡± I said as I tried to focus. She had deftly ignored the matter at hand but it was okay. This wasn¡¯t going to be thest of it.


    ¡°What preparations?¡± I asked..


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one hosting the annual mating ceremony?¡± She chimed and I rolled my eyes. ¡°You should be prepared-¡±


    ¡°And I am.¡± I cut in softly. ¡°Sabrina is taking care of everything on her end and I¡¯m doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she a darling?¡± I raised an eyebrow at my mother¡¯s choice of words. ¡°She¡¯s taking care of you and everything else, just like I would and she¡¯s been doing it for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± I drawled, not exactly sure where mother was headed with all the talk. ¡°And why are you saying this? I know she pulls her weight¡­¡±


    ¡°Pulls her weight?¡± The shock in mum¡¯s tone couldn¡¯t be overlooked. ¡°This isn¡¯t about her just pulling her weight. It¡¯s so much more, are you that blind?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re legit speaking in riddles so how do you expect me to understand?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°If you want to say something, say it clearly.¡± I said, even though I already knew what she was aiming at.


    ¡°Have you even found your mate yet?¡± I froze at her question. I also made sure that was the only reaction I let out. If she caught a whiff of something else, it would be bad for me. Silence settled between us as I said nothing. I wanted nothing more than to tell my mum the truth, but I already had an idea how that was going to turn out.


    ¡°I do think it¡¯s important that you settle on someone before the ceremony.¡± she said and I groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been fine without my fated mate.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can manage this time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t exactly need a fated mate, you know.¡± Mother slurred. ¡°You can always find another mate and get married.¡±


    ¡°Another mate?¡± I knew where she was headed, but I just needed to confirm. ¡°Who exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Sabrina, of course.¡± She let out and I face palmed. Literally.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Sabrina?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing, mum. She¡¯s just, she¡¯s basically my sister.¡± I let out a groan.


    Sabrina and I had spent most of our childhood together. Sabrina¡¯s parents were well to do, but that didn¡¯te in between our friendship. We were basically siblings. Even when I¡¯d thought a rift woulde in between our friendship, we¡¯d found our way around it.


    Along the line, Sabrina¡¯s parents decided to start their own pack, but instead of Sabrina leaving and going with them, she decided to stay with us, and it¡¯s been like that ever since.


    ¡°So?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We all know she isn¡¯t and the fact that you¡¯ve known her since your childhood makes it even better. If you¡¯ve stayed friends for that long, just imagine how life as a married couple would be.¡± She tried to reason with me.


    Horrible. I mouthed, but I wouldn¡¯t dare say that to her face. Either of them actually. Not my mother or Sabrina.


    ¡°No mum¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not getting married to Sabrina.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to introduce me to your mate somehow.¡± She crossed her hands across her bosom.


    ¡°But..¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡± She cut me off immediately. ¡°If you refuse to get married to Sabrina, then you¡¯ll have to show me your mate at the mating ceremony or else.¡±


    There was a heavy use that hung with mother¡¯sst words, I didn¡¯t even need her to finish it.


    If I didn¡¯t do like she asked, I would be toast.


    Ugh.

 Ruined Meal

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I took the stairs two at a time, making sure not to miss my step or anything. I wasn¡¯t exactly in a hurry but I would rather get to the dining before her. She had barely arrived and yet she was already giving ultimatums? I could already feel a storm brewing. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I loved my mother, but if there was something I didn¡¯t love, it was her overbearing attitude.


    She had barely settled down, and the entire mansion was already getting lit up by her little tantrums. It would only be a matter of time before it would blow up into literal mes. Hopefully, this time would be different and she would tone down on her attitude and tactics.


    I knew how she could be. Especially to Kieran.


    My mind wandered back to when my mother arrived. Kieran had been so surprised. It was obvious nobody told her my mother wasing but it couldn¡¯t have been me. We weren¡¯t exactly on talking terms and I had thought Sabrina would have done that.


    What I didn¡¯t expect was the instant vileness my mother held against her.


    Kieran and I might have been on a bit of a rocky ground, but thest thing I would want would be for her to feel inferior or bad. Knowing Kieran, she would obviously retreat into her shell at the tiniest inconvenience and I didn¡¯t want that.


    Perhaps it was a stupid idea or an even more foolish thought, but I actually wanted the two women to work out their differences. I mean, it was only normal for me to want that right? My mate and my mother. Kieran was an amazing person and my mother would see that if only she stoppedshing out at her at every slight opportunity. She wasn¡¯t like that towards Sabrina, so why was she so hostile to Kieran?


    I put a halt to my thoughts when I approached the dining table. I heaved a small breath of relief when I realized mum hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but as expected, that relief didn¡¯tst long. I¡¯d barely taken my seat next to Kieran, before someone¡¯s footsteps echoed outside the dining room.


    ¡°Mother.¡± Sabrina eximed, signaling mum¡¯s presence. My mother mirrored Sabrina¡¯s huge smile before making her way to one of the chairs.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, I was just about toe for you¡± Sabrina said.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry yourself about these things.¡± Mum took Sabrina¡¯s hand in hers, before giving her a wide smile.


    ¡°I can handle myself and I¡¯m in my son¡¯s house, aren¡¯t I? I can cook myself a little something if I miss a meal¡± she said andughter filled the room.


    My mother? Cook? Oh please.


    Everyone but Kieranughed. Either because she didn¡¯t get the joke or because she just wasn¡¯t happy.


    She didn¡¯t look like herself if I was being honest. While weughed, all she had managed was an awkward smile, and even that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. I snuck a nce at her, but she didn¡¯t hold my gaze for too long.


    ¡°Kieran, are¡­.¡± The rest of my words were drowned by the clicking of heels against the tiled floor. It was Alice, and she was single handedly shepherding in the maids that carried all of our meals.


    ¡°I hope you enjoy tonight¡¯s meal.¡± Alice gave a small smile after the maids had done their jobs dishing out the meals. ording to the tter in front of me, we were havingmb chops with a side serving of some pasta and chicken sauce. It looked mouthwatering, but I guess mother had other opinions. Of course she did.


    ¡°I made sure to prepare it specially, just for our guest¡­¡± Alice started to say.


    ¡°Excuse you?¡± Mum cut her off  immediately. ¡°What did you just say? Did she just call me a ¡®guest¡¯?¡± she asked and I flinched slightly. Not again.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± Alice was confused to say the least. It was so obvious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand either.¡± Mum shot back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why my son would hire someone as ipetent as you, just the same way I don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s doing here!¡± sheshes out, directing her gaze to Kieran towards the end of her sentence.


    I felt Kieran tense beside me.


    ¡°Just leave. Leave this instant.¡± She was no doubt referring to Alice.


    Alice in question, wasted no time in rushing out of the dining hall, her lips pursed in a straight line.


    A minute of silence settled between us.


    ¡°Well, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s eat¡± my mother said and I resisted the urge to shake my head. I didn¡¯t understand the woman.


    In no time, the tter of spoons and forks nging against the tes filled the room. The atmosphere was tense but luckily, Sabrina was quick to the rescue.


    ¡°The food really tastes good,¡± Sabrina chimed.


    ¡°I remembered pasta is your favorite, so I made sure that was what was prepared¡± she said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less from you, my dear.¡± she said, a sigh following her words.


    ¡°And yes, the meal is delicious, even though that maid is quite annoying.¡± she admitted.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I could do to make it up to you¡­¡± Sabrina had barely finished her sentence before my mom cut in again.


    ¡°Yes, actually. There is something you can do¡± she replied.


    ¡°You can take care of the trash that has decided to sit with us. She¡¯s thoroughly getting on my nerves¡± she said, barely even looking up from her food.


    She said it so casually, I almost thought I heard wrong.


    Kieran¡¯s fork ttered to the floor. In response,  mum snorted.


    ¡°See. She doesn¡¯t even have simple table manners.¡± Mum shook her head.


    ¡°I wonder what made you bring her in here.¡± she said.


    ¡°Mother.¡± My voice was stern. ¡°Could you please stop?¡±


    ¡°Stop what?¡± She turned to me immediately. ¡°Do you want me to stop telling the truth?¡± she asked, almost sounding truly offended.


    ¡°I want you to let us have a nice dinner without you causing unnecessary drama¡± I hoped she could hear the angerced underneath my tone.


    ¡°The only time we can have a normal dinner is if you do what¡¯s right.¡± She scoffed.


    ¡°And she needs to leave, right now. Thest thing I would tolerate is some rogue feeling she has every right to be here. Did you even look into her background? What if she has any criminal records? She could be a thief for all we know. A murderer and¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± I didn¡¯t bother to tone down the anger in my voice. ¡°What is-¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The loud sound of the dining chairs screeching against the tiles cut me off.


    I turned to my right and just as I¡¯d feared, it was Kieran and she was on her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave now.¡± she said softly, her voice slightly shaky.


    ¡°Kieran!¡± I called out to her, but she was already out of the dining room, her footsteps receding with each passing second. ¡°Kieran, wait!¡±


    ¡°Good riddance.¡± A triumphant smile was on mum¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Now we can actually enjoy this dinner.¡± she said and I narrowed my eyes at her.


    ¡°No. Maybe you can enjoy whatever this is¡± I said, cing an emphasis on ¡®you¡¯.


    ¡°Did you really have to do that?¡± I asked, shaking my head in disappointment.


    ¡°Do what?¡± She said, trying to feign innocence and it was annoying to say the least.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. I just want to eat in a serene environment¡± she said.


    ¡°It was my decision to make her stay. Not yours.¡± I said and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t get why you would do that. She¡¯s a total stranger. What if she was a spy sent to kill you? How are you sure she hasn¡¯t been giving our enemies information about you?¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± I frowned.


    I held her gaze for a while, but it was obvious she wasn¡¯t going to budge anytime soon. I knew she was stubborn, but this was intolerable.


    A couple of seconds passed and I found my gaze darting back to the door. Kieran had been gone for a while now, what was I supposed to do? Should I have gone after her? Is it toote to do so? What if-?


    ¡°Stop it, Xander.¡± Mum¡¯s voice cut through my thoughts, reeling me back to reality.


    If the cherry tone she¡¯d used meant anything, it was the fact that she was happy. Overjoyed even.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone and don¡¯t think about going after her. I don¡¯t even understand why it should cross your mind. Just sit back and enjoy dinner. Sooner orter, she¡¯ll realize she¡¯s not meant to be here and it was a mistake all along. Which is a good thing¡± she said and before I could say anything, she faced Sabrina.


    ¡°Right, Sabrina?¡± she asked, making me realize Sabrina has been here all along and so quiet since and didn¡¯t even go after her best friend.


    ¡°What do you think about this whole matter?¡± my mother asked her.


    For a moment, I¡¯d totally forgotten she was even in the dining room with us. She was unusually quiet and it didn¡¯t sit right with me.


    ¡°Um, actually.¡± Sabrina drawled. ¡± Well, I think that¡­¡±


    Oh, hell no.


    ¡°You do know it wasn¡¯t entirely my idea right?¡± I said, cutting Sabrina off sharply.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been very passionate about your dislike for Kieran, but what if you found out that I wasn¡¯t the one who let her into the house in the first ce?¡± I said, carefully watching Sabrina¡¯s reaction. Her eyes widened slightly, meeting mine with panic.


    ¡°Let Sabrina answer first.¡± Mum turned to Sabrina again.


    ¡°Go on dear.¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what.¡± I cut in immediately, before mother would interrupt me again.


    ¡°Sabrina here was actually-¡± I started to say.


    ¡°Mother¡¯s right.¡± Sabrina spoke up, cutting me off immediately.


    ¡°She¡¯s absolutely right. Kieran shouldn¡¯t be here at all.¡± she said.


    What? I froze. There was no way I could have heard right. But as my mother¡¯s smile at Sabrina grew wider, it dawned on me that she had really said that.


    What the hell was that supposed to mean?

 Eaves Dropping

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I pressed my back against the door, the moment I shut it behind me. I¡¯d mmed the door so loud it rattled in its hinges. I was sure the loud noise it had made could be heard throughout the halls and probably down at the dining room, but I wasn¡¯t sure I cared. My heart thundered in my chest and every effort at trying to calm it down failed.


    The more I tried not to think about it, the more the thoughts swarmed in my mind. Beads of sweat lined the top of my forehead, and I could feel its slimy residue snaking down my face. As it cascaded down, it mixed with the salty tears that slipped from my eyes.


    I was crying and I didn¡¯t even know. It must have been somewhere in between my escape from the dining room to my bedroom. My hand flew to my chest as if I could touch the pain I felt as I slid down the door. My heart raced almost as much as it hurt.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    I pressed my eyes shut as her words rang in my head again. I thought I had grown past the threshold of being affected by mere words, but apparently, I was yet to meet Xander¡¯s mother.


    ¡°What if she has any criminal records? She could be a thief for all we know. A murderer¡­¡± Her words swarmed around my head, each one causing a constant ache in my chest.


    She had called me trash, and even though she wasn¡¯t the first person to use derogatory remarks on me, it still hurt as hell, and I had an idea why. It was because it came from Xander¡¯s mother. My mate¡¯s mother.


    Deep down, I wanted her approval. I mean, only naturally, right?. I was mated to her son.


    But she already hated me even without knowing I was Xander¡¯s mate. I could only imagine how disgusted she would feel when she does find out. What was I supposed to do then?


    She didn¡¯t even try to hide the fact that she didn¡¯t like me. She was in with it and it hurt that she wasn¡¯t even giving me a chance to prove myself.  But it didn¡¯t matter. There was no use dragging it, especially when I was finally leaving.


    Yes, I had already decided. I was going to leave the mansion as soon as possible. That had been my n all along, but with Sabrina being nice to me and finding out Xander was my mate, I guess I had gotten a little carried away. But not anymore. Xander¡¯s mother¡¯s arrival was the wake-up call I didn¡¯t know I needed. It absolutely tore me apart to leave my mate when I finally thought I had a chance at happiness and it also hurt to leave Sabrina. The woman who saved me. And perhaps it was unfair too. But I was so tired and done with pleasing others. I needed to leave. For my own good.


    My mind shed back to thest time I tried to run away. Xander had intercepted it. What if he did it again this time?


    No. I shook my head slowly. There was no way I was going to let that happen. Thest time, Xander had only caught me because I didn¡¯t exactly have anywhere to go. I hadn¡¯t mapped out my next move. I just  wanted to leave and that was my biggest mistake. But now, I wasn¡¯t going to do that. If I wanted to get out of here sessfully and without any hups, I needed a n. And a very solid one at that too.


    I shook my head a little bit to get some bearing, before slowly getting off the floor. I¡¯d been in that position for a while and my back was beginning to hurt but it was easily masked by the ache I felt in my chest.


    To pull off anything, I needed money. I hadn¡¯t made enough to be considered a huge amount that would be able to cover the cost of getting a new apartment and all that, so what was I going to do?


    Asking Xander or Sabrina for money was not an option. I wasn¡¯t about to burden anyone with my problems. Plus, if Xander¡¯s mother were to somehow find out about it, I would be proving her right. That I¡¯m cheap trash.


    That, and Xander definitely wouldn¡¯t give me any money if he realized it was part of my escape n. So what the hell was I going to do? Where am I supposed to get money?


    An idea came to mind immediately. Mrs Eliza. I hadn¡¯t been working under her for a long time, but what if I asked her for an advance payment of some sort? Mrs Eliza was nice, and I was sure I could convince her to give me a huge chunk of my sry. Once she agrees to it, I would make an agreement with her to pay her back. She could even deduct the money she had given me from my sry moving forward. If I could get her to agree to giving me part of it, just enough to survive, that wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea. Right? I hoped to the goddess that it worked.


    It felt like everything would work just fine but I knew it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. You couldn¡¯t me me though.


    When I really thought about it, I realized Xander¡¯s mother was actually right. No matter how painful her words were or how hurt I was, it didn¡¯t change the truth. I had no spot at the dining table. Hell, I wasn¡¯t even supposed to be in the mansion in the first ce.


    Sabrina had helped me out in my time of need, and even I knew that I had overstayed my wee. I let myself get distracted. I slumped onto my bed in one swift motion. Well, the bed.


    My back came in contact with one of the fluffy pillows, and I gently pulled it from underneath me, before hugging it tightly. The tears in my eyes had dried up, and my cheeks were no longer wet, but it didn¡¯t guarantee that my eyes weren¡¯t going to get busy again.


    The memory of the incident at the dining room was more than enough to have me tearing up again. Deep down, I didn¡¯t want to leave.


    Thanks to all the love and support, a tiny part of me had actually adapted to the mansion. Even though I didn¡¯t want to admit it, the mansion had been my home since I escaped Lucas¡¯ wrath, and running away from somewhere that finally made me feel good felt like a big deal.


    Was I making the right choice? Was I going to regret itter on? Would it be that bad if I stayed back and endured all of Xander¡¯s mother¡¯s tantrums? I¡¯d survived worse right, so why not a little more?


    No. I didn¡¯t know a lot about Xander¡¯s mother, but I had a gut feeling she would be nothing but trouble. If all of the evidence I¡¯d been seeing wasn¡¯t convincing enough, all I needed to do was remember her words at the table.


    The rest of my thoughts swirled around in my mind and I slowly found myself drifting into a long and dark sleep.


    *************


    A small groan slid past my lips as I slowly peeled my eyes open. My head felt heavy as I tried to find my bearings. My vision was hazy, and I blinked back a couple of times before my eyes cleared up. My throat felt parched and a small pain nestled at the side of my neck.


    I winced as I kneaded my fingers around the spot as I realized I had cried myself to sleep in an awkward positionst night. A quick nce at the clock showed the time to be almost eleven am in the morning and I winced again. It was easy past breakfast and it made me wonder if Sabrina has actuallye up here before I woke up.


    Sabrina.


    The mere thought of her was enough to stir up the memories ofst night. Yes, I had nned and decided on leaving, but a tiny part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel like leaving without telling Sabrina about it first would be rude and definitely unfair.


    As quickly as I could, I dashed into the bathroom to freshen up. Unlike most times, I didn¡¯t waste too much time in the bathroom. The moment I was dressed, I dashed down the stairs in search of Sabrina. I was halfway down the stairs when something caught my ear.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± It was Xander  and he sounded frustrated to say the least. It almost felt like he¡¯d been arguing with her for a while now.


    ¡°How can you even be serious right now?¡± he asked, sounding like he was in disbelief.


    I slowed down my steps. I knew I shouldn¡¯t be eavesdropping but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°I said what I said, Xander.¡± It was without a doubt Sabrina, and she didn¡¯t sound too pleased either. I wondered what they were arguing about.


    I had barely asked myself that question, when Sabrina¡¯s voice broke through my thoughts.


    ¡°Kieran shouldn¡¯t even be here in the first ce.¡± I paled as her words reached my ears. ¡°She needs to leave. Now¡±


    Wait, what?

 Two Faced

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I hadn¡¯t just heard what I had, it still didn¡¯t work. But somehow, even after hearing it, and clearly too, I still refused to believe it. I couldn¡¯t. There was no way I could. Why would I in the first ce? Because it didn¡¯t sound like her, at all. It didn¡¯t sound like Sabrina at all.


    Perhaps my mind was ying a trick on me. I¡¯d been stressed, mentally especially, and it would be no surprise if it had gotten to the point where I was hearing things and making up scenarios in my head.


    That was probably what just happened. Because I knew Sabrina, and there was no way she would have said that. Right?


    The more I asked myself that question, the more anxiety swirled in the pit of my belly. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I already knew the answer, but for some strange reason, I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to answer it.


    I pressed my eyes shut as I allowed the words to echo over and over in my head.


    ¡°Kieran shouldn¡¯t even be here in the first ce. She needs to leave. Now¡± Each word drove a deep gash straight into my chest the more I reyed it in my head.


    It made no sense. Why would she want me to leave? She was the major reason I was here in the first ce. If she hadn¡¯t saved me back then, I wouldn¡¯t have known this ce existed. If she really wanted me gone, why did she treat me all nicely? Why did she ask me to feel at home? Why did she help me get a job with Mrs Eliza? Why? Why did she do all of that?  Just so she could turn her back on me now?


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Someone else beat me to talking. Apparently, it was Xander, and I still didn¡¯t know if I was relieved to hear his voice or not.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding¡± he said, almost sounding like he was struggling to believe his ears.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Sabrina wasn¡¯t whispering, and I definitely didn¡¯t imagine the rage lying underneath her tone.


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m joking?¡± she asked again.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Xander said sternly. I could easily make out his struggle of trying to keep his calm andshing out at the same time.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re ying at, or why you¡¯re acting like this, but I think it¡¯s going a little too far. Stop it¡± he said, clearly still in disbelief. You and I both, Xander.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you still think I¡¯m joking¡± she said and I snuck a peek at the duo. With a sort of menacing aura, she walked towards Xander. Of course, she looked like a mouse in front of him but I could still make out the terrifying aura, until she looked at his face and cowered back.


    ¡°I mean it Xander. Every word I said.¡± she rified.


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make any sense why you, of all people, would-¡±


    ¡°Is it that unbelievable?¡± Sabrina asked, cutting him off.


    ¡°Can you really not believe that I said she has no right to be in this house anymore?¡± she asked, cing extra emphasis on ¡°no right¡±.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xander said, his resolve almost breaking.


    ¡°Because you brought her here. She¡¯s in this house because of you. You picked her up from the verge of death and brought her here. Without telling me even, and that meant you werefortable with her living with us. So what¡¯s with the sudden switch up?¡± he asked and I craned my neck. I also wanted to know..


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t expect her to stay this long!¡± She eximed abruptly. ¡°I thought she would have left by now. Honestly, if I had any idea that she was going to be here till this moment, then I would have left her there to die.¡± She said.


    What?!


    Sabrina¡¯s words shed me straight in the gut. I gripped my chest as I felt a tiny ache in it but it didn¡¯t take too long for it to spread. I felt weak and my knees wobbled. My stomach churned and my vision blurred. A wave of dizzy spells hit me, but I was quick to grab on to something.


    When I first heard Sabrina¡¯s outburst, a teeny tiny voice whispered to me to make my way out of there. What I¡¯d heard was already bad enough, and if I knew that things were only going to get worse from there, then best believe I would have left a long time ago.


    My heartbeat thumped loudly against my chest as I focused on Sabrina¡¯s words. Did she really mean that? Did she what she just told Xander? What if¡­


    The rest of my words lodged at the base of my throat as I staggered back. With my mind and soul literally out of my body, it made sense that I didn¡¯t notice the huge vase that stood in the corner, until I knocked it down. Not again.


    A loud ttering sound filled the air, and I pressed my hands to my ears immediately. A sharp pain spread through my leg and I figured a piece of the broken ceramic vase had sliced through my skin.


    Oh goddess.


    Not only had I broken this, now Sabrina and Xander would know that¡­


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± I paused at the interruption. The mere sound of her voice was more than enough to keep me rooted to my spot. My heart leapt to my throat as I thought of an escape n, but all I coulde up with was a million and one dead ends. Shit, I was dead. Finished.


    I pressed my eyes shut, hoping that if I ignored her long enough, she would disappear, but I couldn¡¯t be more wrong.


    ¡°You.¡± She stood right in front of me, pointing a perfectly manicured nail in my direction.


    ¡°I should have known this was your doing. Why are you always up to no good?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m so sorry, I-¡± I started but of course, she cut me off.


    ¡°What the hell are you still doing here even?¡± Xander¡¯s mum hissed with pure venom in her voice.


    ¡°I thought my son would have taken care of trash like you by now. Or Sabrina even.¡± she said, a look of disappointment washing over her face and not to mention, the constant disgust that clouded her features because of, well, you know, me. The trash.


    ¡°Mother.¡± Xander¡¯s voice was loud, and the warning was clear.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to agree.¡± His mother scoffed.


    ¡°Sabrina, what do you think my dear?¡± she asked.


    Pin drop silence settled amongst us. Suddenly, I felt like I was in the middle of some kind of gameshow, where my fate was going to be decided by someone I knew. If I hadn¡¯t seen this side of the woman I¡¯d spent most of my time with in this mansion, maybe I would have an inkling of relief thrumming underneath my veins. Instead of that, anxiety and fear nipped at my skin, and I feared that I was going to pass out.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± Xander warned. I could almost taste the remaining words. It was a clear warning to mind what she was about to say.


    ¡°Go on dear.¡± Xander¡¯s mother was the instigator here and if it wasn¡¯t clear at this point, then I had no idea what was. ¡± Go on.¡±


    ¡°I think she should leave.¡± Sabrina mouthed, her words echoing around me.


    ¡°I never should have brought her in here in the first ce.¡± she said.


    My heart stopped and a gasp slid past my lips as I looked at her. She avoided my eyes.


    Every piece of hope I once had didn¡¯t take too long to disappear. They evaporated into thin air and I felt my heart snap into two, before crumbling into dust.


    That was all I needed to hear. I¡¯d actually heard enough from the beginning, but this was all I needed to finally believe that I never meant anything to Sabrina. I was nothing but trash, and trash didn¡¯t belong in the mansion or anywhere nice. They belonged in the dumpster, where they would be scorned for simply just existing.


    My eyes scanned the pce onest time and I did the first thing that came to mind. I ran. With breeze nipping at my skin, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.


    I faintly heard Xander calling out to me, but I didn¡¯t care. There was no need for him to try and make things better. His mum and Sabrina were right, I didn¡¯t belong here.


    The moment I got into my room, I reached into my wardrobe and pulled out a medium sized bag. I¡¯d gotten it for myself after a few shifts at the salon. It wasn¡¯t a lot, and I¡¯d hoped to fill it with the many clothes and stuff I was going to get for myself. But I guess that was going to have to wait at the moment.


    I pulled clothes out of their hangers, just the ones I got for myself anyway. There weren¡¯t a lot, but that was the least of my problems right now. When I was sure I packed all of my basic necessities, I did a little sweep across the room. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was looking for, but I knew I was going to find it the moment Iid my eyes on it.


    The words had barely left my mind before I found it. Just on my bedside table, was the bracelet that Sabrina had gotten me. Tearing my eyes away from the object, I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the room.


    I¡¯m so done.

 Moving On

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    My mind buzzed with a million thoughts. The moment I mmed the door to my bedroom shut, no, scratch that, my former bedroom, I fled. Walking the halls was something I actually didn¡¯t think about till I was in the hallway. What if someone saw me leaving? Yes, the mansion was pretty big but I wasn¡¯t that daft to expect that everywhere would be free for me, just so I could waltz through.


    What if I bumped into someone? Or worse, what if I bumped into Xander? My heart did a little somersault at the sound of his name. The mere thought of him was more than enough to procure emotions that were beyond me.


    Without any warning, shbacks of thest half hour reyed itself in my head. Before I dashed out, one thing I had done, although unwillingly, was to nce at all of their faces. Xander¡¯s mother had this haughty look, like she was proud of Sabrina and how things had turned out. I¡¯m sure if we were still in preschool, she would have dly given her a golden medal of some sort, just to prove how proud of her she was.


    Sabrina on the other hand, I had no words. Even in a million years, I never saw iting. If a soothsayer had walked up to me and predicted this exact moment, I would haveughed so hard that he wouldn¡¯t have had a choice than to walk off in shame. The stoic expression she wore was proof that she meant every word, and it made me wonder just how long she¡¯d been keeping those thoughts about me for. Was it when I first arrived at the mansion? Or probably when Xander hade back from his trip? If she had just told me that she didn¡¯t want me here then I would have taken the hint and walked out, a long time ago too.


    Xander. If anything, Xander looked torn between a wide range of emotions. In the quick seconds that I took his facial expression, he was lost, hurt and mad all at once. At one point, I could swear I saw longing in his eyes.


    No. I shook my head immediately, ridding myself of those thoughts. They weren¡¯t necessary, especially now that I was leaving. I should have seen iting. I should have known that at one point I was going to have to leave. That was the initial n, but I ditched it and what did that get me? Nothing, but pure humiliation.


    After adjusting my bag onest time, I started my journey. With each step I took I muttered a prayer to the moon goddess that she would let me pass without anyone spotting me. In less than ten minutes, I was out of the mansion and in thepound, with just the iron gates holding me back from my freedom.


    As I neared the gates, I schooled my expression into my best poker face. When I¡¯d gone through the guards without being asked any questions, it didn¡¯t take me too long to release a breath I had no idea I was holding. With onest nce at the ce I once felt at home, I allowed my feet to carry me to wherever it felt right.


    It didn¡¯tst long either. Because barely a couple minutes past Xander¡¯s mansion, I realized I had nowhere to go. My heart sunk to my stomach. In my bid to run away from everything, I hadn¡¯t even thought of a ce to go. I did have a n, but my abrupt exit made things quite difficult. Or did they?


    Without wasting so much as another second, I turned towards the right. With my destination etched painfully in my mind, I prayed to the goddess that I wasn¡¯t going to be met with a dead end.


    Luckily for me, the sun¡¯s re wasn¡¯t too harsh and I made it to the shop in no time.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The slightly elderly woman cooed the moment the little bell on the door rung. ¡°Wee to ¡­¡±


    The rest of her words died on her throat as her gazended on me.


    ¡°Hi Eliza.¡± I greeted sheepishly. When I was sure she had snapped herself out of the mini shock, I continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± She gestured me in, after ttening her palms across her chest for a couple of seconds. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised to see you. Sabrina didn¡¯t tell me you¡¯d being in today? And isn¡¯t today supposed to be your day off?¡±


    ¡°Um, you see¡­¡± I drawled slowly.


    ¡°Sabrina doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She muttered. ¡°Is everything okay, dear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I gave a small nod. I didn¡¯t want to lie to Eliza, but I didn¡¯t want to bother her with what was happening at home. If Sabrina wanted her to know, then she was just going to have to tell her herself.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, but I just need a little favor.¡± I said, my heart pounding in anticipation.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± She patted an empty cushion and I took it. ¡°So long as I can help, I see no reason why I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I need a ce to stay.¡± I rushed out the words as quickly as I could, just so I didn¡¯t run the risk of chickening out.


    ¡°What?¡± Eliza mouthed.


    ¡°Yes. Please Eliza,¡± I nodded frantically. ¡°I really need a ce to stay. If you don¡¯t mind, I could stay with you and¡­¡±


    I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Pin drop silence settled between us as she stared at me with beady eyes. I couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was searching my face, like she was trying to see if I was lying or how desperate I was.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going through and I want to help you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you.''¡± I literally jumped out of my seat. ¡°Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means and¡­¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t.¡± She cut me off. Immediately, my smile fell. My heart almost shattered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. You may not be able to live with me, but I do have an alternative.¡± she said and I heaved a sigh of relief, sitting down again.


    ¡°I have a friend.¡± She continued almost immediately. ¡°She has a diner and just on top of it, there are a couple of rooms for rent. It¡¯s not anything luxurious, but it should cater to your needs perfectly well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I blurted out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I said again.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too enthusiastic.¡± I swear I saw a ghost of a smile on her lips. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been finalized yet. You¡¯ll still have to meet her and probably see what she has to say¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± It was a hassle trying to reel my excitement in. ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She grinned before getting up. ¡°Just let me lock the shop first.¡±


    And she did. Locking up the salon did take a while, but I tried my hardest not to rush her. Not only would it be rude, but it just felt in wrong.


    Besides the fact that I felt like time was running by, I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that Sabrina was going to burst through the doors if we didn¡¯t hurry. But did she really have any reason toe after me? She was the main reason I had to leave the house in the first ce, so why would shee to look for me?


    ¡°All done.¡± Eliza announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. We made our way to her little car and was she was sure I wasfortably seated, she sped off.


    I had lost track of time on the way, but after what seemed like forever, we arrived at a little diner. It was just as Eliza had described it and the windows of the rooms were the first thing that caught my eye.


    The moment we stepped out of the vehicle, a woman who looked no lesser than Eliza¡¯s age walked out to greet us. After what seemed like forever they broke apart. I sunk deeper into my skin as thedy stared at me. There was something about her, but I shook it off.


    ¡°So you want a ce here, huh?¡± Her voice caught me off guard. ¡°Are you ready to work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± I nodded frantically. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything.¡± I said.


    ¡°Be careful what you wish for.¡± she smirked. After what felt like forever, she nodded. ¡°She can stay here, but on one condition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to work to pay off the rent.¡± She continued. ¡°You will get a percentage, but I¡¯ll still get my cut for leasing out the room to you. Agreed?¡± she asked.


    It all boiled down to me now. Eliza had helped me and now the choice was all up to me. If I wanted a ce to stay, then I had to take this. If I didn¡¯t, then I wasn¡¯t going to have anywhere else to stay.


    But what about Eliza? I still had to work shifts at the salon and I wasn¡¯t about to lose a job I¡¯d just started. Well, I had shifts right, so maybe I could switch up the days I worked.


    ¡°Okay.''¡± I let out a shaky breath. ¡± I ept your offer.¡±

 The Visit

    Kieran¡¯s POV


    A small sigh slid past my lips as I smoothed the invisible creases on my dress. I stood in front of the cracked mirror as I took in my reflection, and I could swear I saw a teeny tiny stain just at the hem of my dress.


    As carefully as I could, I put the mirror back from where I¡¯d pulled it out from, before wrapping my apron around my waist. Once I was done with that, I snuck onest nce at my room before heading out and locking the door behind me.


    My room. I had my own space now.


    A small smile made its way to my face as I walked down the stairs. The closer I got, the louder the noises from the diner reached my ears. It was almost opening time, and everyone was on the verge of going mad trying to make sure everything was ready before the stipted time.


    Everyone except me, that is.


    When Mrs Eliza had introduced me to her friend, I never asked the type of job I was going to be given, until I found out myself. I was put on kitchen duty.


    I made my way to the kitchen and got to work immediately. As expected, a mountain of tes had begun to pile up. ording to the rules, each and every eating utensil had to be washed thoroughly before use. At night, I would also repeat the same action. It didn¡¯t seem like a lot of work, until I actually started.


    I¡¯d spent a total of one week here, and yet I hadn¡¯t gotten used to it . The burn that came with a load of soap and chemicals digging deep into your pores almost every day. The pain that had a hold on my leg after standing for way too long. The endless supply of tes and the silent muttering underneath my breath that my shift was going to end sooner thanter. All of that and more were things I¡¯d been going through since I resumed here, and whether or not It was worth it, I couldn¡¯t say yet.


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t say I was surprised. The diner wasn¡¯t some sort of fancy hotel or a fancy restaurant where rich customers trooped in. That and the fact that I was currently paying my rent, was one of the reasons I was going to be looking forward to a peanut sized pay when it was sry week.


    All in all, I couldn¡¯tin. Eliza and my new boss had helped me out. Helped me get away from Xander and Sabrina and I was more than grateful for that. Bothering her about my pay wasn¡¯t something that was negotiable. Luckily, I still had the salon by the side too.


    Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I focused on the task at hand. As quickly as I could, and carefully too, I was able to wash all of the dishes assigned to me, and before the end of my shift too.


    Without wasting so much as a second, I wiped my hands clean against the kitchen rag, before dashing out of the diner, my destination being Eliza¡¯s salon.


    ***********


    I got to the saloon in record time, with Eliza just finishing up on someone¡¯s hair. It was ady, who looked no older than twenty two, and she grinned and admired her new hairdo, she chipped it in that she was on her way to her boyfriend¡¯s house. It was their anniversary today, and they were going to celebrate it. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but it reminded me of a certain person. Someone who¡­.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± I scolded myself, muttering underneath my breath. If there was one thing I¡¯d been struggling with, it was trying to keep my mind off Xander and his mansion. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from wondering what was going on in my absence. Wasn¡¯t all of that too much for a prank? When were they going toe find me and tell me that they were just joking all along? Sabrina knew where I worked so there was no way¡­This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    The small ding of the doorbell was all it took to pull me out of my thoughts. Whenever the small bell that was hung over the entrance made that small sound, it was a sign that we had a new customer.


    ¡°Hello, wee to Eliza¡¯s beauty empire.¡± I wore my professionalism like a second skin immediately. ¡°How can I help you¡­.¡±


    The rest of my words died in my throat as my gazended on my assumed customer.


    I almost didn¡¯t believe it. No matter how many times I blinked, it wasn¡¯t until she finally smirked before I realized she was really here in person.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The words tumbled out of my mouth immediately. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked.


    ¡°An.¡± She cooed, mockery evident in her tone. ¡°And here I thought you were going to keep it together. I would have given you a tip for that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Alice.¡± I still hadn¡¯t gotten used to the feel of her name on my tongue and honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure I was ever going to. ¡°What do you want ? Why are you here?¡± I asked again, my thoughts all jumbled up.


    ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± Alice¡¯s hands crossed across her bosom immediately. ¡°Did you somehow manage to unlock a new bitch mode, all because you were sent out of the house? That¡¯s a little sad and pathetic if you ask me, or don¡¯t you think so?¡± she said and I clenched my fists by my side.


    Something swirled in the pit of my stomach and I struggled to keep my emotions in check. They ranged from anger, to hurt, irritation and all I wanted to do was run away.


    ¡°Nothing to say?¡± Alice spoke up again. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting anything else from a lowlife-¡± she started to hurl insults at me but got cut off.


    ¡°Alice!¡± Mrs Eliza peeked from the little room in the corner. She didn¡¯t say much, but that was all it took to put her in her ce. It was still unbelievable how two people who were rted could be so different from each other.


    Right. They were rted. She could be here anytime she wanted.


    I shook my head gently, deciding not to pay any mind to mother and daughter. Since Alice was here, I could only guess the amount of trouble she was trying to stir up and I would rather drink shampoo than indulge her any longer.


    As quickly as I could, I slipped out of their midst and towards one of the shelves. There wasn¡¯t anything particr to do, but If I had to stare at the shelves to sustain my sanity, then I was going to take it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I had barely gotten to the shelves when someone¡¯s voice reached my ears.


    Perhaps it was the proximity between us, or the fact that she had followed me here, even after the fact that I had made a conscious effort to avoid her that pissed me off, but one thing was certain, I didn¡¯t want her anywhere near my space at all.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t handle the heat? Where did your sharp tongue go?¡± she tainted me but I said nothing.


    If there was anything I had learned from Alice, it was that she got mad the more you ignored her, and I was going to do just that.


    Hopefully, I don¡¯t break.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s rather funny, you know¡­¡± She started again and was immediately in front of me.


    ¡°That I know exactly where you are but I wouldn¡¯t dare tell a soul. Especially Alpha Xander who¡¯s been searching the heavens and the earth for you.¡±


    My ears perked up and I raised my face to hers immediately the name slid past her lips.


    ¡°What?¡± I muttered. ¡°What did you just say?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Is that hope on your face?¡± She smirked and I felt sick to my guts.


    ¡°A. How adorable.¡± She said and I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I hated that I was falling for her trap but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°He wants me back.¡± The words tumbled out of my mouth before I knew it. ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s looking for me-¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± She cut me off with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Once he is free of whatever spell you cast on him, I can guarantee you he wouldn¡¯t even look in your direction twice.¡± she said and I swallowed. I mean, I knew it wasn¡¯t a spell or anything but the thought of Xander forgetting about me scared me.


    Her words were sharp enough to cut through my chest like a knife. Was this why she was here? To give me hope just so she could smash it into my face? I didn¡¯t put it past her though, I just didn¡¯t think she would stoop this low.


    Wait. I mean, it¡¯s Alice. She absolutely would.


    A question bubbled in my heart, but I would die if I didn¡¯t know the answer, so I took a giant leap of faith.


    ¡°What about Sabrina?¡± I asked slowly. ¡°Is she-¡± I started but of course, the rude bitch cut me off again.


    ¡°Is she what?¡± She grinned, her eyes glowing with mischief. ¡°Is she totally happy without you? The answer is yes, Kieran.¡± she said.


    Her words were like a blow to my chest and I could swear I heard my heart crack into a million pieces.


    ¡°In fact,¡± Alice continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think she has ever been happier. She smiles more,ughs like there¡¯s no tomorrow too, and do you know what this means? That you were the problem all along? Your mere presence was akin to some kind of a moody spell cast onto that mansion, but now that we¡¯re rid of you, everything can go back to normal.¡± she said and I swallowed, blinking to push back the tears that threatened to make their way out.


    I allowed her words to sink in. Maybe she was right. Perhaps everything she had just said was true and I was the problem.


    Alice and I weren¡¯t friends, but I couldn¡¯t deny this. She was right and I was wrong. There was no hope for me in the mansion at all. Not now, or ever.


    And to think a part of me clung on to some false hope.


    Shit.

 The Argument

    Xander¡¯s POV? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    The room was quiet, so silent that the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own organs, each one doing what it¡¯s supposed to. Blood raced up my ears, apanied by the sound of my heart thudding erratically in my chest. No matter how hard I tried to calm it down, it just didn¡¯t budge. At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if my heart jumped right out of my chest and onto the te in front of me. That way, maybe I would have a valid reason to leave this te empty.


    The cold feel of the fork pressed into my skin and despite the fact that my hand had been hovering over breakfast for a while now, I didn¡¯t feel any form of pain. I wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating if I said I wasn¡¯t feeling anything at all. My breakfast had gone cold, and yet, my stomach hadn¡¯t growled toin about not stuffing my gut with food.


    I pressed my eyes shut, but what was that going to do? Nothing was going to change, until I addressed the elephant in the room. And by that, I meant the million and one thoughts that had been running through my mind since that day.


    Kieran. Thoughts about herst day here had infiltrated my mind and the more I thought about it, the more guilt crept into my bones. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself or how many reasons I gave to justify it, nothing worked. At this point, I wasn¡¯t sure there was anything that could work. Maybe if¡­


    ¡°Xander?¡± My eyes flew open at the sound of my name. The moment my gazended on who the voice belonged to, irritation snaked up my veins. ¡± Are you okay?¡±


    I watched as Sabrina threw me a nce, before focusing on her te again. She hummed in pure pleasure as she stuffed her mouth with food, the time interval between her te and fork, just being nothing less than thirty seconds. She looked to be enjoying herself. It riled me to the core and I could just-


    ¡°Xander?¡± She called again, cutting me off. ¡± You¡¯ve been quiet all morning, is something wrong?¡±


    How could she even ask me that question? How could she carry on like everything was fine and nothing had happened?


    ¡°Xander, If something is wrong you know you can talk to me right?¡± Sabrina stretched her right hand towards me.


    ¡°I know something is bothering you and-¡± she continued but her words had barely slid past her lips before I pulled my hand from underneath hers, cutting her off.


    ¡°Xander.¡± I didn¡¯t miss the look of hurt that shed across her face.


    ¡°What is- what¡¯s wrong? Did I do something?¡± she asked, sounding like an innocent littlemb when she was anything but.


    That was it. I had finally had enough and this was thest straw. A loud screech filled the dining room as I pushed my chair backwards.


    Without so much as a nce in Sabrina¡¯s direction, I allowed the fork in my hand to fall to the table before storming out.


    ¡°Xander!¡± Sabrina called behind me, but I didn¡¯t pay her any mind. Instead, I tuned her out as I focused on my footsteps. My only goal was to tune her out, and by the goddess, I was going to do it.


    ¡°Wait.¡± she called out.


    I didn¡¯t. Instead, I increased my pace and footsteps.


    ¡°Xander what the hell is wrong with you?¡± Sabrina called behind me, her voice slightly elevated. Her breaths came out in rasps, and it was a tell tale sign that she was beginning to get tired. Good. Then, maybe she¡¯ll leave me alone.


    ¡°Xander, I¡¯m talking to you!¡± she eximed and for the umpteenth time in thest couple of minutes, I ignored her. Again. When the door leading to my office appeared in my line of vision, I mentally heaved a sigh of relief.


    I was this close to touching the door knob when she interrupted my freedom.


    ¡°Xander!¡± Sabrina¡¯s dainty hands wrapped around my wrist. With an amount of strength I considered too much for her, she pulled me back, forcing me to spin around.


    ¡°What the hell has gotten into you?!¡± she asked.


    She was furious, and with her eyebrows raised she looked like she wasn¡¯t done fuming.


    ¡°Xander, I¡¯m talking to you!¡± She let out again. She was beginning to turn red and she looked like she was going to burst from anger, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to be fazed.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been ignoring me for days now.¡± She continued.


    ¡°Whenever I try to talk to you, you stomp out or act like you¡¯re busy. I honestly thought you were, but now you¡¯re just overdoing it!¡± she said and I looked at her in disbelief.


    ¡°I¡¯m overdoing it?¡± I scoffed. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears, and I was sure they couldn¡¯t believe the words that wereing out of her mouth either.


    ¡°That¡¯s seriously what you have to say?¡± I asked, still in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She eximed exasperatedly.


    ¡°And that¡¯s because you¡¯ve been ignoring me for no good reason, Xander!¡± she said and I almost screamed. Almost.


    ¡°Oh believe me when I say I have a good reason to do so.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°A very good one at that too.¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t sure why I had to even mention that when she clearly knew what she did.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sabrina shook her head.


    ¡°What exactly did I do to warrant you to treat me this way?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Are you seriously trying to pretend like you don¡¯t know? Are you going to stand here and actually pretend like-¡± I started to talk but she cut me off.


    ¡°I¡¯m not pretending.¡± She said.


    ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t know. So the earlier you tell me what¡¯s gotten up your ass, the earlier we can squash whatever this is, that is going on between us.¡± she tried to reason.


    A momentary beat of silence filled the air before I finally spoke.


    ¡°Kieran.¡± I said sternly.


    Even though I had prepared myself before saying her name, I couldn¡¯t help the pang that spread around my chest as soon as I said it.


    ¡°She was-¡± I started to say but she scoffed, cutting me off again.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± Sabrina said, looking at me like I had grown two horns, and just before I could say anything, she burst into a string ofughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Sabrinaughing about this situation didn¡¯t sit right with me at all. If anything, the sight of her dentition sent anger coursing through my veins.


    ¡°Sabrina!¡± I bit out angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said in between cackles.


    ¡°For a moment there, I thought you actually meant it¡­¡± she said and I clenched my fists.


    ¡°I do.¡± My voice was cold as I enunciated each word. I mean how slow could she possibly be.


    ¡± I mean it.¡± I said assuringly.


    ¡°Wait,¡± herughter disappeared immediately.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes¡± I said, my voice void of any emotion.


    ¡°How can you act like it¡¯s such a trivial matter? You got Kieran sent out of the mansion.¡± I said and she shrugged, non chnceing off her in waves.


    ¡°Well, because it is.¡± Sabrina¡¯s words came as a shock. I¡¯m not even sure why I was shocked because she actually caused it to happen.


    I guess a part of me just wanted to believe that she was just angry about something and transferred aggression in the process.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been ignoring me simply because Kieran left. It¡¯s just Kieran. It makes no sense.¡± she said, confusion all over her face.


    ¡°It makes all the sense in the world, Sabrina.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°How could you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How could I?¡± It was her turn to scoff. Emotions ranging from shock and anger made their way up her facial features as she spoke. ¡°How could I? How are you even asking me that?¡± She threw the question back at me.


    ¡°You sent her out of here, without a valid reason too.¡± I huffed.


    ¡°You and I know she did nothing wrong. You know how mother is, and I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this but you capitalized on that and you had her sent out. You didn¡¯t even try to stop her or anything. I thought she was your friend. It¡¯s been a week, a fucking week and you haven¡¯t brought it up. You¡¯re going about your day to day activity like you didn¡¯t just witness anything major in thest couple of days. Like she was never here¡± I ranted, my anger obvious.


    The silence that settled between us was thick. The air between us crackled, with none of us daring to move. I was furious, and a good indication of that was the fact that my chest was heaving. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I snuck a nce at a mirror and it showed smoke billowing out of my nostrils.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± I called out, hating the silence that settled between us.


    ¡°Do you not have anything to say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t.¡± Her reply was abrupt and from the frown that crossed her features, it was obvious she was mad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t because I don¡¯t see anything wrong in what happened. If you ask me, Kieran deserved what she got.¡± she said and I blinked to make sure I heard her right.


    ¡°What?¡± This had to be the biggest shock of the morning.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± I asked to make sure I heard right.


    ¡°You heard me Xander¡± Sabrina didn¡¯t seem the least bit remorseful and it infuriated me all the more.


    ¡°Kieran deserved it and I¡¯ll say it over and over again. If you ask me, she actually overstayed her wee. She was never supposed to stay here up until this moment.¡± she said and I shook my head.


    ¡°She was your friend¡± I said and she scoffed.


    ¡°She was a stray!¡± She bit back sharply.


    Rage filled my vision and I struggled to hold back.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± I warned. ¡°Watch your tongue.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea why you¡¯re so bothered about it.¡± She hissed.


    ¡°I brought her here, so don¡¯t you think it¡¯s up to me to decide when she leaves? You didn¡¯t even care about her presence in the first ce, so why the hell are you so concerned about her now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sabrina, I-¡± I bit down on my tongue afterwards. I wanted to blurt out the answer to her right at that moment, but a thought popped up in my mind.


    I had made a promise to Kieran that I wasn¡¯t going to tell anybody we were mates.


    ¡°You see, you have no right to be mad that she left.¡± Sabrina obviously didn¡¯t get the memo.


    She kept on talking and the more she did, the more her haughty voice irritated me.


    ¡°So you have no reason to be mad or even remotely-¡± she continued to talk but I cut her off.


    ¡°She¡¯s my mate, Sabrina!¡± I blurted out the words immediately, and the look that crossed her face wasn¡¯t one I would be forgetting anytime soon.


    I breathed in and then out. It was finally out there. There was nothing to hide anymore.


    ¡°Kieran is my mate.¡± I said it and this time, calmly with all the pride in the world.

 Drinking Problems

    Xander¡¯s POV


    The silence that followed after was deafening to say the least, and I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how I felt about that. Judging from the fact that I had just blurted out a fragile piece of information, despite knowing the consequences, I kind of saw iting. If I was being honest, I was tired and fed up with keeping it all to myself.


    It was torture, keeping the one thing I wanted literally everyone to know. I had been searching for my mate for years. At one point, I even gave up, and now that I had found her, I had to keep quiet about it. Why? I did it because of Kieran.


    Kieran. A tiny pinch made its way to my heart. Even since Kieran left, the vital organ had been cracking bit by bit and it made me wonder just how much more damage it could take.


    She had made me promise her that I wasn¡¯t going to tell a soul, and yet, I had just blurted it out to Sabrina, and probably my mother, if she was anywhere near here that is.


    I snapped out of my thoughts, before staring at the woman in front of me. For a moment there, I had totally forgotten that she was still standing there. Right now, she was rooted to her spot, and if I hadn¡¯t dropped a bomb on her, I would have easilye to the conclusion that she was frozen or under some sort of spell.


    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t even realized I¡¯d blurted the words out until they¡¯d slipped past my lips. If I needed any other proof, Sabrina¡¯s shocked expression was there to remind me that I had in fact said it out loud.


    Shit.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± I called out to her. The silence was unnerving and I didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called her name again.


    A few seconds passed again in silence, and I did not get any response. As seconds slowly grew into minutes, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I wasn¡¯t even exactly sure why.


    ¡°Sabrina?¡± I called out again, slowly this time. Maybe she hadn¡¯t heard me thest time.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked her.


    The response that followed was not one I sawing. A loud string ofughter slipped past her lips. My face scrunched up in nothing but confusion as she cackled, her body vibrating withughter. She wheezed and wheezed, so hard I caught sight of tears glistening in her eyes. By the time herughter had subsided a bit, I could swear I made out tears cascading down her cheeks.


    ¡°Sabrina, wh-¡± I started to question her weirdness but she cut me off.


    ¡°Oh my goddess, Xander.¡± She said in between giggles and the fact that I didn¡¯t find anything funny put a frown on my face.


    ¡°You¡¯re hrious, have I told you that?¡± she said and I almost groaned out loud.


    ¡°No.¡± I mouthed.


    ¡°No you haven¡¯t, and I see no reason why you should. Did I say something funny?¡± I asked her, my face emotionless.


    ¡°Of course.¡± She beamed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear yourself? You said Kieran is your mate. Ha, she wishes.¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a wish, because it¡¯s true.¡± I let out slowly. Maybe that way, she would finally get what I was saying.


    ¡°Kieran is my mate. Why is that so hard to believe?¡± I said, my face showing how serious I was.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± All signs and traces ofughter disappeared from her face immediately.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Just please stop joking. I don¡¯t like this one¡± she said.


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± I asked, wondering if there was anything I might have said that could have hinted or pointed her in that direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡± Sabrina deadpanned.


    ¡°This is impossible. How can she be your mate? Of all the wolves, how is it her? You probably made a mistake. Or perhaps, she put a spell on you to think like that. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to do something like that. It¡¯s just up her alley and¡­¡± she kept on rambling.


    ¡°Stop it, Sabrina.¡± I cut her off immediately.


    ¡°Just stop it.¡¯ I ordered..


    ¡°Xander¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°You know what?¡± I cut her off again with a groan. Rather than stand here and watch her disy all shades of nonsense, I had other important things to attend to.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of listening to you and tired of your silly antics. So if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± I said, before turning around sharply.


    ¡°Xander, wait!¡± I did the opposite of what she asked.


    Before Sabrina could get any more words out, I pushed open the door to my study, before mming it shut and right in her face too.


    ¡°Xander!¡± Her muffled voice slid past the little holes in the door. Coupled by her maniac screams, the woman on the other side pounded her hands hard against my door.


    ¡°Xander, open up. You can¡¯t be serious. Xander!¡± she called out and I rolled my eyes in response.


    I tuned her out, but even that felt impossible as I stalked to my desk. In the little time it took me to get to my desk, Sabrina had knocked over a million times. It was a gross exaggeration, but it was also the perfect way to describe just how crazy she was driving me by hitting the door excessively.


    Sabrina¡¯s failed way of getting my attention went on for a couple more minutes, before silence followed. Only after the sound of her footsteps receding reached my ears did I rx.


    She was gone, probably to go tell my mother or something. Either way, I was going to deal with both of themter.


    A couple of minutes passed before I fished out my phone from my pocket. Without giving it so much as a second thought, I dialed the first number that came to mind.


    ¡°Hey.¡± For the first time in forever, he picked up on the first ring.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked and I sighed.


    ¡°I need your help, Oliver.¡± I blurted out the words immediately. ¡°I really really really need your help.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you were calling to check up on me.¡± I pictured the scowl that was most likely currently on my best friend¡¯s face.


    ¡°Is this really why you called? And is this any way to speak to your best friend whom you haven¡¯t spoken to in a while?¡± he teased.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for all of this, Oliver.¡± I groaned. Anger tinged my voice and if there was anyone to recognize things like that, it was Oliver.


    ¡°Yikes.¡± He whistled lowly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s gotten up your pants? I can literally feel the heat from your anger all the way from here.¡± he noted.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sabrina knows Kieran is my mate.¡± There was no need to hide it from the dude.


    ¡°I just told her,¡± I said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me Kieran didn¡¯t want anyone knowing?¡± Oliver asked and I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. Yes, yes she did.


    ¡°What did she say when she found out?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Actually, she doesn¡¯t know yet.¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯s kinda missing too.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± He eximed. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡± I wasn¡¯t proud of myself for letting her go, but there was nothing I could do now. If I could turn back the hands of time, I swear I would.


    ¡°I have no idea what to do, man. This is why I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Meet me at our favorite bar in an hour¡¯s time.¡± Oliver stated. ¡°We¡¯re going to need some drinks.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The moment the line went dead, I swiped my keys from my desk, before dashing out of the house.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Now Xander.¡± Oliver started, after showing up thirty minutester than our agreed time.


    ¡°I need you to tell me everything all over again. From the beginning¡± he said and I sighed, before exining everything that happened from the drama with my mom to suddenly not seeing her again.


    ¡°So bottom line, Kieran¡¯s missing.¡± I had lost count of the number of times I¡¯d said that, but if I really wanted Oliver to help me find her, then it was just a small price to pay.


    ¡°And Sabrina knows we¡¯re mates.¡± I exined again.


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s¡­ a lot¡± He blinked, before gently sipping on his ss. ¡°I was hoping something would have changed before you got here.¡± he said and I almost face palmed.


    ¡°Well it hasn¡¯t.¡¯ I shrugged. ¡°So what are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out,¡± he said and I nodded.


    ¡°Does Kieran have a spot she goes to often? Maybe somewhere you both share or something?¡± he asked and I thought about it before answering.


    ¡°No.¡± I frowned. The only ce I¡¯d taken Kieran to was that pic spot and we¡¯d bumped into each other at the castle. Neither of those ces sounded like where Kieran would have gone. If she had been at the pce, someone would have definitely told me.


    ¡°None that I know of.¡± I added.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°I do know she works.¡± I chipped in. ¡°She works at a salon¡­¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Oliver cut me off. ¡°Do you know where it is?¡± He asked and I groaned.


    ¡°No. If I did, I wouldn¡¯t be stressing here¡± My frown deepened and Oliver pped his hands in defeat.


    ¡°I know Sabrina helped her get the job, but I have no idea where. I doubt Sabrina would want to tell me.¡± I said, my disappointment obvious.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Oliver shook his head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out and we¡¯ll definitely find Kieran. Just leave it to me. With the little we¡¯ve gathered, I¡¯m sure we can at least get a head start and get started. The others will fall into ce. Hopefully.¡± he assured me and I sighed again.


    I needed to find Kieran. A thought popped up in my head. The annual ball wasing, and call me selfish or whatever, but I really wanted to attend the ball with her.


    Deep down, I made a promise to myself. I was going to find her, even if it cost me myst breath.

 Sabrina鈥檚 POV

    Sabrina¡¯s POV


    It wasn¡¯t a prank. Neither was it some kind of teasing. It definitely wasn¡¯t a sick joke, and even if it was, a part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was taking too long for him toe clean. Wasn¡¯t it high time Xander appeared at the door to my room, with a sheepish grin on his face that he was sorry and didn¡¯t mean any of the things he¡¯d said the other day.


    I had been expecting the knock that would change everything, but it never came, and it had been three days already. Three fucking days.


    Fuck.


    A frustrated groan slid past my lips. I was beyond frustrated at this point. In fact, I was this close to running out of my mind. If something wasn¡¯t done soon¡­ no, scratch that. If Xander didn¡¯t act right or try to apologize to me anytime soon, then I had no idea what was going to happen next. Call me crazy or dramatic, whatever you like, but if I spent the next hour without Xander paying me any mind, I just might pass out.


    I had spent the nights that followed that unfortunate incident in deep thoughts and with barely any sleep. No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it just didn¡¯t budge.


    In fact, the more I tried to put it out of my mind and pretend it was all a terrible nightmare, the more the weight of Xander¡¯s words pressed against my being.


    ¡°She¡¯s my mate, Sabrina.¡± Xander¡¯s words echoed in my ear. ¡°Kieran is my mate.¡±


    Despite the fact that it had been days since he yelled the words in my face, I still didn¡¯t believe it. I refused to. What the hell did he mean by Kieran was his mate?This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    The mere thought of her was more than enough to put a frown on my face. That fucking bitch. Rascal! Even in her absence, just look at all the damage she had caused. I could bet my life she had ced some kind of spell on Xander, and that was why he had said what he did the other day. Witch.


    There was no way Kieran was Xander¡¯s mate. Of all possible people. Kieran? No. I refused to ept it. He had been searching for his mate since forever, until he gave up, and even though he joked about getting married to me if we had both failed to find our mates, I didn¡¯t take it as a joke. Besides, she just couldn¡¯t be his mate.


    I held on to those words, the joke he made about marrying me when we were way younger, with every part of me, and now, a measly Kieran was just about to snatch it away from me. I would be damned if I let that happen.


    I still had no idea how it happened, how she could have charmed him right under my nose, and to think I was helping her. I warmed up to her, I literally saved her life and gave her a new one, and this is how she repays me?


    Ungrateful little cunt.


    Anger simmered underneath my skin. I could feel my entire body  beginning to grow hot, but just one thought of Xander was all it took to cool me down. Xander was still mad at me. He was still ignoring me.


    I had tried going to his study a few more times after the day he barged in there and mmed the door in my face, but he ignored me of course, every single time. He didn¡¯t evene down for breakfast yesterday and this morning.


    If he keeps up with it, I would be out of excuses to give his mother in no time.


    I had somehow wormed my way out of her incessant questions at the dining table this morning. There was no way I could tell her that Kieran was Xander¡¯s mate. She hated Kieran, even more than I did, but if she found out that the two were mates, I feared what was going to happen to me.


    Deep down, I knew for a fact that she still wanted her dear son to find a mate, and I feared that the moment she caught a whiff of Kieran¡¯s presence and role in his life, every bit of animosity she had for that ingrate would probably fly out the window. And the thought of being cast out for that stupid girl simply pissed me off.


    But then even if his mother epts Kieran, the pack would never allow such a weak Luna.


    I sighed as I got off my bed. I had been sitting idly in bed, thoughts of Xander and Kieran clouding my mind. How exactly was I going to get the man to apologize for the silly stunt he pulled, if I was up here in my room? A small thought popped into my head and I frowned.


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t apologize?¡± a small voice whispered in my head, and while it annoyed the hell out of me, I couldn¡¯t help but but feel a pang in my chest at the truth that lingered underneath.


    ¡°Stop it, Sabrina.¡± I chided myself immediately. After sucking in mouthfuls of air, I added. ¡°You got this.¡±


    After muttering that phrase a few more times, there was no denying the fact that I felt slightly better. Without wasting any more time, I pushed myself out of my room and made my way towards Xander¡¯s study.


    With each step I took towards my destination, I felt my heart beat increasing by the second. Blood rushed to my ears, but I kept on pushing.


    Xander¡¯s study didn¡¯t take too much time to reach my eyes. As I drew closer, I got shbacks of the showdown we had earlier. It was still fresh in my mind, and it still hurt as hell.


    I was just about to knock on the brown mahogany door when it swung open at the same time, just to reveal Xander. I staggered back, but he made no attempt to catch me. He didn¡¯t even flinch or move.


    Time seemed to crawl to a halt as we both stared at each other. I searched his green eyes, for when the tiniest hint that he had forgiven me, or better still, any hint that he was pulling a fast one on me. But the longer I stared, the more I realized it was just wishful thinking.


    ¡°Xander I¡­¡± the rest of my words lodged at the base of my throat as he sidestepped me immediately, before stepping out of his study. The door seemed to rattle in its hinges as he mmed it shut, and without so much as one look in my direction, he walked off.


    ¡°Xander, wait!¡± I called out, trying to stop him..


    But he didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he did the very opposite of what I had asked, his footsteps leading him out of the mansion.


    My heart dropped to my stomach immediately and a pang of pain spread through my chest. With each second that passed, I could literally feel my heart breaking into a million and one pieces, each one piercing and spreading pain through my system.


    I blinked back tears, as they rushed to the back of my eyes. If I didn¡¯t find a way to get a hold of myself, I was going to start crying.


    I turned my gaze in the direction Xander went to and my heart ached.


    Maybe if I went after him? Would he give me an audience then? Maybe if I made him see just how sad I was, he would reconsider and start talking to me again. Not only that, maybe he would finally clear the air about this whole Kieran nonsense, because I refused to believe it was actually real. Or maybe I was just in denial.


    Only when a couple of minutes had passed did I realize he wasn¡¯ting back. With a heavy heart, I pulled myself towards the kitchen.


    ¡°Stupid Kieran.¡± I muttered underneath my breath. I clenched my fists by my side, and even as the sharp tip of my nails dug into my skin, I didn¡¯t stop. I imagined curling my hand around Kieran¡¯s neck, and it was surprisingly satisfactory for me. Just to snap that stupid little neck of hers.


    My insides burned with an equal amount of rage and sadness. My breath hitched in my throat, and the mere task of breathing felt nothing more than a strenuous task. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if I passed out any moment from now.


    I started to rant.


    ¡°How dare shee in here and ruin everything? Ruin everything I¡¯d worked so hard for this way. How dare she try to steal Xander away from me?! I saved her, brought her here and she had the audacity to do this?! I curse the day I saved her from-¡±


    The rest of my words hung in my throat as I bumped into someone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alice¡¯s voice reached my ears, even before I saw her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bump into you. I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It wasn¡¯t fine, but I didn¡¯t have the strength or time to get into an argument with Alice.


    Even if I did, the chances of me breaking down mid argument were pretty high.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine-¡± I muttered beneath my breath.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± Alice asked, and I frowned as I raised my hand to my face and indeed I felt the tears that had rolled down my cheeks. Shit.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked and I furiously wiped my tears away.


    ¡°I¡¯m not- It¡¯s none of your business¡± I said as I tried to walk round her, before her next statement stopped me.


    ¡°You found out didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked and call me crazy, but I could swear on my life that I didn¡¯t imagine the smug smile that made its way to Alice¡¯s lips.


    ¡°You finally found out.¡± she said, a knowing look stuck on her face.


    ¡°Found out what?¡± I raised an eyebrow. I was sick of her games but I was curious to see what exactly she thought she knew.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kieran and Alpha Xander are mates.¡± She shrugged, like she hadn¡¯t just dropped a bombshell.


    ¡°How the hell did you know that?¡± I barked. Has she been eavesdropping?


    ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long while now.¡± she said and I almost gasped. Alice knew before me? But how? Alice¡¯s smile was unnerving.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯rete to the party,¡± she added.


    ¡°That bastard.¡± I cursed, finally letting some steam out. Anger bubbled in my veins at Alice¡¯s revtion. It was one thing to be kept in the dark, but the fact that I was practically thest to find out about it all just wasn¡¯t eptable.


    ¡°That lowlife! How dare she?!¡± I almost yelled.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s normal.¡± Alice said with a frown on her face.


    ¡°What could the Alpha possibly see in her?¡± she said, confusion on her face.


    I stared at Alice, finally seeing her in a new light. I hadn¡¯t always paid much attention to her, but maybe, just maybe it was high time all of that changed.

 Mind Games

    Xander¡¯s POV


    I flipped through the pages of the documents in front of me and it still didn¡¯t make any sense. I tried peering at it even more, but a frustrated groan slid past my lips at my failed attempt. I¡¯d been on the same page for the past thirty minutes now, and still, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to concentrate.


    What the fuck was wrong with me today?


    Deep down, I knew what was wrong, I really did. I was in denial but I refused to admit it.


    I allowed my eyes to roam over the document again.


    In the space of an hour, I had divided all the papers embedded in it, into different sections, and by different sections, I basically meant just scattering the papers all around my table. I was tired. I needed to clear my head.


    It seemed like such an easy task, and it usually is, until she popped up. No matter how hard I tried, she always had a way of showing up in my mind, her huge grin and shy smiles, she managed to torture each and every part of my soul.


    I knew I had wronged her, but why did she keep popping up on my head to torture me. It was just too much.


    A loud thud filled the room, cutting me off in the middle of my inner monologue. I scanned my room for a little while, and I realized where the loud noise hade from.


    It was my mug, my favorite mug to be precise. I wasn¡¯t sure how, but somehow it had managed to roll off the table andnd straight up, without so much as a scratch by its sides. A small smile made its way to my lips as I reached to pick it up. Weirdly impressive.


    ¡°Xander.¡± I froze at the sound of my name.


    ¡°Are you in there?¡± her voice asked.


    I ran a hand over my face at my mother calling out to me. She was thest person I wanted to see right now, especially with everything going on.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I loved the woman, but if there was one thing I didn¡¯t particrly like, it was her eptance of the word no. She just didn¡¯t want to hear it, and if I told her I didn¡¯t want to speak with or see her, she wouldn¡¯t even let me.


    ¡°Xander I know you¡¯re in there.¡± Her voice from the other side of the bedroom door pulled me out of my thoughts again.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s me, your mother.¡± she said and I almost rolled my eyes.


    ¡°I know.¡± I muttered underneath my breath, just so she couldn¡¯t hear me. Did she think I didn¡¯t know her voice?


    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you toe in here at all.¡± I whispered again.


    ¡°Xander?¡± I kept quiet. Maybe if I stayed like this and pretended not to be in here, she would take the hint and leave.


    ¡°Xander, I know you can hear me.¡± she said.


    Seconds rolled into minutes before silence settled in the air. My ears perked up immediately, trying to pick up on if she was still there or not. After what seemed like forever without any more noises, I rxed, but apparently, I did that way too soon.


    ¡°Xander!¡± She yelled as barged into my room.


    I groaned in frustration. Shit, I could have sworn I locked the door.


    I rolled my eyes as she shut the door behind her, beforeing to stand in front of me.


    ¡°You were in here all along.¡± she said like it wasn¡¯t already obvious.


    ¡°Yes mum.¡± I nodded once.


    ¡°You had no reason to barge in like that¡± I said.


    ¡°I am your mother.¡± She retorted before taking a seat on my bed.


    ¡°I cane in whenever I want to.¡± she said, making herselffortable.


    My lips parted to say something, but I pressed them shut again. If I so much as said something now, the tendency that it would escte was somewhat high.


    ¡°Dear,¡± She called out to me again. A couple of minutes had passed, and her tone was softer now.


    ¡°Are you okay? You haven¡¯t beening to breakfast for days now.¡± she said.


    I almost scoffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°These days, I get up way past breakfast.¡± I said.


    Liar, a voice screamed in my head. I barely slept these days if I was being honest.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a valid reason.¡± she shook her head.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°If there¡¯s something wrong, you do know you can tell me right? I asked Sabrina and she-¡± she started to talk but I tuned out her voice at the mention of that name.


    A frown made its way to my lips, but it was reced by an emotion almost immediately. Fear.


    Memories of myst encounter with Sabrina rushed at me. I had blurted out that Kieran was my mate, and since it wasn¡¯t news that Sabrina didn¡¯t really like her, I had no idea what she would do next.


    Had she somehow told my mother about it?


    I nced back at my mother. She was still speaking, so I took that as a sign that Sabrina hadn¡¯t told her yet. A tiny part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel like, if mother knew Kieran was my mate, she just might not stomach it well.


    ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Her question was all it took to pull me back to reality.


    ¡°Xander.¡± she called again.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± I nodded again.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need to be alone for a little while.¡± I said, in an attempt to wrap this up.


    ¡°No, these are signs of depression.¡± she said and I bit back the urge to scoff.


    ¡°Or maybe you just think you are depressed. I promise, once you have a steamy bowl of your favorite meal for breakfast, you¡¯d be fine. Forget this nonsense ande with me.¡± she said and I almost screamed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand-¡± I said.


    ¡°Then make me understand.¡± She cut me off. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until you do.¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sit here.¡± She patted the spot next to her continuously.


    ¡°And keep on asking you what¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m worried and until you give me an answer, I¡¯m not leaving. You muste to breakfast.¡± she demanded and I clenched my jaw.


    ¡°Mom-¡±


    ¡°Xander.¡± She cut me off.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± she said.


    I bit back a groan. She oftenined that I was stubborn and didn¡¯t like to budge, but I could bet my life that she never sat down to consider where I might have gotten it from.  Right now, I wasn¡¯t even sure who was more stubborn between us.


    I resisted the urge to cuss underneath my breath.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I got out of bed reluctantly.


    ¡°You win. Now, let¡¯s go.¡± I said.


    I could almost swear I heard her squeal, and I couldn¡¯t help the small smile that made its way to my lips.


    We went downstairs, but when I got to the dining¡¯s entrance, I stopped.


    There, Sabrina sat, gently and quietly munching on her meal. As she ate, I watched her closely. What was she doing here? Judging by how much of a fast eater she was, she should have been done by now.


    ¡°Look who finally decided to join us.¡± Mom announced, before breezing into the dining room and taking her seat. The moment Sabrina raised her head, I felt a chill run down my spine, and not in a good way. I didn¡¯t think I would ever see the day that she¡¯ll scare me.


    ¡°I told you all he needed was a little convincing.¡± my mom said, victory clearly in her voice.


    Convincing? More like forcing me.


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Sabrina smiled, her eyes still on me.


    It was creepy and even as I headed towards my seat, I couldn¡¯t shake off her gaze on me.


    ¡°I never doubted you for a minute.¡± she said.


    ¡°Come on, now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s eat.¡± she said.


    The rest of breakfast was somewhat quiet, save for the loud nks of our utensils against our tes. Sabrina kept staring at me but that wasn¡¯t even the creepy part. The fact that she had a smug smile on her face just didn¡¯t sit right with me either.


    ¡°Mother?¡± Sabrina suddenly called and my ears perked.


    ¡°I kind of have something to tell you. Well, it¡¯s more of a question actually, and I would like your opinion on it.¡± she said and I stiffened.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mum nodded.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What do you think should be the ideal status of a mate?¡± Sabrina asked and I gripped the end of my fork hard, the cold metal pushing up into my skin immediately.


    ¡°I mean, does their family background matter, you know, all of that stuff.¡± she said and I swallowed.


    She knew what game she was ying. I resisted the urge to let my wolf loose and break her limb from limb. I never thought I would see the day that I would feel this way towards Sabrina.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re asking that.¡± My gaze drifted to my mother.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s important.¡± she said.


    ¡°So what would you do if Xander¡¯s mate were amoner?¡± Sabrina asked.


    My grip on the fork tightened as I shot Sabrina a re, but she paid me no mind as she continued.


    ¡°Like, a total nobody.¡± she added. And. i could just feel the anger brimming just beneath my skin. How dare she?


    What the hell was she trying to do? She knew how mum felt about Kieran, and this was the best she coulde up with? It was low. Even for her.


    ¡°You should already know the answer to that dear.¡± Mum said with a small smile.


    ¡°She will definitely be rejected¡± she said and I clenched my jaw. No one told me what to do. And besides, Kieran was not a nobody.


    ¡°Even Xander knows this¡± my mom said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Sabrina was quick to jump into the conversation again.


    ¡°Did you know this Xander?¡± she threw the question at me.


    I said nothing. I stayed quiet. What was I supposed to say? There was no way I could agree or decline.


    Somehow, this entire thing felt like a setup. No matter which side I chose, I wasn¡¯t sure there was going to be a softnding for me.


    Sabrina was definitely up to something. She was ying games with me.


    How dare she?


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