Stephan's POVWe came out of our hotel room to explore this place more. I didn't know that we would meet this blond Barbie, Stephan's friend from many years ago.He has revealed to me countless times, to my delight, that he has never been with any woman.I did not know where this Barbie doll came from.I don't know why I feel threatened by her; they look good together, and that irked me.After Stephan calmed me down, I felt ashamed about how I reacted.I apologized to her, staring deep into her eyes."I am sorry for the way I reacted to you, Ashley; I have not been feeling well sincerely."She nodded with a fake smile, which I could see clearly."She has not been alright for a while; I think she is sick because of the change in the environment," Stephan said to her.She smiled a patronizing smile."It is fine; I understand," she said to him."New environment, takes time to get used to, and you mixed with humans; maybe what is wrong with you is from them.""Since it happened to me, I
Clarissa's POV I don't know if she has been stalking us or if the universe decided to punish me for no reason. Her outfit was scandalous; she had on a red see-through dress under a short, while the golden bra was fully on display. She walked as if she was a queen on a mission. When she got to where we were, she stopped and acted like she was surprised to see us. Stephan, funny that I ran into both of you here. What a small world." "Small word indeed," I mouthed sarcastically. He smiled at her comment and stared into my eyes to read me. "What are you doing here, Ashley? How did you know that we were here?" he asked her. "Are you stalking us?" he asked, looking concerned. "No way," she answered quickly. "I saw you guys from the hotel, so I followed you. I overheard when you told the cab where you were going." "What kind of woman do you think I am? Do you think I am that pathetic that I would follow you around?" "Men, follow me around, not the other way around,"
Stephan's POV.When we arrived home from the date, my mate's countenance and behavior changed completely.I noticed she had been restless since Ashley arrived.The more she listed her achievements to my hearing, the more I noticed the rapid increase in her heartbeat.I heard every sarcastic comment and every rude word she uttered.I wanted to find out what was wrong with her, but knowing her very well, I didn't think she wanted her to know about her insecurities.I know Ashley because of the relationship between her father and mine.They met during the war and, since then, have formed a brotherly bond.When I was still a kid, her father visited our pack constantly. I knew him as Raymond then; he was the second son of the Darkmoon pack, a small pack in the forest.His elder brother Rowan was to be the alpha then, but Raymond took over instead.Rowan was a weak and hot-tempered alpha who was known for womanizing.I heard he seized other werewolves' mates and slept with them because he
Stephan's POV "Hi, I was waiting for you guys to come outside, but you have been cooped up in there forever." "So I decided to call on you guys to see whether you have changed your mind about going out." This woman is jobless; she is always following us around, and it is starting to piss me off. "Ashley, please don't take this the wrong way; I say this to you from the place of love." I quoted a line from a movie I watched. "Get yourself busy; don't make our business your priority." "We will go out when we want to go out; it is not your damn business what we decide." She frowned, then started fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Her face was lowered to the floor like a child, showing that his feelings were hurt and she was trying to hold them in. "I am sorry, I did not mean to bother you guys. I was so excited when I saw you both. It has been lonely coming here. I thought if I stuck with you both, I wouldn't feel that way anymore." "I know Clary doesn't like me.
Clarissa's POVBeing friends with Ashley is the best thing ever.After I apologized to her for my behavior, we became tight friends.At least she has stopped hitting on my mate, and she respects boundaries too.We stayed up late yesterday watching one film after another.I found out a lot of things about her yesterday. I found out that she likes meat just like Stephan. She likes fashion, probably because she owns one, and she is always well dressed.I discovered that she doesn't want just anybody to be her mate; she wants a powerful billionaire to be her mate.She told me that she wanted someone like Stephan to be her mate. I would have been jealous to hear that from her, but since I promised her to be a better person, I ignored her comment.She later picked an erotic romance called 'The Secretary' for us to watch.I was not comfortable watching that with her when Stephan was around.Countless times, I had to look at his face to know if he was still awake before I could relax a
Clarissa's POV I woke up; my memory was a little foggy, and I didn't know where I was. The place was dim because it was covered with vegetation throughout. I heard a rumor that the place had a light that changed color, but it was dark at that moment, and I don't know why. The grinding stone was covered with green mosses. The place was huge; there were empty rooms in there. I struggled to remember what made me come to this dirty, scary place. The pungent odor from the dust and from the house being left in that state filled my nostrils. I looked around; I wanted to know if I could detect the presence of anyone. The whole place was covered with cobwebs; the roof was covered with dust, as was the dirty ground. I was tied to a chair, and a broken one was on the floor too. I struggled to free myself; it seemed like an impossible task. I screamed "Hello, is someone here? Please help me!" I kept trying to free myself by dragging the rope that bound my hands together.
Stephan's POVI woke up with a headache; my lips were broken, my vision was blurry, and my feet and hands were tied to a silver chain that burned.I felt weak; it must have been from the effect of the drugs I was injected with.I was bare-chested, and my chest was covered with marks and bruises.The odor of cleaning chemicals and paint filled the room.The place was empty except for me, who was chained to the wall.I dragged my hand from the chain, thinking that it would break; instead, it started burning my wrist again.I screamed in pain.I concentrated hard to summon Rex, but I couldn't connect with him.I tried connecting with her too, but it was blank.I was scared to death, not being able to feel her; it felt like my heart was ripped from my chest.I lowered myself to the ground. I wanted to calm myself so that I could find a way out of this mess.The door opened, and a bulky man with red hair came in. From his smell, I noticed that he was human.Wait, how was I able to smell
Clarissa's POVI woke up in a dark and cold room.I was cold, tired, and hungry.I don't know for how long I slept since there was no means to tell time.I needed to leave here; I can't take it anymore. I hope one of the guards will come here so that I can bargain with him and get out of this place.The door opened for a guard to come in. His eyes were bloodshot like he had taken something. He came to where I lay, held my hair, and dragged me up."Today will be the last day for you; your boss is coming here to decide what to do with you.""I am the only one who can help you, so if you want to leave here, I am the only one who can make it happen.""All you have to do is do what I say, and then I will set you free; no one will know.""I will help you fake your escape; if you agree, all you have to do is agree; I have a place ready for you to go to, he suggested."I gagged at his suggestions; being so close to him made my skin crawl.I would have scratched out his disgusting skin if