Teagan's Point of View
I could feel the banging of the bass right through the walls. A relentless meowling entwined with it. Some might call it singing, I called it harassment to my ears.
It was somewhere in the early morning hours when the music started. People giggled and laughed along with the horrendous assault on my ears. Bottles of booze crashed to the floor, making the people pause. Right before they carried on in those loud voices.
Groaning, I turned on my stomach and plopped the pillow over my head. Pressed it hard against me but to no avail. The meowling carried right through. Pulsed at the base of my skull until I had had enough.
Flinging off the pillow, it thumped against the far wall. Slid to the floor. I could barely hear it. Could barely comprehend my own thoughts.
How could Jonah allow such loud noise in his house, much less at this time of the night?
"Can you keep it down out there! Some of us want to sleep!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
There was no sign of them stopping. Of even hearing me.
I was already irritated as it was. Horribly so, seeing as my limited amount of time with Harland was spent explaining to Ciaran what had transpired. Then a lecture followed from Ozias about how I shouldn't give up so easily.
I was also promised a prominent bonus the moment the papers were signed.
The latter spurred me on more than the former. A nice beach house in Caribean was next on my list of wants and a bonus could make that happen faster than saving could. So I sucked up my ego and listened intently.
Find their weaknesses. Exploit the living hell out of it. Take Jonah up on his offer to stay here for a 'vacation' and use it to my advantage. At this rate, I wasn't going to leave Desert Sun anytime soon.
But the banging on the walls and vibrations off of the floor didn't help my state of mind in the slightest.
If I found whoever was responsible for the noise, I might just slit their throats and be done with it.
With another tentative groan, I slipped out of bed. Fumbled for the little light on the bedside table and hissed when I finally clicked it on. The light might have been dim under normal circumstances but at that moment it could have been the sun.
I took another moment to gather my thoughts, or as much as I could and reached for my robe. Within another moment or so, I was flying out the door.
The monstrous sound was coming from the room directly beside mine. Even the door seemed to be vibrating. On the inside, I could hear an army of people screaming. Laughing. More crashes of glass.
My teeth ground together as I stepped closer to the wooden door. To the party just beyond it. It was the middle of the week. Who in their right mind would have a party on a fucking Wednesday?
Did no one have jobs anymore?
My knuckles rasped against the door in three quick succession. No one answered. The music got turned up louder. A more prominent growl exited my body as I swung both fists at the door. Pounded relentlessly against the hardwood.
Finally, the handle of the door turned. A small crack opened up in the door giving the air just enough space to blast past the person and hit me in the face.
Booze. Cigarettes. All of it slammed into my nostrils and forced its way into my system.
Choking back a snarl, I scowled down at the woman in front of me.
"Sorry, the party is already full. Come back when you are dressed better." She said a cruel and amused smile on her lips.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "I don't give a fuck how full the party is, turn the music down or I will turn it down for you." I bit back, letting all of the venom in my body seep into my words.
The cruel smile remained in place. Irked me more and more by the second. "I'm afraid I can't do that," She glanced over her shoulder at the crowd behind her. Returned her gaze back toward me. "The owner of the house says that this is perfectly normal and that if you can't sleep go make yourself comfortable in the backyard. The night sky is beautiful this time of the year."
She thought she was funny. Witty. But the more she spoke the more I could smell the booze on her. She was also gripping the door for dear life. Had it clutched in her hand as she steadily swayed on her feet.
Seizing the opportunity in front of me, I gripped the door as well. Pushed it open with as little power as possible. As I had thought, the girl tumbled backward. Cursed. Fell straight on her ass.
It took the rest of the room another moment to realize their friend was crying about something. Even I couldn't fully understand what she was saying and I was sober.
"Now that I have all of your attention," I gritted out when all of the eyes in the room turned toward me. "Can you please turn the fucking music down! Some of us have jobs in the morning."
The scene in front of me was straight out of a college frat movie. Too many bodies packed into an otherwise large room. Booze. Ping pong table. Sweaty bodies grinding on each other. A fucking keg and someone still doing a handstand over it with the help of some buddies.
Someone moved out of the corner of my eye. Black hair. Neatly cut. A short beard that spread down his neck. And caramel eyes that were flecked with green.
The pull was instantly there. Rocked me to my very core. I gasped lightly and took a step back as the man approached.
His brooding eyes were hooded with his bushy brows. Pouty lips the softest shade of pink. But when he got close enough I held out a hand toward him. Palm facing him. He needed to take a step back.
Let me breathe.
Every nasty word I had bubbled up into my mind. From whore to bitch. Attention seeker. Cunt. Dumb little girl.
Here, right in front of me, stood my mate. A handsome man that I knew well.
Bellamy Johanness.
He took a second to make sense of it as well. Brows furrowed together. Lips parted slightly. Confusion clouded his eyes. He swallowed hard and I took another step back.
When he finally sifted through his surprise, his hand reached out to me. Touched my arm lightly. But I recoiled. Hissed at him to get him to stop. Not move another inch forward.
For a second there was anger in his eyes. Right before an aloof smile spread across his lips.
"Hello there. Funny seeing you back in Desert Sun." He mused, his aloof grin growing into a wicked smirk.
Every nerve in my body sat on the edge. Screamed at me to run into his arms. Wrap myself around him. But I was lost for words. All the thoughts my mind could conjure up vanished in the blink of an eye.
All I knew was that I needed to get away. From this man. This house. The pack. All of it. Tuck my tail between my legs and run to Harland like there was no tomorrow.
"Turn the music down," I whispered and before he could reply, I was already moving back to my room.
"Teagan! Just give me a moment-"
I was already in my room by the time he followed. Felt my heart break inside my chest. My breaths came in jagged pants.
I was here to work. To find whatever Jonah wanted and give it to him in return for the mine. None of this mattered. My past didn't matter.
One of these days, I was going to go home and forget all of this. I didn't need another mate. I didn't need anyone but Harland. Especially not the man I was supposed to marry all of those years ago.
I just had to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe.
And lock the fucking door behind me. Because there was no way in hell that I was going to let that bastard even get a foot inside of this room.
Teagan's Point of ViewI was out of that house before the sun even rose. Not that I could fall asleep again after seeing Bellamy. Realized what he was to me.But fuck that. Fuck this.I had Harland. I needed no one else. Loved no one else. And I sure as fuck didn't have the capacity for more than one mate.My only solution to the problem? Get my work done and leave this place once and for all. It seemed simple enough but Jonah wasn't going to make that easy. Not in the slightest. I had to find the weak spots here. Had to exploit them to the best of my capabilities.Last night, Ciaran had given me full power to promise anything and everything. Nothing was off of the table. From his urgency, I could tell that this venture was more important than he had first led us to believe.Something else was brewing. Inside Eiecrunt. Desert Sun. The world. But that was none of my concern. All I had to do was finish the task at hand and carry on with my life. Go back home to my loving mate and my own
Teagan's Point of ViewI told Alvara all that I could. How dismayed I was by what I found. Desert Sun was perfect in ways I couldn't have fathomed. From my childhood until now, things had changed drastically. Everything was different. People were well looked after in every sector of this pack. It made me nauseous to my toes because it meant the deal might fall through after all.My friend took my rambling in stride. Listened silently until I was panting and on my second coffee.Then her sunshine voices beamed through on the other end. "We have something else to offer him besides help with the pack." She replied, keeping an upbeat tone in her voice.In times like these, this was why I adored Alvara so much. She kept her cool. Her calm. Marched right into the pits of hell with a smile plastered to her face. Sighing, I hunched over my table. Gripped the side of my face for dear life as a headache started forming. "Like what? The bastard only likes money and fucking flaunting it." I gro
Teagan's Point of ViewI couldn't remember the last time I ran. Maybe about two years ago. I was on yet another stint to get healthier. To grow myself as a person and thought I would indulge in some exercise. Needless to say, that had been the last time.Well, today I made an exception to my vow to never run again. I booked it back to the pack house. People swerved to miss me as I came in hot. My Chanel handbag flapped against my side whilst my ribs expanded and contracted relentlessly to keep my lungs from collapsing at any moment.By the time I reached the pack house, I was a sweaty mess with rumpled clothes and melting mascara. Not a pretty sight but everyone who saw me could go fuck themselves.If you saw me running in the future, you should run as well. There might be danger about. The only reason I would ever book it again.Unless Bellamy showed up and I had to high-tail it out of there. But that was something else entirely.I couldn't get past my guilt. It was a monster inside
Bellamy's Point of ViewThere was no denying her beauty. I had never seen someone more radiant. Regal. Unmatched in every way possible.Flowing long chocolate brown hair. Pouty lips. And curvy in all the right places.Last night, my intentions with the girls from the party were clear. Bang them. Thank them. Then hang them out to dry. As simple as that. Another Tuesday for me.Until I saw her at my door. her hair a mess from sleep. Eyes thick and bleary. A slight fury hung in the air after her conversation with one of my conquests for the evening.All of my thoughts of having them evaporated. Disappeared in the blink of an eye.I was thrust back nine years ago when I saw her running off. The mate bond screamed at me almost immediately and I could no longer ignore it.Yes, I was solely driven by the mating bond up until that point. Then she kneed me in the balls in that alley and the mating bond gave way to genuine curiosity. This woman had the gall to hurt the heir of a powerful pack.
Bellamy's Point of ViewThe back porch looked out over the rest of the grounds. Had a clear view of the training ring and pasture. The stalls to the horses were a bit to the left. Several heads bobbed in and out of view there. At this time in the day, the stalls had to be readied for the horses to go back in.Just beyond the farm was the ocean. A vast expanse of sand lay between. On good days, we would be taken out on horse rides on the beach. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. The horses would run into the water on occasion, making most of the children laugh.Those were my fondest memories. The times when I didn't have to worry about being the heir or my cunt of a father. All I had to care about was my duties. Activites. Making sure the horses were well taken care of."She will come around. You tried telling her you don't always mean what you say?" Pop asked and folded one leg over the other. His coffee was tightly wrapped in his hand as he stared out into the distance.
Teagan's Point of View Somehow the room felt more empty than the one back at the pack house. There was no one around. Nothing moving. Or maybe it was just the thickness of the walls blocking my hearing. A five-star hotel had to at least give you some privacy after all. And a town full of wolves meant soundproof walls for your guests. Or it was the conversation I had had with Bellamy echoing in my mind. How utterly defeated he looked when I told him off. When I stormed off. The amount of despair caught on his face resembled mine when we escaped this place. Maybe even a touch more. Either way, a pang of sadness hit me in the chest. Hard and unyielding. I missed home. I missed Harland and my bed. Alvara and the gang. All of our late-night drinking sessions. The fun and comfort I found within my group. My new home. The one I had dreamt about for my entire life. Now I was thousands of miles away, alone, and terrified of what the future held for me. When I came here, I had no intent
Teagan's Point of View Wallowing in my own self-pity seemed too harsh a term for me to use. I saw my little stint as nothing more than a self-care day. Something that I used to make myself feel a bit better. Or rather to silence the guilt inside my mind. Not that it worked but it was worth a try. After my call with Harland last night, the world seemed a little less dull. More colorful and optimistic. Until I was left alone to my own mind again. Then it was back to being harsh and cruel. Seeing Bellamy whilst trying to be intimate with Harland was a line in the sand I didn't need. It made things clearer to me. I had to avoid Bellamy at all costs or it might just cost me my marriage. And that wasn't a price I was willing to pay. My mind always tended to stray further than it should but last night it went severely dark. To haunted crevices I had long since thought forgotten. Bellamy was there as well. Always there, it seemed, since I found him in his room. As if the bastard just
Teagan's Point of View There was no way in hell that I would ever go back there. Not a single chance. I had endured too much. Seen too much. Years spent behind a glass window just staring out at the world beyond whilst I stagnated within my parents' house. Then the send-off into the world they had given Harland and I. Yes, we had left of our own free will. But they hadn't given us an alternative. Years' worth of being told I would never amount to anything, seeing as I was born with breasts and not a penis. Being groomed to fit whatever image they had imagined for me. Finally, being pawed off on the closest male heir to a pack they could find. It was high time that I let all of it go. To be the better person. But now was not that time. Maybe with therapy and a good ranting session, I could come to terms with seeing them again. Not tonight. Not in the next year. Time. I needed time to deal. Come to terms with everything that has taken place. Process all of it the way Harland h