71 "Yes Zander? Tell me, what is it that brings you here?" her voice sliced the quiet, thrilled and lingering air mercilessly, exasperation rippling midst her statement. It seemed peculiar to her that Zander came here. To her house. What for? To see her disheveled state post his friends troubled her? Or to see if she still was waiting for him like the previous time? Or was it because he wished to know how it felt to see your mate with a filthy bitch for a girlfriend, sitting in his lap?   The remembrance of the morning incident only brought fresh tears and more and more vex to her. Her cheeks turned crimson, eyes oozing redness alongside a thick layer of glistening brine. It lingered at the edge of her lowered eyelashes, accumulating there before they cascaded below to the curves of her cheeks after transforming into a big thick droplet.   "Yes, Zander Brown, I think I asked you something?" fluttering her lashes, her hands cl

73"His eyes were the darkest shade of blood red, skin extremely pale like a dead corpse and lips... His lips had a sinister grin. I freaked out Zander, he had gripped my wrist so tight that for a moment it felt like he would twist it and break it apart from my hand." Reyne cautiously said, her hands now clutching on his collars. She was engrossed in his scent, his dark raven eyes as she narrated her experience to him. "I thought... I thought he would... Kill me right then and there." That was an extraordinary experience she added, something she had not really felt but gladly communicated to him.  And she pouted too... Another cause to make him believe it. Though it was not true.  And to her expectation, he stirred. His lips tightened into a thin traumatized line. His gaze darkened on her innocently projected facade. His

75Amidst the quiet rippling of dust in the atmosphere, Zander's steps shuffled on the tiled floor of the school premises. He wandered from here and there, peeking inside almost every second classroom as his mind sought to look for his other half. Oh no, not the other half he just got closer with! But the other half he basically grew up spending his life with. The other half he shared all of his secrets, memories and zealous moments with. That person was not his mate.  Um, you can call him his mate... But a mate for a friend.  It was his best of the best friend. Brother from another mother. Alpha companion aka Ryley the rascal Shine. Zander eagerly searched for him. His deep eyes held excitement. Though there was some fear of being thrashed by Ryley, his hunt did not die. He had manifested his hopes about finding his best friend cum brother c

77 "Are you… Joking with me?" Ryley had his front facing Zander.    He stood his body supporting the wall of the railing, his hands falling on his sides as if they had lost their energy.    He received a serious expression with a shake of head from left to right, "You bet I am not. This is not the time to joke, buddy."   His nervousness was visible. His growing pupils and shrinking forehead depicted his emotions.   Ryley vigorously shook his head in bewilderment not long before he, much to Zander's surprise, burst into laughter.   He was laughing?   He didn't crack any joke, did he?   Obviously not.   Zander blinked his eyelids. His hands ran through his hair while he distracted his gaze from his friend's face just for a second and looked at the silent river far away.  

79  Everything seemed to blur around. Zander’s mouth slightly parted at the view and then it drastically came dropping down when his eyes captured the looks of her face. It was viridescent. Her lips, jaw, fragile cheeks as well as the forehead has turned like moss. Her hair, floating around her as though under water, made a knot of fear develop in his core. The white, hot crop top that had got his heart jump at the sight... was all green. Nope, she was not filled with colours like a picture in a picture book. It was indeed real. His porcelain skinned mate looked like a plant. “Goodness,” Ryley, who stopped right behind Zander, gasped, his skin instantly whitening at the look as memories from the past bothered him. A year back, he had seen his mate in quite the same condition. She was also captured in a freaking envelope under the silky strings spun