Ashley POV However, then I remember Jayden's face when he looked at Clark. I recall the anxiety creeping into his voice as he spoke to me, and he looked so desperate as he tightly held my hand. He had become someone entirely different. Afraid and vulnerable. So close to his dreams yet suspicious, confused, and alone. Now, he only trusts me. Of course, I couldn't forget how his eyes were fixed on his dear girlfriend as well. As that scene replays in my mind, my wolf, Lea, starts to whimper and feels a sting. Eva had been discussing her favorite solo performance as I reminisced when she said something that caught my attention. "'Tyler James'?" I repeated. "Who is he?" "Are you serious, Ash?" Eva exclaimed. "I have been talking about BHB for years, and you're just now paying attention?" "Sorry," I said nonchalantly as I checked the time on my phone. It seemed like the class would start soon. "You never listen to me when I talk about my interests." "Oh, is that so? Okay, I will kee

Ashley POV Not even bothering to say goodbye, I simply ended the call abruptly. But still, I could hear my mom's voice, like a spell being cast inside my skull. Her words felt coiled around me and pierced my skin, like cold metal razor wire, and I felt like I really wanted to punch one of the mailboxes around the building. Seeing that it would cause ten times more damage than I could ever hope to, so I better leaned my forehead against the cold concrete wall and tried my hardest not to scream out in anger, frustration, or whatever you want to call the swirl of emotions churning inside my stomach. Just around the same time, there was the sound of the double glass doors opening behind me and two to three pairs of feet rushing inside, probably because they wanted to get away from the cold immediately. I did not pay much attention to the faint familiarity of their voices as they promptly started whispering loudly. I did not even notice anyone approaching me until they touched my shoulde

Ashley POV So I followed them into their apartment. Frankly speaking, I had not expected that this house inhabited by seven dudes might be the cleanest house in the world, but it turned out to be much worse than I had imagined. What used to be used to take care of the needs of a family of four or five people, had now turned into a home for seven hotties and handsome bachelors, to be frank. I could only imagine how often they ordered delivery food like pizza or Chinese food if they liked or fought over the two bathrooms that I could see at each end of the narrow hallway that spanned the apartment. Tyler was the fastest to kick off his sneakers and hurry down the hallway, with Hunter following close behind. "Hello? Is everyone home?" "We are home!" Hunter called out cheerfully. "And we have a guest!" As I tried not to stare at the floor-to-ceiling shelves full of shoes and various beauty products that completely covered the east wall of the hallway. They were lucky that there were n

Ashley POV Being stared at by him, I swallowed hard, so I cautiously unzipped my jacket and hung it on the chair, and placed my backpack under the chair. Feeling uncomfortable just sitting there, I got up to my feet while smoothing my hair with a hair tie and poked my head into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked. Jean, who was giving instructions to Jackson, stopped and looked at me over Jackson's shoulder. "No, you don't have to worry. You can just sit with the others." Well, frankly, I would not have minded sitting down and just observing their activities if it was not for Miles' lurking gaze as if I were his prey. But since I couldn't say that, I just smiled sheepishly. "I'm not used to being around so many guys," I told them. "Don't you have any cousins or brothers?" "No one." My smile slackened a little. "It's a small family." "By the way, how long are you going to stay here?" asked Jackson. He had already started washing vegetables in the sink.

Ashley POVI was putting on my shoes when a door almost slammed into my face. My bad, it had become a bad habit, but as I dodged, I could not help but yelp in surprise. Jean came stepping out of the bathroom, strangely wearing a jacket and looking at me with a quizzical gaze."I was just wondering if maybe I could help carry these things," he told me, then he gestured towards some canvas bags lying on the shelf. "Those are Jayden's favorite shoes. You should probably bring them too since he buys them all himself." Then I simply gave him a nod.In the elevator going down, Jean and I stood as I texted David to pick me up. But as the two of us walked out of the building carrying Jayden's belongings, Jean unexpectedly asked if he could carry more, an offer which of course I politely turned down. Shortly after, I already spotted David who was outside waiting for me."Thank you for your help," I said to Jean and David after they finished loading the luggage into the trunk. "I had no idea ho