With the phone pressed to my ear, I could hear Nicholas's voice all around me, his words heavy and hanging in the air between us. However, my thoughts were elsewhere, caught in a storm of feelings and recollections that was about to take me over even as he was speaking.
I was left with a painfully clear memory of every instant of last night's scene, which played out in my head like a menacing tune. The warmth of our bodies entwined in the dark, the feel of James's hands, the fire in his eyes, the dance of our tongues, the fullness of his shaft deep inside me. That brief diversion from the disarray of my everyday life was a passionate and perplexing time.
But now that I could hear Nicholas's voice echoing in my ear, the truth of my predicament hit me hard. My acts caused me much shame and guilt, which felt like a quiet indictment of my own foolishness and frailty.
"I think... I think we should break up." His voice broke through the haze of my thoughts, his words hitting me like a physical blow.
My breath caught in my throat, the sting of his words cutting through my chest. "Break up?" I repeated, the words feeling foreign and strange on my tongue.
"Yeah," he replied, his tone somber. "I just don't think this is working anymore. We're both going in different directions, and... I don't want to hold you back."
A lump formed in my throat as I struggled to find the right words to respond. "But... But I love you," I finally managed to choke out, the words coming out in a desperate whisper.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and I could almost hear the weight of his own sorrow echoing through the static. "I know," he said softly. "But sometimes love isn't enough."
As I listened to his words, tears pinched at the corners of my eyes, the wave of feeling that was the sorrow of rejection sweeping over me.
"But it’s not enough reason to give up; we can work it out if you’re willing to do the same with me," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own heart.
“It’s not as easy as you say, Audrina.”
Nothing else could be said; there were no more words that could heal the rift that had formed between us. I hung up the phone with a heavy heart, and while I was reeling from the aftermath, the sound of the door burst open, startling me out of my thoughts.
I looked up to see Paige standing in the doorway, her eyes widening in shock as they landed on me.
"What the... Audrina, what the hell happened to you?" Paige exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and outrage.
I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious under her scrutinizing gaze. "It's nothing," I muttered, hoping to brush off her questions and avoid any further confrontation.
But she wasn't about to let it go that easily. She stepped further into the room, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of me. "Nothing? Are you kidding me?" she scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "You're covered in hickeys, Drina. And... and is that a love bite on your neck?"
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I realized what she was referring to. I had been so caught up in my own turmoil that I hadn't even bothered to check my reflection before facing my sister. Now, as her accusing gaze bore into me, I felt a surge of shame wash over me.
"It's not what you think," I protested weakly, my voice barely above a whisper.
She took another step closer to me, her expression incredulous. "Not what I think? Audrina, you spent the night with a man who isn't your mate," she hissed, her words laced with anger. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've violated the sanctity of the marriage, Audrina. You've brought shame upon our family."
I had known that what I did was wrong, but to hear it spoken aloud by her was almost too much to bear.
"I didn't mean to," I whispered. "I was confused, Paige. I didn't know what else to do."
But she wasn't interested in my excuses. She shook her head in disgust, her eyes blazing with fury. "That's not good enough," she spat, her voice cold and unforgiving. "You knew the consequences of your actions, and you chose to ignore them. You've brought shame upon us all."
“Why can’t you believe me? I would never intentionally do anything to ruin dad’s reputation, and I’m sorry if you think I did.”
Not that the apology was necessary for her to hear, but still, she just shook her head, her expression hardening. "Sorry isn't going to fix this," she said, her voice steely. "You've made your bed; now you have to lie in it. And don't expect me to clean up the mess you've made."
But before I could gather my thoughts, Paige was already advancing towards me, her phone held aloft in her outstretched hand. "I need evidence," she declared, her voice cold and unyielding.
My heart sank as I realized what she intended to do. "No, Paige, please," I begged, desperation creeping into my voice. "Don't do this."
But she ignored my pleas, her fingers moving deftly over the screen as she snapped pictures and recorded videos of me, capturing every damning detail of my shame.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I watched helplessly. The humiliation of being exposed for all to see was too much to bear or think about. How could I have let things spiral out of control like this? How could I have been so foolish?
And then, as if her drama had suddenly made me pull back to my senses, "Did you drug me last night?" I asked her a question that could connect all the dots for me.
She halted, her eyes meeting mine, and for an instant, I could see hesitation flickering in her eyes. However, it was soon replaced by a calculating, cold gaze, and her lips curled into a sneer of hatred.
"Don't be ridiculous, Audrina," she scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. “You want to blame this on me now? How low can you stoop?”
With rage pulsating through my veins, I glared at Paige, her denial ringing hollow in my ears. "You expect me to believe that?" I snapped, my voice laced with venom. "You're lying, Paige. You drugged me last night, didn't you?"Paige's eyes narrowed, her expression a mixture of defiance and disdain. "You're out of your mind, Audrina," she spat, her words dripping with contempt. "I would never do something like that to my own sister."Her refusal to admit the truth only fueled my anger further. Without hesitation, I lunged forward, snatching her phone from her grasp before she could react. With a swift motion, I hurled it to the ground, the sound of shattering glass echoing through the room.Before I could revel in my act of defiance, the door burst open, and our father, George, stormed into the room, his face contorted with fury. "What in the world is going on here?" he bellowed, his voice thunderous.Paige wasted no time in pointing an accusatory finger at me, her expression twisted
~Paige~I crept into Audrina's room last night, the blackness surrounding me as I tiptoed across the floor. There she was, sleeping sweetly on the bed, completely ignorant of the storm developing in my mind.“Just look at her,” I hissed, quietly walking towards her.“All innocent and charming; too bad you won’t know what hit you.” I whispered, fighting the need to let out a bitter laugh.I just couldn’t stand her, and if there was any length I had to go to make sure that she was removed from our lives for good, I would do it.“You don’t deserve to live, but I’m going to keep you alive for a little while till you beg for death.” I muttered, a sly grin tugging on my lips.Bastards weren’t supposed to have a chance at happiness, and I was going to prove that to her.With a steady hand, I retrieved the syringe containing the potion I had taken from the evil witch and said, “This will do the trick for now.”Gripping the syringe securely, I approached her bedside, my pulse racing with expec
~Audrina~I entered the corporate lobby while holding the check in my shaking palm. The smell of old coffee and polished wood wafted into the room as I walked up to the front desk, my heart thumping with anxious expectation.As I walked up, the middle-aged woman working at the reception looked up from her computer screen, her expression hard to read.With a hesitant "Excuse me," I said, extending the check to her. "I'm trying to find someone, and I heard he works here. Could you please assist me?As she accepted the check from my hand, the receptionist's eyes sharpened, and her lips tightened into a tiny line. She ripped it in half and threw the fragments back at me without saying anything. Her move was so abrupt and out of the blue that all I could do was look at her in disbelief."What? What was that for?" My voice trembled with disbelief and confusion as I mumbled.She gazed at me with hardly concealed disdain, her look intensifying as she didn't respond. "You need to leave immedia
~Audrina~I was seething with anger as I warned the receptionist not to talk nonsense. "I told you to watch your mouth, didn’t I? Now, I am going to make you eat your words!" I spat.She recoiled, her hand flying to her cheek as she glared at me with wide eyes. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?" she hissed, her voice laced with venom."How dare I? How dare you accuse me of such vile things! I could get you sued, you know!" I shot back, my fists clenched at my sides.Ignoring my protests, she covered her face and pretended to call security. "Security! We have a problem at the front desk. Please come quickly!" She exclaimed, her voice loud and shrill.I shook my head in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone could be so heartless. "You're despicable and don’t deserve to work here," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible.But the receptionist wasn't finished yet. With a smirk on her face, she dropped another bombshell that left me reeling. "You know, Alpha was
~Audrina~The sound of Mabel slapping her cheeks reverberated through the lobby, followed abruptly by a horrified hush.I was startled to see her attack her with another one until the receptionist prevented the next, which made the other employees start talking behind their hands.Mabel appeared to have the advantage when she abruptly withdrew hers and gave her the last one, which rang directly in my ear and made the receptionist recoil in disbelief.“Madame, tell me, what have I done to deserve this?” She challenged Mabel, her eyes red with tears as her hand flew to her face in shock and pain.Mabel scoffed, casting her a dirty look. “You’re seriously asking me that question? After speaking to my clients so rudely like you own the company, Or is it the fact that you blocked my slap?”As if she didn’t care about her first offense, she countered, “That was assault, and I won’t stand for it.”“Good,” Mabel responded, a wide grin spreading across her lips as though she had been dying for
~Audrina~I never once anticipated that I would end up as the victim of a disastrous one-night stand, let alone that I believed the man who had entered was really him.Good Lord, I was going crazy, and my life was about to end if I couldn't think of a way out.Mabel's voice cracked again while I was still trying to figure out how to get out of this situation; there was no way I would endanger my life to abort my baby.She said in a serious tone, "Audrina, my dear, there's something else we need to discuss."I took a quick look at her and could instantly see that the message wasn't good. "What is it now?" With a hint of anxiety in my voice, I questioned.Mabel inhaled deeply and met my eyes with a steady gaze. "I know you don't know me, Audrey, but this could be the answer you've been searching for."It was Audrina; what was so hard to pronounce there?"I'm afraid you might not be able to handle it alone. Motherhood comes with a lot of responsibilities," she said, pausing, and I could
~JAMES-As her words repeated over and over again in my head, I hung up the phone and handled it roughly, swinging it to the coach nearby as I loosened my collar. How could she even suggest such a thing? I wasn't ready for such a lifelong commitment, so I could not just fathom her obsession with it."If only she would stop this madness." I murmured, cracking my knuckles as I thought about it.Perhaps she was fooling around, but I could only find out by calling her again to confirm."No, she sounded too serious." I remarked, sinking back into my executive chair as I exhaled in frustration.Wanting grandchildren was very much understandable since it was needed for the continuation of our bloodline, but she also needed to realize that good things take time.More like, I was avoiding the whole idea of love because it was non-existent."What's the problem, sire?" Dylan inquired the moment that he stepped his foot into my office.I hesitated to give him the details, but he was like family,
~AUDRINA~After my last meeting with Madame Mabel, she informed me that her son would be sending a delegate with some documents for me to sign, and I was curious to know what it was. As long as it was not a life commitment, then there was no problem at all.When the wait was beginning to get too long, I was close to giving up when he showed up at the point of meeting.“Sorry, I’m late.” The man apologized as he took a seat opposite mine, and I only flashed him a smile, having little or nothing to say.“It’s fine,”“Shall we proceed now?” He requested it, and I gave him a nod of approval.Bringing out a document from his bag, he placed it on the table, and my eyes darted towards it. I couldn’t read much of the details, but I was more eager than ever to do so.“Where are my manners? I forgot to give you a proper introduction. I’m Dylan, the Beta of Madame Mabel’s pack and a close friend to the man you would be marrying.” He announced.He seemed nice compared to the egoistic brat who did