ASHLEYI raised a skeptical eyebrow as Carson stood before me with his hands behind him. I noticed they had been doing some really funny things after they stood up for me at the cafeteria. I could not deny that my heart melted at their support. But I was also worried. Why did they announce me as their mate when I had told them plainly that I wanted out of the mate bond? It seemed like my rejection meant nothing to them. Instead, they became more intentional about making me happy. The breakfasts in bed became frequent. They got me gifts. I received a pair of diamond earrings from them. Then I noticed they played lots of songs from my favorite artist. I never heard Jordan’s song in the house before. But suddenly, his latest album was on repeat, both in the house and when we drove to school. Sometimes I caught myself singing along. Then I quickly kept mute. I was not going to let them think I was enjoying what they were doing. One of the things they did that got to me was buying com
CARSONFor me, liking Ashley was not just about the mate bond. I had liked her even before she became our fated mate. I did not support the whole idea of putting her through so much torture. But I also did not have a concrete reason why she should not be tortured. Her mother hurt us so badly. I know it was not Ashley's fault. But since we could not hurt her mother, she was the closest person we could pour our hate on. I felt pity for her most of the time. I had long snapped out of the hurt. I wanted to stop my brothers from hurting her but that would make them think I had healed from our mum's death so quickly. I had to play along.Finding out that Ashley was our mate was a huge shock to me. But it was easy for me to accept it. I mean, it was Ashley. Someone I have always had a soft spot for. I came to terms with it fast. And for me, I wanted a true connection. I wanted to be able to do things to her just by looking at her. I wanted to be in control of her body. I wanted her to m
CARSONI read through the next page and what I saw threw me into shock. “Axel tried to kill me today. He attacked me in the forest. He was determined to take my life. I thought I would never survive it. I don’t want to be here anymore. My life is at stake!”Axel tried to kill Ashley? When? And here I was thinking the strangle episodes were the height of it. I looked at Brody with suspicion, “were you aware of this?” I raised my hand, “Please, do not lie.”“Come on brother! I am just as shocked as you are on this matter. Axel never mentioned anything about attacking her in the forest.” Shit!I was highly disappointed at Axel. I turned to one of the recent entries, “Will I ever live a normal life? I have not been able to sleep well for weeks because of fear and nightmares. Now I am mated to them. What if they kill me after claiming me? Then I would be theirs and no one would know what happened to me!”“When did it become this bad?” Brody asked with a frown. I shook my head. I hav
AXEL“Oh, fucking hell!”I threw my phone on the bed angrily. Someone sent another video of me maltreating Ashley to the class group. Ever since my brothers made that stupid announcement about being mated to Ashley, I have not had peace. My phone has been buzzing with messages. My classmates kept sending videos of me maltreating Ashley. Some were even bold enough to confront me directly. “Are you mated to Ashley too?” But I’ll eat shit before I respond to such a demeaning question!I could not count how many times they had tagged me. Messages were pouring in with the hashtag ‘sameAshley?’. To think I had warned Carson against making that stupid move. I could not believe he went through with it.He and Brody were sold out to this whole madness of impressing Ashley. Now they had pushed it to the extreme. And I was getting it hot from those jobless kids at Empire High. My phone rang a few minutes later and I swore. I was ready to brutally insult whoever it was. I picked it up and re
JASMINE I shoved the big black curtain to the side. It was obstructing my view. I needed to have a clear view of what was going on outside. With the curtain out of my way, I stood by and peeped from the window. Carson opened the car door for Ashley so the could step out. Since when did she start getting princess treatment? I looked closer and saw Brody coming from the other car door. He had Ashley's bag with him. She moved close to him and tried to collect it. But he shook his head and clutched it tighter. The three of them burst into laughter as he tried to make some feminine moves with the bag. As if controlled by a switch, my mood changed. Why did I have to witness such a display of madness? I did not realize I was squeezing the curtain so tightly until my hand began to hurt. I quickly released the fabric. I returned to the chair and sat like I had not seen anything. As soon as the door opened, I turned and raised my brow. One would think I had no idea who was coming. I waited
ASHLEYAfter Anita complained that I no longer paid her visits. I knew I had to adjust. She even went as far as saying I no longer cared about her. Anita was my only friend. I could not let her think that I was neglecting her for any reason at all. I decided to go spend the evening with her at her place. As soon as I walked into her compound, she was already waiting outside the door for me. She spread out her arms and smiled broadly when she saw me. I gave her a side glance that made her burst into laughter. I hugged her, “Now I am here. Care to eat me up?” I teased. “Fuck you! Ewwww! Why would I want to do that?” she scoffed. I laughed loudly at the expression on her face. We held hands and walked into the house together. “If I had not insisted on seeing you, I guess you would not have bothered to come over. Huh?” Anita asked as we walked to the kitchen. “No, that is not the way it is. I have just been going through so much mental stress. I thought seeing you in school was enou
ASHLEYI could not hold back my smile as I read his message.My mind flashed back to when we started talking. It was on the eve of my fifteenth birthday. I remember it vividly like it was yesterday. I had posted a picture where I attended a bonfire with some of my friends. They insisted that I had fun on my fifteenth birthday. So we came up with a plan, where we'll be at a bonfire before and after midnight. I was thrilled by the idea and I got my mum to agree. I loved the pictures and videos we made, so I posted them. There were lots of comments on my posts. Birthday wishes kept flowing in. But one of them stood out. The stranger said; I love how the fire shines through your eyes. It just gives it an extra dazzle. You are beautiful, Queen Ash. I remember rushing to show my friends and they began teasing me. But they were puzzled by his username. They laughed and kept repeating it. “Long leg ahjussi!” I had begged them to stop but they didn't. I replied to Long Leg Ahjussi's co
ASHLEY“I know I apologized already. But I still feel very guilty. I keep blaming myself for all I did against you.” He looked around as if trying to find the right words. Then he let out a gush of air and returned his eyes to my face. “I am truly sorry,” he squeezed my hand, “I should have stood up for you earlier. I should have been there for you. I should have come to my senses…” “Hey….” I placed my hand on his shoulder, “it's okay. I understand that you are sorry. I do not hold those things against you anymore, Carson.” Carson’s body was firm. He did not just look muscular, he felt solid. It felt really weird touching him like that. I guess he felt it too. He looked up at me and held my eyes. Fuck. He had such a seductive yet fierce look. I blinked and looked away from him.“About the nightmares…did you have them last night?”He looked so concerned. I just couldn't find a space in my heart to doubt his sincerity. “Yes.” He bowed his head for a few seconds and raised it aga