**SCARLET'S POV**I nearly choked on my food when the question reached my ears. “What?” I inquired, delicately wiping my mouth.“You heard me,” he responded, lowering his cup to the table. “Or are you still doubting my affection for you?” That had been his intent from the beginning, but fortunately, I was aware of it. There was no genuine affection, only calculated schemes and manipulation.My heart throbbed heavily against my chest, as if it might burst in seconds. I took a deep breath, my hand clenching into a fist. I opened my mouth to speak when my hand inadvertently landed on the table. The contents gracefully flew out of the plate, descending to the ground. I didn’t know how that happened but I couldn't have been more grateful that it transpired at that moment.His countenance shifted as he observed the food at his feet. "My goodness. I am sorry this happened," he murmured as he rose to his feet.I managed a faint smile as I looked down at the mess, twiddling with my hands. My
SCARLET'S POVI gasped as my eyes opened, and then I found myself in a bus. I exhaled when I realized it was the same bus that was supposed to bring me home. Nothing I saw was real, it was just a nightmare.It made no sense why I was being hunted in my dreams by Brad. Why I couldn’t close my eyes without seeing him trying to hurt me. It was all scary, too scary for me to understand. My heart was thumping heavily against my chest as I sank back to my seat. I paused the song that was playing on my phone as I stared into oblivion. I didn’t know why life wanted till I was eighteen to dump all these on me. Every day was a struggle, a fight to be happy and sane. I swallowed heavily as I considered the solution to my problems. Accepting Elias as my mate was the simple solution to my problem. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead, my mind imagining Alpha Thomas’ reaction to the news. He would lose his mind, could even try to go after my family. But that was why I needed to fill Elias in
SCARLET'S POVIt was impossible! I couldn't let her do what she wanted to do. It was too dangerous, especially with the kind of Alpha that we had in the pack. I could bet my ass he wouldn't hesitate to lock her behind bars. I didn't want that for her and neither did I want any harm to befall her."Mom! You shouldn't be doing this. It isn't the right thing to do. You know how cruel Alpha Thomas can be. You are the only parent I've got left and I cannot imagine anything happening to you," I begged. Tears had gathered in my eyes and it took everything in me to stop them from spilling.She stared long and hard at me and then shook her head. I recognized the look on her face and I knew she wasn’t going to change her mind. "What do you want me to do? Huh?” She asked me, throwing her hands in the air. “Do you think I should sit back and watch them mate you to that beast? You would lose your freedom, happiness and even your sanity as his mate. Do you suggest I turn a blind eye to that?”"Mom
BRAD'S POVONE HOUR AGO My skin tingled as I took another sip from the bottle of wine I had. I wanted to drown myself in alcohol, it was the only way to escape the thoughts in my head. The thoughts in my head were nearly driving me crazy and I needed peace. The peace that only alcohol could provide because I had no one else. I had dumped my girlfriend in my elaborate plan to deal with Elias. And Scarlet could never fill that void. Two bottles down and I still couldn’t get drunk. It was such a shame that alcohol worked differently for wolves. It would take nearly six bottles to get me drunk and to stop the voices in my head. I sighed and tried to focus my thoughts on something else, perhaps something more positive. But all I could think of was Scarlet, all I could see was her red hair, falling carelessly across her shoulders. I used to hate her hair because I thought it was weird. But I was fascinated by its qualities now. “Damn it, Brad!” I shook my head and snapped myself out o
BRAD'S POVValerie stared back at me with defiance and I realized she was trying to cause a scene. I pulled her up from the bed aggressively and pushed her into a corner. I couldn't let anyone see us together anymore, especially since the news that I had found my mate spread amongst the pack members. "Why do you look so tense, Brad?" She asked. “It’s just someone out there. You don’t have to act like we are under attack.” I shot her a demeaning look and a hiss escaped my lips. I picked up her clothes and threw them at home. "Get dressed immediately and don’t say another word. Do you really think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?" I asked her almost in a whisper, hoping the person at the door couldn’t hear us. She stared hard at me without uttering another word and if looks could kill, I would be dead. She was hurt and I could see it in her eyes. However, I couldn’t afford to lose to Elias. Never. “Brad, what is going on in there?” I heard a knock again and hurriedly adjusted
SCARLET'S POVPRESENT TIMEThe moment my gaze fell on the Alpha, fear gripped me and my heart raced with a loud echo. The look on his face sent chills down my spine and my breath came quick and shallow, as if the air in the room had turned hostile. Every part of me wanted to turn back and leave but my mother's mind was already made up. And it would be so disrespectful to interrupt the Alpha’s schedule without any good reason. Alpha Thomas’ gaze bore into me like daggers, and resentment grew from within me. Every glance between us felt like a challenge and I lowered my head when I could not take it any longer. "We would like to speak to you about something important,” my mother said, yanking me from the depths of my thoughts. “We are only asking for a little bit of your time.”He smirked softly and sat on a chair. He motioned to us to stand before him and we obeyed swiftly. “I don’t have all day. If you have something important to discuss, I’m listening.”“I’m sure you’re aware that
TWO DAYS LATERELIAS’ POVBeing at home wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be as I was already missing school. But the only thing I missed about school was Scarlet. I needed to see her, to watch her smile, take in her scent and listen to her talk about anything.I picked up my new phone and sighed. No messages from Scarlet. But how did I expect her to send a message if she didn’t even know I lost my old phone? I needed to see her, maybe visit her again. But I promised myself that I would give her time to make her decisions. That I wouldn’t bother her until she was ready to see or talk to me. And so far, she had not made any attempt to reach out. I exhaled sharply as I stood up from the bed, and looked around.I could say this was my first time looking around my room with so much focus. Well, that’s what not being in school was currently doing to me. It was driving me crazy and I couldn’t help it. I stared at myself in the mirror, and looked at my abs, and physique, and nodded a b
SCARLET’S POVI laid back on my bed at home, feeling a bit down after our visit to the Alpha. I had fallen ill from everything that was going on but my mother had managed to take care of me.I hated Alpha Thomas, despised his cruel nature and his need to mate Brad and I. I knew he didn’t care about me or the mating bond. He was only trying to show his strength to the Lycan’s by taking me away from Elias.It was sickening to my tummy, and the sad emotions weighed down on me, making me feel miserable more than ever.To find out that your mate doesn’t love you but just wants you for some reason and plans to dump you later is the most painful thing to bear. But I didn’t care about that anymore. I just needed to see Elias, to tell him what was going on so he could stop it. I sighed heavily, and rose from my bed, feeling really down and disturbed. Then the doorbell rang. My heart skipped and I dashed to the sitting room. Could it be Elias? I prayed hard that it would be him. “Scarlet, get