ANDREA "He doesn't want to claim me" I sighed, lowering my cutleries onto the table. Rylee reached out for me and gave my hand a little squeeze. "Just give him a little more time." She said, her voice soft. I lowered my head, my shoulders slumped. "For how long do I have to wait? He clearly values his duties as a beta. I don't think he even wants me" I mumbled. "Hey! Don't say that. He's not made of bricks. Besides, the bond pull will only get stronger until he can't resist it anymore" "There's always a way out of that. He can reject me, you know?" I rasped. The rage I had felt earlier was gone and in it's place was the dispiriting feeling that shattered my self esteem and enlarged my doubts. "Is your secret terrible? Is it a game changer? One that can shatter your chances to be with Jared?" Ava questioned, a worried look in her eyes. I closed my eyes. I wanted to dissipate into thin air. I wanted to erase my existence. If my hopes had been dashed, what was left for me? Letting

ANDREA My hands were trembling and my heart was racing. I staggered backwards, away from the door. "No, it wasn't me. It can't be me. I smell of roses but it wasn't me. Why would I hurt him?" I mumbled. As soon as I turned away, I heard Alpha Vincent's commanding voice. "Andrea, stop right there."He was an Alpha and there was no way I could defy his command. No matter how much I desired to run, my limbs wouldn't move. At the sound of his approaching footsteps, I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart feeling like it was going to explode."Look at me" he ordered and I opened my eyes. His face held no emotion and his stare was a blank one. In this state, he was more intimidating. His eyes began to glow a fiery red and gold. It was in this moment that I started to tremble with fear. Pissing him off was a very big mistake that I wanted to avoid. "What are you doing here?" He asked, his tone icy. I blinked, realizing that I had no answer to his question. None at all. I stared down at mysel

RYLEE It was odd. I was usually not the type to dislike a person merely after our first meeting. But, when it came to Kathryn, the reverse was the case. The moment I set my eyes on her, I disliked her. Her snide attitude wasn't helping either. Watching Kathryn chat with Jared put me on edge. She kept leaning towards him with a seductive smile on her face. I was yet to find out what Kathryn's real intention was. Since she was pregnant, she was supposed to be with her mate. Why was she trying to get Jared's attention despite knowing that he had found his mate?"Do you think Vincent has a grudge against me?" Kathryn suddenly asked Jared. I straightened and leaned closer to the window. I was standing in Vincent's office while he was working. Whereas, Jared and Kathryn stood outside, in front of the office. I knew it wasn't right for me to eavesdrop, but I really wanted to know why she thought so."You should ask him. You know he stopped being friendly towards you, a long time ago" Jared

JARED There were tears in her eyes when she turned to look at me. I probably looked calm, but there was a storm inside of me. I was dreading the words she was going to say. A part of me wanted her to formulate an excuse because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle the truth. I didn't want my fears to come to life. Andrea looked distraught and was visibly ill at ease."What are you doing here?" She asked, the words nearly a whisper. "Rylee called me out here. She told me you didn't seem alright. I found the knife by accident. Is it yours?" I questioned, tightening my grip on the knife.She sighed. "Yes, it's mine" she mumbled, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Care to explain what's going on here?" I asked. "The thing is... I..." Andrea started to fidget, a frown creasing her brows. "You what?""I don't remember why I had the knife with me. I was sure I'd been sleeping in my room. When I awoke, I was standing in front of the house with the knife in my hand" she

ANDREA We stared at each other, wrapped up in the moment. There was a warm feeling in my heart and I basked in the feeling of my mate's essence entwined with mine. It was a dream come true. This was until Kathryn interrupted my moment with Jared. "Jared!" She exclaimed, catching our attention. She was standing in front of us, her fists clenched. "Kathryn, what are you doing here?" Jared asked, a puzzled expression on his face. "I need to talk to you" she said to him, through gritted teeth. The twins exchanged bewildered glances with each other and Rylee rose to her feet, her lips set in a grim line."Is it urgent? If it's not, you should at least give him time. He's only just claimed his mate" she said. Kathryn glared at her, tightening her fists until they were white knuckled. She looked like she was going to explode as a result of her growing impatience. "We can talk, right here" Jared said and Kathryn sighed, bringing a hand to rub her forehead. "Believe me, you don't