A false driver, something I would have known if I bothered to turn on my damned phone: instead, I was too busy trying to avoid receipts of Marko’s concern that I forgot my life could be in danger.The information that the Alpha had sent a driver to pick me up was passed on by a new employee in the communication office of the temple. Why I never bothered to confirm can only be tied to not knowing the Alpha’s number off the top of my head—then again, I intended to keep my phone off.The investigation results have left me grateful that he was informed of my waking, and he decided to pick me up on the very day Mother Magdalene, with whom they have been in communication, suggested.So basically, I am alive due to luck.As for the leads, Alpha Rhett’s sole resources have hit a brick wall, with two suicides, one from the new temple employee and the second from the driver, yet no traceable connections to pursue. His suggestion was to involve the Lycan, but is there a point if he has yet to vi

Marko’s body stilled at her harsh sense of distance; he expected this, but… she wasn’t even giving him a chance. “I- I asked that my servants and colleagues not mention anything about you. I did that because I thought I would run to you at a mere word that would entice jealousy; it did not cross my mind that you could be in pain. Forgive me, Alba.” He uttered in honesty, for what else could he lose at this point? Her address of him by his title bittered him even though she had been doing it for most of her life, yet if that were her revenge on him for not visiting her, for not being by her side when she awoke from her accident, then he would take it. Her eyes raked his frame as if looking for cues of whether he lied or not, and a nod followed. “Okay...I perhaps should not have dismissed you that quickly as well.” She uttered. “How did you find out of my state then if you asked none to mention me.” A groan escaped him, he did not want to say it, but if he answered her, perhaps s

Alba C The pounding of my heart did not let off, not even after Marko left me in the awkward presence of the Alpha. So much for a new phone line, so much for abandoning my old one for fear that I would wait for his calls. Am I not back where I started, utterly at the mercy of his whims? What even was that? Di- did my hand just lose its virginity? “I can get you another line tomorrow.” Alpha Rhett utters as he clears the bones from my lap, including the piece Marko and I fought over. Perhaps it is for the best that neither of us got to taste it; I cannot imagine eating it now, for it is as though we fucked atop it, even though we just… just what? Christ, just what? My hands, filled with chilly and grease, nearly caress my face in frustration, but the alpha reaches for them, cleaning them with a wet towel. The act feels like a mother caring for their child, a wholly different feeling from when Marko reached for my hand to slow my eating. “Are you not going to say anything abou

Silence fills the receiver, and for a moment, I am terrified even to swallow in case he hears my hesitation; however, it only takes a second for his deep laugh to fill my phone’s speakers, sending chilly goosebumps up and down my spine, weakening my knees that I seek refuge by the bed. "There are not enough ways to say no to that, Alba." He is offering bad news, denying my rights, and rather than outrage, a dull throb eases in my centre. Christ...I may have fallen off the deep end. "Look, it’s just one weekend and-" "No." "I will be back; you have my word!" "Your word means to me what mine means to you.” “I merely want to introduce my life partner to the people that matter most to me there. I want my wedding to have a personal touch.” A lie, but I pray my voice does not hint at the deception. “Because your union means that much to you?” He sounds vindictive as if my lie hurts him. I love it; his anger thrills me. I must be the only deviant in the world to get excited by a

"You...motherfu-" "Watch your tongue, Alba." His warning shivers me, but not to submission. "Have you lost your mind; you know the intended purpose of this visit to Red Graw, yet you dare intrude-" "Ah! Right.” He interrupts before casually removing the scarf on his neck to place it on mine and tie it in place. “It is for those you used to know to meet your fiancé, I gather that, but I do not believe it. If your love were that deep, you would have postponed the date to a day he was available, and I would not have had you climaxing on my line a week ago!" "Sh... I did not c-" How can he utter such things in public without whispering? Yes, the airport was empty, but the staff could overhear. "I did not climax on the-” "I know you, Alba. I have studied with careful concentration every symphony your body utters in my name, so do not dare pretend otherwise...you came on my line." Fuck....fuck...what am I to say to that? How can he say that? He shouldn’t have permission to utte