"There are consequences to every plan of action you take to escape me; I will have to increase the proximity of our interaction."
"That's ridiculous, you wouldn't dare!" I say, thinking of how often I want to run from his presence.
"I would," he says confidently with a cheeky smile slowly forming on his handsome features.
"More importantly, the more you run from me, the closer I will draw you in. That includes everything intimate that makes you uncomfortable." He says with a twinkle in his eyes.
I want to scratch those annoying eyes that are staring down at me, challenging me and mocking me at the same time.
"Now, about moving in, I will send Tori and Lana in to help you with your things." He says, still unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm to move in with him.
"What will I tell my stepsisters?" I ask, doubtful that this is going to work.
"You're moving in with old friends for a some time." He replies smoothly.
"Okay....and if they ask for how long?" I ask him.
"Till you know what you want to do regarding some life decisions." He replies without missing a beat.
"I can try that...." I say reluctantly.
"I am going to take my leave. I expect to see you at my place by 6 pm." He says, then leaves my room abruptly.
"How will you leave, not seen," I whisper.
"Same way, I came in through the back door, awwww, you're worried I will get caught. Should I be getting my hopes up?" He asks with a smirk.
"Absolutely not!" I say as I walk past him to grab a suitcase.
"See you at 6 pm, babe." He says before I can give him a smart answer in return.
I dragged the suitcase out into the hall, the wheels rattling against the wooden floorboards. I tried to keep my face neutral, but my stepsisters were impossible to avoid.
Mila looked up from the couch first, brows knitting together. "Where are you going with that?"
Taia paused mid-bite on a chocolate bar. "Yeah, what's with the luggage? You're not running away, are you?" she asked with a half-laugh, though her tone was sharper than she meant it to be.
Heat crept up my neck. "No. I just… I need a change. Some space. I've decided to stay with some old friends for a while."
Mila's eyes narrowed. "Since when do you have friends we don't know about?"
I forced a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "Since before you made it your business to know everything about me."
That shut her up, but Taia leaned forward, chewing thoughtfully. "For how long?"
I tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase. "Until I figure out what I want to do with my life. I can't… stay here anymore. Not like this." My voice trembled, but I straightened my shoulders, forcing the words out. "I need to live away from you."
Silence fell, heavy as stone. Mila blinked in surprise, her mouth parting as though she wanted to argue. Taia scoffed instead, though the sound carried an edge of disbelief.
"You'll come crawling back," she muttered. "You always do."
"Maybe." My throat burned, but I pushed the suitcase toward the door, the wheels bumping over the threshold. "But right now, I have to try."
Neither of them followed me. Their whispers started up behind me as I stepped outside, but I didn't let myself listen. The air beyond the house felt colder, sharper, like freedom waiting, or a trap dangling for me to walk into so nicely.
The evening air pressed cool against my skin as I hauled the suitcase down the front steps out the front door of my home. I didn't look back at the house; I couldn't bear to see Mila's disapproval or Taia's smirk lingering behind the curtains.
On the street, the world carried on as if nothing inside me had shifted. Cars swept past, headlights cutting the dusk, and I raised a hand for a cab. One slowed, the driver rolling down his window with a curious glance at my overstuffed bags.
"Where to?"
I hesitated. Even saying it out loud felt dangerous. "Cedar Vale Estate," I murmured, the name tasting strange on my tongue.
His brows lifted slightly but he said nothing, just nodded and loaded my suitcase into the trunk. The ride was quiet except for the hum of the engine and the beat of my heart.
I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, watching the city fall away. Buildings gave way to stretches of forest, winding roads that seemed to coil into secrecy.
By the time the cab slowed, the sky had deepened into a velvet twilight.
Iron gates loomed ahead, tall and crowned with ornate crests that glinted in the last rays of sun. The estate stretched beyond and far too grand for someone like me.
The gates swung open as if they'd been expecting me.
The cab rolled down a lantern-lit drive lined with oaks, the branches arching overhead like watchful sentries. At the end rose the manor, stone and glass, sprawling, with windows that gleamed like eyes lit up in the dark.
I swallowed hard. My fingers fumbled for the fare as the driver pulled to a stop, but before I could hand him the bills, a pair of uniformed men appeared. One opened my door with a small bow, the other was already lifting my suitcase from the trunk.
The one holding my trunk handed the driver some dollar bills for my ride before I could protest to pay for my own fare.
"Welcome, miss," the first said, voice clipped and respectful. "The Alpha is expecting you."
My legs felt rooted to the ground. This is it, I thought. The moment where my choices truly end or begin anew.
I forced myself to step out, spine straight, even though my pulse thudded like a trapped bird.
The cab drove away, leaving me standing in the shadows of the manor's towering doors, the weight of this decision pressing hard against my chest.
I would not start to panic, I was determined to go through this whole ordeal and not be overwhelmed by it.