WREN
I woke up with a sigh in his arms, and one look at the clock made me jolt up.
8:00am Fucking hell.
All staff were to convene at the Gathering ground at 6am, and I fucking
overslept.
"Oh, goddess." I rushed out of bed and into his bathroom —It must have been
so nice to have one all to himself. I almost screamed when I saw my reflection,
thanking the Moon goddess for helping Caius retain his sanity by saving him from
seeing me right now.
My hair was everywhere, mascara smeared, lips swollen, face flushed. There
are—
He fucking gave me hickeys!
Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.
I searched his table for anything I could use to cover up, but all he had were
hair products, lotions, and perfumes. I could not go downstairs looking like this. Like
I had been well and thoroughly fucked all through the night.
Which I wasn't.
But we came close. We always did.
I used some water to bring my hair down, and make it look presentable before
washing my face. Then I grabbed his towel from the railing, inhaling for only a
second before it became creepy.
Then I cleaned my face, did my best to smoothen my red dress, and returned
to his room.
He was awake, seated lazily on his bed, eyes on me when I walked out. I
noticed with a glance at his bare chest, that I'd given him a few hickeys too.
His gaze dropped to my neck and shoulders, and it darkened. "Times like
these, I wish for our mate bond so I can tell you how I'm feeling directly into your
head," he said, and I huffed.
"In case you're forgetting, you're the one who hasn't marked me, Alpha
Caius."
I tried to not sound as bitter as I felt. Any negative feelings were unnecessary,
really. He remained quiet as I searched his closet for a scarf.
I fought to not let the number of clothes overwhelm me. For every single piece
of clothing I owned, he must have had thirty. His closet was almost the size of my
room.
Which was fine. We lived different lives and that was fine.
"Help me here? I need a scarf and I'm late."
"Table by the closet, third drawer, black."
I find the scarf, and with a relieved sigh, wrap it around my hair and
shoulders.
He grinned, and I took a second to appreciate how good he looked straight out
of bed. Then he puckered his lips, and I rolled my eyes.
"Morning breath. No, thank you."
"I don't mind!" he yelled as I walked to the door.
I gave him a look. "I wasn't talking about mine. And I mind."
Just when I put my hand on the knob to open it, the door swung open,
pushing me to the wall and covering me.
I tensed, remaining there to know who it was.
Not that it mattered. It was important that they do not see me.
It was really great to be with Caius. Really nice to spend nights together. But
the morning after? It almost always made me regret.
"Caius darling!"
The accent caught me by surprise, and I stared through the door's peephole to
see a woman lean down, bite her lip for a second, then kiss my boyfriend.
It was not a peck. It was a full on French kiss, and they went on for seconds.
My heart dropped.
But then Caius pushed her away gently, still dazed from the kiss. He glanced at
the open door—at me—and then gave the woman a hesitant smile.
"You're back..."
She leaned away, using her fingers to fix her lipstick. "I am. It was quite the
journey."
"The journey? Nyx, it's been 4 years."
Nyx?
Nyxandra Ashford. Eldest daughter of the Beta of our Pack. She would be
Prince Kael's Second-in-command when he took over. But that's not relevant right
now.
She was Caius' ex, and he did not look...displeased to see her. It might have
been hurt in his eyes, but envy could have been clouding my judgement.
She left for the Ombrae Third School for Royals 4 years ago, deciding to
inform him about her decision only the day she was to leave. They'd been dating for 3
years then.
And he'd loved her. He didn't tell me that part, but I'd figured it out when he
spoke about her, the way he spoke.
I wondered if he still did.
My stomach dropped, and I shut my eyes, not wanting to see any more.
"I know. I missed you so much, baby."
I heard some shuffling, and I couldn't help it. My eyes peeled open to see her
straddling him.
"Did you wait for me, hm?" I couldn't see clearly, but his breath hitched. I
remembered sourly that he was naked under the blanket. "I'm still yours, Alpha."
I held my breath, waiting for him to push her away. But he didn't. His eyes
darkened, and that alpha growl rumbled in his chest before he could stop it.
Everything else became a blur.
His eyes widened as I slammed the door shut, revealing myself. Nyxandra
didn't look back at me, she didn't have to.
Because she knew I was here. She was staking her fucking claim.
I raised my middle finger to the Prince, opened the door—
"Wre..." He couldn't even finish my fucking name.
I slammed the door shut behind me, eyes immediately tearing up.
Fuck him. Fuck Nyx. Fuck this.