KELEIGH’S POV
I stared at the brothers, and they stared back at me. One face welcoming and pleasant, the other scowling and hateful. Two faces so identical, and yet so different. I wiped my cheeks and thought through my decision.
If I rejected the pleasant brother’s offer, I would be out on my own with nothing to my name, and no property of mine. Not to mention the risks of running into Jake and his henchmen out in the wild was very high. But if I stayed, then I could be protected—for six months, at least. I had no intention of accepting either of them as my mate, but at least I could use these months to plan out my next line of action, gather enough resources to take me even farther away from Jake than I already am. I would be free of all my shackles then.
“I accept,” I said, my voice hoarse from disuse. “I’ll stay here for six months.”
“Motherfucker,” muttered the unpleasant twin. He banged his hand on the table again, but this time I wasn’t caught off guard. I noticed that his brother ignored him completely, focusing only on me and smiling. I tried my best to smile back.
“That is great news,” he said. “I’m Ryker. My grumpy brother over here is Arnold. And we are happy to have you into our home.”
“Speak for yourself,” Arnold grumbled. “I didn’t agree to this.”
“I’m Keleigh,” I said, making it a point to look only at Ryker. Arnold wasn’t about to make my stay here easy for me, so I might as well begin to return the favour.
“Keleigh,” Ryker said slowly, testing the name on his lips. “That’s a beautiful name.”
Maybe a few days ago I would have smiled and blushed at the compliment. But a lot had changed since then. I just merely stared at him.
“Can I go?” I asked. “I need some time alone to attend to myself.”
“No.” Arnold stood up from his chair and stared down at me intimidatingly. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me who the fuck you are.”
“For fuck’s sake, Arnold—”
“Zip it, man,” he cut his brother shut. “I’m trying to protect you here. You don’t know who this girl is. I don’t. You might be okay with just letting a total stranger waltz right in, but I’m not. I’m interrogating the scum and you’re not going to stop me.”
Ryker seemed like he was simmering with anger. But he kept his mouth shut and shot me an apologetic glance.
“So listen up, Keleigh.” He said my name like he was ingesting something vile. “If you’re thinking for one second that I’m gonna fall for you, that’s never going to happen. So don’t even try anything with me. You’re just a goddamn nobody. I mean, what wolf pack are you even from? Who is your father? Those questions so difficult to answer?”
My breath stitched involuntary as I felt a band of sadness and pain squeeze against my chest. The pain I had managed to held back this far, it came to the forefront, announcing itself. My vision went blurry with tears as the memories came back. Flashes of dismembered bodies, my father’s slashed throat, Jake’s bloodied grin. The screams, the smell. It all crashed into me at Arnold’s words. I bent my upper body over the table and allowed myself a few sobs against the tablecloth before coming back up, wiping my eyes and steadying my breath. These people will not see me broken. They will not see me at my lowest.
I looked directly into Arnold’s eyes, rage coursing through me. He seemed hesitant, like he hadn’t expected his words to hurt me as much as it had. “I’m just a nobody. That’s all that you should think of me. And I also promise that I’ll not fall for the both of you after these six months are done. And now I think I’ll be going to my room.”
I stood up from my chair to leave, but a guard coming into the hall made me pause.
“My Alphas,” he greeted, bowing. “The Beta and the Lady of the House are here.”
The beta and the Lady of the house. I wondered who they were. Curiosity pricked me, not just at the guard’s message but also at Arnold’s expression. His eyes had lost that spiteful bite in them and had morphed into something expectant, excited.
Well that was interesting.
“Maids!!” he called out. They rushed about, being directed by him on where they should place the food they had been making, what cutlery they should set. I gave Ryker a questioning glance.
“The Lady of the house is coming,” he said. “That means there should be a small feast. I think you should be part of it.”
He stood up from his chair and walked over to me, slowly, but purposefully. “I think you should sit... here.” He pointed at a chair opposite the one he stood up from.
He placed an arm around my back and guided me to the seat. I felt tingles and sparks radiate from his touch to the rest of my body. My heart beat a bit faster. He pulled out my chair and gave me a warm smile as I sat down in the chair.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling back a bit.
“It’s no problem,” he said, then winked, his smile still on his face.
That smile. I could get lost in that smile.
Jake also had a smile like that.
The thought came to me unbidden. My body went cold and all the tingles I had felt vanished. Jake had just taught me that nobody could be trusted, least of all the seemingly nice ones. Who knew what went on beyond that charming smile on Ryker’s face? Was he even more evil than Jake? At least Arnold didn’t hide his dislike for me. That I could appreciate. But this niceness from Ryker, it was too good to be true.
My smile morphed into a scowl and I turned away from him.
Almost simultaneously, the doors opened and a man and a woman, both looking very elegant in expensive outfits, walked in. Arnold, for the first time since I met him, smiled. He clapped the man on the shoulder as they chatted in greeting. Then he moved to the woman, whom he gave a very tender kiss on the cheek, hugging her tight.
The man’s eyes met mine and both our eyes widened simultaneously in shock. I hadn’t seen Roman since I was a child but I recognised him instantly. My, how he had grown. How did he get to this place? To this pack?
The moment lasted about two seconds before we broke eye contact, pretending like we didn’t know each other. My head buzzed with questions that needed answering.
Ryker greeted them in the same manner, albeit with a little less enthusiasm. Then he introduced me to them.
I saw the way the woman’s smile slipped from her face as she was told that I was their mate. Something in her eyes hardened as she looked me over. I felt extremely self-conscious and wanted to curl into myself away from her scrutinizing gaze. Her smile came back, but the hardness remained.
The woman’s name was Selene, I learned, and she was the woman that had been planned to mate with the twin Alphas. I guess I could understand why she hated me now. It didn’t make me like her any more though.
Throughout the dinner, Selene was so hyper focused on me she barely touched her food. She asked me question after question, probing harder and deeper into me till I felt like I was going to cry.
“Stop it, Selene,” Ryker said, sending a glare her way.
“What?” she said, feigning innocence. “I can’t help it if I’m curious about a stranger in our domain.”
“Same thing I told him,” said Arnold, “but the man is stubborn as a mule.”
“I mean, honey, I’m very worried for you,” she said to me, her tone saccharine. “You’re... not really looking your best after all. Or maybe this is how you always look like? Enlighten me, please.”
My face was so hot I feared it would catch fire.
“Selene, be quiet,” Ryker warned, a bit of steel creeping into his tone.
“Brother calm down. I think Selene’s questions are valid and she should be allowed to ask them. You wouldn’t want to be silenced, would you?”
“The two of you are just being unnecessarily spiteful,” Ryker responded.
“I can’t believe that you’re taking the stranger’s side over your brother and your mate’s.” Selene said ‘mate’ with a bit of emphasis.
And so the dinner went. Very awkward and hostile. I could only imagine how Roman felt. I lost my appetite and couldn’t finish my plate. Minutes later, the dinner thankfully came to a close.
The diners all exchanged thanks for the meal. Except me. Then Selene walked to me and put her arms around me.
“It’s been such a joy meeting you,” she said loudly for everyone to hear. Then, in a much quieter whisper meant for only me, she said, “You better back the fuck up, bitch. Ryker is mine.”
Then she stepped away from me, gave me another fake sweet smile and was gone.
KELEIGH’S POVI couldn’t leave the hall fast enough. Any more time spent in the dining hall and I would have broken down. Even now, I found myself hyperventilating. My head felt light and my brain was fuzzy. It was all too much. Everything was happening all at once and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to get away from it all before I exploded.I had planned on going back to the room that Kara had assigned to me, but I couldn’t stay there. The room would feel too stifling for me and I needed space, I needed to breathe, I needed solitude. “Keleigh!” I turned back. It was Ryker calling out to me from the doorway of the hall. “Stay away from me!” I shouted back. “I need space.”I moved about the compound on instinct, avoiding places where people were gathered in. Eventually, I found myself in an orchard. It was far away from the rest of the buildings and was quiet. Just what I needed. I spread my arms out and took in a deep breath, the deep aroma of fruit refreshing me, calming me
KEIGEIGH’S POV:Blood. It was everywhere my eyes landed on. On the floor, splattered on the walls, and even on the ceiling.I saw my father’s corpse before me and my heightened tastebuds could taste the copper in the air, lingering like a reminder.Then I saw him.Alpha Jake, his face morphed into the semblance of a monster I didn’t know before.His face had been carved into with the dagger of darkness, revealing a hateful expression.He had found me..! How?!HOW?!I jerked awake, pressing my hand to my chest as I tried hard to take in breaths and exhale. It was such a hard thing to do that my chest hurt. My vision blurred and I reached up to touch my face. Tears.“Even in my sleep,” I whispered out hoarsely, my voice thick. “Even then, can’t you let me rest? Do I not deserve some reprieve from my mistakes?”I didn’t care for the darkness of the room, or if a monster hid beneath its depths. Memories flooded me, pushing through all my defenses that it felt like I would drown in them.I
SELENE’S POV:Her face alone pissed me off, and though I tried to contain myself and keep my pleasantness on my face, Ryker’s reprimands as the girl had left made me furious.I remembered what happened only minutes before I left the dining hall fuming.After my comment on the girl’s disrespect, I didn’t expect Ryker to lash out in the way he did.‘Be quiet. You have no right to treat Keileigh that way, much less act like you’re better than her. She has a higher rank than you, Selene. Don’t forget that,’ Ryker had said. I was dumbfounded then. Ryker, of all people, who was so slow to anger had become that new girl’s greatest defender. His warnings had bite to it, for unlike Arnold’s anger that could be easily soothed, his was like a hurricane that swallowed everything in its path when he lost it. And very rarely did he do so.Arnold came to my defense, rising up from his seat, and pointing his fork in his twin brother’s direction.‘You’re too hung up on this girl already, huh,’ he rema
KEILEIGH’S POV:Sounds of it’s chirping and the peaceful atmosphere didn’t deceive me or stop me from feeling stifled. Not even the sight of the pleasant sun’s rays streaming in through large windows could pacify me. My mood was spoilt since I had woken up, and the breakfast I couldn’t stomach, combined with Selene’s confrontation had soured my prospects for the day.My heels clicked on the floor as I walked forward, not having a destination in mind.This place was just as perilous as a lion’s den, I thought broodingly.If only I could find some rest. I paced around the halls of the large mansion, avoiding the eyes of people as much as I could. No matter how hard I may try to find some semblance of peace in this place, all it reminded me of was how much I did not belong in here, in this pack.The only one I knew and trusted inside this place was Roman.And he wasn’t close by. Where was he? Perhaps he was busy?I tried my best to not think about how lonely I was. Or how I was a strange
Ryker:I watched members of our pack mill about from the window of our study, waiting for Kara to return.I had sent her to check on Keileigh. My worry for her was incredulous to think about, because I had formed such an attachment to her at such a short time since she was brought here.How else could one explain how protective I felt over her?I was made aware of the knock on the door and turned around just as Kara stepped into the study.“Yes, Kara?” I addressed the older woman. She was one of the only ones I could trust, as she had been responsible for Arnold and I when we were younger. Therefore my brother and I had made it clear to everyone who came in that she was of the highest rank that any servant could ever attain.“Miss Keileigh is safe,” Kara said, which made me frown at her wording. Had my concern for her shown that much? Kara stared knowingly at me as she then added, “The Beta is with her currently.”Roman?I remembered the deal I made with him and nodded. It had been wh
Keliegh“Hello, darling.”I smiled as I heard Roman’s voice as he walked up towards me, and pressed a small kiss on my temples, before taking my hand.Every day since I found out Roman was the Beta of this pack, we had spent time together. It was something i looked forward to every day, for many reasons. Whenever I would be apart from my best friend, i was always bombarded with the less than welcoming air of disdain and disgust from Selene and Arnold. They didn’t speak to me much during any meal times, perhaps because Ryker had jumped to my defense more than once in a row.But the both of them would show the hatred they shared for me through their looks and mocking smiles whenever something innocuous happened. Once I coughed lightly due to drinking water too fast and Arnold made a comment about how I lacked table manners.A part of me longed to defend myself constantly to them, to stand up for myself and make sure my voice was heard and they wouldn’t disrespect me.But just as quickly
Keliegh“Thanks,” I chirped in a little bit of amusement to my best friend, wondering how my smile made him that clearly happy.Nevertheless I enjoyed the feeling of having him next to me. If I didn’t have him around, wallowing in my deepest, dark thoughts for the entire day would have been a regular occurrence.“I’m sure you must be terribly bored here,” Roman stated with certainty, changing the subject as he sat up to reach for the sweet, non-alcoholic wine that the maids had brought in for us earlier.The wine was courtesy of Ryker, the maid had stayed. I didn’t know whether to feel flattered or uneasy by the Alpha’s actions. It was hard to figure out exactly what emotion I felt towards Ryker, especially when my thoughts of getting a man’s attention now was just a burden. I didn’t want Ryker to treat me specially and I hesitated to even partake in the wine because he might end up taking it as me accepting the attention he was giving me.“Not really,” i said whilst shaking my head a
KelieghI sighed as Roman finally left my bedroom, and I was along once more. The feeling of loneliness always creeped in whenever he wasn’t around and I wrapped my arms around myself and went back to sit on the edge of the bed.I wished that Roman would be able to stay by my side every single day and base away all those nightmares when I was sleeping.But he was the Beta of the Pack, after all. And I couldn’t stop him from doing whatever he had to.Another sigh left my lips.And in the next moment, a knock came on the door, followed by a door opening.I stiffened at the sound, as a maid walked in and bowed a little to me out of respect trot a guest.“Miss, dinner is ready,” the maid said to which I pressed my lips thinly and looked aside.I couldn’t help it; the feeling of always going to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the dining hall where I would face more taunts from Alpha Arnold and Selene, was pretty depressing. It would always rattle me, even when I tried to not let things