ASHLEYI left home as soon as the morning came. I was at the infirmary. Although my parents had warned against not going there, I'd rather be there than be inside. Maria was yet to come awake. She was in some sort of deep sleep, the rogue doctor had said, but my blood would constantly be needed to keep her alive until she eventually decided to come awake.It wasn't like I was expecting anything else to be said; it was just as I had thought. At this point, it felt like I was solely existing just to save Maria. My blood was her cure, and I couldn't make any decisions for myself based on that.“Good morning,” one of the nurses who helped Kael out greeted.I smiled, responding to her, “Morning. How are you today?”“Very well, ma'am.” She answered. Her voice was polite.I stepped inside, not bothering to correct her. It was no use. I had told everyone to call me by my first name on my first day here, but no one had tried to. Only Kael. Although I was no longer the Beta's daughter, they pro
JASONMaybe Kael was right. Perhaps I was some shitty alpha who couldn't detect what was going underneath his nose. Maybe I was partly to blame for Ashley's misfortune, as I had honestly believed that, at some point during my childhood, even though I never gave her all the attention she desired, I had tried my best. I had believed Ashley was going to be my mate.I mean, she was the Beta's daughter then, and it was a known fact that the Beta daughter and the Alpha son would be mated…until Maria’s arrival. It wasn't my fault that Ashley had lied to my face. It wasn't as if I had asked her to do so. Perhaps if she had confided in me, I might have been able to help her out before the mess she started even came to be.I had a lot of maybes, and if I began to list them all out, I doubted it wouldn't take the whole day to finish. But the biggest was that I wished I had prevented Ashley from trying to kill Maria in the first place. I wanted to believe it was done out of jealousy.Still, that
JASONMy hands clenched and unclenched into fists, my teeth gritted in annoyance, and I glowered at Kelly as I stepped into the dungeon.“Alpha!” She exclaimed, bowing low.At first, I didn't want to respond to her greetings. She was one of the reasons I was furious. I believed she had let Ashley into the dungeon. She must have been watching out for her, and sensing my approach, she had immediately told her to leave.I swallowed, staring at her neck that was bent forward. The urge to grip the neck and snap it filled me, but I resisted it. I could kill her right now, but the last time I had done so, it wasn't pretty. I had been punished, likewise, Ashley, even though she knew nothing about it. But the reason I couldn't particularly carry out the thought in my head was because of Ashley.Kelly was her best friend, and killing her might make her feel even more depressed than she was today. Yes, I didn't like whatever was going on between her and Kael. I'd do anything to separate them, bu
ASHLEYI tried to pull my hand away from his, but he wouldn't let me go. Jason dragged me towards a giant tree, pushing me to it. My back hit the trunk, and the rough bark grazed my arm.“I asked you a question, Ashley. Why do you smell like him?” he sneered.I looked up, my chin set stubbornly in his direction. “You only made it a direct statement. You never asked me a question until now. Besides, why should I respond to you?”“Ashley…!” Jason growled, his eyes burning with a fire I hadn't seen before, not even when he rejected me.“What am I to you and why do you even care?!” I retorted, my voice cold, and all the anger trying to burst out of me, I tried to push them back. I wanted to be furious, to punch him in the face as hard as I could, break down and ask him why he was doing all that to Kael when he knew the truth, but I didn't. I didn't want him to see me totally helpless.He'd used that to goad me and even beg for his mercy. That was the last thing I had in mind to do.Jason
ASHLEYI opened the door, stepping into the darkened room. I squinted in the darkness, my hands feeling for the wall to guide my movement. It'd make no sense if I hit a box that'd create a noise, making them aware that someone was there.When I successfully found the wall, I breathed in and out, resting on it. I looked around me, but all I saw was darkness. I couldn't even make out a single window in the room. That'd allow the light from the moon to seep in, so I'd know if I was in the right room or not.I shouldn't be wasting time here. Kelly said I had only ten minutes. I was sure I had used more than three minutes, which meant I had seven left. But I was sure that if I exceeded without realizing it, she'd be here in no time to tell me. Again, I didn't want to stand inside this darkness longer, looking at nothing.I turned to the door as I wasn't too far from it, and turned the wooden handle, about to open it, when I heard his voice.“Is that you, Ashley?” Kael said, his voice was l
ASHLEYI was alive.The beating of my heart was enough evidence to tell that I had lived through the pain. I groaned as I came to, turning on the cold floor where I was curled. I didn’t remember returning to the room; someone must have brought me back. I opened my eyes slowly. They were blurred, and I could barely see a thing. The dimness in the room wasn't helping matters. Besides, it wasn't as if my room had always been bright, except during the day. I had only a lamp that looked like it had been through hell and back, and three candles left; I often managed. My father had stopped giving me things to ensure I was comfortable, and I had no money to buy things for myself either. I doubted whether I'd be able to keep it even if I had the money to get what I desired.Gradually, I rose from the ground to a sitting position and pushed my fingers into my hair. I winced as pain flared in my arm. I glanced at it to see some puncture marks that were starting to heal. It was where the lancet h