Scarlett:I ran my fingers through Alexei’s hair as he lay his head on my chest, purring gently. The feeling of us laying together despite everything that has happened and was happening downstairs was something that I was completely grateful for.Knowing that Claire’s operations went well; she would be healing and waking up in the next few days; however, I didn’t know whether or not that would be a good thing, or whether it would be the end of her. But I knew that either way, I would be both supporting my mate, and standing by his side, being his rock. “You know, if the two of us started out like this, I think most of our issues wouldn’t have occurred” Alexei said, looking up at me, breaking my train of thoughts. I smiled down at him, removing my hand, gently letting my fingers scratch his back for a few seconds before I shook my head.“I don’t think we would be who we are if we started out being a normal couple; but then again, I could be wrong” I said, looking down at Alexei who ra
Alexei:“I chose you over that, and when I came back home that evening, I couldn’t help but fear them hurting you. They gave me time to choose, to think carefully, but I already knew that I wasn’t going to let them hurt my mate, and regardless of the consequence, I knew that I had my mind set on getting you out of there” I said, avoiding her eyes. My wolf whimpered when I saw tears falling from her eyes, and knowing that I was somewhat the reason behind them, I couldn’t help but regret talking about it.“I know that I should have told you about it earlier, and I know that I’ve made my mistakes by sending you to the facility; but I also knew that there was no way that you were going to believe me. Locking you up here was not an option, and making you work as one of the slaves would have broken me. Yes, sending you to the facility may have not been my best move, but believe me, Scarlett, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you” I said, my eyes meeting hers. Scarlett wiped her tears f
Scarlett:I watched as Alexei walked out of the room, his heart racing against his chest as he knew what he was about to do. The fact that he knew that it had to be done broke him, but killing his emotions completely; he was sure to mask his pain the best he could.I walked out of the room to see the family members. The one I was worried about most was Isabella.The woman would be devastated despite managing to allow herself to loosen up last night. It took her a lot to actually stand up in front of the maids and work with them. Each one of them, including Maddie and Lena, were surprised to see this side of her, and judging by her mate’s reaction; I knew that it has been a while since he’s seen her as happy and calm.I got dressed, having taken a shower with Alexei before he left, and made my way to the door, leaving the bedroom which now felt like it was tightening around me. The whole house felt tight, and the aura around it told me that something was going to happen. My eyes caught
Alexei: My chest throbbed as I walked into my sister’s room, knowing that everything was going to end today. I knew that Claire was expecting it, but I also knew that she was hoping for something different. I had the doctors and maids take her to her bedroom for her to be at peace. At least, she would be comfortable and in her own space, maybe she would even remember where she came from. Opening the door, I looked at her to find her looking at me. I had the maids make her wear a white dress, one that reached just above her knees, something that showed some purity. “Alexei?” She whispered, looking up at me. I looked down at my feet, avoiding her eyes. I wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye if I tried, and seeing as I knew that she was expecting me to go back from my decision, or at least was hoping that I would; I knew that she saw that things wouldn’t go as planned. “Do you want to tell me anything, Claire?” I asked, looking my sister in the eye, killing my emotions as she kept
Scarlett: “Isabella, do you want to get something to drink?” I asked gently. I sat on my knees in front of her, wanting to snap her out of the state that she put herself into; however, I knew that her being as calm as she was right now took all the will power in her. The woman knew what was going to happen and to make matters worse, she was forced to stay quiet about it.“I am fine, Scarlett” she said, looking down at me. I shook my head at the woman knowing that she was nowhere near being fine. But if she was anything like her son, the woman was not going to admit how she was feeling if she was dying for it. “Isabella, you not eating would only weaken your body. You know that you have to stay strong and you need to keep your stance to hold on to the rest. Things are not going to be getting easier” Sienna said, squeezing her shoulder. Isabella looked up at her best friend. Nikolay was by their side while Yaroslav and Alexei were at the office. It was the hardest thing they ever had
Alexei: I froze, processing what Scarlett just said. The way her eyes tried focusing on anything but me as she spoke, letting me know how nervous she was before she forced herself to look me in the eye, gathering her strength to do so. My feet seemed to have a mind of their own as I walked toward her. I cupped her cheeks and connected my lips with her own before she could say a word. She looped her fingers with my belt loops, holding me close, probably wanting to make sure whether or not she was awake. I bit her bottom lip, pulling it back gently before pushing my tongue inside her mouth. The two of us pulled away to look one another in the eye, my chest rising and falling as we took deep, slow breaths. I rested my forehead against her own before leaning in again, pecking her lips. Her cheeks reddened and I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips as I looked at her “how is it possible for you to make me smile when I am in my weakest state?” “I am your mate, Alexei, I am her
Scarlett:I watched as Alexei left his sister’s room. His heart raced against his ribcage as he walked past his parents. However, he didn’t turn to look at anyone. It was like he was in another place, and if anyone asked me, I believe that he was. His heart throbbed with each step he took, and reminding himself of the Aslanov oath, he forced himself to keep walking forward. It was an oath that I knew was said between each family around. The Alpha was to pledge his loyalty to his pack and them to him, and seeing as Claire chose to break that oath, I knew that Alexei had to punish him for it. I didn’t need to hear what happened inside to know that he suffered to do it. The way he looked around, his eyes void of emotion, and his stance which was cold told me that this was nowhere from being over. If anything, I had a feeling that we just barely started. Alexei stopped in front of Ivan who was trying to read his expression carefully; however, I knew that the men were forcing their
Alexei:“Are you okay?” Scarlett asked, running her finger over my jawline. I nodded, watching as she raised herself to look me in the eye. The two of us have been laying in bed for the past two hours, and I couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes and sleep, and knowing that Scarlett didn’t want me to stay awake by myself, she chose to stay awake with me.“I’m as good as I could ever get at this point. I don’t know how to explain it to be honest” I said, shaking my head. The funeral had ended and the casket was buried, but a heavy feeling settled in my chest, and knowing that I wouldn’t be able to explain it didn’t make things any better.“Do you want to talk to me about it?” Scarlett asked, looking me in the eye. I shook my head, gently removing a strand of her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Scarlett didn’t say a word as I leaned in, pecking her lips, wanting to escape this reality. It sickened me that I knew that I couldn’t; however, I was more than thankful that I di