Nine

LAKE:

I allowed the door to slam close as I entered the mansion. It was her, I knew it the moment my eyes rested on her in that dainty wolf uniform. It was not just the familiarity of the wretched fabric of the gloves, but her scent as well. I was immediately repulsed, even though River was unable to stay still.

A whore at night and a waitress by day? Exactly how many more jobs did she work? How many more streets did she run? This had to be some cruel joke.

My first two mates had been exquisite and tasteful women with class. The first, an alpha's daughter, and the second a famous realtor, known for her brains in the industry. Now, this? A complete nothing?

It was a dire insult. A stench on my personality and a mockery of my crown. The goddess outdid herself this time.

My wolf had been unable to stay still since he had sniffed her and it was pissing me off. After rejecting two mates, I had gotten used to controlling myself around females, the reason I had not gone overboard with her.

The anger I had fought to bury deep down, resurrected to the surface of my skin again. The twat had so skillfully escaped my rejection the first time, and even tonight. It was only a matter of time before I rejected her.

What was the point of having so many mates if I couldn't bear children with them? I was 30, and the thought of being with any woman abhorred me, she could not change that.

I already knew that she would invade my thoughts for a while. Fighting it would only prove futile. It was the strength of the mate bond.

She was the youngest of my mates. I would have mistaken her for a child if I had not taken note of the feminine curves that complemented her small figure. I knew I had to reject her very soon and boy, did I look forward to it.

I had noticed her inability to scent me and it piqued my curiosity. She must've lost her wolf.

If that was the case, she had to go. Lake Rush was too powerful for a weak Luna.

The sound of her red bottom heels clinging against the exquisite tiled marble floor of the stairs hit my ears before I caught sight of my grandmother walking down the stairs. Clad in an army green colored dress, wearing her beautiful smile across her face.

My heart warmed at the sight. I moved towards the stairs and stretched my right hand out to her, to usher her down the remaining steps of the stairs.

"So, did you like her?"

Of course. I could trust granny to go straight to the point.

"She was alright."

The elderly features of her face contorted as she frowned.

"Just alright?"

I rolled my eyes instinctively.

"It went well, maa."

I would say anything for my peace of mind.

"I told you! It's not for nothing that I'm called the best matchmaker. I told your father I would do an excellent job with you! Just like I did for him and your mother. You know, you really should hurry up and get married, Lake. That way, you'll be happier. And you'll have children who would give you joy too. And seeing as you don't have a mate after you decided to reject the last two beautiful girls, you need your father and me to make moves like this."

Her grey eyes beamed with excitement as she sashayed across the room, swaying her young hips in absolute delight.

Of course, it had been a tradition in my family for the older ones to make matches for their children. It was done for my grandfather and mother. And my grandmother did so for my father and mother, now she was trying to get mine done too.

It sucked.

I thought about what she had said. My grandmother was a strong believer in the concept of marriage, but I wasn't.

She had said she did a good job bringing my father and my mother together. Yet, she barely uttered her name.

She never spoke about her, and I never asked.

Even if the question hovered at the tip of my tongue, I dared not ask now.

She was so happy, I dared not ruin her mood with my true opinion of my date.

"Can you please tell me about it? How did it go? Oh! My young ears are itching."

I couldn't stop my chuckle.

"I'll tell you all about it after a shower, maa. I promise." I moved to her and wrapped my right arm around her waist, before pressing a soft kiss on her creased forehead.

JOJO:

The next day, after closing from my latest job at a bakery, I rushed back to my aunt's house. It was as necessary for me to pick up supplies for my night shift at the hospital. It was my fifth job for the day, and to say I was tired would be an awful understatement. But, my bills did not care if I was tired, nor did I.

I closed the front door and switched on the light, only to see Lev staring at me from the living room.

"Hey, hot stuff." He slurred.

I scrunched my nose in disgust. He reeked of alcohol.

I did not reply to him. I headed toward the direction of my room, but he rushed to block my path.

"Would you get punished for not arriving on time? Tell me, dearest Jojo." He stuck his hands between the strands of my hair and twirled them in his fingers.

"Would you rather be punished by your boss, or by me?" He closed the space between us. I pushed him to the ground on reflex and he fell without a struggle. The fall knocked him out. I scoffed and stepped out of the room.

Valerie was asleep when I got into our room. I gathered all I needed. I had not eaten in a while, and I could hear my stomach grumble. Everyone was asleep, so I took the risk of rushing to the kitchen to find food. Soon, I was stuffing bread into my mouth as if my life depended on it, even my heart was beating faster than I was digesting the food. I dug my teeth into the last slice when the door pushed open forcefully and the light switch turned on. Mykel stood at the door, a wry smile plastered on his face. The slice of bread fell off my hands and I seized to chew the ones in my mouth.

He clapped his hands together, walking into the room.

"I've always known you were a little thief. So this is what you do? Sneak into my mother's kitchen every night and steal her food?"

I was currently holding my heart in my chest.

"I swear this is the first and only time. I was really hungry so I just decided to take a few pieces of bread since your mother took all my money—"

I wasn't allowed to finish my statement.

"Your first time since I caught you and what do you mean 'all your money?' That's my mother's money because you live under our roof and you have to pay for it. She's been generous for too long and you're trying to make her the bad person?"

No. Please no. With every step he took closer, my heart pounded against my chest.

"No, no, I'm sorry, it would never happen again, please."

His eyes raked through my body. I wrapped my arms around myself on instinct, now more aware of the lightness of my clothing.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? I'll keep my mouth shut, my mother would not hear of this. But for one small price,"

I felt my skin crawl. I didn't feel good about this, any of it. He moved closer to me, my back was against the counter already.

"Let me have you this night, let me be the one to break that innocence, no one would do it better, if not me." He moved closer until he was face-to-face with me. I stopped breathing for a while. I could hear the rapid beating of my heart in the quiet kitchen.

"I would unwrap you like precious candy because that is what you are. It's always painful for the first time but I'll soothe your pain, I'll make your first time worth it, JoJo. After making you feel this way, I would keep everything that happened between us, as our little secret. Just ours. How much do you like my offer? Because I like it very much." He was whispering into my ear now and my body shook with both fear and disgust. My stomach revolted as his fingers settled on my bare thigh and moved upwards. I fought to push him away but he didn't move. He continued to push himself toward me even more.