Scarlett's POV
It was still very silent in the house and I got up from my seat to get some water from the kitchen. It was the middle of the night, and the last thing I thought I would do is run into someone, especially him.
I tiptoed down the stairs, my head still spinning with all the events that have occurred in the recent past. Alexander had been provoking me in a way that I did not like to admit. I was still standing in front of the fridge and taking a glass of water when I heard a noise from the darkness.
"Scarlett. .. "
The familiar deep voice made me jump in surprise; I turned around almost spilling my wine glass.
“Alexander? What are you doing here?” I stammered, feeling my heart race in my chest. ‘It is past midnight, why have you not gone home?’
He was leaning against the kitchen counter as if he had all the rights to be there and not as if he had just broken into my house. His shirt was still partially opened from before, and his chest, muscular, well-built, and very attractive, was the last thing I wanted to look at but couldn’t help it. He had messy hair like he had been ruffling it with his hands all night and he smelled of alcohol.
“I’ll be sleeping here,” he said with a devilish grin, his words slurred from the alcohol he had taken. His eyes were blank, but he was staring at me, his stare was piercing.
I scowled, attempting to maintain a safe distance from her. ‘Well, you should be resting, not wandering in kitchens and frightening people at night. ‘
I spun around to go, but his words made me pause, “Scarlett, why are you avoiding me?”
I tightened my grip on the glass, keeping my back to him. “I am not avoiding you,” I said in a low voice. ”I just don’t want to be in awkward situations.”
He laughed softly, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. “It’s a bit awkward, isn’t it? Or are you just uncomfortable around me for some other reason?”
I stiffened and my face burned red. “I’m not uncomfortable, I just have nothing to say to you, so if you’ll let me, I’ll go back to bed.”
But before I could take another step, his next question knocked the wind out of me. “Why did you go to New York without informing any one?”
I stood still, my hand clutching the glass even tighter. I had tried so hard to bury those memories, to keep that part of my life in the past.
“That’s none of your business,” I replied more harshly than I had probably meant to. ”Please don’t think that we are friends or anything like that because we are not.”
A sinister expression crossed his face, one that made her feel like she had just seen the devil himself. He moved closer to her and spoke in a low tone. “You’re my mate, Scarlett. Whether you like it or not, I’m not letting you go that easily. ”
When I heard the word mate I was struck like a ton of bricks. My wolf rose within me but I suppressed it, I did not want to accept it. ‘I don’t care about that,’ I said sharply. “You are going at dawn, Alexander. I don’t wish you to be here.”
He furrowed his brows, and I could tell he didn’t anticipate that I would be so unfriendly. “Why are you treating me like this? What did I do, Scarlett? Did I hurt you before you left?”
“I don’t care about you!” I shouted louder than I intended to. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins and I thought I saw pain in his eyes for a second.
But then, everything changed.
In one swift movement, he closed the distance between us. Before I could react, his lips crashed into mine, hard and demanding. My mind went blank. The glass slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor, but I barely heard it over the pounding of my heart.
His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer. I tried to push him away, but he was too strong. Every part of me screamed to fight back, but another part—the part I had been trying to suppress for so long—melted into the kiss.
Heat surged through me as my wolf howled inside, desperate for this. For him. I hated how much I wanted him, how much my body craved his touch. My resistance faltered, and I found myself kissing him back, my fingers curling into his shirt as I let the emotion take over.
No! I screamed internally. You can't do this!
I managed to push him back, gasping for breath as I wiped my lips, trying to erase the feeling of his mouth on mine.
"What the hell was that, Alexander?" I breathed, my voice shaky.
He stood there, his chest rising and falling heavily, his eyes dark with desire. "You can pretend all you want, Scarlett. But you feel it too. You’re my mate."
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "I don't want this," I whispered, though my body betrayed me, still trembling from the kiss. "I'm only here to check on my father, and I’ll be gone soon. We’re not mates. We’re nothing."
I stepped back, hating the way my voice quivered. "Just... leave me alone."
With that, I turned and slammed the door behind me, leaning against it as I tried to catch my breath. My lips still tingled from the kiss, and my wolf stirred restlessly inside me, wanting more. But I couldn’t give in. Not to him. Not to the one person I was trying so hard to forget.
The last few months had been a test of patience, resilience, and love. Alex did everything he could to mend the broken bridges between him and my family, yet my parents remained cold. They didn’t want to accept him, and I couldn’t blame them. He had hurt us, taken everything, but he had also given it all back. He had changed.The last few months had been exhausting.Not because of my pregnancy, not because of the nightmares that still haunted me from everything that had happened, but because of Alex—trying, relentlessly, to make things right with my family.I didn’t make it easy for him.Neither did they.My parents refused to even look at him in the beginning. Every time he showed up at their doorstep, my father would shut the door in his face. My mother ignored him completely, refusing to acknowledge his presence even when we met by chance.But Alex never stopped coming.Every single day, he tried.He would help around their company, he would fix little things in the house when no o
Alex’s POVMy hands trembled, but not from fear—never from fear. It was the rage, the years of betrayal, the weight of everything this man had done to me, to my mother, to Scarlet.I had given him a chance.I had dropped the dagger.I had walked away.And yet, he still smirked at me like he had won.Like I was still that boy who would blindly follow his every command.Not anymore."Cover her eyes," I ordered, my voice low, controlled, but filled with an edge that left no room for argument.My uncle hesitated."Now," I growled, not taking my eyes off the man in front of me.He sighed but stepped forward, pulling Scarlet into his arms and pressing a hand over her eyes. She struggled, but he held firm."Alex!" she shouted, twisting against him. "Don’t do this!"I ignored her."You’re really going to kill your own father?" he sneered, taking a slow step forward. "Over a woman? Over some weakling of a mother who couldn’t even save herself?"My vision turned red.I saw my mother’s face in my mi
Scarlet’s POVEverything slowed.I felt the sharp, cold steel of the blade slice across my skin, the warmth of my own blood seeping down my neck. My breath hitched, my body trembling, and for a second, I thought—this was it.This was how I was going to die.Alex’s roar shook the walls, his cries filled with agony. I wanted to look at him, to tell him I wasn’t scared, but my body was weak, drained from the blood loss. My vision blurred, my knees gave way, and I collapsed onto the cold floor.Then—chaos erupted.A deafening crash rang through the room. A body slammed against the ground, followed by the clattering of weapons. Men shouted, fists landed, and through my hazy sight, I saw someone charge into the room like a storm.Alex’s uncle.His presence was like a force of nature, his fury evident in every blow he landed. His men flooded the space, engaging Alex’s father’s guards, taking them down with calculated precision.My breathing was shallow, my heartbeat weak, but I forced my eye
Alex’s POVA freezing shock jolted me awake.Cold water splashed across my face, seeping into my clothes, making my skin burn against the icy chill. My body ached, throbbing in sharp waves, but the worst pain radiated from my side—right where I had been stabbed.I gritted my teeth, forcing my eyes open.The dimly lit room spun for a moment before my vision cleared. Chains. Thick silver chains bound my wrists, wrapping tightly around my arms, burning my skin where they touched. I tested my strength, yanking at them, but the metal bit deeper, sending a searing pain through me.A low growl rumbled in my throat.Then I saw him.My father stood before me, arms crossed, watching me with amusement. His expression held no concern, no regret—just pure satisfaction.Hatred surged through me like fire in my veins."You’re awake," he mused, tilting his head as if he were examining a weak animal. "Good. I thought I might have hit you too hard."I flexed my fingers, my nails threatening to extend i
Scarlet’s POVI kept my breathing steady, my body limp. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to remain still.I wasn’t unconscious.I had heard everything.Every word.Alex had surrendered. He had given himself up to save me.I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was an idiot for sacrificing himself. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when his father was still here.The moment Alex was dragged away, the heavy silence in the room made my skin crawl.I felt his presence before I even opened my eyes.He was still here.Watching me.Waiting.I forced myself to stay still, though every muscle in my body screamed at me to fight, to run. But I couldn’t act too soon. I had to wait for the right moment."How pitiful," his voice finally broke the silence, laced with amusement.I felt my fingers twitch.A soft tap of shoes against the floor signaled he was moving closer. I fought the urge to react, gripping the cool handle of the dagger Alex had slipped into my hand before surrendering.His
Alex’s POVI had reached my limit.For years, I had let my father control me, manipulate me, use me. Even after knowing the truth, a small part of me had held back, hesitating to completely turn against him.Not anymore.Scarlet had nearly been taken because of him.He had played his last game.I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white as I drove straight to the prison. My beta had just informed me of what happened—my father had used his illness as an excuse to lure Scarlet into a trap. He wanted her, maybe to use her against me, maybe for something even worse.The thought made my blood boil.The moment I arrived, I didn’t wait for clearance. I stormed through the gates, ignoring the guards calling after me. My rage was a force of its own, pushing me forward."I need to see him. Now," I demanded.The guard hesitated before exchanging glances with the officer beside him."He’s not here," one of them finally said.My muscles tensed. "What do you mean he’s not here?""He esca