Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

ACE BECKHAM

One tap.

My fingers around the phone tightened, the screen light reflecting in the darkness of my gaze. Sophie was being recorded.

Second tap of my finger on my bed cushion.

Betty and Belladonna splashed her. With a drink.

Sophie was splashed.

Mom’s therapist had said one thing to me years ago that had stuck. Especially when Hockey had not been in my life, when I had no other way of letting out aggression in ways that didn’t end up in blood.

She said five taps. In my head, on my fingers, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that I tapped five times. And if I couldn’t get my beast under control at the fifth tap, then I was free to spill blood.

Third tap.

Laughter. Everyone in the proximity of the hall laughed, they stared at her, mocking her. My nails threatened to break under the harshness of how tight I held onto Mackenzie’s phone.

While I watched as the ice-cold drink soaked the outfit she wore that had almost brought me to my knees, had Mackenzie not gratefully interrupted.

Fourth Tap.

Tears.

Her tears, my fucking weakness. I didn’t reach the fifth tap, I couldn’t.

I stood, throwing Mackenzie’s phone to the wall with an anger so intense, it shattered. Pieces of it flew around, cutting my ivory skin, and Mackenzie’s face too.

She screamed, her hand whipping up to protect her face from the splinters.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Her eyes were widened into a wild shock, her hand comingdown to reveal a little split on her lips.

Good.

I could feel my wolf clawing to be released, clawing to fucking bounce and shred the woman before me into pieces. A wolf I vowed to never release until I died. And I was about to break that vow.

I flashed over to her, grabbing her collar and slamming her back to the wall.

“Were you responsible for what happened to Sophie Fane in that video?” My voice was low, deadly.

Mackenzie’s body melted underneath my hold, underneath my rage. Because she had never seen me like this. No one had.

“Ace…”

“ANSWER ME!” I growled into her face and she shook, her eyes filling with tears. Useless tears.

“I… I didn’t, why would you care about what happens to the nerd?” She was shaking underneath my hold now, her words slow and careful, “we don’t… associate with the bitc—“

“Finish that sentence. I fucking dare you.” My hand went to her throat, squeezing.

Mackenzie paled, gasping as her long fingers dug into my hand. She could barely breathe. She clawed, trying to rip my hand away “Ace… please, I can’t…”

Fifth tap.

I ripped my hand away from her, my breath so heavy it felt like a physical weight was on me.

“Fuccckkk!” I rasped, shoving my hand through my hair.

Mackenzie fell to the ground, her hand on her throat, coughing over and over as she tried to take as much air as she could.

I turned to my table, grabbing my keys and headed towards my door— where Mackenzie still knelt, still coughing.

“Get out, and get everyone in this danm place out before I get back.” I ordered, malice coating my words. “And make sure everywhere is cleaned until it’s sparkling like a danm star.”

I exited, banging the door hard. There was no way in hell I was letting Sophie clean up their mess.

Ignoring the jabs from my hockey team mates, and girls who stared at me like they would die if I just looked at them, I hurried out the mansion and towards my car.

I only prayed she was exactly where I thought she was.

****

SOPHIE’S POV

I sniffed, tying my hair up into a ponytail as I poured an order. My shaky hands on the coffee machine was all it took for Henry, my boss to soften up.

“Sophie, you do know you can take tonight off right?” He asked softly, Henry was young, maybe a year older than me, or two. “Considering the state you came in, I would think you would need to at-least get that ankle checked.”

I tugged a strand of hair behind my ear, my lashes already wet from so much crying. “I know, but I need this right now. I… I don’t know.”

Henry sighed, he had lent me a big white top and a jogger pant that I had changed into, and then some flip-flop he wore in his office. My leg hurt so bad, and I needed to get it seen, or even treated. But that meant going to the hospital. And that meant seeing Mom’s unmoving body.

I wasn’t ready for that. I had no idea if I ever could be.

“And you are not going talk about what happened either?” He gave a knowing smile, his tote bag in his hand, he was closing for the night.

I shook my head, not trusting my voice not to break.

Henry nodded, patting the back of my hand, “Alright then, close as soon as you’re done. Don’t stay up all night, Sophie, I mean it.”

“Got it, boss.” I smiled at him as he exited the coffee shop. Even though staying up here all night was exactly the plan.

If I was busy, then it meant I didn’t have to think about what had happened. What Betty and Belladonna had done to me.

It meant I didn’t have to remember what Ace and Mackenzie were probably doing right now.

Sighing, I grabbed a paper towel and began cleaning the coffee machine.

The door bell jiggled as someone pulled it open and then closed.

“Welcome to Mr Grey’s Coffee shop. How may I…” I looked up, my words dying in my throat.

Because standing at the entrance of the Coffee shop, was Ace Beckham.

His hair was roughened, like he had run his hand through it over and over angrily.

He still wore the outfit from the party, a white shirt underneath a black leather jacket, and black pants.

He exhaled, staring at me with a look that seemed a whole lot like relief.

“Ace?” My voice was small. Cracking. “Wha… what are you doing here?”

And just like earlier, I felt the shame curl up my bones, especially if he had seen the video. Or seen me being embarrassed like that. He was the last person on the planet I wanted to see me that way.

He reached behind him, flipping the sign board on the door that read ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’

“Hey! What are you doing? I’m still open!”

“Not anymore, you aren’t.” His brows held frustration as he walked up to the counter.

My jaw was wide open, my fingers on the cleaning rag tightening in shock. “I don’t understand…”

“You’re done here.” He said more slowly. “I’m taking you back.”

My back straightened, my eyes narrowing. “I don’t want to go back to the mansion… at least not tonight.”

I walked— limped towards the door, I was shocked that Ace was here. I felt my stomach even churn at the fact he noticed I was gone. But the memory of him going into that room with Mackenzie wrapped around my ribs with hurt and anger.

I fisted my hands, I had no right to be angry… Ace and I were… hell, there was nothing like Ace and I

It was just me, the silly girl who had a silly crush on someone who was way out of her league.

Tears blurred my vision, and just as I was about to reach and turn the Open sign post back on, Ace caught my arm, his eyes wide with shock and fury while he stared at my leg.

“What happened? Why are you limping?”

I pulled my hand away from his hold, taking a step back as I frowned at him. “Why not go ask your girlfriend, Mackenzie?”

“Mackenzie?” He looked genuinely confused. Did he not see the scene? Or at-least the video, it should have been viral by now.

And it was then I noticed the cut on his cheek bone, one that looked like a nail mark. One same Mackenzie probably gave him when they were in their sexual ecstasy.

Bile rose in my throat at the thought, my ribs constricting at the image of someone else touching him. Even if he didn’t belong to me.

“I need to work. I know I took a job at the mansion and I will definitely come back after the job here to clean the mansion up, just…” I grabbed a hold of the back of a chair, wedging my balance.

I was in so much pain it was even a surprise I could stand.

Ace exhaled, and next, he pulled a chair out and sat.

My eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

Ignoring me, he pulled another chair and put it in-between his legs. I swallowed at the sight.

“What does it look like I am doing, Sophia?” That dang wrong name again. “Sit.”

Before I could even think of correcting him, Ace grabbed my wrist softly, pulling me down until I lost my balance and sat on the chair that had been inbetween his spread legs.

I gasped, “Ace!”

“Stay still.” He ordered, and bent towards my leg, pulling it up until it rested on his thigh.

My breath quickened, heat like nothing I had ever known raced through my blood and into forbidden parts of me.

ACE CAN SMELL YOU, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

My checks barred a hot red as I stared at him. Ace’s head was dipped towards my leg that now stayed on his thigh, his hair falling over his face and covering the corners of his eye.

My heart raced like I had run a marathon.

I tried to pull my leg away, “You don’t have to hel—“

He looked up at me, that annoyed look where his brows scrunched up and he looked so devastatingly beautiful was back. “Are you normally this stubborn or is tonight just an exception?”

I parted my lips to speak, colorful curses already forming in my head, but then I closed it back, crossing my arm with a huff and falling back into the chair’s backrest.

Ace’s entire face held a concentration of a skilled doctor as he inspected my swollen leg again. And the pulsing pain from the ankle now I could see it, was justified.

The swell was red and bold, almost like a joint had actually dislocated. I was never wearing a heel again.

“I’m going to massage this a bit, I am going to need you to hold onto something.” Ace said, his blue eyes meeting mine again.

I swallowed, my eyes searching for whatever was close to me to hold on to. There was nothing.

I felt his hand tense around my ankle and I screamed, “Wait, I’m not ready yet! Oh goddess that would hurt wouldn’t it?”

I was shaking, full on panic clawing at my chest. I expected Ace to roll his eyes, or show his annoyed expression again, but instead, his eyes held something else. Something softer.

“Here,” he tapped on his shoulder. Bringing it closer to me. “Hold me. And if it gets too painful, feel free to bite down.”

I hiccuped. “You… want me to bite you?”

“Why do you keep repeating everything I say?”

“I’m not!” I shot at him, “It’s just, who in the their right senses would want to be bitten? That’s just… Barberic.”

He tilted his head, “It might come as a shock to you, Sunshine. That some people actually enjoy getting bitten while they are being fucked senseless. ”

“W-what?”

“You heard me.”

I blinked, heat crawling up my neck. “I… no, I don’t think anyone would want that. It would be… I don’t know.” Painful? But even as I said that, the image of Ace in between my legs, buried deep inside me, his lips on my neck, kissing me and then, biting down at the same time his dick hits a spo—

“Would you like me to demonstrate?” His eyes trailed down to my lips, and my breath caught. “Considering that once again, despite my warnings. You are in heat.”

“Ace!” I screamed, my cheeks red hot from embarrassment.

But all that came to his face was faint amusement instead. “Tell me, Sophia, have you been fucked before? Or are you a clueless, little virgin?”

Oh heavens.

My heart rate spiked up, my eyes as wide as saucers as a hot bead of sweat raced down my neck.

I peeled my gaze away from his, my eyes on my unsteady fingers.

Ace turned his attention back to my leg, like he hadn’t just unraveled me with mere words. Again, of all the hockey players I could have chosen to crush on… why did it have to be him?

“Again, hold on to me.” Ace ordered, placing his index fingers on either-side of my swollen ankle. “And bite down when you need to.”

“I don’t need to bi—“

Without waiting for my full response, he put pressure, and a pain so white and blinding shot through my vision.

I screamed, my arms wrapping around his neck and face falling into his shoulder before I could even think it through.

And when I felt the joint of the swollen ankle snap back together, my entire body convulsed, and I bit down on his shoulder. Hard.