003 - Ashina

“How dare me?!” I spat as my chest rose and fell with every ragged breath. Hot anger coiled around me. “You bastard! You’ve been alive this whole time? Watching me? Letting me think you were dead and you’re asking how dare me?” I let out a humorless laugh as my head rang with my reality.

After everything—

Kael’s jaw ticked, his fingers twitching at his sides. “You dare—” His voice was low, barely contained fury rippling beneath the surface.

“Yes, I dare,” I seethed, stepping closer with my fingers digging crescent holes into my palms as I glared at him. “Because I spent years suffering, mourning you, believing I was crazy for feeling you, for dreaming of you. And you just—” My breath hitched, and I shook my head. “You let me rot, Kael with absolutely nothing and now you’re standing in front of me as what?!”

Kael exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. His eyes glanced beyond me and around us that’s when I noticed the audience we had, the inhumane beings that had taken residence in the restaurant. Some of whom were holding a battered Cormac down. But they were all watching.

I scoffed as the realization of what was going on dawned on me. He was their Alpha, and I —I was no longer his mate, not in their eyes. I was an inferior and yet I was treating him with such disrespect. That was his concern, right now?!

“We’re not doing this here,” he said, his voice edged with warning as he stared at me with a heated gaze and tried to grab my arm. “Let’s go somewhere—”

I let out a shaky and bitter laugh and recoiled from his outstretched in disgust. “Go somewhere with you?” I spat each word soaked with as much venom as I could muster. “I’d rather burn in hell.” I spun away from him instantly to leave the restaurant as Kael’s expression darkened.

I was done with this.

“You’re not leaving,” Kael ground out. “Not until—”

But I was already moving. Spinning on my heel, I bolted. A rush of wind followed as Kael lunged, his fingers grazing my wrist—but I twisted and slipped out of his grip like water. 

I couldn’t even look at him at that moment.

I shoved past the stunned onlookers, out of the restaurant as the hot afternoon air blazed against my heated skin.

My heart pounded as I threw myself into the street and a taxi slowed at the curb. I yanked the door open and scrambled inside without missing a beat.

“Drive,” I gasped. “Just—drive.”

The driver barely spared me a glance before pulling into the street. I pressed my forehead against the cool window, sucking in air, but it didn’t help. My mind was burning and unraveling. Kael was alive. Alive.

The air conditioning hummed, sending cool relief across my skin, but my mind refused to settle.

5 years! I’d spent 5 years trying to pick myself up from the pain of him rejecting me and then making me watch him die, leaving me alone in this world that the devil incarnates breathed and yet he was alive!

I clenched my hands, forcing myself to breathe. I had to get out of this town. There was no way I was staying here if he was here. I was done with life as a wolf and I wasn’t going back to that.

My life here was already ruined anyways. There was no way Cormac was going to give the lab the grant after that and what exactly was the use of staying back.

After a few aimless drives, I gave the driver the address to my apartment with a solid decision to get the hell out of there before I saw his revolting face again. 

The moment the cab screeched to a stop in front of my apartment complex, I threw money at the driver and stumbled out, sprinting up the stairs. The elevator was busted—again—but that didn’t even slow me down. Two flights of stairs up, my hands shook as I shove my key into the lock and it clinked.

The door burst open and the darkness in the apartment swallowed me whole.

I didn’t even bother with lights as I made a beeline to my room. Bags. Clothes. Everything I needed to pack and leave no trace, I got to work on it.

My hands moved on instinct, pulling open drawers, stuffing essentials into a duffel. There was no time for precision. It was just grab and go.

The front door slammed open and I froze, spinning as my chest heaved heavily.

“Ashhh!”

Maya.

Shit!

I’d been so caught up in my mess, I’d totally forgotten about her.

I rushed out of my room and stopped short at the sight of my best friend. She was drunk, stumbling, and laughing. Her face lit up and she crackled as her eyes landed on me. “Ashhh! You will not believe the day I had.”

I exhaled, pressing a hand to her forehead. I couldn’t deal with this now. “Maya, not now.”

“But now is the perfect time,” Maya giggled, collapsing onto the couch. “I met someone. God, he was—mmm. Let’s just say I had fun.”

I groaned and stormed to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water, and shoved it into Maya’s hands. “You need to sober up. Drink.”

Maya took a sip, then hiccupped, grinning. “You always take care of me. Love you for that.”

And I was leaving her. My throat clogged

I pinched the bridge of her nose. “Where were you?”

“Ohhh, just out. With him,” Maya said, her grin widening. “He was... intense. So much fun. And hot.”

I scowled, my forehead furrowing. Wasn’t she meant to be at work? What the heck was she even talking about? “Maya, you don’t just—”

“Relax,” Maya purred, tossing her head back. “Best day ever. He had this… thing about him, you know? Like he could just—ugh, I can’t even explain it. But his hands and lips were magical, Ash.” She giggled, running her fingers over her lips. “And that tongue of his—”

“Okay, I don’t need details,” I snapped, my frustration at her nonchalance at this moment threading through my voice. She didn’t deserve it though. Not my snapping nor my suddenly moving out.

Maya only laughed harder. “But Ash, I swear, it was something else. He was so rough at first, but then—” She let out a dreamy sigh. “I think I might have met my soulmate.”

I stopped short as Kael slammed into the forefront of my mind. I shoved it down immediately. Down to the pit of my core where it belonged.

Trust Maya to say the damnest things at wthe orst possible times. 

“You’re drunk off your ass, and you think you found your soulmate?”

Maya shrugged lazily. “Stranger things have happened.”

I rubbed a hand down my face and placed the back of my palm against her head and my brows dipped even further. She was warm, too warm. Almost like she was getting a fever.

Really universe?! Right now?!

My stomach twisted. “Maya,” she said carefully. “Are you okay? Where the hell have you been?! You’re burning up!”

Maya hummed, tilting her head, her fingers brushing her collar. “Some club. Don’t remember. But—” She laughed, her eyes flickering with something hazy. “He liked to bite.”

“What?”

Maya giggled, turning her head, her shirt slipping just slightly.

Ice shot through my veins as I saw the jagged mark on Maya’s neck, just below her jaw. Raised, raw skin, the unmistakable imprint of teeth—of a bite.

A werewolf’s bite.

I stumbled back, my breath catching. No. No, no, no.

My shaking fingers reached out, gently tugging at the fabric of Maya’s shirt to reveal more.

My stomach lurched but Maya barely noticed, too lost in her drunken haze. “Told you,” she murmured. “Best night ever.”

My hands were ice. This wasn’t—this couldn’t be happening. How could a werewolf—

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The door of my apartment rattled on its hinges, a deep, guttural growl vibrating through the walls.

“Ashina Kai,” a voice snarled, low and lethal. “Open this door. Now.”