GINGER:Something hard and warm presses against me, the steady rise and fall beneath my cheek soothing in a way I don’t want to question. The scent is familiar, and before my mind fully wakes, I run my hand over it, letting my fingers trace the shape beneath me. It is hard yet soft in a way that my body enjoys.Then a low groan rumbles beneath my palm, causing my eyes to snap open. I am lying on Hu’s chest, my hand caressing his face.Panic strikes my chest, and I jerk up, scrambling away from him so fast that my back nearly hits the other side of the bed. My heart pounds as I stare at him. His hair is a hot mess, his lips slightly parted from sleep, but he looks so hot. Fuck, did I just say that?Oh, god.I bury my face in my hands, cursing myself. Why couldn’t I keep my hands to myself? Worse, why did it feel so good? I don’t even want to know if he was awake for it, because that would make me want to kill myself more than I already do.Caspian crosses my mind, and I slap my forehea
GINGER:“She’s really the coolest. My mom would send a driver or make Hu drive me home,” Hana says, and I force a smile at the mention of Hu’s name.“You don’t have to worry. I’ll help you get your bag,” she adds, and both Wendy and I glance at her.“So that you can meet my mom?” I ask, raising a brow.She shakes her head with her face contorting. “Because you’re my friend, and you need my help.” She throws an arm around my shoulders.“Just admit you have a huge crush on her mom and be done with it,” Wendy says, crossing her arms, her brows furrowed.“It’s not a crush! She just inspires me so much. She’s so young, badass, and coooool!” She drags out the last word dramatically, pressing down on my shoulders until I yelp in pain.“Sorry, sorry,” she apologizes quickly, pulling her hands away.“Her mom will be here any minute, and we should get back to class. Also, I hate restrooms,” Wendy mutters, making her way toward the door. Hana hooks her arm through mine, pulling me along with her
HU:I know I have broken every code among guys, and to be honest, I don’t feel bad about it. The moment I saw Ginger’s text to Caspian, I knew I had to do something. Classes are busy today, but I would give anything to make her feel better. Talking with her yesterday made me feel good, and I am not necessarily repaying her, but knowing she is in pain makes me uneasy.I have no idea how Caspian can sit through the entire school day with this information. Well, he doesn’t have sisters, but I do, and they are never in the best mood during their cycle. The first time Hana got hers, she rained down on the entire house. That same week, she was so emotional that everything at home made her cry. It’s a good thing I have two sisters because I know exactly what to do for Ginger, even though I have never helped mine—because no one would trust the dysfunctional child to administer care.“Thank you,” she mutters, and I look up to meet her eyes.She walks to the bed, sitting on it before I turn to
GINGER:I know Hu is like a ticking bomb, but I believe he is capable of so much more. He is just hurt, and he needs the right people—or person—to help him. I will not say I am the right person to help him, but I will try my best because I know how it feels. If I didn’t have Caspian, I do not know what I would be doing at this point because he keeps the ill thoughts of harming myself away.“Yes, we are friends,” he replies as his grip on the chopsticks loosens. My heart calms a bit, and I think of the best way to keep his mind away from whatever is bothering him.My mind keeps telling me to open up about my own problems, but I do not want him to freak out or tell my mum that I am hurting myself. It would weigh her down, as she has already been through a lot.The room remains silent for a while, and after a moment, I inhale sharply, then I speak.“Last night, you opened up to me about yourself, and I think it would be unfair if I said nothing to you.” He keeps his gaze on me without sa
GINGER:My heart thumps in my chest as the taxi comes to a halt in front of the house. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car, then slowly make my way to the front door. Just as my hand reaches for the handle, my mother pulls the door open, her brows wrinkled.“Hey, Ginger’s back!” she announces before I can say a word.I swallow hard as I hear Caspian’s voice in the background. My mother shifts to the side, allowing me to step inside while keeping her eyes on me, making it clear I’m in trouble. The moment I walk in, I spot Caspian by the living room door.“Hey,” he says in a low tone, cupping my face. I look into his eyes, trying to convince myself he deserves what he got for the way he treated me.“Are you okay?”“Yes, Ginger, are you okay?” my mother asks, her tone laced with anger, making me grab Caspian’s hand as I lead him toward the stairs.“Let me grab my backpack,” he says, stopping me halfway. As he walks to the couch to pick it up, I stare at my mother, who has
HU:The thought of Ginger and Caspian together makes my blood boil. As I pull up in front of my house, I spot Caspian walking back into hers. That should be me, but I decided to screw it up with my issues. Fuck, I hate my life, and I would give anything to be him.As I drive into the compound, my phone rings, and I glance at the screen to see Ruby’s name. Angrily, I shut it off and park my car. I get out, slamming the door as I march toward the house.I spot my mum in the living room as I walk in, but I ignore her and head straight for the stairs.“Good afternoon to you too, Hu,” she says, and I groan, turning briefly.“Good afternoon, Mother,” I say, then make my way upstairs before she can say anything else or engage me in an unwanted conversation. I rush to my room, shut the door, and walk to my bed.Ginger’s window is open, which makes me believe nothing inappropriate is going on. I lie down, shutting my eyes, trying hard to drift to sleep, but it’s almost impossible.At that mome
GINGER:Waking up with Caspian by my side feels right. I am not insanely attracted to him like I am to Hu, but I think I love it this way. There is no second-guessing if he loves me because, clearly, he cannot do without me, and he would do anything for me.His arms wrapped around me make me feel safe, and I would give anything to let this moment last.“Good morning, sleepyheads.” I hear my mother’s voice, causing me to flip my eyes open to see her standing by the door with a smug smile on her lips.I open my eyes properly, looking around to see that pillows are lined between Caspian and me. The feeling of him spooning me was just the pillows against my butt. His hands are on me, but he withdraws them as soon as he opens his eyes.We both sit up, and I glare at my mom, my brows wrinkled.“Good morning, Anna,” Caspian says, and my eyes widen. They’re on a first-name basis now? I know I disobeyed her, but she is trying hard to get to me, and, god, it’s working.“Good morning, Caspian.”
GINGER:The events from the hallway keep playing in my mind as the geography teacher blabs in front of the board. Hana hasn’t returned, and it’s been over thirty minutes, which makes me worried. Suddenly, the door opens, and Hana walks in with a red face. I can tell she has been crying, and it makes my heart drop. If Hu knows his actions hurt people, then why does he keep doing it?Silently, she gets into her seat in front of me. I itch to ask her about Hu, but I cannot, because that would raise suspicions. So I sit there painfully until the class is over, then I reach out for her.“Are you okay?” I ask, and she turns around, giving me a slight nod before letting out a sigh.“I don’t know why he keeps doing this. He knows it will cost him a lot if a teacher sees him that way, but he doesn’t care. No one knows the reason for this, because he won’t talk. He says we don’t care about him, but he doesn’t make it easy either way.” The crack in her voice makes me realize how much she cares f
HU:Six in the evening, I show up at Ginger’s house dressed casually. Mrs. Orbblood opens the door as usual. This time she gives me a warm smile instead of taunting me like in the earlier days.“Good evening, Mrs. Orbblood,” I greet with a slight bow. I am trying to be the perfect gentleman whom she cannot say no to.“Well, hello, Hu,” she replies as I walk into the house. “You can call me Anna, and I made my special soup.”“Mum!” Ginger groans, and we both look at her, standing by the door leading to the living room, fuming with anger.Mrs. Orbblood leans towards me, whispering, “She hates when I am friendly with her friends.”A chuckle leaves my lips briefly, but Ginger’s eyes shoot me a hard look, which causes me to clear my throat.“And I heard you guys,” she says. Then Anna shifts for me to mee
HU:The plan to get Ginger and me to the human world is in motion. It has been in motion since graduation day. Today, I am supposed to meet with one of the service engineers who works in the portal room. I’m supposed to have access to the portal, but I guess my mother doesn’t trust me enough. Well, she’s right not to—because I would have used it anytime they annoyed me, which is every time.Hiram has one in the mansion in Las Vegas, which he took over after he left for the human world.Finally, I make it to the portal room, opening the door to find the engineer inside. He’s in his usual gear, scanning me as I walk toward him.“Prince Hu,” he calls out in a steady tone.“Mr…” I hesitate, reading the tag on his shirt. “Pierce.” I call out at once, flashing him a smile. His brows remain crumpled as he glares at me, arms crossed over his chest.“I believe you understa
HU:A lot has been on my mind lately, especially the fact I need to go somewhere and be alone with Ginger. I cannot tell if it is the impending pressure from the duties I will take up in the future, but sometimes I feel I am sliding back into the past where I was depressed. I hate it so much, and I have been holding out the strongest because I do not want Ginger to worry about me.Also, she holds it down for me too without even knowing or trying. It is like when I see her, the dark cloud hovering over my head disappears, so I want her even more than I have her now. I want us to be together every second of the day. Knowing she has to go home at some point makes me sad and mad every time.Yes, we are neighbours, but the distance still feels like hell. I want to be the only air she breathes, my face the first thing she sees in the morning. The moon goddess made her mine, so why won’t everyone allow me to just have her forever? I have been scared to voice my thoughts to anyone, even my th
GINGER:Hu’s mouth lingers at the inside of my thigh, his tongue moving in slow strokes that makes my skin quiver. Every kiss he places there is maddening, and he savors me, worshiping every inch of my skin like he had promised. His hands grip my thighs, spreading me wider, and the cold air hits my core, intensifying the heat in between.He breathes in deeply, his nose grazing my folds, and I shut my eyes, biting my lower lip to muffle my moans. I wait for a moment, but I feel nothing. This drives me to the edge as I throw my eyes open, looking down at him to see he is looking up at me. Then his tongue dips into me—slow and deep. The wet slide of it makes my back arch off the bed, hips jerking toward his face. He holds my left thigh, grounding me as his tongue works me in slow circles.His tongue flicks up to my clit, then down again. He works in long, wet strokes—licking me open, dragging his tongue through my folds like he is starving for it. A low groan erupts from his lips as he p
GINGER:Hu leads me upstairs to a room in the house, shutting the door behind him as we walk in. He finds the light switch, turning it on. At first, it feels like déjà vu, but then it strikes me. This is the room we had sex in on the first night at the welcome party.“I guess every beginning deserves an ending,” I say to Hu, who raises a brow, unsure of what I am saying. “Doesn’t this room look familiar?” I question, and he opens his mouth to speak, but then he realizes.A smirk forms on my lips as I walk to the bed, sitting on it, running my hands over the sheets. The exact sheet we did it on—or maybe they just have a lot of sheets in the same colour and design. Hu walks towards me.“Are you sure you want to do this, or will you walk away from me again after…” I barely finish my words when his hand fists my throat, swallowing the words with a rough, messy, and desperate kiss.His
Ginger:“Look, Caspian and Hu have been having a conversation for over ten minutes,” Hana says, but I refuse to take my eyes off the Monopoly board as I think it is just a lie to get me to fail.“That is goal one of this party achieved,” Wendy says, taking her eyes off the board, and when I see Hana isn’t trying anything funny, it dawns on me they are every bit serious.My attention falls solely on the two of them as their eyes remain on both boys. Then I turn slightly to see them discussing happily. This lifts off a heavy burden from my chest, which I didn’t know had been there for a while. Probably for months.“That brings us to phase two of this party,” Hana says, and I look back at them to see both of them glaring at me with what appears to be a forced smile.My brows furrow slightly. “What?” I ask.Hana lets out a sigh at first.“I know you have said a million time
HU:Left to me, I will not be at Caspian’s party. I wanted something for just Ginger and me, but I know this means a lot to her. I do not know what it feels like to have two mates, and I hope I never have to find out. Well, I won’t because I am so sure I do not have two mates.It is already time for the party, so I drive across to Ginger’s house. There she stands, dressed casually in a miniskirt and crop top, which strikes a few nerves I try to suppress as she walks towards the car. I open the door for her from inside—a little too jealous of her choice of outfit.“Hey,” she says, leaning in to kiss my lips.“Hey,” I mutter as my eyes descend to her exposed lap before going back to her eyes, which are still in mine.“Why are you looking at me that way?” she
GINGER:Today is Hu’s graduation. It is supposed to be a happy day for him, but his face has been gloomy from the start. I understand his fear, but he makes it look like I will run off with some guy before he blinks an eye. We are at the graduation ground, which is full of family, friends, and students, all waiting for the ceremony to finish.We are sitting in a special spot which is reserved for the Alpha’s family. Luna Holly invited us to sit with them because of my tie with Hu. Hana and Wendy are seated beside me.“You know it’s been more than two months, but I still cannot believe you are Hu’s mate, and I have been sharing you with him ever since,” Hana voices, seeing I will not take my eyes off Hu. Her words barely register in my mind as Hu’s name blasts from the speaker for the athlete's achievement award.He stands up gracefully, making his way to the stage with his face in a frown. He looks good in his blu
GINGER:Hu’s words hit me hard as a feeling of embarrassment warms my face. Anyone with self-dignity should walk away from someone who has such vulgar things to say in a demanding tone, reducing you to nothing. But even I question my self-worth. I should at least be scared, but my body finds him hot, and I imagine what he just said.“Sit exactly where I want—on my fucking cock.” His words replay in my mind like they have been branded inside my skull.Honestly, I have been turned on the moment I saw him doing bench presses. The way his muscles flexed with each rep kept sending untold sensations to my belly. His hands slip from my waist as he pulls away, walking back to the bench. I don’t know how he still looks so calm when I feel like I’ve been shaken down to my bones.Hu lowers himself onto the bench and spreads his legs slightly, resting his arms on his thighs. Then his eyes lock on mine again.“Now,” he says, his voice softer but still layered with that dominance that coils heat in