004

~~ ARIA ~~

I am supposed to be scared about this bold move I am about to make.

However, I am not.

And honestly, I don’t know what is fueling my courage. But I have to do this for me, for Alec, and my pack.

But mostly for me because there is no way I am going to marry Alpha Magnus.

So here I am, in a cab heading to Thorne’s pack to negotiate with him.

He is the Alpha of Black Crest pack after all. So he can talk to the council of elders in his pack.

When I get to the pack house in Black Crest pack, I let out a slow breath trying to summon all the courage I have.

I pay the cab driver and thereafter alight from the cab.

I ring the gate bell and an old man opens it almost immediately.

“Can I help you?” the man asks politely.

I guess no one can recognize me since I have been gone for five years, else this man wouldn’t be so nice to me, judging that our pack has been attacking theirs, and vice versa.

“I’m here to see Thorne,” I tell the man.

He looks at me from head to toe and then back to my head.

“And who are you?” he asks, his voice laced with suspicion.

“Lacy. Thorne is expecting me,” I lie with a tight-lipped smile.

“Well, Alpha Thorne doesn’t live here. He left this house to all homeless pack members. He usually directs anyone he doesn’t want to see to this place. So child, go home. Our Alpha doesn’t want to see you,” the old man says, about to close the gate but I stop him.

I have to see Thorne and I am not going to give up.

“Sir, please can you be kind enough to tell me where he lives? I really need to see him. I need his help,” I plead with the old man.

“Just go home, kid. If Alpha Thorne wanted to see you, he would give you his main address. No one knows where he lives now,” the old man says.

I know he won’t give up such delicate information easily, especially during times of war like this, so I do what I think can salvage the situation.

I bring out a thousand-dollar bill worth of cash and hand it over to him.

“Please?” I plead again.

Something glistens in the old man’s eyes when he sees the cash. I can see his fingers twitching.

“Don’t tell him I told you, okay?” the old man says, but his eyes are fixated on the cash I hold.

“You have my word,” I assure him.

He looks around to see if anyone is watching before he snatches the cash from my hand and quickly puts it in his pocket.

Afterward, he gives me Thorne’s new address.

I thank the old man and hail a cab.

On my way to the address, I can’t help but think how thoughtful it is of Thorne to leave his pack house for the homeless.

I make a mental note to talk to Alec about doing so too.

When I get to the address, I instantly know that Thorne lives there. His taste for luxury hasn’t reduced even after all these years.

When I get to the gate of the mansion, someone opens it immediately before I knock.

“Who are you?” a goofy-looking man asks.

He looks like he hasn’t had an ounce of sleep in weeks.

“I’m Lacy. Thorne…” I pause and correct myself. “Alpha Thorne is expecting me.”

“She’s probably the third girl,” he mumbles and sighs deeply.

“Are you speaking to me?” I ask him.

“No. You’re the last call girl he’s expecting, right?” the man asks tiredly.

Call girl? Me?

However, I have come this far, so I am not going to let this opportunity slip.

“Uhm… Yeah. Yeah, I am. The call girl,” I answer.

“He’s in the living room, just pass through the front door,” he says and steps aside, opening the door wide for me to go in.

I thank him and go in.

The thought of Thorne expecting a call girl makes my heart twist painfully but I shove the feeling aside.

I know I should have knocked and honestly, I don’t know why I don’t.

I just open the front door and step in.

I would have marveled at how magnificent Thorne’s house is, if not for the shocking scene that greets me.

Thorne sits on the sofa, his hand running through his hair.

“Fuck… Aria,” he groans as a blonde girl keeps stroking his cock with her hand.

Did he just moan my name?

I tell myself it means nothing and that I don’t care.

Still, my fingers curl into fists and a strange heat creeps up my neck making it hard to breathe.

The other red-haired girl sits on the glass table naked, her legs spread open as she touches herself.

Seeing another girl touch Thorne’s cock, I feel a sharp sting in my chest.

My chest tightens with what I can’t name. Or maybe I can but am not ready to admit it.

They are so carried away that they don’t even notice me coming in.

This makes me realize that it is high time I get over my unhealthy obsession with Thorne.

“Thorne,” I call out, my voice breaking a bit, making him look in my direction.

All this doesn’t matter to me, yet my voice betrays me.

I think he will even apologize for what I see.

But he doesn’t.

“The fact I said your name means nothing,” he responds, avoiding eye contact with me.

“You girls can go now, my main course is here,” he tells the girls with a smirk.

I am the main course?

The girls frown, and if looks could kill, I’d have dropped dead when they look at me.

They glare at me like I am a stumbling block to them.

However, they dress up and leave.

All through the while, Thorne doesn’t even bother covering up immediately.

It is like he wants me to see all of him, and honestly, my mouth waters when I see his big cock.

It is big, just the way I like it.

As if that isn’t enough, Thorne looks at me and asks me a very ridiculous question.