Chapter 4

Aritzea’s POV

Fuck! Why hadn't I killed him?!

Why did I let him off with just a scratch?!

Aritzea Duval, this is the most disappointing thing you've ever done!

With every step I took, my anger grew. Sure, I had managed to snap the heads of those men who had tied me up in that hell hole, but that wasn't enough. Not even close.

I should have killed him too.

I had the perfect opportunity. One move and I'd have snapped the head off the damn bastard. Instead, I had so foolishly left him with just a little scratch.

The thought of him lingered and I tried to shake him off my head. It was over and there was nothing I could do. But, his figure kept appearing in my head. His touch, his voice, the way he made my body react against my will— it sent a shiver down my spine. His wanton chuckles and his breath against my skin....

I despised it all. But my wolf seemed to disagree with me. I suppressed the weird feeling growing inside of me.

Gosh! Stop thinking about him!

The lights of our estate finally came into view, and I slowed down my laxe, trying to get a grip on myself before walking into the estate. The last thing I needed was to alert everyone that I'd been somewhere I shouldn't. Especially Thorne.

He should never find out. Ever.

I glanced around quickly as I scaled the side wall, avoiding the main gate entirely. I slipped through the shadows, making my way to the back entrance of the house. I slipped inside as quietly as I could, the familiar scent of home wrapping around me. But before I could relax, a voice cut through the silence.

"Ari?"

My heart leaped into my throat as the familiar voice broke through the silence. I turned to see my younger sister, Laura, standing at the top of the staircase, dressed in a soft white night dress as she stared at me wide eyed. I just opened my mouth to tell her to shush her when I sensed my brother approaching.

Okay.... it was over. I'm dead, everyone. Go home. The story has ended.

"Not saying anything?" His stern voice sounded from behind me.

I gulped as I turned around to meet stern golden eyes. My older brother, Thorne, stood in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest. And he did not look pleased.

"Where have you been, Ari?"

"Nowhere." I answered, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Nowhere?" His deep voice cut through the air, the sternness in his tone making me flinch. His eyes bore into mine, demanding answers. "You have been missing since last night, Aritzea. Do you think we wouldn’t notice?"

Okay.... he was definitely not fooled.

Of course he wasn't! He isn't a fool, like you, Aritzea!

The lie I was cooking up died on my lips before I could say it. There was no way I could fool my brother, but how could I tell the truth? He would be worried and even angrier than he is now! And I did not want to face an angrier Thorne.

So I decided not to say anything.

"Ari..." His tone softened slightly, but the tension in his posture remained. He wasn’t going to let this go easily.

I looked away. "I'm fine."

Stop asking.... stop asking… please, just stop.

Luckily, Laura seemed to understand my feelings and cut in to help. She coughed, her small hand touching Thorne's arm. "Maybe she just needs some rest, Thorne. Let’s not push her too much." she said softly.

Thorne huffed in frustration, but he relented, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Fine," he muttered, turning away. "But we’ll talk about this later."

I let out a sigh as he left, my shoulders relaxing. When I looked up, I met Laura staring at me. As soon as our eyes met, she looked away, her pale cheeks stained with a light blush.

"Thanks for the help." I whispered to her.

She nodded softly, not saying anything. I paused, observing her for a while.

"Laura." I called.

She looked up.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah." She whispered.

I could sense that she had something bothering her but I also knew she had no intention of sharing. Well.... we all have our secrets.

So I merely ruffled her hair before leaving.

When I reached my room, I peeled off my clothes, tossing them aside as I strolled into the bathroom. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror opposite and I paused, my mind subconsciously thinking back on what had happened.

A suspicious heat pooled in the lower abdomen at the memory of his touch—the way his hands had caressed my skin, the heat of his breath against my neck...

Fuck!

I couldn't help but curse out loud shaking my head, trying to banish the thoughts. I couldn’t let him have that power over me. I wouldn’t. But even as I told myself that, the memory of his lips grazing my skin played over and over in my mind.

Deep down, I felt my wolf burning with a passion that I definitely would not acknowledge. I forced myself to look away from the mirror, clenching my fists in anger.

"Next time I see him," I whispered to my reflection, "I’ll kill him."

For the next few days, I spent my time trying to erase him from my mind. But his presence clung to me, impossible to shake off. My wolf, damn her, seemed to malfunction with the slightest thought of him.

Such a fool!

So, when Thorne summoned me to his office, I gladly welcomed the distraction.

I pushed open the door of his study, a place that used to belong to our father. Thorne looked up at me as I entered, signaling to the seat in front of him. I sat down quietly, hoping he didn't mean to ask me about that day.

"You can stop being so tense. That's not the reason I called you here." He said without looking at me. It was as if he could read my mind.

I coughed, embarrassed. "So, what am I here for?"

"There’s an event," he began, his tone brisk and businesslike. "A gathering of both werewolves and vampires."

I paused, trying to make sense of his words. "Vampires?" I repeated, my voice tinged with surprise and anger. "Why would we—"

"It’s a diplomatic effort, Aritzea." Thorne interrupted, his eyes narrowing with slight displeasure. "Both sides have agreed to this to discuss certain... issues."

Diplomacy? With vampires? I scoffed at the thought.

He seemed so unbothered. And for a moment, I couldn't help the anger that bubbled in my chest. What the hell made him think diplomacy with vampires was a wise decision? Was he out of his mind?!

"Have you forgotten what they did to our father?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

He paused, his dark green eyes tinged with hurt. At once, I regretted my words but I couldn't take them back.

"No, I haven’t forgotten. It wasn’t just your father, Ari. But there are things more important than our personal vendettas. You need to be sensible."

I said nothing. As much as I hated the idea, he was right.

"Fine. I'll go."