Ashley POV Really, I had no idea what to say. This could have been an opportunity for me to tell him the truth, that the two of us had been engaged and mated since the age of eighteen. But then, he had cheated on me and I had called off the engagement and rejected him. Now I might have to change all that. Frankly speaking, I did not hate the idea of it anymore. I was the only person he trusted and, as I admitted a few hours ago, I felt that I was starting to really like him, perhaps because of the bond that still lingered between the two of us or because it was only me who was there, no matter how scary it was. And I will keep my promise to him - I will help him get through the amnesia. But I still could not get the image of him and her out of my head. So, despite it hurts more than anything in the world, more than when I break my collar bone falling down a hill or more than all the words and "jokes" from my friends, I decide to lie. "There was a girl who visited you earlier," I st
Ashley POV I stared at him incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me, right." "I don't think so," Clark replied, sipping his cup of coffee unwillingly. "I will help you as much as I can, but it all depends on you." "I... I..." I trailed off. Hesitating. "You hesitated?" "That does not even come close to describing how I feel," I admitted and nervously scratched my arm. "I... I will try my best, I really will. But..." I cut myself off right then and there. I had only promised Jayden that I would help him through his amnesia. I did not need to bring him back to the top of the music industry again. But I knew he had suffered and worked hard and spent too much time in his life to lose it all just because he was ignorant and impulsive enough to run drunkenly through the streets at the wrong time. On top of that, I also felt a little guilty. Despite him - or rather, I could call him an asshole scumbag. If only I had never let him down so much, he probably would not be in such a de
Ashley POV However, then I remember Jayden's face when he looked at Clark. I recall the anxiety creeping into his voice as he spoke to me, and he looked so desperate as he tightly held my hand. He had become someone entirely different. Afraid and vulnerable. So close to his dreams yet suspicious, confused, and alone. Now, he only trusts me. Of course, I couldn't forget how his eyes were fixed on his dear girlfriend as well. As that scene replays in my mind, my wolf, Lea, starts to whimper and feels a sting. Eva had been discussing her favorite solo performance as I reminisced when she said something that caught my attention. "'Tyler James'?" I repeated. "Who is he?" "Are you serious, Ash?" Eva exclaimed. "I have been talking about BHB for years, and you're just now paying attention?" "Sorry," I said nonchalantly as I checked the time on my phone. It seemed like the class would start soon. "You never listen to me when I talk about my interests." "Oh, is that so? Okay, I will kee
Ashley POV "Sweetie? We are so sorry that we have not been able to call you back until now. Jayden's parents have been in a frenzy since noon, trying to find a cheap ticket back to Beverly. We did not worry you, did we?" As it turned out, it was my parents who called me. My dad's gentle, low, humming voice comforted my ears. Truth be told, I was a little worried when they did not answer my phone calls even during lunch. I had left a voicemail that I had something important to tell them but had no time to think about it anymore because of school matters and battle plans. By battle, I mean the battle against Jayden's amnesia. "Did you know that their son had an accident last night?" The piercing voice of my mom pierced through the phone line, making me wince. She was a beautiful, strong, determined woman, and the woman I admired most in the entire world, but her voice could cut through diamonds. "Yeah," I said, holding the phone slightly away from my ear and turning down the volume
Ashley POV Not even bothering to say goodbye, I simply ended the call abruptly. But still, I could hear my mom's voice, like a spell being cast inside my skull. Her words felt coiled around me and pierced my skin, like cold metal razor wire, and I felt like I really wanted to punch one of the mailboxes around the building. Seeing that it would cause ten times more damage than I could ever hope to, so I better leaned my forehead against the cold concrete wall and tried my hardest not to scream out in anger, frustration, or whatever you want to call the swirl of emotions churning inside my stomach. Just around the same time, there was the sound of the double glass doors opening behind me and two to three pairs of feet rushing inside, probably because they wanted to get away from the cold immediately. I did not pay much attention to the faint familiarity of their voices as they promptly started whispering loudly. I did not even notice anyone approaching me until they touched my shoulde
Ashley POVI was surprised by the offer at first, but I quickly turned it down. I know it sounds crazy that I was asked to have dinner with the most popular Pop Idol Boy Band currently in the world and I turned it down. Even a lot of people out there are dying for it. But here I am turning it down.Hunter shook his head with a slight smile. "I think it's time we got to know each other. Or what do you think, Jamie?"Jamie who was standing beside Tyler, chatting quietly, when he turned around. "Did we really buy enough food for all of us?" he asked hesitantly."We did buy the usual amount," Hunter replied. "And I highly doubt that she will eat more than Jayden."It seemed Tyler wanted to open his mouth to make a remark but Hunter quickly shut him up. "You are not allowed to say anything," Hunter chimed in. "What do you think Jayden would say or do if he saw the way you treated Ashley?""There is nothing. She doesn't even like us," Tyler said in a cold voice. "Jayden told me that she wou
Ashley POV So I followed them into their apartment. Frankly speaking, I had not expected that this house inhabited by seven dudes might be the cleanest house in the world, but it turned out to be much worse than I had imagined. What used to be used to take care of the needs of a family of four or five people, had now turned into a home for seven hotties and handsome bachelors, to be frank. I could only imagine how often they ordered delivery food like pizza or Chinese food if they liked or fought over the two bathrooms that I could see at each end of the narrow hallway that spanned the apartment. Tyler was the fastest to kick off his sneakers and hurry down the hallway, with Hunter following close behind. "Hello? Is everyone home?" "We are home!" Hunter called out cheerfully. "And we have a guest!" As I tried not to stare at the floor-to-ceiling shelves full of shoes and various beauty products that completely covered the east wall of the hallway. They were lucky that there were n
Ashley POV "That doesn't make sense," Tyler said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Jayden told me that you guys don't like each other, and you can't even stand him. So tell me why?" "I just..." I was trying to find the right words. And yet, my mind was a mess, so I had no choice but to follow the second commanding voice, which was the heart and feelings of the wolf inside me. "If you were me," I started gingerly, "would you let the son of your parents' best friend lose sight of his childhood dreams? I have known Jayden pretty much my whole life - we grew up together, spent every vacation together, and celebrated everything from birthdays, life, and death together. He can be a jerk at times, you could say, but he was always there for me when no one else was. You might think that my family's wealth and good name earn me friends wherever I go, but it's the opposite. It wasn't. All my life, I have always felt like I lived by myself." To tell you the truth, I had not intended fo