004| Morning Encounters

MENA

I woke up to the sound of the water in the bathroom running, and when I cracked an eye open, I saw that my bathroom door was open, and I remembered closing it before I went to bed.

Fury washed over me and I hadn't even woken up properly yet.

What was his problem?

I decided to wait for him to finish, and the whole time, it was torture trying to calm myself down. I certainly didn’t forget what he said to me the day before. Jerk. What gave him the right to talk to me that way?

Who did he think he was?

Now that the shock had worn off, I was beyond pissed at what had happened. I should've said more; I wasn't sure what, but maybe I didn't tell him off enough. Yes, my mother's warning was in my mind, but if I didn't impose myself, he would crap all over me.

I knew it.

At last, he finished. I even heard his door close—I could hear everything. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then got up. I was in my favorite pajama pants and a t-shirt that belonged to my father. It smelled like him, and I wore it to bed because it made me feel like I was home.

I missed it.

My father was a member of the Rebel Moon Pack, which wasn't too far away from here. My old home was there, and I was still registered as a member there. It was my plan to go back once I was done studying to work at the only hospital our pack had.

I genuinely wanted to help people. It was always something I was interested in doing.

The bathroom was foggy, and it smelled like him. I crinkled my nostrils and closed my door. His was closed, too, so that was reassuring.

I headed over to the sink to brush my teeth. I would only shower when I was sure he wasn't home. I grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the mirror right above the sink so I could at least see my reflection, and I screamed when I saw him standing behind me.

I whirled around and he chuckled. I hadn't even seen him when I walked in. He was leaning against the wall, just a few feet away from me, with a towel wrapped around his hips, hanging so low that I could see the deep V-shaped line on his lower abdomen and the light trail of hair that disappeared under his towel.

I made sure to keep my eyes up because I could see the outline of his...whatever.

His hair was wet and hung over his eyes as he walked toward me slowly. They never left my face. "See, I knew you wanted to see me naked."

"I heard you close the door," I said through clenched teeth. "You knew exactly what you were doing. I didn't know you were in here!"

I started toward my door but he grabbed my arm to stop me. I tried pushing against him but he said calmly, "This towel will drop to the floor and then I'll be naked. Keep fighting me and I'll know that's what you want, kitten."

"Don't call me that," I snapped. "And let me go right now!"

Jude tilted his head to the side. "I thought your mother said you’d be happy to do whatever I wanted. What happened to that? Maybe I have to ask her."

"What do you want from me?"

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. I didn't trust it at all, and I trusted him less. "See, I think I was wrong about you, stepsis. There's something about you...I changed my mind."

"About what?" I asked, disgusted by the feel of his hand wrapped around my arm.

"I think you're down to do anything," he murmured, inching closer to me. "You play the part of a prude, but I think deep down, you really want to play and be freaky. Am I right, or am I right?"

I managed to tear my arm from his grip and headed toward my door, but with no warning at all, he crashed into me, and I crashed into the door, and he trapped me. He was standing right behind me, and I could feel the hardness of his body against mine. "Going somewhere, stepsis?"

I hated the pleading tone in my voice. "Let me go. Please."

"Now she's asking," he chuckled, blowing minty breath in my face. "How polite. Maybe my father was right about you after all." His lips were only inches away from my ear now, and he asked in a whisper, "Is that how you'll beg me to fuck you, little stepsister? In that sweet little voice, too? Because it'll happen at some point. We both know it will."

I turned my head to look at his face, and he looked amused but hesitant, and I shoved his chest as hard as I could. "Stay the fuck away from me!"

I opened the door, hurried into my bedroom, and locked the door. Thankfully, there was a lock, and I'd make sure to use it from now on. Bastard. How dare he say such a crude thing to me!?

How was I supposed to go on living like this!?

I focused on taking deep breaths to calm myself, but it was pointless. In the end, I didn't return to the bathroom. I grabbed my things and searched the house for another bathroom. Thankfully, I found an empty room with an en-suite bathroom and cleaned up as quickly as I could.

Then, it was time to head downstairs. I couldn't hide up here forever.

Maybe he was gone. I told myself this the whole time I descended the staircase.

No such luck.

When I reached the living room, Jude was there, sitting right next to his father, eyeing me over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Good morning, Mena," Alpha Marcus said to me cheerfully. Mom glanced at me and smiled, but didn't say anything. "How did you sleep? Well?"

I eyed Jude. What would his father think of his perverted ways? Would he berate him, or kick me out for causing trouble?

I was so angry that I didn't care for a moment, but I changed my mind quickly as the promise I made to my father crossed my mind. I looked away from Jude and nodded. "Uh...I slept just fine. Thanks."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Jude smirking. The bastard. I started to sit down but Jude stood up as quick as lightning and made his way around the table. He pulled out my chair for me and said, "Allow me."

We made eye contact. I knew I had no choice. I sat down, not taking my eyes off him, and when I looked away from him, I saw that his father was smiling at us both. Didn't he know this was all an act? That his son was a devil?

I lost my appetite. I wouldn't be able to eat anything.

"So," Alpha Marcus began, "classes start on Monday. You've got the whole weekend to explore the pack. I was thinking I could ask our driver to show you around and—"

"No, of course not," Jude cut in, turning his head to stare directly at me. "I'll take her. Nobody knows this pack better than I do." He smiled and poured himself more coffee. "Besides, we'll have a blast. What do you say, Mena?"

I looked at Alpha Marcus, then at my mother, who gave me her characteristic warning look.

What choice did I have?