“Are you really looking forward to the day when I had to leave you?”I know already that Hogan and I would not live together forever.We were ready for that from day one.It was supposed to be normal to hear from him that someday soon, I had to leave his side.Even so, I felt bad and sad.It was so selfish of me to feel wrong when I asked Hogan many things, and he provided what I needed to survive.But I’ve done what I shouldn’t have done. I asked him the question, and now while I was looking into his red eyes, I waited for his answer, hoping that it could explain why my heart was in pain.“I am not driving you away, Elizabeth,” he said. The end of his intonation was soft, and gentle as if he purposely softened his rough voice when he called my name.Hogan leaned closer. Although he did not touch my shoulder, I felt so protected by his reassuring gaze.“You are a good woman,” he said. “And that’s more the reason why you don’t deserve to die.”I raised my eyes, observing his. For the f
The archery lesson will start today.I was so excited that I woke up earlier than usual and began my routine exercise.“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one…”As I wrapped my left arm around the bent leg and gently turned my torso, I noticed that Hogan was glancing at me while he was stretching.Since he was looking, I felt more vigorous, like a student who wanted to boast to her teacher.When I jumped up and down, swinging my arms, I did it energetically as if to show off to Hogan that I am prepared enough to start our new training.Hogan peeked at me, turned around, and tried to hide the smile. He was laughing at me, but I didn’t feel annoyed at that.As a matter of fact, I prefer seeing him smile.Hogan was cold and expressionless when we first met. But nowadays, I noticed that he smiled more often than before, which is a good thing.I finished my routine exercise in a flash, and it was surprising that I didn’t feel tire
On the verge of giving up, Hogan's rough voice came from behind. “Your movements were tense." A huge body overlapped mine as Hogan stood close. His chest rested on my back. And when he stretched his sturdy arms, I was locked in between. 'He’s too close.’ “The reason why you kept on messing up is because of your upper body’s posture. Keep your shoulders down,” he whispered, and his baritone voice bounced left and right in my ears. It sent shivers from my skin to my spine, and down to my toes. I wanted to move away, but I was rooted in my spot. “Bring the bow up to shoulder height. Like this,” he said, guiding my shoulders. I inhaled sharply, and when I did, Hogan’s earthy and minty scent penetrated my nose. It reminded me of a calm sea, but my mind was far from being serene. “Your arm should be fully extended, and turn away your elbow as much as you could,” Hogan said, pulling the wrist gently. He drew the bow back in a straight line that my hand touched the side of my face.
“WHY DID YOU OPEN THIS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? WHY?!” His gruesome shout boomed in me like thunder that froze each of my active nerves. From his hand to his eyes, I could see wrath. They were clouded with a mixture of disapproval and disappointment. My breath went shallow, every time I exhaled, I felt my lungs drying. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I stepped back from Hogan. “H-Hogan.” After I called his name, there was an enormous silence, leaving only the sounds of his rough breathing and my huffing voice. I stepped back. He stepped closer without soothing his murderous gaze. ‘He looked so angry that I thought he would kill me right now.’ The rumors about him being a merciless murderer flashed back in my mind. And there was underlying proof behind those rumors now that I could see Hogan’s eyes narrowing vertically. His eerie eyes were enough to make me feel as if my skin was ripped apart. Innate fear took hold of me, and goosebumps rose the moment I faced a beast wit
Hogan’s POVElizabeth was really scared and sad after I yelled at her.When I saw her standing in front of the open door of that room, I felt so mad, I couldn’t control myself.I thought she deserved it since she did things she should not have done. But after I walked out and cooled my head, I realized that I was too rough.Even if she did it on purpose, I knew from the moment I saw her scared face that I would forgive her in the end. Elizabeth just opened the door, and she didn’t step in. That was on my mind at first. However…[“I am not l-lying. When I went there, I was surprised to see it open either. I thought you were inside, so I was trying to check if you were there.”]Recalling what she said, she seemed honest saying that it wasn’t her fault. I failed to listen and jumped to conclusions out of impulse.‘Maybe, I should apologize to her instead.’But how?After a minute, I went back inside and saw Elizabeth sitting on the chair. I told her to come out and continue her training
Elizabeth’s POV“I felt so sad and mad when you accused me. So, please apologize to me. Apologize to me, Hogan.”My heart was fluttering after I asked Hogan to apologize to me.Way back then, I had no guts to ask the people around me to apologize.[“Good for nothing!”][“It’s your fault because you’re unlucky!”][“When things went wrong, you need to beg for forgiveness, Elizabeth.”]My stepmother and stepsister’s words were still embedded deeply in me. I learned that even if other people wronged me, I should just lower my head, pretend that I am okay, and apologize. However…[“If you feel wronged and sad, you should express your anger. Shout. Say that you're mad and fight back.”]Hogan taught me to fight for myself. Feasibly, this is the first time I was encouraged to fight for myself ever since my mom died. And I wanted Hogan to know that I deserve his apology.Hogan’s eyes doubled their size but soon subsided.“I am sorry, Elizabeth,” he sincerely apologized.His face showed it all,
When Hogan’s tongue licked the honey dripping on my arms, it gave me a static feeling of being electrified. His tongue was warm and wet. The tip of it which was encircling my flesh made me ticklish, and there was a tingling feeling from my curling toes up to my scalp. Goosebumps. One-of-a-kind goosebumps. I don’t know how to explain how good it was to see him licking me. It was a pleasure that I had for the first time. Slurp. Hogan sucked the dripping sweet honey. When he gulped, his Adam’s apple moved up and down. My head churned in a fire. But I couldn’t move, as if I was toasted in my spot. I must pull my hands away. I must ask him what the hell he was doing. But Hogan seemed so into it, that if I stopped him, he might bury his teeth on my flesh. Imagining that, I gulped. The moment the sound of my gulping echoed around the kitchen; his heavy eyes went to me. Our gazes met. His pupils dilated and he gasped. “…!” As if he was also surprised at his own action, Hogan mov
[“I prepared a wedding for you and Hogan. You need to persuade Hogan to attend the wedding with you.”] Reading it once wasn’t enough. Therefore, I read it again with my voice. “I prepared a wedding for you and Philip. You need to persuade Hogan to attend the wedding with you.” I lifted my head and processed Philip’s command. I think the Alpha’s real power is to make me illiterate. Because every time I read the letter Philip wrote, I lose the ability to read. I can understand each word, but the whole sentence confused me. “He said he prepared a wedding for me and Hogan,” I mumbled. I could understand each word, but the whole sentence confused me. It was so strange that Hogan and I would have a wedding, and we were not prepared. Why would Philip arrange such a thing? We all knew that Hogan and I weren’t each other’s mates. And Philip even promised to let me go once he reached his goal. Then, it sunk it. The reason might be because Philip wanted to… “Kill Hogan,” bitter words