"Keanne," I said, then smiled, lowering my head a little.
I loved how his name felt on my lips, and even more so, the satisfied look on his face, like he loved it too. He smiled, then gave a slow nod. "Yes. Make sure to return it." I nodded immediately. Without another word, he turned away, his steps heavy. I watched his back, feeling my heart beat rapidly increase. His leaving was just as beautiful as the way he had come, and I found myself murmuring his name again, enjoying the feel of it on my lips. "What happened to you, Cora? You are bleeding!" Ava yelled, removing the towel she had tied on her head to dry it off. Even though her family was rich, she did not live with them, and spent most of her time in the pack house with me. At first, I didn't like it. Now, I keep an extra toothbrush. "I think I am okay. Even more than okay." I smiled, biting down on my lips a little. Ava scanned me suspiciously. "I am not quite sure what is wrong with you, but I think you should get out of those clouds and clean up so we can go shop for dresses." My face immediately fell as I remembered I had absolutely no money to shop for dresses. I had used it all on repaying for the plates, and I couldn't even hope for more because I still had more to pay. I gave Ava a weak smile. "How about we let it be tomorrow? You see, I am injured now and I still need to tend to the gardens. The coming of age is next tomorrow, isn't it?" Ava nodded. "Yes, but...do you still have money? If you need my..." "No," I said. It came out a little sharper than I had intended, and I smiled to tone it down. "I do have enough money for a dress. Don't mind me, okay?" Ava nodded, then walked to my closet, which we mostly shared. "I am going to meet Ethan now, then. I had intended to just make him tag along with us, but I guess we can just go tomorrow, you and I." I nodded, my curiosity drifting to something else. "Ava? Does it...feel good?" "What?" Ava asked as she pulled the top above her head. "Being with someone who isn't your mate. Do you like it?" Ava shrugged. "I do. And I hope he is my mate. Why? Do you like someone?" I immediately shook my head. "Just curious." Ava said nothing more as she dressed up, then waved a quick good bye and left the room to me. I closed my eyes and leaned back, hugging the jacket to myself, his scent engulfing me. He was so perfect, it brought a smile to my face, the tingles of his touch causing my toes to curl a little. Hell, I could relive this morning five more times if I could. KEANNE I crossed my legs over the large couch as the mall attendant brought the suit racks to me. There were a whole lot, and I felt my head start to ache from all the colors. I do admit I felt better than I usually did after a night of women and alcohol, but I would rather not be stuck here choosing suits like I am about to get married. The commitment alone scared me. "What color would you prefer, sir?" They still did not know what to call me, and that is fine. It is not easy to come to terms with the fact that my father, the alpha could be so weak in front of his very own son. I looked up. "Black." "Black suits are quite common and..." "Then why did you ask?" I snapped at the attendant, causing her to flinch. She gave a small bow. "I apologize. If you like, there are other fits rather than just a suit, and we can show them to you." I didn't reply as I rubbed my temple, willing my bad mood to go away. I had woken up on the wrong side of my bed, and I wasn't even so sure why. CORA I followed Ava to the mall, then stopped walking as we reached the front, my breath catching. It looked so expensive, and even the small money I had managed to scrape up from doing extra this morning would not be enough for whatever was in there. "Let's go, Cora. What are you waiting for?" I swallowed. "This place looks so..." "They have the best clothes you can find here. So we will go here. Okay?" I said nothing, allowing myself to be dragged by Ava who seemed relentless and excited. We slowly went in, and I stopped again, a familiar scent hitting my nose. I thought I was probably hallucinating, especially after hugging that jacket all night, but it did smell very like him. "Let's go." I nodded, snapping out of my reverie, then pushed towards the female aisle. Rows and rows of dresses met us, and a lot of other girls our age shopping too. They greeted Ava but paid no heed to me. It didn't bother me, though. I was used to it already. "This!" Ava shrieked, peeling off a purple dress. It was made to fit, but was made with transparent lace upwards, and then silk hanging to cover the sensitive part up. I couldn't imagine wearing it. "No, I don't want that." "I meant for me," Ava laughed, then brought it in front of her. "Wait here, I am going to the changing room. Look for something for your self!" I nodded, feeling almost abandoned as Ava ran down the long aisles to the changing room. I watched her disappear, then slowly, turned to the clothes. They were beautiful and carried price tags I knew I could never afford. I touched a red silk gown, and then slowly removed the hanger and brought it to my body. It was perfect. It would hug my figure down to my feet, before splaying out a little, with a few teasing ruffles on my waist. The neckline wasn't so modest, but teasing enough. I sighed as I started to pull it away from my body. I had no money for it. "I would kill for you in that dress." I turned sharply, and Keanne stood there, his nice smile gone, a ravishing hunger set deeply in his eyes. He gave a small smirk as his eyes roamed me, then settled on my eyes. "No, I would die for you in that dress."My eyes widened, and I felt the surge of familiar heat to my legs and cheeks. It weakened my knees, and I held my breath as he stepped forward to me, his hand touching my shoulder, and he moved behind me.There was a mirror on the right, and he moved me slowly to it, leaning his face so it was right beside mine. He made sure his skin teased mine, and I closed my eyes a little, my lips parting."Imagine it," he said, bringing up the dress to my body, then holding down the waist, his thumb lightly grazing my waist.I swallowed. "I really can't...""Add this to my bill," he said. He wasn't talking to me anymore, but to the attendant who nodded immediately.He moved his face into my neck, so when he spoke, the movement of his lips teased my neck. I swallowed, feeling my chest heaving, and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.His scent filled me as I hoped mine did him, and I made a mental note to find out if scent was a huge part of wolf attraction. I couldn't even remember the scent of
My eyes widened, my fingers clenching into the shards of already broken glass settled in my palm. "Don't be a hypocrite, dad. Have you forgotten about the mate bonds?"He laughed. "I definitely haven't, and that is part of it, really. She is an omega. Not just any omega, but the Crawford's omega." He gave a small, dark chuckle as his eyes fell on her again. She had her back to us, and she was talking to someone, her tone low.I swallowed as I followed my father's line of sight, feeling bile rise up my throat. I didn't think I was possessive about her, or we even had anything I ought to feel possessive about.But for some reason, reasons I didn't want to acknowledge or think about right now, I found the vile throes of anger clenching on my heart. It wasn't near as feral as when I had caught Kiara cheating on me, but right now all I wanted was to see blood. On the floor, in my hands. I wanted to paint the pack with blood and it didn't matter whose. It would be great if it is the blood
KEANNEI watched the flowers as they lit up under the moonlight and the combined lights of the pack. My hand bled, but I still held a cup of whiskey wrapped in my fingers, the glass stained with long lines of my blood. I watched the flowers, anger brewing at the back of my mind, my body running cold. I hated what this anger was doing to me.She was just a girl. One of so many I had to choose from. Normally, if I didn't get a girl, which happened very, very rarely, I wouldn't even remember her face within twenty minutes.But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Cora in that dress, her body fitting the silk like it was made with her in mind, her hair tumbling down in those gorgeous waves....I bit down hard on my lips, closing my eyes. And to think she would belong to my father, and occupy the space my mother wanted till she took her last breath. The space that giving birth to me had taken away from her because my father simply could not accept me. To think that it had to be Cora.Sudden
I closed my eyes as the Whiskey burned down my throat, my chest feeling slightly constricted. My heart felt on fire, and the Whiskey seemed to only add to it. I cussed under my breath, my eyes closing again. I needed to forget her now. And push my father to the back of my mind.This is what he wants, and I was dead set on not giving it to him.After a few minutes, however, I found my eyes opening again, the agitation filling me up. I grabbed the cup of Whiskey, flinging it across the room to the wall where it shattered with an ungraceful sound, the pieces bouncing off the wall and landing everywhere.I swallowed hard, bringing my hands to cover my face. It was a foul attempt, as her dress was still tightly clasped around my hand.I swallowed hard, watching it for a moment, her eyes under that moonlight, ladden with tears and looking up to me that helplessly...weirldy it haunted me. It haunted my soul and I hated her for that too.I unwrapped the dress, then let it fall to the ground.
KEANNEI put a hand on the right sode of my neck, my chest slightly heaving from the exertion. The punching bag in front of me was still swinging around from the last punch, the one where I had chaneled all of the anger I felt inside into it.It did feel much better now.Pushing my shirt, a black vest more precisely, to peel it away from my skin, I walked back to the small table to grab the bottle of water I had set there earlier.I would need the relief to go about the rest of my day. Just before I reached out however, someone else grabbed, then pulled it away from my reach.I gave a small sigh, then extended my hand to my father, urging him to give it back."Someone doesn't seem too happy."I grabbed the water, then opened the cap, pouring some over my hair. I shook my head to get rod of the extra, then pushed my fingers through the strands to peel it back."The childish antic does not look good on you."He chuckled, adjusting his sitting position on the table I started to walk back
CORAI kept my head low as Alpha Blake walked away, then brought back a bottle of wine and two glasses."Here. It's a toast."I swallowed, meeting his eyes. He looked happy, but I needed no soothsayer to see the wicked glint behind his eyes, the darkness behind his smile. I felt a cold chill run down my spine as I watched him, then bit down on my lips as he gave me a cup.He had filled it halfway, and he let his gaze hold mine in place, urging me to drink.His right hand held his own glass while the bottle dangled loosely from his right hand. I slowly moved the glass, then clinked it with his like he obviously wanted me to.His smile grew wider, and I closed my eyes, gulpimg the entire thing."Easy, Cora. There will be a lot to celebrate and a lot to toast to."I nodded. "Y..yes."He smiled again, then droppeed the bottle and glass away before he walked back to me. "I will walk you around my humble abode. I would have loved for you to meet my son, but oh well."I swallowed. "Too bad."
CORAI stared into his eyes, my breath slightly hitching. His eyes were lightly clouded with hate, his eyes thin, and I raked my fingers through my hair, my lips sucked in."But, Alpha....""There are no buts, Cora. If indeed you want to marry me, then you will have to stay from him."I swallowed as he suddenly moved closer, his eyes finding mine. He was beautiful, and nothing about his face could indicate that he could have a child as old as Keanne.But he was an alpha, on second thought, and if he so wanted, he could be immortal.He brought his right hand to softly cup my face, his thumb running along my cheek, his eyes fixed on mine."I do not mean to come off as scary, but I think everything will slowly come to light on its own. For now, just obey me.."I nodded rapidly, swallowing hard. Slowly, he leaned forward, and I closed my eyes tight. He leaned, then left a small kiss on the right corner of my lips.It was not as euphoric as when Keanne cupped my face, or even the anticipat
KEANNEMy fingers reached for the open buttons of the classic black shirt, and I parked the car, my eyes turning to the club. I have been here thrice already since I came, and here I am, again.But I can barely lie to myself that I don't need it.I grabbed the keys to the exclusive suite I had brought the first time, well not because I didn't like all the bodies downstairs, but for that night, I wanted to be alone in a distracting place.I stepped out of the car and a valet ran up to me, then collected the keys and immediately started to walk towards the car.I made my way to the front door, my eyes meeting the security."Keanne," I said simply, and he immediately moved, opening the door for me.I sighed once I got in. The colors reflecting off the walls, the loud giggles competing with the music. I swallowed, then walked down to the bar. Once my drinks were ready, I directed him to the upstairs inner balcony seat I would wait in till I eventually got tired, and he nodded immediately.