CHAPTER THREE

MERILYN

Never in my thirty years of living did I think I’d ever have a one-night stand, and not just that, I’d woken up to him still stuck inside of me.

My legs quivered as a familiar rush of sensation coursed through me at the memory.

The feeling of him filling me up, nudging at a part inside my body I never thought existed.

My body had instinctively clamped down on him as I pushed him off, sending a mini release through me.

Oh Goddess.

“Snap out of it!” I muttered, squeezing my thighs tightly.

I just cheated on my mate. I should be mortified, horrified that I’d done something as hideous as that.

Instead, I was here fantasizing about the stranger I’d woken up with this morning.

Warren may have cheated—no, he definitely cheated, but I wasn’t him. I refused to stoop to his level.

And then there were the memories of last night. Goddess, just let the ground swallow me!

It’s a one-night stand. The chances that you’d ever see him again are zero.

True. I exhaled with relief. I was never coming back here, not while I could help it, and if at all there was any chance we’d come across each other in the future, he probably wouldn’t remember me.

My phone rang for the hundredth time this morning, and without glancing at the screen, I ended the call.

Warren just wouldn’t give up. The image of him with the maid kept circulating in my head, and each time my heart grew heavy, tears welling up in my eyes.

“Don’t, Merilyn. You’ve grieved enough. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

I sniffed, wiped away my tears, and glanced around to look normal. But I was far from okay. Deep inside, I was a crumbling mess. The pain refused to ebb, despite how hard I shoved it to the back of my mind.

The tears flowed this time, and I pulled my hoodie over my head, shielding myself from the world.

“Damn you, Warren. Damn you!” I whispered.

When the hoodie didn’t feel enough, I buried my face inside my sweater and cried.

My body shook, and my heart squeezed as if someone had shoved their hand into my chest and dug their nails into it.

My stomach clenched, my lungs clamped, and I heaved as the lump in my throat grew.

My beast whimpered, pleading for our mate. The same man who’d hurt us beyond repair.

“Miss, are you okay?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I could hear the person debating with someone else as they walked away.

My stomach grumbled, and I paused before letting out a small laugh. “Way to go on distracting me.”

I sniffed, rubbed my sweater over my face as I looked up, and stared at the time displayed on the board.

Fifteen minutes until my flight. I eyed the cafeteria in the distance, pulled out my wallet, and gauged how much to spend before leaping to my feet.

I’d barely taken three steps when someone suddenly grabbed my phone.

“Hey!” I screamed, running after him. “Get back! Help! He stole my phone!” I screamed as I ran after him, wincing with each step I took.

On a normal day, I would have caught him in a second, but I don’t have one-night stands with a beast of a man who fucked me tirelessly until I was sore down there on a normal day.

Just as I slowed down, unable to bear the pain anymore, the thief tripped on someone’s leg, and the man yanked him up by his collar.

Relief flooded my veins as I limped towards the man and the thief.

“Here you go, ma’am.” He flashed a grin as he handed me my phone.

“Th-Thank you,” I said breathlessly, “thank you so much!”

I glanced at the thief and wished I could smack him across the face, but time was going, and I still hadn’t gotten something to eat yet.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him. You may go.” The man grinned, and I thanked him again before heading toward the cafeteria.

***

“Flight!”

I grabbed my bag, disposed of the wrapper and empty cup from my quick breakfast, and headed to the check-in line.

“Your ticket, ma’am.”

I handed my ticket to the staff, and a look crossed his face.

My brow knitted in a frown. “Is there a problem?”

He looked up with a smile. “No, but we might need you to step aside for now.”

“Why?”

“Just step aside! You’re holding up the line.” Someone yelled from the back, and I glared toward the voice before turning back to the man.

“Please, ma’am, I promise there’s no problem. We just need to confirm something with your ticket.”

With a defeated sigh, I stepped away and hovered around, watching as people boarded the plane.

Today was clearly not my day.

Finally, after they checked the last person, a man dressed in a suit with the airport’s logo walked up to me.

“Ma’am, we apologize for the inconvenience, but you won’t be able to board this flight.”

“Why? Is something wrong with my ticket?” I panicked. I had to get out of here before Warren discovered where I was.

“No, your ticket is completely fine. It’s just, there’s someone who would like to see you.”

I frowned, “So you delayed my flight because someone wants to see me.”

“Actually, he insisted on it.”

“I’m not seeing anyone. And you’re going to let me board this plane or else—”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

I spun on my heel to stare at the man who’d spoken. His appearance had an unnatural feature to it, unlike these humans. Men dressed in suits, looking very formidable, quickly surrounded us.

I instantly became wary. Did Warren send them?

No way.

“Please come with us. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” The man smiled; his grin sent a shiver down my spine.

I glanced at the humans behind me; they gestured for me to go, their gazes silently pleading.

“Who is this man? And why does he want to see me?”

“The Alpha Lycan King, King Kairen Hexiron Hammerold. As for why he wants to see you, you’d have to speak to him for that.”

My heart stopped, and I stumbled backward.

The Lycan King? I’m screwed.