ZADEShe tries to get away from me, but I only pull her closer to me as she stumbles on my chest. I wrap my arms around her, eyes closing as I kiss her head. A lone tear streaks down my cheek as I press her closer to me in a hug.โthough good times and bad times, one thing you should know is that my love for you rings true,โ my throat chokes up, but I donโt let her go. โwe have to defy the odds, I will fight destiny, and prove myself to you.โShe is shaking, crying as she presses her face into my chest.โI am going to show you that you are my only one.โLifting her, her legs wrap around my waist, and bury her face in the nook of my neck. I start walking towards the massive bed in the middle of the room and sit down on it, livie on my lap.โI love you,โ my hand pats her head, running it down her long hair before pushing it away from her face and gazing into that beautiful face. โI love you, Olivia Bates.โโI love you too.โI lean forward, kissing her tears, gathering her in my arms. Ol
ARIโhow fit do they need us to be?โโas fit as running off the teenage hormones to guarantee everyone is too tired to cause any problems.โโeasy for you to talk,โ I think my chest is carving in. I am in terrible shape, almost passing out after running one round on the track. โyou get to sit on the bleachers and just watch as we die.โMimi only pushes her glasses up. โwith good reason. That field can turn into a hunger games sometimes. I would rather cheer you on from here.โโWhere is the gym teacher anyway?โ I look around, face crunching as I get my breath in control. I am a piss poor wolf, in awful shape human and wolf form.โI donโt know but your game is starting. You should run along.โโI donโt want to play with people who hate me. I donโt think I will be picked even if I showed up.โ I start making my way up the bleachers before a whistle goes off behind me.โI guess thatโs your cue.โโunbelievable.โ Olivia is standing there, dividing the group into two teams, her skater skirt so
ZADEโshe broke my nose!โI walk over to Olivia, leaving the unconscious girl alone as I kneel next to Olivia. โlet me see.โHer bone is broken in two places. โit's going to hurt, so breathe in.โ I snap the bones in place. She yelps in pain. โI am sorry. Are you hurt anywhere else?โโI think my arm is broken too.โ Her left arm is limp on her lap.โ she is a psycho. Did you see how she was just smiling even as she was being hit? Who behaves like that?โโdonโt mind about her,โ I align the bone with a snap and Livie winces. She is going to be all healed in five minutes.I look behind and see the teacher instructing two boys to lay silvers on a stretcher. They take her to the infirmary.โCan you walk?โ I look back at Livie who is touching her face.โI am fine, I should go wash up and check if my nose is okay. I donโt want it to heal all crooked,โ she stands up and walks off.With a sigh, I stand up and look at the girls who are all hurdled in a group talking about silvers.I walk in the op
ARIThe first thing I sense when I wake up is that I am not alone.Someone is flipping pages beside me. I open my eyes and turn to see who it is.โYou're awake!โMimi.I sit up touching the back of my head. I can't believe he hit me.โhow long was I asleep for?โโmmh, about two hours. The classes are all done.โโGreat,โ I get off the bed and stretch. โwhy is everyone such a bitch in this school? We respect for you of course.โโyou will get used to it.โโI donโt like how you say that,โ I glance at her. โdo you just sweep things under the rug because you donโt want to face them?โโWell yes. Thatโs me. I donโt like confrontation, I would rather die than put myself in that position willingly. But I do see how harsh they are to you. It's one thing to jump you but to hold a party and invite you to? Do they plan on killing you there?โThat perks my interest. โwhat party?โMimi looks like she has let something slip out. โoh, uh, no party. I never said anything about a party, what?โโyou said
ARICrowds are always jarring me.Loud noises and so much activity makes me feel like I am in the middle of a tornado and I can't escape it.Immediately I get near the massive black gate, the noises become more prominent. There is aloud heavy music playing somewhere in there, a stark difference from the dark, quiet path that leads to the residence.I look behind me, shoes scrapping on the pavement, and exhale. What do I need to do in there? I can be like Mimi, get in bed, finish my series, and sleep. Nothing will happen to me in the comfort of my bed. I didn't have to deal with this uncomfortable feeling or even the thought of how unpredictable things can get tonight.But I have been doing that all my life- laying low. In my comfort zone. I donโt want to hide anymore. I am itching to have some fun in my life and live a little and that means walking past the black gates and into that party.I dig in my blazerโs pocket and thumb the invitation card. Am I supposed to show it to someone,
ARIEver since I stepped into this school, I have been seen.Eyes have watched me get stripped off, thrown to the ground, stomped on, and left there to lie in my own misery. They have seen too much. They have seen the emptiness, the desire to be seen by another that plagues me, the cracks in my soul.I didn't have anywhere to hide; still donโt.So whenever someone looks at me, they look at me like they know everything about me.Charming isn't looking like he knows me or knows of me. he is looking at me as someone who wants to know about me, from me.โare you going to take a drink?โI am still holding the cup. It smells horrible. I think I make a face because he starts chuckling. โit's supposed to smell like that but it makes you feel good.โโdoes it taste as it smells?โโworse.โ he purses his lips and nods. โit tastes way worse.โI raise my eyebrows at him in curiosity. โI thought you would have encouraged me or even lied about it.โโI donโt want you to hate me when I have just met yo
ARII have imagined how it feels like to die.So many scenarios have gone through my mind including drowning. It's one thing to imagine and it's another to experience it.I am sinking, my limbs are usually flapping but I am still going down. The first instinct is to scream, but my mouth fills up my mouth eyes sting and the more I inhale, the more I feel like my lungs are giving up on me.No one is going to save me.At some point, I can only watch the lights above getting further and further, the heaviness growing inside me and pulling me under. The water ripples above me, but it seems like miles away. A figure is coming towards me, almost in slow motion.I start closing my eyes, beginning to feel light, starting to give up on the force thatโs urging me to kick and try to save myself. The urgency to live is slowly fading away.Hands grab my hand, jerking me and I try to open my eyes, I do but it's just too much. It feels so hard to stay awake.Someone is pressing on my chest, and a muf
ZADESomething has been wrong for days now.The girl I hate seems to have invaded my mind, body, and soul. I wake up thinking about her, I walk around the campus, looking for her, hoping to get a glimpse of her. I wonder how she is, think of her, and want to feel her around me.She is a disease, a virus that has crept up on me and invaded my senses. Nothing seems good enough for me anymore unless I feel her, I feel her presence and I am comforted by that.I have turned to this desperate person I don't recognize anymore. The only time I get to feel her is when she is asleep, then I can slip through the wall that she has put up. She doesnโt know how to keep me blocked all the time, which is working for me.I creep into her space, through the bond, watch her, feel her, and slip out as quietly right before she wakes up. Thatโs how my days are these days.This girl, this girl I am meant to hate and crush under my heel has turned me into a desperate, weak being.There is nothing I want more
ARIZade is letting me take what I need from him, this time letting me have my way on my terms.It has been that way from the very beginning, but tonight, it's like he wants me to take care of myself using him and, in a way, take care of himself too, by using him.So when I guide him and press him on my opening, we both freeze, breathing heavily before I urge him with a pull of his hips to push inside me.And heavens, it feels delicious. The stretch, the feeling of him opening me up as my walls accommodate him until he is fully seated inside me โฆI contract, squeezing him, feeling the girth inside me and I want to swallow more of him, suck him in and keep him there โฆ itโs a heady, good feeling.โWhy won't you love me?โ The hoarse whisper makes me open my eyes just as Zade looks at me. He is โฆcrying?โWhat?โ I ask, eyes wide.โWhy did you say you can't love me?โโBecause,โ I shift, and we both groan. His hips jerk in response, and he starts moving slowly. He has forgotten about the que
ARIWhen the body is exposed to extreme cold, at some point, it stops supplying the less important parts with blood in order to save the vital organs.It has been quite similar to me. I have spent most of my life just functioning, and apparently it has been necessary for my body to cut off supplies to some of the things anyone my age would deem normal to have.There hasnโt been a case where I could feel anything other than flight and flight. But eventually, here I am.My body is thawing, slowly coming to life, and it feels so good.Zadeโs tongue is slicking inside my mouth, seeking and touching every crevice inside. His body is pressed to mine to keep me up, one thigh pressed between my legs, one hand grabbing my butt, hips flushed.I am weak at my knees. I want him, I can feel him, and I am floating. I know I am kissing him, but I am also falling and falling, feeling safe that he will catch me.Itโs a dam that has been let loose.He is mine. I shouldnโt feel this way. I should feel g
ZADEโBut then it will be another, then anotherโฆ if you can be swayed so easily, then is it even worth it?โโI wasnโt swayed easily. You and I know that there is more to us than a bond between mates.โโHard to believe that when all that connects us is that.โโOur parents do connect us, too. Do you think we wouldnโt have crossed paths if we hadnโt been mates?โโWe could have, but you would be intent on killing me or destroying my life like you did at the beginning.โโThatโs true. But you can just chalk up my feelings and invalidate them, simplify them to one variable.โโItโs the only thing that is making sense. I mean, here I am, sitting in your love sanctuary, surrounded by your memories with her, and yet you are telling me it's me you want. What about her? Why was it so easy for you to just leave her?โโIf you hadn't shown up, I already knew it would rather be her that I pretended with, cosplayed my inner wishful thinking even though it wasnโt true.โI close my eyes briefly before lo
ZADEThere is something dark, alluring, and compelling about Ari Silvers that I have never been able to fully comprehend.Her beauty and magnetism are not the traditional kind. It's raw, demands that you see her, revere her, and ache to be close to her, so you can bathe in it.She is beautiful in the traditional sense as well, but then you look again. And again, and again. You are drawn in, wanting, needing, desiring, and even wanting to corrupt.She is pure, she is dark, she is innocent, but also twisted. She is all that you wish you could hold and covet to yourself, but you cannot. For it is not to be held by others and coveted, stolen, but to be looked at, worshiped, and if you are good, to be bathed in.But never yours.She is sitting on the rooftop.I followed the feeling of our bond, and I am surprised, a little unsure why she would be here. This is where she fell, almost to her death after all.Her knees are pressed against her chest as she looks at the far distance, lost in wh
ZADEI stop behind one balding man, I think he is here because he is a legacy. Not the official family but still as important. I can see the sweat trickling down his neck into the stiff, tight suit he is wearing.If I wasnโt so sure before, now standing behind him as he reeks of fear โฆ it's solid. My hand goes through his back, and I touch the organ thatโs beating and warm in my palm.Gasps echo around, but no one says a word, as they look at me with horrified expressions, save for my father, of course.โThis man,โ I turn to Jude, โyou missed this man.โ My fingers close around the beating organ and pull my hand back. The body shakes, twitching before his head thumps on the table like a log. The scent of blood permeates the air, thickening it with the tension and fear pulsing in the room.I walk over to Jude and let the organ fall on his file, and he looks at it, eyes wide. I am sure he isn't breathing. After all, I just killed a legacy, and he has a lot of mess to clean up.And also,
ZADEWe are back to ignoring each other.Or to be more precise, Ari has gone back to hating my guts and ignoring my existence. And when she sees me, when our eyes meet, those first two seconds, time seems to slow down, and it's only us. The world fades away, and it's us, and I usually get this feeling in my chest, this heavy thing that is threatening to drown me, but in a sweet way.It's only us, as if we know something, just the two of us, and then the moment is snapped and broken, and she is back to scowling at me, rolling her eyes.But I know, those few seconds, where it is only us, when time stops and we only see each other, feel each otherโฆ that is the truth of us.She told me she wanted devotion and then proceeded to lock herself in the bedroom before she left early in the morning, even though we did spend the night together.I didnโt sleep, not when she was in the next room and I knew she wasnโt asleep either. I listened to her breathing, every turn and twist in the bed.I list
ARIโWhat's going on inside this little mind?โ his voice is so close to me, nose brushing my temple.I should feel something. A tingle, but I am so damn tired. All I want is to sleep, forget that I exist for a few hours before I start going back to my life. I can't escape it anymore, now can I?โNothing,โ I sigh. โI am just a little sleepy.โIs he expecting more from me tonight?I wish I had the girls with me. They would allow me to be in your space. Maybe I should call them, text them, but I don't have my phone. I remember crashing it in the hotel suite before I walked out into the traffic.Maybe I am not as okay as I think. But getting a grip is important.If I am going to avenge and face the people who ruined me to begin with, I can't let go of the reality. I need to be focused and work hard to make sure they donโt destroy me before I destroy them.I know I am not going to come out of it. The plans I made to go study law as further studies, get out of the pack and live my life as a
ARIMy life is a mess.Itโs a fucked life, painful, dry, bland, void of colour.I am ugly too, rotting slowly inside, underserving of anything good because thatโs just what is set in stone for me.Despite it all, despite feeling all of that, as Zade looks at me like I mean something, like I matter โฆ I can't help but want to be under that gaze for a longer time.He is looking at me how he used to look at Olivia, like he might love me, like I mean something. He wants to know if I am okay, taking care of me, a gentle, caring touch on my cold, withering soul.I donโt deserve it, and yet.I yearn for it. Crave it. I can't not shudder under it.โDo you want me to ask you?โYes. I want him to ask me. I want him to push for me to tell him what's going on in my head. For him to fight for me. I am selfish like that. Mother didnโt say anything untrue, because here I am, asking and taking what doesnโt belong to me.I came into this life, took Oliviaโs man under fateโs guidance, and yes. It hurt.
ARII donโt think I have ever truly let myself think deeply about Zade, who is becoming, and his birthright. I am not one to attach my identity to the boy I am seeing or crushing on, and in this case, the boy I am mated to.But it's still heavy. I find it โฆ sexy that he is already so mature, powerful too, and it's only going to get even better.Yes, I think I am crushing on Zade, and I can't control choking on my water once that fully hits me.โAre you okay?โ he asks me as he rushes to my side, rubbing my back.โYeah,โ I wheeze out. โGuess I am a little surprised.โโWhy?โ he chuckles as he gets back to cooking.โThe first thing someone sees when they see you is how spoiled you are.โ Thatโs not true.The first thing I saw and felt when I first laid my eyes on him was just how magnetic and powerful he was. Yes, you could tell from miles away that he is wealthy, but it wasnโt the kind I got from the rest of the students.No, his was the quiet, generational wealth that just didnโt come fr