"You can't do this to me, Austin. We go back way longer than anything you hold against me right now. You love me more than all the obstacles, all the...""Enough, Catherine. My wife is listening." He said, then turned to me. "The past is gone, and we all know whose fault that is."I swallowed, a little timidly. The adrenaline has washed away and reality started to dawn on me. I am now Austin's wife. I may have been the substitute a lot of times before, but now..."You think you will not regret this? You think I will let you go scot free?" The grand alpha snarled, his eyes raging."When have I ever gone scot free?" Austin asked. "Even my mother didn't go scot free. Who am I?"The grand alpha raised a hand to slap him again, and I rushed between them, opening my hands to cover Austin up.He stopped for a moment, the anger in his eyes mixing with a little bit of surprise."You have done enough, grand alpha. The marriage is already done and doing this will only make you look worse." I sai
The ring shone beautifully on my finger, and rather than the normal coolness of steel, it came with the warmth of being on his finger all through. I let my hands run over the stone and sighed. It felt almost too beautiful for me.The house was a little too empty, and I decided to make it a little lively. I went to change into his hoodie and came back to the sitting room. It would make a good sitting room if the couches were a little closer and if the house just smelled of new cooking rather than the scent embedded in the walls.I threw myself into the work, immersing myself so that I could forget the circumstances and the answers I wanted.I brought the couches together, dusted everything and went around the kitchen to look for groceries. There was nothing. It was all empty.I knocked on Austin's door, hoping he wasn't asleep. "Are you asleep?" I asked, clasping the kitchen towel I had dampened to clean the place with. "No." Came the short answer. I opened the door and went in slowl
I stayed there watching the tattoo, hesitatting for a while. It would hurt, and I dont want to see him hurting."Just do it once." He said, then turned sideways so his profile was availed to me. "Don't you hate the sight of it too?"I swallowed. "I do. I hate the sight of it but not enough for this.""Well, I hate it more than enough for this. So do it."I nodded, then pushed my hair back. "Maybe you should come up on the bed. It will be easier for me that way."He said nothing and I moved away from the edge. He got up on the bed, then laid on his side, facing away from me. His hair fell sideways and he put the pillow under his head, as if he didn't know what I was about to do.I close my eyes. The knife was still blazing hot in my hand, and I moved it slowly to the tattoo, exactly where the C was.He said nothing even though I knew he nust have felt the heat from how close the knife was."I am doing it now," I said.He gave me a nod and nothing else. Slowly I lowered the knife to his
"Catherine is pregnant."I wasn't sure I heard it well. I couldn't have. Pregnant? As in a baby in her belly kind of pregnant?I closed my eyes, willing for everything to go away. Eric, Catherine, every single thing. But when I opened my eyes he was still there, looking at me like I was the most pathetic thing in the world."That's a lie," I managed to say, surprising even myself. It was weird how even though I knew it had every right to be true, I wanted to defend my heart and believe the opposite."It is not a lie. The shock from you snatching her mate had actually brought her down, and she is recovering now. She didn't lose the baby however. You know who she would be pregnant for, don't you?""Eric!"I couldn't bring myself to look at Eric or the voice that had thundered his name from inside the house. The view of the floor beneath was dizzying and I felt like falling right through it. My eyes clouded with tears as I slightly opened my lips, then let my hand go into my hair to grab
I watched him, my eyes bulging with surprise. I felt my anger start to wear off, and I swallowed."What do you mean it's not yours?"He raised his hand and passed it through his hair. "You know...when I found out she was pregnant, I...I was even more confused as to why she left me. I was even more hurt that she wanted to keep a child away from me, but then..." His voice trailed off as if he hated what he was about to say. He closed his eyes and shook his head, then opened them again."Austin...""I need that run now. You don't have to come with me.""Austin..."He said nothing and heaved another sigh, but he seemed to back out of leaving. He turned and started to make his way to the room.I thought to myself about everything. What if I should have done something else? What if I should have waited for him?I turned quickly and ran after him, then wrapped my arms around his, intertwining my fingers on his stomach, so I was pressing his back to me."What are you doing?" He asked me, but
I nodded slowly, letting it sink in. I remind him of his mum? I couldn't think of how I should react. Is that good or...He leaned away then served us both and leisurely gave me a plate. Before I could say anything, he went to his room. I heard the clicking of the door as he locked himself behind it. I sighed and got off the kitchen work table and made my way to the room too.The night passed by slowly, and the only sound that came from Austin's room was of his phone. It rang incessantly sometime during the night, and I knew he was definitely ignoring it because he wasn't such a deep sleeper.The ringing became more persistent an hour later, and I decided to go to him. Turned out the door wasn't locked and it came open under my hand. I walked in slowly and went straight to the light from his phone. I picked it up, then turned it off. I kept it back and started to make my way back."What are you doing?" He suddenly asked, but I couldn't see his face through the darkness in the room."
I sighed and leaned away from him. "I guess you need someone."He said nothing to it and I gradually lost appetite. "What introduction do we have to do?" I asked, hoping to get an answer from him this time around."Yours." He answered frustrating me even more.I swallowed and stood up, feeling my frustration hit peak. "What's your problem?"He looked up to me. "What do you mean?""Why are you doing this to me? Why are you confusing me?""Confusing you?"I sighed, pushing my tongue into my cheek. "Last night, you were all about how we weren't in the same room, sharing a bed. This morning you are all cold and business like, treating me like the substitute, all over again. Until when will I be in Catherine's shadow? Until when will I have to guess what you feel for me?"I saw him blink slowly, before setting down his cup. "I too, am guessing. Sometimes I want to hold you, sometimes I don't. To me, that's not really a commitment I want to give to anyone."He stood up, pushing his hand in
I felt Austin's fingers lace into my hair as he pushed me further into his chest. Why is he protecting me when he is the one who will get even more hurt?I swallowed, and tried to move away. "No. Let me keep my dignity in front of you at least."I felt my lip quiver. He knew. The pregnancy...I parted my lips to breathe. "You knew?""Austin. What are you doing here?" It was Eric. I could almost picture his face, the surprise, the knowledge of being the traitor. It was not something I expected from Eric. Not Eric."Do I need permission from you to come into my own house?""Austin.." Catherine said. I heard her feet shuffling as she moved closer. "I thought you left."She is shameless. She really has to have lost her sense of shame along with her dignity or respect for the bond between mates. Is this why...I pushed against Austin slowly and turned to her, my anger tears still in my eyes."You dumped Austin for Eric.""Shut up. You know nothing."I laughed. "Are you pregnant for him? D