Hey Readers, Laying it on thick in this chapter. I wanted to demonstrate the dance of power, where words became weapons, and desire was a tool of manipulation. So far we have seen it control Mila and now she uses it in the same fashion over others. I also wanted to explore the power between two strong-willed characters. Wondering how far Mila is willing to go to secure her victory.
TYLERFuck, fuck! What the hell did she do to me?!?!My hands gripped Mirabella’s hips, each thrust more desperate than the last. The raw need to reclaim some semblance of control, to drown out the echoes of Mila’s voice, drove me to the brink. But no matter how hard I pushed, how rough I became, it wasn’t enough. I was chasing a high that Mirabella, for all her beauty, just couldn’t give me.“Yes, Alpha. Right there. Pleas–”“Don’t talk,” I growled, before thinking of Mila again.Her intoxicating words lingered in my mind like a curse. Every syllable she’d spoken, every sultry promise, had wrapped around my thoughts, pulling me deeper into a vortex of frustration and desire. It was maddening how she’d played me, leaving me hanging, aching for her touch, only to walk away as if she hadn’t just upended my world. Even now, as I buried myself into Mirabella's willing and wet pussy, my mind was elsewhere—imagining the scenarios Mila had described, the way she’d take control, dominate me i
GABESeeing Mila tonight, looking as stunning and confident as ever, sent a jolt of pleasure through me. I couldn’t come to terms with why she made me feel this way. It wasn’t like I had ever gotten over my feelings for her, but surely being mated should’ve blocked the effect she had on me at this moment.“I don’t understand,” Spencer said in the back of my mind. “She smells just like mate.”“Don’t worry. We’re getting to the bottom of this,” I said, not feeling confident that Spencer wouldn’t act out. “I’m sure it might go away when we lay some things to rest.”At least that was what I was hoping for. Ever since she’d been back Mila’s been unpredictable, and tonight was no exception. Her timing, though, couldn’t have been worse. Gregory and my parents were just speaking about the collaboration with Mila and Arianna, with Gregory not being shy about his disdain for Mila’s involvement. I knew the real reason behind it, though–Mila had blown off his meeting when he tried to recruit her.
ARIThe noise immediately hit me as I walked into one of Julia’s father’s clubs, Heat. It felt fitting given the day I’d had. First, I’d had to swallow the news that I was going to be sharing the spotlight with someone like Mila. Then, the bitch had the nerve to blow off my meeting when I’d been trying to be cordial.The plan was to head home after that disaster, but I was too pissed. And if Gabe mentioned anything about Mila and the contract, I might just lose it. I couldn’t let that happen. Gabe still saw me as his angel, and I needed to keep it that way. For better or worse, he was my ticket out of the contract with my father, but as soon as I could, I’d break away from him too. I was going to build my own legacy. I’d prove to everyone that I wasn’t my father—I’d be better.I turned to make my way to the VIP room when I heard my name. Amber was waving me over with that annoying bright smile, knowing damn well I couldn’t ignore her without making it look like the bad guy. And she lov
GABE - Ten years agoIt was just after the New Year and I was laying in my room, staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts I couldn’t escape. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was Mila–her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she was excited, and the way she looked at me when she thought I was looking. Then the memory was darkened by the way she looked at me that day I broke up with her at school. The memory played on a loop in my head until it was impossible to think of anything else.We had just returned from the Mount Frita ski resort, a tradition I once enjoyed but now resented. Every year, the Moras joined us, and this year, I played my part–the perfect son, the ideal mate, the mask firmly in place. It was unbearable. The laughter, the family outings, the forced conversations, the constant pressure to look content when all I wanted to do was scream. I didn’t want to be there.A constant ache settled in my chest, a reminder of what I lost. I kept telling myself that ending thing
MILA“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”And there goes the tears. Gabe immediately moved to Noah’s side as I tried to comfort him as best as I could. “Hey, Noah, it’s okay,” I said gently, keeping my voice calm and reassuring. “It was just an accident.”Noah shook his head. “Mommy’s going to be mad. I’ll be in big trouble.”“I promise you won’t be,” Gabe said. “Everyone knows things can get a bit messy when eating spaghetti. Sometimes you can’t control where the sauce goes, right?”Noah blinked, tears falling down his face as he looked between all of us with uncertainty. “Your dad’s right,” I said, picking up the spaghetti on my lap, making a playful face when I let it plop onto my plate, sauce going everywhere. “See? Sometimes you can’t control where the sauce goes. No harm done, ok?”Noah’s lips twitched into a small, nervous smile before burying his face in Gabe’s shoulder. Gabe lifted Noah in his arms before turning to look at my dress.“I’m sorry about the dress,” Gabe started. “Please, let
MILAA loud noise from behind us caught our attention, breaking the charged moment between us. I was thankful, as I watched the workers apologize and move on to cleaning up the mess.“So, what do you say?” Gabe asked.“I… I can handle it,” I said aloud, trying to ignore Rayne’s constant remarks and focused on getting out of here. “It’s just a bit of sauce.” My voice didn’t sound nearly as convincing as I hoped, and Gabe’s amused smirk told me he knew it.“Mila,” he said, his voice low, almost teasing as he kept his hand firmly on the door, preventing me from opening it. His gaze locked on mine, sending a ripple of something down my spine. “It’s really no trouble. I insist.”"Let him insist," Rayne hummed again, not letting up for even a second. "Come on, Mila. Have some fun before you tear things apart. Listen to how he says your name. Imagine him whispering it when we—"Imagine it? Oh, I had already dreamed of many different ways to make him say my name and a few included bondage. But
MILAGabe immediately stepped in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking Arianna’s view, but I could still feel the weight of her glare. Though, Gabe’s attempt to shield me only seemed to pissed Arianna off even more.“Arianna, it’s not what you think,” Gabe said, his voice calm but edged with urgency.Arianna’s laugh was bitter, cutting through the air like glass. “Not what I think?” she hissed. “Don’t you dare try to spin this. I felt it!” She pointed an accusing finger at me, her voice shaking with pain and fury. “This… homewrecker planned all of this, didn’t you?”“Arianna, enough,” Gabe said, his voice a bit firmer than before. “You can talk to me, not herRayne stirred inside my mind, practically purring at the authoritative edge in Gabe’s voice. “Mmm, I like this side of him. Tell him to keep going,” she teased, her desire bubbling beneath my skin. I mentally pushed her aside, but it didn’t help much—her feelings bled into mine, making it harder to focus.“I am talking to you,
MILAThe sound of the fire alarm blared through the chaos, sending models, workers, and cameramen scrambling in every direction. I stood frozen in the middle of the madness, trying to make sense of it. People were rushing for cover, yelling, pushing–chaos all around me. None of this was supposed to be happening.Two weeks. That’s all I’d had to pull together a new location and a fresh concept after Tyler tipped me off about what Mirabella knew concerning Arianna’s “plan” to embarrass me. The classic–stealing someone else’s idea and showcasing it first–was basic and so Arianna. I expected that level of sabotage and was prepared for it. But this? This went beyond petty. How the hell did she know about this? My mind raced as I watched the scene unfold–fabrics were soaked, displays ruined, models in full panic mode as the sprinkler system continued to drown everything I’d worked on. The entire “Bring Me to Life” theme was perfectly ruined. “Well, this is… interesting,” a voice beside me