011: TONIGHT, YOU ARE MY LITTLE SPOON

ARYA

Under the glow of the moonlight streaking through the half-closed curtains, I saw the look on his face. Desperation and what seemed to be an exhaustion that ran deep. For a moment, I faltered. Was it really okay to let him know the reason behind my vendetta towards him? What if he denies it?

"Arya?" He called, as though urging me to spill the words on my mind.

Earlier, I'd lied to him and myself. I'd wanted to believe that the reason I hadn't taken the chance to kill him was because I needed to find the moonstone by using him. But deep down, I'd been aware that it was merely a lie.

When I'd seen him trapped in a false reality earlier, I'd caught a glimpse of a man, not a monster. A man drowning in guilt and gut-wrenching pain.

Still, could I really let down my guard around him just because I'd seen him at his weakest? No. He was still my enemy, the monster who'd ruined my life. In fact, I should relish the sight of his pain.

Even so, why does my heart ache right now? I wondered, unable to take my eyes off him.

"You don't want to tell me. Why?" He asked, and I bit the inside of my cheek, clenching my fists.

"The kids from earlier. Who do they belong to?" I blurted out, and an expression of amusement fell over his features.

"Oh?" He turned away from me, his shoulders slumping slightly. "This was about the kids, huh?"

It wasn't.

I'd panicked. I'd let my emotions get the best of me, and now I was clinging to the first distraction I could find. But deep down, the question wasn't entirely random. Some part of me had assumed they were his. That maybe, despite everything, he had someone he cared about. A family.

"The kids are my brother's," he replied, and my eyes widened.

"Beta Mason?"

He turned to look at me, nodding in response. I stared at him in disbelief. It was quite shocking to know that his brother was a father of three. For some reason, I had always imagined his bloodline tainted with the same cruelty I believed ran through his veins.

"Now that you know that I'm not their father, will you kill me now?" He asked in a teasing voice.

He could boldly say this because I didn't know how to kill him yet.

"Is there anything else you want from me?" I asked, and his eyes darkened.

"You asked me to choose between your blood and body, did you forget?" He asked, and I stiffened, a lump forming in my throat. Such a sly bastard.

"What's your choice?" I said through gritted teeth, and he brought a hand to my neck. His claws emerged, and my breath caught in my throat. Ever so slowly, he trailed the tip of his black claw down my collarbone. Then he paused directly above my left nipple through the thin fabric of my dress.

I swallowed hard, my blood heating in my veins as the essence of our bond flared to life.

His golden stare locked with mine, fierce and unreadable. My heart pounded faster as his claw went lower, grazing my nipple through my dress. I bit my lower lip to stifle the moan that nearly escaped my lips.

Damn him.

Damn this wretched bond.

"I choose..." The corner of his lips tilted upwards in a dark smile. "Your body."

My breath hitched in my throat, knots tightening in my stomach.

"Lie on the bed," he commanded, and I clenched my fists, anger burning in my chest.

Do I really have to offer my body to him?

He'd taken everything away. Why was he after the last shred of dignity I had left?

I knew the truth but didn't want to acknowledge it. I was powerless. And he knew this.

My stomach churned as I silently obeyed him, lowering myself onto the bed. He retracted his claws, his heavy gaze roaming my body. It felt as though he'd already stripped me of my thin nightdress.

So, I lay there like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. I squeezed my eyes shut and soon felt him join me on the bed. He placed a hand on my waist, pulling me closer to his body. I could feel his warmth and the hardness of his muscles.

I stiffened when I felt his chin atop my head, my eyes flashing open.

Was he... cuddling me?

No. That couldn't be right. This man was cruel and manipulative. He'd spent every moment either taunting me or making my life hell. There had to be an ulterior motive.

My muscles tensed, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I waited for him to use this moment of forced closeness to humiliate me. I expected him to tighten his grip, whisper something brutal, or remind me of my helplessness.

But nothing happened.

His hand rested lightly on my waist, his breathing steady. No taunts, no threats. Just warmth.

I swallowed, my heartbeat slowing as the realization crept in. He wasn't trying to trap me. He was... just holding me.

"Don't move," he suddenly said, and I tensed, confusion creeping in.

Silence fell between us briefly. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as well as the racing of his heart. His sweet scent saturated my senses, causing my heart rate to slow down even more. It wasn't supposed to feel right.

This position felt intimate. Too intimate. It didn't feel right. Yet, my body betrayed me, slowly relaxing in his arms.

"Tonight, you are my little spoon," he whispered, and I clenched my jaw, trying not to give in to the warmth that cocooned me.

But I failed.

I was soon whisked away into a deep slumber.

...

I woke to the deep timbre of Alpha Daxton's voice.

"I'll be there soon. Keep the assassin busy."

Assassin.

He must've been talking about the ones who had attacked us.

My eyelids fluttered open. He was standing near the door, his back turned to me. His powerful frame was bathed in early morning light.

Cracking an eye open, I saw him tuck his phone in the pocket of his pants before heading towards the door and out of it. I waited for a little while before rushing out of bed and following after him, making sure I wasn't too far away or too close.

Finally, we arrived at a small room which looked like a small prison. Beta Mason stepped out of it, and I quickly hid behind the closest pillar in sight.

He walked away, and I stayed still until he was out of sight.

Then I peeked out from my hiding place and saw Alpha Daxton standing in front of a bleeding man who was tied to a chair.

"Talk," he ordered, but the man stayed silent.

Alpha Daxton grabbed his shoulder and yanked hard. To my horror, the assassin's arm came off, and he screamed in pain, tears streaming down his bloodstained cheeks. I clamped a hand over my mouth, bile threatening to rise up my throat.

"Who sent you?" My master growled, and my stomach churned. Yes, this was the Tribrid Alpha I knew. The terrifying monster whose dark reputation spoke for him.

"I'd rather die," the assassin hissed, his eyes blazing with icy defiance.

Pissed, Alpha Daxton ripped off the assassin's left ear, sending him howling in pain.

Blood spattered across the stone walls, warm droplets landing on Daxton's cheek. Even so, he didn't flinch.

"Still holding out?" he mused, examining the severed ear between his fingers before carelessly tossing it aside.

The assassin gasped, his eyes rolling in agony. "F-Fuck you..."

Daxton's lips twitched, as if he found that amusing.

"Why did you show up yesterday?" He demanded. When the assassin said nothing, Alpha Daxton slowly lifted his own wrist to his lips.

I watched in horror as he bit into it, slicing through his own flesh with sharp fangs.

Thick, dark blood dripped from the wound. But instead of letting it fall to the ground, he reached out and pressed his bleeding wrist against the gaping wound on the assassin's shoulder.

The reaction was instant.

The assassin screamed, convulsing violently. His veins blackened, spreading out like cracked glass beneath his skin. His flesh sizzled, the wound bubbling as if it had been doused in acid.

I gagged at the sight.

Vampire's blood was toxic to most beings. But Daxton's?

It had to be pure venom.

Yet, why did it heal me when he'd fed it to me?

He was such a mystery.

"Are you ready to talk now?" My master finally demanded, and his captive nodded frantically, a vein visibly throbbing in the middle of his forehead.

Slowly, Daxton lifted his wrist away. The moment his blood stopped seeping into the assassin's wound, the man slumped against the chair, sucking in desperate, shuddering breaths.

"We weren't going to kill her," the assassin said hoarsely, his chest heaving.

"Her?" Alpha Daxton said, and his captive nodded again. "What were you going to do then?"

The assassin gulped, his body still trembling in agony.

"We were supposed to deliver her to the Alpha she was sold to," he said, and I froze.

I was sold to someone else?

When? How?

"Who's there?" Alpha Daxton called out, and my blood ran cold in my veins.