022: SING FOR ME, ARYA

ARYA

He cocked his head to the side as though he was daring me to snap at him with a snarky response. But for the life of me, I couldn't utter a word. I could only stare at him with wide eyes, my brain refusing to work.

I watched him as he extended a claw and slashed it across his palm. He took hold of my jaw and lowered it, forcing my mouth open. I didn't fight him, knowing that his blood could heal me.

The dark red liquid slid down my throat, and instantly the pain in my back vanished. With his gaze locked on mine, he wiped the corner of my lips with his thumb.

"You know, I was truly impressed by your stunt back in my study. You've constantly surpassed my expectation, Arya. It makes me want to kiss you senseless," he said, and I blinked at him, confused. Heat curled in my stomach, my breath hitching in my throat.

His statement was clear enough.

However, where did all of my pent-up anger go? And why the hell am I getting lost in his eyes?

I gulped, gripping the sheets on my bed.

"My dear, Arya." Those words were pretty simple.

They shouldn't have made my heart flutter.

But why?

Why did my heart flutter at the mere sound of his voice?

Soren must've broken something inside of me.

He released me and looked up at the ceiling. From my angle, I could see his ridiculously stunning side view. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he let out an exhale.

"I won't apologize for punishing you. Not when you deserved it. But..."

He swallowed. A soft expression settled over his features. It was a raw mix between sadness and despair. It tugged at my insides, causing my heart to waver. Why was he showing this side of himself to me?

"If I had truly murdered your mother...I'll let you take your revenge," he said, and I frowned, finally finding my tongue.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He ignored my question, and I clenched my jaw, pissed.

"About Anessa..." he started to say. But I didn't let him finish, I lurched myself at him, grabbing the front of his shirt. He flipped us around faster than I could blink. And before I knew what was happening, I was lying underneath him, my chest heaving.

He brought a hand to my cheek, his touch so delicate it made me ache.

"You might not know this. But you're both my destruction and salvation," he uttered softly, his gaze never leaving mine.

"Stop," I hissed, a lump lodging itself in my throat. "Don't say things like that. It's not going to change—" My eyes bulged in their sockets as he lowered his body, resting his head against my chest.

"What are you doing?" I growled.

He let out a chuckle. "Teasing you."

My fingers twitched, hovering near his hair. I didn't touch him. But I wanted to.

I cursed under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Sing for me, Arya," he whispered, and my chest tightened. Right then I was reminded of the first time we'd met at the bar. Back then he seemed to have been affected by my song. I wondered why.

"Go to hell," I scoffed, even though a part of me was tempted to oblige to his request.

"I still see her in my dreams. Beautiful, kind Anessa." His voice was hoarse now, the pain in his voice piercing right through my heart.

This wasn't right.

I was supposed to hate his guts. So, why was I letting him affect me this much?

Could it be an effect of the mate bond?

I opened my eyes, sucking in a sharp breath. "You asked me to get stronger if I wanted to kill you, despite knowing that the moonstone is the only thing that can kill you."

He barely reacted.

"Where is the other half of the moonstone?" I asked, and he pulled away to gaze at my face for a few seconds.

Then he sat up, pushing his hair away from his face.

"I don't know. But I'm going to find it," he told me with an unwavering determination in his voice.

He rose to his feet and turned to look at me one more time before leaving.

...

I couldn't stop thinking about it. The way he'd buried his face against my chest, his warm breath on my cleavage and the anguish in his voice. I let out a groan, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance. It’s been four days since my last encounter with him, and worse, I was yet to get any real information on the moonstone. And after a brief discussion with my sister, I’d decided to steal the book he’d taken from me. Since I’d once sneaked into his bedroom, there was a higher chance that he’d kept the book in his study.

Although I hadn’t seen him today, I believed he’d left for work early, just like he’d done for the past few days.

I was heading for his study when I saw Elena. She waved at me and hurried over to me with an overly bright smile on her face.

“Did you hear the circulating rumours?” she chirped, and I shook my head, uninterested in whatever gossip she was trying to bring up.

“Diana went to see our master three days ago, asking if there was anything she could offer him. He asked her to leave!”

I rolled my eyes.

“How is that a big deal?”

“Alpha Daxton has never turned down any of his attendants. But lately not only has he refused to feed on the girls, he’s refused to get intimate with any of us.”

I frowned.

Surely, he wasn’t doing that because of me, was he?

“They say it’s all because you’re his mate. Is that true?” she asked, and I nearly choked on air.

How the hell did they find out?

Elena sighed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. But I just want to know if he’s at least feeding from you. We’re all worried about him. If he keeps this up, he might lose control of his beast again.”

My eyes widened. I didn’t realize how important it was to him to feed and have sex until now.

Ever since I poisoned him with my blood, he never asked to feed from me again. Was he going to be okay?

No, wait…

Why do I even care?

“I’ll see you later, Aunt Sally wants me in the kitchen,” Elena said and walked away.

Once she was out of sight, I sneaked into the study. I headed straight to his desk, and to my surprise, the book was lying there.

Amused, I picked it up, running my fingers over the cover. Alpha Daxton must’ve underestimated me. I scoffed, folding it up and tucking it into my waistband. The moment I turned around to leave, the door creaked open.

It was my master, except it wasn’t entirely him. He was shirtless and was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a belt. His forearms were covered in black fur, and his massive claws were elongated. His eyes were black, bottomless pools of abyss.

He stepped into his office, and I moved backwards, hoping he couldn’t see me in the dark.

His aura was a thousand times more oppressive. Sweat dripped down my spine, my breathing quickening.

"Anessa," he growled, reaching out for me. My stomach clenched.

Hearing him call me that name made me feel more than just uncomfortable. Earlier, I'd allowed myself to wonder if I was truly Anessa. But right now? Even if there was a chance that I was her reincarnation, I was different from her. I was my own person. I was Arya Nightshade. Like hell would I let anyone else carve my destiny.

Daxton drew even closer, his eyes glowing brighter. His body trembled, strands of his hair sticking to his sweaty temples. It was clear that he was under the spell of a raging fever.

"I can smell you," he said with a voice that sounded more monstrous than humane.

It made sense. He had shifted halfway after all. And the sight of him made me recall my traumatic first meeting with his beast. Merely thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

"Mine," he growled.

He was so close now. If he took another step towards me, I would be undoubtedly trapped between the wall and his body.

I moved backwards, my pulse thundering in my throat. My back touched the wall, and instantly, he placed a hand beside my head.

I could feel the waves of heat radiating from his body.

"Mine..." His voice was low now, tinged with deep exhaustion.

I should've moved or fought back. But the mere sight of him in his monstrous glory had me paralyzed by fear.

A lump formed in my throat as he brought a furry hand to my neck, his claws lightly grazing my skin. He was shaking so hard now, his eyes glowing brighter. My stomach churned, my heart racing in my chest.

Was he...

Was he going to mark me?

He leaned in, his warm breath fanning my neck. I clenched my fists, holding my breath.

And just before he could sink his fangs into my flesh, I started to sing, mentally pleading for the moon goddess to save me.