Artemisia
“They were kissing!” Zeno shouts, making me gasp.
“Liar!”
Giorgio groans, passing a hand over his face. “This is enough! Zeno, I’ll be thinking about an appropriate punishment for you, and you will apologize to Alpha Blackwood appropriately.”
After what had happened at the lake, and the members of the Blood Fang Pack retreating immediately after the protection of my pride, as my brother eloquently put it, Giorgio panicked.
He sent home everyone right away and declared the party as over.
Naturally, he used me as an excuse, telling everyone I was feeling unwell.
As if anybody cared.
Fearing a looming war because of my brother’s reckless behavior, he proceeded to execute his first agenda item as Alpha and ordered everybody into our living room.
Which had been the perfect thing to do. Because this way I could discuss directly with everybody in my family and the higher commanding staff in our pack, that I was caught by my little brother while I was trying to get some sugar from the enemy pack’s Alpha.
Cool. Cool. Cool.
“But I already did!” Zeno wails, having my brothers snicker around us.
“This was some lame excuse for an apology.” I snort, looking at him with my arms crossed over my chest.
He sticks his tongue out at me, “Well, thanks a lot, sister! I was just trying to save your dignity!”
My jaw literally hits the floor, and I slap his chest. “Don’t you dare!”
“Okay! I’ve had enough! Everybody out!” Giorgio shouts, and we all stand up to leave the room as he points his finger at me. “Not you!”
I hear my brothers snicker while leaving the room, my mother and their mates look at me with a pitiful expression.
As I get left alone in the room with my new Alpha and Luna, I sit back down with a sigh, while my brother takes a chair and sits down in front of me.
“Missy, what happened?”
I shrug, pouting. “Nothing! I showed him around the lands as we couldn’t get to you guys. And then we landed by the lake. But we were just talking.”
“Okay,” Giorgio says calmly, pressing his hands together. “And was he mean or aggressive towards you?”
I shake my head repeatedly. “No, he was very nice.”
Diana’s suspicious hum, makes me groan, and I throw my head back. “Listen, there wasn’t anything to it. He rescued me from Rick a few moments before, so maybe he got his protective sense reawakened. I don’t know.”
I throw my hands in the air, while Giorgio and Diana flash me the same confused expression. “He rescued you?”
“Yeah. Well, he saw me being uncomfortable with him and came to my rescue.”
I sigh as their expressions morph into shock. “Like I told you, he was nice.”
“What about what Zeno saw?”
Rolling my eyes, I chuckle awkwardly. “I don’t know what he saw, but I would have noticed if we were kissing.”
My heartbeat accelerates as they stare at me, and I clear my voice as if it could fool their heightened senses.
“Do you think he is… you know…” My brother begins to stutter.
Diana gasps, slapping him on his arm. “You can’t ask her like that!”
“He isn’t my mate,” I say with a sigh, and they look at me mortified. “I didn’t feel, smell, or sense something special.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, baby,” Diana says soothingly, making my brother hiss at her. “What are you sorry for, now? A moment ago, you were scared for her.”
They start bickering, and I slump back against the backrest of my chair.
If she was scared it is a good thing I hid the fact that I sensed Cassy stir.
“Look, I was just being nice,” I say while twirling the fabric of my dress around my finger.
Giorgio takes a deep breath, looking at me with a serious expression.
“Well, if it wasn’t just that we will find out soon enough anyway.” He says, making my heart skip a beat.
***
After reaching my room feeling drained, I let myself slump onto my bed.
“They must be fucking kidding me,” I groan, my face buried in my pillow.
The image of Cayden standing right beside me while he is staring at the lake, and the moon gives him all the advantageously light, appears before my inner eye.
Oh, I’m fucked.
Of all the cute or handsome partners I could find in the pack and our ally pack my wolf has to get fuzzy at the only Alpha who is off-limits.
Nice, Cassy. Thank you for that.
‘It is not my fault that his scent had me wake up from my nap.’
I jerk up as I heard her talking to me clearly.
‘Cass!’
‘Leave me alone.’ She simply says snippy, ‘Just try to not fuck it up this time.’
Turning around on my back, my hand goes to my lip automatically, and I gulp. “I must have misinterpreted what he was about to do. That is for sure.”
I chuckle to myself, but my head starts spinning before I can even stop my panicky thinking.
What did Giorgio mean when he said that we would find out?
GiorgioThe sun's rays make me open my eyes with a groan, and I turn around, laying my arm around my wife’s waist, and pulling her close.She giggles, turning around to kiss me, and I smile. “How are you feeling?”“Strange, but good strange.”I chuckle, hugging her tighter. “I’m glad.”“Are you still worrying about Missy?”Shrugging, I press a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Yeah. I can’t shake off the feeling of something bad going to happen.”“I’m sure it will be alright,” she says, caressing my hair. “And, if he really is into her, it might not be so bad.”I hum, closing my eyes. “I don’t know. What if he just acts nice to play her? She is still going through so much because of Rick, I couldn’t handle seeing her hurting again. A rejection or betrayal of a second chance mate is quite devastating.”“I know. But she will be fine. She is strong, even if you all treat her like the princess getting bruised by a pea.”Groaning, I shake my head. “Yeah, but unfortunately it is not peas we are
Artemisia“Have you lost your mind?” I gasp, clenching my cup of coffee as Ramona cracks up. “You are such a pervert.”She recovers from her fit of laughter, wiggling her finger at me. “Come on. He sounds like an awesome guy. I know that your family is scared about him coming to get you, but maybe you just want to … Well… Let him get you.”“You are impossible.” I roll my eyes, hiding my smile by taking a sip from my coffee.She shrugs, chuckling. “I know.”“Have you already thought of getting his number?” She asks, making me sigh.“And how would I even do that?”Pointing her finger at me, she inhales audibly. “Aaaah, so you have thought about it. Who is the perv now?”I giggle lightly, shaking my head. “I’m serious. This is not a good idea.”“Nothing good ever is.” She grins, making me smile.Opening my mouth about to retort something, I halt in my movements. We both turn our heads to Zeno running towards me as if he was being chased by a gigantic stone.I don’t even get to react as h
ArtemisiaI can’t remember a moment in my life when I felt more uncomfortable.Well, except for that rejection part. Forget that. But it is flipping awkward.As I climb the stairs to my room with my new companion, he takes his time to look at everything. And even if his stoic face keeps frowning annoyed, I can still get that he is genuinely interested in how his mate is living.Stupid Mate bond.“This is my room,” I say, feeling a bit nervous as I open the door to my bedroom for him to enter.Choosing not to close it all the way, I get his disappointment washing over me. And not only because he glares at me.“I just don’t want my parents to worry. Don’t look at me like that.”He scoffs, turning around my room nonchalantly.I start to pack my most essential things while he looks around, examining my decoration and my framed pictures.“Will someone come and take the rest for me, if I just pack the essentials now?”He grunts, not tearing away his gaze from a picture of me and my brother
Artemisia“Relax, princess.” He says mockingly as he starts the engine and drives off after the others. “I won’t surely take your innocence in an Escalate.”“Ha!” I push out, turning my head to look out of the window. “Would be too late for that anyway.”As I’m expecting him to blow off, I’m quite taken aback by his chuckle. “Good to hear. That will make a few things easier.”Gasping theatrically, my eyes snap to look at him and find him smirking. His delectable dimples are already back on display as he is concentrated on the road.Maybe it’s the mate bond, but I have to say that he is even more handsome than his brother. His squared jaw is covered in stubbles and his sun-kissed skin makes me fantasize about him training and working outdoors. A lot.As my gaze is about to wander along his muscular arms, his deep smoky voice tears me back to reality.“Drake says he can’t get your wolf to talk to him.”“Drake?” I ask, thankful for the change of subject.“Yeah. My wolf. He is getting a b
Artemisia“So, you are a doctor?” Matt’s eyes sparkle as he questions me.“Erm… yes,” I say shyly, scooping my potatoes from one side of the plate to the other. My eyes keep snapping over to Fynn, who is eating all by himself at a table in a corner. His unpleased frown about his momentary situation has me chuckling internally. I shock myself at the thought of him being cute and shake my head as if wanting to free my head from the thought. “Is something wrong with the food?” Logan asks, making me shake my head.With a sigh, I lay my fork down on my plate and flash him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m just sad that I had to leave my family, so my stomach doesn’t seem to fancy any food intake at the moment.” Logan laughs, as he puts his arm onto the back of my chair. “Don’t worry. Your appetite will come back soon enough.” I gulp as I get captured by his gaze, and force a smile. “I’m sure about that.” It is surprising how these triplets seem to be total opposites of each other. I'm
ArtemisiaI walk through the living room, looking into the other rooms. There is a small kitchen, a large bedroom with a king-sized bed and large windows, leading onto a terrace, as well as a gorgeous bathroom, walk-in closet, and small library. The happiness that I feel while checking my new small apartment out is unreal. I can’t help but feel bad for not being more scared about the consequences I will face because of my dormant wolf, being afraid of my supposedly brutish mates, and not feeling more uncomfortable here. Must be this stupid mate bond. After unpacking the few things I took with me, I settle into an armchair in the library and call Ramona. “Oh my God!” She squeals as she picks up my call. “Bitch, I thought you were already dead!” I laugh as hearing her voice is a balm for my soul. “Or tied to a bed at least.” Literally being able to see her brows jumping before my inner eye, I laugh again. “Such a pervert. I just got here. I hope you wish for a mate for me who lets
ArtemisiaTurning around, I stare at Fynn agape as I take a step back. “What the fuck?! Fynn, how did you get in here?” “Ah, those stupid locks.” He groans, shaking his head. “As if they could stop me.” I know that I will just entice him when I turn my back to him to walk away, but I can’t seem to keep my curiosity back. “You have a three-day penalty,” I shout back at him, freezing in front of my fully locked and secured door. Shit! Fynn has his arms wrapped around me in the blink of an eye, pulling me to his front. “I’m not playing that game.” He growls, his lips pressed against my ear. “You are my fucking mate. As if he could tell me what to do.” My heart skips a beat as I feel him bite into my earlobe, making me mewl softly. “No, but you are going to listen to me, right? Let me go!” “Nice try, princess.” He chuckles, making my blood freeze in my veins. “But there is something we have to discuss.” I squeal as he turns me around, picking me up into his arms. Clenching my tow
ArtemisiaI dress myself quickly into a sundress before sprinting after them. I follow my mate’s voice that booms through the mansion as his brothers are carrying him into the main mansion and downstairs. Pushing through the crowd that forms on the stairs and in the halls to watch the spectacle, I reach the ground floor without catching up with them. As I stand in front of a heavy steel door that has been left ajar, I feel goosebumps rising on my skin. The Dungeon. Gulping, I start descending the stone staircase that leads down to the cold underground in a spiral form. The steel door seems to have been the portal to another dimension. Because as I’m enveloped by the cold radiating off the bare walls, I walk through a place that in comparison with the mansion built above it is depressing. But I guess that fits the purpose of the place. Instead of shiny chandeliers and the expensive, dark-hued interiors matching the gray walls, I find myself surrounded by cells with silver bars.