"Once you sign this, there is no going back." Jacob warns.
Jacob came to the hospital quickly, arriving just five minutes after I called him. It was almost as if he was already on his way here."My sister is dying. I have no other choice." I say.Jacob lets out a deep sigh and hands me the pen. "You should sign here and there." He says, pointing to the areas on the document that need my signature.I take the pen, looking at the contract, my heart is pounding in my chest. Just two signatures and my life will flip. I don't know if I can do this. I only know that once I sign on this, I'm done. The Lycan will ruin my life, I just know it.And with all I've heard about him, I can feel my life crumbling down already. He's a monster, and I don't know how I'm going to survive living with him for 182 days. It’s gonna be a nightmare but at the same time, I can't let Layla suffer. She's been through enough, and I promised her that I’m not gonna let anything happen to her; I have to keep my promise.I try to read the contract, but I couldn’t concentrate. Maybe it’s because I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, about to jump into the unknown. Or maybe because I’m too worried about Layla. Taking a deep breath, I sign the contract, my hands shaking as I do. I know I'm taking a risk, but I have to do everything in my power to save Layla."And my work here is done." Jacob says collecting the pen from my hand "Consider your sister’s operation done. The doctors will start treating her now and we will meet tomorrow."I am about to speak but because I could, I hear my name being called from behind me. I turn around to see Matt.A wave of relief brushes over me as I sigh "Matt."He approaches me and wraps his arms around me. "What are you doing here?" I ask pulling out of the hug. I didn’t think he will come but I’m glad he did."I just saw your message, how is Layla doing.""She’s not really doing well but it’s gonna be fine.""I’m sorry, I’m just coming but it’s okay because I brought some extra cash, though I don’t think it’s gonna be enough.""Ohh, that’s okay, I already made the payment.""You did?" He inquires lifting his gaze to look at Jacob and then me "How did you get the money?"I wack my brain for an answer before I respond "I sold some of things.""Some of yore things?" He inquires"Yeah and my boss, she leaned me some money." I sayMatt looks like he’s about to speak but before he could, Jacob says "Well, my work here is done Bella, so I guess I will see you tomorrow." He turns around and walks away."What was he doing here?" Matt ask me"I don’t know." I shrug. I can’t tell Matt anything about the contract, he will flip out when he finds out and I’m not really to handle that drama."Do you guys know each other?" He inquires"He’s the Lycan’s twin brother""I know, but do you know him?" He asks, his voice laced with insecurity. "He said you'll meet tomorrow. What does that mean?"Matt can be very possessive when it comes to me talking to other guys. He hates it when he sees me with other guys or something like that. I don't know how to reassure him that he's the only one for me."It’s about work.""You work for him now?" He asks"No, I don’t. He only said that because he comes to the cafe every day to get his after-training coffee." I explain"Ohh okay. The Lycan’s brother has way more things to do than woo a waitress anyways." He scoffs as we walk to the waiting chair.I ignore what he says because one thing with Matt is that he likes to convince himself even though most times his convincing affects me.Matt takes a sit on the waiting chair while I approach Layla’s hospital room. I need to make sure the doctors are preparing for her operation. I am about to open the door when I hear Kate speaks from behind me."She’s not in there, she was just taken to the operation room." She says"Thank god." I release a breath of relief. I just hope everything goes smoothly and Layla gets better."Bella, where did you get that much money?" Kate asks, her voice laced with suspicion. "I know Matt didn't send any money, and your boss didn't either. So where did you get it from?" Kate's eyes bore into mine, and I feel a pang of guilt as I think about the contract."It’s not important, the only important thing here is that Layla will be fine," I say trying to avoid eye contact"She will be but what about you?" She asks"What about me?" I inquire"Are you okay?" Her voice sinks into worrisome"Yes, I am.""Are you sure? You know I’m there for you if you want to talk.""I know and trust me, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me."I can tell that Kate is worried about me and I wish I can tell her about the contract but I don't want to burden her with my problems. It’s bad enough she’s worried about Layla, I don’t want her getting more worried.~ AUSTIN’S POVStanding up from my chair and walking to the window with a cup of coffee, I look out and take in the scene before me. Many cars are trying to beat traffic and make it to work. It’s always a busy day. My gaze turns to the crowd of people swarming the sidewalk and heading toward the various buildings in the center of the city.I take a deep breath as the sun shines on my face. A ring sounds, snapping me out of my thoughts. Setting my coffee mug on the table, I pick up my phone. The caller ID reads Jacob."Hello," I say, answering the phone."Congratulations, she just signed the contract."A smirk spreads across my face as he says that. I knew she'd do that, and just as I planned, she signed it the moment I planned she would. "That's fantastic news, isn't it?" I say."It is, I’m just glad your little talks are over, although I still don’t get this whole deal of yours. Why can’t you just get her the normal way?"I scoffed "You won’t understand. Some things are better gotten with force.""Okay that’s weird but anyways my work for you is done. I’m heading to the south, I hope you made all plans as you promised?""It’s all planned. Thanks, bro." I say."Alright. I’ll see you in a month." With that, he ends the call.A smile tugs around the corner of my lips as I lean against my desk. I knew she’d reject the contract and then accept it. I knew the hospital will be the place she’d sign it and so I made her go there. And I know she’s still at the hospital with her neighbor and so-called boyfriend.I know everything and just like that I always knew you’d come back to me, Bella. And now that you’re gonna, I’m not letting history repeat itself.~BELLA’S POVI wake up to the ray of sunlight creeping through my window, groaning I turn around and cover my face with a pillow. I am beyond exhausted and I don’t even want to get started with how angry I am; mostly at myself. I still can not believe I went ahead with what Matt said and left Layla to spend the night alone at the hospital. I mean, she’s just thirteen years old, god knows how scared she will be when she wakes up and realizes I’m not there with her. She’s gonna freak out about it and she already has enough to deal with - her illness, the treatments, and now this. Oh my God, I’m such a bad sister, I shouldn’t have left her alone like that. I swear to god, if Layla freaks out about this, I won’t care what the doctors will say, I will stay with her all night whether it means sleeping on the waiting chairs or sleeping while standing, I’m just not gonna leave her alone. I sit up from bed with a sinking feeling in my chest. The guilt gnaws at me, amplifying the anger coursin
"How long is she gonna be unconscious?" I ask the nurse in charge of Layla."I don’t know but the main surgery will take place in two weeks so between does time she will be conscious."I release a heavy breath "She’s gonna be fine after the surgery, right?""Yes, she’s gonna." She responds I smile and turn my gaze back to Layla. Tugging a strand of hair behind her ear, I take her hand in mine. I can not wait for her to be fine, to finally be there with me. I miss her voice, her smile, her mischief; I miss everything."I love you, Layla, get well soon," I murmur as I use my thumb to caress her hand before I leave a peck on it. My attention is drawn to the nurse behind me when she speaks "Miss Bella." In response, I turn around and reply to the nurse "Please call me Bella." I insist"Umm…. Okay, could you please come with me for a minute, I need to speak with you privately. " She says, her tone is slightly somber, causing a flicker of unease to wash over me."Is everything okay?" I as
I stare at my reflection in the mirror, tilting my head to the side as I check myself out. I bit my bottom lip, wondering if the dress is okay or not. Austin picked out the dress for me and I kinda find it a little revealing. I am wearing a sleeveless black tulle gown with white flowers, sequins, appliqué, and a deep V-neck. The back is also open in the same style as the front, with a slit exposing my leg. I have never worn a dress like this before, normally it’s always cozy and baggy outfits for me but tonight’s outfit is just way different. I’m not really comfortable in it and not to mention I am wearing a heel with it. I have never worn heels before. Releasing a heavy breath, I look away from the mirror, considering if I should change into something else. I look through the rack checking each outfit trying to find something that I like. I notice a cute two-piece outfit that hung on a hanger together. It’s a long-sleeved top and a high-waisted, knee-length skirt. I grab the hanger
I arrive at the spot, the place where Matt and I are going to meet. We call it our spot because it’s a very special place, It’s where we had our very first date, shared our first kiss and we've spent countless hours here together.Climbing up the stairs to the rooftop of the tallest tower in town, I quickly glance behind me to make sure no one's following. Even though it's not allowed to come up here, Matt and I always manage to find a way up there to just take in the incredible view. I open the door to the rooftop and closed it immediately. Scanning my environment, I take off my hat and sunglasses. I had to wear those so no one recognizes me, now that I’m sort of married to the Lycan king, eyes are going to be on me and I can not afford anyone to see me here with Matt or worse let Austin know about it. It’s bad enough we just argued about my dress, I don’t want to have another argument with him. As I hear the familiar voice call my name from behind, a rush of relief washes over me.
Using the towel to gently rub my hair, I walk out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. I approach the mirror and as I reach for my hair dryer, my heart skips, and I flinch backward noticing a figure sitting on my couch. I turn around to have a clear view of the person; it’s Austin."What the hell are you doing here?" My voice comes out as more of a squeak than I intend. My hands clench around the soft fabric of my towel, my eyes keep darting down to make sure the towel is securely covering my naked body.Austin is sitting on the couch across the room with a coffee mug in his hand. He looks at me, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly but he didn’t say a word."Hello?" I wave my hand at him "Didn’t you hear me? I asked you why you are here?" I repeat, holding onto the towel tightly.Austin still, doesn’t say a word and he just sits there looking at me with his eyes raking every inch of my body making me even more uncomfortable than I already am. "Are you gonna talk or what?" I inqui
~ BELLA’S POV"Matt, I’m telling you it’s really hard," I say through the phone. Matt and I have been on call for over ten minutes and he has been insisting that I meet him but he has no idea how difficult it is to leave the house. "I can’t just be sneaking out all the time. I have to make sure the coaster is clear and no one is watching me." I tell him as I walk and stand by the window. I look through the window to take in the view. The road is shimmering in the heat of the midday sun. The sunlit skyscrapers piercing the hot, blue sky. I look at the guards standing by the gate, there are over five of them, all shirtless, with toned, sun-kissed skin. "It’s really hard to get out of here." I say "Ohh come on, I’m sure no one is watching you right now." Matt says "The sun is shining, and everyone’s eyes are wide open Matt and the guards…" I look at them as I continue to speak "They are everywhere. I can’t sneak right now.""Okay, but what about tonight?" He asks"I don't know," I s
I roll over the bed with a sleepy moan. I am having a wonderful dream that involves two undressed men, one of them looks like Matt and the other may or may not look like Austin, I don’t want to go deep into details. The men were all over me and I just couldn’t control myself, their bodies were heatedly against mine. I could feel every part of their body on mine. I let out a sleepy groan as I rolled over and lay on my stomach. My face is directly against the bed and a pillow is on top of my head. I have been out all night with Matt and honestly, it’s quite exhausting to sneak out past midnight and come back only a few hours before sunrise. Matt won’t understand how exhausting it is so basically I can not tell him that otherwise, he’s gonna think I’m coming up with a bunch of stupid excuses which clearly I am not. After my conversation on the phone with Matt yesterday, I knew I had to fulfill my promise and meet him today otherwise my relationship with him is gonna be over and I do no
~ AUSTIN’S POV"I don’t fucking care what your job is!" I growl at Charles. I am in my office with the so-called almighty pack standing in front of my desk. They seem to be having a lot of issues lately since Jacob isn’t around and unfortunately for me, I am the only one available to fix those issues for them but apparently I can’t easily do that because they seem to have problems with everything which gets me even more frustrated because I can’t stand them and more importantly I hate saying one thing over and over again. "Lycan Austin I just want to say that I-""I don’t fucking care about what you want to say, Charles." I growl cutting him off. As I said I can’t stand them "And for heaven's sake fucking stop talking and just go do the goddam job!" Jacob is the Alpha of his pack and he has some certain responsibilities that make him in charge of some important jobs but since he’s gone for some months, I want Charles, the Beta to take care of it but he seems to be having issues with