ALTHEA.
He was so close. Too close, I wanted to kiss him. Something was really wrong with me.
This pairing was impossible from the very beginning.
He was too old for me. He has an impossible temper. He’s a werewolf. And he was still in love with his mate.
My hands went to clutch his hand that was holding my chin, taking it off my face as I dropped my gaze away from him, breaking the magic between us.
“The food will get cold if we keep it waiting,” I said in a soft voice. I didn’t want to fight him anymore.
Having him too close was making me weak. This was not a good sign. He was making me vulnerable.
“Right. Let’s eat. I’m famished.”
The last two words came out as if he growled them lowly, and my traitorous core clenched at the sexiness of his voice.
It was a struggle to stay still while sitting in front of him, but I survived dinner without snapping at him. And he gave me back the same courtesy. We were both civil, but I could tell he was as uncomfortable as I was.
But at least the dinner was peaceful.
We talked about what I knew about the demon world and the reason why he was sent here to look for my mother.
But since she was gone, Blade thought I was the next best thing.
I wanted to tell him that although I knew many things about the demon realm, I was not an expert in spells and magic, but I also didn’t want him to know that. He said I was too young, and admitting that I was not a high witch yet would just make me look weaker in his eyes. So I kept my tough facade, pretending I knew what I was doing.
After that conversation, I was expecting he would talk about his mate and why he wanted a witch to reach out to her. But it never came.
There were also many things I wanted to ask him about us and the mate bond he was saying, but he seemed not interested, so I didn’t ask anything.
After dinner, he said goodnight and was about to make his way out when I found myself offering the extra room in the house.
Again, something must be wrong with me because I kept doing things that I knew were totally wrong.
I gave him my old room while I stayed in my mother’s room, which I began occupying after her death. The bed was small for his frame, but I thought it was better than being out in the cold.
I sat in my bed, holding the biggest blanket I could find, since I knew nothing was in his room.
But instead of going to him right away, I took my time contemplating things.
He did say his first mate died five years ago. So, if I were also his mate, what am I then? A replacement?
My shoulders sagged as I let out a deep breath. So much for thinking that I would find someone who would love me like the ones I read in romance novels.
Maybe true love doesn’t exist because all I was given was a mate bond, and to make matters worse, I was just a fill-in. I would never have him if the first one didn’t die. So there was nothing special there. But even with that bond, he still didn’t want me.
Maybe this was the perfect time to meet other people.
Or I would grow old alone.
I thought I was okay with that — just reading novels and being happily in love with the characters I loved. But meeting Blade made me realize how many things I was missing.
I liked the warmth that his body was giving me and the security I felt whenever he was around. If he couldn’t give that to me because I was too young for him or because I was not his original mate, then maybe I should find someone else to give me the warmth and attention I was craving.
Maybe accepting his offer to go to the Mystic Pack is the right choice. It would open many opportunities for me. I could try, and I could always return here if I fail.
I made up my mind to tell him I would go with him.
I stood up, and with the blanket in my hands, I went to his room.
I knocked three times, and when he didn’t answer, I pushed the door to his bedroom open, only to be left frozen in my spot.
Blade looked at me while my mouth hung open. A few seconds after that, something spurted out of his hard cock that he was holding.
Did he just masturbate in my bedroom?
My eyes darted from his massive dick to the floor, where the drip of his cum fell.
He chuckled. “I will clean it up.”
“How could you?” I asked, still dumbfounded.
“You’re the one who didn’t knock.”
“It’s my home!” I shrieked.
“I’m a fucking man! I have a libido!” He snapped back at me before he pulled up his pants and buckled them up. He then grabbed the pillow, taking out its case before swiping the floor clean with it.
My mouth hung open more as my eyes rounded in shock. “You did not wipe it with my pillowcase!”
“I just did.”
“You’re disgusting!”
“Just throw it in the machine and wash it!”
“I don’t have a washing machine!”
“Use your magic to clean it, then!”
“You go wash that on your own!” I yelled at him, and I felt my face burning in anger. I felt violated, although I was the one who entered his room without notice.
A smug smirk formed on his lips before he extended his arm, handing me the stained pillowcase and making me move backward.
“I jerked off thinking of you and came when I saw you by the door. So it’s your fault that I made a mess here.”
“Bastard!” I hissed as I threw the blanket on his face before leaving his room, slamming the door on my way out, and going directly to my bedroom.
I was sure my face was so red from embarrassment.
ALTHEA. I woke up refreshed and a bit later than usual. I really had a good sleep, which I hadn't had for a while. Maybe because there was a good-looking man in my house. But then I remember what he did last night and how he wanted nothing to do with me. But instead of getting disappointed, I chose to have a good day today. So, I started preparing breakfast for both of us. It had been a long time since I cooked for someone, and last night, I couldn’t help being happy that he seemed to like the beef stew I made because he ate so much. Maybe he was too hungry, or it was really a good meal. I had no idea how he felt about the food, as he never told me anything, but nevertheless, I appreciated my food being enjoyed. I hummed and smiled, making small pans and pots dance around me as I put the finishing touches on the omelet and pancakes I made. I had a few eggs left, and I had to go on a half-day hike down to an old man who had poultry if I wanted more. I did try taking care of c
BLADE. The walk down from her cottage to the foot of the mountain where I left my jeep went smoothly as Althea was secured in my back. She asked to be put down after a few hours, but I ignored her until she fell asleep when the night fell. I didn’t stop to sleep, as I didn’t want to have nightmares when she was around me. She didn’t need to realize how messed up I was. Besides, I wanted to reach Stone’s territory soon. The years of training as an Alpha, as well as my everyday life in the wild as a mercenary, had prepared me for this moment. I was used to being awake for many days straight, so staying alert even at night was not a problem. I never got tired easily, but having someone on my back for many hours straight was something I hadn’t experienced before. Although this little fire had a small frame, she was heavy, but despite that, my body felt at ease carrying her instead of worrying that she might fall and break anything on her body. She was so little and so fucking cl
(Free Chapter)ALTHEA. The last two days went by so fast, and I felt like I was just floating, making sense of everything. I was picked up from my comfort zone and thrust into a world I knew but had never experienced yet. The wolves and their pack. All I knew was that I liked Lucy, the half-she-demon and half-she-wolf who needed my help. I promised to help her, but in return, I asked her to kill my grandmother, Patrea. She was trapped in the demon world for many decades. I did ask Lucy to kill her, even if I didn’t want to, because it was the only way she could be freed from that realm. My mother told me that Patrea sold her body to a demon king, thinking she was outsmarting him by not binding her soul to him. But she didn’t know the demon would take it literally and trap her body in that realm. And to make it worse, he did something to her so she wouldn’t age, and no one but him and his bloodline could kill her in the underworld. My grandmother wanted death, as she was tir
BLADE. The drive to Salenda was long and painful. Althea was quiet the whole time, and every time a sound erupted somewhere outside of my vehicle, her body would jolt. She was scared, but she was trying to put on a tough facade. I already wanted to regret taking her here. It was selfish of me to place her in danger when she was living comfortably in the red mountains and was just worried if she would run out of food to eat, but never about demons. I knew there was no room for regret, but I wanted her safe. And not just safe, I wanted her to be able to get back to the life she was accustomed to. But I had no idea where to start from. I had killed many shifters, one after the other, but I had yet to face a demon. I was sure I was nothing in front of them, but I was sure as hell that I would not let them touch Althea if I could. I would never let another mate die on my watch. “Are you a couple?” The witch in front of us asked. I sat beside Althea in the middle of the living room
ALTHEA. “I can sleep on the floor,” Blade said after he closed the door, and we were left alone in that small room. I bit my bottom lip, trying to stifle a giggle from escaping my throat the moment I turned around to look at him. The roof was low, and he had to hunch his back to avoid bumping his head. “What’s funny?” He asked, scowling. Gone was the soft expression that was on his face earlier. Probably because pretending we were a couple no longer applied when we were alone. But I wasn’t even acting when I cried in the living room. I didn’t want him to leave because even if I was annoyed with him all the time, I wanted him around me. “You look uncomfortable with how small this room is for you,” I told him. “I am. I hate small spaces. I hate small things. I could crush them easily.” He answered right away. The smile on my lips was wiped out immediately. It just reminded me that I was one of the small things he never liked. “Will you be fine on the floor? We can share the pi
BLADE. “Enough, Althea.” I tilted my head to the side, avoiding kissing her more as I shut my eyes so I wouldn’t see her, which was a wrong move. Because even with my eyes closed, all I saw was her. All of her, and I felt more of the way she was grinding against my bulge.But I knew I couldn’t take this any further. Althea was young, and I was probably the first male she had around her, so there was no doubt that she felt attached to me. But we both knew this was leading nowhere. I didn’t want her. I was okay with being alone. I just wanted her to be safe. Althea’s body stiffened before she climbed out from top of me and settled on her side of the bed, with her back on me. I wanted to console her, but it would just make leaving her harder. So I stayed still, not letting the feel of her back against my arm affect me, even if the sparks between us were giving me a pleasure I would never get tired of. I kept my eyes closed and tried to put Soledad’s face in my mind. I had a ma
**This page is free, and you should not be paying any coins for this**Lovelies,THESE THREE CHAPTERS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE BOOK BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon.As much as I wanted to put them here, I knew most of you had read the first book, and it would be unfair to let you pay for it again. But I will not put it here for free, as there were violent and steamy scenes there. To relive that moment, please open the book BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon and check out the following chapters:095 - ALTHEA’S HEAT096 - A TERRIBLE SIN097 - LET IT STAY
SEVEN MONTHS LATER. BLADE. The season changed, as did everything in my life. I looked at the vast land before me and thought of my territory. The Silver Crest — the territory that had been witness to all the lows in my life. I left it so I could move on from the death of Soledad, only to return upon another death. My brother’s death. When I abandoned my pack, Fabian, my younger brother, took over as the Alpha of the Silver Crest. He had no aspiration to be one — no training, no preparation — and yet my irresponsible self left without any warning, turning over the Alpha post to him without his approval. Despite that, he stepped up to the challenge. But there was never an instance where he didn’t ask me to take it back from him whenever we would meet. I kept refusing. For five years, Fabian struggled to survive this pack. He did his best, but it kept getting weaker. And then an Alpha asshole saw that as an opportunity and attacked, seizing the territory and killing him an