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(Raya POV)“Be my pretend mate…” He tells me, explaining a little what it entails and I gawk at him. “...by the end of which, we will part as good friends and… I will pay you ten million dollars.”Ten million dollars. An absurd amount tossed like that as if it was nothing. I would have believed him more if he’d said ten grand…It’s still a preposterous amount for someone like me, but at least it’s reasonable. So he’s gotta be sh*tting me, right? Ten million dollars, my sweet patootie! There’s no way he’s serious. Well, two can play this game…I close my mouth, the lower part of which must have dropped to the ground with the mention of ten million bucks, and I try to keep a bland expression on my face, although the way his lips twist in amusement tells me I am unsuccessful with my effort so I just roll my eyes instead.“You never really explained what a mate is and why you called me such.”He acknowledges it with a nod as he beckons me to sit with him in the living room.“I had to cla
(Kaan’s POV)I close the door of my room behind me with a sigh. It’s barely eight in the morning and I’m bloody exhausted. I’m trying to keep it together because I’m a grown-up and a f*cking lycan with noble king ancestors. I’m a businessman who can destroy a competitor’s life’s work without batting an eyelid and still sleep well at night, as if it’s just another day. Dealing with women shouldn’t be this hard, right?Wrong.Right now, there’s nothing more I’d like to do than bang my head on the door, but Raya might hear and worry about me. To be honest, I really need to be alone right now. To get dressed for work. To process what I just did and ponder upon my life choices. To calm my soldier down.What have I done?What was I thinking, offering her such a tacky proposal? Pretend mate? I sound like a f*cking romance novelist. Where the hell did that come from!? What the hell happened to my sanity this morning? Why did I go through with it!?Why did I kiss her?Why…why did it feel so…go
(Kaan’s POV)My father's eyes shift away from mine, and for a moment, he seems unsure of what to say. Finally, he sighs and meets my gaze once more.He admits. “Your mother didn’t send me. I told her I have an important meeting to attend. I came here to see if you’d be here.”I lean back on my chair. “Why?”“I was worried about you,” he says, his voice tinged with concern.“Why?” I ask again, genuinely perplexed. My father looks at me intently, his eyes searching mine. “You didn’t look like you found your mate.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say finally, my voice low. “I didn’t realise there was a particular way I should look like…I must have missed the memo when it got out.”“I meant happy, Kaan. You didn’t look happy. That’s how I wanted to see you when you finally found her.” My father says firmly. “You claim that she’s your mate…but what I saw this morning tells me a very different story.”I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. My father's words hit a nerve, and I f
(Raya POV)“...will you let me court you?”I stare at him suspiciously, unable to stop the snort that escapes quite inelegantly from my nose, breaking the magical moment. “Right.”His eyes fill with amusement at my unorthodox reaction. “What? You know, sometimes I feel like you never take me seriously because I'm good-looking—”The intercom cuts his teasing remark short and he frowns as he turns to answer it. “Yes?” He asks curtly.Melissa nervously clears her throat. “Um, sir, I’m very sorry to intrude, but the investors have started to arrive and we still have to go over some of the details for the presentation…”Kaan sighs, distracted from our conversation. "Alright, Melissa. Just give me a moment, and then we’ll start. But first, please tell Elijah to come in here."Melissa gives a relieved affirmative before the line goes off.He whispers to me. “Don’t tell anyone about our agreement, not even Elijah,” he mutters something else under his breath but before I can ask him to repeat
(Raya POV)I don’t even try to cook dinner anymore. I don’t want a repeat of this morning’s episode of ‘Kitchen from hell’. I can’t get fired from this ‘job’ as well. It’s all I have at the moment, my only chance for a new start and, frankly, if I lose this, I might as well just give up. But I do wonder what Kaan and I will have for dinner. Maybe he has already eaten out, considering it's getting late... but what am I supposed to do? Should I wait for him? Should I just order dinner for myself and leave something for him in case he hasn't eaten?Half-past nine and he’s still not here. “Where are you, Kaan?” I whisper.I’m really getting hungry so I go to the kitchen to see if there’s anything I can eat that does not require cooking and I find a stock of cereals. That should do. I’ve had worse dinners, really.We really should work out some sort of schedule and what-to-do lists.He finally comes home at quarter to ten and I sigh in both relief and annoyance. Now I know how a dog feel
(Kaan’s POV)As the morning sun gently filters through my window, I stir from my sleep, feeling revitalized and utterly rejuvenated. It was the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life.I take a deep breath and a familiar scent wafts into my nostrils.I frown as I open my eyes, baffled. Did I accidentally fall asleep in the wrong bed? My frown deepens when I find Hiraya sleeping peacefully beside me, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. She has a serene expression on her face, and her tousled hair frames it like a messy halo. I can't help but smile at the sight, feeling a surge of affection for this beautiful woman lying next to me, the sight of her first thing in the morning a welcome view indeed.I take a moment to savor the serenity of the moment, grateful for this quiet and intimate time with her. Although… What happened last night remains a mystery and it is starting to bother me.Turning my gaze away from her lovely face, I look around. Relief washes
(Raya’s POV) I quickly slip back to my room while Kaan is still taking a bath, heading directly to the shower. With a sigh, I stare at myself in the mirror, noting my flushed cheeks and bright eyes. “I’m done for.” I groan. “I caught the love bug and my heart is doomed.” It shouldn’t be that bad, right? I mean, he’s a nice and good-looking guy. Might as well enjoy the experience. Even if it doesn’t work out, I can just treat the heartbreak as some sort of ‘occupational hazard’. A hard lesson to be learned that will help me grow as a person. “What a load of bollocks,” I mutter as I turn away to take a shower. Maybe a cold one will help wake me up from my deluded fantasy of being strong enough to handle this. Not that I have a choice. I need to be able to. Ten million dollars is nothing to sneeze at. I’m just getting out of the bathroom when Kaan knocks on the door. “Hiraya? Are you awake?” Just hearing his voice is giving my heart a serious workout. “Um, yeah…? Just…got out of th
(Raya’s POV) My eyes find his and I raise an inquiring eyebrow. What the hell is this? He stares at me intently, trying to convey a message that I cannot understand. I don’t think he looks thrilled, but neither does he look annoyed or impatient. “I met Miss Westley on my way back here. She told me she wished to join us on our run.” He explains, staring at me unblinking, which looked painful and unnatural, so he must be doing it on purpose to tell me something. “She wants to run with us?” I repeat slowly, as if tasting the words. “And yet…you carrying her suggests that that’s not going to happen.” “She turned her ankle on the way here…” He explains. Both my eyebrows spring up, almost reaching my hairline. How convenient. I’d bet my last cents that that delicate foot doesn’t even hurt a tiny bit. Somewhere behind the pitiful, pained expression, a triumphant smirk surely lurks, unashamed and unrepentant. “What a pity,” I murmur, trying my best to keep a straight face. “That must ha