Chapter 25 CHAPTER 025
Ari POV:
"Wake up." I heard that small voice whisper in my ear and I didn't know if the urge to know who was in the room disturbing my sleep was what woke me up or the fact that I stretched and felt the morning air hit my bare chest.
My eyes widened as realization hit me. I looked around and that's when my memories began to return.
I was not in Shadowfang. Hell, I wasn't even in Ricko. I had almost died last night and the same man responsible was the one who brought me into the room gently before ordering me to take off my clothes.
What got me relieved was the fact that I knew he didn't sleep on the bed with me. He had sat down on the nearby sofa, smoking away and looking into nothing while I drifted off to sleep.
If he did something while I was asleep, I wouldn't know. And I didn't want to think about that.
I flung the curtains open and realized it was still dark out. As if on cue, the door opened and Alpha Stone stepped in tall. I turned around to find that he didn't look like he slept the slightest.
"Get ready. We will be leaving in five." Then he turned around and left the room. I had already worn my shirt and shorts so all I had to do was grab my jacket and follow.
I thought I could hold on to being awake but Alpha Stone was such a good driver I slept off during the ride.
Next thing I knew, I was waking up on a bed. My bed. And it was bright out. The shining sun pushing its way through was enough evidence.
For how long had I been sleeping? I went to the bathroom, washed myself and slipped into a black lace gown that fell short above my knees. My hair was still wet but not dripping. My stomach was rumbling so I knew to walk to the kitchen.
The smell of pie hit me first, making my mouth water. But something else stopped me. An unfamiliar voice giving orders in the kitchen.
"Why is this even here? And whose food is that?"
"This is for Miss Ari, the stranger." The maid answering seemed hesitant as if she didn't know how to introduce me to this unfamiliar person.
I stepped closer to the entrance to get a peek but then I heard footsteps and panicked. I ran back upstairs to my room, wondering who the hell that was.
Then a knock sounded on my door. A head peeked in.
"Miss Ari? Alpha Stone says breakfast will be in the breakfast room this morning. Kindly make your way over." The maid said with a smile on her face. She was one of the maids gossiping about me the other day. Why was she pretending to be nice?
I nodded regardless. "I'll be there."
She tilted her head. "Also, he asks that you dress appropriately." I arched a brow that made her smile falter. "He has a guest...a visitor...so..."
How gentlemanly of him? Wanting to show himself as proper when his attitude isn't. I nodded towards the maid.
"I'll be there as soon as possible."
I wore the first thing I laid eyes on. An off-shoulder gown that sat pretty in my closet. It was a deep red with sheer black tulle draped over it with a smoky hue. Beads clung to the bodice and sleeves, glinting like tiny thorns in the light. The skirt reached my ankle, sweeping the floor in a ball shape. A little dramatic for breakfast, maybe, but I loved seeing the annoyed look on Stone and that was the point.
The walk to the breakfast room was fueled by confidence and the need to embarrass Alpha Stone in front of his new guest for what he did to me last night. At least, until I got to the room.
Seated at the centre of the table was him, wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, buttons loose at the top and his hair neatly trimmed and styled on his head. His beards looked shaved too and I felt this unusual need to move closer and inhale the scent of his aftershave.
However, the woman sitting close to him—extremely close, by the way, looked every bit in his league. Her auburn hair long and wavy at the tip, cut and styled to frame her diamond shaped face. Her cheeks were too defined and her jaw so sharp I believed they would cut me if I got too close.
She wore makeup that were light but they were enough to indicate that she wore heavier ones and she wore them a lot. Her eyes were bright and blue, almost as if they were designed to seduce. And she didn't hesitate to flash them at Alpha Stone who seemed more engrossed in his food than he was in whatever story she was telling him.
Every ounce of confidence flew out of me and I started regretting why I decided this morning of all mornings to embarrass myself instead of the Alpha.
I stepped in closer and only when I pushed back my chair to sit did they finally notice my presence.
"Oh." The lady turned to me, her red tinted lips that were initially pulled into a flirty smile suddenly turned downwards. "And you are?"
She asked with a lift of her perfectly shaved brow.
"Ari."
"Ari what? And why are you sitting here, you maid?"
I blinked, taken aback by her words. I tried to speak, maybe shoot back a rude response but I couldn't. Not with those condescending eyes looking me from head to toe.
"Oh, I get it now. You're the Alpha’s mistress. The one warming his bed while I was away."
I could feel the heat creep up my neck to my face as she said that. The thought of being considered ever being in Alpha Stone's bed filled me with conflicting emotions.
"Hey, Sierra," he finally spoke up, as if introducing me was a chore. "Meet Ari, my...Ari, meet Sierra. Perri's daughter. I'm sure you know Perri."
Sierra glanced at him and her gaze softened before speaking. "You forgot to mention, Alpha, that I'm also the one closest to your heart."
Oh, I know that. Sierra, the one the maids were talking about.