Chapter 35 CHAPTER 035
Ari POV:
Stone exhaled through his nose, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking off a bad dream. Then his gaze swung to me fast, and I could see a glint in his eyes that wasn't there before.
"You saw that," he said. "That is what happens when you don't remember your place."
I swallowed hard. "She loves you."
His laugh rang out maniacally. "She loves the idea of me." He pushed off the couch, prowling closer until I could smell the lingering scent of Sierra’s mouth on his skin. "But you?" His fingers traced my jaw, feather-light, and yet it burned. "You look at me like I’m the monster under your bed."
I flinched.
His thumb pressed against the pulse in my throat. "Tell me, Ari," he murmured. "Do I scare you that much?"
The truth clawed its way up my throat. ''Yes, always, in ways I don’t understand," but I bit down on it until my lips ached, and my eyes dropped.
Stone smirked. "You are learning fast." Then his hand dropped. "Now strip."
My breath hitched. "What?"
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Rule three, remember? You sleep in this bed. With me." He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. "And I don’t like having someone's outside clothes in bed with me."
My heart skipped, but as he turned around to take off his own shirt before going to bed, I felt a little bit at ease.
Morning came too fast for me with her blinding sunlight slicing through the gap in the curtains, and dragging me awake with a gasp. My limbs tangled in the sheets, and I turned around as if I was in my own room. With a stretch, I felt the other side. It was empty.
Someone was supposed to be asleep beside me. Ryle? Dina? Who? Alpha Stone?
Alpha Stone! I jerked awake, my eyes flinging open with force. Rule number one. I should bathe with him every morning. I rushed out of bed without thinking, and only the clinking of glass from the side of the room stopped me.
"Good morning, Ari." A deep, baritone voice that could only belong to Alpha Stone.
Oh goodness! I was in trouble. I turned to him, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. Alpha Stone lounged on the couch with a glass of whiskey in his hand, his dark eyes dragging over my skin like he was touching me. His eyes roamed over me shamelessly and utterly unapologetic.
My breath hitched as realization slammed into me. I looked down at my perky boobs, and the way my nipples hardened due to the air that brushed over them. I was naked. Completely and utterly exposed.
A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it. I scrambled backward, snatching the nearest sheet off the bed and wrapping it around myself in frantic, clumsy movements. My face burned so hot I thought I might combust. Alpha Stone didn’t even blink. He just watched me with that infuriating, unreadable stare, the amber liquid in his glass catching the morning light.
"Relax," he finally drawled, setting the glass down and rising to his full, towering height. "You’re acting like I wouldn’t see every inch of you eventually."
His smirk was likec a knife twisting in my gut. "Rule number one is postponed. I’ve already had my bath. I've got an emergency meeting, and I just couldn't tolerate your loud snore any longer." He strode past me, ignoring my mouth wide agape in protest. "Don’t leave the palace. It's an order."
The door clicked shut behind him, and I slumped against the bedpost, exhaling shakily. My hands trembled as I dressed in loose pants and a thin t-shirt, the fabric clinging uncomfortably to my still-flushed skin. I needed air and space. But most especially, something to drown out the memory of his gaze lingering on my bare body.
The palace gardens stretched out before me, the scorching sunlight dappling through the trees. My bare feet sank into the cool grass as I walked deeper into the field, my pulse finally settling. Closing my eyes, I focused on the whisper beneath my chest. I felt the faint, flickering presence I’d spent months ignoring. My wolf. Or what was left of her.
"Come on," I murmured, pressing a hand to my chest. "If you’re in there… show me."
Silence hugged me with warmth as my heart continued to pound heavily. I could not even feel the faintest rustle of acknowledgment from my wolf.
"Please. Just show me something." If I had my wolf, I could resolve anything I wanted.
But, all I felt was just the emptiness I'd grown used to, and a void where my wolf used to be. My fingers curled into fists, my palm stinging from where my nails bit into it. "Fine. Stay quiet then."
A bitter laugh escaped me as I turned only to collide with a body of vanilla perfume and fuming face. Sierra stood inches away from me, her perfectly arched brows lifted in mock sympathy.
"Are you praying to the moon goddess for mercy?" she purred, circling me like a vulture over carcasses. "Or are you really begging your pathetic wolf to finally show itself?"
I stepped back, but she matched me stride for stride. "I wasn’t talking to you."
"Oh, I know." Her smile was venomous. "But since you’re clearly desperate for attention..." She flicked a strand of hair off my shoulder, her touch lingering just long enough to make my skin crawl. "Tell me, does it hurt? Knowing even your own wolf would rather see you die than bond with you?"
My breath hitched. That one stung, because part of me had wondered the same thing. "Go suck Stone’s dick or whatever you do to feel useful," I snapped.
Sierra’s hand flashed out fast before I could react. The slap cracked across my cheekbone, sending me stumbling backward. "You forget your place, mongrel," she hissed. "This place is mine. I belong here. You don't. So the next time I speak, you don't dare do the same."
I raised a hand to my throbbing face, but before I could retaliate, she shoved me hard. My heels stumbled on the rocky ground, and for one terrifying second, my world tilted, until strong hands caught me from behind.
I turned around to see his face, just inches away from mine. Harry’s grip was firm around my waist, his chest pressed against mine as he steadied me.
"Easy," he murmured, his breath warm against my face. His fingers lingered on my waist hesitantly, before he squeezed lightly as if assuring me. "You alright?"
Sierra’s lip curled. "How touching. The Beta playing knight to the Alpha’s discarded mutt."
Harry’s arm tightened around me protectively, just as the garden gate creaked open. Stone stood framed in the sunlight, his expression darkening as his gaze landed on Harry’s hands still resting on my hips.
Sierra’s smirk widened. "Perfect timing, Alpha. Seems your little pet has forgotten—"
"Out." Stone’s voice was lethally loud. Sierra paled but she obeyed, shooting me a glare as she brushed past Harry.
Harry released me slowly, his fingers trailing against my side like he didn’t want to let go. Stone’s jaw clenched.
"You too, Harry."