In that little moment, I was tempted to tell him I had given my virginity to someone else on the very day he broke up with me. How lovely his reaction would be.
“Fuck you, Roderick.” I turned to leave, but his hand grabbed mine.
“Let me go!” I struggled with him, then suddenly, I felt a new presence. A familiar one.
“Is there something going on here?”
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to find Jaris watching us, a glass of wine in his hand.
Oh, no. No. Roderick and Jaris shouldn’t be in the same sentence.
“Alpha Jaris,” Roderick called with a small smile, releasing my hand. “Please, go back to the party. There’s nothing here you should bother yourself with.”
Jaris’ face remained impassive. “Are you sure? Because you seem to be troubling something that’s of importance to me.” Something? Hold on, was he referring to me as a tool?
Roderick seemed surprised. His gaze slid between Jaris and 1.
“Do you… know her?” He asked.
“I more than know her. Actually, we’re getting mated in a few days. So, I ask again, Roderick, is there something going on here?”
I watched Roderick’s jaw drop, and my stomach did the same.
No. Roderick couldn’t tell him we were still bonded. That would totally ruin things for me.
“Are you being serious?” He huffed. “You… and Lyric are getting bonded?”
I turned quickly to face Roderick, turning my back on Jaris as I whispered. “Please, we’ll finish this conversation some other time. For now, could you just leave?”
“What’s going on?” Jaris demanded, coming closer.
Oh, no.
Roderick looked speechless. But above all, het
“Please,” I mouthed to him.
I felt I’d already pissed Jaris off enough and news like this would really tip the scales. But thankfully by some
I took a deep quiet breath.
“What is going on with you two? What aren’t you done with?” Jaris snapped, getting in my face.
Good Moon. Now, I have to deal with this.
“It’s-It’s nothing.”
Staring into his face, all I could see was irritation.
“Lyric Harper, who exactly are you?” His voice was colder than an Arctic breeze. “Do you really have this much complications with men? Will I have issues with my Luna always found flirting with men?”
“No!” My voice was near a shout. By the moon, I hate it when he implies that I’m loose. “I promise you, it’s not what you think. I’m not like that.”
Gods, it hurt. It hurts to have to defend myself against such absurd accusations.
“Are you sure about that? Because so far, I’ve been dealing with the men in your life. Just three days ago, you were dancing almost naked in a club with men who you let romance you as they please. Then, you got followed by two men whose clear intentions were to force themselves on you. Yet, when I saved you, you were furious like I’d interrupted something good. And now, today, I’ve had to deal with-how many is it?”
I wanted to scream. It was too much to take in.
“Okay, first; I was never naked to the club. I didn’t know I had to watch my dress sense since I was still very much single. Secondly, I’m telling you, I have nothing with these men.”
“Then, explain Roderick to me at least.”
“It’s… It’s complicated!”
I sighed. Goodness, it was really complicated. He’d get really mad if I told him I was still bonded to Roderick. It might be considered a breach of contract and I could get locked up for real.
What have I gotten myself into?
His jaw drew tight. “You disobeyed me today when you left my chauffeur hanging.”
I forced myself not to roll my eyes. “I told Kael over the phone. I wanted to go with my father.”
“I don’t take lightly to disobedience, Lyric.” He stepped toward me. “And tonight, you’ll understand how dire the consequences of your actions can be. Tonight, I’ll punish you; make you feel hurt deep in the bones. Tonight, you’ll learn never to disobey me. Ever again.”
My lips were dropped open in shock as I watched him speak. His eyes looked so threatening, and it didn’t sound like they were empty threats. He was going to hurt me… tonight.
LYRIC
When he turned to leave, I took off in a pursuit. “Fine! Let’s talk.”
But he didn’t break his stride or spare me a glance.
Damnit. All he made were threats and I was already losing my mind.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Alright? I was just pissed over what happened with the guy from the club. And-And the fact that I couldn’t terminate the contract. I felt tricked. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
But he still didn’t look at me. Damn him, he was as hard as rock.
Reaching the entrance of the hall, he went in without sparing as little as a glance at me. And in that moment, I knew I was fucked.
I couldn’t enjoy a thing from the rest of the funeral. All I wanted was for it to come to an end so I could run to my hotel.
Or maybe I could go now. That way, I’d get to escape whatever Jaris had planned for me.
Yet, a part of me was still scared to leave without his knowledge or permission or something.
The rumors were not complete. Jaris was a big time manipulator. Knew how to mess with people’s heads.
I kept my eyes on him all through the party, watching how detached he was from everyone he met.
He looked so different from the man I’d slept with five years ago. Had he simply pretended that night to get me to his bed? What went wrong?
JARIS
Fear was one of the most effective forms of punishment.
I knew that was what Lyric was experiencing, and it brought me a strange sense of satisfaction. And I wasn’t even done with her.
No one had ever disobeyed me. I wasn’t about to let her make a habit of it.
I could feel her eyes on me, following my every move like a hawk. If we weren’t in a public gathering, I was sure she’d have run after me.
My blissful moment was soon interrupted by the arrival of two unpleasant guests.
Zarek and Chloe.
They were holding hands, trying to wear their perfect smiles as they walked toward me.
Zarek Callahan. Alpha of one of the top ten ranking Packs.
On a normal day, we weren’t supposed to have any problems. But the issues between Zarek and I were beyond personal. “Jaris,” he gave a curt nod.
I said nothing, sipping from my glass. After all, there were other Alphas he could talk to beside me.
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