25

Aleena’s POV
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When we walked into the suited that was booked for us, the hair on all over my body rose up, seeing the decoration of the room. I wanted to turn around and run away as soon as possible, but that was not that easy. Just like it looked, he had held me closer to him, and his arms were around my waist.
“Umm.. Stephen!”
“Everything is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah!” I mumbled. “Can you please remove your hand from my waist? I have to use the washroom.”, I added.
“Oh! Sorry.”, He apologized AGAIN. But I didn’t waste my time glaring at him and ran inside the washroom. Locking the room behind me, I started pacing around in tension.
‘Mom?’
I tried to mind the link, Mom. But it didn’t work. Immediately realization sunk inside my brain when I realized that I was now no longer the pack member of dad’s pack.
Damn it!
The cherry on the top, I didn’t have my phone with me because I didn’t have a habit of carrying a phone in hand and the gown I was wearing had no pocket. I sat on the toilet seat because that was the only place where my mind used to work in a proper way.
I didn’t have a thing me because of which I could make him unconscious, not to forget I didn’t have single clothes with me which I could wear after changing this gown. I felt so helpless and annoyed that I couldn’t explain it in words, and the worst thing was I had to share a room with him, maybe a bed as well.
‘I hate you, Mom.’
“Lina?”
“Coming.”, I responded, and after a while, I walked to work, only to see myself just a boxer. “Why did you open your clothes? You said, ‘I’m ready to give you as much time as you want.’ in the elevator.”, I pointed out, eyeing him suspiciously.
Did he change his mind?
I hope not.
“I can’t sleep in my formals. It was suffocating me. Don’t tell me that you are planning to sleep in that gown.”, Now, I really wanted to cry at my situation. I was doomed. I didn’t have any nightwear as well. Neither I could sleep in the gown, nor I could sleep in my underwear with him. “Though the idea of seeing you in your lingerie is tempting, I know you won’t feel comfortable with that. So, here!” he said, giving his shirt to me. “You can wear this.”
“Than…”
“Don’t thank me.”, he cut me in between. “I’m just helping myself. The idea of seeing you in my shirt is something I want. Trust me, I’m not doing any favor.”, he added with a wink.
Was this the old him? I wondered and recalled Daniel’s words about his behavior.
(‘Is Stephen always like this? I mean giving priority to work and always so formal?’
‘Yep! Just don’t mind him. He wasn’t like this before, but after his mate’s death, he had indulged himself in work so much that he barely spent time with us. Everyone misses the old him.’, Daniel explained.’)
The new grumpy Stephen was good for me, and the old one was damn too ….. Naughty!!
Grabbing his shirt in my hand, I walked toward the washroom again to change my clothes. When I returned, all the rose petals from the bed had been removed, and it was clean. Not just that, even the Beta was lying on the bed, using his phone.
He stopped using his phone and kept it aside when his gaze landed on me.
“You look more beautiful than I had imagined.”
“And I didn’t know that you imagine these types of things.”, I mumbled, not caring that he would hear this. He laughed wholeheartedly and patted his hand on the other side of the bed. Of course, I would choose to sleep in bed; I wasn’t someone who would choose to sleep on the couch. “I dare you, Stephen, if something nasty is going on your mind, and I wouldn’t mind kicking you. I’m not some damsel in distress.”, I warned him, on which he grinned before speaking.
“Of course, I know that you’re no damsel in distress. I had asked Wade to check your back history.”, he confessed.
“You did what?” I asked in surprise and sat on the bed, looking at him with a serious expression.
“Yeah! I used to doubt you, remember?” he reminded me.
If he wouldn’t have been the effect of the potion, I would have asked him, ‘What changed now?’ But I already knew the answer to that question, so I didn’t ask that.
“So, what did you find out?”
“That you’re dangerous.”
“Excuse me?”, How did he know? I thought I had wiped out all the proofs of torturing others.
“Yeah! Silent and smart student. And trust me, silent people are more dangerous than anyone because they keep their feelings inside them. And it’s not easy to figure out what exactly is going on in his or her mind. Not only that, you tried to be like Eva many times because you used to think that your dad loved her more than you.”
“It’s not that I just THINK; I know he does.” I couldn’t help myself from snapping at him. I watched him flinch. Only slightly, but I was almost sure he had. Immediately I felt stupid expressing my emotions to him. I brought my hands to my face as I tried to calm myself. “I don’t want to know what you came to know about me in your little research.”, I muttered, knowing that he wouldn’t have found anything major. I laid down on the corner of the bed and hid my long naked legs with the sheet because I didn’t want to give him any chance because of which he would turn on.
But being a love-sick puppy, he pulled me to the middle of the bed.
“Stephen, I told you that I need some time.”, I said in irritation, glancing him over my shoulder.
“I know, but I also need someone by your side.”, he spoke softly.
“It’s nothing like that. You are just finding ways to touch me.”, I hissed. This time he didn’t answer. I tried to push his hand away from my waist, but he was not ready to remove his hand from there. The more I tried to fight, the more he tightened the grip; I turned around and glared at him, but he just smiled at me, irritating me a little more.
“If you have Alpha blood in your vein, then I too have the same. If you are stubborn, and I am stubborn too. I won’t mind fighting with you the whole night.”, he challenged. I gritted my teeth in anger, and I kept fuming in anger while fighting and then started crying because no one had made me this frustrated, irritated and angry in my whole life.
‘Where the hell am I stuck!’ I cried at my fate and stopped fighting. Now that I didn’t have any option left, I didn’t realize when I slept.
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Leia’s POV
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I wondered whether I should go out or not? I just stayed there, hidden in her mind, and sensed Stephen Staring at Aleena. Who would have thought that destiny would take a 180-degree turn like this? I meant this was the man who didn’t want to kiss someone like … Aleena!!
“Leia, are you here?” I heard Thunder’s heavy voice, and I didn’t waste time opening my eyes and found a pair of golden eyes looking at me.
“Is Stephen back in your mind?” I asked in a low tone.
“I have blocked him. I talked to him about sharing some time with my mate ALONE, and he agreed. So, right now, only I’m in control.”, He responded before throwing that question which I knew was on the way. “Now, will be please tell me why all of a sudden my human is so much in love with your human and is considering her as our mate? Because the last time I checked, he didn’t want to get caught seeing with her.”
“I can’t tell you about it.”, I mumbled, averting my eyes everywhere but him. He placed his fingers on my chin and made me look toward him.
“I only reason my human is not getting conflicted in his feelings between I’m keeping my mouth shut.”, he said in a serious tone while I bit my inner cheeks to prohibit myself from speaking anything. “Leia, I’m asking once again, what your human did to my human? Because if you think that I won’t be able to figure out the things, then you are hell wrong about that. My human is in love, doesn’t mean he is stupid. All I need to fill some doubts again, you both.”
“Then go ahead. What is stopping you from doing this?” I asked.
“You.”, he responded. “Yes! You heard it, right. You’re reason because of which I’m quite. It’s not that I don’t want a mate, but not in this way where my human is acting like a love sick puppy.” I kept looking at him for a while, thinking whether I should tell him the complete truth or not? Because the moment Stephen would figure out it, the effect of the potion won’t work, and he would kick both Aleena and me out of his life. And I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted to be with Thunder.
I sighed, knowing that if I wanted a long-term relationship. Follow the simple rule NEVER LIE.
“I’m waiting.”, he said, on which I told the complete truth to him one go without waiting to check his expression.
“I can’t believe that you human is so ……” he paused to find a perfect word for Aleena.
“Evil. I know that.”, I muttered, feeling embarrassed.
“No. I wasn’t going to use that word. She is so smart and talented.” he appreciated her talent. Was he being serious? “So, what now?”
“I don’t know, you say.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it before?”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you, Thunder.”, I confessed truthfully.
“Hmm.”, he smiled, caressing my cheek.
“So?” I questioned, wondering whether he would tell everything to his human or not.
“So?”, He questioned innocently.
“Will you tell Stephen about everything?” I asked in tension, to which he just gave me a small smile. “Tell me.”
“Thank you.”
Huh?”
“Thank you for proving to me that I didn’t trust the wrong person. Now, we both should sleep.”
“But you didn’t answer my question!” I pointed out.
“Eat mangoes; don’t count seeds. Now, sleep.”
“But…”
“Sleep, Leia. If you stop asking me this question, then tomorrow night I will take you to a new place. So that we can spend some time under the sky, just me and you.”, he offered. Though I still wanted to know his answer out of curiosity but at the same time, his offer was quite tempting.
“But at least tell me something, will you tell him or not?”
“I’m not going to say anything because I want Aleena to cry in frustration and irritation because she had no idea she had called herself into a big problem. Stephen is damn too different with the people he loves.”
“I.. I don’t get you.”
“Wait for tomorrow to see.”
“Okay then. Good night, Thunder.”
“Good night, mate.”, A smile broke on my lips when I heard the word, MATE. It meant that he wasn’t going to tell his human about our conversation, at least not this soon.
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#TBC
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