ARTEMISIA
I kick my legs nervously as I’m sitting on my little couch, waiting for Ramona to finish changing into her pjs.
She leaves my en-suite with a deep sigh and comes to sit down next to me. “Wow, your mates are totally nice. I really enjoyed dinner. It was so much fun.”
“Yeah, we really have a wrong picture of them where we come from,” I chuckle but she scrunches her nose.
“Nah, I think that they are being so friendly because of you. I guess they would have been ripped me apart just for looking at them the wrong way,” she grins at me, and I laugh, taking a package of sour gums from the small couch table.
“So, let’s see,” she chews on a gummy bear as she takes out her phone. “The witch told you to be wary about who is close to you. Tell me then, who is close to you? Well, except the heartless one.”
“Aren’t you impossible,” I groan, slapping her knee playfully as she cackles.
“But there is no one who could do that to me…”
She rolls her eyes, rummaging through the bag of candy, “You are just too nice…”
“No, really, I-” I start, but she interrupts me, pointing a gummy worm into my face.
“If that thing…” she swings around the worm, making me distort my face in disgust, “Was originally meant to keep you from feeling cheated on, and it kept getting fed, what does that tell us?”
I sigh deeply, throwing my head into my neck, “What, Ramona?”
“It’s obvious! That someone was trying to hide his cheating like Alpha Rick did back then.”
Lifting my head, I look right back at her as she shrugs one of her shoulders. “Didn’t you ever think about it?”
“What?! No!” I shout, standing up. “They would never.”
“Like Giorgio wouldn’t play Bestie with your ex?” she asks me, biting into the sourworm.
I hug myself, caressing my arms as I look at my feet.
“Babes, let’s just brainstorm. Like… It wouldn’t hurt to sort it out, right?”
She throws her hands into the air, and I take another deep breath.
“Not Cayden,” I whisper, and she claps her hands.
“Okay, babes. Not the Alpha.” Taking up her phone she types into it, “What about the brute?”
“There was a girl named Harper. They had something before I came into the picture,” I sigh, while she digits her name into her notes.
“Okay, so, on a scale from one to ten, how close is Harper to you?”
“She isn’t close to me at all,” I groan, sitting back down.
“How is her relationship with the Omegas? Could she make someone from the kitchen staff poison your food?”
“Argh, I really don’t know.” I slump back against the backrest.
She waves her hand back and forth, “Don’t worry. Fynn could get them to if he wanted to be with Harper, right?”
“I just can’t see-”
“Ah, ah, ah!” she interrupts me, lifting her index. “Next up. Logan.”
She giggles to herself as she takes notes, “I’ve always liked that name. So, sexy.”
Looking up, her expression morphs as she must be taken aback by my aghast expression. “Oh, no. What did he do?”
I lift a shoulder, rubbing my cheek as I hum, “Well, not much. He just kissed another girl after he marked me by force.”
“You are fucking kidding me,” she gasps, and I shake my head.
“Goddess,” she breathes out, scratching her forehead. “What’s her name?”
“Lisa,” I state, making her drop her jaw.
“Not that Lisa who sat at our table and was being all touchy with us.”
I nod slightly, distorting my face, “Yep, her.”
“Isn’t she becoming Beta Female to help you out?”
“Uh-huh,” I say, rummaging for a gummy bear.
She gasps, shaking her head, “You have to be fucking kidding me.”
I sigh, lifting my eyebrows as I bury myself in the candy bag.
“Does Alpha Cayden know about this?” she asks in a high-pitched tone.
“No,” I answer lowly.
Looking around in shock, she scratches her nose, “What the hell, Missy? You just puked out a worm that was being fed by someone who wants to hurt you and you go about your day with a Beta on your side who kissed your mate? Why doesn’t Alpha Cayden know about this?”
“Because Logan… He is adamant about her having that position, so…”
“Well, of course he is. They are controlling you to keep doing shenanigans. Has he been threatening you in any way to act like this?”
“Well, maybe a little,” I answer, clearing my throat and she opens her mouth, flabbergasted as she rings for air.
“Missy, I love you. But you have to be more careful. What about telling Fynn? You two seem to be on the same page.”
Clasping a pillow, I hug it to my stomach. “I can’t tell him. They are already fighting too much.”
“Missy! That isn’t normal. You are going to tell him, or I’ll give him so many hints until he gets you to,” She inhales sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose before pushing it back out. “Okay, listen. I know that I have a bad feeling about them because of all the prejudices. But this guy marked you against your will. And they are dangerous. I really am scared for your safety.”
Taking my hands, she looks at me with a serious expression, “Babes, promise me that you are going to tell Alpha Cayden. He is your safe haven. Okay? The only one that has one hundred per cent, right?”
“I promise,” I breathe out, getting her to smile at me.
“Perfect, then… let’s put three exclamation marks behind Lisa’s name, and not drink any tea from her anymore, right?”
“Right,” I confirm with a nod, making her giggle.
“Very well, and then there is Matthew, a. k. a. sugar boy, what about him?”
Closing my eyes, I breathe out all my exhaustion. “He is golden. I don’t think he could be involved. I was his first because he waited for his mate.”
She lets her arms slump in her lap as she looks at me moved, “Aw, this is so cute! They don’t build them like this anymore.”
Blowing her cheeks, she takes a look at her phone. “Maybe it’s a good thing I came for the ball. Our Omegas will take a little look around the kitchen, and you have to stop being so nice to those who kiss your mate, or accept drinks from them.”
“It’s not that easy,” I sigh, pinching at my shorts.
Ramona leans forward, squeezing my knee. “I know it isn’t, babes. Being cheated on by Rick has hurt you, but you can’t close your eyes just because you like this Logan guy even more. You have to talk with the Alpha or Fynn. Please.”
“Okay, I’ll tell them after the ball,” I nod, and she taps my knee.
“Perfect. Now, let’s go to sleep. Tomorrow will be an awesomely tiring day,” she yawns before cuddling into the bedsheets.
I go to open the door to the terrace by habit and cuddle into bed with my best friend.
“I’m really happy that you came here. I was feeling like drowning all alone,” I whisper, making her smile.
“It’s going to be alright, hun. Just talk with Cayden and get him at least to stop Logan from threatening you.”
Closing my eyes, I sigh exhaustedly, “Yeah.”
***
I startle awake, looking right into black and red eyes.
Turning towards Ramona, I find her sleeping peacefully. “Oh my Goddess, Fynn. What the hell?”
I know that he sneaks into my bedroom at night, and honestly, that’s why I leave the doors open, but he never woke me up.
“Sorry, if I startled you, but I heard you speak and we have to talk,” he whispers, and I don’t like the look in his eyes.
I turn to Ramona again before I wet my lips with my tongue, “Now? Are you serious?”
“Dead serious, princess,” he hisses, and I groan.
Throwing my blanket back carefully, I scoot out of bed and grab his wrist to pull him into the kitchen.
I close the door softly, and face him, looking straight into his angry expression. “What is it?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Logan is threatening you?” He comes straight to the point, making my heart flip in my chest.
“He isn’t threatening me…” I start but him distorting his face has me taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what got into him, Fynn. He was so lovely before. But now he is just mean. He is forcing me to take Lisa as my Beta Female while she is obviously into him, and I know that they kissed.”
“You are fucking kidding me, right?” he growls, “Did you find out because you felt pain?”
I shake my head, “No, I didn’t feel anything. It must have been just the kiss. He said he didn’t reciprocate it.”
“I can’t believe this guy,” he sighs, passing a hand over his face. “But yeah, I noticed that he was behaving strangely lately as well.”
“Well, he said that he wanted to get away with me for a few days, so we could mend what had been broken in the last few weeks. Maybe that would make him return to acting normally,” I breathe out, and as I look at him, I find him grinning at me.
“What?” I ask, caressing away the goosebumps on my skin.
“You are not going away with him alone,” he chuckles, stepping closer to me.
“What? Why?” I take a step backwards instinctively, making his eyes light up.
“Did you ask for permission to get away like this?”
I stare up at him as he walks into me, making me bump into the kitchen door. “Stop it, Fynn.”
He puts his elbow on the door as he leans into me, “I’m serious. Why would you think you could go away with him? Just with him.”
“We did that too, and it did us well, didn’t it?” I ask lowly, feeling giddy.
He grins before he leans closer, letting his tongue glide up along my neck, making me shiver in pleasure, “Oh, it did us very well.”
Breathing out a low moan, I lean my head back against the door, baring my throat even more to him.
He presses himself into me, kissing my skin while sucking it between his teeth, making me moan.
“What a pity that we have to stop now,” he grins as he detaches himself from me. “But you will get it all tomorrow.”
I groan, rolling my eyes, “Again with these teasing words, Fynn. What is happening tomorrow?”
“It’s a surprise, princess,” he whispers huskily.
His fingers glide onto my stomach, moving down my body to slip them between my wet folds.
Clawing onto his arms, I moan as he rubs them against me gently before pulling his hand out of my shorts.
“But the hotter you are, the better it will be,” he chuckles, licking his fingers clean.
My breath hitches in my throat as I watch him, my pussy throbbing painfully, “You are so mean.”
He kisses me, making me taste myself on his tongue.
As he breaks the kiss, he leans his forehead against mine, “Every time he gets close to you, I can sense how you go into absolute panic. I admit that I’m being selfish because I don’t want to be separated from you for a single minute, but I also would never let you go away with someone who terrorises you.”
My heart halts in my chest as I look up at him.
“Thank you,” I whisper, smiling at him before letting him claim my lips again.