Jayce’S POV.
I look down at Alora sleeping peacefully in my arms and my heart melts completely. She looks so pretty and innocent. My heart hurts when I think of the fact that she has had a very difficult life. I want to stay and spend the night with her in my arms, but I had made a promise to leave the moment she falls asleep. I do not intend to go back on my word and most importantly, I don’t want her to think I’m trying to take advantage of her. Planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, I step down from the bed.
I look back at her one more time before exiting the bedroom.
I’m about to take the turn leading to my office when I hear a call.
“Alpha Jayce.” I quickly spin around to see who just called. It’s one of my guards, Brent.
“Brent. What are you doing here at this hour?”
“I’m sorry for intruding, Alpha, but it’s Skye.”
“Skye? What about her?” I ask, concerned. I haven’t set eyes on or heard about her ever since we had that heated argument in my office about me no longer needing her services. If one of my guards is here to report something about her, then it must be pretty serious.
“She… she’s downstairs, Alpha. In the castle premises. We tried to send her away, but she started to cause a scene. That’s why I came to tell you. She’s still downstairs, refusing to bulge.” He explains almost worriedly. I let out a heavy sigh and changed my direction. As I descend the staircase, my fists are clenched by my side and there’s annoyance brewing in my veins.
I hate when people don’t follow my instructions.
It’s over between Skye and I. The earlier she gets that and moves on with her life, the better.
“Alpha Jayce!” Her shrill voice calls the moment I step out of the castle. I look around and notice that my guards look just as confused as I am about what is going on. I don’t want to cause a scene out here so I gesture for her to follow me into the livingroom which she does.
“What are you doing?” I ask the moment we are inside.
“The guards won’t let me in. I really wanted to speak with you, that’s why I…”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Skye. Why did you come here in the middle of the night.” I ask tightly, trying not to raise my voice too high. The last thing I want is for Alora to hear us arguing and come down here. I don’t want her to know about Skye. At least not yet.
“I…. I wanted to see you.” She says with a shaky voice. I take several steps back when she tries to come closer to me.
I’m actually regretting ever making her my sexual partner.
Before we started having sex, I told her we’d have to stop sometime and that time would be when I found my mate. She had accepted, so right now I don’t know what’s wrong with her or why she’s being so clingy.
“And why did you want to tell me? What is it that you have to say to me that can’t wait till tomorrow?” I ask, deadpan. Both hands behind my back. She starts playing with her fingers.
“I… I just wanted to tell you that we… we can keep having sex without the knowledge of your mate. She doesn’t have to know. I swear I won’t say a word to her or to anyone else. It’ll be just between.”
“Are you suggesting I be unfaithful to my mate?” I ask with raised brows. She looks at me with teary eyes. Her face is completely drenched and she looks like she has been crying for a really long time, but I don’t care.
“Skye. Get. Out!” I order, but she doesn’t bulge.
“Alpha Jayce, please don’t do this to me. I love you. Please don’t send me away like this. We can still be together. We can still do this.” She starts wailing, but I really don’t care. Two of my guards walk into the livingroom and start pulling her away. She tries to resist, but they are too strong for her. When they manage to take her outside, I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out an exasperated sigh.
Skye is going to cause trouble. I can feel it. I have to do something to shut her up and make her stop her unwanted visits.
I look at the wine bar at the corner and try to search my inner self for any zeal to drink and get drunk tonight, but I don’t find any. What I want to drink right now is some milk. It’s almost midnight and all the servants have retired to their quarters to rest. If I dare try to call any of them to come over and serve me some milk, my mother will turn in her grave and my father’s hand would appear from nowhere and slap me hard across the cheek for being a prick.
Not wanting any of that to happen, I quietly make my way to the kitchen.
I cannot remember the last time I was here. When I switch on the light, my soul walks out my body when I spot a figure sitting on the kitchen island.
“Who’s that?” I ask, taking a defensive pose. The person turns to look at me and I’m even more petrified when I see that it’s Reed, my omega.
What the hell is he doing here at this time of the night?
“Reed.” I call just to make sure.
“The one and only.”
“What are you doing here at this time of the night?” I ask as I walk over to him. He lifts up a glass half-filled with a white liquid which I presume to be milk.
Milk.
It’s the same milk I’m here to get.
“Is that my milk?” I ask aghast as I rush to the fridge and open it up. A wave of relief washes through me when I see that the milk jar is not empty. I give him a stern look.
“That milk is mine alone. You have no right to come in here and drink it without my permission.”
“Are you really going to scold me over milk?” He asks in a bored tune and I can see this argument taking another turn. I don’t want to argue with him tonight so I ignore his sarcastic comment and take out the jar of milk.
“Don’t you have milk in your chambers?”
“I noticed I ran out of milk a while ago. I knew you’d have some, that’s why I came here.”
“How did you know I would have some?”
“You like milk. Everyone knows that. So it’s obvious you’d have some stored in the fridge.” He says and nonchalantly takes another sip not even bothering about the fact that I could get offended and decide to punish him.
The shocking thing is that I can’t. When it comes to Reed, I just can’t treat him the same way I treat everyone else and it’s not because he’s my Omega. It’s something even I cannot explain and it’s scary.
Without saying a word, I take a glass and sit on the kitchen island as well, pouring myself a glass of milk and taking a big sip. When I set the glass down, Reed is looking at me.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“You do know that Skye will cause trouble, don’t you?”
“How do you know about Skye?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“No.”
“I thought as much.” I take another sip. Moments fly by. “I can’t tell Alora about her. It’ll break her heart.”
“And you’d agree with me that it’ll break her heart even more if Skye were to be the one to say it to her.” And there he goes with his blunt comments.
I had been waiting for it.
“Do you think I should tell her about my affair with Skye?”
“It’s the right thing for you to do. And it’s not an affair. You hadn’t found Alora when you had sexual encounters with Skye so you didn’t cheat on her. You just have to tell her so she would be ready for Skye”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you honestly think your orders and threats will stop Skye? She’s going to try to get to Alora.” He empties his glass and serves himself another.
What he just said makes sense. Skye is bitter about her sudden dismissal. She knows she can’t get to me, so Alora will be her target.
Damn! Why is Reed always so accurate?
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Make Alora ready to defend herself against. That’s what you need to do. You won’t defend her forever.”
“You said that the other time.”
“And I’m repeating it right now because it’s important.” Silence stretches on as we just keep sipping and milk and refilling our glasses.
I steal glances at Reed every now and then.
No matter how much I try to deny it, we have a lot in common and that’s the reason we don’t get along. Like terms repel each other.