Chapter 8 Jerk

• ARYA
• I screwed up. This realization gnawed at my insides, making me feel sick to my stomach. Desperation had gotten the best of me, forcing me to drug myself just to have my master cornered in a web of vulnerability. But it was too late now. I couldn't take back the words I'd just uttered.
• "How do you know about the moonstone?" Alpha Daxton's grip on my hand tightened as the words escaped his lips.
• "You haven't given me an answer," I blinked in an attempt to clear the blur in my vision.
• He went silent for a moment, his chest heaving. The words rumbled from his chest when he spoke again.
• "I'm not a thief."
• Jerk.
• How could he have defeated the purpose of the drug?
• Or perhaps was it not as potent as I'd thought?
• "Liar," I spat, and my master closed his eyes, bringing a hand to the back of my head.
• "Is the poison lethal?" he whispered, and I nearly scoffed.
• "No. Why?"
• He released a heavy sigh.
• "It would have been nice to die together like this." his words slurred, thick with exhaustion.
• "You're crazy," I grunted, feeling my consciousness slipping.
• "This is the last act of mercy I'll show you, Arya. Do not do this again. Do not push me," he mumbled, and I lifted my head to stare into his face.
• His breathing had evened out, and he looked as though he was merely asleep.
• I attempted to pull away from me, but for some reason, my body felt way too comfortable in that position. It didn't help that my body felt like lead. Slowly, I lost consciousness in that position.
• I awoke the next morning with a start, panting hard. I'd been plagued by nightmares of my mother's death throughout the night. And even now, I could still see her corpse.
• A lump formed in my throat, tears welling up in my eyes.
• The grief hit me like a fist to the ribs, choking the air from my lungs.
• Swallowing hard, I wiped at my damp cheeks and sat up, only to freeze.
• A blanket was draped over me.
• The scent clinging to it was unmistakable—Alpha Daxton.
• My heart pounded as I shot to my feet, my eyes darting around the room.
• Where was he?
• More importantly, why had he left me like this?
• I had drugged him. I had challenged him. He should have retaliated, punished me, or done something other than walk away. But instead, he had left me covered, untouched.
• Was he so twisted that he enjoyed all of this? Or did he just enjoy playing mind games with me?
• Either way, one thing was certain: he was more dangerous than I'd thought.
• I couldn't afford to let down my guard around him again.
• With this thought on my mind, I slipped out of his room, ensuring that there was nobody in sight.
• Quickly, I returned to my room, washed up and got dressed.
• Sinking into my bed, I buried my head in my hands as I thought about the fact that I still didn't know anything about the moonstone.
• How could I even find it if I didn't know what it looked like?
• Burdened by this thought, I decided to search for clues around the house. Eventually, I ended up in the library.
• Stepping inside, my jaw dropped slightly at the sheer size of it. The towering shelves were packed with countless books—far more than I had expected from someone like my master.
• I was confident that I could find what I wanted. So I began my search.
• To my relief, I found something promising—Ancient Relics And Mystical Stones.
• Flipping the pages, I came across a page about the moonstone. Excitement coursed through my veins, and just as I was about to skim through it, I heard approaching footsteps. Quickly, I hid behind one of the shelves, grimacing when I smelled my master's scent.
• "Come out already. I know you're in here," I heard Alpha Daxton say, and I winced, shoving the book into my waistband. Then I covered it up with my shirt and stepped out from my hiding place. He eyed me in silence for a moment.
• "Is this about the moonstone again?" he asked, his voice laced with exhaustion. He looked wrecked with dark circles under his eyes and a pale face. Maybe just like me, he'd suffered from nightmares. This led me to believe that it was a side effect of the drug.
• "I got curious," I muttered.
• He arched a perfect brow, a puzzled look on his face.
• "How did you hear about the moonstone?" he asked, moving over to me.
• I shrugged. "Gossip."
• He stopped in front of me, and my heart went into overdrive, racing in my chest.
• He was too close now.
• When my gaze met his, he blinked and brought a hand to the shelf behind my head.
• I swallowed as his piercing eyes scanned my face and drifted down to my collarbones as well as my slightly exposed cleavage.
• "You expect me to believe that?" he asked, bringing the tip of his index fingers to the middle of my collarbones, his stare locked with mine.
• "It's not a lie," I croaked, and his finger dipped lower, trailing down the valley in between my boobs, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
• "But it's not the truth either," he drawled, his finger slipping even lower until it was resting on the book pressed to my abdomen through my shirt.
• I stiffened as he lifted my shirt and grabbed the book out of my waistband.
• "Consider this an act of protection. Trust me, you don't want to know anything about the moonstone," he deadpanned.
• I clenched my fists, irritated.
• Trust him? I would much rather shave my head and run down the hallways butt naked than trust him.
• He pulled away from me, the corner of his lips curling upwards.
• "If you're bored , you should find something else to do," he commented and walked away, leaving me to glare at his retreating figure.
• ...
• Later in the evening,
• "Hurry up, girls! No slacking!" Aunt Sally yelled at us, handing us trays of food, desserts and wine. It seemed as though there was an important guest in the house. Whoever it was, they were definitely a glutton.
• "What are you zoning out for, Arya?!" Aunt Sally demanded, snapping me out of my thoughts as she handed me a tray containing a glass of wine.
• Squaring my shoulders, I made my way to his study. The moment I opened the door, three pairs of eyes met mine. I easily recognized the first two pairs.
• My master. His beta.
• And a stranger.
• Just like Alpha Daxton, the stranger had a terrifying aura. His gaze lingered heavily on me in a way that made my skin crawl. It was unnerving.
• Keeping my head lowered, I went up to my master and handed him the glass of wine. His fingers brushed mine, sending a spark travelling through my fingers. I was just about to leave when the unfamiliar visitor spoke.
• "Stop," he uttered, and I stiffened, my gaze meeting my master's.
• When I didn't move, the visitor smirked.
• "I want her," he stated, and Alpha Daxton choked on his wine.
• "Why? You won't give her to me?"
• Clearing his throat, my master finally responded.
• "You know that there's a line even you shouldn't cross, Your Majesty."
• A lump formed in my throat.
• The visitor was royalty?
• Shit.
• Just as he was about to speak again, the door opened and Aunt Sally walked in with a bucket of cold champagne.
• My master coughed. Then he coughed again.
• Blood drained from my face when Alpha Daxton suddenly paled, doubling over on his seat, clutching at his chest. I had a feeling that I would be blamed for this, especially since I'd just served him wine.
• The situation only when he started gasping for breath, his body trembling.
• Beta Mason's eyes widened as he shot to his feet, calling out his Alpha's name.
• All eyes turned towards me, fiery and accusatory.
• "What did you do, Arya?!" Aunt Sally demanded, and I paled. This wasn't good.
• "I didn't do—"
• "Grab her!" Beta Mason ordered, and the waiting guards stormed in immediately.
• "Wait." Alpha Daxton's voice was hoarse when he spoke. Rising to his feet, his chest heaved as he stumbled towards me.
• My stomach clenched with unease as Alpha Daxton closed the distance between us, his movements slower than usual, as if he were fighting to stay upright.
• His eyes burned into mine, wild and unreadable, before his fingers curled around the back of my head.
• Then, without warning, he crashed his lips against mine.
• His tongue dominated mine, claiming every inch of my mouth. My blood sizzled in my veins as the mating bond burned brighter. I could taste the dessert he'd eaten earlier. I could taste him. And with every stroke of his tongue, I got dizzier. But I couldn't let him kiss me like this in front of others. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as he devoured my lips as though he was claiming it for himself. I didn't understand what he was doing. Until the pain hit me.