For two days, I avoided Jaris like a plaque. And I think he was doing the same.
I know we’ve both been intimate before. But that was five years ago! When I was a very different person, right before he abandoned me.
This body is very special now. He couldn’t just look at it when he wanted.
“Congratulations, aunty,” Xylon said with a sweet smile as I massaged his sister’s scalp on the bed.
“For what, honey?”
“The mating ceremony tomorrow. We know you’ll become daddy’s Luna, Xyla answered.
Oh. “Thank you.”
Actually, I’d been quite nervous about that. Jaris and I would finally be mated tomorrow, only to be broken apart after a year. But I was still more concerned about the fact we were only going to be together for a year. While it’d help my father clear his debts, I still didn’t understand what Jaris would be getting out of this.
Someone knocked on the door. It was the children’s nanny, followed by Jaris who stood before her.
‘Oh, damn it.
I got goosebumps instantly, my throat running dry.
“Uh… we’ll continue our session later, dear,” I said sweetly to Xyla as I lifted her head off my thighs.
“Bye, aunty.”
I made for the door, and my heart skipped a beat as I got closer to Jaris.
I dipped my head, but I could feel his eyes on me. As soon as I had gone past him, I hastened my steps.
I was relieved when I got to the room, but that relief was short–lived as a while later, Kael came over to inform me that Jaris was calling for me.
What? No way.
1 paced restlessly in my room, trying to come up with the best way to avoid him. I took too long, and when I heard a knock on my door, I was startled.
Inhaling for courage, I went ahead to open the door. My breath lunged in my throat when I came face to face with the devil,
in this case.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Good evening, Alpha.”
“I knocked.” He slipped one hand into his pocket. “I hope you noticed.”
If I wasn’t so nervous, perhaps I’d have scoffed.
“I sent for you thirty minutes ago. I thought I’d find you busier.”
I felt reprimanded. “I’m sorry. I was just about to be on my way.”
“Hm. His eyes raked over me. “Doesn’t look like it.”
Ugh. What was he doing here? I wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole.
“Anyway, I stopped by to know how preparations for tomorrow’s going.”
Oh. Jaris stopped by to check on me? What a surprise in this peculiar domain!
“It’s… It’s going just fine. My friend will actually be coming over.”
“Jace?”
“Yeah.”
He seemed to give it some thought. Well, he should know by now that Jace was no threat. He was my bestfriend, that’s all. Plus, I didn’t have any female friends.
“If he’ll be helpful,” he shrugged.
My heart just got lighter. Hm. Why was Jaris D Successfully unlocked!
“Take care, then.” He tipped his head and left.
I returned to my room, feeling on edge.
y?
Would it be wrong to tell Jaris I was the lady from five years ago? What if he’d been looking for me, considering the fact
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that he had my picture with him?
I was damn nervous. But a part of me was pushed to actually do this.
My phone came awake on the bed. When I checked, it turned out to be a strange caller.
“Hello?” I answered it.
“Lyric. It’s Marta.”
Oh. My head slumped.
Hold on, Marta!? Why in the moon would Marta be calling me?
“Hi. Is there a problem?” I tucked some strands of hair behind my ear.
“That depends. I need us to meet up. Right now. It’s kind of important.”
In less than an hour, I met up with Marta at the garden she requested. The corner where we sat was private with just the two of us.
“Why did you call for me?” I asked as I watched the waiter open our drinks on the table and poured it into two glasses.
Marta looked worried. It was a rare sight.
“I’m just worried about my kids.”
O…kay.
The waiter left, and she picked up her glass from where she took a sip. Done, he carefully placed it back on the table.
“I don’t really know who you are. And it’s the first time that Jaris is entrusting someone to this extent with Xylon’s health. What makes you think you can actually heal him?”
She didn’t ask the question like it was one of her usual word–battles. She asked it like she was truly concerned.
Hm. That was a first, coming from someone like Marta.
“Well, I won’t call myself perfect. No one’s perfect. But I do think I possess certain knowledge on medicine. I mean well for Xylon. I mean, he’s just a little boy who doesn’t deserve to go through that amount of pain. All I want to do is help him.” She drank from her glass again. “But how do you happen to possess such knowledge? Where did you study?”
I stared down at the table. “It’s…. It’s a long story. Let’s just let go of the story.”
She drank from her glass again. I noticed I hadn’t even drank from mine yet.
1 reached for my own glass and took a sip. Hm. Now I understand why Marta couldn’t stop drinking from hers.
“I’m just trying to be a careful mother, Lyric. Initially, a part of me had thought you were pretending to care for my son so you could please Jaris. I was even worried that you might have an ulterior motif. That is the reason you see me being harsh each time I see you near the kids.”
I chuckled. “They’re poor kids. I could never do anything to hurt them.”
Marta nodded. She was about sipping from her glass again when her hand shook and the crimson wine spilled on her dress. Oh, damn.
“Wow. Sorry about that,” I shook my head.
The dress was ruined.
“Clumsy me!” She hissed, dabbing it with the back of her hand.
She rose to her feet. “I need to take care of this. I’ll be back.”
I watched her leave, heading to the restroom.
Hm. Who could’ve thought she could be this nice?
First, it was Jaris being nice to me. Now, it was Marta. Looks like Selene is finally on my side.
I chuckled and tried to drink from my glass again, only to realize it was empty. What!? How did I finish this without knowing!?
It was too good. I’d probably ask for the name before I left.
I felt tired. Of course, I should be. I’d been working tirelessly for the past two days because of the ceremony tomorrow.
My mating ceremony with Jaris Dreadmoor
A smile touched my lips as I relaxed my head on the table.
I’d be getting mated to him tomorrow. My Jaris. My love.
I giggled. Images of him filled my head instantly; images from years ago. He gave me the best night of my life. And now, there was a possibility we could have more of such nights.
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Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to be mated to Jaris, even if it was for a year.
Right now, something strange was happening to me. I wanted him. Only Jaris.
“Lyric?” I heard his voice.
Huh? Jaris was here?
Lifting my head, I saw him standing in front of me, looking dashing in a black suit.
*Jaris?” My head was lightweight, my voice sounding distant to my own ears.
He smiled and extended his hand to me, and I took it. He was real. Jaris was here.
“Wh–What’re you doing here?” I shook my head.
Every other thing around him was blurry in my sight. The only image I could clearly see was his. But it didn’t matter. The only person I wanted to see was him.
“I came to get you. Come.”
He pulled me to my feet and started leading me toward the back.
Ugh! My head felt so heavy. Where was he even taking me?
I didn’t need to ask. I trusted Jaris.
We continued walking until we reached a room, just behind where Marta and I had been sitting.
Oh. I had no idea there was a room here. It even had a bed in it.
Jaris pushed me to the wall, his hands on my waist.
By the moon, he was so hot. He could be mine.
There was a burning desire inside me. I couldn’t think, I just acted. I put my arms around him and kissed him first, kissing him like an insane woman who had been starving for days.
I woke up with my head on the table. My neck and waist hurt. My head felt like a party had happened in it.
I groaned as I sat up. What a heck of a dream I just had.
I shook my head. Why was I so aroused for Jaris? So aroused to the point that I’d slept with him?
I touched my lips. The dream had felt real.
Glancing behind me, I found the room. Oh.
I stood up and approached it, but it was locked.
I sighed. Of course, it was locked. It was all a dream.
A stupid dream at that.
And we ended up not even getting intimate in the dream. I’d been about to undress when he suddenly stopped me. That was all I could remember before I woke up from the ‘nightmare‘.
Returning to the table, I noticed that Marta’s bag was gone.
Huh? Why would she leave me here alone?
I scowled as I took my bag and also left.
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