115
LYRIC
Realization dawned on me at once. My jaw dropped open.
Oh! Now it made sense. She was Jaris‘ sister! The mad one! Or the one that used to be mad. Or maybe she still was. I didn’t even know.
It was easy getting to hear about her from the twins‘ nannies. They all had a lot to say as apparently, they’d been around when she went crazy and killed four people five years ago.
“HI, Maddy.” I tried to wear a smile.
“I didn’t ask you to play nice.” She rolled her eyes like this was some game she was tired of playing. Hell, I was in one of my worst moods and didn’t even want to talk to anyone.
“Why are you with my brother? That was what I asked.”
Okay. So, she was really serious about this?!
I took a deep breath, pushing some strands of hair behind my ear.
“As much as I’d love to have a conversation with you-” Lies. “-I really have to go now.”
I continued my descent down the stairs, going past her. But she wasn’t letting me go easily.
“You don’t know who he is,” she said with disappointment in her voice. “If you had even the slightest idea, you’d run as far away from him as you can.”
I stopped walking, chuckling as I turned around to meet her. “Don’t worry, I’ve had a fair share of your brother’s bad side.” “You think I’m talking about his character alone?” She huffed. “Jaris has always been a heartless, arrogant bastard. But that‘ s good compared to what he really is.”
I gasped at the foul word she used on him. How could she hate her brother so much? And how could she be so disrespectful?
“I think you should watch what you say about him,” I couldn’t help sounding harsh.
But she didn’t seem a bit affected by my warning.
“He’ll kill you. One day. You won’t see it coming. He’ll simply end you. That’s what he does.”
Her words brought a crease to my brows. But before I could say anything, she was gone, running up the stairs in anger.
**********
“Hey, baby. Come on in.” Jace cooed as he led me into his room.
His room could be mistaken for a small living room. It had two sets of chairs, a large TV screen, game station, so many art designs, then his King–sized bed behind all of this.
It was the size of three average bedrooms.
Jace’s father didn’t own a pack as he was only the Chairman, but they were extremely rich and respected. So, their house was quite big.
“I thought I’d see some tissues or something. You know, wiping your eyes continuously,” he teased as I took a seat on the L -shaped couch.
I couldn’t help the laugh. “Jace, please.”
“So, what can I get my guest? What would you like to eat?”
I shook my head. “I don’t really have an appetite.”
“Oh, come on, Lyric. Stop doing that humble thing guests do when they pretend they don’t really want to eat so they don’t. look hungry.”
I threw my head back and laughed so hard. Goodness, this was the reason I wanted to be with Jace last night. He sure knew how to lighten up my mood.
“Stop being silly, Bee. I could eat your balls if I wanted. I’m just telling you, I’m not hungry.”
His mouth hung open. I broke into another lau
He probably didn’t know which offense to reply tu to eat his balls.
Successfully unlocked!
in comical shock.
the fact that use the nickname he hated, or the fact that I threatened
“First of all, Lyric Harper, you’ve become a rotten egg! Saying I’m disappointed in you would be an understatement. But what I won’t take is you referring to my golden balls! How dare you?!”
115
He picked a pillow from the couch and tossed it at me. I laughed so hard tears spilled from my eyes.
***
Moments later, Jace and I climbed down from our laughing battle. I was laying on the couch with my head on the armrest and my legs resting on his who sat lazily at the end of the couch.
He was playing with my toes, giving them a playful massage.
“You know, your Alpha would kill me if he sees us like that.” He winked at me.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Please, leave Jaris out of this.”
“Hm. Someone’s being defensive. Well, does he know I’ve seen you naked?”
“Jace!” I sat up to slap his arm. “You’re such a jerk! That was when we were kids! And I saw you naked too! With that tiny thing of yours.” I pointed between his legs.
“Shut it, silly girl! You don’t expect someone my age to have matured genitals, do you? That’d have made me look ridiculous.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and laid my head back on him.
Seconds passed before we broke into another laughter. It was insane how free Jace and I were with each other. If I hadn’t met Jace, I wouldn’t have believed it was possible for someone to have a simple platonic friendship with a man.
“So, how did your dinner go with Kael?” That seemed to change the mood.
He stopped playing with my toes as he brushed his fingers through his hair. “Cool.”
“Hm. Funny how he had the same reaction when I asked him.”
“Why would you ask him? What are you, my mum?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Why don’t you just tell me? What really happened? And…why did he even invite you to dinner?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Well, he uh… actually just wanted us to talk. Said he felt like having dinner with a friend.”
“A friend,” I repeated with a nod. A few months ago, who would’ve thought that these two would ever refer to themselves as friends?
“The dinner was going quite well, until he uh…”
Now this was interesting. I had to sit up to give him a full look. “He what?”
He shrugged. Whatever he hays to say must be quite heavy for him.
For a moment, I thought he was actually going to say it. But then he sighed and shook his head. “You know what? Forget it.”
“Jace, come on! You can do this to me! What did he do?!”
“Well, the asshole kissed me!” He let out an exasperated huff.
My eyes widened as my mouth dropped open and refused to go shut.
For several seconds, I was too stunned to even say anything. But finally, I found my voice.
“What the hell?!” I squealed. The next second, I was laughing so hard I felt tears around my eyes.
“This isn’t funny, Lyric!” He glared daggers at me.
“My goodness, Jace! Did Kael really do that to you?!”
“Yes. And I punched him right after.”
My laughter seized, my eyes growing thrice their size. “Y–You what?!” I was trying so hard to hold it–the renewed laugh that was forming in my lungs.
“For fuck sake, will you stop laughing?” He threw a pillow at him.
That was it. I couldn’t hold it anymore. I exploded into more laughter.
:.
“Jace! The gentleman kissed you and you answered with a punch? What the hell?” I wasn’t even sure he could hear me due to how I pronounced every word with laughter.
After a few minutes, I was calm enough to talk reasonably.
“So, do you really hate it? Or is there a different reason you hate what Kael does?” This time, my head was on his thighs.
When he didn’t say anything, I kept going. “Just know you’ve only dealt with women your whole life, but remember you never last with them. What if… what if this is it? What if the reason you don’t last with women is because you’re only forcing yourself to be with them? Why don’t you consider giving someone like Kael a chance?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lyric.” He pushed my head off his legs. Ouch! “I feel nothing for that jerk. That is why I hate it when he
touches me.”
“Or… you hate it because it makes you feel good when you don’t want it to feel good.” I said in a sing–song tone. His gaze hardened, but I ignored the threat. “Kael is a fine man, Jace. It wouldn’t be-”
2/3
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“Please, stop talking.” He got off the couch. “If you actually like him, go be with him!”
“Jace!” I called in shock while trying to hold back my laugh. He ignored me as he walked toward the door.
“Wh–Where are you going? You can’t leave me here!”
“I’m only going to bring a drink from the bar, idiot.” And then he was gone, giving me enough space and time to laugh out my lungs.
The rest of my time with Jace was quite peaceful since I didn’t bring Kael’s name up again. We had so much, for a moment, I forgot all about my worries.
As night drew near, I decided to leave. Jace saw me off to my car while teasing me as always.
“Don’t worry about TCH. I’m sure everything will play out fine,” he said something serious when we got to my car.
My countenance dropped as I shook my head. “In this case, I don’t think so.”
“Ugh… Do you want to go in with me again? Looks like your mood just got bad.”
I laughed as I hit him on the chest.
“Bye, Jace.” I gave him a small hug. “Thanks for having me.”
We separated from the hug and I was about entering into my car when something gripped my attention from the entrance of the house.
It was far from where Jace and I stood, but I could see his parents walking out of the house with a group of people. It was obviously the visitors Jace mentioned his parents were having.
But there was something about them that gripped my attention. One of them in their midst looked familiar.
“Who are they, by the way?” I asked absentmindedly as I continued staring at them.
They were making their way to their car now.
“Oh. That’s elder Mathias and his wife.”
His wife. The woman, wearing a white pristine suit. She stopped to shake hands with Jace’s mum and that was when it became clear to me.
“Penelope?” My voice quavered as I pronounced the name.
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