As much of a believer as I was in many things, I could also be indifferent to many others.
For example, coincidence.
Most of the time, I didn’t overstep my boundaries, yet I could be very wary of whatever came my way.
And there he was, standing so tall, his hair caught in the light, glistening jet black, packed at the back into a ponytail. His muscles twitched under his tight shirt, ever so elegant in those expensive pants and shiny leather shoes.
Nathan had always been the type to show off his wealth, one he got from... unthinkable means.
"Alex, it’s nice to see you again." He spoke just as thunder sparked across the sky, dispersing the dark clouds for a split second.
The looming darkness added to the eeriness, the hair at the back of my neck standing on end.
Without being told, I turned the way I’d been coming from, planning to take the other side of the block instead.
Thankfully, Nathan didn’t follow me. A momentary relief until I got home.
How was he here of all nights? How did he even find me?
Moon goddess...
Chills edged beneath my skin, my thoughts wandering down memory lane. Leo had just mentioned him earlier, so how could he suddenly appear?
It had been ten years. He couldn’t have changed, yes, even though he spoke more formally now.
Nathan was an abuser, not lacking only in relationships but in his own life too. He treated illegal drugs like they were his favorite food. Played with people’s lives like they were nothing. He did all sorts of thug activities, and that was me trying not to be vulgar.
While I was the type who believed in fated mates, bonding, and marking, that the moon goddess made each of us a pair we were meant to spend the rest of our lives with, Nathan believed he could just have anything he wanted, whenever he wished, and dump it when it no longer entertained him.
Kai was the complete opposite of him.
There, I stopped.
I snapped back to reality. I couldn’t think of Kai. No, he couldn’t slip into my thoughts right now. He was with Leo, where he was meant to be.
The air was damp with mist, the breeze heavy and clawing at my clothes. Not long after, the rain poured.
Just as I leaped off the pavement, aiming for any tent or shade of whatever texture to shield myself, an umbrella hovered above my head.
Nathan’s familiar Alpha scent followed. The tension in my shoulders was obvious.
"I just want to talk, please. I know you hate me, but at least let me drive you home."
My lips remained glued shut. My thoughts flooded the space, weighing my options. Perhaps he really could be harmless, yet I’d be foolish to trust him.
Indeed, I would be.
"I’ve called an Uber."
"I don’t think it’s coming anytime soon. You’ll catch a cold, and you know how bad it gets when it turns into a fever. We both know that much." One side of his lips tugged to the left, revealing the ghost of a smirk.
"Fine." Huffing in defeat, I walked with him.
Luckily enough, silence coated the closeness between us until he got to his car. He opened the door like some gentleman. Only seconds later, he occupied the driver’s seat.
As the engine roared to life, the inside filled with warmth, heating up my skin, and I rubbed my arms, taking in the comfort. Jazz music played in the background, soft and light. Through the tinted back window, I watched the streets glisten, the rain splattering against the glass, sliding down the surface and blurring the distance.
It was entirely dark out there. Maybe choosing to ride with Nathan had indeed been the safer option after all.
"I see you’re growing your hair." He began, voice teasing. "It should be shoulder length by now, am I right?"
With a little "ahem," I raised the volume of the music. That small shift made me briefly close my eyes. My ass hurt.
Courtesy of Kai.
Yes, it’d be graceful to actually think about him right now.
For the rest of the journey, Nathan failed at getting me to talk. By the time we reached two blocks away from the apartment, I asked him to stop. Intentionally.
"It’s okay here."
"You live here?"
"Yes, actually," I claimed, and he laughed.
"No, you don’t." He caught on. "You hate floors. Especially ones with as many stories as this."
That stirred something inside me. "Why are you doing this, boasting about how much you know about me? It’s unnecessary, yea?"
His hands lifted into the air. "It’s just... I missed seeing your face. I literally came back here for you."
"Last I remembered, you were banished, and we both know how much that affected me."
"It was an unjust declaration of punishment," he growled, his grey eyes brewing an icy storm. I saw his knuckles tighten around the wheel.
Fear gripped me, but I summoned more courage.
"Actually, I was pretty sure it was because of illegal drugs, child labor, gambling, basically being a nuisance that almost destroyed the pack, that led to that. And if you don’t even think you’re wrong, then why the fuck are you back here? For some resolution?"
He grumbled something under his breath, eyes rolling at me.
"If not for Alpha Kai’s involvement, I’d probably be doomed."
My friendship with Leo saved me. With his uncle’s interference, we were able to call a meeting with Kai, who got involved in the matter and helped me out. I had been caught in the apartment with Nathan. Thankfully, Kai cleared my name, so the rumor died and I was deemed innocent.
That was even how I started living with them. They both saved me.
"I didn’t mean for that to happen. Look..." He paused, and I reluctantly obeyed. "I’m sorry for everything I did, but even Leo knew there was more to the matter, and that’s why he gave me the chance to come back."
I balked at that, completely taken aback. Without realizing it, my breath held. "What?"
Why would Leo be in contact with a rogue?
"A lie." I tasted the word on my tongue.
"No. If it wasn’t true, the guards would be on my tail right now," he pressed.
I shook my head. "Whatever. I’m leaving. Go away."
He seized my arm before I could open the door.
"Don’t leave... yet."
My brows knitted together, eyes narrowing at him as my lips curled downward in a scowl.
"I’m here for you. I love you, really," he said. I scoffed at that without thinking twice.
"A joke," I muttered.
The splattering rain had reduced, the sky clearing once again except for the moon hidden behind heavy, rumbling clouds. A low grumble raved through the sky every once in a while.
"Please, Nathan. Leave."
I tried to open the door again, then a click trapped me. Realization dawned on me. "Did you just lock me in?"
"I haven’t touched you in a long time. Do you know how much that hurts?" he started, scanning my lips with desperate hunger. "Only for you to have that Alpha’s scent all over you. That rascal of a king."
"He rules the pack," I bit back, but Nathan gripped my jaw.
"You’re mine. He can’t claim what’s mine. He can’t take away everything I’ve built here, then send me out, then take you away too."
He was getting closer...
His lips were now a blur against my vision...
I squirmed, but there was no escaping.
"I’m taking back what’s mine, marking you as mine..." He trailed off, and I felt his breath on me.
Please, no...