Elia lay in bed, staring blankly at the pale purple ceiling.
Samuel and Eros had left the villa, and she was the only one in the house.
Maybe it was that silence and aloneness that brought many thoughts into her mind.
The first one was a doubt.
‘Will I be really able to survive here?’
This place filled her with nothing but fear and uncertainty.
The semblance of normal conversation turned into chaotic madness in the blink of an eye.
Eros…just remembering that guy made her shudder.
She must stay away from him from now on.
A clear boundary should be drawn by her.
No small talk, no polite smiles, or even a greeting.
Elia would do nothing in front of Eros from now on.
She just wished he would soon find his chosen mate and leave her alone.
The other two were not a problem.
Samuel was professional; she could see that he was trying his best to abide by the contract.
And as for Asheron?
That guy didn’t even talk or look at her.
Good.
It should be like this from now on.
Elia was done with men honestly.
From her father to her fiancé and now these Donovans, they brought nothing but problems and complications to her life.
Just like that, with thoughts swirling in her mind, she fell asleep and woke up when the sky was completely dark.
Elia reached for her phone to see the time.
It was already 9:00.
Way past her dinner time.
She thought of just skipping it for a day but woke up when her stomach protested in hunger.
“Ugh,” she grudingly got up and dragged her tired body to the bathroom.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she made her way out of her room and down the stairs.
Elia looked at the kitchen and then at her phone, thinking whether she should just order food online.
But it was already late and she didn’t know whether outsiders were allowed in this place.
It was also far from many restaurants.
And she had not ventured inside the pack to know whether they had a restaurant here or not.
Weighing all her options, she came up with the only solution.
She has to cook something herself.
Hence she entered the open kitchen that looked like it was brand new.
It was clear that this area wasn’t used much.
Just as she put water to boil, the sound of the main door opening reached her ears.
As the space expanded to the front door, Elia could clearly see who had just entered and vice versa.
The man with glistening muscles stood in the hallway wearing grey pants and no shirt.
His greyish silver hair was tied up into a sexy man bun.
His sharp gaze landed on her, and stayed there for quite some time.
He looked like he had come back from a run or something.
‘Clink’ as he threw his car key on the side table, she ruled out the possibility of a run and decided it was the gym.
“I’m cooking dinner,” Elia started, “I can make you a portion if you need.” It was his house and his groceries after all.
And she didn’t know what else to ask when he stood there shirtless with a brooding look on his face.
When he didn’t answer, Elia turned away to avoid ogling at his sculpted body and instead concentrated on her cooking.
She dunked the pasta in salted water to soften it and stirred it occasionally.
Meanwhile, she heard Asheron walking up the stairs probably to his room.
Not a talkative guy, she thought.
The exact opposite of his maniacal brother.
After preparing a simple chicken sauce, she cooked the pasta in it and served it on a plate.
She had just washed her hands and turned to the dining hall with their plate only to find Asheron sitting on one of the chairs.
“Jesus Christ!” Elia was startled.
She gripped the plate in her hand harder as she frowned, “You scared me.” She didn’t even hear his footsteps.
And his habit of not making a single sound almost scared her to death.
She walked towards the table and put down the plate in front of him, “Do you want this?” Elia felt like she was talking to a wall.
She would have believed him to be a mute if she had not heard him talk before with his brothers.
Even with them, he seemed to talk only a few words.
But betraying her expectations, Asheron replied to her.
Not in words but with his actions.
He carefully pulled the fork out of the handle and started eating the food.
Elia looked at him flabbergasted.
He ate it in quite gusto while completely ignoring the one who cooked it.
Not having enough energy to question him, she picked up her own plate and served herself a portion before starting to eat.
The two ate in silence with the sound of occasional clinking of plates.
Elia briefly glanced at Asheron before turning her attention back to her own plate.
He was a quick eater.
She hadn’t completed even half of it, but he was already scraping off the last bite.
“Here” Elia couldn’t help but offer him more.
She had cooked plenty with the idea of having leftovers to eat tomorrow but it had to wait.
This big hungry man seemed to need it more than her.
Asheron once again waited calmly as she served him the remaining pasta.
When she removed her hand, he quickly went back to eating.
A smile came to her face.
Seeing someone enjoy the food that she cooked always made her happy.
“Do you like it?” Elia asked making him pause, “Is it tasty?”
Asheron for the first time, looked up at her.
His smoldering gaze settled on her smiling face.
His eyes flickered but he turned away before Elia could see it.
“It is edible” his voice was gruff and deep.
Elia’s smile broadened, “I’ll take that as a compliment,” then she chuckled before continuing to eat.
Those words would have offended her if they had come from someone else. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
She would have even called someone else ungrateful but weirdly, his words felt genuine.
Like this brooding man had found and put together words just for her.
He was so cute!
That thought made her chuckle even more.
She was thinking of this burly man who could probably take on a bear as cute.
It was absurd.
“Cough! Cough!” Laughing during eating turned into a disaster when she choked and started a coughing fit.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she tried to reach for the water.
She fumbled with the jug as it was heavy and tried to search for a glass to put water in it to no avail.
“Ah!” Elia felt the container slipping out of her hands and suddenly felt someone pull her head back.
‘Splash’ She felt a large amount of water getting poured inside her mouth and panicked.
She gulped down as much as she could, but when it became too much, she pushed the hand holding her down away.
Elia gasped as she looked at Asheron incredulously, “Are you trying to waterboard me or something?”
Asheon looked taken aback by her accusation, “I….I…” He fumbled with his words not knowing what to say.
Elia got up from her seat as she felt fully soaked.
Her shirt stuck to her skin and her hair was drenched.
She wanted to scold him, but when she saw him standing there with the most innocent look on his face, she held her tongue.
Ah….forget it!
He had helped her when she was choking.
Then she looked down at the table and the floor.
Water was everywhere.
Elia quickly took some paper towels and started to blot the water.
Asheron stood by her, “The workers will clean it”
“It’s alright” Elia shrugged, “I’m the reason for this mess. I shouldn’t have laughed while eating”
After cleaning away the entire table, she threw the paper towel in the dustbin nearby before looking up at Asheron.
He was still holding the water jug in his hand.
Elia felt guilty, “I’m sorry I interrupted your meal.” She took the container away from him before holding his wrist, “Come, you can finish eating. I have cleaned everything”
“Asheron?” When he didn’t respond and continued standing in his place, she furrowed her brows.
He was looking at something.
Elia followed his line of sight and saw his gaze on her hand above his wrist.
“Oh, sorry,” She quickly removed her hand.
Her traumatic experience with Samuel and Eros flashed through her mind.
They seemed to snap and turn deranged whenever she touched them or vice versa.
“I shouldn’t….” She took a step back putting distance between them, “I keep making things worse, I’m sorry”
Asheron slowly looked up at her.
The look in his eyes was sharp, “Don’t touch me”
“I didn’t mean to” Elia stuttered.
“It’s disgusting” His words rang loud and clear.