ANNEAfter kissing the hell out of Zero, I leave him on the balcony and go back to my room. The mark is fucking with my head. I felt his emotions for a moment there, so raw, so close as if I was the one feeling all those things and not him.It scares me.Now, I can say for sure that Ryker can definitely not tell what’s going on inside Zero, because I can. Only, I can.Sliding my hair behind my ears, I pick up the vibrating cell phone from the bed. Natalie has been calling for the nth time but I didn’t pick up.I have been avoiding her and Giana. I don’t want them to figure out the shit going on in my head. They will finally get once in a lifetime chance to call me an idiot.I sigh, declining her call again. My eyes move towards the open window when the cold air brushes against my skin. I shiver slightly, my gaze dropping to the bed and the duvet.What now? How am I going to convince Zero? How do you convince someone to not hate the world? I, myself, don’t believe this world is good…ho
ANNEI didn’t even notice when I started drifting off to sleep while staring at Zero silently last night. He didn’t say anything after I promised to take him on a date.It must have sounded so childish to him that he smiled at me—fucking smiled at me. I groan, embarrassed in myself but I have to go. When I woke up, he was gone and the bed was empty but in my heart, I knew he didn’t leave in the darkness. He left the room when he was sure that I won’t get scared. Today, I didn’t have to search for him at all. I could feel he was in the pack house, probably in the Alpha’s office so I didn’t go there.I took a bath, stole his grey T-shirt to wear, and came down to the kitchen only to come across two very unexpected guests waiting for me furiously.“ You decided to wake up finally. ” Natalie narrows her eyes at me, followed by Giana who looks equally angry.“ Hey there! ” I wave at them awkwardly.Both my friends stay seated on the kitchen stools and continue glaring at me. Sighing soft
ANNE “ I didn’t mean it that way. I was only making sure that you were not fooling around with Zero…that you were aware of all the negative things and you were not in a temporary everything-is-fine state. ” Natalie sighs when I reenter the kitchen after sending Zero away.I glare at her. “ You almost ruined what I was working so hard on. ” “ Anne. ” She gets down from the stool.“ Save it. Whatever you want to say, keep it to yourself. I don’t want to hear. ” I let out before slumping on the stool.I almost lost it and I feel so angry. “ You are being harsh now. ” Giana mumbles.“ Am I? ” I glare at her this time.“ She didn’t mean it. ” Giana hisses back.I set my lips in a thin line to stop myself from saying something hurtful. I don’t want to hurt them. I know Natalie didn’t mean this. She tried to convince me into giving another chance to Zero before. She told me about his life and all the things that happened to him. Without the knowledge about his past, I would have continued
ZEROA date. That’s all Anne could come up with. Not that I am complaining. I just feel like she is wasting a lot of her time on me when she should be spending time with the people she loves.Still, if this is what she desires, I must comply. It’s an instinct, an urge to always give her what she wants in an attempt to make her happy as long as we are together.“ I am ready. ” She announces from inside the room before the door opens.I have been waiting for half an hour now without any idea what she was doing inside the locked room.When she comes into sight, the surroundings dull to a mere nothing. My eyes take her in, all of her, the red dress which reaches to her knees, the red lipstick she is wearing, the curls of her soft locks, the nervousness on her face.“ I knew I was overdressing. ” She mumbles when she looks at me, dressed in the usual Black T-shirt and jeans. I had no idea I had to dress up for this.“ You look beautiful. ” I blurt the first thing which comes to mind. Thoug
ANNE“ You can drive the car. ” Zero tosses me the keys all of a sudden.I catch them instinctively while I watch his pinched brows and hard-set lips. Something happened. I don’t know what but I can sense the change in him. He was laughing when we were inside. It is the most beautiful sound I ever heard in my life. I was mesmerized and embarrassed at the same time. And then we stepped out and Zero’s mood shifted into that dark cloud again.Without grabbing my hand or even asking me to follow him, he steps out into the rain. He gets instantly drenched, the lines of his muscles becoming visible from under his T-shirt.Pressing my lips together, I decide to rush behind him. The cold rain hits my body just as I step out of the shade. I shudder, sprinting to the car, even moving past Zero who is moving slow and calm.Opening the car’s door, I sit inside. Even after I tried saving my dress, I think I have failed. I sigh, glancing at Zero from the back view mirror. He is still walking slowl
ANNE I had never felt something so wildly stirring inside me before, not even when I slept with him. It feels like my body aches to connect with his—It’s not a mere physical connection I desire, I need to be connected with him on all levels. So, I remove his shirt faster than I have ever removed any man’s clothes before and throw it on the passenger’s seat. Zero’s lips are back on mine after he is done helping me get his shirt out of the way. I moan in his hungry mouth which is busy sucking the life out of me. My nails run down his chest, his abdomen before dropping to his belt. I unbuckle it hurriedly before unbuttoning his jeans and then pulling down the zipper. Zero’s lips stop devouring my mouth. He lowers his sinful lips to my throat, kissing all the way and then up. I suck in a labored breath before pulling his boxers down, just enough to free his cock. He grunts in approval against my neck, sending jolts of spark and pleasure down my back and front. I nibble on my lower lip
ANNE“ Did you have to rip my dress? ” I groan for the second time as Zero drives us back home.The rain has stopped. He offered to drive and went back into a good mood after we had sex. Thank Goddess no one caught us or I would have died from embarrassment.“ I am sorry. ” He apologizes without looking at me.“ You sound anything but sorry. ” I point out while glaring at his side profile.“ You look better in my shirt. ” He finally glances my way, sending waves of sparks down my back.“ That was an expensive dress. ” I mumble, moving my eyes away from his face and shirtless body.“ I will buy you a new one. ” “ Are you asking me out on a date? ” I grin evilly, my eyes coming back to rest on his handsome face.“ No. ”“ You are. Taking a girl to shop counts as a date. ” Maybe.“ Alright. ” He gives up on trying to refuse.I fold my arms over my chest in victory while smirking at him smugly. “ You can stop staring at me now. ” Zero deadpans as our car enters the pack borders.“ I wan
ANNEI am out of breath by the time, I wash up and wear fresh pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. Looking into the mirror, I find myself assessing my reflection.What Liam said is undeniably haunting me but I am not a person who lets others dictate their life. Still, I can’t help but admit that he was not wrong—I was totally ignoring that reality.For the first time in my life, I actually want to reach out to Moon Goddess and ask why. Why did she make me Zero’s mate? I am not vengeful about it, I am not complaining either. I just genuinely want to know why I had to be mated with a man who was supposed to outlive me.Until today, I was thinking about what I would do if he actually stayed. I found the answer tonight—I will never leave him, I promised myself. I was going to make a life with him but now, it all sounds like a stupid dream of a young girl. Zero and me…we are never going to have a normal life like other mates. There is a huge wall between us that neither of us can ever break—Ti