Chapter 40

The next day, I couldn’t make it to the training grounds because I couldn’t walk. My legs had been bent in every direction throughout the night. Even my trainer slept in, his head on my chest and legs tangled with mine.

We didn’t have an alarm because we didn’t need one. We were both early risers but since we’d been active till the day was semi-bright, we slept almost till noon. I woke up first with my bladder bursting and a small ache in my lower back. Valens was half atop me and I didn’t want to wake him so I held myself stiffly until the urge to pee reduced.

“Valens?” I called his name softly when the urge returned. He didn’t stir. “Valens?” I called again, trying to wiggle free this time. His hands clamped around me like iron cages while his face moved from my chest to my neck. He muttered something and it tickled me.

“Valens, you have to work and I have to pee.” He muttered something else and I had to hold my legs together not to wet myself.

“Valens!” I yelled. His body stiffened and his head raised.

“What is it?” His voice was hoarse and it did funny things to my insides.

“Can you get off me?” I asked, my legs still clenched together.

“Why?” His eyes started to drop again, his voice was lazy, obviously still sleepy.

“I have to pee,” I answered, shoving him off and dashing out to the bathroom. I made it to the bathroom in the nick of time.

When I came out, he was sitting up in bed, his back against the headboard and his legs spread atop the covers. My skin heated when I glimpsed his half-hard member. His eyes were still sleepy but I could see him fight off the sleep.

“Will you be going to work today?” I wished he would say no. I suddenly felt an insane urge to spend the day with him but I knew his work would never allow him to.

“It’s like I have a century of sleep to catch up on.” He yawned into the back of his palm, laying back down.

I remembered then that he once told me that he didn’t need much sleep. Was that another part of his curse that I’d broken? I felt as if I’d made him vulnerable. He didn’t heal as fast as he did when he was cursed and now he needed sleep. Breaking the curse was slowly stripping him of his enhanced abilities.

He got out of bed with a lagging body. I pulled a robe over my body while he showered. I couldn’t sit without a sharp pain in my backside so I lay on my stomach and pretended to be asleep when he emerged from the bathroom.

“What are you doing today?” My eyes opened when I heard his voice that made my body tingle for no reason.

“I haven’t decided yet,” I answered. I’d planned to practise knife throwing and let my wolf run free today but asides from that, I had no concrete plans.

“Stop by my office at four.” He said the words as if they were unpleasant to him but I knew better than to question him. He’d been very lax with his rules but I wouldn’t forget he hated being questioned as it came off as a challenge to his authority.

“Do you want me to bring anything?” I asked like a proper omega.

“Bring an appetite.” Someone knocked on our door when he was knotting his tie.

We had never entertained any guest in the penthouse since I moved in. No one would dare come up here to disturb the Alpha’s peace except Jabari.

I was still in my robe and Valens was bare feet. It went without saying that I had to open the door but when I finally struggled out of bed, my robe had fallen open and Valens looked at me as if I planned to greet the visitor with my breasts hanging out of my robe.

The person continued knocking, much to Valens’ obvious annoyance and when I took a step forward, his cutting look made me freeze.

“Aysel, are you in? It’s me Celeste.” Valens turned to glare at me as if I’d invited her over.

“I didn’t invite her.” I raised my hand almost in surrender. He ignored me, walking over to open the door for Celeste. I heard their muffled voices as I picked up his shirt and my discarded panties, rushing out to greet her before he chased her away.

“Hi!” My words were breathless when I rushed out of the bedroom after dressing.

Celeste didn’t look good. Her eyes were red and puffy and the way she stared at Valens, it was clear he terrified her and he had his back to her as he put in his shoes. His eyes glowed when I rushed out in his shirt, a possessive look flashing in his eyes.

“I can – I can come back if I’m interrupting. I didn’t expect – ” she glanced at him. Of course she hadn’t expected Valens to be home by noon.

“I will send someone to prepare a bath for you,” Valens said as he walked toward me. He turned me so I faced him, then he pressed his l!ps to mine in a dominating k!ss in full view of my best friend.

“Ah –” My brain short-circuited.

“Four o’clock. Not a second later.” He pushed my hair off my forehead and pressed a k!ss to my head. “Have a lovely day.” I was too stunned to speak as he grabbed his case and left the suite.

Wow.” Celeste pulled me back to the present when she spoke. “Wow,” she said again and my mouth snapped close.

What just happened?

Valens had never been affectionate like this before. K!ssing my forehead? Did he do it because of Celeste? Or were we actually progressing?

“I’m sorry I interrupted you guys.” She stood awkwardly beside the door before I offered her a seat.

“It’s nothing. What’s up?” I took the seat opposite her.

“I just – ” she paused. “You guys are so sweet together,” she mused.

I knew from the look on her face that she didn’t come here to talk about Valens and I. I desperately wanted to ask her what she meant by sweet because I didn’t think we looked sweet together but I pushed it aside to focus on her.

“Are you alright, Celeste? You look like you’ve been crying,” I probed. She stared at me for a second before tears started to stream down her cheeks.

“I’ve been horrible to you.”

“No, you haven’t.” If there was anyone in this pack that never treated me like trash even when I behaved like trash, that person would be Celeste.

“I – We’ve been friends for so long but I never even noticed how much you were hurting. I can’t believe – Lucien – He –” She hiccuped and I knew that she knew.

I wasn’t surprised he had told her. In fact, I expected he would have told the world by now considering how much he chased me. I expected him to tell everyone, trying to seek validation, to find someone who agreed with him that I was his mate and that Valens had no claim over me.

“He told you then?” I asked, chuckling to myself even though I didn’t find anything funny.

That bastard! He was set out to ruin me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Celeste sniffed.

“Because he said he’d hurt me if I did and no one would believe anyway.” I chuckled again.

Remembering really hurt me even if I didn’t want it to. I wanted to chuckle and laugh at Lucien for his desperation but this discussion brought back unpleasant memories that made me bitter.

He really hurt me. Deeper than I wanted to admit.

“But I’m your best friend,” Celeste accused.

“It doesn’t matter. He was ashamed of me. He didn’t want anyone to know and there was no reason for anyone to know. It hurt enough when he rejected me. I didn’t want to add your pitiful gaze to the pain and I knew you would have confronted him. I didn’t want that. I accepted his rejection immediately it came and that was that.”

I hadn’t wanted to accept his rejection. I wanted to plead with him and believe that with time, he would come to see me as a blessing rather than a burden but he never gave me time for that.

He cussed at me that day. He insulted me. Called me worthless and then he spat in my face. I knew that nothing would change his mind after that. He was too proud to settle for a nobody like me so I accepted his rejection with his saliva coating my left eye.

‘You’re worthless, Aysel. You are only good for a useless omega like yourself,’ he had said to me after he rejected me.

I didn’t want to think of that anymore. I’d moved on.

“Can you – Please, tell me what happened. Why – how?” I decided to tell her. It was torture recounting the events but I didn’t want to hide from my best friend anymore.