22. Your prison and your games

Warning: Long longggggg chapter ahead with a lot of new information to digest. Read when you have enough time at hand :P

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I started my week with a new skip to my steps and fresh glow to my face. I'm doing great. Almost a month without Arthur and my mind's finally clear enough for me to think straight.

This is good. This space is a brilliant idea we never thought about. The circumstances forced us this but I'm not complaining. His animal needs me and I can provide that without actually having to deal with him.

Had we thought about this to begin with, it would have saved me a heartbreak. But it's never too late to start so here we are, back to square one.

"Good morning Jasmine" I gave my secretary my brightest smile as I entered the building.

She followed after me "Good morning Amy" her smile however wasn't as cheerful so I raised a brow in question "You have a guest waiting for you"

"I have an appointment?"

"No you don't but......."

"I'll be happy with anyone but Arthur Leoline right now. Just don't throw him my way" I told her. I just flushed him out of my system yesterday morning. I can't be dealing with that first thing today "Or his assistant" I added as an afterthought.

The tension in Jasmine's body eased "It's his lawyer" she replied cheerfully.

Now I don't feel like returning her smile.

"I don't want to see her" I said climbing the elevator "Can I not see her please? She doesn't have an appointment"

"She threatened to issue you a notice so I had to make her wait in the meeting room"

"She can't do that" Can she?

"She is a Leoline" my secretary reminded me. Right. There's that.

"I want to fire you so bad right now" I sighed.

I don't even want to think what awaits me at the other side of the elevator which to my disappointment stopped too soon at my floor.

"I'll drag you to the court for that and hire Ms. Leoline to add insult to the injury" My secretary followed me to my cabin

"I was in a good mood after a very long time Jasmine"

"I'm sorry" she apologized "I'll go grab your favourite tea while you deal with her"

"I'd prefer for you to stand close in case I yell for help" I said now moving towards the meeting room.

"Yes boss" she saluted me.

I took a deep breath before pushing open the door to the meeting room. Here goes nothing.

The first thing I thought when I saw Alison Leoline was: Shit! I forgot that the meeting room is soundproof.

There wasn't anything starkly different about her looks from the other Leolines, a tall brunette with familiar honey eyes and sharp features. Sounds familiar? Yes basically the entire Leoline family. I wonder if George Leoline was mated to his cousin. That would be weird but would explain the cloning happening here.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Ms. Leoline" I plastered a smile on my face and decided to sit opposite to her in case she decides to get to the extremes with me.

"I prefer Mrs. Scott" She replied calmly, not returning my fake smile "Amelia" she added.

"Alison" I smiled wider.

"Spirits Arthur was right" she sighed "You aren't my type"

"I thought that was a given considering the fact that you are mated to a man" I replied with a wink "or not. That was very ignorant of me"

"I see what you are doing there" she nodded "You can't confuse me with your words Amelia so let's get down to business shall we?"

I nodded grudgingly "What do you want" I asked dropping my smile.

"Good. Now that I've stripped you off your fake self, it will be easier to get my words across" she nodded again. I noticed she does that a lot "You are Arthur's mate" she stated after the speech.

"Not by choice" I sang "Not for long"

"Will you let me finish?" she gritted out. She looked scarier than her brother when angry. That's probably because I know she could actually hurt me with no regrets.

"Go ahead" I shrugged.

"Arthur's my brother" There she goes with the obvious again but I stopped myself from pointing that out "and I care for his sanity. I know you set him up with Rhea. That was very stupid of you"

"Thank you" I nodded "Pleasure doing business with you. Give my blessings to the couple in question. The door's that way"

"You aren't getting out of this" She said calmly ignoring me.

"Wh....what?" I frowned.

"A true mate's bond doesn't disappear that easily. The human in him can break the bond but unless the animal does the same, the new bond is only half as strong as the spirit-given mate"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means only Arthur accepting Rhea as his mate wouldn't break the bond that binds you to him. His animal has to accept Amelia and her animal as well. And that rarely happens which is why it is almost impossible to break a spirit-blessed bond"

"But Olivia" I leaned forward forgetting all my animosity "one of my wolf clients managed to do that. She's now mated to someone who isn't her true mate and he's alive"

"And was her mate mated when she met him?"

I nodded.

She smiled in a not-so-nice way "His wolf accepted the other woman completely. Both the human and the wolf rejected her and her wolf. That's how she could move on and it's one of those rare incidents that happens once in decades or maybe centuries"

Poor Olivia.

"Are you seriously pitying her?" How did this witch know? "Please. It's all over your face" I schooled my emotions immediately. She caught me offguards. I'm usually good at hiding my emotions. "And you would have been lucky had that happened to you"

"Yes I can imagine feeling great after been rejected twice" I scoffed.

"She got a second lifeline something you will never get considering how Arthur's lion always looks like he just rolled out of your bed" She sneered in reply "You have no idea how twisted your life's going to get"

"Are you guys planning on killing me?" There's no point in beating around the bush.

She chuckled "Arthur would go feral if we kill you. You will have to be alive for my brother's sanity"

"What should I do" I mumbled to myself.

"You should have gone with Arthur's initial idea of waiting this life out" She replied even though I didn't really ask her.

"Don't you want your brother to be happy?" I can never imagine not wishing for my brothers' happiness.

"That was the happiest he will ever be. You have dragged yourself and him in this mess with you stupidity"

"Excuse me?" I gritted out "I'm not the predator who has been taught about mates since nappy days. Your brother should have explained it to me"

"He's not good with words" Ms. Lawyer said. That's the understatement of the year.

"Even if it's a life and death situation?" I spat out.

"He probably hopes that living with Rhea will soften his lion enough to consider leaving you behind. That's the only plausible explanation I can find" Find?

"Didn't he talk to you about his plans?" I frowned.

"He's not good with words" she repeated. I f*cking know that.

"So why are you here? Do you want me to accept him and declare my love to him in public?"

She scrunched her nose "Don't even say that as a joke. It's unbearable. I almost fainted when I first heard of it. Your bond is an abomination of nature that will distort the order of the world. It's sad for the two of you but it's not something I or anyone in my community will encourage. Hell, my sister would have probably locked you in Arthur's basement with a permanent lock on one of her worst days. She's planning on kidnapping the mer-kid and questioning her. You have very little time in your hand"

"Spirits! I appreciate Arthur so much more when I hear you speak"

"You aren't my mate" she pointed out.

True. Oh the joy of being Arthur Leoline's mate!

"Wait does that mean Rhea thinks Arthur's animal has no interest in me?" I frowned.

"Is that your only concern right now?"

"Yes" I nodded "She's taking an uninformed decision. That's wrong. You guys are lying to her"

"No one's lying to her" Alison rolled her eyes "It's her mistake for jumping to the conclusion and actually agreeing to a mating without checking the facts"

"She agreed to the mating?" I know she was considering it but I didn't know it was official because Mia has been forcing me to stop responding to her calls. I keep diverting her calls to the voicemail. She probably thinks I'm dead.

"Why else would she meet the family?" Alison scoffed.

"What do you want from me then? Why are you here?" And we are back to the beginning of the cycle.

"I am here to ask you to stop, for lack of better words, wh0ring around" she mumbled an 'excuse me' to go with that "It's hurting my brother"

"I wasn't wh0ring around. It was just a stupid kiss" I growled at her.

"It physically hurt my brother" she yelled back.

I forgot about that. I didn't really ever believe that predators could actually feel things like that.

"What if I turn his animal against me?" I asked hopefully "What if my animal finds a stallion?"

"You can't" she shook her head "It's not that easy and your kind do not have mates. It's simply a relationship or a marriage for you people. Arthur's animal wouldn't be discouraged by that"

"What if Rhea seduces his animal?"

"Will you stop with the 'what ifs'?" She looked positively annoyed.

"What do you want me to do?" I yelled in frustration.

"I don't know" she yelled back rising from her seat "I've been thinking about it for the past few days but found no solution to it. Just remain celibate for the rest of your life or stay in my brother's shadow. I don't care. The only thing I know is that you should never come out in public. Don't ever do that. Guard this as your ugliest secret and take this to your pyre. Because if you do, we will have no option but to cast you both aside and that's not something I want for my brother"

"F*ck you" I spat looking away. I have nothing more to say to her, not with the new information she threw my way. I need time to process that.

"Yeah" she nodded "We are done here. Take your time and think things through. Art should have explained it to you. I'm sure he has his reasons but now that you know, try to be a bit less stupid. I'll have my men after you just in case you lose your mind"

I flipped my finger without looking at her. I want to burn her to ashes right here and looking at her will only put me in jail. I only relaxed when the sound of the door closing after her reached me.

I need to revisit the hill.

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I know I should have confronted Arthur. But I haven't been able to compose myself enough to give him a ring. I think I'll break down halfway into the conversation and I'm not going to give him the pleasure of watching me come apart.

He lied to me. Again. Do I even have the right to be mad at him? I am the one who trusted him. He's a predator. Of course he'll manipulate things to suit him. That's what they do. I'm just a stupid woman in love who thinks the one she fell for is different. I only saw what I wanted to see.

So like the coward that I am, I approached Keith instead. I needed answers and the only other person who could possibly quench my curiosity is the man who shadows the lion at every step.

I watch as he entered the café looking around nervously. Without Arthur, he must feel out of place. I wonder if he has a home, a family, a life of his own.

I waved at him. He nodded and walked towards me in quick confident steps. Once in front of me, he lost his confidence and stood awkwardly looking at the chair opposite to me.

"You are supposed to sit on that" I told him.

He cleared his throat "Of course"

I watched him shuffle uncomfortably on the chair that was a little too small for the likes of him.

"You wanted to speak" he focused on me deciding comfort wasn't what he was here for.

"Alison Scott paid me a visit" I told him.

This was news to him I could tell but he schooled his features quickly. It wasn't hard considering its Keith we are talking about "You should discuss this with him"

"I don't want to see him. Not now. Not ever" I spoke calmly.

"I'm the middleman?"

"No I just want answers and because I can't get it from him, you are my choice" I told him "I don't care if you choose to tell him or keep this meeting to yourself"

"I don't have to answer you"

"No you don't" I agreed "I'll still ask"

He thought over it before nodding "I'll only answer one of your questions. So choose carefully"

One? What's the one thing that I want to know the most? What do I need to know the most right now?

"Why did he let me interact with his animal knowing that it will only strength our bond and would make it impossible to break it?" There I disguised three questions in one.

His expressions turned stiffer than it already was. He took his time to reply telling me he was going to get in trouble for his answer. I think I hit the right notes.

"He didn't have a choice. Things were already out of his hands by the time you decided to break the bond. His animal's interaction with you was beyond his control" he replied.

"It doesn't count as an answer if I don't understand your words"

He closed his eyes and breathed out in frustration "Fine. I'll tell you" he huffed like an over-grown child "Do you know why you were kicked out of your college campus house after the first semester?"

I frowned. What does that have to do with anything?

"Because my lodging application didn't reach the authorities in time. My house leader somehow displaced my application. Spirits! I wanted to kill that woman" I recalled the day I realized I didn't have a roof over my head. That was one crazy week. I ultimately had to rent a place outside the campus.

"Arthur made them kick you out" he stated plainly.

"Funny" I chuckled "Wait...." He wasn't laughing "You are kidding, right?"

"He had no access to you when you were inside the campus. His animal was growing impatient. Predators need to be close to their mates, they need to know they can protect them from where they are. Every place you stayed in, every job you worked for, he was always there. Your current home near the forest in one of the most exclusive part of the city, how do you think you got so cheaply?"

"The previous owner hung himself in the house. That was the rumor"

"Nothing like that ever happened" he shook his head making me feel sicker by the second "The forest gives an easier access to him"

"My......" my throat felt dry "My business. Did....did he f*cking buy me clients too?" I wanted to break something....anything. The café isn't the ideal place to be in right now.

"I said one question"

"Answer me" I slapped my fist on the table grabbing some attention.

"No that was all your hard work. No client was bought for you, no promotions done. In fact he didn't like how you had to interact with people for your business. But he did see to that you shifted your focus to the city and relocate here. Your town was getting harder to access with you spending most of your time at your parents' place"

"And?"

"And he made sure the job applications in and around you goes through him. That's why there are no stallions or even mares in your workplace"

.....and very few men. How did I fail to notice that?

"So to answer your question, Arthur never thought he had to break the bond. So he let his animal get close to you. He planned for the both of you to be this way for a long time. There's nothing he can do now to change that. It doesn't work that way. You were supposed to....."

"To be his prisoner for the rest of my life" I spat out.

"That wasn't his intention" He said calmly "You were his only solace. He desperately needed that to survive"

"Of course I am the villain here" I nodded "It's all about him, his happiness, his solace, his mate. What about me? If he believes this damn mating business so much, why doesn't he claim me? Go on a public broadcast and declare it to the world that he would die without me?" I whisper yelled "He can't do that, can he? That will destroy him and he wouldn't do that for anyone, not even the mate he claims he can't live without"

"You are asking the wrong person" He said standing up.

"You think Arthur has an answer to that?" I stood too.

"No he isn't the one with the answer to that" he shook his head "Have a good day"

And just like that, he strode away with the confident long stride he came with.

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"What are we doing here again?" I asked Mia and Jenny as we sat waiting for the others to get here.

Jenny works for her mother who is one of the most successful wedding planners in the business and a partner to us. Match-making and Wedding-planning go hand in hand.

"We are here to meet the clients?" Jenny replied.

"No you are here to meet the clients. What are we doing here?" I pointed between Mia and I.

"The bride invited you, the groom's family invited you and Sophie kicked you out of the office and said you aren't allowed in until you attend the meeting" Mia grimaced clearly not liking the idea herself.

Sophie thought it would be great to have an inside spy to make sure things get over smoothly. I am apparently everyone's choice for an inside spy. Mia decided to accompany me for moral support. Bless her.

I took a deep breath preparing for the arrival of the couple in question. I knew the exact moment they walked in.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

How long has it been since I last saw him?

"They are here" Jenny declared from her seat.

We were at a private room at Golden Spots. It's a lunch meeting. Jenny took one of the ends of the six-seater table. Mia sat to her left and I sat next to Mia leaving the other three seats for the clients.

"Are we late?" The bride's happy voice made me look up at the new arrivals.

I shouldn't have looked. Hell I shouldn't have come here to begin with. This is stupid and so f*cking painful.

The glowing smile on the bride's face, the glare from the groom directed at me and their clasped hands, that's what I saw when I looked.

Mia's hand rested on my knees and I looked away with a forced smile the bride's way. I wouldn't look at him. I won't give him the satisfaction of being at the receiving end of any of my emotions even if it's anger at the moment.

"We just arrived" Jenny stood up with a smile.

Mia then proceeded to introduce Jenny to the couple as I watch on. Maintaining the smile was getting increasingly harder for me.

He then pulled the chair to jenny's left for her. She thanked him smiling happily while he sat down next to her. I turned my neck towards my left so I don't have to look at him sitting opposite to me.

"This must be such a short notice for you" Rhea spoke first.

"I must admit the time-frame you are offering is small" Jenny nodded "But it's still isn't the toughest spot we have been in. You haven't seen what people crazy in love can demand" She chuckle. I smiled while Mia and Rhea laughed.

"Arthur and I aren't in love though" Rhea said after the laughter died down. I followed her hand as it rose to touch Arthur's suit wrapped arm lightly "We hope to get there someday" she smiled up at him and I wanted to disappear in that moment.

"We aren't soulmates" Arthur spoke.

"Yes we got briefed on that" Jenny nodded "You don't have to worry about anything with us here, Mr. Leoline, Ms. Wright. We customize weddings and rituals according to the client's preferences.

She then proceeded to show them the prototypes she brought along and I tuned her off, occasionally responding to Rhea with a smile or a nod. Weddings have never been my thing. It looks tiring. I would prefer to go to the court and sign some damn papers in my pajamas instead. It's a more solid proof of the union and also requires lesser number of fake smiles.

I gasped at a sudden tug at my hand dangling near the empty seat opposite to Jenny.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked

I nodded and took a deep breath before pulling my hand back as I glared at the table hoping the bastard got the memo.

Apparently not. The devil held my hand firmer this time. I'll have to shake the entire table to shake his hand off. I couldn't help but look at him and glare this time.

The bastard had the nerve to pretend like he was listening to Jenny and had no idea of what his hand was doing.

The only thing I wanted to do at that moment was drag him by his hair and slam his head repeatedly against the table.

I gritted my jaws together and tried hard to rein my urges. It will be a pretty sight but that's not what sane people do. I have to keep my hands to myself......as soon as he lets go that is.

Instead of letting go, he proceeded to entwine our fingers together.

I have had enough. I clenched my toes in preparation and then proceeded to kick him hard against his ankle above his shoe with my heel. He gritted his jaws to suppress a wince.

"The experiment" he told Rhea through gritted jaws.

"What?" she turned to look at him

"The new theme we were going to try" he said "Remember?"

"Oh yes" she grinned and turned back to Jenny.

The f*cking hand-holding experiment?

Is he kidding me right now?

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P.S: I do not endorse stalking. Having been at the receiving end of it once, I can attest to the fact that there is nothing romantic about it.

The updates will be sooner and longer now. I hope you guys are enjoying the crazy ride :D

Happy reading :):):)