Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Part 9

/Erin's POV/

I closed my eyes briefly, steeling myself as the honeyed voice seeped in through layers of clothes. My treacherous body had always innately responded to the dark, forbidding men sitting across. The way the Alphas talked to me, so brash and honest that it spurred something inside.

Also, I hated to admit it, but they looked more dangerously handsome than ever today. I couldn’t help but gawk at their thin shirts, barely concealing anything; their dark brown hair was as attractively dishevelled. Reed's eyes appeared deep green and intense as they stared, the laugh lines at the corners in stark contrast to the brooding expression on his face.

I kept my gaze down for a hesitant moment, biting on his lip, uncertain whether to oblige to the demand he made.

“Okay, Reed, I will play along.” I exhaled, straightened my cold and ever-trembling frame and looked around; the dark sky concealed most but a row of trees outside the windows.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, hmm? Maybe trying adding Alpha to that bit. Or simply Alpha.”

“Anyways…” Rowan cleared his throat, nudging his brother, for which I was grateful. The last thing I wanted was to indulge in some petty fight over names. “What are your conditions, Erin?”

Taking a deep breath, I let my hands wring nervously in my lap. My stomach unfurled at the thought of my demands, but I had no other choice. I raised my head and met their eyes, leaning back.

“I would like you to unfreeze the fund's account. Today itself, if possible. And I need some time to tell my family about us if you don’t mind.” I swallowed noisily, trying not to think about my family’s reaction. Especially since my sister and mother have been waiting for this moment since forever.

“For events and outings, I would like to be informed a day before so that I can prepare myself. No public display of affection, and I think that during these six months, you both should not see anyone else. We should make everything official…a contract would be nice.”

Reed huffed. “Oh, are you done? I thought there’s more to come.”

Rowan awkwardly laughed. “I understand your concerns, but there are some things which are not possible.”

My heart thudded painfully at that. Was the Alpha referring to the funds? I desperately hoped not. Without those, my father cannot be treated.

Reed hummed, crossing his arms together and leaning back, “Exactly. You are our mate…I mean, you are supposed to be our mate, so the PDA is absolutely necessary.”

A shiver ran down my spine at that, imaging their lips near me, devouring me. My throat ran dry, breath caught in my throat. It would be a lie if I claimed that I had not been thinking about having my Alphas bodies flush against mine—almost every minute of every cold and dark hour that made up my days.

Rowan interrupted, and I couldn’t help but get drawn in by the movement of his lips, thin but shaped and viciously captivating. “Reed is right. How will council and the pack members buy into the act if we don’t hold hands?”

I exhaled, my shoulders sagging at that. “Is that all?”

“No”

Rowan twisted his lips. “Some events and meetings are impromptu, and we cannot predict them. I suggest you try to adjust along with the schedule.”

“Umm…I can try.”

“You have to.” Reed arrogantly mused, his eyes darkening as he met my eyes. “I believe the same rules apply for you too, Erin. No man is allowed to be anywhere near you while we are courting you.”

“Caveman,” I mumbled under my breath but, for his sake, nodded his head. “You don’t have to worry about that, Reed.”

“Also, before courting you, we would meet with Uncle Adam. I am sure he will be happy since we three have known each other forever.”

I averted my eyes at that, chest constricting painfully at the mention of my father. He was still in the clinic, and I had yet to see him. The sound of Reed clearing his throat broke me out of my thoughts.

“Our beta will draft the contract and send it by tomorrow. You can read our clauses in there. If there is some doubt, you know where to find us.”

“Yes.” I nodded compulsorily, biting on my lower lip, legs clamped shut. My eyes fell on my wrist watch, mouth parting as I realised it was almost dinner time. “Excuse me; I shall be on my way now. Thank you for your time.”

“Leaving so soon, Erin?” Rowan raised his brow.

“I have some things lined up.”

“It’s late, Rowan.” He turned to me. “We can drop you home.” Reed stood on his feet, hands pressed firmly behind his back, poised and looking every bit a gentleman he was not.

“No, I am fine. Thanks.” I could finally feel my heart’s pace slow to a gentle thrum the further I moved away.

If I were to agree to their request and take a step further in their direction, I knew I would not return from those dark desires; none where I can remain unimpassioned, where there would be no craving for more.

“See you soon, Erin,” Reed murmured, words soothing and simple as they ever so gently plucked at my heartstrings.

I turned to make my way out of the room and down the narrow stairwell again, exiting the house with slow movements, thoughts frazzled and flitting. My cheeks still held a warmth not ordinarily there. Closing my eyes, I filled my lungs with cold air, concentrated on the chill seeping through his clothes and tried not to think about what happened in there.


The following day I had no choice but to inform the staff about my temporary take over. Renee and Helen did not seem pleased at the change, but they knew my father was still coping with loss. No one said anything else, so I managed to relax in my father’s office, head lolling back.

My mother stayed in the clinic all night to look after my father. Charles quickly unfreezes the funds, so I used the money to pay the bills. Guilt swarmed me, but I was sure that once we got royalties this month, I could recover the taken amount.

I could not believe that my father was still in the clinic, appearing frail and tiny in the bed. He was still sleeping, so I did not bother to disturb him, simply sitting for a while before rushing to my office.

A knock on the door startled me. My head shot up so quickly that I heard the sound of my neck cracking. Sitting up, I had to do a double-take, blink before my vision focused on the man, an Alpha standing in front of me. My eyes only lingered on his face for a second before I soaked up his – well, appearance; a black pulled over sweater underneath a crisp white collar shirt paired with jeans.

His profile was sharp, jaw sharp enough to cut a diamond and eyes pools of grey, piercing and dark.

“May I come in?”

I choked on my breath before nodding my head, wobbly knees as I stood up. “Yes, please.”

As I came to stand in front of my desk, I couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were even more striking up close, eyelashes dark and long, drawing delicate shadows onto his cheekbones.

“Hi, I am Damon...” He looked over his shoulder before meeting my eyes. “The receptionist told me to see you submit my script.”

I widened my eyes at that. “Your script?”

He nervously chuckled, the sound warm and calming just like his features. “Uh…I am a writer and want you to look over my script.”

Usually, traditional publishing follows some strict rules, sending scripts through email and whatnot. Since we were already on the verge of bankruptcy, no one approached us anymore.

Standing up, I motioned towards the empty chair, my face heating up. “Yes, sorry, please sit.”

“I called yesterday, but the lines were unreachable….” He swiped his tongue over his lip. “So I thought to come in person and hand over my script.”

I winced, suddenly remembering that we still had to pay the electricity bill. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, no worries!” He grinned, “This way, I got to meet my pretty editor.”

“Are you always this confident?”

“Your effect, I guess.”

He’s good. I thought to myself. Before I could answer, the doors were abruptly pushed open, and Rowan stepped in. The smile on my face faded, watching his red face and narrowed eyes.

“You!” The Alpha glared at Damon. “Get out!”

“Rowan.” I hissed, my cheeks heating up. “What are you doing?”

“We need to talk.”

I sighed, putting on an apologetic smile before turning to Damon. “Could you please excuse us for a moment? The receptionist will show you our waiting room. Sorry again.”

Damon pursed his lips before walking out of the room, the dull thud echoing.

As soon as he was gone, Rowan turned towards me, nose flaring. “Why did you not tell us about Uncle Adam?”

Oh Moons! How did he find out?


Previous Chapter
Next Chapter