I woke to soft fingers trailing up and down my spine.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes to meet Adam's stormy blue ones. I smiled lazily and snuggled into him.
"Good morning."
He chuckled.
"Good morning, love."
He pulled me up onto his chest and I laid my head down against it, listening to his heart beating.
"Why are you watching me sleep, you weirdo?"
He laughed. "I've only been awake for a few minutes."
I peeked an eye open to look at the clock beside the bed and took note of how late in the morning it was.
"Don't you have to work?" I asked him.
"I'm taking the day off," he informed me. "I'm technically still on my honeymoon."
I hummed.
"Do you get to do that?"
"I'm the Alpha. I can do whatever I want."
I laughed in amusement.
I felt him take a deep breath and sigh.
"Still tired?" I asked him.
We had been up most of the night, it wouldn't have surprised me.
"A little," he replied.
I furrowed my eyebrows, getting the sense that wasn't what was wrong with him.
"What's bothering you?" I asked.
Adam was silent as his fingers gently dragged across my back slowly.
"Adam?"
When I still hadn't received a response, I looked up to see him staring at the ceiling.
"What's wrong?"
He took a deep breath.
"I couldn't tell you before the wedding..."
My eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"Couldn't tell me what?"
When he faltered again, I rolled off of his body and sat down on the bed next to him, sensing something was wrong.
"Adam, what is it?"
He sat up, propping himself with his hands on the bed behind him.
"Vega tried to get me to... um-"
He faltered again.
"To what?"
He licked his lips, still not looking at me directly.
"To have sex with her," he explained.
I felt my stomach drop to the floor and my jaw go slack.
"I didn't," he assured me quickly, noticing my reaction.
I swallowed the knot in the back of my throat.
"When?" I asked him.
"Once last week and once when she arrived at the castle," he said. "The night you walked in on her and Jace, she came into my room first."
I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
"Nothing happened," he said firmly. "I sent her away the second I figured out what she was doing."
I blinked hard as the hot tears spilled out of my eyes, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"How do you know she was trying to get you to sleep with her?" I asked. "What did she say?"
Adam bit his lip and shook his head.
"Tell me," I said.
He took a deep breath.
"The first time, I didn't know it was her. I had been sleeping but woke up when the door opened. I assumed it was you but when she got into the bed and I felt her touch my shoulder, I knew it wasn't," he said honestly, his eyebrows furrowing as he recalled the event.
"I was so shocked that I pushed her out of the bed and I think it scared her. She got up quickly and left, never saying a word. The second time however, you and Liu were in town with the baker to talk about the wedding cake and she came into my office. She told the guards that you had sent her to ask me a question about the wedding, so I let her in. She started talking about the wedding, but then she said something about how I only had a few more days left before my sex life became non-existent."
I closed my eyes, feeling the words hit me hard.
"I sent her away each time, but she never got the hint," he said.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I cried.
Adam shook his head.
"She's your best friend and she was in the wedding-"
"She's not my best friend," I said, my jaw clenching.
I huffed in anger, tossing a pillow against the headboard as I got off the bed. I pulled on my bath robe and could hear Adam follow me into the bathroom.
"Listen, you told me about Diedrick-"
"And you killed him," I interrupted.
"-I thought it was only appropriate that you knew about Vega," he finished. "I didn't want to ruin our wedding."
I sat down on the side of the tub and put my head in my hands.
"Why would she think that she could do that? Did she not think you would tell me?" I asked angrily. "And why would she say that your sex life would become nonexistent?"
He shrugged.
"It's clearly not," he said, gesturing to his naked body and the messy bed.
I shook my head.
"I'm going to kill her," I said matter-of-factly.
"That's a little extreme," he commented.
I glared at him.
"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think? Especially considering that Diedrick's grave is still covered with fresh dirt."
"Diedrick isn't dead," he said.
"You're lying."
He shook his head and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"If Diedrick isn't dead, it isn't because you left him alive out of the kindness of your heart. He's still of use to you," I guessed.
"You're spot on with that assumption," he said folding his arms across his broad chest. "But killing your ex-best friend while her father is dying in a hospital bed with her mother by his side, already grieving, would be a stupid idea."
I groaned realizing his point.
"What if I just kill her a little bit?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Once you figure out how to kill someone a little bit, let me know. I'll take notes."
With that being said, Adam turned to leave the bathroom.
I shook my head in disbelief, remembering how Vega had asked me about Adam. The way she talked about how she would've climbed him like a tree and that he had the body of a god.
I should've seen it coming.
I stood up from the side of the tub and took off the robe. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, feeling the need to relax before I committed homicide.
I stepped under the stream of warm water, wiping away the hot tears and rubbing my puffy eyes.
Adam was my husband. Vega couldn't have him and I would make sure she knew it before the sun set that night.
Admittedly, I was plotting the details of her murder when I felt Adam's arms wrap around my waist and his hands press against my stomach.
I turned around in his arms as he pushed me against the wall.
"You're cute when you're jealous," he said, noticing the scowl on my face.
"Oh really?" I asked incredulously. "Then get ready, because I'm about to be fucking gorgeous."
He laughed as he pressed a finger to my lips.
"Watch your mouth, woman."
My eyebrow raised as an idea hit me.
"No, you watch my mouth," I said, sliding down the shower's slick tile wall onto my knees.
- - -
Apparently Adam wasn't as capable of taking a day off as he thought he was.
It was either that, or Jace didn't get the hint.
He called the room after Adam and I had eaten breakfast, asking for Adam to meet him in his office.
Apologizing, Adam left and assured me he would only be an hour. Three hours later, I knew he'd gotten caught up.
I left the room around lunch and ran into Liu in the hallway, much to her surprise.
"What are you doing back?!" She asked, hugging me.
"Adam couldn't take off too much time," I said, hugging her back.
"He is the leader of four continents, I guess," Liu said laughing.
She pulled away and eyed me.
"You look great," she said. "You even look like you got a tan."
I laughed.
"My tan wasn't really noticeable up here in the North Pole," I said sarcastically.
"So, how was the honeymoon?" She asked. "I've heard Adam's island is pretty nice."
I shook my head as we walked down the hallway.
"Okay, first of all, why does he even own an island? Secondly, how did you know we were there?" I asked, laughing.
She looked hurt.
"Who do you think was given the task of packing your bag for the trip? You're welcome for that super hot bikini, by the way."
I laughed, holding up my hands in surrender.
"Thanks for that."
"It's no problem," she said. "I appreciate any chance I get to spend money, even if it isn't for me. I probably over-packed though."
"Why would you think that?" I asked.
She side-eyed me.
"You honestly expect me to believe you wore anything other than that swimsuit while you were there?"
I laughed, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.
"Barely even that at some moments," I admitted.
"That's what I like to hear," Liu said laughing. "Welcome to the Slutty For Your Mate Club. We go shopping for lingerie on Thursdays."
"Exactly how many people are in this club?" I asked laughing.
"Two now," she replied.
We walked to the kitchen for lunch.
"So are you and Jace a thing again?" I asked.
She sighed.
"We're getting there. I'm only able to get a few minutes of his time each day because of his job as Beta," she admitted. "Some days are better than others."
"You're mates," I said assuringly. "It will all work itself out."
I opened the kitchen door to see Vega sitting at the counter eating a sandwich and I froze.
"Are you okay?" Liu asked.
Her voice caught Vega's attention, who immediately looked over at us. She smiled when she saw me and got off her chair quickly to run over and hug me.
"You're back!" She said, giving me a hug that I didn't return. "How was everything?"
"It was great," I muttered angrily, trying to remember what Adam had said.
"So tell me..." she said, hooking her arm around mine and pulling me over to the kitchen counter. "How was your first time? Is Adam as great in bed as you thought? Give me all the details..."
I yanked my arm from hers.
"So you can fantasize about my husband later?" I asked incredulously.
"What?" She asked, laughing. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about the two times that you tried to seduce Adam," I said angrily.
Vega looked at me in shock, unable to say anything in her defense.
"You did what?" Liu asked her.
"She tried to get my mate to fuck her," I said, crossing my arms. "And when that didn't work, she went and found your mate and got him to."
I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth, but seeing Liu become as angry as I was and the fear that shone in Vega's eyes made it almost worth it.
"What is your problem?" Liu asked her angrily.
Vega found her tongue.
"Oh please," she said to Liu, "all you are to Jace is a sex doll. It isn't like I ruined a relationship."
I saw the tears fill up in Liu's eyes as Vega turned to me.
"And you... you're a prude, you're vanilla and inexperienced. Neither of you deserved a mate. I'm the only one who could satisfy either of those men."
I saw red as the blood roared through my ears.
My fist swung through the air and landed perfectly between Vega's eyes.
Immediately she fell to the ground in a daze, blood gushing from her nose.
"You're wrong about two things," I said, squatting down to her level. "First, getting a mate isn't about finding someone you deserve; it's about meeting someone you don't deserve and building yourself into a woman who does."
Vega groaned in pain as she clutched her nose.
"Second, I'm more than capable of satisfying my mate. Don't believe me? You're more than welcome to sit outside my bedroom door tonight and listen in on the fun."
I stood back up as Vega wiped her bloody nose on her shirt sleeve.
"Go anywhere near Adam one more time, and I'll make sure you and your dad are roommates," I threatened, stepping over her limp body.
The look on Liu's face was priceless as I walked over to the pantry and began to make my lunch.
Vega got off the floor slowly and left the kitchen, still clutching her broken and bloodied nose.
"Teach me, sensei," Liu pleaded laughing.
I laughed as well as I went over to the fridge and pulled out something to drink.
A few moments later, Adam and Jace came into the kitchen.
The expression on Adam's face was one of unamusement.
"I just passed Vega in the hallway..." he said, looking at me.
I took a long sip of my water as his arms folded across his chest.
"Care to explain why she had a bloody nose?"
"She ran into the wall," I said, straightfaced.
Adam rolled his eyes, obviously not buying it.
"She'll probably have two black eyes tomorrow," Liu said shrugging. "It was rather unfortunate."
Jace raised an eyebrow as she spoke.
"Amusing, isn't it?" Liu asked him. "How things come full circle?"
They stared at each other for a moment before Adam sighed.
"This isn't what we came in here for," he said.
"What do you need?" I asked.
"We found your dad," he said. "He's en route here now."
I felt the air leave my lungs and the glass of water slipped from my hands and fell to the ground, shattering.
My ears were ringing as Liu and Adam scrambled to pick the glass up.
"He's coming here?" I whispered.
Adam nodded.
"My mom?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Evelyn, I'm sorry..."
My eyebrows furrowed, my hands shaking.
"What?"
Adam faltered and I gasped, feeling tears burn my eyes.
"She died."
- - -