"Trey."
"Baby?" He stands up and walks towards me.
"It's Belle. Just Belle." I correct him.
He stops on his track and deliberately sniffs the air. Suddenly, he lunges for me, but he's restricted by the silver bars. "You slut! How could you do this to me?!"
"They're my mates, Trey." I sigh, shaking my head.
"Do you think I give a fucking care?! You're mine!" He growls as his eyes flash gold before turning pitch black. "You belong only to me!"
"Look." I rub my temples and grunt. "I came here to talk and I don't have much time. Euan and Luca might wake up any minute."
Trey only keeps on growling and snarling, trying to claw my throat through the bars, as if I never said anything.
This is harder than I thought. I sigh. My head feels like splitting as well since my lyall loathes Trey's threatening presence. I do my best to calm myself so that I can reign in my lyall better.
"Trey, it's kinda my fault that you're like... that. So I'm trying to understand you, okay?" I frown. "You know, it kind of stunned me how one person could go from loving someone so much to hating. But now that I know you're just not in your right mind, I-"
"Nothing's wrong with me!" He cuts me off.
"You know, if you try to tell a crazy person that he's insane, he'd tell you the same." I retort then sigh. "Anyway, I'm going to do everything I can to fix you, okay?" I reach for his face and cup it. "Once upon a time, I may have truly loved you Trey." I rub his face gently. "And in the bottom of my heart, I know that I can wish for things to have been different. I can wish for us to have been mates. But those are simply useless wishes."
"Everything I did was for you, Belle! My soul for your soul – to see it, to feel it, to be a part of it! You're my everything!" He cries.
"Because I enslaved you!" A tear escapes my eye and I feel anguished, knowing I have done this to him. "Now, you're mine to free. And I hope that after you get better, we could be... may be, friends." I give him a smile and pull my hand back, but Trey grabs it tightly.
"If I can't have you, then no one can!" He growls then he pulls me towards the bars.
"Please don't make things worse, Trey! I don't want to be filled with hatred for you again!" I cry in frustration.
Trey pauses for a while, but his grip on my hand is still tight.
After several seconds of awkward silence, his eyes turn back to their normal color and he slowly lets go of my hand. His hands reach past the bars and cup my face.
"I don't want you to hate me." He whispers.
"Then don't do this." I answer him, placing my hands over his. "At least try to cooperate. You're not supposed to feel this way for me. You were never mine, and I will never be yours. Don't you want to get better for your own sake and the pack?"
He takes a deep breath and releases a heavy sigh. "Okay, I'll... try."
Somehow, I'm surprised that Trey easily agreed. It leaves an unsettling feeling behind my mind. But most probably, it's from my lyall, so I disregard it.
"Thank you." I whisper before leaning my face into his hand to kiss it.
"Anything for you, my angel." He smiles at me, genuinely, and circles his thumb on my cheeks.
I can't help but smile at him too, knowing he's being cooperative which will make things easier, I guess.
"I need to go now." I remove his hands from my face.
He growls but then, as if something clicks in his mind, his face falls blank. "Okay." He smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes.
I know it's because it's still not easy for him. But, at least, he's trying.
"What are you doing here?!" An angry female shouts from behind me.
I turn around and see Ashley.
"Ashley." I greet her with an awkward smile.
"Don't 'Ashley' me! It's all your fault!" She storms towards me – the intent of murder clear in her face.
"Ashley!" Trey warns her, growling.
She stops on her track and looks at him. "Of course you will defend her because you're her fucking slave!" She yells, glaring at the both of us.
"It's not like I wanted that to happen!" I retort, anger getting into my veins.
I know she's also a victim in this, but can she not make it seem as if I intentionally did all those things and made myself suffer like that?
"Of course you didn't." She scoffs.
"She's going to train so that she fix whatever's wrong with me and my lyall, and I'm trying my best to be cooperative. So, if you're thinking of harming her, think again." Trey says coldly, anger laced in his voice.
Ashley's eyes widen and she runs towards Trey, shoving me roughly to the side on her way.
She reaches for his face and cups it. "You are trying to fight the curse?" She whispers, as if saying it out loud will jinx things.
"Yes." Trey replies dryly.
"Don't worry, I'm going to help you through it all." She promises him.
"Thanks." He mutters with the same dryness.
"I'm really sorry Ashley. I really didn't know you're his mate. If I'd known I wou-"
"Save it." She cuts me off. "I don't think I can ever forgive you." Her back is still turned from me. "At least not until you fix what you've done."
"Okay." I whisper.
I hear two angry howls which are obviously my cue to leave.
"Bye you guys!" I shout as I sprinted my way out of the prison.
"Where have you been?" Luca questions once I reach their line of vision.
They both rush towards me then nuzzle their marks. They both growl.
"You visited him!" Luca says angrily.
"Well, yes." I reply. "I already told you I just wanted to talk to him."
They both growl loudly and embrace me possessively.
"He said he's going to try." I whisper.
"Try what?!" Luca growls louder.
"Can you stop growling right next to my ear?! I'd like to keep my hearing, thank you very much!" I shout angrily and pull away from them.
Euan sighs and I think he's linking something to Luca because Luca growls at him then he rolls his eyes at Luca.
"Can you please elaborate that more, bella mia?" Euan says, turning his head to me.
"He said he's going to try to be cooperative in fixing the 'curse'." I say happily.
Luca rolls his eyes. "Yeah, bloody right."
"Can you at least be happy that he's being cooperative?"
I walk towards Euan and wrap my hands around his arm, dragging him to the kitchen.
"You are doing that again!" Luca growls, following behind us.
"It is your fault, brother. Sucks to have a loud mouth, eh?" Euan chuckles, making Luca growl some more.
"I liked you more when you thought your voice was holier than thou and barely opened your mouth, brother." Luca mocks. "You sure are being talkative now, eh?"
"I'm beginning to think that he was supposed to be a girl." I say to Euan, pretending to whisper but making sure Luca hears it.
Euan laughs and agrees with me while Luca growls.
"He sure loves to growl, no?" I continue with my sarcastic tone.
"I think he is doing that to seem manlier." Euan teases, winking at me.
Luca rips me off Euan and embraces me tightly, trapping me within his arms.
"Mine." His breath fans on my skin as he nuzzles his mark.
Tingles spread all over my body, making me remember our recent sexual encounters. Euan and Luca growls.
"If you want to eat, I would suggest you keep your pheromones in check, love. Otherwise, it would not be food we would be eating." Luca says before trailing kisses on my shoulder blades.
"No shows in the kitchen!"
That's when I realize that almost everyone's already eating breakfast. I figure it's Brent who shouted that because Luca growls at him. We take our seats and start eating along with the others.
"I thought we're having breakfast." I mumble.
"Well, have you checked the time, Belle?" Carter raises his brow.
I feel stupid and hit my head with a hand. Luca clicks his tongue then kisses my head where I hit it.
"Do not hurt yourself, love."
Carter rolled his eyes at him.
"Wait 'til you find your mate, Cart." Josh tells him.
"Oh sorry, but I won't be turned into pussies like you guys." He says puffing his chest out and smirking.
"Yah yah, Cartie. They all said that before." Els muses before Josh kisses her.
"You will surely change your mind someday, mate. And then once you realize that she is your life, there would be no changing your mind about your mate, whom you will love as long as you live." Luca butts in. "Tough thing about being in love with your mate – it is definitely undeniable."
'Aw mah girl, couldn't he be sweeter?' Els links to me.
'You're one lucky bitch, Belle!' Jane also links to me.
"Anyway, so why are you late? You love food more than sleep, I recall." Amanda, who's seated on Brent's lap, gives me a knowing look.
Well, expect that from her. I roll my eyes. She likes to talk about everyone's sex lives out in the open.
Everyone smirks knowingly at me and my mates, making me blush.
I look at Euan and Luca but they're grinning like lovesick puppies. Oh yeah, of course they would be freaking proud of it! El-oh-el.
"We and our mate had just met so we took our time to fully get to know one another... thoroughly." Luca winks at me.
Oh Luca and his loud mouth!
"Anyway..." I said loudly. "We have practice for graduation at two, right?" I look at my friends.
What better way is there than to change the topic, right?
"Yup." Paul and Paula answer at the same time.
"You are not going." Luca says, his mouth in a thin line. I open my mouth to protest but he cuts me off. "No buts."
'You are still in your heat.' He adds through the link.
I look at Euan.
'Bella mia, he's right.'
I groan out of frustration. 'We had tons last night. I doubt that my heat will bother me today!'
Everyone just looks at us then begins their own conversations. They all know we're talking through the link.
'Just because I'm in heat doesn't mean you get to house arrest me!' "I'm going and that's final!" I shout stubbornly and storm out of the kitchen.
***
They're the ones that destroyed my life! If Belle wants to make the mistake of liking them, fine. But those twins, they need to be punished. Once I get rid of them, the path would be clear for us. I must have her.
He sees only two options. He would have Belle, or no one would. He doesn't want to kill his angel, so he came up with the 'better' plan. He will never share her with anyone either way. His very soul demands her: it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly vengeance on its frame.
"You said you'd help me." He says to Ashley.
"Of course! I'd do anything and everything for you." She smiles at him, tears still brimming her eyes.
She can't believe that he's at the least trying to fight the curse. She thinks that maybe this can be the start of their happily ever after.
"Everything, huh?" He raises a brow. "You really mean anything?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" She will even risk her own life if it means that she can be together with her mate.
"Good then. I expect you to keep your promise." He grins widely.
She senses something offsetting with the way he speaks and grins. But the happiness she feels that they're finally having their chance to be together as mates makes her set the weird feeling aside.