The Thornvalles' apartment could barely be called an apartment. Its structure was grand, with modern architecture. It stood at the top of a steep hill as the clearing stretched into the woods, the view immaculate.
I walked towards the door, gaping at the cars parked in the open garage. This was the perfect place to go a hunt, letting your wolf form soar freely. An aching feeling I knew too well settled in my chest. I yearned to have my wolf, to understand what a soul-bind feels like. Even after I'd turned eighteen, I never got the slightest indication that she was there.
But deep down, I knew she was somewhere in my soul, waiting for the right time to bloom.
I stood at the door, trying to calm my racing heart as I pressed the doorbell. No sound followed, and I wondered if it was working. I tried once more before resorting to knocking. Before my knuckles reached the door, it creaked open, my hand freezing midair. Tavian stood at the entrance, his gray eyes narrowed into an annoyed expression.
"You don't know how doorbells work?" he seethed, and I winced internally at the spite in his voice.
Rhydian was cruel and as cold as they come, but Tavian had the temperament of a cat. He was easily irritable, grumpy, and unapologetically mean.
"Sorry," the apology slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it, knowing he didn't deserve it.
He left me at the door, like the gentleman he was, and I welcomed myself in.
The interior was just as luxurious as the exterior. There was a flatscreen TV almost the size of a cinema's screen, a chandelier that cast a warm glow, and rich brown sofas.
"When you're done, you can pick your jaw up from the floor."
Tavian's words pierced through my mind, and I shot him a scowl. He stood at the kitchen counter across the room, pouring himself a glass of juice.
"Does anything good ever come out of that mouth of yours?"
"Not to you," he said blankly, tipping his head back to down his juice. I watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped down the whole glass, a stray droplet trailing down his throat.
So infuriating, and yet, so damn sexy.
His gaze flicked to me, and I quickly averted my gaze as my cheek heat crept up my cheeks.
"So…" I drawled as I dropped my tote bag on the couch, scanning for the mess I was supposedly to clean. "Everywhere looks spotless to me. Can I go now?"
"The rooms, except mine," Tavian's gaze darkened. "No one goes to my room."
"Got it."
He didn't bother to show me the way, and I didn't expect him to, anyway. I walked down the hallway until I finally found a door. I knocked, and when I didn't get a response, I let myself in.
The room was spacious, with a large bed and dark walls. It seemed neatly arranged except for the pile of clothes at the corner.
"Hello?" I called out, but the silence told me I was alone.
Moving toward the clothes, a sudden prickle ran down my spine. I turned around and gasped.
Rhydian behind me. Shirtless.
My eyes betrayed me as they swept through his body, trailing over every carved line of muscle. His rock-hard abs were defined and sexy, like freshly baked bread. But the cold look on his face obliterated every naughty thought threatening to pollute my mind.
"Who let you in here?" he rasped, his deep voice sending chills down my spine.
"I-I let myself in. Tavian didn't show me where to go," I replied, the strain in my voice evident.
He started to walk towards me, and I backed up, my back pressing against the wall. I wanted to flee from his suffocating presence, but my feet were glued to the ground. He moved dangerously close, cornering me as he placed his palm against the wall. My heartbeat picked a place as I suddenly lost the ability to breathe.
"Get out of my way."
Annoyance surged through me as my brows knitted. I was getting tired of being spoken to like trash. "You told me to come here to clean. Now you're telling me to get out. Pick a side." I bit out.
His eyes were devoid of emotion, and as he leaned in, my breath hitched. His breath tickled my ear as he spoke, sending tingles beneath my skin.
"You're standing in front of my drawer."
Oh.
Heat crawled up my neck as I quickly moved out of the way, mentally cringing at myself. I tried my best not to stare at the way his muscles shifted as he put on his shirt, but it was unavoidable.
"Don't just stand there and stare. Get to fucking work," he said cooly, snapping me out of my intruding thoughts.
He walked to the door, but right before he left, he turned to me.
"And don't touch any of my stuff."
"Why would I even do that?" I retorted, but he was already out, leaving me alone in his room. His scent clung to the air, a reminder that I was, in fact, in Rhydian's room. Lots of girls would die to find themselves here, but here I was, given the task to work as his maid.
I folded his clothes back into the drawers, laid his bed, and arranged everything else that looked out of place. Just when I was done and ready to leave, a picture frame on the side stool caught my eye.
His warning echoed in my mind, but I ignored it and touched the frame. Taking a closer look, a pang shot through my heart. It was a picture of his mom, the late Luna. She was beautiful, her smile vibrant as her dark curls framed her face.
My dad was responsible for her death… That was what everyone believed- everyone except me. They'd been friends and died in the same spot where I was found. I searched deep in my memory to remember what happened that day, but my mind was blank.
Pushing back the negative emotions weighing my heart, I left the room and found my way to another room. This one was slightly ajar, so I had no reason to knock.
I pushed the door and immediately regretted doing that, when I was what was going on inside.
Faint moans met my ear first, before my brain could process the scene unfolding in front of me.
Kayden was lounged in a chair with his head tipped back, one hand resting lazily behind his head, while the other gripped the hair of the girl kneeling between his legs. The rhythmic bob of her head and the wet, obscene sounds filling the room told me everything I needed to know.
"Eww… seriously?" I groaned, averting my gaze.
Kayden chuckled, his tone mocking. "Look who came to join in the fun."
Unlike the others who welcomed me with a look of disdain, amusement flickered through his mismatched eyes.
"Can you at least have the decency to stop?" I bit out, my lips curled in disgust.
He smirked. "Don't act all innocent, like you don't spend your lonely life getting off to porn, since no one's lining to fuck you."
My cheeks reddened, taken aback by his vulgar words.
"Not everyone's nasty like you!" I snapped.
"Careful, little wolf," he tugged at the girl's hair harder. "I can offer you a taste of royalty if you ask nicely."
Revulsion twisted in my stomach, but there was something else. The carefreeness as he got his cock sucked, while staring deeply at me was hot. And I hated that I admitted that.
"You can clean your damn room yourself. I'm not dealing with this!" I snapped, spinning on my heel as I stormed out.
Now that I was finally out of there, the questionable thoughts filling my mind dissipated. Deciding that my work here was done, I headed back to the living room. Rhydian and Tavian sat sprawled on the couch, their gazes glued to the TV screen.
My tote bag had been tossed to the ground. Irritation brewed within me as I reached for it and flung it over my shoulder. I was nearly out of the door when Rhydian's voice cut through the air, making my body freeze.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I exhaled sharply before turning to glare at him. "I'm done cleaning. I have homework to do."
I stepped forward to leave when his warning made me stop in my tracks.
"You're not leaving until I tell you to."
My fist clenched around the strap of my bag, and I turned to him.
"What do you want?! Do you want me to Tavian's room while listening to him getting sucked off?"
He ignored me, his expression unreadable. "Make us dinner, then you're free to go."
What?
I stared at him, incredulous. "You try to make a maid out of me, and now, a chef? Not happening."
I scoffed and ignored him, heading towards the door.
That was a wrong move.
Before I could take another step, my body slammed against the wall. Strong arms wrapped around my throat as the air was knocked out of my lungs.
"Do you forget your place, Dahlia?" Rhydian's voice was a low, menacing growl. His grip tightened as I clawed at his hand, trying to free my throat from his grasp.
"You're nothing, a pathetic mutt. Trash." his words cut deeply through me, but not as deeply as the suffocating pressure threatening to crush my windpipe.
"I can kill right now, and no one would give a damn," he mumbled, his face too close to mine, as his breath warmed my face. The cruel look in his eyes told me he meant every word.
"So if you want to live a little longer of your pathetic life," his free hand pushed my hair strands back, the action deathly soothing. "do as I fucking say."
He let me go, and I collapsed to the ground, wheezing as I tried to catch my breath. I thought of running, but that would have been a stupid move. Right now, I had no choice but to bend to his will.
When I finally regained myself and picked myself off the floor, I walked towards the kitchen.
I placed all the ingredients I'd need on the countertop, shooting a glare at the back of their heads as they ignored my existence. The knife on the counter was calling out to me more than ever right now.
I pulled out my secret ingredient from my bag, just the perfect thing to spice up the meal.
Wolfsbane.
I always carried it along with me in my bag as my last resort to self-defense.
And now, I was going to put it to good use and make them the best dish they could ever have.