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Word Count: 1914

~Alaya

I'm not really sure how I should react to this strangers statement. He knows me?

If he hadn't spoken, I would have assumed he was an Alpha of some Pack I have never come across. He has the stature of one; the looks. Yet when I look at him, I see something dark and sinister, something that I can't begin to explain. When I look into those brilliant blue eyes, I see a hint of a look of 'you have no idea what my secret is.'

Reminds me of Asher.

"I'm sorry, but how do you know me, exactly?" I ask warily. A brief shudder of terrors tremors through my body. What if he knows about the entire plan Asher and I have fabricated? If so, then we are done for.

"Oh, sorry...I'm a friend of Sinful's," he explains, and I feel comfortable enough the exhale the tense air I was holding in. "He mentioned you to me. He's very fond of you."

I allow myself only a small flicker of relief through closed eyes, before I concentrate more on this man. Cyprian. Immediately I know better than to trust him - you can't trust anyone in Sinful's territory, especially someone who is a friend of his. However, it's more than that. It's his tone, his demeanour and that indescribable shadow in his eyes that are all too prevalent to not be suspicious.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," I say uneasily. "But if you would excuse me, I need to get back to my room, it's been a busy day."

Without waiting to be excused, I brush right past him, and make my way down the hallway. My steps are light and quick, as if he's chasing me, when in actual fact, he still stands there, watching my depart. I hear his voice following me down...

"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again, Alaya."

The moment I'm in my room, I slam the door closed after me. My heart races, for a reason I'm not sure about. What is happening to me? This is the effects of staying in Sinful's territory for so long, I'm sure of it. Perhaps going from Time's territory back to his, has messed me up to the point of no return.

A knock at the door makes me jump. If it's Cyprian...

When I wander warily toward the door, I curse everything under my breath, before I open it. It's Asher, and for once, I'm glad to see him. Glancing around him, I make sure that Cyprian man isn't there, before I usher him in and close the door behind him.

"This meeting is only meant to be brief," Asher says, furrowing his brow as he notices me leaning back against the door.

"Why do you have to call this a meeting?" I question.

It's typical of Asher to make every discussion we have so serious. He doesn't know that I realise it's a tactic of his to make sure I don't get close to him. Honestly, I have no idea why I'm so sick of him being like this. Why to me? I look at him, and I have no idea what happened to the man I met at the party.

"What would you rather call this?" he asks warily. At this point, I'm pointing at my bed, which is the only place in this room where anyone can sit. As inviting as it seems to me, with the feather duvet and plush mattress. By the look on his face, he sees only an object laden with snares.

"I don't know," I exclaim, shrugging my shoulders coyly as I take a decent step toward him. "I would call it friends who are getting together to have a friendly discussion."

"I don't have friends," he murmurs softly. It's not him asking for sympathy. It's him telling fact.

I motion toward the bed again. "Well, let's change that."

Asher looks visibly disturbed for a moment. With his jaw clenched and an unspoken emotion playing in his eyes, I was convinced he was going to brush off my offer, and walk straight back out the door. He surprises me though, slowly backing up until he sat on the edge of my bed, like an obedient child. His blank expression was in complete contrast to how stunned I am.

Warily, I take a single step forward, while he continues to regard me silently. I exhale slowly. "I met someone a few minutes ago. Cyprian, I think his name was."

"Sorry, who?"

The look of on Asher's face is immediate confusion, as if what I just said isn't in the realm of possibility to him. Looking over my shoulder, his eyes glazed over, while he shakes his head ever so slightly. I wave my hand up in front of his line of sight, trying to cut him out of whatever daze he is in. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry, I must be thinking about someone else, because that's just, impossible," he says, still stuck in his moment of insanity. I take the chance to quickly sit right beside on the bed.

"Why, do you know a Cyprian?" I ask. "I mean, it's not a very common name, so it could be the same person..."

He instantly shakes his head. "I'm sorry, it can't be him. The Cyprian I'm thinking of is dead."

"Right, well this guy said he knew Sinful..."

Asher still seemed lost in thought. I can hardly believe that I've gotten him sitting on my bed, actually talking to me. At this point, I'm trying my best not to scare him away by saying anything too personal. For some unexplainable reason, I actually relish in any moment I have with Asher, despite how cold he is, despite how much he tries to push me away.

"I'm sorry-"

"Stop saying you're sorry," I snap. Ouch, I didn't mean to say it like that, but being my typical self, I keep talking. "Why do you do that? Why do you feel the need to apologise?"

Something tells me his profuse apologies having nothing to do with out current topic...

His head turns to look at me, and at our proximity, it has great impact of the speed of my pulse. From this close, I have a perfect view of him, and those eyes. I hate that I love those eyes so much...

Is he about to kiss me? His gaze flickers down to my lips for less than a second, then again a few moments later with more confidence. Him doing this should be surprising.

But I'm more surprised by the way I'm willing to react.

"I'll ruin you," he breathes, leaning ever so closer. I stay stock still, waiting for him to make the move. I assume that this statement is meant to scare me, but it doesn't. Not because I'm almost entranced by his golden gaze and incredible scent, but because I know the risk of being with him...

After this, I'll be going home, without him. Yet the idea of kissing him right now and pinning him back against my bed is awfully tempting. Even with his secrets. The secrets he might never want to tell me.

"Do it," I murmur in reply.

He brings his hands up as his lips almost touch mine, as if he wants to grab my face and make this more passionate then I could ever imagine. Instead, he pauses, his hands only inches away from my cheeks. Then he cringes. He cringes so deeply, it looks like it hurts him, as he exhales in frustration, before turning away.

I'm left sitting there, while he stands, feeling stupid. Why would he want to kiss me? He's the Alpha of Desire, with all his daunting secrets and unspoken lies.

"I'm sorry," he says one more time, before he throws my door open, and leaves.

***

~Asher

He sits in front of me, ankle on his knee. He watches me from behind his crystal glass. I never took him to be much of a drinker.

"How have you been?" he asks. It's been awhile since I talked.

I consider how to answer. "Busy."

Bring up Alaya. I should, but her name feels like thick cotton wool in my mouth. Sinful may consider us friends, but he would definitely put it across me to be involved with her. In his eyes, she's a single mortal from my Pack. Easy pray for the both of us.

He doesn't know she's my greatest treasure right now. Like a single golden key that opens the safe to the remedy of all my problems.

"How is she?" he asks, taking a swift sip from his glass. "I saw you go into her room."

No part of me reacts. He brought the subject up for me.

"She's all yours, Sinful," I assure him, my jaw only slightly clenching at those words. "You know that."

I know his pattern, and he's fully aware of that. Lately, he hasn't been interested in random girls, considering his mate. She's away, safe, he assures me. Alaya is here to be messed with, manipulated. He will use her, and so far, she hasn't realised it.

"Something on your mind, Alpha?" he suddenly asks. I decide to change the subject up.

"Cyprian, who is he?" I question.

A flicker of a frown. "Cyprian?"

"Alaya bumped into a man in your home, claiming he was friends with you. His name was Cyprian," I insist.

That got his attention. Someone in his own home, speaking to Alaya. In his eyes, she's his property now, no matter how wrong he is.

"I don't know a Cyprian," he says slowly. I frown. Then she was talking to...

"We need to get to her room," I tell him. He's on his feet in less than a second.

Sinful disappears before my eyes. I'm not about to flex any kind of power in front of Alaya, even in this dire situation. Sinful has this. At least I hope so.

When I make it to her room, Sinful is there, throwing her bed sheets over his shoulder, looking around desperately. I have never seen anything like this, ever. He doesn't act this way for a random girl. When he turns to look at me, hair wild, eyes wide.

"She's been taken."

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