~Brielle
Everyone reacted immediately.
Lila backed off into the bedroom, Mabel slid into the closet and I didn’t see what the other two girls did as I quickly dashed behind a long curtain, wrapping it around my body, pressing myself against the wall. Oddly enough, there’s no window here, meaning this curtain is clearly here for decoration.
As everyone settled into their spot, the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs had my heartrate accelerating to almost an unhealthy rate. Clinging to the curtain, I close my eyes and pray whoever is walking down here doesn’t feel the need to draw their curtains.
I’m not sure where everyone else hid, but there is no way we are getting out of this without getting caught. I knew this was a bad idea, and now we are all stuck in it.
We’re dead.
Their footsteps reach the bottom level where we all hide, wandering around until I hear someone sit down on a couch. Did one of the girls hide behind there? I’m not sure, and suddenly I can’t remember. Either way, no commotion seems to ensue as they go quiet and no more can be heard from them.
Curiosity builds within me as time ticks on. Are they still there? If not, this could be our chance to make a run for it. Whoever this room belongs to, they must be suspicious with the unlocked door. I can only pray they don’t start looking around.
With slow precision, I gently pull back a small part of the curtain. Enough for just one of my eyes to see past.
It’s Ren.
When I see him I quickly cover back up again. I should have known, yet it seems so strange for him to be occupying a small room in the bottom of his manor when he has such a lavish suite upstairs. Everyone assumes he prefers seclusions, however, I didn’t know it was this bad.
Not being able to help myself, I pull the curtain back again for another look. It’s definitely Ren, however, like last time, the moment I look at him a cold chill crawls down my back. Something about him is different.
He is sitting on the couch, back leant against the backrest, head hanging over it. He is shirtless too, sprawled out with his arms wide. I’m not quite sure what he is doing, however, it has sparked my curiosity. There’s something that isn’t right with him and I can’t figure it out.
His hair is beyond messy, falling everywhere as he leans back. The fact that he is shirtless is only slightly confusing. It feels wrong to be looking.
But I can’t help it.
All of a sudden he leans forward, and conceal myself with the curtain again. When I peek back around, he has his head in his hands, muttering under his breath. I can’t quite hear it, but it seems awfully ominous, raising hairs on the back of my neck. Swallowing uncomfortably, I hide back in the curtains to wait till he leaves.
I can only hope the other girls can hide until it’s safe to leave. I’m not sure where Esme and the other girl hid, but so far, it doesn’t seem as though the Alpha has any idea that he isn’t alone in this room.
When the door opens again from upstairs, a moment of relief consumed me. He is leaving, and we can finally get out of here.
That is, until I hear soft footsteps patter down.
I can’t help myself. Pulling the curtain back again, only slightly, I watch a petite figure come into the room. It’s a girl, maybe around our age. She looks familiar, which means she works here and I’ve happened to see her at one point. Her hair is soft and blonde, like mine, however hers is cut short to her shoulders. Her eyes are large and blue, her smile shaped by rosy lips. Her name isn’t coming to me.
“Hey baby,” she says coyly, her tone honey smooth and seductive as she approaches Ren on the couch. “I didn’t hear from you, so I assumed you wanted me to come down on my own.”
My heart almost stops at her words. Is this Ren’s mate, or some kind of mistress he’s been hiding?
“Well, you assumed wrong,” Ren mutters.
His voice is guttural, bothered. There even seems to be another accent entwined in his speech, just like last time I came across him and couldn’t decipher why he seemed so different to normal. It is happening again, like someone else has possessed his body and taken over, displaying unfamiliar traits that are nothing like Ren.
The girl wanders closer. She wears a sheer nightgown which luckily conceals enough so I don’t see any other part of her. Ignoring what Ren has said, she comes to sit next to him on the couch, curling up against his side.
I should look away.
“What’s the matter?” she asks, drawing the palm of her hand down his bare chest. The sight of it makes my stomach turn. Not out of disgust, but something like jealousy. My cheeks heat in embarrassment for just thinking it.
Ren ignores her advances, staring blankly ahead. As I look, I can’t quite figure out what their relationship is. She seems all over him while he has no interest at all.
“I didn’t ask you to come here,” he says firmly.
He isn’t snapping at her, and appears rather calm. He doesn’t touch her, though, and doesn’t even look in her direction. I’m so curious about who she is and what she means to him, and why he is reacting this way to her. If she’s noticing, she’s not acknowledging it as she continues to move her hand up and down his chest.
“You always want me here,” she says, her voice turning whiney with each word. “What’s changed so suddenly? Are you seeing someone else?”
Ren shrugs, still not looking at her. “I’m bored of you.”
The words hit me in the chest just as much as they hit the girl. I’ve never heard Ren say anything like this to anyone. And here I am finding out he speaks to his partner in such a cruel manner, as if he couldn’t care less about her feelings. A sour taste fills my mouth. I can hardly wrap my mind around it. Is this what Ren is truly like?
She pulls back, recoiling slightly. The heartbreak is all over her face. Ren isn’t what I thought he was. He is not kind, he is not genuine. He’s a cruel man under it all. And now I’m unsure if I can keep working for him.
“I’ve come across someone else who I prefer. We’ve met only once and she has attracted me beyond belief. I want her, and I will get her. Which means I’m done with you,” he says firmly.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
The poor girl looks as if she is about to cry. Finally, Ren turns to her, giving her attention for the first time tonight. His back now faces me, which I glare at. Would horrific man. What happened to the Ren I knew? It truly seems as though nightfalls and some unknown presence possesses him.
“This girl I want has hair blonde like yours, however, hers is honey golden, long and lush and wavy. Her eyes are pure azure blue, and her skin is smooth,” Ren murmurs, running his hand through her hair. Then, he snatches it away. “Now I want her, not you. Get out.”
The girl doesn’t leave right away, her expression turning sour. “I know who you speak of. It’s that girl isn’t it? The one who you hired to do everything for you. I should have seen it.”
My mouth turned dry. Me.
“What does she have that I don’t?” she questions. When Ren doesn’t give her an answer, she’s on her feet, visibly fuming. I don’t know what to do, what to think. Ren can’t want me. There’s no way. “Fine, good luck with her. For real, good luck, because there is now way she would want you.”
This seems to upset Ren. Even from here, as he turns back around, I can see a muscle in his jaw tick. She’s bothered him, I can see it in his eyes. The green one, that I love so much has lost its colour. The blue one, so vivid I can feel the cold from here.
“She doesn’t want a man with all your problems. She wants to leave this place when she’s taken your money, and she won’t come back. She wants to travel and see other Packs,” the girl spits. “So good luck.”
It’s so strange hearing someone else speak about me like this, I think, as the girl storms up the stairs. None of this can be true.
But even I’m not sure as Ren growls and follows the girl back out the room.