~Brielle
“I should get your mate.”
Blankly, I stare the space on the wall Noah has taken a step away from. I did that, with some unknown strength within my limbs. Noah is a muscular, tall Alpha who very few would be able to make step back let alone throw him into a wall to leave that much damage. I can hardly believe I did that.
Glancing down at my hands, they are bright red, my veins prominent, glowing purple and blue beneath my skin. Noah is looking at me, jaw clenched, eyes wide, however, he doesn’t appear too visibly shaken. I’m assuming that’s for my benefit.
“No, don’t,” I breathe. Ren is the last person I want to report this to. “I’ll have someone deal with the damage. Don’t worry about.”
I go to turn away, but Noah grabs at my arm.
“Brielle, that wasn’t normal. Either there is something you aren’t telling me, or you are as confused about this as I am. Either way, I should get Ren,” he says hastily. I’m not so sure why I don’t want Ren to know about this. Maybe because I don’t want Chase to find out either. At least not until I can wrap my head around what happened.
“I don’t know where that power came from. All I know is my arms are numb and everything tingles,” I explain, glancing over my shoulder to check no one is witnessing this. “Please don’t get Ren. I’ll deal with it.”
Noah looks skeptical, taking another lasting look at the damage to the wall. “Fine. He is your mate after all.”
I nod grimly.
Thankfully, I found a girl who was willing to place a portrait over the damage until I find someone to fix it. At dinner that night, no one was the wiser, and Noah was too distracted with the conversation between him in Malik. I watched Ren the entire time, seeing that green eye blaze. I can’t help but wonder where Chase is hiding.
Chase didn’t appear for two weeks after. Ren was often busy with the Alpha’s who were keen to help with research. Malik spent most of his time off the island, ensuring everything is going smoothly on the mainland.
With the Alpha’s here, everything has been going better than ever. Yet, I can’t shake an uncomfortable feeling that has been burdening me.
Ren and I haven’t even kissed yet.
I’ve conducted a plan that hits two birds with one stone. Skipping down the hallway, I pray Ren will be as open to this idea as I am. Maybe he won’t be, and I’ll seem foolish for bringing this up, but it’s a way to get Chase out of Ren’s body. It’s frightened all of us that he hasn’t emerged. He is clearly plotting something.
Ren answers the door to his room, looking particularly attractive. I’m not sure what it is, but when he wears a green shirt and it matches with that green eye of his perfectly, it makes my heart flutter. He looks confused to see me, though.
“Oh, Brielle. Everything okay?” he questions. I push past him into his room, turning around to face him. Everything in here is a bit of a mess, considering the lack of staff.
“I have an idea to get Chase out.”
Ren doesn’t look immediately excited, nor as interested as I hoped he would. He places his hands on his hips, looking at me expectantly. Suddenly, my idea seems so foolish, I want to claim it was a mistake and run out of the room. I have to face it though. I’m sure this idea is what is going to get Chase to surface.
“Why would you want that? Isn’t it better if he stays in my head, scared of all the help we are getting?” Ren questions, narrowing his eyes on me. I can tell he’s suspicious about my eagerness. It makes me falter for a moment.
“If he’s scared we need to take advantage of that. We can convince him he can leave now without something terrible happening to him,” I offer.
Ren’s jaw clenches. “I don’t care what happens to him.”
“This could be our chance, Ren. I can lure him out,” I tell him. My hesitation to blurt out my idea right away doesn’t go unnoticed by Ren. He raises an eyebrow at me skeptically, so I decide to just go for it, and hope is reaction isn’t too dramatic. “Let me kiss you. I have a feeling it might draw him out.”
Ren doesn’t even flinch, although he does look confused. I know he is going to refuse me the moment his expression twists. He’s my mate, and I should be able to kiss him, even if he is putting it off. Maybe he isn’t attracted to me.
Regardless, I step forward, grab his face between my hands, and I kiss him. It’s for the better. I know I’m right, that Chase will appear from this.
At least I hope he will.
I can feel the immediate hesitation from Ren as my lips touch his. His reaction doesn’t matter though, as he finally relaxes, and I start to feel him kissing me back. Suddenly, all the control I had over the kiss was handed to Ren, as I was pushed back until I hit the wall behind me, the intensity of the kiss escalating.
His hands are everywhere, and for a moment, I’m convinced he is going shred my clothes off until I’m completely naked against him. I’m not complaining though, until I pull away from the kiss to get a breath in, and I see one dull green eye, and once icy blue one.
Gasping, I push away from him, making him stumble back a few steps. It wasn’t from fear, but it was from shame for being so into the kiss with him.
He grins at me, biting the edge of his lip.
“Don’t act like you didn’t know it was me that entire time. As if I were going to let you kiss Ren when you’re mine,” he purrs as I wipe the edge of my mouth. Hearing him say I’m his leaves me confused on how I feel. On one hand, my heart flutters, but also, my stomach twists in anger. The audacity of him to think he can claim me as his own.
“I don’t belong to you, Chase. We have things to talk about,” I growl. Brushing past him, I sit down on the couch. Chase takes his time, pulling Ren’s jacket off. It’s the usual routine. He wants nothing to do with the Alpha’s identity.
“Oh you belong to me. And I belong to you. That’s the thing with mates,” Chase mutters sitting right beside one on the couch.
I shuffle over, giving some space.
When I look at Chase, I resent him for taking over Ren’s body without his permission. From taking all possibility of tranquility in my mate bond with Ren. However, it’s undeniable that there is more than just a spark between us. That when we kiss, it’s consumed by passion and fire that even I can’t deny.
“We need to talk about you leaving,” I say firmly. Chase lounges comfortably back in his seat, not looking bothered at all. It’s not going to be easy to get rid of him. His confidence in being here in unnerving.
“Darling, you don’t have to pretend. I know you don’t want to get rid of me,” Chase says, smiling loosely. I simply frown, letting him know I want him gone.
I can’t let him get into my head.
“I know you’re scared of those Alpha’s. They aren’t leaving until you’re gone. This is your chance to escape right now,” I say. I’m hoping I’m convincing, although I doubt it does much to intrigue Chase. It’s as if he can look into my head and understanding what I am thinking before I even say it.
Chase breathes in through his nose before loosening a sigh. “I’m not afraid of those Alpha’s. They don’t mean anything to me. They aren’t why I’m here, and they won’t change my objective.”
“Why are you here then?” I question, gritting my teeth. Chase shuffles an entire seat space over until his hip it practically pressed against mine. Then, he leans over me.
“I’m here for you. And for Ren.”
“Please, can you elaborate?” I exasperate. Chase has avoided being honest with me for a long time. If he is my mate, he at least owes me some kind of explanation on why he claims to be here for me, when all he does suggests he’s using me, distracting me from why he is truly here.
Chase brushes a piece of hair back from my face. I don’t move, nor do I scold him for touching him. I just left the softness of his fingertips drift across my face. I hate the way my body reacts to him, betraying me with my carnal desires.
“You may not realise it now, but I’m not the bad guy here,” Chase tells me, to which I simply scoff, not believing him for a second.
“If that’s supposed to convince me, it’s not doing the best job.”
Looking over at Chase, he seems oddly serious. It’s an expression I don’t see on his face all that often.
“Believe it or not, I’m protecting you from Ren, who's the real bad guy.”