~Brielle
I don’t believe him.
There’s a complexity to Chase I’ve had to adjust to. Understanding him is all about translating his words into what they truly mean, since he seems to often mask his words with riddles. So, what I gather, is his attempts to manipulate me are being revealed to me, not making it past my scrutiny.
“You’re getting sloppy, Chase. Do you expect me to believe you?” I question, raising my eyebrow at me, somewhat amused. Chase sighs deeply, sinking back into his seat. “I mean, maybe I would believe you if Ren wasn’t such a genuine man.”
“That’s because he’s smart. And no, I don’t expect you to believe me, but I suggest you do,” Chase murmurs. He seems bothered to even have to explain this to me.
Naturally, I expected him to say that.
Standing up, I decide this is useless. I will wait until Chase goes back into the back of Ren’s head before I apologise. Ren was right. Chase is impossible to bargain with, and is too wrapped up in his own agenda, he doesn’t care about a clear way out. I’m going to go back to the Alpha’s and put all my effort into getting rid of Chase. Even if it hurts him…
“Good riddance,” I mutter back at him, reaching for the door handle. I didn’t even get the chance to open the door before I’m pulled away, whirled around and pressed up against Chase’s chest. He pulls my hair away from my neck, and bites me.
It’s not a painful bite. It’s a claim, my skin between his teeth, not pressing too hard, but not hard enough. I can feel the burn run through me, as hot as my anger.
I wrestle away from him, distraught.
“Freak. What the hell was that for?” I growl, stumbling away a few steps. My neck aches, the bite enough to leave a prominent sting. Yes, I may have gotten on his nerves, but I would never have expected him to bite me like that. My hand goes up to my neck, holding it. At least he didn’t break the surface of my skin.
“It will leave a mark for a few days. Let it remind you, and everyone else who you belong to. Me,” he comments, adjusting his shirt. “Plus, Ren will see it, and because of it, he won’t touch you when I’m not around to keep an eye out.”
Rushing to the mirror on the other side of the room. Pulling my hair away, I see already on my neck, a purple bruise forming. I mutter profanities under my breath.
That bastard…
“Best case scenario, Ren sees it and it makes him angry. I’ve been chewing away at his patience, and I have a feeling any minute now, he’s going to snap. And then you’ll see,” Chase murmurs as I flop my hair back over my neck, defeated. I turn around to face him. He sits on the arm of the couch, watching me.
“Ren is fine. You’re the problem,” I snap. Part of me wants to leave, but the other doesn’t want to walk out of a situation that hasn’t been fixed. Especially one that is so messed up. I collapse on the couch, my head falling into my hands.
Feeling the couch cushion sink, I look up to see Chase coming to sit next to me, that arrogant confidence he carries around have suddenly vanished.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Something is wrong with me. Seriously wrong with me. I’m mated to either a demon or an Alpha, I can’t tell which one. And not to mention, I’ve suddenly attained some super strength after coming out of the Devotion Pack,” I say quickly. The weight of it all has fallen on my shoulders, and is refusing to come off. In fact, it’s getting worse.
I’m not sure why I’m telling this to Chase, who could use this information against me, which he most likely will do. However, he is the only person here who will listen to me while I wallow in my misfortune right now.
Chase reaches out, grabbing my hands so gently, his fingertips feel like soft paper against my skin. He stretches out my fingers, looking at my palms which still have that red rash on them.
“It’s magic. Only magic would do this.”
Pulling my hands away, I look up at him. For a moment, I believe he cares. For a moment, as my mate, I think he is concerned for my well being, but I know not to trust him. He might think I’m foolish, but I know he is using me. The moment I’m worthless to him, he will let me know, not matter how tenderly he is looking at me right now.
“I would kiss you right now, if Ren weren’t trying to get control of me. And the last thing I want is for him to get a taste of you for even a second,” he comments gently. I want to respond with the same attitude I always do, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to.
“Why are you here, then? Why are you here if Ren is such a bad guy?” I question. I don’t believe him, considering the amount of time I’ve spent with the Alpha. He is good.
Chase looks away, considering my question.
“Right now, I wish I could be completely honest with you, but you don’t trust me yet, which means I can’t trust that you won’t reveal all to Ren when he returns,” Chase tells me. I can tell Ren is back soon, considering the fact Chase seems to be flinching and cringing, trying to hold back the Alpha’s persistence.
“Of course. You can never be up front, can you,” I accuse. The moment I say that, I regret it. I don’t blame him for not trusting me, because I don’t trust him either. At all. So we sit here, staring at each other, wondering where to go from here next.
Chase glances down at my lips for a moment, and even my body considers betraying me, wanting to jump my entire self on him.
However, I know I shouldn’t.
“Remember, you can’t trust Ren. Also remember, I will never let him hurt you, no matter how much you may hate me,” Chase tells me, before he closes his eyes, finally giving in to Ren. When his eyes open again, it’s Ren, that emerald green eye looking back at me. He blinks a few times, fully regaining control of his mind.
For some reason, my instinct wasn’t to jump at Ren and hug him in relief. In fact, I simply sat there, watching him. Before Chase even appeared, Ren had no interest in kissing me. Does he even have any attraction to me.
“Did you speak to him?” Ren questions, looking at me intently. Swallowing uncomfortably, I think back to my conversation with Chase.
“Well yeah. He didn’t talk much.”
In that moment, it seemed Ren finally noticed what was on my neck, that I had been concealing beneath my hair the best I could. Unfortunately, having such light, fine hair, he could see right through it. He leans forward, pushing my hair at my neck. He looks concerned, running the tip of his thumb across the mark. I flinch. It stings.
“He did this to you, didn’t he?” he questions. He goes from concern to something like disgust and repulsion, as he looks at me like I’ve been tainted by a terrible plague. It makes me want to curl back into the couch in shame.
“It was just a stupid bite. It’s not like it hurt or was out of aggression,” I remind him, touching the mark itself. “At least it’s not the mark of a mate.”
Ren’s attention jerks at me.
“He fucked you, didn’t he?” he questions. I flinch, surprised at his cursing. I’ve never seen Ren as an aggressive person, yet he’s looking at me in such a demeaning way I want to escape this person. “Do you like it rough, huh? Is that why you like him? Because he treats you like a demon would treat anyone...is that what you want?”
Getting up from my seat, I look down at him. He can’t be serious, can he? Why is he acting like this? “Chase and I didn’t have sex. We didn’t do anything. He just bit me to get into your head, which it seems like he’s done a great job of it.”
“Are you calling me weak?” he growls. My jaw drops, dumbfounded. What has gotten into him? It seems what Chase has been saying about him suddenly seems true.
Ren stands, and for once, I’m scared.
“You’re not weak Ren,” I say carefully. “I’m just saying Chase said you would react like this, and you are. You’re playing into what he wants. I thought that you were better than this,” I says gently, taking a few cautious steps away. Ren looks at me silently for a moment, before he suddenly grabs a glass off the side table, and throws it to the ground.
It shatters, the broken glass scattering around my feet. I look up with him.
It seems Chase might be right.