170 Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zevran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot do this anymore,\u201d I whispered to myself as I stood in front of Caelum\u2019s bed in\u00a0<\/p>\n
a daze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind was a whirlwind of several conflicting thoughts; and while on one hand, I was worried about Caelum, on the other hand, my mind wouldn\u2019t stop drifting back to Leilani and to the conversation we had earlier this evening before she lost\u00a0<\/p>\n
consciousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words still echoed in my mind like melodies from a broken guitar, and the thought of letting go of her, of watching her live the life life always envisioned with another man filled me with a kind of anguish that felt too much to bear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My chest ached tremendously when I simply thought about it and I couldn\u2019t stop sweating despite standing so close to the air conditioner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
-So imagine what would happen when it finally happens?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, my eyes drifted to Caelum\u2019s pale face and I shuddered when I remembered how he had come to be like this. How he had shocked us all by throwing himself in front of a bullet- one that would\u2019ve either hit me or leilani.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sighing, I dropped my head and closed my eyes; And when I opened them again, because I could smell the unmistakable scent of Chalice\u2019s sugary perfume, I whipped my head back and hissed;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the sound of my voice, she froze. She carefully lowered her head meekly, trying so hard to paint herself like the saint that she wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she wouldn\u2019t respond, my eyes raked over her body slowly and I seethed; \u201cDidn\u2019t you faint like some hours ago? How are you here now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And at that, she lifted her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but notice then that her eyes were swollen and red. She looked like she had spent the entire evening crying; And even from here I could hear the steady thumping of her heartbeat as she bounced from one foot to the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She whispered; \u201cThe doctor said that it was something minor and that it was due to the pregnancy; So he let me go after letting me rest for a while.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:26\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
170 Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes thinned into slits as I watched her, not believing a single word that had just come out of her mouth. But deciding that she was too insignificant to worry about at the moment, I looked away and drawled; \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A moment of silence passed between us before she spoke again. She muttered;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that I am not supposed to be here\u2026 seeing as you three have ordered me to not leave the house until told otherwise-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a house arrest.\u201d I snickered sarcastically, interrupting her, whilst wondering if she was simply trying to dilute the severity of her punishment or if she indeed didn\u2019t know what it was called.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to cast me a glance but then looked away. Her voice soft as she continued; \u201cI had to come because I wanted to see Caelum after hearing about what happened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s not.\u201d She argued, forcing me to turn to her in confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I cocked my eyebrows when I took in the stubborn set of her chin, and I snorted; \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I mean is that this wouldn\u2019t have happened to him if you three didn\u2019t take it upon yourself to look for Leilani. It\u2019s her fault that she got into trouble, not yours! Gosh, nowadays, it seems as if she\u2019s the one you\u2019re married to and not me!\u201d 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re the one to talk?\u201d I asked before I could stop myself, and frowned when her face fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her bottom lips puckered out and from how she lowered her lashes, looking away, I immediately knew that she was about to cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I couldn\u2019t handle that right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I added; \u201cShe was in danger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd did any of you stop to check if I was fine myself? See I get that you don\u2019t want to see me but what about the baby? Our baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something about her words grated on my nerves. It made my eyes twitch in\u00a0<\/p>\n
discomfort. I looked away from her because I couldn\u2019t stand her anymore, and because I couldn\u2019t stop seeing Leilani\u2019s face in hers- and spat;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re fine, Chalice. Not everything has to be about you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:26\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
170 Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My words made her recoil as if she\u2019d been physically struck by me; and with widened eyes, she took a shaky step back and shook her head as tears began to fall freely down her face,\u00a0<\/p>\n
She cried; \u201cYou don\u2019t even hide it anymore!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat don\u2019t I hide anymore?\u201d I hissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t hide how much you\u2019ve chosen her over me! You don\u2019t hide how you don\u2019t care about me anymore. And in case you\u2019ve all forgotten, I am your wife! Your wife! And she\u2019s an outsider!\u201d 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to remind her that Leilani would\u2019ve never been the outisider if it wasn\u2019t for the petty stunts she\u2019d pulled in the past. I wanted to inform her that in the grand scheme of things, she was the real outsider, but I didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, I glanced away from her, turned my attention to an unconscious Caelum and drawled;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s your sister, and for that reason, she\u2019s not an outsider.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chalice didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even say anything or move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a minute, I almost began to wonder if she had turned into a statue, but when I turned to face her, my eyes widened at the sight in front of me. I gasped;\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you insane?!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that was because for some reason, she had taken off her dress. The thick woollen material now laid on the floor, rumpled around her feet while she stood in front of me, bare to her skin with eyes gleaming under the dim light like candles on Halloween.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve not laid your hands on me for as long as I can remember. So if I am indeed your wife and you\u2019re certain that you only care about Leilani because she\u2019s my sister, then make love to me right here and now.\u201d She said slowly, her voice low in a desperate attempt to sound seductive. 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she didn\u2019t sound seductive. She didn\u2019t even sound good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, she simply sounded like a faulty motorcycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, I was far from confused. I was mad. Reasonably so. My hands shot out to grab her shoulders before I could stop myself, and squeezing tight, I growled into her face; \u201cYou\u2019re crazy if you think that shit will work on me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Zevran, I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
your-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:26\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
170 Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve told you time and time again that to you I am Alpha Zevran, so do well to not repeat that stupid mistake another time. Also, you\u2019ll pick up your clothes now and wear them. I am married to a Luna, not a whore!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou make me feel like a whore!\u201d She clapped back, sobbing uncontrollably. \u201cYou three\u2026 none of you even care about me anymore! You don\u2019t touch me! You don\u2019t care about my needs! All you do is dress me up like I am a glamorous trophy, parade me around meetings and shit like that, then lock me up in the house because apparently, I am too filthy to be anywhere close to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes flashed. My wolf thrashed wildly in my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If there was something about her that I hated more than every other thing, then it was how good she was at spinning every narrative.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was how she always tried to appear as the saint while everyone else was villains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Which was the opposite to reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands dropped from her shoulders and balled into fists as I glared hard at her. I seethed; \u201cYou should know why you\u2019re being punished like this\u2026 and you should be grateful that you\u2019re covered in gold jewelry and not locked up in the dungeons!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gasped and more tears slipped out of her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t done with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could never be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step back, creating as much distance as I could between us and sneered; \u201cAnd in case you haven\u2019t noticed, I hate it when you present yourself to me like this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cZevran!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say we make you feel like a whore\u2026 but you\u2019re always acting like one.\u201d (3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop please, you\u2019re hurting me!\u201d She cried softly, covering her face in her hands, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
did I care?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course I didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think sex is the answer to all the problems in the world, and I cannot stand it. I cannot stand you. So please, get off my face!\u201d snarled, and with that, I brushed past\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u00a0<\/p>\n
her and stormed out of the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had no idea where I was headed, as long as I was as far away from her as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My feet moved on their own accord, leading me to Leilani\u2019s room and I froze when I\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:26\u00a0<\/p>\n
4\/5\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\u00a0<\/p>\n
170 Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
saw a guy standing in front of the door and peeking into the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face was barely visible due to the large hoodie he wore, but I could still make out the few strands of silver hair that had escaped from beneath the hoodie and now\u00a0<\/p>\n
fanned the side of his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t his appearance that rubbed off on me in a weird way\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was his aura.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was strong. Potent. And the closest to the kind I\u2019d felt from Leilani just yesterday,\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if noticing my presence, he turned to peek at me from the corner of his hoodie and I gasped when I was met with shiny purple eyes- just like Leilani\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should\u2019ve spoken but my tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth. My knees felt weak too and heavy, making it impossible for me to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then he turned and walked away silently disappearing behind a dark hallway,\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until he was gone that I could finally let out an exhale, and even the weakness in my knees miraculously disappeared too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes widened when it dawned on me that the reason I hadn\u2019t moved or spoken earlier wasn\u2019t because I had been too stunned to,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026It was because I had been compelled- by him. 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Goddess, how is that even possible?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comment 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
View All >\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:26\u00a0<\/p>\n
L\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve arrived at the latest chapter!\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph 170 170 Him.\u00a0 Zevran.\u00a0 \u201cI cannot do this anymore,\u201d I whispered to myself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chosen-by-none-feared-by-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23373\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}