Arabe rolled over the bed and sighed. A smile appeared on her face as she tapped beside her.


    “ze.” She mumbled. Although he had told her to call him by his given name whilst they were alone.


    Arabe didn’t think she would be calling him that anytime soon as each time she wanted to, she ended up calling him ze.


    Besides, she liked the sound of ze better than Cole. She loved how it sounded to her ears.


    “ze,” She mumbled again. As she got no response, she opened her eyes.


    The room was semi-dim. ze must have shut the windows.


    Arabe could make out objects in the room from the little light streamed inside from a crack in the door.


    She nced towards the bed to realise ze wasn’t in it.


    Sitting up abruptly, she ran a hand through her hair.


    “ze.” She mumbled, walking around the corner of the tiny room.


    Then she crouched to check underneath the bed. “It is not funny. You are hurt and should not be moving around.”


    ze could barely fit under the bed due to hisrge frame. And there was no way he could have hidden from her in the room because she’d have caught him.


    “Did he leave?” Arabe clenched her hands and moved towards the door as she glimpsed a note on it.


    –This is important, and I had to leave. I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t miss me too much, and don’t do anything reckless- ze.


    But he was doing the opposite of what he had written.


    Arabe wished she could see him this instant; she’d have given him an earful. She was freaking pissed, and she wondered when he’d stop risking his health for what wasn’t even worth it.


    She gripped the handle of the door and yanked. But nothing happened. She tugged again and nced at the note. Shit, ze had locked her in.


    “I’m never going to forgive you for this!” She muttered under her breath before storming towards the bed.


    *****


    “Please, no,” ze muttered. He jerked and tightened his grip on Thalia.


    Thalia frowned. His fever had gone higher. She had managed to dress the wound as the person who did it had done a terrible job.


    She believed it might have been for the moment to keep him moving until they got proper attention.


    But she was confused. She didn’t know what exactly happened, but it seemed like ze had been shot.


    However, it wasn’t wolfsbane or silver.


    Thalia would have been affected if it was any of the two.


    ze was reacting to whatever was in the bullet. It was strange for a werewolf to go into this phase due to an ordinary shot.


    “You’ll be fine,” Thalia said and caressed his hair before wiping his forehead with the damp towel with her.


    She stood to her feet, and he gripped her hand before she took a step.


    “Help Arabe. Don’t let them get to her.” He rasped. As soon as the words left his lips, he released his grip on her and slept off again.


    Thalia grimaced. It was the second time he was telling her. What the hell had Arabe done to him?


    The thought of the bitch made her furious. She had ced him in this position, and she was sure he was trying to save her before he was shot.


    “I’m going to kill her instead when I get hold of her.” Thalia gritted, stalking away from him.


    **********


    Sandro groaned. His head thumped, and he rolled on hisrge bed. He winced as his hand went to his neck, and he sat up slowly.


    It happened again, but he was lucky ze arrived on time. Before ze’s arrival, he had sent several of his Delta to the clinic to acquire the blood he often used.


    But they hade with something else. That had made his condition worse.


    Was the supply finished? He was doomed if it was.


    He didn’t know how ze kept getting the ones he used on him. Maybe he kept a lot of them and used them when he was in the phase.


    Sandro came down from the bed and went to the bathroom to do his business and freshen up.


    He tossed on some fresh clothes as soon as he was done and stepped towards ze’s room.


    “Thalia.” He mumbled, watching her go in. “What are you doing?”


    “Taking care of your Beta.” She said, walking in. She felt him follow her in.


    Thalia didn’t care about whatever was running through his mind; she needed to care for her brother.


    Even if it would cost her life, she’d care for him before she died.


    Sandro let out a cuss as he saw the state ze was in. “D-did I bite…?” He trailed off, staring at the decaying injury.


    “It looks like a bullet wound,” Thalia mumbled. But she didn’t tell him it wasn’t coated with silver or wolfsbane. It was best she left the part out before he went digging in, and ze would be in trouble if he happened to find out the real cause of his problem.


    “That looks awful. Will he be fine?” Sandro mumbled.


    “He’ll be,” Thalia said. “I already did what I could. Only praying he wakes up soon and his super healing kicks in as well.”


    Sandro nodded. He stared at ze for a while before ncing at Thalia. “I almost hurt youst night.”


    “You almost did.” She shed him a small smile before ncing back at ze.


    Sandro could see it in her eyes even as she tried to hide it; she was afraid of him. He wouldn’t me her. He would be frightened of himself if he was in her shoes.


    He had literally wanted to kill her if  ze hadn’t intervened.


    “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know the reason he was apologising to her. But he felt he needed to.


    “It’s fine,” Thalia said. “I’m d you are back.”


    She nced away again. She avoided his gaze, but he didn’t call her on it.


    Instead, Sandro watched ze as well, hoping he’d recover soon.


    *********


    Sandro stared at Alessia for a while. She looked somewhat lifeless, and he would have thought she was dead if not for the rise and fall of her chest. Also, her fingers twitched.


    He gripped the bar of the cage she was in and leaned in. “Alessia.”


    He kicked the cage with his booted feet, as she didn’t respond to him. Slowly she lifted her head.


    Alessia nced at Sandro through blurry eyes. She didn’t know what he wanted with her. She’d prefer he killed her rather than watch her suffer and die.


    She had lost all hope. No one wasing to save her, not even ze, that promised to do his best to let her out of the cage.


    Ever since his promise, she had not seen or heard from him.


    Alessia only saw Janice, who did little to nothing to help her situation. It was as if she revelled in what was happening to her, just like Sandro.


    “I’m d you are not dead,” Sandro said.


    Alessia shut her eyes and opened them again. She could see him clearly, and she saw the frown on his face.


    “I have a few questions to ask you. And I promise to let you go if you say nothing but the truth. And also, answer me correctly.”


    “If it is about Arabe, I swear on my mama’s life; I do not know much. I have never met her, and I only saw a picture of her with a delicate rose underneath.”


    Alessia’s lips trembled. she didn’t know if it was okay to give Sandro all the information she knew about the other girl.


    Arabe was in danger, and Alessia wondered what must have happened that made him so interested in her.


    Sandro snarled, “You are telling me more lies.”


    “I do not…” The words died in her throat as Sandro gave her a hot smack.


    Tears streamed down her face, and her cheeks stung.


    “Where the hell is Arabe? Where are you all keeping her, and why was I deceived in taking you instead? Why the hell do you have to look so much like her?!”


    Sandro growled at her, kicking her face.


    Alessia’s head reeled. She gasped and fell to the floor, although she was in a sitting position. The kick from Sandro made herid face t on the ground.


    “Listen to me, Alessia.” Sandro snarled. “You are paying for her sin. I do not care if you know nothing of what is going on; I am fucking killing you. It’s your fault for looking so much like her. And when I get the bitch as well, I won’t hesitate to do the same thing after I get what I wanted.”


    Alessia was a sobbing mess. Sandro had left after he told her what he would do with her. She was confused. In fact, his word confused her the more.


    She was going to die, and it was unavoidable.


    Alessia didn’t see herself in the Rosette empire anymore. Instead, she would rot in Sandro’s dungeon.


    ******


    “Sweetheart.”


    ze opened his eyes as he heard Janice’s voice.


    He creased his brows as he nced around the room. “Where’s Thalia?”


    Janice rolled her eyes. “I’m d to see you too.”


    “When did she leave? I was expecting to see her when I came awake.”


    “But I am here. Who cares if Thalia is here or not?” Janice almost snapped at him. But she remembered he was a patient, and she needed to be gentle.


    She shed him a smile. Too sweet for ze likening, and he grimaced.


    “Smiling makes you look weird.”


    “I think otherwise.” She said with a shrug. “How do you feel?”


    “Awful.” He mumbled, pushing her hand that was on his forehead away.


    He didn’t know why; he did not enjoy Janice touching him. He felt as though he was betraying Arabe.


    ze hadn’t mated with her, and maybe it shouldn’t be called a betrayer, but it was what he felt as if they had been intimate.


    Janice leaned into him. Her breasts almost spilt out of the crochet top she donned, and he averted his gaze.


    ze nudged her gently and murmured. “I need toe down. I don’t know how long I have been confined on this bed.”


    And he needed to get to Arabe as well. He had left her in the hut. He wondered how she was faring and hoped she hadn’t encountered any problems.


    Moreover, he could not stop thinking of how pissed she’d be at him as he had locked her in.


    “I can help you with whatever you need. I am here for a reason.” Janice said. She caressed his hand and let her breasts brush his arms as he let her help him up.


    He stepped towards the door, ignoring the sensual looks she was tossing his way.


    Janice intercepted him and gripped his shoulder. She pushed her chest into his bare chest and hoisted herself on her feet, kissing him swiftly.


    ze shoved her roughly, and he red at her. “You need to stop this!”


    “Being sick shouldn’t make you a handicap. I can satisfy you…”


    “Fucking stop it!” He yelled, and that got to her. He gripped her shoulder, shaking her slightly.


    “I do not like you in the way you desire. Heck, I do not even see you as a mate. Of course, we fucked, but I guess you should have realised it was only because of Arabe I had touched you.”


    “ze,” Janice mumbled. “I love you.”


    “You don’t love me!” ze snapped. “You feel nothing for me, and I feel nothing for you. No matter how often you keeping at me, I’ll freaking reject you over again. It’s best you look elsewhere.”Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Janice scowled. “You are a jerk, and you know that.”


    “A jerk that let you know the truth. That’s who I’ll be.”


    “A bastard and a jerk.” She shook his hands off her and ran out of the room as she felt the first sting of tears.


    “I overdid it, didn’t I, Red? She seems sad and mad at me.” ze sighed, sitting on the bed.


    “She’s not our mate, and you should not care about her feeling.” Red let out.


    ze rolled his eyes. Of course, his wolf was cruel, and only when it came to Arabe, he only softened.


    His mind returned to Arabe again, and he prayed for her safety.