ARTEMIS' POV
"You can't possibly do this to me!" she screams, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes, each droplet an arrow to my already-fractured heart.
I watch the vibrant spark in her eyes flicker and dim, extinguishing right before me. The sight is a dagger to my soul, a pain I never thought I'd have to endure.
Yet I take it, absorbing all the bitterness, the venomous resentment filling her gaze, every conceivable negative emotion she can conjure.
I soak it all in, because for whatever it's worth, I would do everything within my power to keep Sera right by my side - I'd extend our time for an eternity if I could.
I'm fully aware that holding her back, tying her down to me, is the exact opposite of what I should do.
She's made her desire for distance abundantly clear, her absence during those agonizing days of my recovery tells me that much.
The logical part of me knows I should let her go, let this be the ending she clearly seeks. But another part of me rebels at the thought, especially today-the day some bastard touched her in ways only I should have the privilege to.
Even the mere thought of his lips on hers ignites a fire in me, a blaze of possession and unrivaled jealousy.
I close the distance between us, standing close enough to count the dying stars in her eyes, close enough to drown in her scent and the unconcealed loathing she oozes.
"I can, and I will," I breathe out.
My gaze involuntarily drops to her lips.
They're slightly pouted, a tell-tale sign that Seraphina Hawthrone is about to unleash hell on me. However, those soft, plum-tinted lips call to me, drowning out reason, overshadowing the gravity of the argument we're caught in.
They steal away my thoughts, stomping down every rational neuron in my brain, urging me to claim what should have always been exclusively mine.
Before I can second-guess myself, I close the little gap between us and capture her lips with mine.
The initial contact ignites an explosive spark deep within my chest, enough to rouse my wolf to life. I can feel it's maddening prowl, circling with a desire to possess, to claim this girl who might never be mine - who has never been ours to start with.
As if pushed by instinct or some magnetic force that existed beyond reasoning, my yearning for more takes over, and I deepen the kiss despite her frozen stance, tasting her fully, as if she's the antidote for an ache I didn't know I had.
Now, I understand what it's like to be an addict, for this one taste can't possibly quench the raging inferno inside me, yearning for more of this consuming spell she seems to have cast on me.
Tasting her isn't nearly enough - I want her in my arms, touching and feeling me in ways no woman ever could. My wolf agrees, and as if led by one force, my arm starts to encircle her waist, almost succeeding in pulling her hard against my body.
That is before thoughts of Ace crosses my mind - how he had held her down against her will, pinned her with kisses when all she was feeling was disgust.
Isn't that exactly the same thing I'm doing?
A surge of panic shoots through me, and I jolt away from Sera - as if electrocuted by her proximity.
My eyes search hers, trying to decode her reaction. Her expression hovers between confusion and shock-a reaction I'll take over disgust any day.
A glimmer of hope ignites in my chest, only to be snuffed out when her features harden into a frown, her walls rising twice as high.
"I'm sorry." The words leave my lips before I know, and deep down, I know it's a lie.
I'm not sorry for kissing her. My wolf is fighting for control, desperately urging me to drag her back into my arms and worship her with kisses.
And I'd have done so, maybe if she hadn't given off that cold, bitter laugh.
Then she wipes her lips - thoroughly.
Resentfully.
"Goodbye, Artemis," she hisses, her voice filled with a chilling finality, as she turns on her heels and walks away.
I stand there, paralyzed, watching the her retreating figure until she's gone, vanished from the room and, perhaps, my life.
Only then do I allow my shoulders to slump, exhaling a sigh that's heavy with exhaustion and a thousand regrets.
That was fucking stupid! What was I thinking?
As if kissing her would change anything thing. You only just showed her how much of a controlling dick head you are!
I run my hands through my face and hair, reinforcing my resolve to weather the storm that will inevitably come.
She may be furious with me, might not want anything to do with me, but she'll come around-she has to.
In a week or two, she'll flash me that smile that lights up the world, a smile that reaches her eyes and sends a familiar tickle through my chest.
That thought fortifies me as I leave the clinic, heading toward my next agenda.
I arrive at a different room, where Ace is being treated-a move aimed at keeping the assault case under wraps. This is my final favor to Ace, though truthfully, it's more for Jasper's sake.
He views Ace more as a brother than a friend.
I don't walk into the room; instead, I observe the scene through the glass pane built into the door.
Ace is hooked up to machines, his eyes barely open, and Jasper sits beside him in quiet vigil. He notices me and we lock eyes for a moment before he rises and steps outside to confront me, his expression unreadable.
"How is he?" I mutter.
My question is met with a cold grip on my collar as Jasper seizes it in both fists, glaring into my eyes with visible rage, veins throbbing at his temples.
"Why?" he demands, his eyes reddening. "Why!" He raises his voice, shaking with anger.
I say nothing, letting him vent his emotions. My silence unnerves him, and for a moment, his eyes moisten before he blinks the tears away.
We both know this situation pains me as much as it does him. He also knows the answer to his question; he just can't bring himself to accept it.
He'd rather live in a self-constructed reality, but I'm not in the mood to indulge his illusions-especially not when it concerns Ace.
The sooner he faces the truth, the better.
Slowly, Jasper's grip loosens and he turns away, unable to hold back the moisture filling his eyes.
"Did you have to hit him so hard that he needed sixteen stitches on his face?" he questions.
"What did you expect? That I'd pat him on the back after what he did? I've warned him countless times-Sera is off-limits. But did he listen?"
"He's your friend, Artemis!"
"And what about Sera? What about her?" I retort, the heat of my words cutting through Jasper's delusional defense of Ace.
He steps back, momentarily stunned by the force of my argument.
"If you care for her even an ounce, you wouldn't be defending the man who laid his hands on her. Friendship be damned."
My words shut him up easily, and a wave of guilt and confusion washes over his features. The truth he's been running from has caught up, forcing him to confront his loyalties.
"I get it, choosing between two people you care about is damn hard. But I don't have the patience for you to weigh your options and finally come to your senses. So, if you fucking lay a finger on me again, you'll be sharing a hospital room with him," I warn.
He nods, unable to meet my eyes, and steps aside to let me enter the room.
The door swings open, and Ace sits up, immediately on high alert.
His face is mostly covered by bandages, but the rapid thumping of his heart betrays his fear. If he could bolt from the bed, he would, but the wires and his weakened state restrain him.
He looks to Jasper for support, but Jasper avoids his eyes-a clear sign that allegiances have shifted.
Ace is on his own now.
"I wonder how long you've been willing to discard our friendship, daring to defy me and touch what belongs to me," I say coldly as I settle into the chair beside his bed.
He meets my gaze, visibly calming once he realizes I'm not there to finish the job. When he does, the fear in his eyes shifts to disdain.
"We both know you weren't too intoxicated to not know what you were doing, so spare me the excuses too," I add.
He scoffs and leans back against the bed.
"You have no idea how long I've been itching to air my thoughts on that insufferable arrogance of yours. You act like you're the Goddess' gift when we both know that without Daddy's backing, you'd be nothing," Ace starts, a mocking laugh punctuating his words.
Despite his efforts to make it sound like he's joking; the underlying bitterness and resentment are glaring. Clearly, he harbors some deep-seated animosity, the roots of which I don't know.
"You've got everything a person could want, and yet you mope around like a wounded puppy-whining about things people like Jasper and me would kill for," he continues, pausing to catch his breath.
"And this sham of a friendship, this façade among the three of us? It's the worst part of my day, and I fucking hate it," he spits, bitterness coating each syllable.
"I loathe the sound of your name, your voice, your very existence. And the only way I could get under your skin was through that pathetic human pet of yours that you can't seem to get enough of!"
A charged silence stretches between us as he catches his breath, probably difficult given his recent injuries - of which I'm most proud of right now.
Taking a deep breath, I finally speak.
"I won't punish you for what you've said about Sera-see this as a big favor to Jasper. But heed this final warning, in fact, carve it into your thick skull because it might as well be the last thing you remember if you dare break it," I pause, leaning in close enough for him to feel the threat of this situation. I lower my voice, making sure my words sink in. "Lay a finger on her, or even dare to appear in her presence again, and I'll end you with my bare hands. And no, I won't stop there. I'll make sure that every moment leading up to your last breath is an endless symphony of torment and crushed bones."
Without another word, I rise and head for the door, Jasper trailing behind me.
I guess Ace's confession was the last straw, cementing the realization that our 'friend' has always been a monumental asshole.