"That doesn't justify the evil and completely unreasonable," I had dragged out the last word, "things that he has done."
Madam Yelena had given me a look.
I rolled my eyes. "Okay! Maybe it does. But still, making people reject their mates because they're humans? THAT! Is totally unreasonable."
She moved to grasp both of my hands. "Which is why you're here to put an end to this, child. I believe the Moon goddess gave Ares a human mate for a purpose."
I sighed, walking faster to my destination as I remember our parting words after Madam Yelena gave me a more detailed version of Ares's bad past.
I agreed that what the humans and vampires did to his parents was utterly disgusting but Ares had lived for thousands of years. That was a lot of time to sit and down and process things. Instead of being the unreasonable prick, he is.
The bucket and long broomstick clanked together as I took the elevator to the sixth floor.
Ares's quarters. I dreaded this moment and I prayed to whoever is up there and the Moon goddess that Ares wasn't going to be around. I couldn't stomach the thought of facing him but I was still a maid and I had to perform my duties. Which included cleaning the quarters of the man who had completely humiliated and shattered me in one go.
Let's not forget the fact that he made me eat my pet. Another sigh. I couldn't believe Ares was my mate.
"There has to be a mistake somewhere," I mumbled as I reached the door to his study.
"I can't be his mate." Another mumble as I struggled to open the door with both preoccupied hands.
Finally, the door opened and I barged inside the dim-lit study.
The sight that greeted me took my breath away.
There he sat, a god amongst mortals, legs spread with his hand clasped around the throat of the one and only Serena. Who was straddling his thighs, might I add.
Our gazes clashed and the bucket and everything in my hand fell to the floor. His gaze never left mine even as she giggled and whispered filthy words in his ear. Even as her tongue peeked out and licked a path from his throat to the corner of his lips.
Was I surprised? No. I knew Ares was a ladies' man. Hell, he was an everyone-that-had-eyes-and-could-see-how-hot-he-was man. The man was disgustingly hot. Pure sex on the legs.
I knew he must've banged his way through all she-wolves in his pack and other neighbouring packs.
But was I hurt? Yes. My heart tightened so hard I thought it might rapture. The pulsing in my veins could be heard in my ears. My lungs constricted and I couldn't breathe properly.
I snapped out of my frozen state and I smiled. Teeth and all, I smiled through the pain. I put up a brave front.
I wasn't rebellious. Being bad wasn't in my nature. But ever since I stepped foot into the mansion? It has been constant acts of rebelliousness.
Although I was broken, I wasn't going to let Ares walk over me. Not anymore. My resolve was broken but my fight wasn't. Something deep inside of me wanted to fight for our relationship.
I believed in love and I was going to fight hard for the one I loved. Even if he didn't want to be fought for.
I gave him a sorry smile, picked up my cleaning materials and walked to the furthest corner to dump them there.
"Get out."
His deep and raspy voice spoke. Sparks coursed through my body at his voice. The mate bond was a bitch alright. I still couldn't control my desire for him.
I froze, my heart thudding rapidly and when I realised he spoke to me, I sprung into action.
"Not you, Akira." Another raspy command.
Behind me, I heard a whimper followed by a body landing on the floor.
I turned to find Serena on her ass, fear spattered on her face as she looked up at Ares. Ares stood over her, the cord in his neck pulsed and his fist clenched.
"I said get the fuck out, Serena." A tick in his jaw. He was pissed, enraged, furious. And all other synonyms I could think of that described his present state.
Serena quickly staggered to her feet, placing a hand on his chest, she whispered sultrily. "But Alpha, we were having so much fun."
Ares grabbed her hand, she whimpered in pain and her whole Barbie doll face turned red.
"Leave."
He released her hands and she immediately grabbed her purse and walked out of the room. The bitch hadn't even spared me a glance ever since I stepped into this room, but as she walked out the look she gave me chilled me to the bones.
I breathed shakily as the door slammed shut. It was just him and I now and the air was sizzling with so many emotions. Hurt, anger, lust. You name it.
I turned to continue what I was here for. In silence, he typed on his laptop and I cleaned all the nooks and crannies of his study.
The tapping of his fingers on his keyboard had my whole body strung tightly. Even as I worked, I controlled my breathing and I made sure a sound didn't slip past my lips.
I was so into cleaning the panelling of the shelves with a warm clothe, I didn't hear when he stood up from his chair to move behind me.
I only felt him when he was suddenly behind me. My back stiffened and my whole body straightened at his proximity.
He smelled sinfully good, manly and woodsy scent mixed with his aftershave filled my nostrils and I breathed his scent in greedily. Every inch of him was pressed against me. The tips of his expensive Italian loafers were touching the back of my worn-out black loafers.
We both stood in silence. Milliseconds turned into seconds and seconds turned into minutes. We stood, breathing in each other's air. Waiting for one person to break the silence.
"I'm sorry." Two gruff words slipped out of his lips.
Two words that shook me to my toes, snaking their way through my body until they wrapped themselves around my throat tightly. I tried to choke in a sob but it was futile.
He didn't know how long I had waited to hear those words. Two simple words that held so much weight in them. So much sincerity.
Ares spoke them so quietly but I knew they carried so much honesty in them. I knew he was sorry. I could hear it from the strain in his voice when he spoke, the harsh pants that puffed from his full lips.
I swallowed the lump lodged in my throat and silently prayed for strength before I turned around.
And for the third time today, my breath hitched as I looked into his eyes. Steel grey eyes stared down at me. But what had me lacking oxygen was the warmth they held. His eyes weren't cold. For the first time since I knew Ares, he was showing me emotion. They told me what his mouth couldn't. And I knew he was sorry.
My eyes drifted from his eyes to his perfectly imperfect crooked nose and then down to his lips. Lips that were parted invitingly.
"For what?" I whispered, speaking after a few heartbeats.
It was his turn to tense up. But I continued anyway.
"For kidnapping me? For putting in a cell by your-fucking-self? For letting your goddamn guards whip me? For hating me completely based on your fucking grief? For making me eat my...pet?" The tears were streaming down my face as I spat every syllable at him. "For breaking me?"
The last one came out in a strangled whisper. I was crying so hard, that I couldn't even bring myself to take a breath.
"What exactly are you fucking sorry for, Ares?!" My tiny fists pounded pitifully on his chest. A very muscled chest might I add. "For whoring around even after making me suffer for a dumb kiss I didn't enjoy?!"
His hands came up, one pinned the hands pounding on his chest together and the other cradled my face.
"I'm sorry for everything, Akira." He answered truthfully, calmly, the complete opposite of me. The hand on my face moved to wipe my tears. "I truly am fucking sorry. What I did has no justification and I know that."
My heart couldn't stop pounding. It wanted to hang onto his every word but said heart was still healing.
"You hurt me, Ares," I whispered, staring into grey eyes. Grey eyes that looked haunted. Ares had demons. Lots of them, but who didn't? "You hurt me really fucking bad."
He leaned down to drop his forehead on mine, our hands trapped between each other. His breath washed over my face as he whispered. "I know."
"Let me make it up to you." He suddenly stated. The hand holding my wrist moved to my waist and he gripped it tightly. "I fucked up, badly. I mistreated you as my mate and I'm sorry."
I looked up at him through wet lashes. "You didn't just mistreat me, Ares. You hurt me, you made me cry. You broke the little bit of any reason I have to live in this fucking place."
His lips parted to speak but I raised a hand, halting him.
"You broke my will." I took a deep breath. "I don't know shit about this mate thingy," His lips tilted up to the side. "But I know that hurting each other is a no-no. We're supposed to protect each other, love each other, stand by each other, be loyal to each other." I stabbed his chest with my pinky finger. "None of what you're doing to me. None of what I've been through."
His gaze was calm, running from my eyes to my button nose and lips. Just I like I did to him. Grey eyes focused solely on me. Shrewd and assessing. Boring into my blue ones.
"And all I'm asking is your forgiveness. I was wrong, really fucking wrong. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, I know I don't deserve you," A deep breath came from him this time around, "But I am completely selfish with you. Selfish for you. Selfish enough to want you after all the pain I've put you through. Because it's you that I covet so bad it fucking hurts. And I am not willing to let you go." Steely eyes locked on mine. "So you better be selfish with me because that would mean that you want this."
His confession broke me. Another round of tears was threatening to spill down my cheeks.
I didn't know what struck me more. His words or how much I felt them. Coming from a man like Ares, they weren't supposed to sound poetic, yet they did. They weren't supposed to come out so delicate, yet as he voiced out every syllable and as they grazed their way into my heart, all I wanted to do was smack his face and tell him how much I was falling for him.
I couldn't believe this. I wanted to check around the shelves for cameras. Because this had got to be a fucking joke. Was this another trap for me– a hopeless little human– to be a pawn in his wicked games?
They finally spilt when his lips, cold and full pressed firmly against mine.