The Alpha's Contract Bride

Chapter 12

Aria.

I paced around my room, the sound of my flipflops slapping on the tiles reaching my ears. Usually, little sounds like that threw me off, but not tonight . Tonight, I had my mind on bigger things, things I feared were bigger than me even and one of them was Damon.

I knew the man had a temper, but for the life of me, I wasn't sure I'd witnessed it up front before. If I was being honest, I had never been on the receiving end of his anger. Most times, I was nowhere near him when he got mad.

Allegedly, it was worse when he was in college. I remembered vividly, I was always cleaning up after him and the parties he threw in the mansion whenever his parents were away. Some of the other maids and guards often whispered he was brutal when he was drunk, but I had never experienced it first hand, that was why his harsh demeanor shook me to my bones.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting the night to turn out the way it did. Even if someone had predicted it to me, I would have laughed so hard in their faces that they would have been left with no other choice than to cower away with their tails in between their legs.

“Meet me at the spot behind the gardens.” The content of the letter played in my head. “Signed C.”

That note was the only reason why I'd left my room in the first place. I honestly thought it was from Callum, that was why I went, and the only reason I went was because I needed answers. Ever since he rejected me, we hadn't had a chance to talk. A chance to talk about why he rejected me. Up till now, I refused to believe that he rejected me because he thought I was weak. It made no sense.

I thought by going to meet with him one last time, I would finally get my answers. If his reasons were valid enough, then maybe, just maybe , I would sever my deal with Damon. Yes, I wanted to make him pay for the hurt he caused me, but that didn't mean everything I felt for him in the last four years could go away in just the blink of an eye.

But instead of getting answers, I'd met a very furious Damon at the venue. I had no idea why and what he was doing there, but at that moment, it didn't matter. I wasn't in his mind, but I had an accurate guess of everything he was thinking about. I was expecting him to yell, to yell at how disappointed he was in me and how he had expected more from me, but instead he was quiet.

I watched a series of different emotions dance in his eyes as he took me in. He was quiet, but his silence spoke volumes. Even I, on the other hand, couldn't mutter a word. What was I supposed to say? That despite the deal we'd made, I'd slipped out of my room an hour before the wedding just so I could talk to Callum one last time?

Even thinking about it sounded crazy to me, so how could I bring myself to tell him that? So I didn't. I didn't offer him an explanation until Ryder angrily stomped off. And even after he had gone, I still stayed back for at least thirty minutes with the hope that Callum would show up.

Pathetic, I know.

I heaved a sigh as I shook my head. I wasn't sleepy and I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, so I did the next reasonable thing I could think of. I shrugged on my night jacket before heading out of my room. The balcony was a stone's throw away from here and it had a beautiful view of the garden below. It was even more beautiful at night and the perfect place to relax and clear your thoughts.

A cool gentle breeze nipped at my skin the moment I got there. Luckily for me, the couch at the centre was empty, save for some fluffy pillows and cushion. I'd barely sat and settled into the seat when someone's voice pierced through the night.

“Can't sleep too, huh?” I jerked up immediately, my heart thundering in my chest. “I guess I've found a partner.”

“Callum.” I was breathless, and even though I'd seen that it was just a normal human who was standing in the dark and not some kind of wild animal, I wasn't calm at all. If anything, the mere sight of Callum was more than enough to send my heart into overdrive. “What-what are you doing here?”

“Nothing specific.” Something red caught my eye and I looked closer, just to realize it was the red hot end of his cigarette. “I just needed some time to myself. Why are you out here? You should be asleep.”

“I can't sleep.” I whispered. “I needed some air.”

“Why?” Callum let out a wisp of smoke in the air. My breath hitched in my throat as he took slow and gentle steps towards me. Without so much as a warning, he dropped onto the empty seat beside me. “Aren't you supposed to be with your husband?”

I froze. My husband. I'd completely forgotten that I was now a married woman and not just any married woman, I was the Luna.

“Where is he anyway?” I scrunched up my nose as more smoke from his cigarette wafted into my nostrils. “Aren't you supposed to be together tonight?”

“He's, he's…” I stuttered incoherently. Suddenly, the non-existent dirt in between my fingers caught my attention. “He's asleep.”

“Oh really?” The cushions underneath us dipped and only when Callum's cologne wafted into my nose did it make sense. I was rooted to my spot as he inched closer, till our arms were literally touching. Like the cherry on top, he swung his arm around my shoulder. “Without you?”

“He had a busy day today.” I lied through my teeth. My stomach churned and anxiety nipped at my skin. This was wrong. What would Damon think? What would anyone think if they stumbled upon us like this? “You know what, I think I should go to bed now.”

“Good night.” I rushed out the words, without waiting for a response. I had barely gotten up when Callum's hands wrapped around my wrist.

“Going so soon?” he drawled,his voice oozing with an emotion I couldn't quite place my finger on. The spot where our skin touched, burned and I swallowed. “And here I thought you were going to keep me company. You know, we could stay and talk.”

I pressed my eyes shut. A part of me knew this was wrong. For Damon's sake and everything else, I needed to leave, but for the life of me, I couldn't bring myself to move.

“I thought that's all you've been after?” A shiver raced down my spine as Callum's lean fingers traced lazy circles around the spot behind my ear. “And now that we're alone, you want to leave?”

“I, Callum...” I mumbled. “ Please let me go.’

“Of course.” He withdrew his hands so fast, a part of my heart broke. “You're married, you're the Luna now, so you have no business with the likes of us, right?”

“What?” I whirred to face him immediately. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it's true.” He nodded once, before sucking in a mouthful of the sweet poison in his grip. Now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen him smoking before. “You've been clamoring for a chance to talk to me, but ever since you got married, you detest my presence.”

“Cal, it's not like that…” I called out to him, just to be cut short mid sentence.

“Did you even love me?” He dropped the bombshell so casually. “Did you ever have feelings for me?”

“How could you even say that?” The mere thought of Callum doubting my love for him was more than enough to rip my heart into two. “After everything?”

“How could I not?” He scoffed. “Barely one week after we ended things, you got married. To the alpha too!”

“Callum, you don't understand.” I swallowed the huge lump that had formed in my throat as tears pricked the back of my eyes. “You really don't ..”

“Then make me!” He yelled and I flinched. A wave of dread washed over me as I watched the emotion on his face morph into one of anger. “Make me understand why you got married to that dumb ass!”

“Calm down.” My lips quivered. I had no idea what had gotten into Callum, but I would rather think about it standing away from him. As I let out my next words, I took a couple of steps back. “You need to relax and…”

“No!” Two strides was more than enough to bring him in front of me again. A jolt of pain shot up my arm as he wrapped his fingers around my hand. “You need to tell me why you got married to Damon!”

“Cal.” I yelped. “You're hurting me.”

“Answer me!” He seethed. His hot breath fanned vehemently against my cheeks. “Answer me, Aria! Is he more handsome than me? More richer than me? Or do you just enjoy the attention? Is he because he's the alpha?!”

“Callum, please.” Gentle sobs raked my entire body. Coupled with the pain in my arm that seemed to be increasing by the second, I was on the verge of passing out. “ Please, let me go. Please…”

“You will answer me!” He yelled, his voice booming all around me. “ Answer me or else…”

“What exactly is going on here?” I wasn't a fan of distractions, but this, I would welcome with open arms. A wave of relief washed over me, but it disappeared the moment it came as realization dawned on me. I knew who that voice belonged to. “Tell me, right now!”

Shit. I was in deep trouble.