Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Fuck their sympathy.
They could never know the destruction you felt when you no longer had that other part of yourself. I wondered if this was what it was like to have a mate and have her taken away.
It was a hollowness that could never be filled, and it fucking sucked.
It fucking sucked.
I didn’t bother going through the front doors when I got to the estate, just parked and headed around back to one of the less used entrances.
I could hear voices across the property and glanced up to see my father with a few of the Guard, his personal Lycan army, working on fighting drills.
Although we had an entire lower level in the estate dedicated to training, having natural terrain to get your body used to different stances was better.
I ducked my head and walked inside, passing a few of the staff as they went about their day cleaning or cooking.
They had seen me grow into the male I was today and watched me slowly spiral to the bottom of the barrel.
I wondered what they truly thought of me.
I wondered if they would still feel sympathetic or give me their sad smiles if I wasn’t one of the princes of the Scottish Lycans. I’d never truly know, so I straightened my spine, threw my shoulders back, and growled the best I could as I ascended the service stairs.
Once upstairs, I headed down the hallway to my room, thankful I hadn’t run into my brother Tavish or my mother.
With Caelan mated and living with his female, I only saw him when he came over for a visit or when we worked out together.
But Tavish was unmated—like me—and was still at the estate. And because I’d become an unbearable, surly bastard, I found myself picking fights with him almost every time our paths crossed.
It’s because you want to feel again.
I felt like a fucking prick most of the time. Snapping at my father, ignoring my mother’s gentle urges to open up and talk to her, and then getting into physical altercations with my brothers. And fuck, we wouldn’t even talk about how much of an asshole I was to the staff and Guard.
Especially her.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. I was tired, but it wasn’t the physical kind. No, I had fucking energy for days where that was concerned.
This exhaustion was of the mental and soul-deep kind.
I slowed and finally came to a stop in front of my bedroom door, seeing it ajar and instantly bristling when I inhaled deeply and caught the scent of her.
You’d think for as fucking miserable as I was to everyone, she’d take the hint and leave me the fuck alone or at least keep a wide berth.
I pushed the door open harder than needed but reached out and stopped it before it cracked against the wall. The light in the bathroom was on, and I found myself stalking toward the open doorway and glaring inside.
Aisling was currently bent at the waist as she placed a fresh stack of towels underneath the sink. Her standard issued white-and-black servant attire was snug around her curvy form.
As she shifted position, I clenched my jaw as her generous hips, thick thighs, and full ass were perfectly outlined under the material of her uniform. I swallowed a frustrated groan when I didn’t see any panty lines.
The fact that she hadn’t even noticed I was there also annoyed me. Did she not take care of herself or was mindful of her surroundings? Did she not know when a threat was right behind her?
Although I would never hurt her, never even dream of it, she was a Lycan and should’ve been able to pick up on my presence before I even stepped into the bedroom.
I scowled, annoyed that I gave a shit.
“I thought I asked ye tae stop coming in here?” My voice was a husky growl that startled her. She jumped up and cried out, spinning around as she clutched a single towel against her chest.
But even the plush material couldn’t hide the generous swells of her breasts as her breath heaved. She only gave me that startled expression for a second before her eyes narrowed.
She straightened her shoulders and glared at me. And I felt… something. I felt it tightening in my bones, constricting my muscles.
Was it arousal? I didn’t feel the need to pounce and devour her, yet it was a sensation that pulled me headlong into uncharted territory.
We stared at each other, and her little nose flared in indignation when she inhaled sharply. I was sure she was probably thinking about the last time we’d run into each other.
She’d been bringing towels to me then, too, ironically enough, and I’d all but growled in her direction until she ran out of the room. If memory served me correctly, I also threw the towels out of the room, barking at her to leave me the hell alone.