Dangerous Desires

Chapter 12

12 How I like My Coffee

Tia.

My heart was in my mouth as Luke pulled me to his wing; he did not say anything. I had no words in my mouth. I was afraid.

We entered the room, and he tossed me on the bed. I became scared about what he would do to me. The pictures and my panties were still in his hands, shaking.

“Why, Tia, did it have to be him? Why won’t you just leave him alone? He said he didn’t want you when our father asked him. He did not like you enough to fight for you, and you do this,” he said, and tears were streaming down my face. Luna Stacy was wicked.

“Wh, Tia?” he asked me. Luke’s eyes were teary, and I shook my head. “They are lies, Luke. Yes, we hang out and train together with Kirk there, just as we always have. It is part of the job, and you know it. The photos have been photoshopped. Other than the time we kissed in the library, we have not done anything,” I explained, and he calmed down and looked at me. He looked at me long and hard and then sighed. I hoped he would believe me. I needed someone to believe me because Alpha Aesop had shown me he was a mad man. Casting my parents out for this was wicked. It was wrong for the goddess to give one family all the power.

“I believe you,” he said, and I was shocked that he believed me easily. I looked at him to be sure, then sighed with relief. I could not believe he believed me that easily.

“Stacy has done worse to me, Tia. You have to be careful around her,” he said, and I shook my head. I was in complete shock; this had never happened to me before. No one has ever lied against me before. The woman was a bitch, and Alpha Aesop was a fool and an asshole. They deserved each other. I was shaking uncontrollably.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Luke sat next to me on the bed and held me to his chest to calm me down.

“I am sorry I dragged you here,” he said, and I was sobbing. “Guess we will not be eating breakfast with them anymore,” he said, rubbing my back, and I tried to be calm. The shock of what had happened was rushing through my body, but I tried to calm down. “Go and take a warm shower, Tia. Dress up, and I will take you out,” Luke said, and I was shocked.

“Don’t you have to go to the office?” I asked him, and he smiled.

“My wife is more important than the office right now. I can’t leave you like this,” He said. “I don’t want to shower, Luke. I want a shot of brandy or whisky, anything strong,” I said, and he looked at me, surprised.

“Okay, Bart will bring you what they have,” he said, and I nodded. “I will investigate this. I promise,” Luke said to me, and I tried to calm down.

Was this how my life would be here, living in fear with my heart in my mouth all the time? How long will I survive this? If Luke annuls the wedding, I am sure Alpha Aesop will carry out his threats.

Luke took me out, and we spent the day in the park; we had fun. We liked almost the same

flavours of ice cream, but our toppings differed. Luke and I had a lot in common, and our views were quite similar. If it weren’t that he already had someone in his heart, I would have wanted to try with him. I was happy he believed me, and he was protecting me from his monstrous parents.

We did not get home until in the evening time. Luke did not go out that evening; he stayed home, and we watched some movies together. I still could not shake the fact that Stacy had set me up, but I was glad Luke believed me and supported me. He promised to get to the bottom of the matter, and I hoped he would succeed. One week later, Alpha Aesop summoned me to the breakfast room. I was reluctant to go, but Luke promised he would protect me. I wasn’t afraid of them; I just did not want the man to cast my parents and me out of the pack. When I got to the breakfast table, everyone was there. “What are

you doing here?” Luna Stacy asked. “I sent for her, Stacy,” Alpha Aesop said, and my hands shook while I stood. Luke held my hand to calm me down, but I couldn’t. I was afraid. Caleb was not happy that Luke touched my hand; his eyes showed it. I wished I could run away from that place. What else had Stacy concocted against me? “Have you eaten?” Alpha Aesop asked, and I nodded. “Please sit,” he said. He sounded nicer. I sat down, and Luke sat next to me. He placed his hand on my thigh and rubbed lightly to calm me down, but his touch got me aroused, and this wasn’t the place for that. “Tia, I am sorry about what happened. I have wronged you deeply,” Alpha Aesop said, and I looked at him with shock. Stacy was shocked too. ” Apparently, it was lies. Caleb caught the photographer and the staff who stole your underwear from your room. My apologies, please,” He said, and relief washed through me and tears of relief began to fall. These people had gotten a lot of tears out of me in a short period. “Why would they do it?” Luke asked and pulled me close to his chest to comfort me. I held him for the comfort he offered at that moment. It felt good to be vindicated. I thanked Caleb through the mind link for his effort.

“I asked them the same question, but they wouldn’t speak,” Caleb said and looked at his mother, which was an obvious statement.

“We all know who put them up to it even if you wouldn’t admit it, father. Those people had nothing to gain in setting Tia up like that. Only one person here dislikes my wife for reasons best known to her. We will keep having problems in this house if you do not deal with the problem,” Luke said to his father, and Alpha Aesop nodded. “I agree,” Alpha Aesop said, “I will be sending Stacy to her town to reflect on her choices. I cannot divorce her, but if she chooses to continue like this, I will shun her and strip her of her luna title even before Caleb assumes the alpha position,” he said with anger in his eyes. “You don’t dare!” Luna Stacy growled.

“Your things have been packed, and you will leave after breakfast. Stacy tried to protest, but he ordered her to be quiet.

“I need peace, and my sons need to focus. I also know about the money you took from the Miles. There will be no wedding until the paternity of that baby is determined. Caleb might be promiscuous, but he is my son. He has been adamant that Kimberly’s baby isn’t his, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and have the baby tested. Pending on the result, we will know what to do.” He said, and Kimberly started shedding silent tears. She excused herself and left. Stacy tried to stop her, but she refused to stop. I sat there still shaking, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did.

“Thank you, Alpha Caleb,” I said to my friend, and he smiled at me. If he had not investigated, his father would have looked at me as a whore.

“When are you going to claim your wife, Luke. It has been two months now,” Alpha Aesop said, and Luke bowed his head, still rubbing my back gently.

“We are taking things slow,” He said, and my stomach churned because a claiming would seal my fate. I wasn’t ready to take that step with him. We had never kissed or made out before, and Elisabeth was still in the picture.

We returned to the bedroom after breakfast. I urged Luke to go to work, and soon, he did.

The house was peaceful without Stacy in it. It had been a week since she left. Luke always came home at two in the morning. I did not need to know where he had been, although he would claim he was working late. I did not understand why he even bothered to form an excuse. He had told me he would be with her from the onset, so there was no need. However, the messages and photos stopped since that day. He must have told her to stop; I did not let it bother me. I continued my training.

My phone rang, and it was Caleb. I did not want to answer because I knew why he was calling, but I did anyway, just in case it was serious.

“Hello,” I said, and he was silent.

“Tia,” he breathed my name. Why didn’t he do all this while I was single and crushing on him? Why now?

“Tia, please, hang in there. Don’t let Luke claim you. I know Kimberly’s baby isn’t mine. Once that is established and she is out of the way, Luke will have no choice but to annul the marriage. Please, Tia.” He begged me, and I could not believe this guy. He was a bit like his mother. He could not see the error of his ways. He slept with these girls knowing Ih ad feelings for him. He would definitely cheat on me if we ever got together. He wasn’t making getting over him easy, and I did not like his determination.

“How do I like my coffee, Caleb?’ I asked him, and he was silent. I bet my question caught him by surprise. It was unrelated, but I had to ask. We had breakfast every day together for four years. We started drinking coffee together at the same time. I wanted to know how much he knew about me. I wanted to know how well he was looking at me. How much did he see.

“With cream and sugar?” he asked, and I sighed. “That is how you like it, and I always drank my coffee like that when we were together. I am lactose intolerant, Caleb, but I drank my coffee with cream and sugar just so we could share something in common, which was also why I joined the elite Academy. I wanted us to have something in common. You never saw me or pretended not to notice that I cared. You changed girlfriends like sheets and flaunted them in my face. Why do you want me now? Now that I no longer have to drink my coffee with milk again. Now that I no longer follow you everywhere

you go, and I am moving on. Why?” I asked him, and he paused long and hard. “How do you like your coffee Tia?” he asked, and I smiled.

“I told you how I liked my coffee once, and you laughed about it, but you can’t remember —- Black with sugar and a hint of cocoa. I don’t particularly appreciate eating animals we hunt either, among other things that I did so that you can see me. Even if Luke annuls my marriage to him, I will not come after you as I did in the past. I will not ache for you. Knowing that you knew how I felt all these years and still did those things hurts, Caleb.” I said to him, and he sighed.

“Tia, please,” He pleaded with me. His voice cracked.

“I am miserable without you. I do not want to be just friends with you anymore. I want us to be more than that. I want to be your mate, and I want to love you. Make love to you. I want to show you how deeply I feel and how much I want you. Please, Tia,” He pleaded, and tears streamed down my face. Those words would have been welcomed three months ago. My panties would have fallen off, but how could I even think it now that I was married to his brother? I could not leave Luke or my parents, and I will be cast out. I did not need anyone to tell me that Alpha Aesop had a softer spot for Luke than Caleb.

“If you had said this three months ago, I would have been happy, Caleb. I would have fallen into your arms, but you did not see me then, and now I am your brother’s wife,” I pointed out, “Please let me get over you in peace.”

“I see you, Tia, I always have. I thought we had time, but I guess I was wrong. They took you away from me, but I will not give you up, Tia. I will fight for your love as I should have. Even though you are married to my brother, I will take you back,” Caleb said, and my heart was in my mouth. How was I going to survive this? I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t still beat for him, but I knew it was hopeless.

“Please hang on for me,” Caleb said and hung up. I could not say anything anymore. I was worried and scared. My head told me to walk away, but how could I walk away from something I invested four years of my life in? I needed help, and Luke’s relationship with Elisabeth wasn’t helping