Violation

Sara POV

People can change. All you have to do is throw them in the desired situation and they'll become what you want  them to be.

I want Nickolas Reign to fall for me. I need him to want more from me. My desire for him and the belief about change are what motivated me to sign his damn contract. He does wants me, but only for one thing. To satisfy his lust. I thought that if I gave him what he craved, he'll want more. He'll keep coming back till he can never let go.

I've been in love with Nick since I learned the meaning of the word. It's impossible to continue to meet him like this for "just sex" without letting him know how I truly feel. One thing was bound to happen this evening after we talk. His ridiculous contract would become void. And that was fine by me.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress and inhaled a lung full. Rising from the sofa, I went to the window for the millionth time to see if he's coming.

Today was not "our day," as he liked to call it. It was a Saturday. We're not supposed to meet for another three days. But when I texted, asking to see him, he agreed, saying he'll be here at 7. I like to think that's a good sign. Although it' was already 7:15 PM and there's no sign of him. Nick was never late.

My eyes roamed the living room and dining once more. This apartment had become my favourite place in four short months. It's the only place we could ever be together. We couldn't be seen by any L.A reporter or a member of the pack. It will cause an outrage. The future alpha should never contaminate his father's bloodline by sleeping with a nobody, people would say.

I sighed, brushing aside the troubling thought.

My eyes moved to the clock again and stayed there till another five minutes go by. Calling him was against his rules. But he's twenty-two minutes late now, and I wondered if that wasn't good enough reason to ring him. This whole evening was against his rules anyway.

I started to reach for my cellphone when that familiar scent of rain in the woods wafted by. He's here. The scent is followed by loud stomping of his feet as he approached the door.

Another look through the blinds and his wavy brown, rough curls came into view before he reached the door. I sucked in a deep breath and smoothen my knee-length dress, bracing myself for this unplanned meeting. The lock on the door began to disengage.

Nick let himself inside and was suddenly standing face to face with me. I could sense his anticipation as his eyes raked my body. But underneath it, there's a heat that could only mean he didn't appreciate being asked to come out here on a day that wasn't "our day."

"Hey," I greeted softly.

His eyes did another sweep over me. The kind of look that made me go weak at the knee. How I loved those bright grey orbs, even when they shone with impatience like right now.

"Why am I here? It's not tuesday," he asked curtly.

I felt a painful pull in my heart at the question, but I brushed the feeling aside quickly. 

"It's a weekend, and I thought maybe we could..."

He gave me a look that made me forget the words I prepared in my head. My hands shook slightly and I clutched my dress.

Something seemed to catch his eyes and they suddenly moved to the dining a few feet away. He took a step towards the table and asked with a frown,

"What's this?"

There's a meal for two on the table. Clearly, he knew what it was. The question was rhetorical. Or maybe he meant to say what does this mean?

"It's... food," I stammered. Only now did I start to consider how much of a bad idea this was.

"I cooked for you. I wanted us to eat together," I said.

Nick looked at me like I'd just grown another head.

"Are you out of your mind? You called me over because you wanted us to eat?" he scolded. "I'm not your boyfriend, Sara. You don't get to just call me!"

My anger stirred. I wanted to lash back and say he's right. He's more than my boyfriend. He's my mate. I wanted to yell that I was done hiding. I was tired of being his secret whore.

But my lips quivered and I lowered my head. All I could manage were soft mumbles.

"I didn't think it's against the rules-"

"It is against the rules, Sara!" he snapped. "What we have is purely sexual. I told you this. You should read the contract. I don't pay you so we can sit and eat. Or to have you call me out of work!"

My heart twisted painfully in my chest at his words. He could've just ignored the text. Why did he come down here to stomp on my heart? If he's this angry about a simple attempt to share a meal, how would he react if I told him the real reason I called him?

"It's a weekend. I thought you'd be free," I said.

"Well, I'm not. And I'm certainly not hungry. Also, our arrangement doesn't allow for anything like this." He waved a finger at the table irritatingly.

"I'm... sorry to bother you," I muttered, losing all courage to say everything I planned.

I expected him to turn around and take his leave, but he didn't. Instead, he stood watching me. When I lifted my gaze to meet his, I noticed the sudden shift in his mood. The evening air quickly assumed that delicious tension that I've come to know in all the four months since we started this clandestine meeting.

He approached in slow, casual strides while taking off his jacket.

"Well, I'm already here." His voice dropped seductively. "Can't let the evening go to complete waste, can we, Sara?"

I should back away from him. He owed me an apology for the cruel, unnecessary outburst only seconds ago. But I couldn’t move. His nearness held me in place like a spell.

He always had this power over me. Resisting him was an impossibility. It could be the mate bond. On the other hand, it's probably the raw, irresistible power that dripped all around him. Every alpha male of our kind carried that spellbinding essence.

As he leaned close to claim my lips, I melted into him, surrendering my whole being. The kiss started slow and soft but quickly grew urgent and intense. His tongue caressed mine, coaxing me to give in to him fully. 

Only one thought floated in my mind. How could he kiss me like this and claim this is "purely sexual?"

But even that thought vanished when he gave the softest moan against my lips. Soon, he lifted me into his arms, wrapping my thighs around his waist as he carried me into the living room. His hands on my bare flesh was the most heavenly feeling and I was totally lost in his touch.

'I want this. I want more of him,' the plea echoed in my mind.

He laid me on my back on top of the sofa and dropped a light kiss on my neck. As he worked to take off my underwear, I was doing the same with his belt buckle, too, ready for whatever he offered me. Soon, his lips returned to mine in a sensual kiss as his hand started to move between my inner thighs.

That was when I whispered the words that I should never say to him. Lost in the feel of him, the three syllables found their way between our lips in a gentle whisper.

"I love you."

He went very still. Seconds later, he started to pull away in a rush. Only then did I realize what had just fallen out of my mouth.

"I mean-"

He glared at me, shutting me up instantly. Turning away, he started to fumble with his belt as he made his way out of the living room.

"Nick... please..."

I followed him, wondering what to say to undo that little mistake. But was it really a mistake? That wasn't exactly the words I planned to use. I shouldn't have blurted it out like that.

He yanked his jacket from the dinning chair. Without looking back, he stormed out of the house. As he slammed the door on his way out, it felt like an axe had just been driven into my heart.

******

The Next Tuesday

My thumb hovered on Nick's number as I continued to stare at my phone. If I clicked the dial button, I'd be breaking another rule. Would it matter?

It's been three days since my accidentally confession and there's been no word from him. Today was our meeting day, but it's doubtful that he'd show up. The idea of going over to the apartment to wait was unappealing.

I'd sent him messages since Saturday evening. He ignored all of them.

The fact that I didn't see him around campus all day yesterday didn't help. Lectures were over for the day. Which meant our meeting was two hours from now.

"Hey, stranger." Meg poked my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"You've been acting weird. Are you okay? I've been screaming for you to wait up," she said.

"Oh, I didn't hear you," I replied.

"You seem in a hurry today. Running errands for your dad as usual?" she asked.

"Yes. I have to help pick up something from the supermarket," I lied.

She's my best friend and roommate. As the child of the former beta of our pack, Meg was far from being a lowlife like me. When I was bullied in high school for talking to Nick's sister, she stood up for me. It's how we became friends. She didn’t mind being seen with an omega.

Lying to her made me feel awful, but I didn’t have a choice. No one can know about me and Nick unless he told them or we became official. If Saturday was any indication, none of the two would ever happen.

Meg hooked her hand in my arm as we made our way back to the dorm together. I decided that if I didn't see Nick today, I'd take it that the contract was truly void.

Meg was talking about professor John and some girl in our class, but I couldn't pay attention.

"Human girls are so lame," she mumbled. "If she knew what she was getting into, she'd run fast in the opposite direction."

I zoned her out completely as we turned the corner leading to the hostel. Jake, Nick's best friend, approached. He's alone.

"Hey Jake," Meg beamed.

"Hey girls. Done with class?" he asked.

"Yeah. Where's your alpha-to-be? Haven't seen him around campus this week."

I wanted to hug my bestfriend for asking the question I was so desperate for.

"Careful, don't go around calling him that, Meg," Jake warned. "Alpha Zion is still alive and well. But as you said, he's heir to the throne, so he doesn't always have to attend lectures like us mortals."

"Aww, is that so?" Meg mocks.

"We're in our finals, Meg. We're supposed to be scarce around here."

"Really? Then why aren't you scarce?" She rolled her eyes.

He scowled before saying, "Family business called Nick home. You should see him around tomorrow, if not later today."

I wondered what he meant by family business. Maybe his sister was visiting from Europe.

After a round of chitchat and see-you-laters, Meg and I continued to the dorm.

Twenty minutes later, my cab arrived and I headed straight to the apartment where Nick and I meet every Tuesday.

It took 90 minutes of sitting alone in the large living room to decide that my first instinct was right. He wasn't going to show up. Was it really over between us?

But then I expected it to be. The terms on the agreement were crystal. I was prepared for this when I asked to see him on Saturday.

Changing back into my jeans and checkered shirt, I hurried out of our secret meeting place with a lump in my heart. It was already dark when I reached the campus again.

Nick didn't return my calls or texts. But on the bright side, there'd be no more sneaking around with him. He'd reject me when he's ready and I'd get back to my quiet life. Or maybe I should reject him first.

Time to focus on my studies and work hard to keep my scholarship. After all, college was the only chance I have of ever making something good out of my life as a nobody. Something interrupted my sad musings as I came down from the campus shuttle.

A dark grey Jeep SUV sat on the driveway in front of my hostel. The model was uncommon in the university, so I knew it was Nick's.

My heart lept at the sight, but the sunken feeling in my stomach didn’t go away. Was he waiting for me in the hall?

As I approached, I spotted two figures standing on the side mere inches from each other. I was confused at first. As I tried to determine who they were, their familiar features made my heart stop.

I watched in the dimly lit walkway as Nick cupped Meg's face in his hand and lowered his mouth to hers. He either didn't care about his audience or he was utterly oblivious as he pressed her smaller body to his, deepening the kiss.