Chapter 17

By afternoon, I find myself pacing back and forth in the empty kitchen. The door is locked. Estella's gone to get groceries and there's no one else in the house. Though, I see someone outside, near the gate and I don't think much of it. There's no one in here and that's the best part.

My mind runs wild, wilder than I could have imagined.

I bite the inside of my cheek over and over again while my hand rests on the small refrigerator. I don't want to do with my thoughts, but I can't help it. Every time I think of Zade, I feel angry, I feel so—betrayed. There's a sudden surge of conflicting emotions. A week and it feels like I'm in my own hell and my mate holds the keys to my freedom.

He doesn't show me a pinch of care, or anything else that falls into that list. He won't let me see my mother, he won't let me leave and he won't give me the answers I seek. I'm suffering.

Taking a deep breath, I open the refrigerator and look at the blood bags that are lined with one another. They aren't just a few bags. The longer I stare at them, my heart races quicker. Unease settles inside me once more. I don't know if I'm disgusted by it or fascinated.

Without wasting a moment more, I grab one and drain it down the sink. It quickly makes me feel better. Returning to the fridge, I take another and then more, as many as I can in my hands. I tear each one of them open before draining the blood from the bag. Revenge courses through my veins. He could've given me his blood, he chose not to.

It's a reckless act of defiance, and I enjoy every minute of it until I have emptied the refrigerator and there's nothing inside it but just bags.

As I stand there, staring at the aftermath of what I've done, I smile to myself. The taste of revenge is both bitter and sweet and my mate's going to feel that.

Leaving the tap on, I wash the sink of any evidence before closing the refrigerator and leaving the kitchen with no guilt in my mind. If Zade truly doesn't drink directly from humans or werewolves, then there's no chance he's going to survive the night or the following days that are going to come.

I want him to be deprived of blood for five days, just as he let me remain sick.

As I move across the halls of the house, I hear the doors of the house opening and then footsteps entering the foyer. My heart skips a beat. I don't want it to be Zade, not so quickly.

Quickly, I rush near to the entrance of the house and instead of finding my mate, I find Estella with a man next to her who carries the bags of groceries that she has. I hold my breath and cover the mischief from my face before meeting with her.

"How was it?"

"It was good," She smiles at me. "How about you? Still feeling better?"

"Yes. A lot better now."

"That is wonderful," I follow her into the kitchen as she heads straight in there. The man who had brought in the bags leaves before I can even glance at him. "What were you up to while I was gone?" She questions me.

I place my hand over the small fridge and use it to lean against it. "Oh, nothing much. Just wandering around." I respond to her with the truth, at least part-truth. I was wandering around the house for most of the time she was gone, but when I thought of Zade, the plan of draining his precious food formed in my mind.

I couldn't resist the urge to take revenge on him, to make him suffer.

"That's good." She smiles at me and turns her attention back to the bags.

When I realize she isn't going to reach for the blood bags any time soon, I take off and head back into the bedroom to kill off the time till my mate's here. I want to see him infuriated and then desperate. I want to see him at the mercy of his own desires, yearning for the blood.

I settle into the room and lay down. The reality doesn't get any better, even when I'm going to take my revenge. It's still going to say the same. I'm still going to be here, trapped for I don't know how much longer.

As I lie on the bed, I close my eyes and try to push away the nagging thoughts gnawing my mind. It's only a few minutes before I drift into sleep. When I wake up, it's dark outside, and cold.

I quickly get off the bed and rush outside, to know if Zade had returned and if he had found out about the blood bags. The house is wrapped around in silence. I don't hear a single voice, any sound of him or Estella. Taking a peek into the kitchen, I find it empty and all of the lights switched off.

My heart races.

What if I put Estella in trouble?

I walk away from the kitchen door and into the expansive living room. My footsteps echo on the marble floor as I walk further inside, my eyes scanning for my mate. When I find him, I stop on my steps and retreat. He's standing against the large windows, staring outside until I come in. His eyes meet mine, piercing and intense, as if he's been expecting me all along.

I swallow hard and take a few cautious steps backward. There's still plenty of distance between us and I didn't really do much asides from draining his blood bags.

Zade remains silent for a moment, his gaze locked on mine. "You don't play with my fucking food, Aurora." He snaps, but his voice is still slow, almost a whisper.

I steady myself and find no mistake in what I've done. "And you should've thought of that when you put me through all of this," I respond, only fueling his anger.

His eyes flash, shifting hues. "What am I putting you through? You're my mate and you're meant to be here, with me. I keep you alive, I give you food, and shelter and I would surely give protection if something were to happen," he retorts and steps closer to me with something awakening his gaze. "What more is it that you want?"

"I was sick—"

"I could not give you my blood, Aurora. You do not understand the consequences that come with it. If I could, I would've given you my blood. Why would I have wanted to see my own mate in pain for days?" He steps closer while I remain where I am. His voice cracks through his tightly clenched jaw. "Do you not know that as your mate I can feel every bit of your pain?"

My breath hitches at his question. Is he—is that how it is? I don't know myself. I hadn't understood the extent of a mate bond yet. I didn't know it is possible.

A wave of guilt quickly rushes over me and I lower my gaze.

"I thought—"

"You thought wrong," he cuts me off before I can even say anything. "And now we both suffer the consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"If you wanted revenge, Aurora, you've certainly achieved it by doing whatever you did with those blood bags. But now, it's my turn to play and I'm starved so unless you want me to drain you of your blood entirely, you better keep your distance from me." His voice is laced with threats.

I can see the hunger in his eyes, it's there and it's strong. It makes my heart run wild, with fear. I take another step back.

"I have done nothing wrong. You took me away and forced me here. My actions are nothing compared to yours so you've no grounds to threaten me." I tell him while keeping myself in check.

"I took you away from your mother because we made a deal. My blood and in return, you'll come with me," He reminds me, once more. "You should be thankful to be mated to me rather than someone else. Because if another man had seen you that night, I doubt you'd be alive today."

"Maybe it would've been better if it was someone else..."

His expression stiffens and he glares at me, the fiery red in his eyes becoming intense. "What did you just say?" He growls, the words leaving his mouth like a rumble of thunder.

I swallow hard, steeling myself for what I'm about to say next. "I said, maybe it would've been better if it was someone else," I repeat, my voice firmer this time. "Maybe then I wouldn't be stuck here, trapped with you."

His eyes darken, his jaw tightens, and the way his body tenses—I know I've struck a nerve.

"Get out, Aurora," he suddenly warms, his voice a harsh whisper. A grimace spreads over his face while his eyes become brighter, completely different. "Leave." He turns away from me.

My lips part as I contemplate what to do. I hear his breathing, it's heavy and quick. I didn't mean to. "Zade?" I step forward, in concern.

"Go, before I do something I'm going to regret." He growls and it's deeper this time. I haven't seen him like this before, so dangerously on the edge of something I can't understand.

I take a step back in fear. A shudder rolls down my spine as I see him walking further away from me. He doesn't look back at me or meet my eyes. My lips remain parted, I want to say something but I don't think so I can. His posture is rigid, he's different, changed.

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