𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒇𝒊𝒂 𝑩𝒐𝒔𝒔(𝑴𝒙𝑴)

~35~

Elena gnawed on her lip, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach. Ace, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous glint, had revealed his plan to capture his brother, Bruce's mate. A part of her felt envy towards Bruce's mate, wishing that Ace would treat her kindly, not even as a mate but as a human at the very least. But in all the years she has been with him, she knows it's a childish dream

Elena didn't know much about Bruce's mate but from the little snippets of information heard around and Victoria's rants he is the son of an elite and a powerful one at that. She gathered enough information and found out the elite in question runs a cafe

He's an elite.... or he runs the cafe as a hobby? No point in thinking about it

Meeting him was not what she expected. He was nice, not sarcastic or cyinical nice but genuinely nice. She shouldn't get attached, that she knows. Elena knows what Ace is capable of.

But.... he has nothing to do with any of this

Who are you to decide that? His word is final. You have no say in what he decides

No, he... he didn't ask for any of this. I have to try

".....ss"

"Miss?" Elena jolted and looked up to see a concerned face. He looked at her with soft eyes, eyes she desperately wished her mate would look at her with. To be showered with love and care, to be treated like a person.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, worry swimming in his face.

Don't get attached

"I'm.... I'm fine, thank you" She quickly left the cafe, tears streaming down her face.

He doesn't deserve this

His kindness was a shard of light in Elena's bleak world, a stark contrast to the cold indifference she received at home, if she could even call that place a home. But the voice in her head, a chilling echo of her mate's cruelty, warned her against attachments.  She pressed on, tears blurring her vision, the echo in her head a relentless drumbeat.

*****

"Where have you been?" Ace snarled the when he saw her enter the room. She flinched at his harsh tone and clasped her hands behind her, head bowed in submission.

"I wanted to get some air" she whispered.

"What an idiot" he sighed. She held back her tears at his harsh tone. She should be used to him at this point, in all the years she has been with him.

"I'm sorry" She heard a heavy sigh and breathed softly in relief. The air was tense her mind raced for a reason he decided to meet her himself, not through his assistant or his men

"You have a job" He threw a file at her feet, pictures of the cafe she visited spilling out. She stiffened, forcing herself not to show any reaction. Slowly she bent and picked up the file, holding the picture of the cafe.

"W-where is this place?" The alpha barked a laugh, making her flinch.

"You're not that stupid Elena"

How did he... I was so careful.... I didn't

"I have eyes everywhere, you think I wouldn't know?" He questioned walking towards her, she stepped back, bumping into a wall. Caged between his body and the wall, some time ago she would've felt different. He leaned into her, his lips hovering over her ear. She felt dirty at his touch, her hands itching to push him away.

"What should I do" She whispered, her voice cracking with each word.

"Get close to him, find out everything about him. His family, friends, weaknesses, and report back to me"

"But—"

"Think carefully before you speak Elena"

You have no say in what he decides

"...yes" Ace smiled lifting her chin, his lips hovering over hers. She could never say no, even if her life depends on it. His lips crashed into hers, hand roaming her body. She leaned into the kiss, her mind escaping her body.

Beryl

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee swirled through the air, a comforting scent that usually soothed my nerves. Today, however, it did little to quell the odd discomfort I felt throughout the day. The woman from earlier flashed through my mind, the look of fear and sadness crossed her features. The resemblance of her and Victoria was uncanny, though she might only be a lookalike.

Lucas came out the back with a batch of freshly baked croissants and one piece halfway in his mouth.    He flashed a sheepish smile and I wanted to wipe that smile off with a rolling pin. He placed the batch on the counter to cool down and gobbled up the unfortunate pastry in his mouth , crumbs still visible.

"You look like you want to kill me"

"Because I do"

"It was just one..."

"You ate four batches of scones yesterday which I had to bake new batches all over again!" He winced at the tone of my voice and rubbed the back of his neck. I understand his situation, we've all been on edge of late

For the past few weeks things have been tense. There was a break in at my house with shredded curtains, broken furniture and shattered glasses. I had no other choice but to stay at the villa Bruce bought since my house cannot be considered safe anymore. Lucas has been alert and cautious since the break in, refusing to leave my side and following me to the cafe everyday. To think my life would've made a massive turn around like this

"Does Victoria have a sister?" Lucas looked at me funny and I rolled my eyes "It's just a question"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"I saw her lookalike today, she looked scared" She could be a stranger for all I know but I felt so scared for her. The urge to protect her was bizarre, but given she was an omega like me and not a dominant I could say it was in my nature to see her as a sister to protect.He whipped his head in my direction, eyebrows furrowed as if thinking

Lucas’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he spoke, his voice low and serious. “Elena is Victoria’s twin sister. They were inseparable until a few years ago when they had a falling out. Since then, Elena has been off the grid.”

I processed this new information, the pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together. “That must be why she looked so familiar, yet so different,” I mused aloud.

Lucas nodded, his eyes scanning the cafe as if expecting trouble to walk through the door at any moment. “We need to be careful, it seems trouble is not far behind.”

A/N

Terribly sorry for the delay muffins. Exams is coming up and I've never felt so stressed out.

See you in the next chapter 💞🦋