MATED TO THE CRUEL DEVIL

I DO.

ALPHA JAX’S POV

"I know I'm nothing, and it isn't surprising, but stop throwing it in my face!" I felt a sudden, strange twitch in my chest as those words left her mouth, just like I had felt the other last night when she was yelling at me.

The discomfort heavily settled over me, it was something I couldn't shake off even as I tried to. I looked at her, and I could see the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes as she stared at me, clenching her jaw in anger.

It seemed as if there was something she was desperately trying to repress, but she couldn't just do it. Her eyes were already glistening with tears now, and I was beginning to feel a bit bad for what I had said to her. I wondered what prompted her to make such self-deprecating statements about herself.

I knew right there and then that there was something more to this. I knew she had something deep down, something that troubled her so much. My demeanour fell as I stared at her, before murmuring.

"Why would you say those hurtful words to yourself?" I asked, but she looked away, tightening her jaws even more. With each passing moment, it just kept getting clearer that she was carrying a heavy burden.

I wasn't expecting her to say anything to me, to let me know what the problem was, but I guess I had touched the chord with her and she replied. First, she uttered a forced laughter while staring at the ceiling. After that she brushed a stroke of tears from her eyes before taking a deep breath.

"I'm not asking for pity," she started heartedly in a very firm tone. " I want you to understand my life. I've been through hell since I was small. Maltreatment isn't something strange to me because of what I've been through. I've been an outcast in my own damn home, and I've been rejected by many. So, please, stop reminding me that I'm nothing because I'm well aware of that. The moment I stepped out of my parents' house, I knew that that was it. I knew I had been sold off, and there was nobody to turn or run to as most people would do. I didn't even want to do it though, because I just needed some respite from the hell hole my family and Pack were to me. Even my own sister despised me so much. You might as well say we were sworn enemies. I've got no friends, and nobody wants to be friends with me because of how horrible they perceive me to be. So yeah, I am practically secluded with nobody to turn to when it gets tough. My love life is a complete mess since I'm a reject, something people would never want to associate themselves with. Even my own mate chose my sister over me... So..." the words were caught up in her throat as she tried to speak.

The veins in her temples were very visible from her trying to stop the tears from falling. She sniffed loudly before exhaling.

"There you go, there you have it." She bent her face and wiped off another stroke of tear, doing everything to look so strong, but I knew that deep down, she was broken. I was taken back by the raw honesty with which those words were said, and was still pondering over them when she began rambling again.

And it just kept getting worse. It seemed as if she was trying to purge her heart and soul of the painful memories she wanted to let go off, not minding that I was there.

I didn't know what pushed me towards her but i suddenly took a few steps forwards, surprisingly, she didn't move back in fear. She kept on rambling. I put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched just as I expected her to. A chuckle left my throat in amusement of her reaction.

"Relax," I said to her, my voice was low and commanding. "I won't hurt you." Oddly enough, she nodded and relaxed, considering how stubborn of a brat she was. She tried to say something else but stopped when our eyes met.

"I want you to calm down and trust me" I heard myself say. "You have me now."

I moved my palm to the blade of her shoulder and this time, she didn't flinch.

Instead, she joked. "Is this one of your devilish tricks, sweet-talking me before dropping something bad on me?" She asked.

The beautiful, yet harrowing smile on her face coupled with the joke forced a laughter out of my throat, which I bottled up immediately. Hearing myself laugh sounded so strange, it was a rare sound that surprised even me.

"Don't think that way," I replied, still smirking in her direction. She nodded in response, before cowering to the floor, and that's when I decided to be genuine with her for once, which was also a side of me that I rarely showed. Hell, I don't show it at all. She just keeps pulling it out of me somehow and I struggle with exhibiting my newfound behaviour as the silence enveloped us again.

Before I knew what's happening, the events of last night began to repeat itself. I sensed a deja vu, only that she wasn't so mad at me this time. I stared deep into her eyes, watching as they stared back at me.

I raised my hand before reaching for a strand of hair, stroking it across her forehead and behind her ear. However, the situation seemed a lot more bearable this time because I was in control of my thoughts and emotions, unlike yesterday. I was about to say something when she cut me off.

"I trust you." She blurted, softly. There's a meer look in her eyes, a disconcerting mix of surprise and obedience. I was shocked by her words and I could tell she was also surprised at the words that tumbled out of her mouth.

"Thank you for listening to me though, and not interrupting." She continued, this time flashing me a wry smile. "I think I have accepted my new fate here since there is no other place for me. I should be thankful for that." She chuckled.

" And to answer your question… Yes. I will stay, I will do your bidding, and I will be respectful. I will keep my distance and I will only be present when it's necessary. And I will be obedient as long as you don't disrespect me. Do we call that a deal?"

She asked, stretching her hands out. I stared down at the tiny hands and her flustered cheeks as she smiled. The tears around the sides of her face made her even more beautiful and despite the fact that I find it a bit funny she had given out her hand to be shaken. I reached out for her already outstretched hand and took it, watching as my hands swallowed hers before giving it a firm shake.

And that's when she muttered something about making a deal with the devil, thinking I hadn't heard any of it.