It is a Contest After All

*Mark*

I pace around my room and continue to curse loudly at the walls. I think back to when I went to confront Emily about the lies she had spun about me to Rose.

It's impossible not to recognize the way Emily looks at me—like I'm a slab of juicy meat she can't wait to sink her teeth into. She stares straight at me as we talk, telling me she knows I secretly loathe being with Rose.

I won't lie; overall, it has been a very uncomfortable experience… not because I don’t want to be with Rose but because I hate sharing her with anyone.

The way Emily is looking at me as we stand at her door is weird. She expects me to break down and tell her what she wants to hear. I've been used to female attention all my life, but this unsettling crawling sensation up my spine is very new. I have never despised a woman this much.

And I know exactly why.

I am consumed by Rose.

I don't want her to think about me and someone else together in any form. I don’t want her to think I am only with her out of duty or would blatantly go around telling people how I hate spending time with her. Fuck, I want to spend every waking moment with her.

If she sometimes entertains the thought of me being the person for her when this is all over, I don't want her to be jealous now because a strange woman thinks I'm available, and she goes around making fake allegations.

I'm not available, not even for the king’s cousin. I want to belong to Rose. I actually believe I already belong to her–I was the one to take her virginity–and I wish she knew that.

I am praying for a chance to talk to her and put her worries to rest. Seeing her cry really messed me up mentally. I never want to be the source of her pain, physical or emotional. I hope I get a chance to tell her at the ball tonight.

This brings me to the mission I need to complete before the ball: confronting Tristan. Anything or anyone who dares to make Rose sad will have to pay the price, and I’ll be enforcing that penalty.

One would think that after all the warnings we all gave him about being gentle with her, he would have at least tried. But he had gone ahead and hurt her. Then the idiot had slid off her to rush out of the room and left her confused and in pain.

I had to talk to Tristan, maybe even punch him in his pompous face, both for hurting her and even daring to touch what’s mine.

It’s ridiculous to think of Rose as solely mine; I knew the deal when I agreed to this madness. But it was going to be a difficult ride given that I really have fallen head first like an idiot for Rose.

I hesitate at the door to Tristan’s room. I know I should knock politely, but I am not thinking straight and don’t think the fool deserves an ounce of respect. I ball my fist and pound on the wooden door once, twice, and then barge in without waiting for an answer.

Tristan looks up from behind a desk. I can see him raise an eyebrow. I am not here to exchange pleasantries or sex tips, so I walk purposefully toward him.

Tristan pushes the papers he has in front of him to the side before leaning back in his chair and regarding me coldly… the arrogant, self-centered bastard.

“How dare you hurt Rose! You know she is innocent and fragile. When will you grow up and understand that she is not one of the cheap whores you are used to?” I spit immediately.

He makes no move to stand up and his face remains unreadable.

“I had no intentions of hurting Rose,” he says simply and offers no explanation. I feel myself getting worked up, and I want him to match my mood at the moment; his stoic reactions are doing nothing to calm my frustrations at him and this whole arrangement. I’d appreciate a bit more passion from him. Rose was hurt by him, and his coolness is sickening.

“Well, you did. You have no regard for anyone’s feelings but your own, Tristan, and that is a problem. You can do that out there, but not to Rose, or else–” I don’t get to finish my statement because he jumps to his feet and leans his hands on his hips, using the desk in front of him for balance.

“Who died and made you the behavioral expert? Do you think you have the right to go around telling people how to treat Rose? She is not yours, Mark, just because you won the right to claim her virginity. It’s clouding your perceptions about the situation,” Tristan says coolly.

Then he continues, “Rose might choose to be with me and not the guy who supposedly didn’t enjoy his time with her. At least I didn’t go and tell the whole world embarrassing facts about my night with her.”

I feel bile rising in my chest like a volcano. He knew that whatever had been said wasn’t true.

“I didn't have any embarrassing moments regarding my night with Rose. Actually, I don’t recall giving any details at all. You know as much as I do that Emily made up that lie for her own amusement,” I say as I regard him coldly. I am measuring the distance between us in my head, wondering if my arm could reach across the width of his desk to give him a solid knockout punch.

“It’s funny, then, how you can justify what happened. Also, may I remind you that you hurt Rose, and I had to comfort her. Yet, you come in here to condemn me for something I did with no intention of hurting her. You are not the only one who cares for Rose, you know,” he continues as his features darken.

I try to steady my breathing and swallow down the burning rage in me. I know this is stupid, but I can’t help feeling anger. I’m angry at the king for putting this situation on us. I’m angry at Tristan for causing pain to Rose, however unintentional he claims it was. I’m angry at Emily for cooking up a disgusting lie, and angry at all the Alphas standing in line to bed Rose.

I even feel angry at Rose, even though I know she doesn’t deserve it, for buying into the lies. I feel guilty for even having that emotion, to feel upset at her.

And lastly, I feel angry at myself for not reassuring her about my feelings; angry at myself for falling for her so fast and so hard.

A low groan escapes my throat.

I need something or someone to take out my frustrations on. I pray Tristan says something about Rose that gives me an excuse to punch him.

“For the record, my night with Rose was magical. I told Emily as much, and if I have to tell the rest of the world, I will,” I declare firmly and feel a wave of relief sweeping over me at the thought of bringing the truth forward.

“Then why were you so tight-lipped about it earlier? People are bound to speculate. You should have clarified right away,” he suggests. His reasoning is sound, but who cares what other people think?

“I don’t talk about my private affairs. I don’t kiss and tell. People are already well aware of the situation we all are in, and I have no need to tell anyone about my night with Rose. What Rose and I do is between the two of us. I respect her as much as I do myself. I was probably wrong in not telling her my true feelings to calm her doubts.”

I wasn’t finished. “But you, on the other hand, used her and discarded her like a dirty tissue. Do you have no ounce of compassion in that huge body of yours?”

Tristan looks at me and stands up straight. He crosses his arms across his chest in a contemplative stance. The rise and fall of his chest makes it clear that he’s fighting to maintain his composure.

“I will have to learn to do better,” Tristan states firmly. “I have never spent a whole night with a woman before,” he confesses. “Rose isn’t like any woman I’ve been with before. I was wrong and selfish,” he exhales. “I will learn. I hope she will give me another chance and teach me how she wants me to love her.”

The last part he says in such a hushed tone that I have to strain just to hear him. It seems like it is a personal thought that isn’t meant for my ears.

“I think this arguing back and forth is doing no good to anyone. If Rose senses this dissonance between us, it will only make her uncomfortable, and knowing her, she will probably blame herself for the bickering. I think we ought to all take a step back and not act like horny teenagers competing for affection,” I suggest.

Surprisingly, Tristan nods in agreement. “Let’s give her the chance to actually follow her own instincts and feelings. In the process, let’s just treat her as the precious gem that she is.”

I think I hear Tristan mutter under his breath something like ‘little flower,’ but I can’t be certain. I guess we all have a different name for Rose. Clearly, we are all in too deep. We have to pull back, and I hope the other Alphas will because I feel in my heart I won’t be able to even if I try.

I shake my head of those thoughts and continue. “She is far from her home and had never been with a man before us. She doesn’t deserve all this nonsense. She deserves to be protected, loved, and cared for,” I say with a wistful tone, and Tristan continues nodding.

‘Loved by me, I hope,’ I think silently as I turn to leave. I have to prepare for the ball, and I hope I will get a chance to talk to Rose, my sweet baby love.