Rylan's confession was too much for Leo to take in. Though he wanted to ask the reason for which he, Rylan, acted like that way back then, in the end, he decided to remain silent.

"Why are you not asking?" 

"Huh?" Leo was pulled out of his thoughts when Rylan suddenly asked a question that he failed to understand.

"I mean... about why I... It was not because I was disgusted or anything... I... I was actually shocked. I was panicking inside and did not how to respond or what to do. In the end, I just messed up everything and caused both of us pain and sadness. I'm sorry, Leo." 

Rylan looked so miserable and sincere as he apologized. His beautiful eyes were shining with the emotion of guilt but there was also a ray of hope hidden in them.

"It's not all your fault. We both were just teenagers back then who were struggling with our feelings... I did not even realize that I'm your mate until a few months after my eighteenth birthday but back then I was too busy taking care of my broken sister to pay any attention to you." Leo replied as he fixed his eyes on the tall trees up ahead that were surrounding the perimeter of the estate. 

"Can't we start all over?" Rylan suddenly asked as he turned his entire attention towards the man sitting beside him on the passenger seat. Though they both were already in their early twenties, the current situation was making them feel like teenagers who were crushing over each other.

It was not until another few silent minutes passed between the two of them before Leo finally decided to speak, "I... It's too much for me. I... I need time." 

He was suddenly feeling exhausted, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, forgetting about everything else.

"Alright! There's no rush. We'll take this slow. I just want you to not avoid me all the time. Now go and get some rest. I'll see you at the camping site the day after tomorrow," Rylan said as he patted Leo softly on his back before reluctantly retrieving his hand.

Leo did not waste more time as he hurriedly jumped out of the car and ran away but not before taking a quick look in Rylan's direction. 

He had no plans of rejecting Rylan as his mate but he also had no plans for making everything smoother for the man. It was time for him to take a little revenge for all that he had suffered through in the past half a decade just because of the Second Young Master Sullivan.

***

Emily stared down at the black car which was still parked in front of her apartment building. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized that Kaiden really won't be going away unless she would go downstairs and meet him.

She once again looked at the message that she received around half an hour ago. It was already past one o'clock and she was really tired. A voice inside her head was telling her to just let the man stay outside and self-analyze his mistake while she should retire to bed for the much-needed sleep.

"Just go and meet him quickly. Stop torturing both yourself and him," said Shadow as he pulled the covers closer, hiding his entire body under it.

Emily moved away from the window after closing it and adjusting the curtains before she walked towards the bed. Two empty plastic bags of O-positive blood were resting on the bedside table, she picked them up and dumped them into the dustbin before taking a seat beside him on the bed.

"You should sleep. You are even in a worse condition than me." She instructed him while checking his temperature with her palm pressed against his forehead. He was no longer freezing and his cheeks were adorned with a light pink tinge because of the blood that he had just consumed.

There was a time when the mere sight of blood used to awake her dark memories and made her revisit her miserable past again and again. But she was now past that point. She no longer felt nauseous even when watching Shadow drinking blood, though it's a very rare sight because he barely fed once in a year.

The man observed the small frown that was decorating her beautiful face. He slowly nodded his head in agreement before closing his eyes to rest.

He always used to avoid sleeping because of the dreams that used to haunt him and also because he wanted to protect her 24/7, but today he really wanted to sleep for a while. 

He felt her hand caressing his black strands which made him relax and let the world of sleep pull him into its endless abyss.

-

After making sure that Shadow was fast asleep, Emily finally left his room and made her way downstairs. Since her apartment was located on the third floor, it did not take her too long to reach the ground floor.

The sky was covered with dark clouds and her eyes noticed the lightning that was visible on the north side of the city. The wind was chilly and it made her fasten her steps.

Within a few seconds, she was opening the passenger side door of Kaiden's car as she slipped inside. The warm interior of the car immediately made her relax and she turned her attention to the man who was fast asleep in the driver's seat.

They all were pretty exhausted after staying up so late and attending the party where they danced and talked none stop. But to see someone like Kaiden in such a vulnerable state, Emily was definitely surprised.

Kaiden had taken off his blazer and his necktie. The top two buttons of his shirt were left open, making a decent amount of his collarbone visible to her eyes. He had also rolled up his sleeves and his previously perfectly combed hair was now looking disheveled but it only made him appear sexier and more handsome.

"Am I that good looking?"