"Hey, did you hear about the field trip organized for our class?" Ben took a seat beside his goddess in the cafeteria.

"Yep" Lia answered.

How wouldn't she know, it was the most discussed news right now.

"My sixth sense is telling me something is fishy" Ben made his observations "Doesn't the trip seem abrupt, moreover three days in Kinney village?"

"Why? What's suspicious about it?" The hybrid asked uninterestedly, her attention focused on the burger she was munching on.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that after all, the principal is your boyfriend".

Lia rolled her eyes, "Boyfriend or not, unless Asher wants to tell me something, I can never get a secret out of his mouth".

"So you're trying to say that even during…" He wriggled his brows suggestively and continued, "You can't get anything from him?"

Lia froze, her face distorted into an ugly one.

"Get out of here". She began to throw food at him which he did his best to avoid.

"Fine, fine,I'm sorry" Ben raised his hand in surrender, laughter still playing at the corner of his mouth.

Her face was burning with embarrassment, this guy was getting on her nerves. Just how in the world did he become her one and only friend? How many times has she even asked that?

"I'm not trying to pry but for how long would you give your mates blue balls?"

"Mates"She glared yet corrected him.

"Exactly"

"I'm not about to narrate my sex life to you for your research purposes". She told him firmly.

"It's not about my research purposes - though I would love to add that - but the point is, just have a threesome if it's that hard making a choice"

Ben saw that coming and lucky him, dodged it on time.

But it was not so lucky for the boy-no scratch that -man who got hit after Lia hurled her water bottle at him.

"Lia Darlington, meet me in my office in two minutes" Commanded Asher who had walked into the cafeteria to observe the environment and got hit in the process.

Lia hid her face in embarrassment, all eyes were on her, not to talk of the fact her mate was going to torture her today.

Ben who couldn't hold it anymore burst into laughter earning an intense glare from her.

"Ben, your days are numbered". She threatened him.

"Sure, I'm so scared" He teased her but what he never expected was for his goddess to snarl at him with scary canines and all when no one was looking.

He almost fell off his seat from fear.

Ben was still calming his beating heart when his most feared vampire at the moment occupied the seat beside him, Dan.

Their eyes met, his throat dried up.

"Why do you reek of fear, did you do something wrong again?" The vampire asked in a calm voice but to Ben, it felt like hidden knives were coming his way if he answered positively.

He shook his head.

"Good".

Dan's gaze rested on the half-eaten food on the cafeteria table, guessing it belonged to Lia who he met in the hallway with a downcast look on her face.

"What did you order?"

"Nothing yet" Ben answered briskly, "I don't have an appetite"

"But I have an appetite"

"Then I'll get food for you"

"Get food for both of us"

"Huh?" Ben was confused, why was he suddenly nice. The last time they both had an encounter, he threw him off a train and Everest where he almost died.

What's the vampire up to now?

Lia had the urge to bang her head against the wall, of all people why did that bottle hit Asher?.

Unknown to her, Asher was in his office waiting for his mate to arrive with a sly smirk. That bottle wouldn't have hit him if he hadn't manipulated it his way; best him than a human being hit, right?

Outside his door, Lia took a deep breath before grabbing the doorknob and walked into her mates office.

"You're late," He told her as soon as she stepped foot into his office.

"I'm sorry, principal Asher," She said without thinking.

"Plus three"

Her face scrunched up, confusion was written all over, "I don't understand"

"Your punishment increased, that's what it means" he informed her.

Lia was flabbergasted," What did I do wrong to accumulate such punishments? "

"Number one: you hit me in the face with a water bottle " he pointed to his left eye which had healed already.

"That was a mistake, " she defended herself.

"You should have thought of that before throwing it, what if you had hurt a human?"

Lia wanted to speak more but she couldn't, why does this vampire always have the upper hand in every one of their arguments.

"Secondly: You came late"

"I -"

"Shhh". He gestured to her to speak no more. " I said two minutes, you came five minutes later"

"How sure are you that I arrived five minutes later"

His brow quirked, "Are you trying to say I'm a liar?"

"No, that's not -"

"Plus four"

Lia was flabbergasted, this was so ridiculous; this was bullying. Why was he increasing her punishments just because she complained?

"I'm not going to take this"

"Are you rebelling against your mate?"

"Rebelling? No -"

"Plus five"

"Ugh!" She groaned in frustration, "Do whatever you want!"

She turned around to leave with anger but the moment she opened it, the door slammed close of its own volition - Asher.

"You know that won't stop me if I really want to…." The rest of her words trailed off when a strong force pulled her towards him.

"You were saying?"

Gosh, Lia wanted to punch that smugness off his face but she couldn't afford to damage his pretty face- her heart wouldn't take it.

"Let me go" She demanded but he grasped her waist tighter.

"I heard you've been receiving chocolates from men that aren't your mates? "

Lia gulped, his eyes didn't leave her as he asked that question. Why was her heart beating so fast?

It was just chocolate, why was he making it seem like she committed adultery?.

"They indeed gave them to me, but Ben was the one who gathered and ate them" She clarified with her head raised high and her heartbeat steady.

If her heart missed a beat or sweat break out on her face, Asher would know she was lying.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Alright then, have a seat " Asher let go of her leaving her surprised.

"Aren't you going to punish me?"

"I would but I have important stuff to discuss with you; don't you know, business before pleasure"

Her mate was definitely bipolar , his mood swings were unexpected and dramatic.

She proceeded to take a seat as he commanded when he gave her a dirty look.

"What now?" Lia felt crying, what did he want from her now?

"Come here" He beckoned her near.

With a skeptical expression, she came to him slowly and cautiously, wondering what he had in mind.

Asher lifted her off her feet and placed her on his laps, she astride his hips facing him.

She wriggled out of the weird position but his warning gaze stopped her.

It was a total fallacy, this wasn't business before pleasure but pleasure during the business.

"I'm sure you must have heard about the field trip?" Asher asked her with an expressionless face, he was not bothered by their disturbing position.

"Yes, I did and Ben thinks you're up to something"

"That boy is too smart for his good, and yes, he's right. The whole field trip was orchestrated so you could go to Kinney village; you need to tame your wolf "

"That's... wow". Lia was touched.

She wasn't dumb enough not to know her mother wouldn't let her out of her sight unless with a reasonable excuse such as this one.

"Thank you" she greeted him, "To the both of you, thanks a lot" Lia smiled gratefully at Asher, but would he be satisfied with just a smile?

"You know you're leaving tomorrow". He reminded her just as his hand moved to her thigh causing her to shiver.

"Yes, I am" She gasped.

"All alone with the werewolf"

"I've been alone with you all these while" Lia pointed out.

Asher's eyes darkened, he placed his hand on the small of her back and pressed her flush against his chest.

"I can't be with you all the time," His mate told him, trying to create more space between them all to no avail.

"I'm getting increasingly greedy for you, thinking of going back on my promise"

Lia was bewildered, this can't happen else her mates might fight each other to death just to have her.

"No, you can't do that"

"Why can't I ? We can leave here and go where the werewolf can't even find us" Asher argued.

"I would love to do that but I can't, my family still needs just as you need and just as Daniel does"

She clasped his face, "I know it's not easy for the both of you but it's not easy for me either, my heart hurts just at the thought of leaving one of you"

Asher blinked, "God, I'm sorry. I got carried away by my emotion"

Lia silenced him with a deep, passionate kiss that lasted a very long time, pulling away because she needed air.

Asher's mouth tugged to the side while his eyes twinkled.

Lia shivered, she didn't like that look.

"Come to my place tonight for your punishment "

Her heart missed a beat, she knew it.

"What if I don't come?"

He grabbed her bottom, moved her against his erection, and nibbled her earlobe

"You would"