ARINA'S MATE (Shifters of the Bulgarian Bloodline Book 2)

by Dalia Wright

  Still, throughout the duration of her shopping trip she couldn’t get her old lover out of her head. She couldn’t get over how handsome he had gotten with age. She wondered if he had been with anyone else or if he had waited for her. Guilt started to fill her mind as she thought about this. When Stephen had left with his family for Japan she hadn’t waited for him, she instead filled the void he had left behind with other men.

  Eventually one of those men, Cole, became her husband and got her pregnant. She didn’t want to marry Cole but year after year it seemed like Stephen would never come back. Marta had already assumed that Stephen had found a wife of his own across the ocean, but it seemed like he had waited for her. Marta felt guilty. What was she supposed to do?

  Eventually, Marta finished her shopping and made her way home. She had told her husband she would be home by four and it was already seven. She knew he would be angry. It was already past dinner time and he would be angry. He was always angry.

  Marta dreaded what was about to happen when she brought the groceries inside. She didn’t want to face Cole but what other choice did she have? She slowly opened up the door and placed the groceries on the kitchen counter. Cole was already in the kitchen looking at her. There was a disappointed look on his face and his eyes glowed, almost red, with a simmering anger as he crossed his arms and glared at her. She knew he was angry.

  “S…sorry I’m late… I got caught up with an old friend…” Marta stammered out a response. She knew he would want something better than that. She knew he would think she was lying but she was an honest woman and she barely knew how to lie. She looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping, praying, he wouldn’t be too harsh with her.

  The man suddenly grinned at his wife. There was something cruel in that curve on his lips and Marta shuddered as he stepped toward her. She tried to cower away, but she was already backed up against a corner when he was in front of her. There was no way for her to escape, she was trapped both by the kitchen and by his body. She would have to endure whatever he brought her way.

  Suddenly, Marta’s whole world flipped upside down as Cole’s heavy hand smashed against her cheek and sent her flying to the ground. Her cheek burned like hellfire as she laid on the ground, sprawled and defenseless. This wasn’t the first time her husband had hit her, no Marta had been living in an abusive relationship for a few years now but for some reason she never left. She wouldn’t dare leave the father of her daughter, she wouldn’t take that away from her daughter. She would endure all the pain and suffering in the world for her daughter, in order to keep her safe, in order to give her the family she deserved. Her daughter didn’t deserve to grow up without a father.

  And so Marta laid on the floor waiting for her husband to make his next move. She wouldn’t fight back because she always harbored the deep dark fear that if she did then he would shift his violence toward their daughter and Marta would never allow that. She would never allow her daughter to get hurt.

  Cole looked down at his wife, disgusted. She had never been what he wanted and so he constantly took out his disappointment on her body. He walked away, leaving his wife with a bruised cheek laying on the ground.

  Throughout the whole ordeal their daughter, Linda had been watching. She had been hiding and waited until her father was out of sight before rushing up to her mother, “Mommy!” She screamed out and started to cry. Marta looked up at her daughter before pulling herself into a sitting position.

  She opened up her arms for her daughter and wrapped her up in a loving embrace. She held her head against her chest, keeping her safe as she rocked her gently. The little girl hated when her father hurt her mother, but she knew she couldn’t do anything to stop him. She had tried once and it had gotten her in time out for a very long time.

  She looked at her mother with large eyes before gently touching her mother’s cheek. Marta winced a bit when her daughter touched the tender skin but smiled at her daughter. Her daughter was akin to a little angel. She was sweet and thoughtful and never acted out. She was the epitome of the perfect child and Marta loved her more than anything in the world.

  She wished she could give her a better life, the life she deserved with a happy mother and father but she couldn’t. Marta was stuck in her relationship and she had no means of getting out. If she left she would be left with nothing, everything was in Stephen’s name and she would be left without a home, a car, without a daughter. If they went to court, he would get the best lawyer and take Linda away from her.

  Marta couldn’t allow that to happen. “It’s okay sweetie. I’m okay. Mommy and daddy just had a little fight. Everything will be okay.” She repeated the words over and over until her daughter nodded. Now she just needed to fool herself into thinking that everything was okay.

  Chapter 3

  The next day Marta found herself home alone. It was her day off. Linda was at preschool and her husband was at work. As she looked around her home she felt so alone, she felt like the walls around her were getting closer and closer to her and that soon they would squeeze the life out of her.

  In fact, her whole life felt like that. It felt like her whole life revolved around her misery and that she would never be happy again. It seemed like there was something working against her and she wanted to get away from it all, but she couldn’t. She was trapped. Trapped in more ways than one.

  As she walked around her home she spotted her phone on the counter and noticed that she had a text message. As she looked at it she noticed it was from Stephen. Somehow he had managed to get her number even though she had never given it to him. He always was good at getting what he wanted when he put in the effort.

  Hesitantly, she read the message and bit her lip. He was just saying hi but Marta knew he wanted more. He wanted a night of passion, a night together, a night that would bring them back together. But Marta couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let herself fall into that trap. She was already trapped in more ways than one, she didn’t need the added danger of an affair.

  But, for some reason, she couldn’t stop toying around with the idea in her head. What harm would there be in one night together? She could invite him over right now and they could be together until it was time to pick up Linda from preschool. What harm would that cause? She would do it once and then never see him again.

  Somehow, Marta convinced herself to call Stephen and ask him to come over. Of course, he agreed. He had waited for this moment for ten years and he wasn’t about to deny an opportunity to spend time with his old lover.

  Marta almost canceled the whole thing, getting cold feet, when Stephen suddenly knocked on the door. She thought about ignoring him, but she knew she couldn’t do that. The damage was already done. She would go through with it for better or for worse.

  So Marta walked over to the door and opened it slowly. She quickly ushered in Stephen so that none of the neighbors would see him. He had a happy smile plastered on his face and it was obvious that he was excited. He thought this meant that she wanted to be with him. He assumed this meant that she was willing to have a secret relationship with him. He knew she probably couldn’t give him any more than that since she was married and had a little girl but at the same time this would be fun.

  “It’s great to see you Martmart,” He smirked, using her old nickname. Old emotions flooded into her as she thought about the times they spent together, especially all the times they spent behind the bleachers during football games. It had been an amazing time, but it had been such a short time. She wondered what he meant by using that old nickname. Did he really think things could be the way that they used to be?

  But when Marta looked up at him and really saw him for the first time, something came over her. It was like she was sixteen all over again and her hormones were on full blast. She didn’t know what was coming over her, but suddenly she was all over him. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was kissing him hard. She kissed him harder as all her repressed emotions came to the surface.

  She
pushed him up against the wall. Stephen smirked and placed his hands on her hips and started to take off her shirt. Before he could, however, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He grinned and grabbed her ass, holding her up, before finding his way to the bedroom.

  He tossed her onto the bed and grinned down at her. In a moment, he pounced on her and pinned her down to the bed. His lips went to her neck and he started to kiss and suckle at her skin, making sure to keep her in perfect condition. Her husband couldn’t know about this.

  “Ahh… Stephen… it’s been too long… I want you.” Marta couldn’t control herself. She knew this was dangerous, but she needed to have him. She needed to have him inside of her, filling her every inch, turning her world into a mass of pleasure.

  Stephen wasn’t about to argue with her and soon enough they were both completely naked. He grinned down at her and started to kiss her body all over. She shuddered in pleasure and wrapped her legs around him. Stephen grabbed them and placed them over his shoulders before leaning down and eating her out. Marta moaned out loudly and shivered in pleasure. Stephen had always been an expert with his tongue and it felt good to know that he hadn’t lost that skill with time, in fact, it seemed like he had only gotten better with it.

  He licked her every inch and toyed with her until she was begging for release. He grinned and lapped at her delicious folds even more. He wanted every inch of her. He wanted every last drop of her juices. It had been too long. Way too long.

  “Mmm… Stephen… I’m going to…” Stephen smirked at her before leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

  “Then cum for me, baby.” Marta moaned when she heard his words and her back arched as she felt pleasure coarse through her every nerve. She hadn’t felt this good in a very long time. It had been too long.

  But that wasn’t the end of their time together, no they went at it time and time again, feeling absolutely amazing. In their pleasure they lost track of time.

  Finally, after countless hours of going at it they finally wore themselves out. Marta looked over at Stephen and smirked, “I see you still got it.” She said before kissing his lips. It felt so good to have him by her side again. It almost made her forget about her current situation. It almost made her forget that she was married to an abusive man and that he constantly put her and her daughter in danger. This time spent with Stephen made her forget and that’s what she liked most about it.

  “And so do you… I’m glad you gave me this chance and I promise to keep it a secret. I wouldn’t want to tear apart your family…” Marta was about to respond when she suddenly heard the sound of a car in the driveway. She looked at the time and she suddenly panicked. Cole was home!

  “Th…that’s my husband… you need to get out!” She pushed Stephen out of the bed and scrambled to get dressed. Somehow she managed to get herself looking presentable by the time she heard the front door open. She quickly made the bed. Stephen was still in the room and Marta panicked. If her husband saw him she would be dead.

  Marta moved over to the window and opened it before pushing Stephen onto the fire escape. Stephen nodded and quickly left the room before they heard “Marta?” coming from downstairs. Her husband was looking for her.

  She steadied herself for a moment before going downstairs. He glared at her. “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be picking up Linda?” He asked angrily. Linda. In Marta’s passion, she had completely forgotten about her daughter. She suddenly became worried.

  “Yeah… she’s staying… um… after school with some… friends.” Cole eyed her suspiciously. “But I think she’s done now … I’ll go get her.” Cole continued to stare her down. He felt like there was something wrong, but he couldn’t pin it down.

  Marta got into her car and finally calmed down. It was a close call, but she had managed to get away with it. As she drove to her daughter’s preschool she thought about Stephen and all the pleasure he had given her. She wondered if it was worth the risk and then thought about his tongue between her legs. It was definitely worth it.

  Chapter 4

  After that initial day with Stephen, Marta couldn’t stop herself from coming back to him. They continued to see each other whenever she had a day off. Eventually, they got better at sneaking around behind Cole’s back. Marta didn’t want to risk almost getting caught again.

  In their time together Marta started to feel better about herself. She felt like she could forget all her sorrows and doubts and fears and just live for the moment. She felt like she could just melt all her problems away with one steamy encounter with Stephen. Stephen, on the other hand, was just glad to spend sometimes with her.

  Of course, he wished he could have all of her. He wished he could push her husband away and take her all for himself, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He thought she loved her family and he didn’t want to take that away from her. All he wanted was to spend some time with her, to make her happy, to take some of her stress away.

  However, there were times when being with Stephen just made her even more stressed. Marta always feared that something would give her away. That something would be out of place and that Cole would find out that she was cheating. She feared what would happen when he found out. She knew he would be violent, but she didn’t know if he would contain that violence to just her. Cole was an unpredictable man and he could just as easily go after Linda or Stephen. Marta was scared for the safety of her loved ones but at the same time she wanted to be with Stephen. There was something about him that turned her on. She couldn’t control herself when he was around. She needed to have him and it seemed like no amount of danger could turn off that need.

  Plus, all this time with Stephen had reminded her how much she truly loved him. She didn’t love Cole. She loved Stephen. She had always loved Stephen. Marta thought about this one day when she was home alone with her daughter. Her daughter had the day off from school and was spending some time with her mother.

  Marta smiled at her little girl before saying, “Hey sweetie do you want to go to the park with me?” Linda looked up at her mother and smiled before nodding. She loved the park. “Do you mind if I bring one of my friend along?” Linda shook her head but looked a little confused. She had never heard of her mother having any friends, but she assumed it was okay.

  ***

  At the park, the three of them played around like a happy little family. Stephen was amazing with Linda and Linda loved him. Marta was surprised at how well Stephen was handling her daughter. Cole had never bothered to come to the park with them. He thought it was a waste of time.

  Stephen, however, thought it was a lot of fun. Marta looked happy as she watched her daughter and lover play on the swings together. This was what a family should be like. In that moment, she considered leaving Cole. So what if she lost everything? She would be happy. But as Marta looked at her daughter, she knew she couldn’t afford the risk of losing custody over her.

  Suddenly, someone tapped on Marta’s shoulder. She turned around to see her worst nightmare coming to life. Cole was standing there, anger seeping from his face as he looked at her and then at his daughter playing with some an unknown man on the swings.

  “What the hell is the meaning of this?” He asked. His voice was calm, but the kind of scary calm that sent shivers down Marta’s spine. She knew he was beyond reason and that anything she said would only anger him further.

  “Tell me!” Cole yelled before grabbing both of her arms. Marta flinched in pain as she felt his nails dig into her skin. The yell had attracted the attention of Stephen who looked over at Marta and rushed over holding Linda’s hand.

  When Cole saw Stephen holding his daughter's hand he suddenly punched Stephen square in the face. Stephen was not expecting this and he went down. “Stephen!” Marta screamed. Linda started to cry as she saw her new friend hitting the ground.

  Cole then grabbed his daughter’s hand making her cry out in pain as he squeezed it too hard. He pulled his wife and daughter away from the scene
of the fallen man. By the time, Stephen’s world stopped spinning and he was able to get up the three of them were already gone. He rubbed his jaw and cursed himself for being so weak. How had he let that man knock him out like that?

  Cole may have won the battle, but Stephen would win this war. Marta’s husband wasn’t the man that she deserved. He was violent and cruel and one way or another Stephen would give him his just desserts. He was done being the nice guy, he was done being the man in the sidelines. He no longer cared what happened to Marta’s husband. This meant war.

  Chapter 5

  After getting caught in the park, Marta avoided Stephen. She couldn’t take the risk of being with him anymore. She had endured a great amount of suffering that night as Cole took out all of his anger out on her, accusing her of being an unfaithful wife. She didn’t need to go through that sort of pain again.

  She didn’t need to worry her daughter who had cried the whole night hearing her mother scream through the walls. She didn’t need to make her life any more miserable than it already was. Besides, now she had a real reason for staying away from Stephen.

  On the night of the park incident Cole had brought her into the bedroom and had his way with her. When he was done he looked her dead in the eye and said, “If I see that guy around you one more time, I will take it all out on Linda.” Marta’s eyes had started to water at that point. She couldn’t be with Stephen. No matter how much she wanted to be with him she couldn’t. She couldn’t put her daughter in danger like that. She needed to take care of her daughter and make sure she was safe. If that meant being miserable then she would be miserable. Her daughter was more important.

  So she ignored her lover. It was hard for Marta. All she wanted to do was pick up her phone and tell Stephen everything. All she wanted to do was crawl into his arms and have him make everything better, but she knew he couldn’t do that. She felt trapped.