STAY THE HELL OUT!

**Rebecca’s story**

I found his voice colder than ice. He could barely contain the urge to punch the man standing so near to me. His blood was boiling in his veins and his stare had turned so evil that I was trying to make eye contact with him to calm him down. At the same time, he might wonder what the hell I was doing with Logan in this part of the hotel, so isolated? I could almost hear these thoughts screaming in his mind.
“What the hell are you doing here with her?” He asked, not even noticing that he had raised his voice at me.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, actor!” Logan shot back, and contrary to what I was expecting from doing, Dominic rushed forward with his fist straight into Logan’s jaw.
“Dominic, stop!” I shouted, trying to stop him from hitting Logan a second time. Somehow, I placed my frail body between the two of them. And although I expected the fight to continue, Dominic hardly held back. Especially since I knew what a beast was inside him. “Let’s go! Let’s get out of here!” To my surprise, even though he was on edge, he pulled away and walked with me to the car. We didn’t talk to each other until we got home. That’s when he snapped.
“What the hell is your business with that man?” Dominic howled, slamming his hand into the vase on the living room table. The flowers fell to the ground, and the vase broke in contact with the wooden floor.
“We’re not having this conversation right now,” I angrily snarled, thinking he had no right to doubt me. But instead of calming down, he got worse. He advanced menacingly towards me and gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look into his furious, wild eyes.
“Oh, but we will! Because I still don’t understand what’s the deal with you and that big clown, Logan? And you’re going to have to explain it to me!”
Dominic had already gone beyond reason. I could understand his jealousy, but his behavior was incomprehensible. I’d never seen him so hurt and violent at the same time. To calm himself, he hit the wall next to my head. As if by reflex, I looked away from him. Yet I would not let him intimidate me. The man who could do it wasn’t born yet.
“Logan is my friend, so your inappropriate behavior has no place...” But his anger reached alarming heights.
“Your friend, you say? Then why are you hiding in places like that? Why don’t you talk in public? Moreover, if you respect and love me as you claim, why don’t we all talk?” His once pleasant and seductive smile twisted into a mocking, almost painful one.
“Dominic, you don’t understand... there are things you don’t understand...” I tried to explain, but already his anger was uncontrollable. He squeezed and shook me again.
“I don’t understand? So then, why don’t you make me understand?”
Dominic clearly felt hurt and betrayed, but that was not the reason I was going to unravel myself. It wasn’t the right time. I freed myself from his grip by taking advantage of his moment of weakness. Yet he followed me with his gaze.
It was no longer the compassionate and loving stare he used me to and couldn’t live without; it was not only wounded but confused.
I was genuinely sorry that we were having this argument now and that I couldn’t put him out of his misery of not knowing who Logan was and what was his connection to me, but I had no other solution. I had no explanation that would satisfy him. So, I continued to play dumb.
And I will probably go over the top too. He had no right to treat me like that. In my opinion, I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“You know what? I really don’t care what you think and whether you understand anything. If you didn’t realize at the Diamond Awards that Logan and I knew each other, it’s not my fault and I’m sorry I can’t help it. I will not break up a friendship just because you’re jealous!” I snarled and turned my steps towards the door. It hurt me to let those words out of my mouth.
Dominic, however, did not remain motionless as I would have expected, but grabbed my arm and turned me violently towards him. So much anger came out of his eyes that my heart stopped for a few seconds. So did my breathing.
“This game of yours is getting on my damn nerves!” he thundered, and the tone of his voice was so different, so deadly low.
I so wished this conversation hadn’t degenerated so much. Especially since Dominic was getting more and more restless. His eyes were red and I could already see his fangs protruding menacingly. He would not hurt me. Or was he?
“Again, I say you have no right to behave like this! Let go of me!” I shouted, struggling to get out of his grip. But the harder I tried, the angrier he got.
“And who gives you the right to go around with other men while being with me?” Again, I felt the pain in Dominic’s voice and it still didn’t seem like he was the one talking to me. My blood hadn’t stopped boiling, and I threw a heavy slap at him. The blow reddened his cheek as I felt bitter tears sting my eyes.
But in the fight that had begun between us, with me trying to break free and Dominic increasingly determined not to let go, something happened. The second I thought I had escaped, all I could see was Dominic’s sharp clawed hand going across my neck, leaving a bloody trail and a lot of pain. I fell to the ground.
I tried hard to get up, but everything was spinning so violently with me I fell again. Dominic’s voice was muffled and although I saw him rush at me, I instinctively pulled back. I could barely see around me. My vision was blurry.
“Stay away from me…” I cried out in fear as I saw him not giving up on getting closer. I could tell instantly that he had marked me, but clearly this was not the way. I could no longer control my tears and trembling and after a few seconds that felt like an eternity, something strange happened in and with my body. Pain swept through my entire being and I contorted, panicked.
With my last strength, I clung to reality and tried not to fall into the abyss. Because that’s how I felt, like I was slipping into an enormous pit. The pain became acute and unbearable and I was no longer in control of my movements. Dominic’s arms carried me to the couch. There were tiny drops of water splashing on my face, but they didn't matter. Little by little, everything around me went dark and I couldn’t remember what had happened next.
Not knowing how long I was out for, I cracked my eyes. They hurt. I could barely get used to the pale light coming from the covered window. He covered me with a blanket and was alone. Or so I thought. Then, one by one, the memories and the pain came back.
“Are you alright, love?” I heard his voice, this time frightened that something bad had happened to me.
“Don’t call me that…” I snorted as loud as I could, as I could barely hear my own voice. I had to get out of this house somehow. I didn’t want to stay here any longer. There was an immeasurable emptiness inside me, and although the room was still spinning with me, I tried to get up. I shook his hand away as soon as he rushed towards me. “Don’t touch me!”
“But love…”
That was the moment I looked up. It felt like I was shooting flames out of my eyes. The spot where he had marked me still throbbed with pain.
“I just told you not to call me that. You lost that right the second you started doubting me. And this...” I swallowed hard, pointing with a shaking hand at the mark on my neck. “... you had no right to do this to me, either. Who do you think you are? My owner? And if your answer is yes, let me tell you I have no owner. Tales of werewolves and their submissive mates are just water under the bridge for me. I don’t believe in them and never have. Yes, I admit that maybe at one point in time I wished it had happened so that our relationship would grow stronger, but the way you did it...it just makes me sick to my stomach.” I crossed the line and was aware of it, but I would not allow even the man I loved to denigrate me like that. I still had a lot to say, but time and space did not allow it. So, I headed for the door, barely dragging my feet. Once more, I watched him from the doorway. He remained motionless near the couch. “I’m only telling you this one time... stay the hell away from me and my life, Dominic Stone!”