Conflicts And Possessive Ghosts

RHEA
I awoke first. Jaden's room was dark and he was still asleep, his bare chest exposed. The blanket we both shared covered his naked lower body. I looked around the room, convinced that I'd felt someone else's presence in the room.
"Sheila?" Jaden said, sleepily. I froze, my gaze resting on him, heavily. He went silent for a little while, then he frowned in his sleep.
"Sheila"
He said it again and it stung like a bitch. I knew he wasn't aware of what he was saying, but it still made me feel uncomfortable. I rose to my feet and slipped on one of his black shirts. Just before I left the room, he called her name again.
This time, it actually hurt. Without sparing him a glance, I twisted the door knob, opened the door, and walked out of the room. I carefully shut the door behind me. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath.
With my mood dampened, I quietly descended the stairs and sat down on the couch, in the living room. Moonlight reflected through the windows on different parts of the sitting room while the other parts remained dark. The curtains fluttered and I stared at it, my brows furrowed.
My gaze rested on the clock. The time was 2:05AM. I inhaled slowly, rubbing my exposed forearms when a chill swept over me. The hair at the back of my neck stood stiff and I turned around so quickly, I nearly had a whiplash. Standing right there clothed in a white night dress that was stained with blood and dirt, was Sheila's ghost.
Her blonde hair fell messily around her head and down her back. Her green eyes were darkened with malice and hatred, her lips set in a grim line. I stared at her, slowly processing the fact that I wasn't seeing things. She was really there.
"Sheila" I said and she blinked.
"Rhea Stone" she droned.
"What are you doing here? Why are you still lingering around Jaden? He has moved on" I said.
Her eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Moved on, you say? You're wrong. He still thinks of me. He is mine, Rhea. You shouldn't be in his life" she hissed. I folded my arms across his chest.
"There's really nothing you can do about it. You are dead, Sheila. You should accept that fact and move on" I said, slowly. The flower vase in the sitting room shattered into pieces and hit the floor with a loud crash.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, bitch!" She screamed at me, her eyes turning black. We both turned to look at the stairs as Jaden descended from it. His eyes widened when he saw me. Slowly, he turned to look at Sheila. He stared, stunned to silence.
"Jay" Sheila said, her eyes turning green. He rubbed his eyes and slowly lowered his hands.
"Sheila?" He rasped, his eyes wide with shock.
"It's me" she said and I clenched my fist. Too bad I wasn't prepared for Sheila's sudden appearance.
"How?"
"I came to see you because I missed you so much" Sheila said, putting up a fake melancholic expression. She pointed at me with fiery accusation in her eyes.
"She said you have moved on. She told me you have forgotten about me. Tell her it's not true. You still think about me. You dream of me. You miss me. Go ahead, tell her" Sheila said.
Jaden turned to look at me, his lips parted. I could see the hesitation and conflict in his eyes.
Was it true?
Was he still thinking about her?
Did he wish she was by his side, instead of me?
These thoughts crossed my mind. I mean, he was still having dreams about her. Who was to say that he wasn't thinking about her? It was okay for him to miss her. But, if he hadn't moved on, of what use was I to him?
Jaden still hadn't uttered a word, and the fact that it made me ache, was annoying. I walked away from the both of them and ascended the stairs.
I counted under my breath, hoping that he would go after me and stop me. Then, he would tell Sheila that she was wrong. He would support me and hold me in his arms. And everything would be okay.
He didn't do that. I went to my room and locked the door. Crystal felt like she'd just been burned. I felt the same way too.
'He's a prick. How could he choose his dead mate over us?' she demanded.
I slid down the door, bringing my knees to my chest. I waited for the tears to come. But, they didn't.
'Rhea, open the door' Jaden said to me telepathically.
I refused. He growled and slammed his palm against the door.
"Open the door, Rhea!" He ordered. I still didn't budge. He continued to hit the door. However, he got no response. I ended up falling asleep by the door. When morning came, Jaden was gone.
He'd left a sticky note on the fridge, telling me that he had to go out for work and would return home late. I was pissed. Crystal was enraged. I had breakfast and spent most of the day taking out my frustration on the punching bag.
Later that night, I retreated to my room, curling up on my bed. I fell asleep but was awoken some time later, by a loud thud. Narrowing my eyes, I got out of bed and walked towards the door. Once I stepped out, I heard the sound again. It was definitely coming from Jaden's study.
"Jaden?" I said when I heard the door to his study jerk open. The lights from the hallway lit his face and my heart sank when I saw how pale he was. He was stumbling towards me, his hand resting on the wall as he struggled to keep himself upright.
Not caring about whatever misunderstandings that had occured between us, I rushed towards him and steadied him. I got a whiff of the alcohol on his breath, a sigh escaping my lips. I wondered how much he'd drank to end up in such a sorry state.
"Easy there" I said when he stumbled again, almost bringing the both of us down with him. He was much bigger than me, so supporting him was not a cake walk. I shouldered the door in and stumbled in with Jaden who was barely conscious.
We managed to make it to the bed right before his knees gave out, sending the both of us crashing on the bed, with me on top of him. I stared at him for a moment, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. Letting out a sigh, I rose to my feet.
He still hadn't moved. He was starting to perspire, so I unbuttoned his shirt and took it off his body. He was burning up. So, I left the bathroom and when I returned, I carried a bowl of water and a small white towel with me. I dipped the towel in water and squeezed it.
Then, I dabbed his forehead with the damp towel. I started to dab his face but he grabbed my hand to stop me. I tried to release my hand from his iron grip. Even in this state, he was still so strong.
"Let go of me, Jaden" I said, still trying to pull my hand away. He suddenly flipped us over and was hovering over me, his eyes a blazing red. I swallowed hard. We were so close, I could feel his hot breath fanning my skin.
"Jaden... what are you doing?" I said, keeping my voice steady.
His gaze softened and he collapsed on my body, his head resting on my chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry" he rasped. I went still, almost forgetting to breathe.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Rhea. Please forgive me" he breathed. His voice carried raw emotions that made my heart ache. Hesitantly, I let my fingers sink into his black hair. I stroked his hair and closed my eyes when they filled up with tears. I bit my lower lip, not wanting to cry.
I hated the conflict between us. I hated the fact that a dead girl was coming in between the two of us. I hoped, I really hoped that when morning would finally come, Jaden wouldn't go back to acting like an asshole. I wanted to ignore Sheila who was staring at me with hate in her eyes. But, I couldn't pretend. My gaze met hers and she continued to stare at me. I clenched my fist which was resting on Jaden's back.
"He's mine, bitch. So, back off" I scowled.
"No, he's not. You stole him from me" she spat. I looked away from her. I was not in the mood to argue with her, especially since we'd gone over it before. If she wasn't going to back off, I was going to force her to back off.
...
ZADEN
I unwrapped the bandage around my head with a wince. Then, I shook off the pain in my right shoulder. It had been dislocated, earlier at the tournament. I was thinking of several ways to ruin Jaden. He needed to be stopped. I knew he felt invisible and unbeatable, but, I was going to bring him down. What a fall that would be.
"It was her. She was the one who stole from us" My Beta suddenly said from his position by the window.
"Who?" I frowned.
"Jaden's mate"
I clenched my fists, letting out an angry yell. Jaden might've won the tournament, but it wasn't over yet.
The tell tale clicks of Thalia's stilettos caught my attention as she made her way into my room. She didn't look happy, either.
"So, what if you failed this time? What are you going to do about it?" She asked, her face holding no expression.
"I want Jaden to feel pain. Raw pain, and I know exactly how to do that" I said and she raised a dark brow.
"And, how exactly are you going to accomplish that task? You saw what happened at the tournament. He's unstoppable. He's a demon wolf. I'm still yet to figure out why he's that powerful while you're an ordinary Alpha"
Her statement annoyed me, but that wasn't what I wanted to focus on.
"Jaden and Rhea are out of town. He's probably going to be busy with his company. We will have the perfect chance to strike"
"I still don't get where you're going" Thalia droned, looking unimpressed.
"We're going to kidnap Rhea Stone" I said and a smirk curved her black lipstick coated lips, her eyes twinkling with interest.
"Now, that's much better."