Lovely Readers, the last chapter got published too short, accidently. I have added the proper length and it is in review. Until that happens, here is the summery, so you don't get confused about the progress of the story: In last chapter they reached the hill house and Zoe went for a walk in the woods. Upon her return she noticed Xavier and Claire were also there. Not wanting to confront them, she decided to leave quietly.
>I contemplated walking away, but I knew it was impossible for a wolfless one like me to walk down the hill back to the city in this state. And that too in a different territory.It had taken us six hours to get there. I needed a car to go back.But I was determined not to face Xavier and especially not Claire.For that purpose, I knew I couldn’t just walk in through the main entrance and after a minute of gathering courage, I decided to climb in through the balcony of my room.The moment I was inside my room without any hitch, I breathed a sigh of relief.“What happened out there?!”I whipped around in shock to see Maisie sitting on my bed, looking worried.She immediately got up and rushed to me. She started examining my face and arms, “Are you hurt? Tell me, Zoe.”“I slipped.” Was all I could manage.The image of Xavier helping Claire out of his car and her kissing his cheek haunted me.“You are not okay.”Maisie led me to bathroom, “Go on. Take a shower. I'll bring yo
> I wanted to step closer. I was ready to even confront her. I wanted to know why she was there. How did she even know about the place? But before I could, my phone started ringing. It was Claire. I used to love talking to her on the phone. I used to enjoy her attention when she would get worried about me. But seeing the call now, I had to resist a sigh of annoyance as I attended the call, "Hey." "Hey, you. Where are you?" "I told you I was going on a walk." "That was half an hour ago. I expected you to be back by now. I came out of the shower and you still aren't here." I could feel her pouting over the phone. "I thought you said you would get ready for dinner." "I am going to. Don't you have to change too?" "I'm on my way." "Great! See you on the balcony. Kisses." She waited for me to cut the call and by that time I heard a shower running in the room Zoe had climbed in. So, I decided to wait for things to unfold and go get a shower myself. It had been a
> The food was served but how could one eat if all appetite was lost? Seeing Xavier with Claire, arm in arm, like they had always belonged together was a new kind of pain. I was angry at Jacob for bringing me here even though he knew that Xavier was going to be here too. I glanced at him to my left as he was busy enjoying the delicate appetizer. He and I were going to have a long conversation about his reasonings and excuses for putting me through this. He knew Claire was the hostess and he still brought me. All I needed was to get through the dinner without any drama or drawing any attention to myself. I held my fork so tightly in my hand that I feared I might break or bend it, and werewolves don't use fragile cutlery. I was about to take a few bites to avoid seeming rude when I nearly jumped out of my seat at the shock of feeling a hand on my right thigh. I looked alarmed to my right and John was eating like nothing was wrong, while his left hand caressed my thigh
> I love winters. It’s the season of hot chocolate and warm fuzzy sweaters. But most of all, it’s the time of year when I go running in the freshly fallen snow, hoping to get my wolf any day now, because nights are longer than days in winter. I am Zoe Simmons, the daughter of an ex-beta of Silver Moon Pack. My father was a well-respected and trusted Beta of the pack in his time. When I turned sixteen, I expected to meet my amazing wolf, but to everyone’s surprise, she was a no-show. Ever since my mom had left us, Goddess knows why, my dad had been my sole support, my whole world. We did everything together. Everything I knew had been taught to me by my father, and I loved him for it. That day I got up after dawn, got ready, and went for a quick run in the woods that were close since our house was at the edge of the community. On the run, I saw some wolf paw prints and I longed for the day mine would be imprinted on the fresh snow like that too one day. I returned, show
>“Is this what your business is?” I had asked, trying to hold my tears until I was alone.“John? Do you know her?” Alyssa asked placing a hand on his chest. The chest that I was rarely allowed to touch for years.“Lyssa, it’s not what you might be thinking. This girl and I, we’re just friends.” John lied blatantly on my face and I was shocked to bear witness to this side of him.“Don’t get the wrong idea by what she is wearing. She is going through some stuff. Must’ve gotten upset when I couldn’t be there to help her.” He had the audacity to twirl a stray lock of her blonde hair around his finger as I stood watching in shock.“Oh, in that case, hi. I’m Alyssa. I think I remember you from today’s meeting. You were sitting at the back right?” The man-stealing bitch smiled and it stung like a viper. She extended a hand as an offer to shake mine and I glared at it.John squirmed as I refused to shake hands with the whore he was cheating on me with and glared at him, not allow
>After my conversation with my father, I immediately went to look for John. Since he was the Beta, he was often at the Pack house’s office wing. I was hoping to find him there today as well.I entered his office without knocking and found him sitting in his big chair like he owned the world, a glass of champagne in his hands so early in the morning.“What’s the occasion for this early celebration?” I asked upset. Heartbreak was one thing, but he had also attacked my only family. This was not the man I had fallen in love with all those years ago.“Who allowed you to enter? You, like everyone else, need an appointment for a trip to the Beta’s office. You can’t just drop in like this!” John stood up, daring to act disrespectedly.“Why are you doing this?” I asked, unable to formulate anything else. My broken heart and frustration made it hard to focus on what I had wanted to say to him.“What am I doing?” He leaned on his large wooden table acting like he had no clue what
>The tag brought some unpleasant feelings in me. I felt like I needed to be angry. That there was something I needed to say to anyone who belonged to the Werewolf Council.I leaned over as if to tell a secret but found that he was already leaning toward me. One of his hands was covering mine that was holding the glass on the counter. His other hand came to tip my chin upwards for a better angle. A tingle ran down my spine.He was slow, allowing me to move away if I wanted to. But it only made me want to do it more.So, when his lips brushed mine, the spark that we felt at the touch was undeniable. He leaned in and captured my mouth as I allowed him entrance. One of my hands absentmindedly landed on his thigh that was between my legs as we sat facing each other on the bar stools.>After a hot minute of not caring what the other guests thought of their performance, and taking his time to enjoy the exquisite taste of a woman he had never had of her likes before,
>Aunt Julie came sniffling in my room with a knock. I looked at her and felt my own emotions getting the better of me.We cried together as she kept worrying, “John is so heartless, he's so cruel! Your father supported him to become the next Beta, and now he is going to send your father to the dungeons. Your honest father getting locked up for years, maybe a lifetime!”It made me feel even worse. I sat up and wiped my tears angrily but more took their place immediately, “You know what, everyone in the pack knew that John was going to get engaged to another woman and not me. But they knew she belonged to a powerful background and let everything happen. They know my Dad is innocent. They have always respected him for his values and honor. But nobody said a word as John got Dad locked up for a fraud he didn’t commit.”“There has to be a way to save your father.” Aunt Julie said as she placed a comforting hand on mine, “Maybe there is something that John wants so he would spa