Novels by Puni Joe

The day of the anniversaryAmber had woken up a bit sluggishly that morning, she was not supposed to spend the night with Ignacio since they planned to retake their wedding vows - it was like they were just getting married for the first time. She got out of bed, her hair was a mess and she sat in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection as if it was new. "Am I still going to exist tomorrow?" She thought to herself.It was 8 in the morning and the make-up artists were at the door but she wouldn't allow them in. She cried for hours before words later got to Maya and she went to her room and knocked on the door."Hey, baby girl. It's me, your mom. Please, open up" Maya pleaded as her heart ached.The door lock made a clinging sound, she later opened the door. Maya grabbed the knob, opened the door, and went in."Hey, child." She called out and took a seat beside her on the bed."I know how you feel but it's going to be fine." She assured in a shaky voice, she wished she had kept

Two years later (a week to Amber's wedding anniversary.)Amber laid on the bed that morning, sound of metal clinging together, aroma of different meal and the chattering of people filled the air but Amber could hardly hear them. Ignacio turned to her and poked her nose."Hey, pretty. What's wrong? It's too early to have that gloomy look on""I'm not in the mood for jokes this morning, please" She said, still not moving a muscle."Why? What's wrong?""You're asking me what's wrong? Really?" She shot a sharp glare at him."Wow! Calm down, babe. I know what's going on in your mind but you don't have to think of all these. Okay, let's look at it from this angle. What if you were diagnosed with a terminal disease and you only have five years to live of which you have only one week left, would you just do nothing and stay in bed all day?""No!" She hesitated"That's the point. I'm sure you're going to live your life to the fullest, explore things and places you want to. So stop this and let

Jennifer was playing with Prince Damon, giggling aloud when a familiar figure walked into the living room. She was so engulfed in the playing with Prince Damon that she didn't notice the man and everyone kept mute and waited for her to look up. Prince Damon threw his ball at the feet of the man, she got up to go get it. Picking it up and standing straight before him, she couldn't believe her eyes - it was Cooper."Cooper? Is that you?" She asked, shocked and surprised. "Yes. Who are you? Why do you have Jennifer's scent but look like Helen?""You should have your seat first, dad" Ignacio said and he he turned at his direction.He wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words so he sat and waited for someone to explain what was going on until his eyes fell on Amber."Yes, you. You have been to the hospital and promised to tell me what's going on. Why do I look this old? The man that followed me down here said this is 2023 and the nurse said that I had been in the hospital

Alicia got scared and quickly called Mr. Raul."Hey, sweetie. Our baby is in danger" She said in a shaky voice."Calm down and explain to me what's going on"Alicia explained what had happened to Mr. Raul."What? What was she thinking? I'll go meet with Alpha Amber now. You go to her and see if you can help her.""Okay, dear" she said and ended the call.She grabbed a few things she thought she might be needing and rushed out of the house. She got into the car, ignited it and drove off at a fast speed. After about twenty minutes of driving, she arrived at the hospital. She raced out of the car and was about running into one of the wards when a nurse stopped her."Please, calm down, ma'am. This is not allowed in here. Who are you looking for?" The chubby nurse asked in a calm voice."Cooper...... I'm here to see Cooper" She panted heavily."Okay, I'll take you to his ward" She said and led the way to his ward but she was rather too slow for Alicia.Once they opened the door, they found

The very next day, Jaeleah went to the hospital where Cooper was. She met a skinny nurse at the reception."Good morning, nurse. I'm here to see Mr. Cooper" She said with a smile but the nurse glared at her and rolled her eyes."How are you related to him?" She asked few seconds later."I can't disclose that but Alpha Amber instructed me to check up on him today.""Oh! You must be Jaeleah" She said with a fake smile and Jaeleah nodded with a glare."I'm sorry. His ward is the last one by the left on the first floor" she said and Jaeleah went towards the direction without saying a word."So pompous!" The nurse cussed.Jaeleah looked back with a grin."I heard what you just said. Be careful!." She warned and went her way.Jaeleah had seen him from the window before she walked into the ward. Cooper was placed on a life saving machine, his skin was pale and had developed bed sore but was neatly treated. She moved closer to him and felt his pulse and other vital organs and she shook her h

A week later (at the Blue pack school)It was the Wolves Day Feast of another set of young wolves and this was special because Alpha Amber and her family were invited and Miss Peyton was going to surprise her daughter.The ceremony started in the early afternoon with one of the school instructor giving an opening speech and followed by Miss Peyton. She was dressed in a bright purple dress that rested comfortably on her knees - she looked deeply happy as she mounted the platform to address the audience."Good afternoon, all. I want to thank you all for honouring my invitation to be here today to celebrate the young wolves who are going to be joining the society today. Special thanks to Alpha Amber, one of our past students for making time out of her busy schedules to make it down here today. Today is a really special day in my life as it helps me reconnect with my friends, family and loved ones. Without taking much of our time, let the ceremony begin." She concluded and loud applaud fi

The throne room was filled with a heavy sense of calmness. Regan and Ivorie were seated on their thrones, their demeanor calm and collected. They looked out upon the massive gathering of the pack Elders and Alphas from the allied packs. Decorum reigned amongst them as they had their gazes on the criminals at the center of the throne room.Alpha Johan, Beta Jordan, Nick, and Kiya knelt, their heads lowered in utter shame. They awaited their judgements.“Elder Callen, begin the procession.” Regan instructed in a strong voice.Elder Callen stepped forward and bowed to Regan and Ivorie before clearing his throat."Johan Kanin, Jordan Volkov, Nicholas Jenn, and Kiyalera Sven, you have been found guilty of the following; treachery, multiple murders, massacre of warriors, abduction, and attempted usurpation. These are heinous crimes and according to the law of Cresthowl pack, your punishment will be death."The room fell silent, except for the sound of Kiya suddenly bursting into tears. Whi

Regan and Blood Grove crashed into the nearby bush, their bodies entwined as they skidded across the dry underbrush. A thick tree was what stopped Regan from rolling.Blood Grove was the first to regain his footing. A sly grin spread across his face as he faced Regan."Alpha Regan, it's such an honor to finally meet you officially," Blood Grove said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.Regan stood up and swatted dust off his body.His eyes narrowed on Blood Grove, his jaw clenched in rage.“I wouldn't say the same for me. You have been a thorn at my side for far too long, assassin. Because of you, many innocent lives were lost, including that of my Beta.” Regan seethed and his hands fisted. His desire to fight burned through his veins."I was simply following orders, Alpha. But I'm sure you cannot understand, since you’re a ruler.” Blood Grove said with hatred.“I’ll kill you, for taking my son!” Regan shot, his eyes flickering red and blue.Blood Grove chuckled, his eyes glinting with a

The courtroom hummed with several voices. Ivorie sat at the end of the long table, silently watching the Elders engage in heated argument amongst themselves. Although it was not a pleasant thing, it took her mind off the worry of her baby."Luna, we understand that you've been grieving the kidnapping of your baby for days, as expected," one of the Elders said, his voice gentle but firm. "But I believe it is time we received more information concerning our Alpha's betrayal. We need to know what happened, and why Regan would betray the pack in such a way."The rest of the elders nodded in agreement.“And most importantly, why would he want his own newly birthed son kidnapped?” Another Elder added. Everyone went mute, awaiting Ivorie's response.Ivorie's eyes darted nervously around the room. It felt like a heavy weight had been placed upon her with the Elders’ intense attention on her.She knew that she had to tread carefully, to avoid revealing the plan that she and Elder Callen had e

Ivorie paced to and fro in her chamber, her mind reeling with thoughts of her baby. It had been two days since she had sent Jenna out to find him, and yet there was no update. The thought of that alone made her shiver occasionally.No word from Nick, no message from Jenna. The silence was horrifying, and Ivorie's anxiety was growing by each passing hour.She went to the fireplace, pacing back and forth in front of it with her hands clasped together in a futile attempt to calm her racing thoughts. ‘What if Jenna has betrayed me? What if she has used the opportunity given to her to gain her freedom without the need to help me?’‘What if Nick has harmed my baby? Oh goddess! Please help me!’ Ivorie's heart beat in accordance with thoughts in her mind. She covered her face with her palms, sobbing silently Just as she was starting to lose hope, the door of the room was thrown open. Ivorie raised her head and saw her mother walking in, a look of genuine concern etched on her face. "Ivori

The streets of Cresthowl had become totally different from what she remembered. She was used to a quiet and deserted night but tonight, the streets were reeking with a lot of people. And not just regular pack members, warriors also. The pack Watchmen and even guards were roaming and patrolling every corner of the pack.It made her wonder what in the name of the Moon goddess happened in the past year.It took her great knowledge of every nook and cranny of the pack streets to evade the warriors. She had grown up in the streets of the pack and she knew it like the back of her hands.Finally, she arrived at a lonely alley, near a very busy market. There were no warriors there.Her eyes were on a particular woman in the market. Black short hair and a skinny build. She was only going about her market scouring but Jenna had other plans for her.When the woman was done in the market, she headed through another alley adjacent to the one Jenna was in. She followed her.She paced after the woma

The darkness of the dungeon seemed to press in on Jenna from all sides, the cold stone walls and damp air a constant reminder of her captivity. She had been in there for about a year now, if her counting of sunrises through the small gap above her were accurate. One year of captivity in this wretched dungeon. An entire year of living in an unfavourable condition, consuming unhealthy food and breathing pungent air.She had begged the guards multiple times to clean the other corner of the cell where decayed human dung lied for a long time. She had learnt to live with it overtime.She sat in a corner, busy playing with a small stone. In this place, that was about the most interesting thing she could do.But she knew all these conditions she found herself in, were caused by her. She brought it upon herself. She blamed herself for going against the Luna of her pack. Especially when the Alpha himself had never taken a liking in her from the onset. She had made a grave mistake and she was

Leonardo's POV.Hours passed by and I remained on the same spot, not moving a muscle. I watched as several ant colonies marched over my ankles. I knew Grayson would have gotten halfway to Brooklyn by the time I called him. But he was the one I could call. Now I was waiting in a lonely bush path, watching my car burn down to dust.There were upsides though. I watched the sun set from a forest view for the very first time in my life. And I saw how termites build their one foot tall mound.It was peaceful, the breeze blew gently against my skin, almost sending me into a deep sleep. But I knew that if I slept off in the middle of the forest, I would have probably been half eaten by the termites by the time I woke up.Instead, I kept my eyes open and my gun in my grip. For a while, a question occurred to me -what if the assassin came back? There was only one single and straight answer to that. I would be dead.Certainly, I would try and fight back and defend myself but I was already wea

Leonardo's POV.“Argh!” I groaned, feeling pain stabbing at my lower belly. But that was not what I was focused on.Some kind of bomb had been laced on the road, causing my car to crash. I could feel my blood running to my brain with the way I was sitting upside down, trapped in the car.I looked out the window, seeing nothing but shrubs and grasses. I had been thrown off the tarred road. The explosion must have hit hard.There was no time to analyse my situation. I stretched my arm as far as I could for the compartment but I just could not reach. I was stuck in my seat.“Argh!” I grunted, stretching harder.Something caught my attention from the reflection of my side mirror.I looked outside through the passenger ‘side window. There was a long shadow there and it was moving!“Shit!” I cussed as I struggled to reach for the compartment. I stretched as hard as I could, forcing my shoulder bones to snap.“Argh!” I groaned but ignored the pain and stretched more. Finally my hand touched

Leonardo's POV.My car screeched to a stop in front of the fortress. I parked next to Luca's Porsche and alighted the vehicle.The place was as silent as a graveyard. The reason being that the fortress was built deep with a catacomb of thick forest and rivers.Don Morano had built the road specially for us so that our cars would not suffer from portholes.I walked into the tall building. Unlike the previous time that I was here, the hall was empty. The goods that had been stored there had been delivered to their various selling points since last week.I went up the stairs and into the room where I was certain the others were.I was greeted with the high ranking members of our gang, sitting around a wide table. On the wall was a large painting of a cracked skull and two pistols crossing each other in front of the skull. Our insignia. Not many Mafia gangs could boast of one, but then we were the Moranos.“Took you long enough.” Marco remarked as I took a seat on the single empty chair n

Leonardo's POV.I pushed the gun against his jaw, pressing it hard against him.“Tell me where the boat is,” I demanded, my voice reeking of danger.Nelson groaned and whimpered, his lips quivering. He shook his head frantically, “I…I don't know what you're talking about…please, boss!” He cried.I sighed. Do I always have to go through this with everyone I need information from?“Perhaps, this would trigger your memory.” I backed up and shot his right foot. It was a silent gun so it was only his loud scream that echoed in the garage.“The last boat at the docks had been missing since two weeks ago when there was an attack, where is it?” I said, pressing the gun back to his jaw.I had discovered that one of the boats that delivered the cargos two weeks ago had been stolen after the attack. Grayson and I had pieced together that the attackers had most likely used the boat to ship the stolen cargo to another location.Now, the Morano family had a specific boat dealer, and that was Nelson

Lexi's POV.My mouth hung open, my eyes were as wide as saucers and I could feel blood leaving my face.What did I just hear? Was I hearing correctly? No, it could not be. I must have had a hearing disorder when I collapsed. No no no, this thing I was hearing from the doctor could not be true! It just couldn't.I glanced at the paper in my hand again, furrowing my brows as I went through it once more. I read it as though it was some kind of text written in a strange language.But it was English! It was written in fucking English that I was pregnant!“Wha…doctor…this is…impossible!” I stuttered, my lips quivering.I stretched the paper back to him, my hands trembling. Blood had drained from my being that the paper felt heavy in my hand.“This is impossible!” I repeated, like it was some kind of mantra.I could not accept it. In fact, it must not be possible.“But, Lexi…it's your test result…” the doctor said but I cut him off.“No it's not! It can't be mine. Doctor, this is not my test

Lexi's POV.Good thing Mason had left, it was as though I could finally breathe again.I was in my parents’ bedroom, sitting on the chair while Mum tucked Dad into bed. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as Mason left. That old man doesn't stress himself.Lucky for me, Mason did not tell them about our relationship. He had only told them that we attended the same college and might have known each other.Of course, I denied ever knowing him and I was glad he played along.As Mum finished tucking Dad in, she sat on the edge of the bed. She tapped the space next to her and I switched my sitting place.“It's good we now have a neighbor. Now we won't feel all alone.” Mum said as I sat.A frown creased my eyebrows, “Mum! You are not lonely!’ I retorted defensively.“But at least now we would have someone other than the nannies to always talk to.” She said. “Your father seems to like him.” She added.I remained silent but deep within me, I was seething with rage. I could not blame my parent