Shannon’s POV“You’re right, Miss Shannon.” Alexander gave me a small smile. “I’m not one. Only a handful of guests have been able to figure that out and you’ve joined the exclusive list.”“Who are you to them?”“I’m their head servant. I’ll be on my way now, miss.” Alexander bowed slightly. “You can call me Shannon, Alex. I’d prefer it if you did.” I placed my hand on the doorknob. “See you around, Miss Shannon.” Alexander tipped his imaginary hat towards me before sauntering away whistling a strange tune.I couldn’t hold back my laughter as I made my way inside the room. It was a typical girls room and it smelled of lavender. There was a mahogany chest drawer and a vintage Milo Baughman side chair, upholstered in a blue Rogers and Goffigon fabric at one corner of the room. A metallic West Elm accent table and a textured floor pillow were added to the design.I tossed my handbag on the bed before making my way into the bathroom. I wanted to look presentable by the time Darius calle
Shannon’s POV“You’re being rude and it’s not nice.” Ricky cautioned me. “Won’t you let me in?”“You’re trying to get into my room by past midnight after interrupting my sleep?” I glared at him. “I would’ve come earlier if I could, Mel. Being the Lycan King is tedious work.” “You should’ve left me at home where I was happy.” I retorted. “You would’ve been happier being mated to your brother as your father wished for you both?” Ricky chuckled.I was at a loss for words and the lazy smile playing on his lips all but confirmed it. “Now, we’ve gotten that out of the way. Can I come in now? Oh, and I didn’t come alone.”I reluctantly agreed to let him inside. He wanted to talk to me about a couple of things and I had issues to address with him as well, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be civil with him for a couple of minutes. “No funny business in here, Ricky,” I warned, pushing the open enough to accommodate his large frame. “I’m not a circus clown, Shannon.” Ricky chuckled as he walked pa
Shannon’s POV“You’re being sarcastic, right?” Ricky laughed. “You’re under my roof and you will do as I say. Do you understand?”“You will not force me into doing what I have no intention of doing.” I stared at him with defiance in my eyes. “You know I have authority over you now you’re here?” Ricky closed the distance between us with slow, measured steps forcing me to back up a little. “I'd like to see you try.” I retorted. I soon ran out of space as my back hit the door, Ricky didn't relent as he followed me all the way, his eyes fixed on me. “I would like to try several things on you, Shannon,” Ricky whispered.I felt my breath hitch in my throat as my eyes widened in realization. I hated the feeling he had over me, I was supposed to be mad at him but here I was squirming under his gaze. “Don’t,” I muttered but it was barely audible and it wouldn’t stop him. “You want this as much as I do.” Ricky’s eyes darkened with desire. “This was why I couldn’t get you out of my head, Sh
Shannon’s POV“You need to leave this instant,” I muttered, dragging the blanket away from him as I got up from the bed, wrapping the sheets around me. “We’re done and it’s time for you to go.”I felt used and it was hurting.“You couldn’t get enough of me just a couple of minutes ago,” Ricky began. “What the hell has gotten into you?” I blushed furiously as images flashed in my head but I blocked them out immediately. I was done being distracted and used. “That wasn’t supposed to happen and we both know it,” I cleared my throat, glaring at him. “You caught me off guard and in my moment of weakness but that doesn’t change what I feel towards you.”“You’re starting to sound like some hopeless romantic with delusions of grandeur that happens to have a fairytale ending in your head.” Ricky laughed lightly as he rolled off the bed on the other side.He was stark naked and I forced myself to keep my attention on his face before I made a fool of myself again. “You don’t need to sound so c
Shannon’s POV“You’re starting to sound like some hopeless romantic with delusions of grandeur that happens to have a fairytale ending in your head.” Ricky laughed lightly as he rolled off the bed on the other side.He was stark naked and I forced myself to keep my attention on his face before I made a fool of myself again. “You don’t need to sound so condescending, Ricky.” I scoffed. “Your ego is bruised, I understand that. You’ve probably never had anyone jilt you after sex before so it’s quite a lot for you to take in. I’m not like your other women, we’re not even remotely close.” “There it is, you’re finally living up to who you truly are. A spoiled and sheltered brat who believes herself better than everyone because she has a different opinion about several things.” Ricky laughed as he walked around the bed slowly, making his way towards me.“You don’t know me, Ricky.” I retorted. “I’m not as easy to figure out, you’re going to have a hard time with me, I can promise you that.”
Shannon’s POV“Ricky hasn’t been in here to see you, has he?” Isabel wore a frown on her face. “How insensitive can one person be? Did he come in with his brothers, and that—-“Isabel stopped abruptly as she stared into my face, making me feel self-conscious. “Is there a problem, Isabel?” I began, averting my eyes away from her intense gaze. “Ricky was here last night.”It wasn’t a question, it was a statement of fact. There was no quake or tremor in her voice, she was certain of what she said.I couldn’t believe my ears. Had he said something during breakfast? I wouldn’t put it past him, he was so full of himself.“How—How did you…?” I spluttered, struggling to get words out. “Your neck, Miss,” Isabel replied, struggling to maintain a straight face.”It’s just one so I know just one of them was in here and I guess it’s Ricky.”I bolted out of bed rushing towards the mirror to examine my neck and there it was, a hickey at the base of my neck. He left a fucking hickey, that bastard.
Shannon’s POVI was already fidgeting on the chair where I sat waiting for the Mayert triplets to arrive. They were already five minutes late and I was already losing hope. Technically, it was supposed to be a surprise and I had one of the guards inform them that I had invited all three of them for dinner.“I guess the rumors were true after all.”I heard his voice behind me and I stood up immediately, turning towards him. Jules and Cole were standing on either sides of him.Ricky stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face and I didn’t know what to make of it. Was he delighted with my effort or was he caught off guard by my gesture? There was only one way to find out.“Well, I figured that if we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, we should start properly. What do you think?”Ricky stared at me before walking past me to pick up a glass of wine I had already poured for him.“You had my favorite drink prepared for me.” He said, pleasantly surprised.“The but
Shannon’s POV“It’s getting late now, you need to rest. You had a rather eventful night and I’m certain you would feel better in the morning.”I agreed, sleep would do me a whole lot of good at the moment. “I’ll see you in the morning with a tray of your favorite dishes. I’m certain you skipped out on dinner tonight after what happened.” Isabel said as she pushed herself off the bed, allowing me to lay back with the sheets drawn up. “Thank you,” I whispered, loud enough for her to hear. She smiled at me as she made her way out of the room.Frankly speaking, I didn’t know how I would’ve survived without Isabel at my side. ***I thought I was dreaming but I wasn’t. My eyes fluttered open to the sound of someone entering my room. I bolted up the bed, letting out a low growl.“Simmer down, it’s just me.” Ricky began, shutting the door behind him.“What are you doing here?”Ricky stared at me. “I found myself drawn to you and I couldn’t help myself.”“You speak to me in the most cruel
Shannon’s POVIt was midnight already. The maids had returned to my room two hours earlier to help me get ready for my wedding to the Mayert triplets alongside my seamstresses and a couple of other servants. They had forbidden me from lifting a finger to help myself so I had resorted to staying put unless I wanted to risk the ire of the women helping me dress up and I wouldn’t even dare to do that. At the stroke of midnight, I was standing at the entrance of the hall already adorned with palatial decorations with cascading floral arrangements hanging from every side of the grand room, sparkling white chandeliers hung high above with delicate draperies completing the settings designed to evoke an atmosphere filled with love and warmth.A group of violinists was positioned at a corner, setting the tone for the exchanging of vows that were about to take place. We were five years late, but this was the perfect time for it to happen. It was better late than never and there was no bette
Shannon’s POVI couldn’t believe that this was how my life was going to end up. A few hours ago, I thought that I would eventually have everything that I had always wanted out of life but Joshua handed me a reality check. I hadn’t seen Eve since I sent her to deliver the letter to the Mayery triplets so I had no way of knowing if she succeeded or if she had been killed before she even got there. I had no idea if my son was dead and Joshua was merely forcing me to do this to keep me by his side. I was completely hopeless and powerless in this. I stood in front of the officiating chief with Joshua standing opposite me, he had a huge satisfying smile on his face and I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his smug face. “You need to say your vows, Shannon,” Joshua said, his smile never leaving his face. As I opened my mouth to speak, a familiar scent wafted through my nose and I felt joy wash over me. If they were here, it meant that they had gotten the letter and had rescued our s
Ricky’s POVI couldn’t believe what I was holding in my hands. Had he been lying to me all along? No, no. I couldn’t believe it. There had to be some sort of explanation for what was going on currently and that meant I had to speak with her immediately. There had been a mixup somewhere during the night and I had to get to the root of it all. “She played us all, Ricky,” Jules said. “Jules might be right this time around, Ricky. We thought we had her back and we were ready to show her that the past will never happen again, what did we do wrong?” Cole asked. “I don’t think this is real. I don’t mean the letter — I mean the whole scenario. Just yesterday, she told us about our son and she was willing and eager to get into a relationship with us and this morning, she’s getting married to Joshua. C’mon, boys. I need you both to think critically about this before you conclude.” I said. “You think she’s being blackmailed or worse?” Jules asked. “That’s my best guess but we need to see h
Shannon’s POVI nodded. “So this culprit behind what I’ve been experiencing, is the same person who forged this letter and brought Melissa here?” “Yes, it’s the same person,” Ricky said. “Tell me who this person is and I’m going to have them dealt with,” I said, already getting furious. “Joshua,” Ricky said. “He’s being the flashbacks you’ve been having and after following him for the past couple of days, we’ve also figured out that he wrote the letter and he has spies in your household, in my pack, and Melissa’s camp as well. That was how he was able to set up all of these with ease.” I paused. Joshua and I hadn’t been seeing eye to eye on several things for the past few weeks after I turned down his proposal but would he ever go to this length to punish me for rejecting him?“Are you sure about what you’ve just said, Ricky?” I asked. “I swear on my life, Shannon. Joshua is behind all of these. He doesn’t want to see you with anyone other than himself and he’s willing to do anyt
Shannon’s POVI couldn’t categorically tell what was happening but I knew that a lot of things were changing. I had been plagued by things from the past, things that served as a reminder of how hurtful my past had been, and no matter how I tried to stop them from happening, I couldn’t do anything about it.Before the past couple of days, things with the Mayert triplets had been smoother than they had ever been for the past five years but the flashbacks and reminders that I had been getting were forcing me to remember how they used to treat me all those years ago. I didn’t know what to do or how to stop it so I decided to stay away from them to regain my sanity. Maybe then, I would have an idea about what the fuck was going on because as it stands, I didn’t know what to make of the entire situation. “Are you sure about doing this, Ms. Shannon?” My maid asked as she brushed my hair. I had instructed her that I didn’t want to take any calls from the Mayert triplets and I didn’t want t
Shannon’s POV“What do you think you’re doing?” Joshua asked as he walked into my tent. He was visibly pissed and I could understand his anger. I had pulled him out of whatever he was doing and brought him here under the guise that we were going to war and now, I was pulling out before we even had a chance to fight. “I don’t think I have the stomach for this conversation anymore, Joshua. I understand that you’re pissed but this isn’t what I need right now.” I said. “If you’re thinking of shutting me out like you always do, it’s not going to work today, Shannon. I need answers and I need you to give them to me.” Joshua said defiantly. He wasn’t going to budge and we might just as well get over with this as soon as we possibly can. “So tell me what you want to know and I’ll answer your questions,” I said, gesturing to the empty couch in front of me. “Everything, Shannon. I want to know everything.” Joshua said as he sat down. “Everything? I don’t know where to start and—“ “You l
Shannon’s POV“And you think it’s going to happen in a day or two days?” I asked them.“No, we don’t. We don’t want you to make a decision about forgiving us here and now because we don’t want you to be under any pressure of any form, so we’re going to let you take your son and go home.” Ricky said. “And what happens next?” I asked. “We’re going to call you once again, for the last time, to know what your decision on the matter is. It’s not going to be an easy decision to make and if we were in your shoes, we would feel exactly how you’re feeling at this point.” Ricky answered. I paused for a bit, their words swirling around in my head. Had Melissa done all of these because she wanted to ruin both of us or what was her end goal? Truth be told, it was pointless now. The ruse had been discovered and there wasn’t any need to go to war over a lie. Maybe by the next time we met, we would have a lot more to talk about and indeed, there was a lot to talk about. “A couple of days for m
Shannon's POV"We have nothing to talk about, Ricky." I sighed. "Just tell me what you want and I'll give you in exchange for my son's safety." "Don't you still get it, Shannon?" Ricky said."What are you talking about? There's nothing to be understood here, this is a simple negotiation that you've been dragging on for minutes now. Are you keeping me here on purpose? Is there something you have planned?" "If this were to be five years ago, your son would've been killed, and not just that, you'd have been tricked to come here under the guise of us wanting to return your son and when you come, you'll be beaten, and battered, then forced to surrender if you want to see your son alive and when you do, I'd have killed him in front of you before killing you as well. I hate to paint this vivid imagery of what we would have done but you know this is the truth.” Ricky said.I shivered slightly as his words registered with me.He wasn't telling a lie, five years ago, this is what they would h
Shannon's POVI knew how to get into the pack without anyone seeing me as I had done it a thousand times five years ago whenever I tried to escape being bullied by the Mayert triplets. It was pointless to have told Joshua about where I was going, it would've led to a lot of arguments that I didn't have the stomach for, not when I had no idea what was happening to my son at this point. I didn't want to imagine the worst but Ricky's letter had been very convincing and I had to force myself to believe everything he had said in it because the truth was that, I had no other choice. If this was a trap, Joshua would come for me and he would bring the pack down with fire and brimstone if that was what it would take for him to avenge me. Aside from the fact that I was scared for my son, I was also scared that the Mayert triplets would eventually figure out the secret I had kept from them for the past five years. As I had predicted, it had been easy to bypass their security and it would've