Shannon’s POV“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “You’re still doing it.” Alpha Robin chuckled. “I’ve gotten used to it over time, it’s going to be hard to change so easily.” I sighed as I rubbed my arms. “I understand where you’re coming from but what I want you to know now is that you're now a member of this family and nothing is going to change that.” Alpha Robin began. “You’re on track to become the next Luna of this pack and this is your family now.” “It doesn’t feel like that most times,” I smiled ruefully. “I often feel like I’ve been cursed with misery and despair for the rest of my life.” “You’re talking about how my sons treat you,” Alpha Robin said. It wasn’t a question but more of a statement, he knew what I was talking about. “I think everyone in the pack knows how they treat me by now, it’s no longer a secret.” I shrugged. “You asked what my relationship with my sons is like, right?” “Yes, I did.” I nodded. “I believe that the way they’re reacting towards you has t
Shannon’s POV“I’ll have to admit that I do admire your positivity, Alpha Robin.” I began. “If the playing ground weren’t so different, you’d have managed to indulge in and I wouldn’t hesitate to share the same dreams as you do.” “That’s the difference between me and you kids, Shannon.” Alpha Robin said. “I’ve seen enough of life to know how to pick my battles but you kids haven’t. It’s why you believe the best thing you can do to fate is to fight it instead of embracing the path it has designed for you.”“They might’ve gotten this one wrong and it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to admit that they did,” I answered. “I might not be a love expert but I’ve never seen such animosity shared between supposed mates before. The hate is glaring and everyone within a mile radius can either see it or feel it, there’s no salvaging this except you allow yourself to believe in dreams and delusions of grandeur.”“This is why your mother and I proposed that the four of you live together for the next co
Shannon’s POV“We didn’t come here to discuss having kids, Dad,” Cole said, clearing his throat. “Besides, you’re getting ahead of yourself already and you should take the advice you’ve often given us.”“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to advise you and your brothers over the last three years, Cole.” Alpha Robin said. “You’ll have to update me and which one you’re referring to, if you don’t mind.”“Don’t count your eggs before they hatch, father,” Cole said. “You’ve always said this and now, you’re doing the same thing you warned us against.” Alpha Robin opened his mouth to argue but at that same moment, my mother made her way into the kitchen. “It seems you guys are having fun already,” She began. “You came to join us while we bake?” Alpha Robin asked, his face suddenly lighting up as his eyes settled on my mother. “No, not at all. Maybe, some other time. I need to speak with you in private, Robin. It’s why I’m here.”“But—““The kids can take over when you leave, I’m s
Shannon’s POV“Shannon, I’d like to apologize for Jules’ actions,” Cole began. “I can categorically say that he didn’t mean to harm you and that he was only bothered about your disappearance when the news got to him.” “You don’t need to speak for him, Cole,” I answered, crossing my hands on my chest. “Jules isn’t sorry and we both know it. Besides, his apology means nothing to me.” “If he had gone slightly crazy because of your disappearance, don’t you think it’s because he was worried that you might have gotten hurt if you didn’t come back home?” Cole asked me. “You’re reaching, Cole.” I scoffed. “What do you think you’re doing?” “You might think I’ve gone bonkers but think about it,” Cole insisted. “Why else would he be so bothered about you if it didn’t stem from a place of worry?” “You need to stop with the insane storytelling, Cole,” Jules interjected this time and I hated to agree with him but he was right. Cole was going crazy and he had to put a stop to whatever he was tr
Shannon’s POV“Your brothers thought it would be nice to play a prank on Shannon, Ricky. They decided to feed her incredibly spicy cookies and they were sharing a laugh as they watched her choke.” I heard Alpha Robin say but my eyes were fixed on Ricky and the hoodie he had on as I tried to place where I had seen it. I didn’t know why I felt the urge to but I couldn’t ignore the gut feeling in my stomach. “I’ll speak to them as soon as we’re done here, father,” Ricky said. “I assure you, I haven’t been around all day long.” That was when it clicked in my head and like an epiphany, I suddenly remembered where I had seen the hoodie as soon as he uttered those words and I felt a small gasp escape from my lips. It possibly couldn’t be who I was thinking of, right? Fate wouldn’t be that cruel to me, I didn’t deserve to be humiliated in this manner. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that Ricky had been the man in the hoodie that I had met in the woods and he had ac
Jules’ POV“So what’s this sensation I’m getting from the Legendary playboy, Jules?” Sebastian asked me as soon as we sat down after making our way into one of our favorite pubs in the city just across the building from where Sebastian worked.I had to leave the house for a while after the stunt I pulled on Shannon with Cole. My father had been incensed and I wasn’t ready to be scolded by Cole so I left knowing that I had to be back home in time for dinner. “Come on, man.” I groaned. “You couldn’t even wait for us to get settled down or to place our orders yet?”“You dragged me out from the mountain of paperwork I have lying on my desk, it’s only proper to barrage you with questions as I deem fit.” “Admit it, Sebastian. You need this drink as much as I do. Don’t act all righteous like you didn’t jump out of a meeting in the middle of yesterday to get into a squabble with Ava at a nightclub.” I confronted him. “You things are different when it comes to Ava.” Sebastian shrugged, signa
Shannon’s POVDinner was a quiet affair despite my mother and Alpha Robin’s attempt to include the rest of us in their conversations but we weren’t having it. I was trying my best not to look irritated and I was barely managing to keep my cool. Talking to anyone would set me off and I didn’t want that to happen. My mother and Alpha Robin were leaving as soon as dinner was over and I didn’t want to act disrespectful towards them. Before dinner started, I tried to engage Ricky in a discussion about what we had planned to discuss but he wasn’t interested in talking to me. “Shannon?” I paused as I raised my head to look at my mother as she called for me. “Yes, mother?” “Alpha Robin has something to say and he’d like for you to hear him out.” “Is he planning on changing his mind on his decision about Ricky—““Shannon,” My mother fixed me with a stare forcing me to close my mouth.“I’m sorry,” “You don’t need to apologize,” Alpha Robin cleared his throat as he dropped his cutleries.
Shannon’s POVAs soon as Alpha Robin and my mother left, the dinner table was quiet. Everyone was lost in their thoughts and I wasn’t any different, I was trying to figure out what would be the best step for me to take right now and it was difficult to settle for an option. I thought about running off to the safety of my room but I decided against it. I had promised myself to do better and hiding wasn’t going to cut it this time around. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Cole stand up. He wore a frown on his face and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. We had only been on good terms for about 24 hours and he was the only one I felt a slight bit of pity for. Jules was the next to follow in Cole’s footsteps. He threw me a hateful glance and I held his gaze until he tore his eyes away from me and stormed out of the dining room. I was left alone with Ricky who hadn’t moved an inch since. He looked lost in thought but he wore a stoic expression on his face which made it
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