Shannon’s POVThe months that followed after the nightmare turned out to be better than many I had experienced before. The weight of the pain that had once rested heavily on my shoulders had begun to ease up and with time, it also began to fade away with the wind. Having been forced to run away from the Mayert pack and forced to leave everything that I had come to love after my upturn in fortune didn’t feel so bad anymore. I was determined to forge a new path for myself with the help of the new friends I had made in a place I had come to see as my new home, Joyce, and the Alpha, Benjamin, I ventured into a world I knew little of, seeking acceptance and solace in a world that felt rather unfamiliar to but I was eager and ready to succeed by any means possible. Being a new wolf in a new pack wasn’t an easy feat and trying to blend into the new surroundings was harder than I ever realized. Benjamin had urged me to join his pack on a hunt once and despite my initial reluctance, I figu
Benjamin’s POVMy breath lodged in my throat as I watched her walk through the woods. The past few months had done nothing to dull the feelings that grew inside of him with each passing day, it made no sense to deny it didn’t exist anymore. My wolf pranced around with joy any time she sent smiles my way and I knew she was the one for me. It was complicated and it was one of the major reasons why I hadn’t done anything yet. We both had our demons to battle with before we faced the sizzling attraction that often hung in the air between us when we were close. I watched fondly as Shannon in her wolf form and her fur shimmering under the glow of the moonlight participated in the ritual hunt, she was pregnant and she carried the gift of life within her, a beacon of hope and new beginnings to wash away her past that had been filled with pain and regret. However, I knew she was burdened with the weight of uncertainty. She was young and unsure about how much the birth of her pup would tilt
Benjamin’s POV“You seem so cold and unresponsive sometimes, like you have this wall shielding you from whatever it is you’re scared of. Sometimes, it comes down and I see you for the first time, the real you, and those are my happiest times with you.” I opened my mouth to speak but I snapped it shut, deciding to pick the next words carefully. I hadn’t known she had been figuring me out during the times we spent talking and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be impressed or feel bare. It rarely ever happened. The only exception was Joyce and I had planned to keep it that way.“I find it difficult to trust and my walls are my way of protecting myself from feeling betrayed. Keeping everyone at arm’s length is my way of making sure I never find myself in a compromising situation.” “Have you ever loved someone?” She asked me again. “Yes, I have.” I smiled softly at her. “Where’s she now? I’m sure I would’ve seen her around somewhere if she was still here.” “She’s not here because sh
Benjamin’s POV“I was only a young wolf, filled with vigor and youthful enthusiasm. I had the best parents anyone could ever wish for and the moon goddess deemed me worthy enough to bless me with a mate, I was only 18 at the time and there wasn’t much else I wanted.” Shannon had fallen silent now as she sat still, not wanting to move a muscle. “My father had gotten news of an internal war brewing from within but he had discarded the rumors, not bothering to give it a second thought.” I recounted wistfully. “In his words, my father had said, hell would be trampled upon before his brother would ever instigate an uprising against his leadership.” I laughed bitterly.“My uncle had been my friend and my teacher, he taught me everything I knew, from basic fighting skills to complex ones. He made me this strong and despite the age difference between us, he saw me more as a younger brother than a nephew. Life was so perfect or so I thought.” I paused for a bit and Shannon decided to ask me
Shannon’s POVMy mouth hung in shock as I stared at Benjamin as he told me about his past. I had suspicions that he had been through a rough patch earlier in his life. I could often see the sadness deep in his eyes when he thought no one was looking but I didn’t know he had been through so much more than I had thought. He lost his parents and he was betrayed by an uncle who he had loved with his heart and a woman who was supposed to be his mate for all of eternity.I didn’t know how he came out of all of this with his kindness intact, it didn’t make any sense to me if I were in his shoes, I would’ve built walls reaching for the sky to prevent anyone from ever coming close but he had welcomed me with open arms and treated me like one of his wolves for months, providing me with everything I ever needed, making sure I or my unborn pup never lacked anything. I didn’t know many people who would do that for a stranger but I had doubted his true intentions for me because of my bad past.
Shannon’s POV“Good morning, Shannon.” Ricky started, a broad smile on his face as he leaned against the doorpost.“You ran off without saying goodbye yesterday at school,” Jules added. “Now, that wasn’t very polite, was it?”“I—“ I opened my mouth to speak but Cole cut me off.“We’re here to take you to school. You shouldn’t be seen walking down the street like some commoner, you aren’t that anymore.”It was all happening so fast again. Yesterday wasn’t a fool’s dream. They meant
Shannon’s POVI felt my body tremble as Benjamin spoke, the calmness and ferocity in his voice serenading me. My fears were beginning to dissipate into thin air as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.They would come calling but knowing I had Benjamin by my side gave me all the assurance I could ever need.I smiled at the first memory I had of us together.A week after I arrived, I had grown weary of being in bed all the time so I decided to take a stroll to clear my head. It was a bit confusing figuring out what stairs to take but I eventually made my way downstairs and went into the woods, seeking solace and the quiet it would bring.
Shannon’s POV“Thank you,” I whispered as we sat on one of the benches outside the house, listening to the sounds of darkness. “You took me in when you didn’t have to and you’ve made me one of yours.”“That's all in the past now, we can only look forward to the future from now on and I want a future with you in it.” Benjamin said as he patted my thigh.I tried to stop it but I ended up blushing as hard as I could.I’ve always had a crush on him but it never went past that. I mean, who would want to be with me after everything I had been through?
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