Shannon’s POVIt hadn’t been easy to resist them but the trauma from the past had reared its ugly head and I knew that I couldn’t go on with it any further. A small part of me knew that they would demand an explanation but I wasn’t to give them any because they didn’t deserve it. Not in this life or the next. “Mummy, you’ve been looking sad all morning. Is there a problem?” I forced a smile on my face as my eyes made their way to my son who was staring at me with wide, innocent eyes. Just as I opened my mouth to answer, I heard a knock and in that same second, the door was thrown open and Ricky walked in. I froze instantly as my mouth went dry but I managed to gain control of myself as I smoothened my dress and stood up, standing in front of my son and shielding him from Ricky’s intense gaze. I hadn’t sent for him or his brothers, which meant that he had no business being here but he came anyway. “You have a minute to explain yourself or I’ll have you thrown in the dungeon for
Ricky’s POVI glared at Shannon for a couple of minutes, trying to rein in my anger. “I know we have zero reputation right now in your eyes and you see me and my brothers as nothing more than beggars but, it’s not always going to remain like this and before you say anything else, we’re going to repay your gold when the time is right,” I said. “I don’t need anything from you, Ricky,” Shannon replied, folding her arms on her chest. “You might say this but regardless, I would love to pay you back for everything you’ll do for us,” I answered. “You’re already paying for the help I’m going to render to your pack and that’s final,” Shannon said. “My brothers and I would need a date or a possible situation when that would happen, our pack can’t remain without its Alphas for so long and you understand the precarious situation of our pack as well,” I said. “You will get your gold in due time and you’ll be sent home as well. But, like I’ve repeatedly told you, it will be when I deem you an
Shannon’s POVI shut my eyes tightly. I could still hear myself yelling their names over the cacophony of a billion shards of glass as my head slammed into the mirror. I couldn't bring myself to bask in the pain I felt. I had no time to think about anything other than knowing what happened to the pack. I was like a recruit thrust into the heat of a raging war, I needed to find a safe place before I was blown to bits out here in the open. I groaned as I struggled to sit up, I had no idea how I got here but I didn't care about that right now. I had more important things to worry about, I needed to be up on my feet, thinking. I needed my brain working overtime, everything I held dear depended on it. My fear had toned down a little; slipping away from me like a nightmare slips away from a haunted man, who wakes eyes-wide, gulping with goosebumps covering every inch of his cold skin, who takes deep breaths trying to recollect the terrors, making sure it was all a dream and slowly, he b
Shannon’s POVI didn’t know how it happened, but it did. My son had become close to the Mayert triplets and I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it without setting off alarms and forcing the triplets to mull over my decision so I let it be and much to my surprise, it was the happiest I’ve ever seen my son. The Mayert triplets’ demeanor around him was contagious and I found myself becoming close to them as time went by. Our agreement was still ongoing and there weren’t any issues about how I decided to handle it either. I knew that they were trying to get me to soften up to them but my resolve wasn’t going to change and I was still going to carry out what I set out to do right from the start. I also knew that I had to protect Jace by any means necessary and that I couldn’t let him get extra close to the Mayert triplets because I didn’t want him to be hurt when it was time for them to leave. And I also wanted to protect him from them, to avoid the possibility of them ever finding
Shannon’s POVI didn’t know what to say because I hadn’t heard the entire story yet so I decided to urge him to tell me the whole story as I was slowly losing my patience. “This alternative plan you speak of, what does it entail because from the looks on your faces, it seems like you’re worried about letting me know what she said.” I began. “I don’t know how it happened or what she’s been doing during the five years she was away but Melissa has found herself in money, the entourage she has, and the guards she came with oozed wealth and influence,” Jules said. “She said she tracked us down and when she realized that we were with you, she said she knew she had to step in and do something about it,” Cole said. “And what did she do?” I asked. “She’s offering to give us any amount of money we need to restore our pack to its former glory on one condition, that we accept to become her boyfriend,” Ricky said. I couldn’t hold back my laughter. Melissa had always been a thorn in my flesh
Shannon’s POVI didn’t know what to say or what to do or how to react. But one thing was certain, Melissa was a pathological liar and she’s lied to me and nearly everyone in the past before. I knew her and I knew that she was only trying to put confusion in my camp like she had tried with the Mayert triplets three days ago. “I may not have known you for a very long time but I knew you for a year and within that period, you showed me your true colors. I could see you for who you were and even though it’s been five years, you haven’t changed. You’re still the same girl begging for attention and willing to do anything to get it.” I scoffed. “Five years ago, I was a little girl starved of attention and I wanted to be noticed by the Mayert triplets by any means necessary but it’s been five years and I want to assure you that I’m no longer that girl you once knew,” Melissa said. “I’m sure you know why I can’t believe you. You made a life out of telling a lie to get what you want and leo
Shannon’s POV“You asked us to come in here for a meeting, is something wrong?” Ricky asked but I ignored him.I didn’t have time to have small discussions at this point. I was still livid over the fact that they had gone behind my back to make plans with Melissa and they had the guts to lie to my face when they told me about what happened.I wasn’t going to tolerate such behavior from them anymore, I had taken enough.I nodded at the guard and he made his way outside to bring in the man I wanted to introduce to them.
Shannon's POVI downed the glass of wine in my hand rather quickly as I poured myself a new one, filling the glass to its brim this time around.I was pissed and trying to calm myself down before I did something that I might come to regret in the nearest future.After all these years, I thought that I was finally going to be unchallenged and I would have everything I wanted – especially the revenge that had kept me up for most nights during the past five years but it seemed like everything was going to end up in waste as it stands. No one knew what I had been through or how I had survived after running away from the Mayert pack either, they were all interested in my success story but they didn't want to know how I got there. Before I met Benjamin, who had helped make life easier for me, I used to sleep in front of stalls every night where I had to fend off attacks from rapists and bandits, I rarely came out of those attacks unscathed but I won every battle I was up against even thoug
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