ROSALINE’S POV:Well, things just got worse.Of course, the universe decided to mock me by giving her the name of my deceased best friend. I was unable to utter a word for a while; I could not. My voice was lost, and I could do nothing but stare at her in disbelief.That seemed to have made Gwen uneasy because her eyebrows drew together, and she appeared nervous. My silence could do that to anyone. Thankfully, Brenda came to my rescue by breaking the unwarranted and nerve-wracking silence.“That’s such a sweet name, but what does Alpha Xander call you?” she asked, smiling deviously with a sprinkle of mischief. Gwen’s face heated a bit, and she hesitated before responding.“Mama.”Brenda released a snort, but I knew it was meant to be a full-blown laugh, but she was doing her best to contain herself. I did not find any of this amusing; suddenly, all this felt so wrong to me. Was it because of her name or because she was uncomfortable with all of this?“How old are you?” I blurted, but
ROSALINE’S POV:The three alphas stood alongside each other with expressions that hinted at embarrassment. Damien, on the other hand, had his lips sucked in between his teeth. He bowed his head for a moment, and I knew he was doing everything within his power to keep himself from laughing.He put up a façade by putting up a cold countenance. “Rosaline dear,” he started, and I knew I was in trouble. “Mind if I steal you away for a while.” “You can’t steal what’s already yours, champ,” Brenda noted, and her words brought so much heat to my cheeks. Damien shot his famous grin that had many shewolves weak in the knees.“You’re right.” He said before meeting my eyes, stretching his hand out for me to take, and I did. I hopped off the stool, and he led me back inside. I shot the girls a look over my shoulder, and they had wide smiles on their faces with their thumbs up in the air, wishing me good luck.We were enveloped in a sea of people, and I wondered where he was leading me. And sudden
DAMIEN’S POV:“He just wanted us to form a pact. I told him I would think about it and go find you,” I told her, but she did not look even a little bit convinced. She still had her eyebrows knitted together and her lips pulled downward to a frown. I hated seeing her like this; it drove me crazy, and not in a good way.After enduring the torture of watching her cry last night until she passed out, I had hoped this morning would be different, but somehow that was even worse. Last night I carried her back inside the house, and thank goodness Ariana was sleeping by then. I do not think she would believe any story I would have made up. She was way too smart for her age.This morning I woke up to find Rosaline wide awake; she was silently staring into the distance, and I had to shake her before she knew I was awake. not even speaking to her anymore.This is the version of her that I hated most. The withdrawn part of her was the part of her that was hurt, lost, and confused. That child in he
ROSALINE'S POV: “I will kill you.”Great. Another enemy I have to look out for Sincerely, this had to be my talent, and I am so stupid for not realizing it sooner. I had a talent for making more enemies than friends; I mean, it has been this way since I was a child. I just never knew things would ever get this intense.I could not get rid of that look in Gio’s eyes, that burning hatred he had for me. I have never seen anything like it. I knew he hated me from the very first day I stepped foot in here, but it grew every damn day. I would not say he has a good reason to hate me; he was just always such an ass and made my life a living hell.Or maybe he was just angry that I took his son away from him and that I had more control over Damien than he ever did. And that is what is hurting him most.I jolted when a hand suddenly wrapped around my arm. I immediately relaxed when my eyes met those of my mate’s. Damien has nothing but worry written all over his face as he reads my features."H
ROSALINE’S POV:"Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” I said, a smirk on my face as my eyes fell on the person I had expected to see here.Brenda.She had a smile that stretched to her ears, and I can only imagine the mischievous things that were going through her mind. She wore a pair of white bum shorts, a baggy black tee shirt, and sneakers. Her eyes were shielded by a pair of dark sunglasses, and her hair had been tied up into a bun.I walk up to her and wrap my arms around her. Our hug is brief yet warm. When I step away from her, I ask, “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” I ask, and she raises a brow. Why was she acting surprised by my question? It was not like we had talked about her visiting the last time we saw her. But now that I think about it, we did not exactly get the chance to say goodbye that night.But still, who comes to another person’s place unannounced and so early in the morning? Oh, that's right, Brenda. Damien and I were in bed together when Geoffrey knoc
ROSALINE’S POV: So here we were, driving towards the western coast mall with a startled, if not horrified, Gwen sitting in the back seat. I am not even going to lie; I would be horrified as well if a raging woman came storming into my room in the middle of the day and practically kidnapped me in a palace filled with soldiers.“You don’t look so happy to see me, Gwen,” Brenda said, meeting the bewildered woman’s eyes through the rearview mirror. I caught her open and shut her lips like she was second-guessing her words.“I just... never expected to see you guys again, so soon, and in that manner. Those men always looked so fearless to me,” she grabbed her head and shook it like she was still having a hard time believing what had just happened. “Alpha Xander is not going to like this when he finds out.”Brenda snorted, “Screw Alpha Xander; I take my friends out whenever the hell I want. I do not need anyone’s permission.”“But you informed Damien before taking me,” I said, and Brenda l
ROSALINE’S POV:“How is this possible?"Alpha Xander shook his head, his face still buried in Gwen’s neck. We watched as his nose travelled up her neck and found its way to her hair. His inhale was heard, and I knew that he missed her greatly from the way he held her, like she was the most valuable thing in the world he would protect with his life. I watched his eyes turn back to normal, and it only made my theory right.Gwen was his mate.“I don’t know,” Xander whispered as he took a step away from a bewildered Gwen.“How long have you known that I was your mate?” Gwen asked, searching his eyes for the truth.Xander watched her with so much intensity that it affected even me. “From the very first night I met you, my wolf called you his but... I could not sense yours; that was when I knew you were human.”“And when were you going to tell me about this?” she asked, her eyes swirling with a thousand emotions. Alpha Xander bowed his head, and his silence was her answer. He was never goi
ARIANA’S POV:Mommy’s crying again.I hate seeing her cry; it makes me want to cry, but I know that will not make her feel better if she sees me crying too. It will make her feel worse, and I do not want that. When she came back from her trip with her friends, I thought she would be happy. I thought we all would have been happy a long time ago. I mean, mommy and friends? When we were leaving with Aunty Gwen, Mommy was always busy with work; I do not think she even had friends. It was so sad. At times, I would try to introduce her to my friend's parents, but she was never in one place or focused enough to make them their friends. I thought when we came here to live with Daddy, things would be different. I thought she would be happier. I thought all we needed was a big house, a lot of food, and money to buy whatever we wanted, but Mommy was still not happy. I want her to be happy.“Ariana? What are you doing here?” Aunty Peace says this as she comes to stand beside me. I quickly wipe
ROSALINE’S POV:SEVEN MONTHS LATER:I watched Damien and Ariana’s wolf run around the courtyard with a speed my human eyes could barely keep up with. At this point, I was not sure which of them was faster. They have been doing this every morning for the past six months. Damien had made it their morning to train Ariana himself; he wanted her to become the strongest woman in the pack.And I was scared of that.The speed at which she improved was frightening. At this rate, she would be the strongest wolf in the world by the time she was eighteen.“Damn, she is getting better and better,” Peace said, and my gaze shifted to her. She cradled Light in her arms, and the tender baby yawned. The day Light was born was quite an eventful day for all of us. It was early in the morning, and we were all in the kitchen when her water broke. Ariana was the one who raised an alarm by saying, “Aunt Peace peed herself.”Peace, who was embarrassed, defended herself, but we all knew what was going on. We d
ROSALINE’S POV:“I do not need therapy.” I frowned at Damien, who gave me a tired look. He drove me down to my supposed therapist’s office, and I considered jumping out, but I had to remember that I was pregnant. Peace sat in the back seat, and I had no idea when she and Damien could be in the same space without growling at each other.“Yes, you do, Rosaline. You should have seen yourself yesterday; you were about to faint over something that wasn’t even there,” Peace said, and I folded my arms above my chest.“Okay, I admit that what happened yesterday was a bit out of character, but I am fine now. Just because I had one panic attack does not mean I need therapy." I defended myself, but neither of them looked like they would be going back on their decision.“It’s not just one; you have had several in the past."“I am not talking to you,” I snapped at Peace, and she reared her head back with surprise.“Rosaline, calm down. Peace is right, you, and since when did you two become best f
ROSALINE’S POV:“Yeesh, mothers are the worst,” Peace chuckled, and I shook my head with wonder. We were both at a baby store picking up some stuff for the baby. I mean, I know it was still a bit soon, but little by little, Damien and I would be getting some things ready. And we still did not know the gender of the baby, but we were able to get the essentials and some unisex clothes.“Tell me about it; my worst nightmare would be to end up like her sometime in the future,” I said with a huff. I picked up a pair of black baby shoes and inspected them. It was way smaller than my hand, perfect for a newborn baby.“Trust me, you will never be like that. Give yourself some credit; you are one of the best moms I have ever seen. This kid and Ariana are so lucky to have you,” Peace said, and her words warmed my heart. She picked up a pair of pink baby ballet shoes and put them in the cart.“Oh, no, we have to get unisex wear for now; I still do not know the gender of my baby,” I told her, but
ROSALINE’S POV:I am so hungry.I laid on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling as I wondered how cruel Damien was. How could he just leave me like that to starve?I mean I know I have been eating for the past three hours, but doesn’t he know that it’s for two? He is so mean.Tears began to blur my vision, and my bottom lip trembled. I knew Damien did not love me anymore. It was the only explanation! Maybe because of what happened with Magnus, he is disgusted by me. Yes, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t want to get me the pizza.I really am unbelievable.“Good God, why are you crying now?”My eyes snapped to the door, and I found Damien standing by the doorway with a box that had steam coming out of it. Instantly, my nose picked up the scent, and I sat up quickly.“I thought you weren’t going to get me the pizza,” I said, and he walked over to me, setting the box of pizza in between us. He opened it, and the steam kissed my face. I could not stop the smile from stretching my lips a
ROSALINE’S POV:“Why is the food not ready yet?!” I snapped at Damien, who stirred the pot of pudding as fast as he could. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he whisked, turned, seasoned, diced, and sprinkled as fast as his hands could. Ariana was right by his side, helping in the little way she could, even though she could not quite keep up with his speed. We would have asked one of the maids to prepare it, but for some reason, I really enjoyed foods that were prepared by either Damien or Ariana and Damien was an absolutely horrible cook. So, the taste had nothing to do with my favouritism, just the sentiment. A part of me was grateful that Ariana was helping him out, so at least it would not taste like complete shit. Jake was here as well. But unlike the other two, he was completely lost and only helped with the dishes.“It’s coming; it’s coming. Just a few more minutes,” Damien said in haste.“Hurry up, I am so hungry,” I whined, picking up some pieces of carrot that he
DAMIEN’S POV:FEW HOURS EARLIER:She was still fast asleep. I slipped my arms away from her, careful not to wake her up. Gently, I got off the bed and exhaled. I do not know how long I stood above the bed staring at her, but I did not care. Somehow, the longer I stared at her, the angrier I got. Not because she now carried a child that was not mine, but because I let that bastard put that child in her in the first place.I need some fresh air.I left the room quietly and headed down to our gym. The hallway was still silent; I passed a few guards and even got some sleep. Figured. Everyone was quite tired; now that the enemy was eliminated, everyone was taking that break they had so long deserved.Except Rosaline.It’s like, no matter how hard I try to take her pain away, a new one starts.I took off my shirt and tossed it aside. I started on the punching bag and poured out every ounce of my frustration on it. All my anger, all my sadness, all my guilt, I threw into my punches. After a
ROSALINE’S POV: I could not stop screaming.Somehow, my body, which had been a practical vegetable for the past month, was full of life and rage. I threw and tossed everything in sight while I screamed out my lungs. I could hear people telling me to calm down, but I could not hear them. I could not hear anything; I did not want to.It was all coming back to me. that night. Magnus. His touch. Everything.“NO!” I grabbed a plate and shattered it against the wall. The shards flew across the air, and I think a few pierced me in the process, but I did not care. A pair of arms came up from behind me and swept me off my feet. I immediately recognized them as Damien’s and began to sob. “It’s not fair! No!"“Just calm down, baby. Please, just relax; you are hurting yourself,” he whispered, and I pinched my eyes shut. Tears fell helplessly down my face, and my body began to tremble. Damon held me and lifted me back to the bed.“I thought you would be happier, Luna. I am sure Princess Ariana wi
DAMIEN’S POV:It has been a month since I got Rosaline back and killed the bastards responsible. Well, technically, one of them was a coward and killed himself instead, but it was the same thing to me anyway.For the past month, Rosaline has been bedridden, but unlike me, she is not as fussy and agitated. I mean, at times she preferred to do things by herself, but you cannot compare the two of us when we are bedridden. It irks me down to my very soul that I cannot do so much as do the necessities of life.Anyway, after the first three days, she pretty much accepted her condition and let us help her around. “What other choice do I have? If I continue to struggle, then I might only make things worse for myself,” she had said, and I wonder what would have happened if I had said the same thing all those months ago when I was in her condition.I waited outside the room for Peace to finish dressing her up so I could take her downstairs for breakfast. I would have preferred if she stayed in
ROSALINE’S POV:Anger.That was the only thing in my heart. My heart once held so much fear, but now it is replaced with nothing but rage.Magnus. That demon. That devil.I cannot say that I remember much of what happened during our time in bed, but I did not want to. All I remember was screaming my lungs out until I passed out. But now I am left with one question that I most probably will never get an answer to.What did he do to me?When I managed to pull myself together and stay conscious for just a few seconds, I thought I was flying. My body was high up in the air, and I had no idea where the hell I was. But he was right beside me; that was the only thing I knew. He had his disgusting hands around my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it off. I did not know where that strength came from. I was pretty sure that I could not move at all just a few moments ago. But something overcame me when I saw him. I knew that he was the one holding me and keeping me over the edge, an