ROSALINE’S POV:Pain shot through my stomach, and a grumble filled my ears shortly after. My eyelids flew apart, and a hunger like never before overtook me. But just as quickly as it came, the scent of toast, pancakes, and sausages filled my nostrils. The grumble only got louder, and my mouth watered.I sat up quickly as soon as I heard the sound of the door opening. My eyes were blessed with the sight of a shirtless Damien as he walked in with a tray of food in his hands. But I did not know how it was possible that, despite my hunger, my eyes were drawn to his bare chest; it looked more scrumptious than the food he held in his hands.Then another grumble came, one even more ferocious than the last one.Okay, food first.“You are really hungry, aren’t you?” Damien said with a light chuckle as he set the food between us and sat directly opposite me.“Very,” I said, my eyes glancing between the different delicacies set out before me.“What would you like to have first?” Damien asks, a
ROSALINE’S POV:“It’s time,” Peace said once she walked into my room. Her mouth dropped, but she quickly covered it up with her hands. I could have sworn I saw a few hints of tears in her eyes. “Wow, you look so beautiful, Rosaline.”“I know, right?”!” Stephanie squeals before falling dramatically on my bed. She releases an exhale before saying, “When will I find my mate? Someone that would be my prince charming?"“Stephanie!” Peace hisses, “Do you know where you lie? Get up!” Immediately, Stephanie rises to her feet, like the bed has burned her.“Shit, shit,” she says on repeat as she hurriedly dresses the bed to perfection. Peace slaps a hand over her forehead and sighs heavily. She brings her wristwatch to her face and meets her sister’s eyes.“Our work here is done; we need to leave,” she tells Stephanie, who nods in response. I scowl.“Now what do I do?” I ask them, and their eyes meet mine; their smiles are identical yet different. Stephanie’s held excitement, while Peace’s held
DAMIEN’S POV: Mommy? She was a mother?I was a real idiot, wasn’t I?We had been apart for five years; of course, she had been with someone within that period; it was expected, and it was all my fault. I did not even have the right to be angry, but I was furious. And so was she, apparently, even more than me. She did not even look at me; her gaze and all her attention were on the guards holding the child.“I said, Let her go!" Rosaline screeched, and their eyes glanced between us, and I could see the confusion in their eyes. I do not know why, but that angered me more; my fists clenched and I barred my teeth.“Are you fucking deaf?" I snapped, and they immediately freed the child. It was a girl; she ran to Rosaline as fast as her little leg could carry. Rosaline dropped to her knees and opened up her arms for the girl. She swooped the girl into her arms and attacked her face with kisses. I watched the interaction between mother and daughter, and I swear that I felt even more stupid
ROSALINE’S POV:It should have been me.Not her.I never should have left Ariana in Gwen’s care, especially after that night we were attacked. My stupidity cost me the life of my best friend. She did not deserve that. Gwen was an angel; she was the only one who bothered to even look at me when I was out on the street with Ariana in my womb.She took me in and fed me. listened to me. kept my secrets. Helped me find a job. She was basically Ariana’s second mother.Gwen was more than just my friend; she was my sister.And this was my way of repaying her for everything she had done for me. all because of my cowardice. If I had just stood firm and revealed Ariana’s identity a long time ago, no matter what, I knew deep down Damien would have provided us with some sort of protection.I was just so selfish. I wanted Ariana all to myself, but that was not even the case anymore.I hated to admit it, but at times I was so caught up in Damien's love that I forgot I had a daughter and best frien
DAMIEN’S POV: This was weird, wasn’t it?I mean, I was practically spying on a little girl, but could you blame me? I just found out I had a four-year-old kid a few minutes ago. How am I even supposed to approach her? What do I tell her? How do I even start? How do people talk to kids anyway? Do I have to use that baby voice to get them to understand me?All these questions and more filled my mind, but not once was I prompted to step up to her and talk to her. why? She was just a child; there was no way I was scared of talking to a child.Right?Yeah, there was definitely no way; my feet were just glued to the spot for a completely different reason. I just needed to see what she was like. What was her personality like? From what I had seen earlier, she had quite a mouth on her. Was she a brat? Just exactly how had Rosaline raised her?"Alright, little champ, what’s your name?” One of Rosaline’s maids said I think her name was Peace. Or was it Stephanie? I do not know, and I really
ROSALINE’S POV:Today is Gwen’s funeral. The ceremony would be held in the pack cemetery, which was distinguished solely for the great wolves of our pack, mainly soldiers. And Gwen was just that—a soldier loyal to the end.There is a pang in my chest before I feel something squirm in my arms. My eyelids parted a bit to see Ariana curled up in my arms. Her head rested on my shoulder and her little limbs wrapped around me so tight that I was surprised I had not woken up due to suffocation. Her face was facing me, and her lips were slightly ajar. The sight was so precious that it brought a smile to my lips. My grip on her tightened a bit, and she hummed sweetly as she nuzzled her head deeper into my shoulder until I could feel her breath on my neck.I missed this.But I missed something else as well. I missed someone else. At that moment, my eyes were suddenly drawn to the chair situated beside the bed. Damien was sitting with his head down and his two legs spread apart. His hand held
DAMIEN’S POV:I hated this.I hated seeing her cry. I hated everything that she said, including myself.I have never felt so helpless before in my life. Standing just a few feet away from her and watching her cry her soul out drained mine. I knew how much she was trying to be strong because there were a lot of people watching, including Ariana, but I was not sure she could handle it anymore.She was on her knees before the gravestone with her head bowed, her hands covering her face, and her shoulders shaking tremendously. The sound that left her lips was like needles sent straight to my heart; the more she cried, the more it hurt like hell. but I had only one job right now, and that was to be with my daughter.Right now, Rosaline needed to grieve in peace.We all stood a few feet away from Rosaline and Gwen’s grave with our hats down and our heads bowed. About fifteen guards were surrounding us, and double that amount was provided by the gate and fences of the cemetery. We all wore
DAMIEN’S POV:“Can mommy come with us?” My daughter, who I am growing quite fond of, said as she looked up with me beady eyes. She batted her little eyelashes and made a face. I am sure she used to cajole her mother into doing her bidding. And damn, did it work.It was morning, and all three of us had slept on the same bed again. Although I had ordered that a room be prepared solely for Ariana, I knew it would take a very long time before she would actually agree to sleep in it. or Rosaline, for that matter. I had woken up first, and while brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I felt something tug at my pants.There she was.I never thought that anything could compare to Rosaline’s eyes, but oh, how terribly mistaken I was. I fell in love with mine through those of others.Ariana joined me in the sink, and I taught her how to use the toothbrush. That was when I noticed the clothes she was wearing and scowled. I recognized it as one of Rosaline’s shirts.“We need to go shopping; you are a
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