Men and women poured into the theater, some young, so advanced in age, and some very elderly. They murmured to each other as they took the front seats of the space, as they weren't aware of why they'd been called here today. All the text message they'd received had said was that the matter was very important. They would be discussing their future in Knight & Co., and they had to be present at 3 o'clock sharp. Derek sat at the stage, alone, and not nearly as calm as he appeared. He kept expecting the alpha to rush through the doors any minute, raging at him for calling this meeting without his permission. That didn't happen, up till the moment the clock struck three, and the first three rows of the small theater were filled. Sucking in a deep breath, Derek stood. He'd called all these people here, he might as well go ahead with this insane plan. Stepping onto the podium on the stage, he leaned forward, his mouth to the mic. "Good afternoon, esteemed members of the Chicago Chicago
Lila's back straightened in her chair the instant she saw Belinda approaching. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the sight of the pale woman with an unearthly beauty, but she remained where she sat. She was curious, that was why. The summons she'd received on her phone only that morning had neither been detailed nor polite. Regardless, Lila had wondered why Belinda Knight—someone she'd clearly made enemies with—had asked to meet. "I apologize for the tardiness. I had other important business to attend to." Belinda took the empty seat at the table outside the suburban city cafe, absentmindedly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Lila hated to admit it, but she looked absolutely stunning in her all-black outfit and simple chignon hairdo. "I'm glad you feel remorseful for wasting my time." Lila's lips spread into a smile that had been absolutely intended to be vicious. "I, too, have more important matters to attend to." Though Belinda returned her smile, her expre
"And that is why, the council has reached the decision that it is in all our best interest for you to step down from the chairman seat of Knights & Co." In one of the many hallways of the Knight mansion, Lila halted in her tracks. Her gaze dropping, she focused on picking up the conversation in the study up ahead. The voices she heard she didn't recognize, but they all held this polished timbre and belonged to men. "So it is." Paul's low voice was calm and steady, his emotions impossible to read from his tone. "The Beta will take your place as the CEO. He will work endlessly, in your name, to renew the spotless image of our esteemed company, and report back to you." Lila waited—with her breath held—for all hell to break loose. If there was one thing she'd learned about her husband-to-be, it was his pride was his most beloved treasure. And that pride had just been threatened. She expected him to fly into a rage, to hold whoever had spoken by the neck and strangle him to
“The Chicago Pack has to be the most disgraceful pack out there. Their alpha daughter is a lying whore and idiotic bully, while their alpha is a common criminal. I'd literally die of embarrassment if I were them."Cecily's vision spotted red as she read the post made in the werewolf community forum. Anger gripped her chest, making her feel as though she was a boiling kettle about to explode. The imbeciles! Out of habit, she made to fling her phone on the wall, but her mind recalled that she couldn't afford to do so just in time. After her last scandal, Paul had made sure to remind her she was no longer an alpha daughter of the Chicago Pack at every turn. He'd cut down her allowance to almost nothing, had put her in one of his filthy apartments for low-ranking werewolves, and had taken away all her Knight privileges. She got that he was angry, but it'd been months now of living this way. As she couldn't cook, she had to rely on McDonalds and Red Lobster for her meals. She told her
Belinda walked through the double glass doors of the building, dressed in a corporate wear of white pantsuit. Heads turned as she walked past, staring at her ethereal beauty. Despite being aware of the eyes on her, however, she kept her gaze straight ahead, her steps purposeful in her pearl white pumps. This was the second time she'd come in two weeks. She was back here to follow up on a matter she'd brought to the management of the bank on her first visit. Briefly, Belinda glanced around at the simple yet majestic interior. The institution was one of the oldest of its kind in the city. And regardless of its reduced clientele, it still held plenty of respect. Without bothering to meet a cashier, although one was unoccupied, she proceeded to a narrow entrance at a corner of the hall. The lonely hallway led to even lonelier stairs, and she climbed up it to step onto an eerily quiet floor. Belinda pushed open a wooden door to enter a small room, with a single desk and a woman typing be
They sat across each other at a table in a pub a few buildings from the bank. As it was only afternoon, the place was almost empty, but the two women didn't concern themselves with the scantiness. They were too busy staring at each other. Belinda felt extremely uneasy in Lexie's. She hadn't seen the other since that fateful day she'd walked out of the Lycan's residence. Despite being convinced she'd done the right thing, she couldn't help feeling guilty about the horrid things she'd said to Lexie. Belinda warily studied the woman in front of her. Usually, Lexie was skittish when placed in an awkward situation. There was no trace of that jumpiness in the hard features of her face, however. She sat with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes narrowed in a condemning glare. "Well?" Lexie bit out bitterly. "Aren't you going to say something?" Belinda gingerly raised an eyebrow, her expression blank and her tone flat as she said, "Long time no see?" Her humorless quip made Lexi
Belinda watched Derek through the large screen of the television. He looked handsome, in his pressed black suit and meticulously combed hair. He was standing on a podium with a microphone bent towards his mouth. Below the steady timbre of his voice, cameras clicked and voices murmured. Occasionally, when a reporter asked a question, the screen switched to their faces, their viciousness masked in polite curiosity. They were baiting him... waiting for him to say the wrong thing. "You say the former CEO of Knights & Co. retired due to personal grievances. Do these grievances have anything to do with his recent multiple scandals? Or does he consider himself no longer fit to lead?" Derek waited a while before replying, clearly measuring the answer he was to give. "The former CEO is a competent leader who has dedicated himself to Knights & Co. for years. The decision to step down was a difficult one, but he believes it is time to usher the company into a new age." More reporters made
A knock resounded in the small but organized study and to it, Draven replied, "Come in." With the scent wafting into the room, he already knew who the visitor was, and he had only given one person permission to come up to the penthouse. A man entered the office a beat later, bowing low before closing the door behind him. "My lord." The man greeted with worshipful respect. He was tall and quite bulky, with gleaming brown skin ripped around bulging muscles. However, behind his gruff exterior was a highly intelligent man, who could be subtle when he wanted. And that was why Draven had assigned him to this particular task. Pausing what he had been doing, the Lycan propped his pen between the pages of his open book. He leaned back into his chair, his pose casual yet powerful, his focus zoning in on the man in front of him. "Well?" He probed flatly. With a solemn nod, Travis Jonahson went on to deliver his report, like he'd been doing for the past few weeks. "In the last week,
A knock resounded in the small but organized study and to it, Draven replied, "Come in." With the scent wafting into the room, he already knew who the visitor was, and he had only given one person permission to come up to the penthouse. A man entered the office a beat later, bowing low before closing the door behind him. "My lord." The man greeted with worshipful respect. He was tall and quite bulky, with gleaming brown skin ripped around bulging muscles. However, behind his gruff exterior was a highly intelligent man, who could be subtle when he wanted. And that was why Draven had assigned him to this particular task. Pausing what he had been doing, the Lycan propped his pen between the pages of his open book. He leaned back into his chair, his pose casual yet powerful, his focus zoning in on the man in front of him. "Well?" He probed flatly. With a solemn nod, Travis Jonahson went on to deliver his report, like he'd been doing for the past few weeks. "In the last week,
Belinda watched Derek through the large screen of the television. He looked handsome, in his pressed black suit and meticulously combed hair. He was standing on a podium with a microphone bent towards his mouth. Below the steady timbre of his voice, cameras clicked and voices murmured. Occasionally, when a reporter asked a question, the screen switched to their faces, their viciousness masked in polite curiosity. They were baiting him... waiting for him to say the wrong thing. "You say the former CEO of Knights & Co. retired due to personal grievances. Do these grievances have anything to do with his recent multiple scandals? Or does he consider himself no longer fit to lead?" Derek waited a while before replying, clearly measuring the answer he was to give. "The former CEO is a competent leader who has dedicated himself to Knights & Co. for years. The decision to step down was a difficult one, but he believes it is time to usher the company into a new age." More reporters made
They sat across each other at a table in a pub a few buildings from the bank. As it was only afternoon, the place was almost empty, but the two women didn't concern themselves with the scantiness. They were too busy staring at each other. Belinda felt extremely uneasy in Lexie's. She hadn't seen the other since that fateful day she'd walked out of the Lycan's residence. Despite being convinced she'd done the right thing, she couldn't help feeling guilty about the horrid things she'd said to Lexie. Belinda warily studied the woman in front of her. Usually, Lexie was skittish when placed in an awkward situation. There was no trace of that jumpiness in the hard features of her face, however. She sat with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes narrowed in a condemning glare. "Well?" Lexie bit out bitterly. "Aren't you going to say something?" Belinda gingerly raised an eyebrow, her expression blank and her tone flat as she said, "Long time no see?" Her humorless quip made Lexi
Belinda walked through the double glass doors of the building, dressed in a corporate wear of white pantsuit. Heads turned as she walked past, staring at her ethereal beauty. Despite being aware of the eyes on her, however, she kept her gaze straight ahead, her steps purposeful in her pearl white pumps. This was the second time she'd come in two weeks. She was back here to follow up on a matter she'd brought to the management of the bank on her first visit. Briefly, Belinda glanced around at the simple yet majestic interior. The institution was one of the oldest of its kind in the city. And regardless of its reduced clientele, it still held plenty of respect. Without bothering to meet a cashier, although one was unoccupied, she proceeded to a narrow entrance at a corner of the hall. The lonely hallway led to even lonelier stairs, and she climbed up it to step onto an eerily quiet floor. Belinda pushed open a wooden door to enter a small room, with a single desk and a woman typing be
“The Chicago Pack has to be the most disgraceful pack out there. Their alpha daughter is a lying whore and idiotic bully, while their alpha is a common criminal. I'd literally die of embarrassment if I were them."Cecily's vision spotted red as she read the post made in the werewolf community forum. Anger gripped her chest, making her feel as though she was a boiling kettle about to explode. The imbeciles! Out of habit, she made to fling her phone on the wall, but her mind recalled that she couldn't afford to do so just in time. After her last scandal, Paul had made sure to remind her she was no longer an alpha daughter of the Chicago Pack at every turn. He'd cut down her allowance to almost nothing, had put her in one of his filthy apartments for low-ranking werewolves, and had taken away all her Knight privileges. She got that he was angry, but it'd been months now of living this way. As she couldn't cook, she had to rely on McDonalds and Red Lobster for her meals. She told her
"And that is why, the council has reached the decision that it is in all our best interest for you to step down from the chairman seat of Knights & Co." In one of the many hallways of the Knight mansion, Lila halted in her tracks. Her gaze dropping, she focused on picking up the conversation in the study up ahead. The voices she heard she didn't recognize, but they all held this polished timbre and belonged to men. "So it is." Paul's low voice was calm and steady, his emotions impossible to read from his tone. "The Beta will take your place as the CEO. He will work endlessly, in your name, to renew the spotless image of our esteemed company, and report back to you." Lila waited—with her breath held—for all hell to break loose. If there was one thing she'd learned about her husband-to-be, it was his pride was his most beloved treasure. And that pride had just been threatened. She expected him to fly into a rage, to hold whoever had spoken by the neck and strangle him to
Lila's back straightened in her chair the instant she saw Belinda approaching. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the sight of the pale woman with an unearthly beauty, but she remained where she sat. She was curious, that was why. The summons she'd received on her phone only that morning had neither been detailed nor polite. Regardless, Lila had wondered why Belinda Knight—someone she'd clearly made enemies with—had asked to meet. "I apologize for the tardiness. I had other important business to attend to." Belinda took the empty seat at the table outside the suburban city cafe, absentmindedly tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Lila hated to admit it, but she looked absolutely stunning in her all-black outfit and simple chignon hairdo. "I'm glad you feel remorseful for wasting my time." Lila's lips spread into a smile that had been absolutely intended to be vicious. "I, too, have more important matters to attend to." Though Belinda returned her smile, her expre
Men and women poured into the theater, some young, so advanced in age, and some very elderly. They murmured to each other as they took the front seats of the space, as they weren't aware of why they'd been called here today. All the text message they'd received had said was that the matter was very important. They would be discussing their future in Knight & Co., and they had to be present at 3 o'clock sharp. Derek sat at the stage, alone, and not nearly as calm as he appeared. He kept expecting the alpha to rush through the doors any minute, raging at him for calling this meeting without his permission. That didn't happen, up till the moment the clock struck three, and the first three rows of the small theater were filled. Sucking in a deep breath, Derek stood. He'd called all these people here, he might as well go ahead with this insane plan. Stepping onto the podium on the stage, he leaned forward, his mouth to the mic. "Good afternoon, esteemed members of the Chicago Chicago
They sat together in his living room, both sipping a hot cup of tea. Belinda's suitcases lay at her feet, as she relaxed on the comfy couch opposite Derek. He watched as she casually blew steam from her cup, unable to wipe the frown from his features. In many ways, she appeared calmer than he felt. "Let me get this straight..." Derek began. "The Lycan discovered you're an offspring of the Sorcerer Clan?" "That's correct." Belinda unceremoniously brought her cup to her lips. "And he let you go?" He was more flustered by how unbothered she seemed more than anything else. "I suppose it was his form of mercy." Determining her drink was still too hot for her tongue, Belinda lowered it and blew at the steam once more. "He can't punish my mother and everybody involved without coming after me first." Seriously, was there something he was missing?As far as Derek could understand, the woman in front of him—and basically everyone in the Chicago Pack—were in deep shit. It was