Pushing the door open after two knocks, Derek entered the CEO office of Knights & Co. "Good day, sir." He delivered his greeting with a bow. The room was spacious, the large ceiling-floor window allowing a magnificent view of the city. Paul had kept the decoration of his office simple, with sparse but luxurious furniture, and only the most needed equipment. Sitting behind his unnecessarily wide desk, he typed on his laptop. And although he noticed the entrance of his beta, he did not lift his gaze from the screen. "Yes. Yes. Come." He urged mildly, then poked at a thin file beside his laptop once Derek drew near. "Take this to the study at my home." The silent order was nothing out of the ordinary, so Derek thought nothing of it as he slid the file from the desk. In the process, several papers slipped to the floor, and he bent to pick them up. His eyes caught part of the title on one of the pages as he stood up... DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT. There was
The instant Belinda stepped into the Peach Valley Orphanage, children swarmed around her, as they always did. As usual, she laughed as she greeted them, and as usual, they squealed as she unloaded what she'd bought for them. She waited till they lost interest in her, going off to play with their new toys, before she stood up. Ellie was waiting at a table with a cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits. "You don't always have to get them something every time you come, you know." She said as Belinda took the seat opposite her. "I don't welcome you because of what you give me." "It's the kids, I've already formed a habit with them. Anything less would be a disappointment." Adjusting the position of her chair, Belinda settled into her seat. "They're fond of you." Ellie pointed out. Belinda smiled at that observation. "I'm fond of them too." "I can see that." Pausing just before her lips sipped from her cup, Ellie studied Belinda. Then, as though she'd seen what she'd bee
Derek was waiting for Belinda at their spot in the private park. He stood at the very same spot at the stone bridge, looking down at the clear waters as he battled with his thoughts. Raising his hand to his face, he stared at the screen of his phone. "We need to talk." The message on the screen read. He'd been so unsure before he'd sent that text to Belinda. He still was. For one, the Lycan had made it abundantly clear he didn't want him anywhere near "his woman". And the last meeting he'd had with the one in question still rattled his bones. The woman was his ex, for the moon goddess' sake, who had openly shown aggression towards his pack. She was the last person he should be associating with. His doubts became irrelevant as a soft feminine voice called his name. "Derek." Well, he couldn't back out now. Pocketing his phone, he turned in the direction of the voice. "Hello, Belinda." "I admit I was a bit surprised that you contacted me." Belinda moved to his side. She kept
Marcus was busy this afternoon, concentrated on supervising a group of men as they loaded cocaine into the building's underground basement. So, when his boss' mistress approached him, he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. "Not a good time, Belinda." He grumbled through his teeth. "I know." Flashing him a brief smirk, she sashayed to his side. Her arms folding across her chest, she joined him to monitor the movers. "I need your help." "That was pretty obvious." Marcus signaled a man to move a package to a specific corner.At that moment, Belinda hesitated to continue. Even if Marcus refused to help her, she had no doubt that he wouldn't snitch on her. Their easy friendship had developed that much. Then why was she scared to open up to him? Taking a deep breath, she decided there was no problem as long as she said nothing that implicated herself. "How much do you know about the Sorcerer Clan?" She asked. "Why? Are you involved with them somehow?" For a sec
Lifting her hand, Belinda pressed her fingers to the rough colors strewn about the canvas, staring up at a face so eerily similar to her own, that she saw herself in it. But it couldn't be her. The lips of the woman in the painting were curved upwards, but it was nothing like the cold smile that never reached the eyes, which seemed to be all Belinda could manage. The painter had captured the twinkle in the silver eyes, and joy in her facial features. This woman appeared genuinely happy; unlike Belinda, she truly smiled. The Lycan stood beside the mysterious woman, his dark eyes and smile just as bright as her own. The way his hand was protectively wrapped around her waist, the way his body unconsciously leaned towards her, Belinda could tell she was someone important to him. But who was she? They were both dressed fashionably, or at least they would have been considered so in the late American 1800s. Belinda ran her fingers around the woman's jaw, down her slender neck, an
The doorbell rang, and Marcus strolled over to answer it. He opened the door to view Luisa's smiling face. She leaned on the doorpost, raising her hand to dangle the nylon she carried. "I got us some takeouts." She didn't wait for permission to sashay into the apartment, as she'd been there too many times to need to. Marcus' gaze followed her as she entered, watching as she dropped the takeouts on the nearest table and turned to him. He closed the distance between them, and she cupped his cheeks as she planted a kiss on his lips. Snaking an arm around her waist, Marcus deepened the kiss, using his tongue to part her lips. His body was pressed to hers, and as he let himself sink into her comforting softness, the shaft between his legs came to attention. Her laughter a light charming sound, Luisa pulled back. "Naughty boy." She playfully smacked his chest. Successfully wriggling out of his grip, she proceeded to the table. "Let's eat." Despi
Before stepping into the store, Derek paused, his eyes studying the gold letters encrusted on a gleaming white plate. Once again, he wondered what he was doing here. Only half an hour ago, the alpha's fiancée had texted him to meet her, emphasizing the urgency of the summons. He'd obeyed, but who held an important meeting in a bridal shop? On entering the reception, a woman dressed smartly in a black suit smiled up at him. She sat behind a large white desk and her name tag read "Maggy". "I'm here for Lila Salvador." Derek announced as he took a look around at the wide room. Everything, down to the furniture and decor, was immaculate, fancy, and overly... white. "The 10-11 appointment?" Maggy's smile brightened. "Right this way." She led him down a short hallway, stopping in front of one of the four doors lining the path. Lila stood on top of a raised platform inside the fitting room, checking her angles in a tall mirror as the owner inspected the beautiful wedding dress sh
Lexie couldn't take it anymore. Sometime the previous afternoon, Belinda had returned from her trip—with the Lycan who was not supposed to be aware she was gone. No one had sighted the beautiful omega since then. Rumors were swirling, and the fact Belinda wasn't taking any calls wasn't helping matters. All Lexie wanted to do was confirm her friend wasn't dead, and if that was the case, plead that she be given a proper funeral. Tapping her foot furiously on the metal floor, her arms folded across her chest, she impatiently waited for the elevator to reach the penthouse. She emitted a haughty huff as the contraption dinged and the doors began to slide open, but as she made to step out, she was met with a familiar face. "You!" Belinda gingerly lifted an eyebrow at the other woman's overly emotional exclamation, but before listening any more or asking any questions, she pushed into the elevator. With the source of her anxiety now beside her, Lexie did not hesitate to go off on her.
Belinda strained to see in the darkness, the only source of light being the small crack where the two walls met. Feeling the cold concrete, she searched for a way out, maybe a secret lever hidden on the inside. She found none, and not surprisingly. She suspected that the space had been designed to keep people in, not let them out. Giving up for the time being, she directed her gaze to the room. She already knew it was empty, from the time Paul had opened it. It was windowless, empty, and very small. Not for the first time, she wondered what it was for. The large smudges on both walls caught her eye. Squinting, she peered at one. The stain spanned most of the wall, several shades darker than the unpainted concrete. Belinda placed her hands on it and immediately recoiled. It had felt disgusting under her palms, its raised surface rough and dry. What had been smeared on these walls? The question was added to her long list about this place. As if to reply, a harsh and loud grating sound
Draven sat in the back of his SUV, the aura around him likable to a stormy night in the middle of an ocean. He was waiting, and he hated it. The longer his subordinates took to report back to him, the more restless he grew. His body vibrated with barely contained power, his gaze darker than the moonless sky. A moment later, his phone vibrated in his pocket and his expression never changing, he pulled it out. He swiped the screen, picking the call, and put the phone to his ear. "We've located Miss Knight, my lord." A deep voice droned into his ear an instant later. Draven listened to the address that came next, one he wasn't familiar with, then tilting his head towards his driver, repeated it. "How long is it from here?" The man behind the wheel hastily imputed the location into the car's GPS, and was provided with an answer soon after. "30 minutes, my lord. It's just on the outskirts of the city." Armed with information, Draven resumed the conversation with the one on the ph
Belinda's blacked-out mind gave way to consciousness, and the first thing she became aware of was the merciless throbbing In her forehead. Her entire body ached, as though her nerves were fighting a battle against her—and winning. Instinctively, she tried to find a position that was not so uncomfortable, but she felt like a log—too heavy and stiff to move. She realized then that despite her eyes being open, all she could see was pitch black. Her guess was that she was blindfolded, judging by the slight pressure around the diameter of her head, but she couldn't be sure. When she attempted to lower her hands to check, however, she met resistance. Without sight or mobility, Belinda had only intuition to use to assess her situation. She deduced that she was being pinned to a wall, both her hands held high above her head with handcuffs. Her bottom sat on a cold concrete floor, the dew on the surface seeping into her shorts and soaking it. She was alone, as far as she could tell, and in a
Draven never locked his doors, because every living being in the building knew to never disturb him without being summoned first. The only exclusion was his Beta, who he'd grown quite fond of over the decades. That privilege did not yet extend to his Beta's son and successor. The boy knew that, yet he walked through the front doors of the penthouse uninvited. And what was worse, he'd brought company. Dropping all he was doing, Draven leaned back into his chair, waiting for the trio to arrive. They found him soon enough, halting in front of his office's door. A soft knock sounded a second later, but the show of courtesy did little to lighten his mood. "May we come in, my lord?" Marcus' clear voice rang from behind the door. "You seem to have already come to a conclusion on that." The annoyance wasn't lost in Draven's reply. It should have been to scare them off, to give them the hint that he was not in the mood to entertain any guests. Yet, the wood swung open, ushering thr
Derek returned home well into the night, way past the customary 5 pm. He was newly discovering that a CEO working hard to revive his company was no easy job, and it often left him drained after a long day. Tonight, he heaved a sigh as he removed his suit blazer and pulled off his tie. As he stepped deeper into his apartment, however, he realized that his housemate's scent was way too faint, meaning she wasn't home. That made Derek frown, especially as to how late the hour was. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, absentmindedly strolling into his kitchen as he prepared to call her. That was when his eyes caught a piece of paper pinned onto his counter by a pan. He instinctively picked it up and went through it. “... wish for my own privacy...would appreciate if you respect my wishes.”Anger coursed through Derek at the words in the note. Like hell Belinda had moved out because she wanted “privacy”! She was simply locking him out again. Damn it, she hadn't even had the guts to
After closing the door behind her, Belinda gazed ahead at the room she would now be staying in till further notice. It wasn't the most luxurious quarters, but that was the thing about second-rate hotels—they were just below perfect and affordable.Dragging her luggage along, she advanced deeper into the room. She randomly deposited her bags on the floor and moved onto the bed. The soft mattress jerked as she plopped her bottom onto it, her mind too far gone to notice the bounce. Absentmindedly, she picked up the remote and switched on a channel. Although she gazed at the screen, she was not watching the TV program playing. She was thinking about too many things at once. Slipping out of Derek's apartment had been easy. As the other went to work early in the morning and came back late in the evening, she'd been able to pack her bags and leave without him realizing. She wasn't exactly running away. She'd left a piece of paper on the counter with her new address, which also specified the
"I've got a solution for all our problems." The proud declaration did not have the effect thought it would. Paul simply stared dead on at her, his flat expression displaying anything but curiosity. Georgina was no better. She did not appear irritated like her son, but her look was anything but impressed. "And what is that, dear?" Her tone was patient and indulging, like she was talking to a child she did not expect to say anything meaningful, but let him speak nonetheless. It annoyed Cecily senseless, but she forced herself to get past her anger. Pushing her chin even hire, she said, with just enough confident arrogance. "We trace the problem back to the source, and that's Belinda." "Moon goddess help me." The groan came from Paul. He rolled his eyes upward, praying to the deity above to grant him patience, because he was on the verge of committing murder. "Can you—for once in your life—not make everything about yourself and your crazed beliefs?" He snapped once he jud
Cecily was frustrated. She screeched, stomping her foot repeatedly like a child going through a tantrum. Her plan to spy on her stepsister to prove that she was the source of all their family's problems had gone to shit. Actually, she hadn't been spying on Belinda at all. She'd struck gold the first day she'd followed that omega paparazzi. However, neither she nor Belinda had done anything suspicious throughout their meet-up. When they'd separated, Cecily had naturally switched to following Belinda, but she'd lost her. Cecily neither knew where Belinda was staying, nor where she frequented. So, she'd been forced to revert to her original plan, waiting outside the skyscraper for Lexie. She'd tailed the latter for ever since, but was yet to spot her best friend. As a last resort today, she'd returned to the bank, and had crossed her fingers, praying that her target would show. No such luck. Why was the entire universe against her? Cecily screamed again. Why did everything have to go w
He knew him very well? Derek found himself feeling confused for the first few seconds. Then it hit him—this was not the first time he was coming face to face with the King of Alphas. Indeed, he'd met the Lycan not once but twice. The first being that faithful day he'd followed Belinda to this very building, and confronted her after recently recovering from his rejection. The Lycan had caught them in a very compromising position, and there had been no mistaking the fury in his eyes and he warned Derek off his mistress. The latter had ignored the directive, and had gotten Belinda into an accident. Another dreaded meeting had occurred. Heat rose Derek's neck, but not as much as alarm bells rang in his head. Somewhere in between the crazy events of the past months, he'd forgotten these encounters. He might be very well standing in front of a man who was out for his blood—a very powerful man at that. That couldn't be helpful to his cause. "I apologize for that time—I didn't intend B