Dylan didn’t like the way that Anna had been seemingly dismissive of him earlier. He had hoped she would come back to him and reach out for dinner or something. But it seemed his words to her then had hurt her more than he imagined. Well, she was a single mother, so he didn’t think too much of it.But that didn’t mean she could go around dating other guys yet!Just one look at the man seated across from her had filled him with rage. How could she have scored a man that wealthy looking, and extremely handsome to boot?He addressed her calmly, keeping a smile on his face despite his tense demeanor.“Can we talk? It’s important.” He replied.Anna frowned to herself. Had she not given him enough signals she didn’t want to speak with him already?“Well, if you don’t mind, I’m at this restaurant with my children. If it’s important, you can text me later.” She dismissed him.Unbeknownst to Anna, William was hiding a pleased smirk at her behavior toward the other man.Yet the other man didn’t
Sophie stared at the picture with anger burning in her eyes.So she was the family pariah now while her damned sister had family time out with some man?!It irked her - no, it did more than that - it made her mad to the point of no return. Who the hell did this bitch think she was?!Here she was in her apartment, with a court date hanging over her head and various court officials coming to her damn door! Dad had completely stopped taking her calls and Mom only ever was in a bad mood whenever they spoke on the phone! They had made it clear that help wasn’t coming to her no matter how much she pleaded and begged. She was facing up to 20 years in prison for all her charges!And yet, here was her good-for-nothing sister, living it up with a man that looked wealthy even from afar.She decided to zoom into the man’s face, admiring those features. He looked like he worked out too!He must be rich!“Definitely big fish.” She cackled, not caring if anyone would hear her. “Oh, Annie,” she tutte
Anna was treated to her sister’s mad cackle once more as she heard the question. She gritted her teeth, feeling the unmistakable urge to throw the phone out the window or smash it in a pavement or something. Just hearing Sophie’s voice did that to her.“What do I want?” Sophie taunted her sister. “Well, Anna. What do you think I want? I want money.”Anna looked over her shoulder to check on her children once again before returning to the conversation.“How much?” She asked, cutting straight to the chase. She didn’t want her sister holding this shit over her head. And Sophie would be wrapped up in court battles soon anyway. It wasn’t going to be long before she ended up in jail.Anna didn’t hear anything for a while and she nearly thought the call had ended without her knowing.“Sophie, tell me how much? Thirty thousand dollars? Fifty?” She asked.“Thousand? For this?” Sophie sniggered then. “You can’t be that serious, sis. You want me to believe that this picture is only worth 50k? Yo
Five million dollars!Sophie snickered to herself as she sat in her apartment’s living room, gulping down the expensive wine from the bottle.That would be enough for her to pay her debts.“Who’s this?”“Are you Sophie Clandestine?” The man asked and as soon as he said that, alarm bells rang in her head.“Who the fuck’s asking?” She demanded, only for the man to step closer, and she immediately snapped at him. “Don’t fucking come closer to me! I’ll call the police!”Her yelling stopped the man, to her relief. Who was this? Was it a debt collector or something? She thought her lawyer had written them! What the fuck?“Sophie Clandestine, I was sent here under-“ The man was saying and she lost it, raising her voice to a high pitch as she cursed at the man.“—I don’t give a freaking fuck who sent you! What do you want? I’ll call the cops if you don’t say it now! What agency sent you?!”“Listen to me, miss. You have the wrong idea. I’m here for another reason.”“Well spit it out, fucko!”“
Anna just knew now that she was in deep shit.She couldn’t sleep, having tossed and turned up and down and around the bed until all parts of the sheet-covered mattress were warm. It was just her luck that it was still the weekend, because she couldn’t function like this during a weekday.She got up with a grunt and her feet padded across the room to the door, exiting the bedroom and moving to check on her twins sleeping in their bedrooms for the first time since the attempted robbery.Relaxing and smiling at the sounds of their little snores as she watched through the gap in the door, she shut the door again, and moved toward the kitchen, her smile immediately faded.Her thoughts were still on what Sophie had said.It sounded like maddened rambling from a woman who had been pushed to a corner. And that was what scared her the most. How could she manage to keep herself safe from her sister?How the hell was she going to be able to give Sophie ten million freaking dollars for that photo
William was astonished by Anna’s reaction. She looked equal parts outraged and relieved, if possible.“Excuse me?” He asked, sounding exasperated. “Anna, what is it this time?”She always seemed to confuse him more and more with every action of hers.However, she was nowhere near done with her confusing actions, it seemed.She faced him fully, pinching her brows.“You knew about the photo, didn’t you?” She asked. “How did you find out?”William cocked a brow at her.“You don’t need to know how I did.” He replied measuredly. “All you need to know is that I have taken care of it on your ex boyfriend’s end–““–Dylan is not my ex-boyfriend. Never has and never will be.” She replied heatedly. “And what, you took care of it? Did you threaten him or what?”“Does it matter? What brought me here this morning, Anna,” he emphasized her name, with a growl with left shivers rolling down her spine at the sound of that enticing voice of his. “Is the fact that your sister isn’t cooperating.”“Yeah.”
Dylan reached the front door of the so-called Sophie Clandestine’s apartment. He could hear the loud sounds of the TV through the door and it irritated him already. Was she hard of hearing that she would put the TV to such high volumes, or was she so committed to doing her best at being the nuisance in this building?With a sharp exhale, he knocked, and he heard a loud groan before there were footsteps.“Who the fuck is it?” The griff sounding woman demanded. Dylan fought the urge to roll his eyes. He didn’t like this situation he was in and was looking to be far too action movie-esque for him to stomach.“It’s Dylan.” He replied, and then suddenly there was a glance at him through the peephole before she opened the door, satisfied that he was safe.He was quickly ushered in by Sophie, who looked a little bit… off, to say the least.Well, he thought to himself, I’m in deep shit now.To have Anna call him and act like he was the bad guy had been nothing short of insulting for him. He h
Anna didn’t know what to say as she watched Ethan brush past her and enter the house. The shock hadn’t faded off yet.“Where are the children?” He asked, seeing the empty living room.“Oh, they’re asleep,” Anna replied in an awkward manner, feeling odd. This wasn’t what she expected to deal with this evening. Today had been a doozy - in fact the entire weekend had.Meanwhile, Ethan could tell the scent of his brother in the house and it irked him. So William had been here. Hmm…He didn’t like it. One bit.“Do you want some… tea?” She offered, stepping into the open plan kitchen right beside the living room.Ethan smirked at her, saying, “I doubt you’ll have anything to my tastes. It’s okay, though. I actually came to check in on you.”Water, then, she thought, as she nodded in response. That would do.“Take a seat.” She stated before then turning to grab a glass cup, hearing a ping on her phone.A quick glance at it told her it was a message from Dylan.‘It’s done,’ the message said.
Lily couldn’t contain her smirk as she saw Anna’s wide-eyed stare aimed at her. It had taken the work of a couple of her connections for her to figure out William’s whereabouts.It had just been her luck that she had a standing reservation here.The Alpha growled lowly under his breath as she turned to look at him. “What a surprise,” Lily remarked with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Then she turned to Anna, the redhead whom she glared venomously at. She blamed the formerly human woman for ruining her life, and her future with William. “Don’t tell me you two are on a little date.“What are you doing here, Lily?” The emerald eyed Alpha demanded.“What? You didn’t think you’re the only one that can step out on a nice night like this?” She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “You know, I was just wondering how you two could be here having a good time when you both have caused so much chaos. You, especially, Anna.” She spat out the redhead’s name with such venom that Anna coul
It was an hour later when Anna arrived at her parent’s place.She knocked meekly on the door, and was startled when the door was flung open.“Anna?” Her father was the one who answered it and she could have nearly cried at the relief in his eyes. He pulled her close into a hug and she closed her eyes briefly from the warmth.“Where have you been?” He asked her, curiosity in his voice. “And how are the twins?”“I had to travel for a bit. For work,” she clarified, the lie that she had come up with left her lips so easily. “The kids are okay as well.”She stepped into the house that she had lived in all her childhood.…Anna woke up from the bed of her childhood room early the next morning. Sleep hadn’t come easily but she eventually drifted off. After an hour of tossing and turning, she got up for a jog and had breakfast.“Good morning mum, dad,” she greeted her parents as she returned for breakfast.Her mother eyed her in silence, and Anna could sense questions on her mind. Having lied
“Of course,” William said in an imperious voice. “My brother saw fit to take his anger out on human girls and murdered ten of them in one night. There is even news to prove that, and he has confessed it to me.”Gasps left the lips of all who had no idea, and Camille’s face turned pale as she processed that.“T-this cant be true-““It is the truth,” William turned to say to his mother unabashedly. His eyes pierced hers with a look of certainty on his face. “And it will always be the truth. That is why,” he continued, turning to his brother. “From now henceforth, I cut all our ties to him.”There was a wave of confusion in the air and Alpha Drake seethed silently.“You are banishing him from your pack?” The Alpha of the Eclipse pack asked and William nodded in the affirmative.“Now that you have seen the truth of what caused the Hunters to come into the city, you have no right to hold these charges over my mate’s head. And you will release her at once. Council, your decision?”The Elder
The next morning, as sunlight streamed in through the windows and bathed the room with a warm glow, William stirred first.Anna slept soundly in his arms, both of them half-naked. The memories of the full moon the previous night made him smile. It had been better than he had expected. Luckily his Beta had fulfilled most of the duties William delegated to him, so the Aloha was free to enjoy the night with his family.“Hey,” Anna woke up with a small whisper leaving her lips. She felt his warmth all around her and she felt safe.It had been a long time coming, she thought, and she didn’t want to leave the bed anytime soon.“Sleep well?” He smirked down at her as she pressed her body against his.“Too well,” her voice was akin to a purr as she spoke. “Anyway, I think it’s nearly last breakfast. I’ll have to get ready to go into the city soon.”Ah yes, that.William’s mood soured and she noticed it quickly.“Will,” she sighed and leaned into him. “Please. You know this is necessary.”“I k
Anna was surprised to find Ethan approaching them.“Ethan?” Camille also sounded stunned to see her younger son there, and coming to Anna’s defense.“Mother, enough of this,” Ethan said in a calm tone, not showing any signs of anger.“B-but-“ Camille’s face reddened, out of anger or embarrassment or both… she didn’t know.“Focus on the festival. Stop with this,” he told her. “Focus on the festival.”“Focus on the festival? What about the Eclipse pack, and our relations with them? What about Alpha Drake?”“Everything is being taken care of,” Was all Ethan said before turning to glance at a stupefied Anna.She looked away, not wanting to show emotion to him of all people.She noticed the twins were staring at them from afar with curiosity in their faces.Camille was shocked at her younger son.“Ethan, I had never expected you of all people to defend her after all she has done,” she vehemently said.“And I am not,” Ethan sighed; his mother was hard to dissuade when she fixated on certain
“This is so cool!” Andrew jumped atop the picnic blanket in an excited manner that Anna couldn’t help but smile.There was a buzz of excitement in the air.As Anna played the snacks and fruits out for the twins to eat, there was the sound of a throat clearing that made her and William turn to see who it was.“Alpha,” it was a guard who bowed deeply. “There are some delegates from the Grey Hills Pack and the Moonlight Pack here. They wish to see you.”William refrained from giving into the urge to pinch his nose and only let oit a small sigh, and nodded.“Very well. I will be there in a bit. Have them wait for me in the study,” he ordered the guard and dismissed him with a wave. The guard bowed and left, before William turned to his mate, meeting her gaze.Before he could say anything, she spoke, “It’s alright, Will. I’ll handle things here for the time being.After William left - but not before giving her and the twins kisses each - she sat and enjoyed the snacks while they watched m
Ethan wasn’t surprised about his brother wanting to spend time with his family, and he kept his opinions on that to himself - being the one who never saw the point in all that, he wouldn’t even touch that topic with a fucking ten foot pole.However, he did have a point to make.“It’s easy to forget your duties if you focus too much on your family, brother,” he crossed his arms as William’s glare increased. “Alpha Drake will come for blood soon enough. I don’t think we’re ready for that in any way.”“Let me worry about that, Ethan. And focus on enjoying the rest of the day. The festival is just starting, you wouldn’t want to miss it. And afterward, Ethan, then we will have much to discuss.”William’s words made Ethan’s brows furrowed in confusion. Why did his brother have that tone, as if he had some plan he had kept under his sleeve? It couldn’t be could it? The Alpha had never shown any indication in the past day of strategizing.However he couldn’t outright question the Alpha now.“
Anna didn’t know what to say after William was done talking. She had not expected to hear that sort of thing coming from him. He used to be so stone cold towards her, at least on the surface… and now things had changed. For the better or for worse, she didn't know just yet, but she was pleased and warmed by it.“Will…” she began to say only for him to continue.“Anna, all you have to do is promise me that, and I won't have a problem with anything else. No matter what, don’t forget you're my mate and you are my top priority. You and our children, and our family. It matters more to me than anything.”The honesty wasn’t one thing he expected either to come from himself, especially with her. He had once prided himself on being unruffled by shows of love and affection that most other 5 men his age seemed to fall under the thrall of. William particularly recalled an occasion in which a VIP client spoke fondly of his wife and daughters and asked William if he had any himself to which the Alp
The sight of her two children writhing in pain on their beds made her heart beat faster and she rushed towards them, frantic.“Andrea? Andrew?” She pressed her hand atop their foreheads to check their temperatures and found, to her dismay, they were feverish.The sight of their pale, withdrawn faces even in their sleep was heart wrenching. Anna felt helpless. What could have been wrong with them? They were fine yesterday!As though some supreme power had read her mind, the door opened and William walked in, his lips moving.“Good morning-” his words were cut off as he took in the look on his mate’s face. She looked incredible, her hair down to the blue dress she wore, but it was the display of terror in her eyes that stopped him in his tracks.“What’s going on?” he asked, and she rushed to him, tugging him to their children’s beds.“They were like this when I found them. Will, what could have happened? Maybe they ate something or… or-”The emerald-eyed Alpha grabbed his mate’s hands a