Caspian:I knew that the day was not going to come to a good ending when I saw the way that it started.Then again, lately, most of my days have been cold and void of all emotions or feelings. I have been trying my best to keep myself grounded, but I had to admit, as much as I didn’t want to, her presence here lingered more than I would want it to.Valerie now had more control over almost everything that I was doing, and I knew that she didn’t even need to react to it for me to be giving in to her. It was as if her presence alone was enough to make me react. And it was her presence that made me frown or smile, no matter how much I wanted to deny it.And no matter how hard I wanted to deny it, I knew deep down that Eva was right. Things were different in front of me. That was not something that I could just easily deny.“Adrian, what you're doing is going to end up hurting you.” I heard Valerie say as she looked at her son playing.I couldn't help but notice the fact that she did not j
Valerie:The garden was bathed in the soft morning light, casting a golden hue over the dew-kissed grass. I sat on the stone bench, my eyes fixed on Adrian as he played among the flowers. His laughter rang through the air, a melody that made the world seem a little less heavy.I smiled as I looked at him, admiring his innocence and vulnerability to the world around him.Not a single thing bothered him, and I made sure that it stayed this way.For his sake, for his growth, I was always sure that he grew being the happy and confident child that I wanted him to be. I did not want him to fear anything or anyone, and I definitely didn’t want him thinking that he was alone in a world of darkness. In my eyes, I owed him that.Adrian’s hands cupped around a butterfly, its wings a delicate brush of blue and white. He spoke to it in a hushed whisper, his voice filled with genuine curiosity and warmth. The butterfly, surprisingly unafraid, rested on his palm as if it understood him.There’s alwa
Caspian:The villa was quiet when we stepped inside, the soft hum of the garden outside filtering through the open windows. Valerie moved ahead of me, her steps light but purposeful as she led the way to the small sitting room.Neither one of us said a word for a few moments. It was as if neither one of us wanted to acknowledge the presence of the other. And for a moment, I knew that she would be questioning what was going on and what I would be speaking to her about.She paused by the window, her hands resting on the sill as she looked out into the garden where Adrian continued to play. There was a stillness to her, a quiet strength that had only grown sharper over the years. I found myself watching her, noting the way the light framed her silhouette, the gentle curve of her back, the slight tension in her shoulders.“You said something outside,” I began, breaking the silence. “About Adrian being special. You said something about animals wanting to approach him and not fearing him.”
Valerie:The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the villa as I closed the door behind Caspian. His words lingered in the air, heavy and unsettling. Adrian wasn’t just special, he was something far beyond what I had imagined. And while Caspian's intention had been to prepare me, to explain, all he had managed to do was stir a storm within me.I knew that something was going to end up turning against me, and I didn’t want to end up turning to things that I knew that I wouldn’t be able to handle. My son was going to be a target, and that was not something that I wanted to put him through.“Things are going to be difficult for me to be handling on my own,” I muttered to myself knowing that things were going to be different, even painful. And Adrian was far too young to be handling all of this at this age.I moved through the quiet villa, my feet brushing against the cool tile. Adrian was in his room, already tucked in bed, his soft breathing a reminder of the in
Caspian:I paced around my office as I tried to think straight, reading pages of ancient lore and prophecies that made little to no sense to me.Adrian was not just special, he was something beyond our world and I needed to know what that meant. I needed to understand the danger that it could impose on him, the danger that I knew his own mother did not know. Because I knew that had she known things would have been different, she wouldn't have been as calm as she was right now. Maybe she was not. However, I knew this Valerie was not one to try or know how to hide her fear.The weight of uncertainty sat heavy on my shoulders and no matter how hard I tried to think, I could not bring myself to do so.How was it possible? What kind of power resided in my son, and why hadn’t I known sooner? How didn't I feel it?A gentle knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Before I could respond, the door creaked open, and Daniel’s small face peeked through. His blue eyes, so much like Eva’s, wer
Valerie:The morning air was sharp and biting as I stepped out of the villa. I needed to get some air this morning, and for the first time, I just found myself being at a complete loss of what I would be doing.It was as if the earth itself sensed the brewing storm, the quiet before chaos. My instincts prickled, my wolf restless beneath my skin, urging me to remain alert. And I knew that a lot was going to happen from here. No matter how hard I was going to try and deny it, I wasn’t going to be able to.This place, this pack, this home, everything about it was just a mess in my eyes. I needed a break from everything that was going on, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get it no matter how hard I was going to try.Adrian was still asleep, nestled under the soft covers of his bed, his breathing slow and steady. His maid, who I now was beginning to allow myself to trust with him as long as I was within the pack.Though this wasn’t something that I would have normally done. I knew tha
Caspian:“What are you doing in my pack?” Elias asked, not even turning around to face me.I found him in the training grounds, his shirt soaked with sweat, muscles taut as he moved through a series of combat drills. The rhythmic thud of his fists against the punching bag filled the air, a steady beat that matched the frustration simmering beneath my skin.I leaned against the wooden railing, watching him for a moment. His movements were sharp, precise, each hit a testament to the storm brewing inside him. It was only when he paused, his chest heaving, that he noticed me.“Is this how you treat your guests or how you greet them?”“When they are unwanted ones, there are different ways for me to be dealing with them. Now, what are you doing here?” He asked, turning to look at me, glaring at me if I was going to be more specific.“Taking out your anger on an inanimate object?” I drawled, pushing off the railing. “It’s not nearly as satisfying as breaking bones, but I suppose it’ll do. Yo
Valerie:I paced the length of the villa’s living room, my nerves frayed and my patience worn thin. The past week had been a delicate dance of avoidance and guarded conversations, a constant balancing act to keep Adrian safe while maintaining a semblance of peace within the pack.But deep down I knew that Adrian was going to grow stronger, and the stronger he became, the stronger he grew, the more difficult it was going to be for me to hide his power, whatever that was.Every morning, I woke with the same knot of unease twisting in my stomach. And every evening, I went to bed with the weight of unspoken words pressing down on my chest. I was exhausted, not just physically but emotionally, too.The fear of anyone finding out about what he could do. If Caspian found out, then others could too. And that thought ate me alive, making me wonder how I was going to manage things. When it was in the past, everything was hidden, concealed. I could control things the way that I wanted them to be
Valerie:I had been doing my best to avoid Caspian since Eva left.This was the best option that I could actually think of.It wasn’t difficult.Not until he made it difficult.But still I managed to avoid him enough and not speak to him since she had left.The pack was large, and I knew its boundaries well enough to keep my distance. If I felt him coming, I walked the other way. If he entered a room, I left before he could say a word. And if he was speaking to Adrian, I made sure to keep one of the maids with him while I went to do something else.It wasn’t just avoidance.It was a refusal.A refusal to acknowledge him, to speak to him, to deal with him after everything.The man had accused me of something that he knew was far too vile.He had accused me of something I hadn’t done. He had thrown his weight around like always, forcing his decisions onto me. And now? Now that Eva was gone, he thought everything could go back to normal. He thought the things were going to just go forgot
Caspian:Eva stood at the entrance of the pack house, her suitcases packed and lined up neatly beside her. Daniel clung to her hand, his small face confused, unaware of the weight of the moment.The last thing that I would have wanted was for him to be dealing with something like this. However, I knew this. I could not cope with what his mother had done. If something had happened to him or Adrian, then me forgiving her was not going to be something that I did. I was going to have her head. And I knew that if she started this way, then things were going to go harder, she was going to go deeper into whatever mess she was trying to play.I stood a few feet away, arms crossed over my chest, my expression cold, unyielding.Eva’s eyes were red-rimmed, but I didn’t care.This was a consequence of her actions.This was a consequence to the line that you had crossed more times than one. After I gave her once, twice and a million times, but right now I couldn't forgive her. For this, I couldn't
Valerie:It has been a while since Caspian left the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts, leaving me to think about how things went the way that they did.I paced around the office, not knowing what else that I could do. Men guarded the door and the windows as if I would jump out the window or as if I would have run away from the office. If I want to turn away, then I would not need them to be guarding the door. They could be standing right in front of me and I would slip out without them noticing.Truth be told, the villa burning down was not something that I cared about. The whole pack had burned down and I wouldn't care less as long as no one was harmed. However, it was the fact that the villa was on fire and we could have been inside of it. Adrian could have been inside. That idea alone was one that I did not want to think about. Him getting harmed or something happening to him was something that I did not want to put in my mind.I didn't need to think twice to know who would
Eva:I heard him before he entered the room. I heard him before he approached. It was as if something was waiting for me, something that I was not going to like.I turned to the nurses who were inside the room before nodding at them to leave, leaving us alone. They looked at me, studying my expression for a moment, but I nodded at them. I did not want them being here when I was with my husband. I wanted my privacy with him.However, his footsteps got louder and when they did, I could tell that something was not going the way that I wanted it to. Each step carried a warning, a promise of the storm that was about to hit.“No one is to enter this room until I leave.” I heard him speaking to the nurses outside. My breath hitched, but I did not move.I remained seated beside Daniel’s bed, running my fingers lightly over his soft curls, pretending I hadn’t heard him approaching. But I had.And I knew he was coming for me. I was no fool. I knew when I was getting in more trouble than I could
Caspian:“Where is Adrian?” I asked, looking at Mateo who looked away from me.“He is safe. He's asking about his mother, but otherwise he's okay. The way that we brought her over is not one that he could just easily let go of or ignore.” Mateo said calmly. I knew that this was not something that he liked. “Are you sure that you would be doing this, Caspian of all people? Are you sure that Valerie is the person that would be doing this?”“The Valerie that I once knew in the past is not this one. The woman standing in front of me, the woman that is living in this villa, is not the woman that I knew.” I said, looking him in the eye, noticing that his expression had hardened. He did not say a word and the two of us just kept walking, heading towards the villa.The remnants of the fire still smoldered in the back of my mind as I walked through the charred remains of the villa. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burnt wood and ash, a grim reminder of how close this had come to being
Eva:The soft hum of the machines filled the quiet hospital room, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the monitors beside Daniel’s bed. The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air, but none of it mattered to me.All I could see was my son, lying there, fragile and helpless.My hands trembled slightly as I reached out, brushing his soft, dark curls from his forehead. His skin was still slightly warm, a reminder of how close he had been to the flames.How close he had been to dying.And all because of her.She was the one who was supposed to be in that villa. She was the one who was supposed to burn inside. If she did, I would have been done with her, I would have finished off with her. It would have been a sleek death that no one would have suspected.The rage simmered beneath my skin, tightly controlled but still present. I clenched my fists against the armrest of the chair, forcing myself to breathe evenly. Caspian could investigate all he wanted. He could hesitate, doubt all
Valerie:“Mama, are we going back to the pack?” Adrian asked, making my eyes soften as the two of us got up from our table.It was precious moments like this that I found myself wondering why I chose to agree to go to the pack. Yes, I knew that I had no other option, but I wished that I did. I wouldn’t have been too busy arguing and fighting. Everything that I kept him and myself from was just colliding over and hitting me like a brick wall.“Yes, baby. We need to go back to the pack. You know that we can’t be late. Alpha Caspian would be wondering where you are too.” I said, making him smile.“Are all Alphas like Alpha Caspian?” He asked, looking up at me.His innocent eyes told me that he was unaware of the conflicts going on around him. He was happy to know that he had a place, a pack, and a family like Elias’s to play with and enjoy. He was going to grow older, and I knew that this, despite me not liking it now, was going to come in his benefit. It was going to be something that he
Caspian:The sun was beginning its descent, casting long shadows over the estate as I walked through the pack grounds. I had just finished a meeting with Mateo and a few other pack members about security measures when a sharp scent invaded my senses, smoke.Fire…The word alone was one that was enough to trigger me, to make me stand, to make me try and understand where that thing came from, where those flames were coming from. And even as I tried to think straight, I couldn't bring myself to do so.My wolf snapped to attention, a growl rumbling in my chest. I turned toward the direction of the scent, my instincts pulling me toward the villa where Valerie and Adrian stayed. Panic clamped down on my heart like a vice.No.A rush of footsteps came from behind me, and Mateo appeared, his eyes wide with alarm. “Alpha, there is fire and it is in the villa.”I closed my eyes for a moment today. I tried to think straight, calming myself down as I did my best not to think of the worst of outcom
Valerie:I wrapped my arm around myself as I stared into space in the kitchen, not knowing how I was going to be dealing with things.A small part of me wanted to agree to her deal. A small part of me wanted to say yes and to leave, but I knew better than to do so.This was Eva that I was talking about.The woman was not going to want to do anything that was good for me. If anything, she was going to put me through harm's way. Me and my son. That was not something that I was going to allow.“Mama, is everything alright?” Adrian asked, noticing that I was quiet.The maids who had entered the kitchen with him were frozen at the sight of me, and I noticed then that I was gripping the sink far too hard for it to be normal. My knuckles had already turned white. I unclenched my fist and turned to look at him as a small smile formed on my lips before getting down on my knees in front of him.My heart raced against my rib cage and I shook my head as I tried to calm myself down, taking a deep