Valerie:I told myself I wouldn’t break.I told myself I’d hold it together, for Adrian, for the pack, for everyone who still believed in me.I told myself that I needed to stand strong, that I should not afford allowing myself to fall.But it was getting harder.With each passing moment, I found it
Caspian:The living room was quiet except for Adrian’s excited voice as he recounted a story about something he had seen near the garden, something about a glowing butterfly, and how he thought it might be magical.How much I wanted to explain to him that he was the one who was magical, that the but
The kiss deepened. Her mouth parted, and I took it, claiming her like I’d never stopped wanting to. My hand slipped into her hair, and she moaned against me, arching into my touch.“Valerie…” I breathed, my lips brushing hers.Her eyes met mine, dark with heat. “Don’t ask.”I hesitated.“Are you sur
Valerie:I walked into the estate I once called home, the estate I was banished from five years ago. The appearance of it hadn’t changed, yet the weight of its walls felt heavier, steeped in memories I tried to suppress.“You should have fought back from the divorce. You should have fought back to t
Caspian:“What do you mean, ‘she’s here’?” I asked, my voice laced with a growl as I glared at my beta, Mateo. One thing that I did not want to be dealing with is the fact that she would be here, that I would be possibly seeing her. Even the idea of her presence was one that annoyed me.“She was see
Valerie:“You’ve been in this room for the past hour.” I said, entering the office where I knew Elias was choosing to hide himself from the responsibilities that I knew he would now carry on his shoulders.“If I can trust anyone in this world to find me when I am hiding somewhere, it is going to be
Caspian:I adjusted my cufflinks, trying to do my best as to pass time to get ready. The idea of going there was not one that I wanted. The ceremony was minutes away and the weight of expectation settled heavily on my shoulders. However, it was not the event that bothered me. It was the fact that Va
Valerie:I forced myself to keep my gaze calm as I looked at Caspian's eyes, which bored into mine. I could tell that you were shocked. I could not blame him. He remained in front of Adrian, my son, our son, and the disbelief that was on his face could be seen a mile away.His eyes met mine, a silen
The kiss deepened. Her mouth parted, and I took it, claiming her like I’d never stopped wanting to. My hand slipped into her hair, and she moaned against me, arching into my touch.“Valerie…” I breathed, my lips brushing hers.Her eyes met mine, dark with heat. “Don’t ask.”I hesitated.“Are you sur
Caspian:The living room was quiet except for Adrian’s excited voice as he recounted a story about something he had seen near the garden, something about a glowing butterfly, and how he thought it might be magical.How much I wanted to explain to him that he was the one who was magical, that the but
Valerie:I told myself I wouldn’t break.I told myself I’d hold it together, for Adrian, for the pack, for everyone who still believed in me.I told myself that I needed to stand strong, that I should not afford allowing myself to fall.But it was getting harder.With each passing moment, I found it
Caspian:I didn’t know what hurt more.Watching the way Valerie walked out of my office without a word, or knowing that I was the one who let it get that far. That I had allowed her to stand in that room and be blindsided by the truth I already knew.Hey, truth that I knew that she did not want to a
“No,” Caspian said, calm but firm. “Ryan came to us. We called him in when we realized your brother had dismissed him along with the rest of your father’s men. The ones who were loyal. The ones who could have stopped this. The ones that could have told you the truth behind everything that was going
Valerie:I didn’t know what I expected when I stepped into Caspian’s office, but it wasn’t him.I wasn't even sure why he had called me to his office, but I did not expect him to be calling me to see the one person that I knew just disappeared when my father died.My feet froze just past the thresho
Ryan:I hadn’t stepped foot in this estate in years. And after her father had died, I did not believe that I would ever see her again. That I would ever see anyone of power again. Not since the tides of power shifted in ways none of us expected. Not since everything seemed to choose at differen
“No,” I agreed. “It’s intentional. Whatever it is that they have in mind, it is intentional.”I crossed the room and poured myself a glass of whiskey, letting the burn cut through the tension in my chest. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like playing a game I couldn’t see all the pieces of.And I hated
Caspian:She was quiet.Not the kind of quiet that came with peace, but the kind that throbbed like a wound beneath the surface. One that I could tell on you meant chaos was on the way. One that I knew she was doing her best to try and keep controlled.Valerie hadn’t spoken a word to me since this m