Caspian:Mateo had been enjoying himself far too much.Of course he would be. This was something that he would have wanted to say, though I knew that he did not expect me to be submitting this easily. I also did not know how I was going to react with her. I did not expect this as a reaction from her
Valerie:I stood there, unmoving, my breath shallow as Caspian’s warmth faded from around me.I watched as he walked away momentarily trying to process what just happened.My heart was still racing, my skin still tingling from the weight of his embrace, and my mind, my mind was a mess. And no matter
Caspian:“Why does everyone in this pack suddenly look like they've seen ghosts, or like they've been hit by some kind of truck?”Mateo’s voice broke through the storm in my head, dragging my gaze up to meet his. He stood with his arms crossed, watching me with that sharp, knowing look, the one that
Valerie:I was a mess.I knew I was.But no one else needed to know that.No one needed to see the remnants of last night, the weakness that had crept into my bones, the silent tears I had let fall.So, I stood.I stood tall, shoulders squared, chin high, as if I hadn’t spent the night curled up on
Caspian:Three days.Seventy-two goddamn hours.That’s how long Valerie had gone without sparing me so much as a glance, let alone a single word. Hell, the woman would even ignore me if I approached her villa. She would pretend that it did not exist. She would watch me speaking to Adrian from a dist
Valerie:I didn’t waste time searching for Elias. I knew where he would be.I knew that I should not have left the pack house and I should not have left Adrian there alone. But I also know that standing back there was not a good thing for me. I was just allowing Caspian to have his way while I was i
Caspian:The morning sunbathed the garden in golden hues, casting long shadows through the trees as I sat on one of the stone benches, watching Adrian chase a butterfly with a quiet smile on his face.It is the way things have been since Eva left. He has been playing around, he's been enjoying himse
Eva:I stood in the dimly lit study, my arms crossed tightly over my chest as I faced Giovanni. He looked the same as I remembered, cold, calculating, his sharp eyes holding the same unyielding intensity as before. He leaned back in his chair, swirling the whiskey in his glass, his expression unread
Caspian:One Year LaterThe breeze was warmer today.Softer.Gentler in a way I hadn’t felt in years.More peaceful and more contenting, More calm and even happier.I stood at the edge of the gardens, the same gardens where so much had been taken from us, and so much had been given back, watching Ad
Valerie:The sun was rising over the horizon, golden streaks splitting the sky wide open, like a promise finally fulfilled.I stood at the highest point of the estate grounds, the wind tugging at my hair, the scent of fresh earth and morning dew wrapping around me like a cloak.It was over.Giovanni
“Impressive,” Giovanni called, his voice carrying easily across the clearing. His smile was cold, razor sharp. “I knew there was more to you, Valerie. I knew it from the second I laid eyes on you. I did say that I had more respect to you than I had for others, but it seems to me that I did not expec
Valerie:The boy's cries ripped through me like claws.My heart raced with each passing moment and I did my best not to harm that child. I did my best not to dirty my hands with his blood, to save him out of this, to get him out of this before the man played the game that I was not willing to handle
Caspian:The air was too still.It was the kind of stillness that came after the fight, when the blood had dried and the bodies were cleared, but before the real danger revealed itself.I didn’t like it. Not one damn bit.Because I knew that stillness was one that only told me that more danger was
Valerie:The earth still smelled of blood.I smelled of blood. People's blood the blood of our enemies the people who had dared invade our territory.The ground beneath our feet was turned upside down. We were going to need to fix that later, but I knew that the vines that worked their way from the
Caspian:The moment my boots hit the dirt at the border, I knew it was going to be a bloodbath.The trees were alive with tension, the air so thick with rage and power it was almost suffocating. All around me, my men stood ready, rows of wolves shifted into their full forms, low growls vibrating th
Valerie:The sound of war drums echoed faintly in the distance.I stood on the balcony of Caspian’s estate, the crisp night air sharp against my skin. Below, the pack was preparing, shadows moving with purpose, weapons flashing under the moonlight, wolves shifting and howling into the night. It wa
Caspian:The great hall buzzed with low conversation, tension coiling in every corner like a living thing. They were all here, my warriors, my council, the elders, even some of the civilians who had asked to stay and fight if it came to it.Ryan was right when he said that the bastard had more enem