>"Zoe, I cannot relate to your pain or anything you are going through. So, I will not even try to say that I understand. I don't. And I know how many times I have let you down," He started the speech he had been working for hours as they drove to Silver Moon two days ago."Don't, please," Zoe tried to turn away. She wanted the apology. She had spent nights dreaming of the moment Xavier realized what a huge mistake he had made to let her go. But, that was not the moment for it. She was already an emotional mess."Let me, please. You need to hear this and I need to say this." He cautiously stepped closer and held her arms gently to ensure she didn't leave without hearing but could if she wanted to."Why? You didn't care about saying or being heard a few months ago." Zoe looked up at him bitterly, his touch igniting sensations stronger than she had ever felt because of her heightened senses."Believe me or not but I really thought that letting you go to have a new life was th
>Zoe climbed up the stairs decisively while Xavier stayed in the garage trying to calm down and make peace with the fact that his forgiveness was going to take some time. He was hopeful that it would come eventually, just a bit late.He wanted to tell Zoe about Claire so she would stop worrying about him going back to her. But, Zoe already had so much on her plate, that she didn't need to be pulled into everything Claire was a part of. Xavier felt like it was pointless to make his worries hers when she hadn't even forgiven him yet.The more important thing was staying by her side. Which meant, he had to persuade her to let him come with her. The world was a much darker place than she knew and he wanted to protect her from it even though physically she didn't need protecting.Plus, he had no idea how idea what awaited them at those coordinates. Since it had been more than a decade since those numbers had been put down on that letter, there was a possibility that they would f
>It took an hour and a lot of emotional blackmail on behalf of Aunt Julie to convince Zoe to let Xavier go with her to Kansas City. And that too only on the condition that nothing would be expected of her and it was only a test for Xavier to see if he can keep to his word.After a lot of persuasion and tales of mates, second chances, belief in the Moon Goddess, and the fact that technically Xavier was the only one left in the world who was hers and on her side for good, Aunt Julie smiled and patted Zoe's back, "I'll go up and tell him that you need to talk. Be nice, okay?"Zoe didn't dare roll her eyes at Aunt Julie, she respected her way too much for that. But she did shake her head slightly knowing how Aunt Julie managed to convince her but she let her do it. If anyone had any right to Zoe, it was Aunt Julie after everything she had done for the Simmons family and how she had been so much more than just a distinct cousin of her Dad and their housekeeper. She was family
> I love winters. It’s the season of hot chocolate and warm fuzzy sweaters. But most of all, it’s the time of year when I go running in the freshly fallen snow, hoping to get my wolf any day now, because nights are longer than days in winter. I am Zoe Simmons, the daughter of an ex-beta of Silver Moon Pack. My father was a well-respected and trusted Beta of the pack in his time. When I turned sixteen, I expected to meet my amazing wolf, but to everyone’s surprise, she was a no-show. Ever since my mom had left us, Goddess knows why, my dad had been my sole support, my whole world. We did everything together. Everything I knew had been taught to me by my father, and I loved him for it. That day I got up after dawn, got ready, and went for a quick run in the woods that were close since our house was at the edge of the community. On the run, I saw some wolf paw prints and I longed for the day mine would be imprinted on the fresh snow like that too one day. I returned, show
>“Is this what your business is?” I had asked, trying to hold my tears until I was alone.“John? Do you know her?” Alyssa asked placing a hand on his chest. The chest that I was rarely allowed to touch for years.“Lyssa, it’s not what you might be thinking. This girl and I, we’re just friends.” John lied blatantly on my face and I was shocked to bear witness to this side of him.“Don’t get the wrong idea by what she is wearing. She is going through some stuff. Must’ve gotten upset when I couldn’t be there to help her.” He had the audacity to twirl a stray lock of her blonde hair around his finger as I stood watching in shock.“Oh, in that case, hi. I’m Alyssa. I think I remember you from today’s meeting. You were sitting at the back right?” The man-stealing bitch smiled and it stung like a viper. She extended a hand as an offer to shake mine and I glared at it.John squirmed as I refused to shake hands with the whore he was cheating on me with and glared at him, not allow
>After my conversation with my father, I immediately went to look for John. Since he was the Beta, he was often at the Pack house’s office wing. I was hoping to find him there today as well.I entered his office without knocking and found him sitting in his big chair like he owned the world, a glass of champagne in his hands so early in the morning.“What’s the occasion for this early celebration?” I asked upset. Heartbreak was one thing, but he had also attacked my only family. This was not the man I had fallen in love with all those years ago.“Who allowed you to enter? You, like everyone else, need an appointment for a trip to the Beta’s office. You can’t just drop in like this!” John stood up, daring to act disrespectedly.“Why are you doing this?” I asked, unable to formulate anything else. My broken heart and frustration made it hard to focus on what I had wanted to say to him.“What am I doing?” He leaned on his large wooden table acting like he had no clue what
>The tag brought some unpleasant feelings in me. I felt like I needed to be angry. That there was something I needed to say to anyone who belonged to the Werewolf Council.I leaned over as if to tell a secret but found that he was already leaning toward me. One of his hands was covering mine that was holding the glass on the counter. His other hand came to tip my chin upwards for a better angle. A tingle ran down my spine.He was slow, allowing me to move away if I wanted to. But it only made me want to do it more.So, when his lips brushed mine, the spark that we felt at the touch was undeniable. He leaned in and captured my mouth as I allowed him entrance. One of my hands absentmindedly landed on his thigh that was between my legs as we sat facing each other on the bar stools.>After a hot minute of not caring what the other guests thought of their performance, and taking his time to enjoy the exquisite taste of a woman he had never had of her likes before,
>Aunt Julie came sniffling in my room with a knock. I looked at her and felt my own emotions getting the better of me.We cried together as she kept worrying, “John is so heartless, he's so cruel! Your father supported him to become the next Beta, and now he is going to send your father to the dungeons. Your honest father getting locked up for years, maybe a lifetime!”It made me feel even worse. I sat up and wiped my tears angrily but more took their place immediately, “You know what, everyone in the pack knew that John was going to get engaged to another woman and not me. But they knew she belonged to a powerful background and let everything happen. They know my Dad is innocent. They have always respected him for his values and honor. But nobody said a word as John got Dad locked up for a fraud he didn’t commit.”“There has to be a way to save your father.” Aunt Julie said as she placed a comforting hand on mine, “Maybe there is something that John wants so he would spa