>Jacob and Luca, my secretary and my Beta were already in my office when I entered.I locked the door and went straight to my desk as they awaited what I had called them for."Jake, remember the camera I asked you to install in Father's study before he came?" I asked.He nodded."It's working, yes?" I asked.He nodded again."Where is its feed?" I asked."At my tab, Alpha." He replied."It's set to automatically save, yes?" I asked."As ordered. Yes, Alpha." He clicked at the tab in his hands and showed the live video from my Father's study room where he had wrecked the room after I had left and then made a call that could clearly be heard through the camera's microphone."Take everything that can be used against him and save it to at least three backups. I know my Father did not return of his own accord. He hated this house. He hated most of us. He has a plan. Find his reason for coming back and make sure he doesn't sense you sniffing." I ordered."Yes, Alpha." Jacob
>I knocked on the door and Claire opened the door. Her face lit up when she noticed who had knocked on her door."I have been waiting for you." She softly said and let me in."Claire, you know what you mean to me, right?" I wanted to get straight to the point but I knew that she would never take it well. So, I started with what I knew she loved to hear."Of course, Xavier. And you mean so much more to me, too." She stepped closer and looked up at me."You know you are one of the most important people in my life, yes?" I held her hand in mine despite Spike's growls in my head. He and I were going to have a conversation later because he needed to accept my decisions or we would live the rest of our super-long lives at odds with each other.She nodded as her smile widened and I resumed, "And you know that you have always been irreplaceable in my life. From the moment we met to our years in school and college. ""I know, love. And you are the most important person in my li
[TRIGGER WARNING = This Chapter has a mention of miscarried pregnancy.]>From the moment I had been dropped at my house. My thoughts and feelings were at odds. I was confused, upset, and weirdly calm.Instead of walking inside, I had waited for Xavier to leave and then I had rushed to the woods. The only place where there were no threats, or exes, or love, or frauds, or odd jobs that made me feel like a nobody.I ran and it helped me calm my nerves. I didn't want to think about what was next but I had no choice. Maisie had tried her best to get me a job at that catering company and it had turned out to be more problems. Now, I had no idea if I was even going to get paid at all. And I definitely wasn't going to keep the job. The manager was already breathing down my neck and the rest of the staff members hated that I was not from their pack.I returned home breathless and greeted Aunt Julie, who was overjoyed to see me back. She instantly got worried because I hadn't tol
>"Girl, I'm still not sure about this. Like, at all." Maisie had been driving me to the Blood Cresent and she hadn't stopped about what a wrong decision it was to accept Claire's invite, since the moment I had told her a few days ago."You think I do? MJ, I know what a wrong decision it is. But, as I have said it a million times now, the lesser of the two evils.-""-Lesser of the two evils. I know." She mimicked me."Exactly. Would you rather she show up with all her drama to Silver Moon and paint a bigger target on my back? So that I lose any minuscule chance that I might still have to pay Xavier's fee? I would think not." I gave the same argument."So, we are clear. We know it is a trap. Right?" She glanced at me momentarily before keeping her focus on the road."Of course. Whichever world would Claire Devereux apologize to me, this is not it." I sighed. I knew my luck and it was sure not overturned in one night."I just wish we had any idea of what we are walking into.
>Claire was expecting tears. I believe wanted to crush any hope that any woman would ever have for snatching her man.So, when I simply accepted the fake apology and turned, Claire felt like she was the one who had gotten played despite it being her plan. She was about to go off on me when Xavier entered.Apparently, he hadn't been at the party and had just arrived.He stopped in his tracks when he saw both of us in the living room."I invited Zoe." Claire perked up immediately and walked over to her man, hooking her arm with his, she pulled him away.I stared at them for a moment, before trying to pull myself together. I walked outside to find Maisie. It was time to leave.Before I could find her, one of Claire's friends found me, "Is it true? That you couldn't afford a branded bikini and had to wear these rags?" She looked me up and down.Another of her friends joined and started, "How about you get me a margarita? You are a waitress after all, no?"Oh, how I wished to
>My lungs burned as I tried to breathe.I coughed and it hurt. There was a distant sound of someone calling my name. Was someone holding me?I tried to open my eyes and get some oxygen in my lungs. What happened?I looked up and saw Xavier's steel greys looking into mine. He looked worried. Where did he come from? Why was he worried? I tried to look around and noticed Maisie was sitting next to me."It's okay. You are okay. Alpha Shaw saved you." Maisie was saying.Save me from what?And then I realized how dripping wet I was. Xavier's hair still had droplets dripping as well. My jumpsuit felt restrictive to move or breathe in as it clung to my body. Thankfully, it was not see-through."Oh, Goddess! Zoe, you slipped and fell into the pool. So lucky that my Xavier was here to save you." I heard Claire as she came into view. She had discarded the satin cardigan that she had been wearing to cover up her revealing bikini. Her face did not betray a single emotion that she had
>I knew going to Claire's was going to blow up in my face. But I had no idea how bad things would go and how quickly out of hand too.Now, Maisie was gone. Xavier had taken Claire to hospital and despite everything, I was praying, hoping, that she was okay. Jacob had gone with them. I was alone in Claire's home, surrounded by all the pool party/engagement party guests of Blood Cresent. Everyone who thought I was a slut and a gold digger."I know you did this." The dark-skinned girl from earlier raised her accusing finger at me as she walked inside and saw me still there.I knew replying would make it worse and there was no way I could protect myself from so many wolves who loved Claire. So, I stayed silent."I saw Claire drinking from the glass that you planted on the table for her." She was glaring at me as more people joined her."Say something, Slut." One of them shouted, "No apology or regret?""So, apart from being a whore by trade, and a gold-digger, you are also a
>I felt numb throughout my ride home.It felt like I had lost something very precious. Like I had lost a part of myself. The scene of Xavier's arms carrying Claire as she smirked at me was haunting me. But I did not feel like crying. What was the point of crying? It won't bring back what Xavier and I had shared. I wondered if any of it was real. Or did he really just use me?The cab dropped me near my house as evening enveloped the pack but I didn't want to go inside yet. Aunt Julie had been so worried about me lately. I couldn't let her see me like that. I had to get a grip on myself. I had to run.I needed to run.I rushed into the darkening woods.I took off my shoes and allowed nature to lead me. I focused on the sounds and smells around me and hoped that like always I would be able to run from my thoughts. I never realized when the casual fun runs through the woods as a kid turned into me running from my present.I stopped when I absolutely needed air. I bent on my
>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 a
>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
>"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
>"What are you so happy about?" I asked Aunt Julie whose excitement was confusing me.Instead of answering me straight away she sat me down on a couch with a nostalgic look and held my hands motherly before finally speaking."Did your Dad ever tell you that you have your mother's eyes?" She asked with a soft sad smile.She didn't wait for me to answer, probably because she knew the answer to her question. She resumed, "Of course not. He did his best to remove any mention of her from his life. That was his way of dealing with his grief."What about my grief? I wanted to ask but I chose to listen.She was right, no one was allowed to talk about Mom in our house. I was never allowed to ask any questions. Aunt Julie tried her best to fill that hole in my life but for a ten-year-old girl, no one could replace her mother. I barely had any memories of her either. The psychiatrist had told Dad that it was a form of PTSD. I don't remember what the trauma exactly was, but apparentl
>Zoe ran to her room and gathered the contents of the box. She got her old laptop and searched up the location. She rushed back down and went outside to the broken car.Xavier and Aunt Julie followed her as Zoe opened the backseat door."You can't go in that. I doubt it's even going to start." Xavier commented."It better. The coordinates are a two-day drive away." Zoe replied without looking at him. Then, she suddenly turned to him, "Key?" She brought her hand forward expectantly."Zoe," He started but she was getting impatient, "Key, now."He sighed, fetched the key from his pants pocket, and placed it on her open palm. She grabbed it and turned without a thank you. Aunt Julie tried to protest, "You can't let her go alone,""I'm not. Don't worry, " he said and waited for Zoe to try starting the car. He crossed his arms and waited as she turned the key in the ignition, but the car didn't start. Zoe stubbornly tried to keep trying instead of admitting that he was right. T
>"What are these?" Zoe put the envelope on the coffee table between herself and Xavier.Glad that she was finally talking to him, he leaned, his brows furrowed in confusion and concentration, "Letter to you?" He said."The number, what are those?" Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes or go over and kiss his confused expression. She knew he was trying not to upset her further. She didn't know why he suddenly cared but a small part of her was relieved that he hadn't mentioned his chosen mate yet or gone back to her. By the looks of it, he was only worried about Zoe. She didn't want to let him in her heart and get it broken again but she wasn't sure if he had left entirely the first time either."Looks like coordinates." He thought out loud."I knew it." Zoe snatched the envelope back, their fingers brushing for a moment and both tried to not show how the touch affected them."I can get the location checked. That is, if you want.." Xavier offered softly.Zoe didn't answer b
>"Weren't you informed not to call? The lines can be intercepted!" I whisper-yelled into the phone as soon as I was sure neither Aunt Julie nor Zoe could overhear."This one's fine, Sir. I made sure. And this is urgent." Jacob spoke in a hushed tone like he was afraid."Well?" I said expectantly, urging Jacob to resume."We were found. Some of our men work for your father and call him Alpha. I don't know how they found out." Jacob informed."Did they take Claire?" I asked expecting the worst."No. They tripped off an alarm I had planted around the area and I got a fifteen-minute headstart. I drugged Claire and took her before they could get us. They knew about the underground room." He told."Where are you now?""At the Shaw Safehouse. I cleaned up any evidence of the underground room being in use before we left. They won't know Claire was there." Jacob reassured me and then said, "But the bad news is, the cleanup team at Golden Eclipse didn't do as great of a job.""W
>The next morning, Zoe was up and out of the house just as the dawn broke through the sky.She had a restless night, the same nightmare burning her mind whenever she closed her eyes. She had waited for her wolf for so long. And then, she had taken even longer to accept that, unlike her fellows, she would never be able to transform into one because she was wolfless.Now, she had a beast. Granted it was not a regular wolf but an animal nonetheless and she wanted to transform. Her mind focused on her need to feel herself shift consciously just to be sure that it had actually happened. Also, this newfound focus helped distract her from the grief of her father.She called out to Dahlia and fell to her knees, trying to force her bones to move, for her skin to get covered with thin grey fur and for her canines to elongate and sharpen. Nothing happened.Dahlia did her best to aid her human but it proved futile as no matter how hard either of them tried, Zoe's body refused to trans
[WARNING: This chapter contains details of gore and death. Proceed with caution.]>That night Zoe slept in her old bed. Apparently, no one had known about their departure from Golden Ecplise or their arrival at the Silver Moon.Xavier chose to stay and Aunt Julie asked him to stay in Joe Simmons room but he refused knowing that when Zoe found out, she would be furious. She blamed Xavier for her father's death, and truthfully, so did he.Aunt Julie wanted to ask about Xavier about his pack but he had been so quiet that she decided otherwise.Zoe sat on her bed looking at the contents of the wooden box. She stared at the pictures. This time with more attention to detail than she had earlier in the day. She read the notes behind each. Some were normal comments about the picture while some were in the same language as the bundle of paper and needed to be decipered. It was just all too much information to be digested at once. The only good thing that came out of opening that