For some reason, my heart felt stiff and I found it very hard to breathe all of a sudden. His gaze was icy and it belittled me even more."Are the servants in this household so unruly?" His voice harsh as he spoke. I should apologize and leave but I couldn't bring myself to do it, I couldn't even speak or move my feet."We are sorry, I apologise." Gina said from behind me as she grabbed my hands and pulled me to the side."Apologize now!" She whispered to me."I am sorry." I managed to utter. He gave me a condescending look before going his way. He moved fluidly as the guest gave way for him. He was certainly a man that commanded respect. I was too busy staring at him that I didn't notice Archie and his Mate, Ethel Lane walk past me. Or maybe I just didn't care."Are you okay Iris?" Gina asked concerned."I'm fine, I just.." I struggled to say."It's okay, just get some rest." She advised and I nodded. It's not like I could just go ahead and rest anyway, I still needed to serve Miss E
I followed Ethel through the winding corridors of the grand estate, my mind racing with curiosity. What could Ethel Lane want to discuss with me in private? We have nothing to do with each other.As we walked, the sounds of the ball grew fainter, replaced by the soft rustling of Ethel's gown and the creaking of the old wooden floorboards. We eventually arrived at a small, secluded garden, surrounded by tall hedges and filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers at the edge of the Troy mansion.Ethel stopped beneath a willow tree, its branches swaying gently in the breeze. She turned to me, her expression neutral."Iris, I wanted to speak with you about my husband, Archie. I am sure you are very familiar with him," Ethel began, her voice gentle but firm. "I know he still has feelings for you, and I understand why. You were his first love, after all."Feelings? What feelings? He must be very stupid and those feelings can rot with him for all I care."But I must ask you, Iris, to sta
I walked away confused but still happy. At least I had been relieved for the night since Pack master had excused me himself. Some of the girls were still busy while some had gone back to rest. I definitely couldn't just go back to my room as I still had to be around until Eleanor was ready to retire to her quarters since it was my job to serve her anyway."Iris!" Anne called me as she took sight of me. She ran towards me."Hey Anne, I haven't seen you all day." I said to her and she began her usual sobbing."I don't want to be a kitchen lady anymore," she whined. " My arms hurt from kneading dough all morning. I didn't even get to see the inside of the ballroom and all the handsome guests. I feel so wronged." She sobbed harder and I patted her head. I can't even tell if she was upset about cooking all day or because she didn't get to see handsome men. Probably the later."There weren't that much handsome men so you didn't miss much." I tried to console her."Lair! I saw a few come out
His fingers brushed softly against my lips as he tilted my head upwards. I could feel his warm breath on my skin as he drew close and placed his lips on mine. I didn't struggle, neither did I reject his kiss, because I wanted it as much as he did. Now, at this moment, all I could think about was him and I, in this very moment, sharing our breaths so passionately.His hands reached for my waist as he slowly pulled my body closer to his, I instinctively wrapped my hands across his broad shoulders as I deepened the kiss. His tongue softly glazing mine as we shared saliva. It was a soft alluring kiss and being in his arms like this made me completely forget how utterly wrong this was. But my brain was numb, numb to any form of reasoning as I pressed my body against his in an attempt to close any little space between us.His tongue explored my mouth, and I sucked his whenever I had the chance, he kissed my lips softly as his hands moved lower and grabbed my ass. I moaned softly into his mo
I had been excused so I should probably go back to my room. I couldn't still believe that I had dared to do such a thing. I grazed my lips softly with my fingers as I recalled Leigh's soft tender lips on mine. The feeling was electric, like shockwaves passed through my veins. I shook my head as I tried to collect my thoughts. I should probably go now before I lose my mind. As I raised up my head, I was met with Luka Lanes gaze. He seemed like he has been watching me for a while. When I caught his gaze, he looked away."Weird!" I muttered to myself. I didn't have the time to worry about that creepy old man at the moment, I had real problems."That Luka Lane is really something, isn't he?" Gina popped out from nowhere and it gave me quite a fright."Geez Gina, where do you keep popping out from?" I said trying to get myself together but she just shrugged. She stared at me and moved close as she touched my eye brows."See how kneaded your brows are," she said as she arranged them."Don't
~ Leigh's POV ~"Ugh, why won't it just stop?!" I grumbled as my alarm clock shrieked in my ear, piercing through my sleep-addled brain. I groggily reached over to silence it, but instead of turning it off, I tossed it to the other side of the bed. The ringing continued, taunting me. I was too tired for this.I grumbled, throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. I made my way to the clock and slapped the snooze button."Blissful silence!" I heaved a breath of relief. I should probably start getting ready for the task ahead. Today was the ball and I was in charge of everything, so I needed to be up early and arrange for all the necessary things and ensure everything is in place. But as I turned to head to the bathroom, I caught sight of my bed, my gaze fell upon the rumpled sheets and inviting pillows."Just five more minutes..." I told myself, crawling back into bed and snuggling under the warm covers."This was nice..." I muttered. I closed my eyes, feeling the softness envelop
He scoffed at my words and pulled my hands off his collar."You are still a child Leigh. Still hung up over a prank I played on you while we were kids." He said without a hint of remorse."Only someone sick in the head will call that a mere prank. You almost got me fucking killed you bastard!" I cussed."But did you die?" He shot back and I was amazed by his shamelessness.Back when we were kids, I had no friends and the only other child I knew was Chad. He was my brother and I wanted to be close to him. Even when my mother forbade me from being close to him, or when I saw how his mother was treated with love and respect, whereas my mother was disrespected and left at the side like a piece of garbage, I still wanted to be close to him.He was loved by father and I was ignored. I had thought that if my brother loved and played with me, then the love of my father would rub off on me.But my brother hated me. He despised my very existence but no one knew. In the open, he was nice, but se
I huddled behind the fern, my body trembling with cold and exhaustion. The rain had mercilessly pounded me, leaving me weak and shivering. The dark clouds above seemed to be closing in, making me wonder if I would ever be found. But still, I held on to hope. Hope that Chad would come for me soon.My eyelids drooped, heavy with fatigue, but I forced them open, scanning the surroundings for any sign of rescue. And then, I heard it, the distant sound of voices calling out my name."Leigh, where are you?" The voice echoed through the woods, growing louder with each passing moment.With a surge of adrenaline, I summoned what little strength I had left."Over here!" I croaked, my voice barely audible.The rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs signaled their approach. I strained my eyes, trying to see through the veil of rain. And then, a figure emerged from the gloom.But it wasn't Chad. It was Miss Felice, her face etched with worry and concern."Leigh, my dear boy!" she exclaimed, rush
"I know. But we need to be careful. The rogues are getting desperate, and we don't know what they're capable of. We still don’t even know exactly what they want.”“We would get them soon.” I said trying to reassure Nicolas but mostly trying to reassure myself.“Okay then. Have you guys gotten the girl?” he asked.I hissed. “Not yet Nick. She’s been avoiding us like a plague and it’s becoming so annoying.” I hissed the words out. “This really is going not how I had expected. Anyway, I’ll get Amelia to a shelter. She’s still so shaken so I’ll have her stay there for a while.” He informed and I nodded.“Okay. Thanks man. I’ll see you back at the meeting point.”“Okay Leigh.” He said before hanging up. As he hung up the phone, Archie turned to me, his expression concerned. "What's wrong? I heard something about Dr Eli. Is he okay?" He asked concerned and I studied his expression before deciding to reply."Dr Eli's been taken," I said, my voice firm. "We need to get him back."Arc
I sat in the passenger seat of the car, my eyes fixed on the GPS screen as we navigated through the winding streets. Archie was driving, his hands moving deftly over the wheel as he expertly maneuvered the vehicle. He surprisingly impressed me with his driving skills, makes me hate him less for being such a jerk to Iris in the past. Just kidding. Still hate him just the same, but I have to work with him for now. And he’s actually been working pretty hard."Come on, come on," I muttered under my breath, my frustration growing. We had been tracking Gina for hours, but she was proving to be a slippery target. More slippery than anyone I had ever had to chase. Even Alaric."I know," Archie said, his voice calm and reassuring. "We will get her. She definitely can't keep running forever. Besides we are the good guys.” He said composed with his eyes still on the road as he expertly turned the stirring wheel.I nodded, but my doubts lingered. Gina was sly, observant, and clearly resourceful.
~ Leigh’s POV ~I had brought Iris back to the house. Dr Eli had secretly told me that something was awfully wrong and I should keep Iris with me by all means. I didn’t exactly know what was wrong, but I knew I had to protect her. She was so worried and I tried to console her as I held her firmly in my arms. Suddenly my phone rang and I frowned a little. It was Archie. I excused myself to go pick up.“What?” I said curtly.“I think we have our guy.” He said from the other end of the line. They have found the culprit? “Who is it?” I asked. “Its better you come here yourself. It’s not something I can say on the phone.” I don’t know why but I just had a really bad feeling. "I'll be there soon," I said finally, before hanging up the phone."What's wrong, Leigh?" Iris asked and I could sense the worry in her voice.I tried to keep my expression neutral. "Nothing Iris, Just pack business.""Tell me Leigh, what's going on?" She said unconvinced.I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I
"What is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.“I can’t tell you on the phone. Let’s meet up immediately. And come alone.”My heart raced with questions as I heard his words. I took a peek at Travis who was still talking to the security guard. “Okay. I’m on my way.” I said to chad before hanging up. He texted me a location and I considered for a quick second. “Hey,” Travis said to get my attention and I didn’t even know when he got back from speaking with the guards. “I’ve spoken to them to know the exact time Amelia had left. He said she had gone out to meet someone. Do you know anyone she might have gone out to see?” I tried to recall, but I literally do not know anything about my sister. If she went out to see someone, it’s definitely not her fiance, maybe his parents? “I think she must have gone to see her soon to be in laws. Maybe she’s there.” I said as I immediately started dialing their numbers but it was unreachable. “Let me try... in fact let’s go over t
I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling as sadness and worry washed over me. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Why did those people suddenly want dad specifically? And this issue about my mother probably being a Crescent Pack member. Leigh hadn't also come back that night, and I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. I needed him. I needed his comfort, and not being close to him at this moment of confusion in my life, made me all the more frustrated and nervous.I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, but my mind was racing with various unanswered questions. I kept thinking about Leigh and where he could be. Was he okay? Was he hurt too? No. I shouldn’t think like that. He was definitely okay.As the hours ticked by, I finally started to drift off to sleep, slowly but surely. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt myself falling into a void. I was drowning, unable to breathe, and I felt like I was being pulled down into the depths of the ocean.I
I paced back and forth in my room, my mind racing with worry. I still couldn't reach my dad or sister, and Anne's words kept echoing in my mind. Gina could possibly be alive. Then that makes Chad a liar. But why would he lie? And Leigh hasn’t also returned. This only made me more anxious and worried about the whole thing.I felt like I was suffocating in the room. Everywhere felt stuffy, and I was finding it so hard to breathe. I needed to clear my mind, at least for a little while. I decided to slip out of the room and get some fresh air.I made my way to the side garden, hoping not to bump into anyone to avoid any form of conversation. The cool evening air enveloped me as I walked quietly to the swing. I sat down gently sighing deeply as I let my thoughts wander.But my mind kept drifting back to that weird dream I'd been having. The strange woman which felt all too familiar asking me to remember. But what was I supposed to remember? It was frustrating, not knowing what was going on
I stood in my room, my phone still clutched in my hand as I tried to process the phone call I had just received. How could Gina who had been presumed dead, just call me, asking for help. I was still reeling from the shock, my mind racing with questions.How was this possible? But Chad had confirmed that Gina was dead and that her family even got her body to be buried quickly. Or so he had said. But now, Gina was calling me, asking for help. What in the world was going on?I needed to do something, and I needed answers, and quick. So I quickly dialed Chad's number, my heart racing with anticipation. He picked up on the first ring."Hey, I've been trying to call you for a while now, but your line wasn't going through," Chad said, his voice warm and familiar.My heart quickened at the thought that maybe he had news about Gina too. "What's going on?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."I just wanted to check in on you, see how you're doing," Chad said, his voice reassuring. "I know
As we pulled up to the Troy pack's mansion, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. I was relieved to be back in a safe place, but I was also worried about my dad and Amelia. Leigh seemed to sense my unease and reached out to take my hand."Hey dear, it's going to be okay," he said, giving my hand a squeeze.I smiled weakly and nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Leigh. He had been my rock throughout this whole ordeal, and I didn't know what I would do without him. I was really happy to have him by my side in such a time.As we stepped out of the car, Miss Felice came out to welcome us. But to my surprise, she didn't greet me as a servant this time. Instead, she smiled warmly and greeted me so politely like I was some important guest."Miss Iris, welcome back," she said to me warmly.I was taken aback by her warm greeting. Just this morning, I had quit my job as a servant in the Troy pack's household. And yet, here was Miss Felice, treating me like a honored guest."Thank
“Where did you hear that from?” he yelled at me. That was a first.“Was she actually from Crescent moon Pack?” I asked and he went quiet. “Father answer me!” I said desperately. “I’m driving. Don’t get me distracted.” Was his cold response.I looked down on my palms. I was right. Why was he hiding it from me? And who exactly was my mother? I must find out today.“Let me out.” I muttered.“What?” he asked me surprised.“I said let me out!” I suddenly yelled and he was greatly shocked. “What are you doing Iris?”“You do not want to tell me anything so I am not going home with you.” I said stubbornly and he was taken aback by my sudden outburst.“Iris dear, calm down. I’m only....”“Let me out dad. I’ll go ask the person who would probably tell me who I really am since you want to keep hiding things from me.” I said painfully.All these while, I had never asked. Not because I didn’t want to know, but because I was afraid of hurting everyone. Dad, my step mom and Amelia. I took wanted a