LOGINThe maritime museum displayed treasures from various countries and eras, and it was rarely open to the public. This was Tabitha's first time stepping into such a place, and her eyes could hardly take it all in.Without realizing it, she fell behind the crowd, slowing her pace and pausing in front of each antique to examine them closely.What she found most captivating was a jade sculpture, pure white, radiating a gentle luster under the lights. Its texture was flawless, as if it had been carved from a single, perfect piece of jade.But when she saw the face of the jade sculpture clearly, her heart suddenly clenched.That face—it looked so much like her own.She stood frozen, staring at the jade sculpture for quite a while. It was an antique from ancient times; it had to be a coincidence.She snapped back to reality and looked up, only to realize that everyone else had already moved ahead.Tabitha quickened her pace in her high h
Algernon chuckled warmly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes softening. "Honestly, I really like you. I wouldn't complain if you ended up marrying my son."Tabitha patted her chest, looking as though she had just survived a scare. "Maybe not. Bonnie would never let me hear the end of it. I'd rather not find out."Algernon understood her immediately and sighed to himself.Only Bonnie treated her own son like a treasure, afraid someone might steal him away."Lycan Algernon, I'll go make you some food." Tabitha turned and left, found a band-aid in the kitchen to wrap the wound on her fingertip, and continued with the unfinished chores."The people of the Holmes family really are stranger than one another," she thought.***Two days later, Tamara cheerfully invited Cyrus out. "I found the perfume you wanted," Tamara said.A large collection of bottles and jars was stacked in front of her. She pushed them toward him as if she w
"Mom, I admit that I have feelings for Vanessa," Cyrus said. His voice was deep, steady, and entirely unyielding, each word carrying the weight of an absolute truth. "But she is entirely blameless in this."Tabitha stared at him, utterly stunned.She had been standing on the sidelines enjoying the drama, fully convinced that Bonnie was throwing a tantrum over nothing. She never expected the spotlight to swing around and blind her."Wait, what?""Ha! Hear that?" Bonnie hissed, turning a triumphant, venomous look toward the bed. "I knew this woman was bad news. She's been targeting Cyrus from day one. Alpha, you tell me—how are we handling this?"Algernon remained propped against his pillows. The look on his weathered face was somewhere between profound exhaustion and mild amusement. "How do you expect me to handle it?""You can't possibly mean to keep a viper like this in our house! She came here specifically to ensnare your son!"
The Holmes family's reach was longer than she had ever anticipated.Or maybe she was just overthinking it.Cyrus might only want to talk with her because of Algernon's condition, right?Taking a deep, stabilizing breath to calm the rising knot of anxiety in her chest, Tabitha turned and walked into the kitchen.Her knife moved in a steady, practiced rhythm, reducing the vegetables on the cutting board to even, paper-thin slices. But her mind was miles away, trapped in a loop, replaying the exact look Cyrus had given her moments ago.Her focus slipped for a fraction of a second. The blade veered."Ow—"Sharp pain flared as the steel bit into the side of her index finger. Crimson swelled instantly, heavy droplets spilling over her skin and staining the wooden board."Are you okay?"A shadow fell over her. He was there beside her in a blur, moving with the terrifying, unnatural speed.Before Tabitha could even
"Your siblings are studying abroad right now. Once I bring them back, our whole family will have a meal together," Tabitha said.Kyrian's eyes lit up instantly. "For real?""Yeah. Pinky promise."With Tabitha's assurance, genuine joy finally spread across his face.As he watched the helicopter lift off into the sky, he didn't cry like he did the last time. Because he knew they were bound to reunite again.And Tabitha looked so much healthier than before. He guessed her illness had to be truly behind her now.On the helicopter ride back, Tabitha asked Derek, "Aren't you gonna say anything to him?"He replied calmly, "Between men, one look says it all."Tabitha rolled her eyes. "You're one hell of a father."The next morning, Tabitha had a courier deliver the ointment to Rosemary before driving back to the Holmes' estate.The place had been unusually quiet these past two days.Misha had been completely tied u
Kyrian seemed a bit slight compared to Derek's battle-hardened physique. But his baby fat had long since vanished, replaced by firm, lean muscles forged through relentless field training.With a frown, he instinctively tried to pull away.Just then, a voice he hadn't heard in over three years—a voice so achingly familiar—sounded next to his ear, soft as a sigh. "Congratulations."He froze in place, his eyes widening as he thought, "I must've misheard. Totally. How could this masked stranger possibly be—"Tabitha slowly released him. Her gaze fell on the blood seeping from his forearm, and her expression immediately darkened. "You're hurt?"Still too stunned to process what was happening, Kyrian answered mechanically, "It's nothing serious.""Even a small wound can get infected if you ignore it. Come with me. I'll bandage it." Without giving him a chance to refuse, Tabitha grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the infirmary
Derek's POVAfter getting rid of all the snitches, I sat down in my office, grinding away.No one dared to disturb me.Once I wrapped up my work, Leo told me someone was waiting outside.As soon as I opened the door, Daphne rushed at me. "Derek!"I frowned the second I saw her. "What are you doing here?
Tabitha's POVDerek said, "I see. I won't hurt him, I promise. And I'll have my men looking for John. I'm sure he's fine for now. Don't worry."I nodded, and he gently stroked my cheek."Tabitha, believe it or not, I never wanted us to end up like this. From now on, I won't hurt yo
Tabitha's POVSitting in the helicopter, I heard nothing except for the rotor roar outside the window. The cabin was dead quiet.Perhaps feeling uneasy because of the silence, Mark finally spoke up, "I don't get it. Blood ritual is one of the traditions of us werewolves. We have strong
Derek's POVNoticing that she had barely touched the abundant seafood on the table, I felt deeply unsettled.I didn't bring Tabitha to the island merely to confine her.Currently, I hadn't found who was behind it all, making Seattle a persistent threat to her safety.I'd also







