"How could you?" I snarled as I pulled back, my mind swimming in a cocktail of confusion, hurt, and fury. "We’re Mates—I thought things were getting better!" And wasn’t that just the kicker? I really thought we were getting somewhere, becoming closer, turning into partners who could have each othe
Olivia’s POV The shattered remains of a crystal vase crunched beneath my feet as I walked through the Pearl Room, my hands trembling and my chest heaving. The once-pristine sanctuary now lay in ruins, a reflection of the chaos inside my mind. I wanted to keep screaming, keep ripping and smashing,
And my baby would always have me. Nothing Elroy or Rita or Astor or the council could do would stop me from making sure of that. "The Pearl Room," I murmured as we entered my office. "I want it different. New." Jordan paused in her ministrations, her expression determined. "Consider it done.”
The golden gate leads to freedom. That was the message hidden in the song, our supposed clue. None of us had any idea what the fuck it meant. Frankly, we didn’t even know if the message was meant for us, or that it had anything to do with the disappearance of the band members wife, or any of the
“Olivia, this is your eighth failed pregnancy test in less than twelve months,” the doctor sighed. "We’ve tried almost everything. Maybe we can-”“I’m having a baby,” I said firmly. My jaw was set, but my eyes were watery.One year. An entire year of pills that gave me nausea and mood swings, inject
For a split second my mind said, ‘You know, Olivia, you should really ask a few questions about this situation.’ Then the man wrapped his arms around my waist and my mind said, ‘Fuck it.’At that moment I didn’t care if he was a call boy or what. He was here, and I was here, and as his hand tightene
It took a second for my words to sink in. When they did, both Damian and Louisa went a little pale.“Liv, baby—”“No,” I said firmly. “I am not your baby, we are not getting married, and I want you out of my house.” Damian’s mouth gaped open like a fish’s. It was funny, watching him realize his pl
I squinted at the ring I could see dangling around that Alpha’s neck. No, that couldn’t be mine—unless the call boy had sold it off that quickly? Why would another pack’s Alpha want it?Thankfully Greg didn’t indicate that he’d noticed it, just ranting on about how important it was that he become th
The golden gate leads to freedom. That was the message hidden in the song, our supposed clue. None of us had any idea what the fuck it meant. Frankly, we didn’t even know if the message was meant for us, or that it had anything to do with the disappearance of the band members wife, or any of the
And my baby would always have me. Nothing Elroy or Rita or Astor or the council could do would stop me from making sure of that. "The Pearl Room," I murmured as we entered my office. "I want it different. New." Jordan paused in her ministrations, her expression determined. "Consider it done.”
Olivia’s POV The shattered remains of a crystal vase crunched beneath my feet as I walked through the Pearl Room, my hands trembling and my chest heaving. The once-pristine sanctuary now lay in ruins, a reflection of the chaos inside my mind. I wanted to keep screaming, keep ripping and smashing,
"How could you?" I snarled as I pulled back, my mind swimming in a cocktail of confusion, hurt, and fury. "We’re Mates—I thought things were getting better!" And wasn’t that just the kicker? I really thought we were getting somewhere, becoming closer, turning into partners who could have each othe
Elroy’s POV After the monumental fuck up that the morning had been, the last thing I wanted to do was leave Olivia for even a second. I was thinking about her the entire end-of-quarter treasury analysis, and I was all but jogging back to our rooms when I was stopped by fucking Rita. She smelled
I wanted to laugh. He loved me? We barely knew each other, the only time we’d ever spent together was done for the investigation, he’d never reached out to me or me to him. He dared to call that love, just because he learned how to tolerate me? My heart sunk. This wasn’t really about me. Astor did
The idea of my child resenting me was heartbreaking. If this all really happened, then what would my baby know about me? What poison would Elroy and Rita tell them, if I was never there to prove my love? That was the last straw for me, and I curled into myself to cry. It was just too much. Astor a
Some time after Elroy left and I finished my breakfast, I decided that ‘bed rest’ could be fudged a little bit. It would be fine for me to get out of bed if I was just going to get in the bath, right? The Pearl Room had an incredible claw-foot tub and I had been looking for the opportunity to take i
Sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains, warming my face. I blinked groggily, stretching my arms above my head as consciousness slowly returned. I’d told Elroy I needed a nap, and clearly I was right about that given how much better I felt already. I let myself come to slowly, then turned to