The scent of lavender permeated the drawing room. Servers were placing champagne bottles and glasses on the small tables situated before the couches. The room was huge and airy, with white curtains fluttering in the breeze blowing in from the open windows. There were bouquet of flowers scattered around for aesthetic effect. It was to convey a certain mood and it was definitely doing its job as I already felt as though today was the wedding. I woke up in a festive mood, all unsavory thoughts regarding Alpha Ian seemed to have left me. My focus needed to be on my mother and preparing for her big day. After everything has been arranged per my mother’s specification, I was left alone in the room. It didn’t take long for the guests to start trickling in. My mother joined us after a little while and she and her friends launched into a chaotic conversation filled with laughter and talking over each other. I kept glancing at the door, wondering when Bianca would come. She arrived right befor
Francesca’s POV Long after the brunch had come to an end and all the guests left the drawing room, including Bianca, I was still seated in the armchair. I seemed unable to move or speak, brain slowly trying hard not to think too much about my mother and Alpha Ian in bed. In fact, I was trying not to think about what the Alpha was like in bed at all. It wasn’t the kind of thoughts I wanted to harbor. I didn’t need my imagination to run wild. The man was marrying my mother come tomorrow. I didn’t know what it was exactly I felt, but it needed to die down. It needed to be obliterated because there was no space for it in my life. It would only bring me pain and complicate everything. I resolved that it was a silly crush borne out of Alpha Ian’s devasting good looks and effortlessly dominant nature. “Francesca,” Jessica Reginald called out in a soft tone. “Yes, mum,” I replied, turning my head sideways to stare at her. My mother was sitting on the long sofa alone. In fact, I hadn’t no
I love weddings and all the commotions they come with. Granted, I wasn’t the happiest trooper when I learnt about this particular alliance, but I think it’s safe to say I was fully on board now. I couldn’t have been happier for my mother. I was ready to give Alpha Ian a chance and put all of the mess that transpired between us in the past. Dominic already felt like someone I’ve known my whole life. I was also integrating well into the life of our merged packs. When all that was said and done, it was my mother’s wedding day. I was running around like a manic headless chicken. It was one errand after another. I was lucky I had Patrick and Bianca to relegate some of the responsibilities that were thrust upon me. I didn’t know whether Aunt Eleanor thought I had some hidden powers that would enable me to be at a hundred places at once. She was a tough cookie, that woman, merciless to boot. “There’s no rest for the wicked, Francesca,” she would say whenever she discovered my latest hidi
Francesca's POV Dominic had been right. Once Damien started going on about Francesca, the Magnificent, it was almost impossible to get him to stop. But I didn’t mind. I enjoyed it if I was being honest. She sounded like a riot, an untamed and unhinged woman who had been fully in control of everything in her domain. Now, there’s a woman worthy of being a role model. I’ve always had an affinity for my name, always thought it had a grandeur to it, but now there’s a new significance attached to it. At some point, I had to excuse myself from the conversation and make my way inside the mansion. The wedding progression was about to start. I needed to get dressed in the drawing room with the rest of the bride’s entourage. There was incessant chatter when I walked into the dressing room. On the far side, I saw my mother was being fitted into her gorgeous dress and I could only smile, feeling a wave of powerful emotions course through me. My cousin, Mayrah’s dress had obviously been adjusted
Francesca’s POVLife has a way of taking us down roads we never saw ourselves traversing. It’s crazy how we hardly have any say in how certain things in our existence will unfold. The Moon Goddess could be especially cruel and fickle when she chooses to be. I finally understood what Dominic meant. I always thought the moment I met my fated mate would be a magical one. I would be ecstatic, over the moon with overwhelming emotions, and grateful to the Moon Goddess for finally blessing me with such a precious gift. I never imagined it would go like this. This was far from my ideal dream and fantasy. No, this was a nightmare, a hellish one I wanted to wake up from but knew for a fact that I never would. This was reality. It was my reality.My mother’s husband-to-be was my fated mate. I should have known there was a reason I reacted so viscerally to his presence. From the very start, all the signs were there. I was too stupid to see, even after Bianca warned me. But of course, I didn’t wan
Francesca’s POV From the moment I stepped foot outside of my bedroom, it felt as though I was submerged under water. My surroundings closed in around me and everything echoed. I barely remembered how I made my way to the drawing room and joined the other bridesmaids and my mother. Someone gave a short speech before we departed for the wedding tent. I don’t remember who it was or what it was they talked about specifically. I seemed to be moving on autopilot. I had completely dissociated. I think my senses slowly came back to me when my mother and Alpha Ian began exchanging vows. Their words stuck to me like glue. I wished I wasn’t standing so close and that I could divert my gaze and not take the scene in, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter. For now, this was what I needed to do. It was happening whether I liked it or not. My fated mate was standing before me, and he was promising to spend the rest of his life loving no other person but my mother. They finished exchanging th
Francesca’s POV I was slowly coming back to myself. My eyes were struggling to slip open and adjust to the light that seemed blinding. I was no longer out in the woods. That much was obvious. In fact, I was lying in bed, one that felt and smelled like my own. I was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black shorts. I also happened to be buried under a mountain of blankets. It was nice and warm. I wanted to stay there forever. My mind was momentarily blank, as though it was trying to protect me from thinking about the plethora of painful events that had taken place in the last several hours. It didn’t take me long after that to figure out two other people were on the bed with me. It was Bianca and Patrick flanking me on either side. They both wore worried looks. I could also see their confusion clear as day. They must have a thousand questions running through their heads as to what led to my collapse in the middle of the woods. I couldn’t begin to imagine how panicked they had been
Alpha Ian’s POV I didn’t know what to expect when I stepped into her room. I wasn’t sure what I would feel the second I laid eyes on her again. I’d gone through with the wedding without much thought. I didn’t allow myself to even stop for a second, because then I would have been forced to confront the finality of what I was doing and all the repercussions it would have. Now that my goal had been accomplished, and the reception had also served its purpose, it was only natural that I felt the need to go to her. When Patrick and Bianca left us alone, I could only continue to stand in the middle of her bedroom, floundering like a fool. She looked so small and vulnerable buried underneath her blankets. I wasn’t immune to the heartbreak that was visible in her expression. I simply wasn’t sure what to say or do. How much should I reveal about what I was feeling? Was it even appropriate to burden her with it? Where was the line now? She was my fated mate but I had essentially rejected her.
Francesca’s POVThe coronation of the Alpha King and his chosen Luna is one of the most sacred events for any Pack. It’s one that is celebrated in a grand affair, and remembered for months after the fact. Every Pack had its own special way of going about it, the rituals they always made sure took place and all the flurry of activity and prayers that happen, taking advantage of the full moon and asking the Moon Goddess to bless us and grant our heart’s deepest desires.“Mother, you look absolutely stunning,” I said, my tone dripping with admiration as I stared at Alpha Jessica Reginald, where she sat dressed in a lovely golden gown, about to be crowned the Luna of the Sangria-Crescent Pack.“Thank you, darling,” Jessica replied, smiling, her blonde hair framing her gorgeous face like a halo. “Come sit with me.”The other women who’d been helping my mother get ready for the coronation excused themselves and walked out of the drawing room.I threw them a discreet smile as they exited the
Francesca’s POVAs we approached mid-September, the Fall weather really began to set in. The unbearable heat of the previous month was abating with every second that passed. The leaves of the trees were changing color, losing their life force and vividness, and falling to the ground in a melancholic but beautiful display of the wonders of nature.Our summer vacation was still very much ongoing. Bianca, Patrick and I had at least another two weeks before we were due to return to campus so we were definitely making the most of our last days of leisure. Although to define our days as leisure was subjective. Our training sessions were more intense than ever. Alpha Ian has been present and running most of them. Ever since his therapy sessions came to a fruitful conclusion, he has been more determined than ever to push us to our limits. There was an obvious shift in how he now regarded Ezekiel and the imminent war between us. His hatred was less personal. It was no longer the kind of acidi
Ezekiel’s POVI was standing back a considerable distance as training went on. As much as I had said I wanted to oversee it, my intention was not to interrupt it in any way whatsoever. I also didn’t want our warriors to feel under pressure or act as though they had to do anything different simply because I was present. I wanted to observe them as they always were during each session. And of course, I had the utmost trust in their tutors that they would do a good job today as they’ve been doing for as long as they’ve had the responsibility.So far, I was mighty pleased with everything I was seeing. Our warriors seemed to be disciplined, determined, unceasingly strong, and above all, they all had a killer instinct. From what they were showing, they would absolutely have no qualms in striking down any enemy they came into contact with, and those were the kind of warriors I needed on my side when I made my first calculated attack against the Crescent-Sangria Pack.Alexander and Eve were m
Ezekiel’s POVGreat Aunt Elizabeth’s sprawling estate has long ceased being hers. Not since the day I snuffed the life out of the stubbornly staunch old woman right after making her sign over the deeds. That was another lifetime ago, way before I grew into myself. Sixteen-year-old me wasn’t exactly the brightest. I can’t believe he tried to have it all, tried to hold onto Ian even when he knew there was no way the other boy was going to be accepting of the inevitable path I was going to choose.The path I was already on when we were merely thirteen-year-olds and I decided on animal sacrifice to summon the Moon Goddess. I didn’t even think twice about killing those helpless bunnies that I’d spent weeks raising. That should have been Ian’s warning shot, and maybe it was but he definitely did not heed it.But what made me hope, that I could bring him over to my side, even if I had to use lies and manipulation to aid me was how he reacted after he watched me commit cold blooded murder for
Alpha Ian’s POVThe idea of going to some cold and lifeless office of a therapist was enough to make me want to puke. If I was going to cut my skin open and bleed for a complete stranger, I had to do in a place I felt safe and comfortable in. The sessions had to take place in my Study and nowhere else. And this was how the therapist that had been chosen for me by Jessica found herself sitting on my high-backed chair facing me, as I reclined on the sofa. Her name was Valentina. She was a beta wolf, and the energy she gave off was of someone kind and capable at the same time. She had honey blonde hair that was cut in a bob and it framed her oval face in a flattering way. She wore red lipstick, and had a nose-ring.It was the nose-ring that threw me off when she arrived. It didn’t match the image I had of the look of a therapist in my head. But somehow, that injected this chill vibe into the atmosphere. And I could almost delude myself into thinking I was about to have a conversation w
Alpha Ian’s POVIt was a different kind of torture, having to narrate practically everything I told Francesca and the others to my wife the next day. She listened to me with the same empathy and compassion that I received from everyone who was present in my Study the night before. She didn’t cut me off necessarily, only asked questions when she felt that I had mentioned something too important to skim over.By the time I was done with my narration, Jessica let out a loud sigh and said, “I’m afraid Francesca is right on this one, Ian. You do need therapy.”I nodded, she took my hand in hers and squeezed it in comfort. We were sitting side by side on a sofa in our bedroom. I’d alerted her we needed to talk about something right before she turned in for bed. Jessica wasn’t one to dwindle when her specific time to sleep arrived.“I know, darling,” I said to her. “I’ve already accepted that this is something I need. It’s high time I dealt with this unfinished business so I could move forwa
Francesca’s POV“So, what’s the verdict?” Alpha Ian asked after I hadn’t uttered a word after his vulnerable confession. “Am I still in love with a monster?”I fixed him with an intense stare then, really looking at him. There was a vacant look in his eyes, it seemed as though he was bracing himself for the worst. It was kind of tragic, the entire situation was, if I was being entirely honest.And I couldn’t bring myself to feel any sort of jealousy toward Ezekiel. Maybe, it would hit me later and I would hate him even more for being my fated mate’s first love. But now, I was more concerned with helping Alpha Ian sort through his emotions and any lingering feelings he might still harbor for the king of the rogues.“Well?” Alpha Ian prompted. “Will you say something?”“I don’t know,” I finally said.“Excuse me?” Alpha Ian sat up then, and fixed me with a disbelieving stare. “What don’t you know?”I shrugged, breaking eye contact. “I don’t know if you’re still in love with him or not.”
Francesca’s POV“What did you just ask me?” Alpha Ian said in a dangerously low tone, his eyes narrowing as they gazed into mine.“You heard me very well,” I said, “But I can still repeat myself: are you still in love with Ezekiel?”This time, he seemed unable to form words. He opened his mouth several times but ended up closing it again. I guess one can say, he wasn’t expecting that kind of question from me, or from anyone for that matter.Even I wasn’t completely sure why I asked it. Okay, I did know why. The root cause wasn’t jealousy. It was a true desire to help him sort through any lingering feelings he might have had where Ezekiel was concerned because a love that intense doesn’t just disappear altogether. I wasn’t even sure I could decipher all the different kind of feelings and emotions that I experienced while listening to him go into depth about his relationship with Ezekiel, the bond they shared, their subsequent honeymoon in the penthouse, and ultimate rupture.At some
Alpha Ian's POV"So that was how it went down," Dominic said, looking like someone who's entire world has been tilted on its axis. "Man, you kept all of that inside you when you returned, and pretended as though you merely failed in convincing Ezekiel to come back with you and plead his case.""Yeah... pretty much. that's what happened.""I bet he was impossible to be around when he returned," Francesca wondered."Oh yes, he was was," Denise replied to her. "It was worse than when Ezekiel had just been banished. The Ian who returned was a completely different person.""He seemed to have shoved all his emotions in a box, locked them away and and threw them in a raging volcano," Dominic said."Hey, I wasn't that bad," I said, tone defensive."You so were," Dominic and Denise said at the same time and then they started laughing as they stared at each other."You were worse than bad, big brother," Dominic said. "You were frighteningly cold. It seemed as though the only emotions you allowe