“I don’t know his name, but he’s Crystal’s personal bodyguard.” “Personal bodyguard? Why does she need one of those? Did something happen?” “I don’t know, but Crystal hasn’t been to work in a couple days. She was gone to see a client a couple days ago, but she took a personal day yesterday. I th
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. How dare he tell me what I can and cannot do with my life? I did not care that he was the Alpha King; it was my life! “You’re not listening to me,” I said firmly. “He is interfering with every part of my life. What’s the point of protecting my life if I can’t eve
Our conversation ran through my head again and again that night as I lay in bed, trying to relax enough to fall asleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about the Lunas and their mysterious deaths—or how fiercely Andrew wanted to protect me. As irritating as the guard had been, I found Andrew’s insistence o
I was surprised that Andrew wanted to help me move, but I wasn’t going to turn him down. I agreed to wait until the weekend, and Andrew offered to lug everything—including the stuff I still had at Noah’s place—in a U-Haul trailer towed by his GMC Hummer EV SUT Omega Edition. It was the most efficien
I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I knew I had to do so quickly. “A friend gave it to me,” I said. “A friend gave you a ring?” Andrew asked skeptically. He flipped the box open. “A very nice engagement ring, at that.” Heat flooded my cheeks. “I…the friend proposed to me,” I murmured. “The
I waited for Noah inside Miranda’s Brew at lunch, twirling the ring box between my hands. I knew that Lily was right, that I needed to return it if I was not going to marry him, but I did not want to hurt Noah. He had been so sweet to me and had been such a great help with this case against Bob, and
I considered lying to Andrew, telling him that Noah meant nothing to me, but something about him made me want to keep our relationship honest. At least, this part of it. “I’ve been dating Noah off and on,” I admitted, “but I don’t think I’m in love with him.” “You don’t think? How certain are yo
I paled. Of course, Lisa and Bob would be at the most expensive restaurant in the city—why wouldn’t they go to the same restaurant that they took me to—but did they have to be there the one night that Andrew was treating me to dinner? They looked like they could kill me just for being in the same ro
That night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
Sensing the urgency in Noah’s voice, I leaned in closer. “What is it?” I asked, trying to suppress the anticipation in my voice. Noah’s grip on my hands tightened. “I’m going to study financial law in the human world.” I froze. My heart thumped hard against my ribs, so hard that I thought th
The nightmares did not stop. In fact, they got worse. By the end of that week, I was having at least one every night, and it was showing in behavior during the day. I could scarcely stay awake. At my new branch of Ever After Weddings, I had to sneak off into the breakroom whenever there were no cu
I dreamt of the Lunar Festival. Noah and I walked hand-in-hand through the stalls, enjoying the sparkling lights and the company of our new pack mates. Yet something was off. I could feel a chill in the air, a foreboding that I could not quite shake off. “We should get out of here,” I said, tryi