JOANNE The maids went on to assign us to rooms as they read from their tablets our names and the room we were to be in. “I'm still quite surprised that you followed me all the way here,” I whispered to Amara who stood beside me. “ You make it look like I haven't been here since,” she replied. “ You know, you don't have to accompany me,” I said, genuinely not wanting to burden her. Since this was a contest to select the bride for the Lycan King, we'd be staying at the palace until the contest is over. “ It's a little too much to be saying accompany, though you're not wrong,” she nodded her head not wanting to admit that she was worried. “You make me wonder if I'm weak,” I mumbled. “I heard you by the way and you know that's not the case,” she folded her arms. “I simply need to ensure that you are safe and I mean, knowing how unsociable you are, it would be a lot easier for you if you had your best friend with you,” she gave me a thumbs up and
Joanne's POVI sat in the garden, tears pouring down my cheeks. The news about the tournament cancellation hit me hard, and I felt lost. After everything I had hoped for, this moment seemed unbearable. I tried to wipe my eyes, but every thought about the tournament made my heart sink deeper.“Joanne!” I heard Silver call from a distance. I looked up and saw her rushing toward me, worry etched on her face.“What’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling next to me. “You look devastated!”“I am,” I admitted, sniffing. “They canceled the tournament! Everything I prepared for is gone!”“Hey, hey! Don’t cry!” Silver said, her tone soothing. “Wipe those tears away. We need you calm down and see poor Cassian, he is a blubbering mess!”“I don’t even know how to feel,” I said, my voice shaky. “It was everything I wanted. Now it’s all up in flames!”“Maybe it’s not over yet!” Silver said. “You don’t know what might happen next.”“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, struggling to calm down. Silver put her
Joanne's POV As the night wore on, I felt energy pulsating around me. The music, the laughter—all of it made me want to keep going. But I noticed Mia and Lila starting to sway a bit on their feet.“Hey, you two,” I said, waving them over. “Are you alright?”Mia yawned dramatically. “I think it’s time for us to call it a night,” she said, stifling another yawn. “I’m so tired!”“Yeah, I’m with you,” Lila agreed, rubbing her eyes. “Tonight was fun, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”“Alright, get some rest!” I replied, grinning. “You both deserve it after a long night of dancing!”Mia smiled back. “Thanks, Joanne. You did amazing tonight!” “Yeah, you really showed Poppy! I can’t wait to hear about all the chaos you plan to cause!” Lila laughed, throwing her arms around me for a quick hug.“Trust me, I have plans for the next two weeks,” I said with a smirk. “Poppy’s going to know exactly who she’s dealing with.”“Good luck with that!” Mia joked. “Just don’t let her drive you crazy!”“Neve
Joanne's POVThe sun shone through my window early the next morning, throwing the light across my room. I woke up feeling refreshed but also aware of the chaos from the night before. My head was still buzzing with thoughts about Poppy and Collins. "I need to blend in today," I told myself as I got out of bed.After getting ready, I decided to keep things simple. I pulled on a comfortable outfit and tied my hair back. “Just a quiet day,” I said, nodding at my reflection. “Nothing too dramatic.”I made my way through the halls of the hotel, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Mia catching up.“Joanne!” she called out, her face a mix of concern and fear. “I’m so glad I found you! I wanted to talk about what happened last night.”“Hey, Mia!” I replied, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it! I’m fine.”“No, I really need to apologize,” she insisted, her hands waving in front of her. “I should have immediately when you saw al
Sophia’s POVThey did not know. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at one another and as they whispered. I knew that my mother and father could hear everything they were saying but these people seem to have forgotten as they continued to talk in hushed tones among themselves.It's been three days since my mother walked into my room and found me looking like I was well over thirty five years. She had immediately raised alarm and called my father into the room. He was just as shocked as we were when he saw my appearance. He stopped at the door as his jaw dropped open in shock before he rushed over to me and grabbed my face in his hands, his eyes wide in alarm as he turned my face left and right the same way mother did. Three days later, I looked like I was over forty five to fifty years old. The first day, we kept it a secret among the family as they tried to analyze the situation and check if I was using something that was making my face look old but nothing I had was harmful
Ariella fidgeted nervously and wiggled her hands together. She had received a call from the hospital five hours ago that her mother collapsed. Her mother's surgery that was scheduled for five weeks later has been brought forward because of this. The doctor was demanding money for the surgery, and she also had outstanding debt for the drugs her mother's doctor was kind enough to give to her on credit. After her father's death, Ariella's mother fell ill, so she had to drop out of college and look for a job. In the process of looking for a job, she met an agent, who helped her secure a position to become a model. Since Ariella was beautiful and had a good shape for modeling, she was able to get a spot in the company, but she could never go far. She had no connection, she was not willing to sell her body. Most of her resources were snatched by the other models. Even after two years in the modeling industry, she was not making enough money to take care of her mother's medical bills
Ariella scrambled away from the bed and picking up all her clothes, she ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind her She slid down on the floor, still naked as she burst into tears of guilt. She was supposed to sleep with a random stranger and get the money for her mother's surgery, so how did she end up in Kelvin's bed? Did Hannah make a mistake with the room number? She was sure that Kelvin must have been expecting Hannah because he was also shocked to see her. She buried her face in her hands as she sobbed loudly. She was not a good friend at all. She just slept with her friend's boyfriend and enjoyed it, she even gave her first time to him. 'I have to tell Hannah before he tells her, I need to beg for her forgiveness' she thought as she stood up with shaky legs and picked up her trousers She brought her phone out of the pocket of her jeans and with shaky hands, she dialed Hannah's number. Her heart was in her mouth as she listened to the ringing tone, waiting fo
Kelvin continued to glare at the door long after Ariella left. He was still furious about what she did and he was going to make her pay. How dare she pretend to be his girlfriend just to get into bed with him and then try to push all the blame on Hannah? He was going to warn Hannah about her friend, who was just a wolf in sheep's clothing. He picked up his phone and called Hannah. He paced around the room as he waited for her to pick up. She did not pick up the first time, so he called her again, and she picked up this time around "Hello.” Hannah's voice held a tinge of fatigue, he could guess how tired she was, and it made him feel guilty. While he was here screwing her friend, she was there working hard to push her career forward. "Hannah, honey, you have to keep calm and listen to me. Something bad just happened, and I need to explain it to you.” he prepared her for the news he was about to deliver which he knew would hurt her. "Umm, Kelvin baby, if this is about whatever happ
Sophia’s POVThey did not know. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at one another and as they whispered. I knew that my mother and father could hear everything they were saying but these people seem to have forgotten as they continued to talk in hushed tones among themselves.It's been three days since my mother walked into my room and found me looking like I was well over thirty five years. She had immediately raised alarm and called my father into the room. He was just as shocked as we were when he saw my appearance. He stopped at the door as his jaw dropped open in shock before he rushed over to me and grabbed my face in his hands, his eyes wide in alarm as he turned my face left and right the same way mother did. Three days later, I looked like I was over forty five to fifty years old. The first day, we kept it a secret among the family as they tried to analyze the situation and check if I was using something that was making my face look old but nothing I had was harmful
Joanne's POVThe sun shone through my window early the next morning, throwing the light across my room. I woke up feeling refreshed but also aware of the chaos from the night before. My head was still buzzing with thoughts about Poppy and Collins. "I need to blend in today," I told myself as I got out of bed.After getting ready, I decided to keep things simple. I pulled on a comfortable outfit and tied my hair back. “Just a quiet day,” I said, nodding at my reflection. “Nothing too dramatic.”I made my way through the halls of the hotel, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Mia catching up.“Joanne!” she called out, her face a mix of concern and fear. “I’m so glad I found you! I wanted to talk about what happened last night.”“Hey, Mia!” I replied, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it! I’m fine.”“No, I really need to apologize,” she insisted, her hands waving in front of her. “I should have immediately when you saw al
Joanne's POV As the night wore on, I felt energy pulsating around me. The music, the laughter—all of it made me want to keep going. But I noticed Mia and Lila starting to sway a bit on their feet.“Hey, you two,” I said, waving them over. “Are you alright?”Mia yawned dramatically. “I think it’s time for us to call it a night,” she said, stifling another yawn. “I’m so tired!”“Yeah, I’m with you,” Lila agreed, rubbing her eyes. “Tonight was fun, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”“Alright, get some rest!” I replied, grinning. “You both deserve it after a long night of dancing!”Mia smiled back. “Thanks, Joanne. You did amazing tonight!” “Yeah, you really showed Poppy! I can’t wait to hear about all the chaos you plan to cause!” Lila laughed, throwing her arms around me for a quick hug.“Trust me, I have plans for the next two weeks,” I said with a smirk. “Poppy’s going to know exactly who she’s dealing with.”“Good luck with that!” Mia joked. “Just don’t let her drive you crazy!”“Neve
Joanne's POVI sat in the garden, tears pouring down my cheeks. The news about the tournament cancellation hit me hard, and I felt lost. After everything I had hoped for, this moment seemed unbearable. I tried to wipe my eyes, but every thought about the tournament made my heart sink deeper.“Joanne!” I heard Silver call from a distance. I looked up and saw her rushing toward me, worry etched on her face.“What’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling next to me. “You look devastated!”“I am,” I admitted, sniffing. “They canceled the tournament! Everything I prepared for is gone!”“Hey, hey! Don’t cry!” Silver said, her tone soothing. “Wipe those tears away. We need you calm down and see poor Cassian, he is a blubbering mess!”“I don’t even know how to feel,” I said, my voice shaky. “It was everything I wanted. Now it’s all up in flames!”“Maybe it’s not over yet!” Silver said. “You don’t know what might happen next.”“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, struggling to calm down. Silver put her
JOANNE The maids went on to assign us to rooms as they read from their tablets our names and the room we were to be in. “I'm still quite surprised that you followed me all the way here,” I whispered to Amara who stood beside me. “ You make it look like I haven't been here since,” she replied. “ You know, you don't have to accompany me,” I said, genuinely not wanting to burden her. Since this was a contest to select the bride for the Lycan King, we'd be staying at the palace until the contest is over. “ It's a little too much to be saying accompany, though you're not wrong,” she nodded her head not wanting to admit that she was worried. “You make me wonder if I'm weak,” I mumbled. “I heard you by the way and you know that's not the case,” she folded her arms. “I simply need to ensure that you are safe and I mean, knowing how unsociable you are, it would be a lot easier for you if you had your best friend with you,” she gave me a thumbs up and
As Ariella moved from boutique to boutique, buying both the things she wanted and the things she needed, swiping Kelvin’s card here and there, it almost felt like the burden she’s been carrying inside of her was lessening. It was the same as when people cut themselves to bleed out so that they could feel better.Her driver for today was not the one she was familiar with. Anytime she picked something, his eyes would widen but she did not care. She did not know if he was surprised because of the multiple things she was buying or the prices of these things. She was trying hard not to look at the price herself because anytime her eyes went to the price, she could feel her heart beating faster than normal in her chest. He was following her so closely like he was her bodyguard. Maybe Kelvin did care about his child after all. She’s never seen this man before so he might as well be a bodyguard disguised as her driver. This made her relax a whole lot and enjoy her shopping. She ignored Mar
Joanne's POV Silver had already left the room and I was as exhausted as fuck. I wanted to take a walk to clear my head After spending some time in the garden and then at the party, I finally made my way back to my room for probably the 100th time today. I slumped onto my bed, feeling a mix of exhaustion and lingering tension. The events of the day swirled in my mind, and I needed a moment to regroup.“Ugh, what a day,” I muttered to myself, staring up at the ceiling. I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “Maybe talking to Nathan will help me clear my head.”I dialed his number and waited. It rang a couple of times before I heard his familiar voice. “Hey, Joanne! What’s up?”“Nathan! Just checking in,” I said, smiling a little. “How's everything back at home?”“Busy as usual,” he replied, sounding cheerful. “Dad is still buried in those pack reports, you know how he is. But Mom misses you! She keeps asking when you’ll be back.”“I miss her too! I can’t wait to see h
The people around them let out loud gasps of surprise at the same time Kyra did.Her hand slowly lifted to touch her burning cheek as she winced in disbelief. “How dare you suggest that we find a way to clean up my dress? We? Clean? Do you know how much I got this dressed? It was tailored just for me to wear to this party, yet you ruined it by walking around like a blind bat!” The lady yelled, her face creasing with angry lines.Kyra was still dumbfounded by the slap that she just kept on staring at the lady without a word making its way past her lips. “What? Cat got your tongue now?” The lady continued to yell as if oblivious to the fact that all attention was on them or that Anton was now walking down to where she and Kyra were standing. “Just a few days ago you were sold off like a slave because you shamelessly went to get yourself pregnant with Tristan’s child, and today you think you are a princess again because Alpha Anton bought you and brought you to this party? Better think
Ariella fidgeted nervously and wiggled her hands together. She had received a call from the hospital five hours ago that her mother collapsed. Her mother's surgery that was scheduled for five weeks later has been brought forward because of this. The doctor was demanding money for the surgery, and she also had outstanding debt for the drugs her mother's doctor was kind enough to give to her on credit. After her father's death, Ariella's mother fell ill, so she had to drop out of college and look for a job. In the process of looking for a job, she met an agent, who helped her secure a position to become a model. Since Ariella was beautiful and had a good shape for modeling, she was able to get a spot in the company, but she could never go far. She had no connection, she was not willing to sell her body. Most of her resources were snatched by the other models. Even after two years in the modeling industry, she was not making enough money to take care of her mother's medical bills