Clarissa:I spent the day cleaning. My apartment needed some sprucing up. I had only been doing a light dusting for days.I fired up the vacuum cleaner and got to work. As I moved it back and forth in the living room, I couldn't help my brain going into overdrive.Lorenzo had called me this morning and had told me about Erica's incident. I was indifferent. I didn't care and I would have preferred if the bullet had killed her instead.I grumbled a little as I vacuumed. I had forgiven Lorenzo but I couldn't get the image of him proposing to Erica out of my head.Then there was that golden-eyed man who had offered to be my pretend boyfriend. He had brought an NDA a few days prior to the date and had me and Lorenzo sign it.He had asked that neither Lorenzo nor I could disclose whatever agreement happened between us and him.His golden eyes were warm but I could sense the threat in his voice as he spoke to us. I was filled with fear. I knew that he would have us killed if we said anything
Dante:For two whole days, I was calling Erica. She would pick her phone. It was Wednesday and I still hadn't heard from her.I called her again but just like the other times, there was still no reply.I was starting to get impatient. What was this? I had gotten a call from the police that there was a shooting at one of the intersections. I hadn't been able to look into it.I was restless and ill at ease. Anger bubbled inside me like a hot cauldron. I had asked Robert to compile a report for me concerning the shooting. He seemed angry about it and went to do it nonetheless. It was easy to tell that he was still on edge about Hazan. I couldn't blame him. I was certainly going to get a talking from him later.I sighed and felt the fury slowly ebb away. Erica didn't want to talk to me. It was possible that she had even changed her phone and numbers.Yeah.That seemed like the most likely case. I was a fool to not have found her house already.Lorenzo.The thought of him heated my blood a
Erica:I was in the sky and I found myself staring down through the window to the ground below. My heart thudded and I placed my palm on my chest–as if that would do anything.“Are you alright?"Lorenzo looked at me with a thin smile.“I'm good. Just a little giddy. That's all."I smiled back and he looked away from me, his grin disappearing almost immediately.I was distraught. I was finally on the plane, going to marry a man that I didn't love.The kids sat close to me. And they were all craning their necks over the iPad that I had given them.I looked at them and gave myself a reason to grin. My mother spoiled them rotten. They would be happy to see her.The air hostess brought us our meal and I urged them to tuck the iPad away and eat.“Ewww! Mum, what's this?"Elsa had her face twisted in disgust and I saw her hold up her spoon with small round black dots on it.“It's in mine, too."“And mine."Ethan and Elma also held up their spoons and were looking just as disgusted as Elsa wa
Lorenzo:I watched Erica disappear into her room. My stomach churned. I expected her to sit and chat with her parents.I said nothing and continued to eat. I had no idea what was wrong with her and I only hoped that her parents wouldn't ask me."Lorenzo, do you by any chance know what is wrong with Erica?"Her mother asked me politely as she wrestled with the triplets who were wrestling each other for her attention."She hasn't been feeling too well," I lied. "I think that she is a little overwhelmed by the early wedding plans. I'll check on her after lunch."Her parents gave a nod and exhaled in relief. The answer was satisfactory, but now, I was obligated to check on her.I tried my best to hide my anger about the wedding. So far, I had dodged questions about it and kept the conversations around work and the rebuilding of the pack."We cannot say how grateful we are for the aid we have gotten from you to fix the pack. They have been wonderful."I smiled warmly but smirked inwardly.
Erica:I was up in the morning. Part of me wish I wasn't. I groaned in pain and grabbed my head. It hurt so much.I stood up and walked to the mirror. Just as I had suspected, my eyes were red puffy, and my face was swollen.That's what I got for crying so hard last night. The thoughts began to flood me. My wedding with Lorenzo was in two days.I wished I could feel love for him, but I felt nothing. I was as empty as an old husk. He had been wonderful to me and the kids but despite all of that, I didn't care about him.Dante.He was in his pack. He had no idea I was getting married in two days. How would he feel? His kids?No. I swore that I wouldn't let him know. He didn't deserve them. He didn't!My door creaked open and I turned around in shock.“Dad?"He stood at the doorway. His eyes were a mixture of sadness and pride.I realized that he had seen my tear-ridden face, and I turned back around, my back to him.“I'll be with you in a few minutes. I'm…”"Erica, I was knocking for q
Erica:I stood in the mirror and stared at myself. This was it.The maid was on her knees, with a pin in her mouth, fussing over the hem of my dress.“I think it would be lovely if you allowed the dress to cascade around you. But it shouldn't be touching the ground. Something subtle and elegant."She looked up at me to get my approval and all I did was smile at her. Her face filled with color, and she began to readjust.As soon as our gazes left, the smile on my face disappeared and the solemnity returned. I spent the whole of last night crying. Lorenzo came in and he held me all night.It didn't make things better. I cried even more. The man that I didn't want to spend my life with has holding me gently and comforting me.“Lady Erica,–"The maid stood upright and I knew that he had finished her adjustments.“–what do you think?"I looked at the hem of the dress and marveled at her expertise. The hem of the dress was lightly brushing the ground all around me and my feet were still wel
Erica:“Dante?! What are you doing here?!”The guests looked puzzled and heads swiveled around and craned so that they could get a better view of what was going on.My face was flushed red. Was I happy? Was I mad? Was I sad? I didn't know!"Seize him!”My father rose from his seat and roared, pointing his finger towards Dante.The guards sprung into action and quickly held him down."Dad! No!”I tried to grab his arm but he shrugged me off. His eyes were blazing and Dante looked at me confused."You should have known your place! How dare you come here! Who invite you?!”Dante snarled and began to struggle with the guards. I caught his gaze and shook my head slowly. He was only going to make things worse. He couldn't fight.“Dad, please. Just let him go…”"I only sent you to him as an ambassador for the gem. I didn't expect him to come here–”My father turned and glared at me."–Did you invite him here?!”"No! I didn't…"“Then he is unwelcome! Guards! Take him away!”The guards began
Mystery POVI headed to my booked hotel. An assassin's work is never done.My journey was a joy. I reveled in the pleasurable sight of the pack burnt half to the ground.Sure, Alpha Rowland has begun to meticulously rebuild, but nothing could ever erase the cinders of the burning fires, bring back the slaughtered fathers, mothers, and children, and nothing could remove the fear that had seeded in the minds of those who remained.I got to my hotel. It was a beautiful place. Perfect height and distance from the wedding venue. No one would see me coming.The receptionist smiled warmly at me.“Name please.”I gave her my name and she looked it up. I caught her eyes staring at me. I smiled again. Once this was over, I would definitely reward myself with a little bed company."I'm sorry, but your room is already booked.”I hissed. That wasn't possible. I chose that room because of the proximity and angle to the wedding venue."Could we give you another room? We are sorry for the inconvenien
Laura’s POVI watched as Lisa and her father breezed through the crowd. It wasn’t difficult to tell that she was thoroughly bored. I couldn’t blame her. Her father looked like a stuffy stuck-up man.I turned my head and caught sight of Rusev watching me like a hawk. I grumbled. I hated him. Why did my mate think it a good idea to leave me stuck with him?I shadowed Mr. Hans as he dragged his daughter along, greeting dignitaries and other stuck-up people like himself.A waiter passed me and I grabbed another glass of champagne. How was I going to get Lisa away from her old man?My mind kicked into overdrive, and soon, an idea hit me. I sighed and winced in disgust as it continued to take shape in my head. It wasn’t pleasant but I had to do it. I guess that was one other purpose of the dress I wore.I took another sip of my champagne and strutted sexily towards Mr. Hans. He caught a glimpse of me through the corner of his eye and was soon fully facing my direction.A dirt smirk crept on
Erica’s POVThe guards stopped him before he could come any closer.“What are you doing here?!” My mother yelled as the guards blocked Dante’s path towards me.“I need to see Erica. This is important.”My mother’s eyes bore down on him. I turned away; I could barely look at him. Did he come here to ruin my fathers funeral as well? Wasn’t he tired of ruining my life?“Guards! Take him away!”They stormed up to him and Dante began to back away.“Erica! I need to talk to you! Tell them to stop!”His voice calling my name was driving me insane. It was because of him that my life was ruined. Couldn’t he just stop meddling in my life.“Erica!”The guards grabbed him and began to drag him away. I watched him as he struggled and yelled at me. The guests all watched in awe. I already had more than enough gossip circling around me. I didn’t want anymore.“Erica!”There was a gasp and the guards were on the floor. Dante had broken free and was dashing towards me. My knees began to shake. I wante
Laura’s POV“Room service!”I put on my bathrobe and walked to the door. I didn’t order room service. I clutched my robe tighter to my body and opened the door just a crack.A lady stood there with a box in her hands. Was that a delivery for me?“Are you Miss Laura?”“Yes.”I felt a little emboldened and opened the door a little wider. The lady was dressed in formal wear, a little too formal for her to be in the room service business.“I have a package for you.”She handed it to me, and I looked at the tag attached to it. I couldn't help but smile.“I may not be with you, but I want all eyes to be on you and for every man to drool at the sight of you and wish you were theirs. But they can’t have you. You are MINE. Mate.”I smiled and felt a warm fuzzy feeling bubble inside of me. He wasn’t here, but he knew how to make me feel like he was.“Thank you.”I hurried back into my room, trying my best not to squeal like an excited seven-year-old. I hadn’t expected a dress for the party. I
Erica’s POVMy fingers were trembling as I did Ethan's bow tie. I had tried not to cry. It had been hard to keep my emotions in check while we planned the funeral. Everyone was still scared of me but the condolences they gave brought tears to my eyes every time I heard them.Today would be the first time in weeks that I would lay eyes on my father’s body and would never see it again.“Don’t be sad, Mom.”Ethan pulled me into a hug as soon as I lifted my fingers from his bowtie. He was such a sweet boy.“I am fine, love.-”I stroked his hair and kissed it.“-Go and find your sisters while I get ready.”He hurried away and I was left alone in my room. I looked at the mirror one more time and noticed the tears in my eyes starting to fall. My mascara was slightly smudged and I hurriedly wiped my face and did a fresh application.My thoughts were weighed down by thoughts of my father. It was draining. I couldn't imagine how disappointed he was in me. Mom kept telling me that it wasn’t true
Clarissa's POV“Lorenzo, please wake up."I sat beside him as he lay on the living room couch with his head on my lap. His forehead was covered in sweat and his eyes were blank and white.My heart was racing. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to give him CPR, but I didn't know if what he had was infectious.I couldn't count the number of times I had placed my head on his chest to make sure that his heart was still beating. His breath was faint, and his skin was clammy and cold.I couldn't take this anymore. I should have called for help sooner and damned the fact that the entire pack probably hated us.My fingers shook as I grabbed my phone and began to dial the numbers.Suddenly, Lorenzo gasped and his eyes cleared up slowly. My fingers shook even more as I watched him silently take in the room.“Lorenzo," I whispered, terrified to the core.His eyes finally fell and focused on me. I held my breath.“Rissa?"He tried to sit up but I slowly eased his head back into my lap.“Don't try
Erica's POVThe meeting finally came to an end and I was grateful. I remained seated with my mother and we watched the counselors leave.Counselor Rufus gave me a death stare before he left the room. I turned to look at my mother and her face was impassive until we could no longer see his fake hair through the open door.“Good riddance!" she exclaimed, and her face relaxed, and she smiled at me.I returned with a nervous grin though my fingers were knotting frantically on my lap.“It's going to be alright, Erica. I will not let the counselors treat you like trash. They are just a bunch of old fools that are stuck in the past. I believe that you will make a good Luna."Her words made my nervous smile fade.“You know that I won't be a good, Luna. You saw how they looked at me. Everyone is afraid of me. I can't even get through the hallway without a maid or guard seeing me and flinching.”I lowered my head and heard my mother sigh. Her fingers intertwined with mine, stopping my frantical
Clarissa's POVMy eyes watered as I chopped up the onions. I set the knife down and paced around the counter as the broth bubbled in the pot.As I stared at the boiling pot, a flash of Erica came into my mind. Her monstrous form and the death of her father. The purple hue on his skin was exactly the same as that on Lorenzo's arm.It just didn't make sense. I asked my assassin to kill Erica. Why didn't he do it? Was he a fraud?I had tried to contact him severally, but his phone rang, and there was no answer. Had I been duped?I gritted my teeth at the thought and turned my attention to the bubbling broth. It was time to put the vegetables.The onion went in first, and then the carrots and peppers.This was my first time in Lorenzo's home back at our pack. It was beautiful. Luxurious, nothing like my home back at the pack Erica was sent to.My watery eyes scanned the room and I exhaled. There had been so much drama in just a few days.A shiver ran down my spine. I didn't expect to see
Erica's POVI walked to the meeting hall and felt my breath being hitched in my throat. The maids, as they walked past me, gave me terrified greetings and hurried off in the other direction.It did nothing for my nerves. I could only imagine what the council was going to say.I soon reached the door that led to the hall and stood outside of it for a while. My heart was racing, and I was clutching it with my left hand as if it would do something to make it calm down.“Easy, Erica. Easy. This is just a meeting. Nothing more."I pushed the glossy black wooden door open and finally walked into the room. As soon as I was guided across the carpet to My spot beside my mother, I could feel all eyes on me.It was so hard to fight the urge to look over the room. A few of the counselors were whispering as I walked in, and above three were staring at me, their faces white with fear.I sat down next to my mother and the seven counselors stood in greeting. The man who sat at my left-hand side was f
Erica's POVI lay in bed quietly. The silence in the house was thick, but I could hear the whispers of the maids as they passed my room door.They were all scared and I couldn't blame them.I had asked my mother to watch the kids for me while I got some time to rest. This all felt extremely overwhelming for me.I felt strange being here. My father was gone, and it was like a big chunk of the pack house had been ripped off.I buried myself deeper into my covers, the comforter soaking up my silent tears as they rolled down my cheeks.“I miss you, Dad. I am so sorry that I failed you. I… I was just so weak and I didn't know what to do…”The tears choked my words and soon burst out but were muffled by the comforter.If only he was alive, he would probably know what to do. I wasn't even sure about how to get the Living Gem. Worst of all, I didn't even know what to do with it once I got it.A cold draft of wind blew through the window, chilled my fingers, and dried up my tears, leaving stre