LenoraI expected some form of hostility from my new family members after CJ went on the trip. But they surprised me beyond my imagination by avoiding me like the plague. I didn't realize how lonely I was until now. I tried to dismiss them as unworthy of my attention, but it sucked to be cut off. No one, not even the maids, was talking to me. I used books, TV, and the Internet to escape, and I often talked to myself.I knew that being too friendly would come across as desperate as if I couldn't do without them. So, I resigned and ignored the ache in my heart. They went shopping together, had dinner together, and even celebrated India's daughter's birthday without inviting me.The only person who had a semblance of remorse was Mariselle. She was not a bad person, and I knew that deep down, she truly cared about me. If I were in her shoes, I would do the same and pick my mother over a friend. Whenever I walked past her, she couldn't even look me in the eye. And the few times I caught h
Mariselle I was mentally numb and paralyzed, feeling a ringing in my ears when Lenora walked past me. I didn't understand what was going on and why my mom was suddenly acting friendly towards her, especially knowing how much my mum disliked her.But because I was in a very good mood, I had never felt so much happiness before. I didn't really think about it when I came back from a birthday party and saw them coming back from shopping.I had become a mini-celebrity in the park, and every girl wanted to hang out with me, so last week, they invited me to Amy's birthday party. After my dad had made sure that it was safe to go, I accepted the invite. Amy turned 19 and was a very outgoing girl, one of the few friends I had made, even though I couldn't categorize any as my friend, and none of them shared the same bond I had with Lenora.I really missed her, and I didn't think I could connect with anyone as I did with her. No matter how hard I tried to ignore the longing feeling, I couldn't b
CJExcited to be back home, joy bubbled in my heart, and I was blissfully happy as I stepped out of the van. The familiarity of the pack house embraced me.I was glad for the success of the tribal meeting. Seeing several other alphas after a decade made my heart sing with delight. They all had something good to say about me, especially for defeating Giovanni and picking up the pieces of my life to start all over."It went well?" Harrison asked the question as a statement, and I nodded while he helped with my suitcase."Let's hope we enjoy peace for a long time. It doesn't mean we shouldn't watch out for the enemies. I know not all are happy for me."He filled me in on the latest happenings when I got distracted on sighting Lenora. Her innocence and beauty were so wholesome, like summer lightning.The beginning of a smile tipped the corner of her mouth, and I felt my body go warm, and my heart lurched madly. Each time I saw her, the pull of love I felt tripled."Hi, baby," I winked, ta
Lenora My heart pounded loudly in my chest. All my life, I'd never felt such confusing thoughts. It made every part of my body shake, and the fearful images of Kia drowning because of me built in my mind. It was a disturbing thought, and just thinking about it shattered me because I was never going to forgive myself.This was too much for me to bear. I was standing a little way back from the scene beside Mariselle, who was screaming and crying at the top of her lungs. My legs felt weak and unsteady as if the ground beneath me was shaking.Everyone gathered around while Kia stood precariously close to the edge. And I could almost feel the chill of the river water. Without thinking, I rushed forward."Please, Kia," my voice broke. "Don't do this. I'll never forgive myself if you do." She looked at me with a dull and troubled gaze."Why should I listen to you?" She lowered her voice, being purposefully mysterious. People gathered behind us, and the air faded to a hushed stillness."I w
Lenora CJ looked at me, shaking his head in disappointment. But I was already determined to leave. I felt an overwhelming shock and sorrow when he booked my flight and took me to the airport.Not wanting to spend any more seconds with him, I looked away from his hazel eyes filled with pain and unspoken emotions."Are you really doing this?" He asked me, his gaze clouded.I clipped my mouth shut. His hand grazed my bare arm, and I flinched, pulling away."CJ, please…""Please? Are you seriously leaving me? Have you given up on us?"My heart broke at the sound of his voice. I'd never seen CJ look so crushed before, and it hurt the depths of my soul.It was time to leave, and when I was heading to the terminal, I couldn't look at his face. It was better that way."Lemora," he called. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind? Any sacrifice you want me to make? I can relocate and…""Stop talking, CJ," I cried. "This isn't about you. It's about me, my mental health, my sanity, my pe
CJEver since Lenora walked out my front door, all I felt was despair and defeat. My wolf hated me for letting our mate go, and I felt an acute sense of loss. I couldn't accept the fact that she'd left all because of Kia's master plan. Her absence felt like a piece of my soul was missing, and I couldn't focus on anything else no matter how hard I tried.Sighing, I headed to the wine pantry. My fingers brushed over the bottles, eventually settling on an alcoholic red wine. The light-bodied drink was too fruity and had no effect on me, yet with trembling hands, I took glass after glass, trying to escape Lenora's memories, the warmth of her smile, and the sparkle in her eyes.I loved that girl too much to let her go. A choked, desperate laugh escaped my lips. Kia had been trying to act normal, like she was an innocent bystander in the chaos, pretending she didn't plot this out carefully, but it was all too obvious.Seeing her face pissed me off so badly that I growled low in my throat a
LenoraOn my way downstairs, everything around me went fuzzy, and I kept coughing and sneezing, growing weaker by the second.I didn't understand what was happening to me. Each step was a tremendous effort to descend, and my vision blurred as if a thick fog had covered my eyes.Clutching the handrail, I tried to support myself, but my leg gave way suddenly, and with a gasp, I fell. It felt like being dragged down an endless abyss. My arms and legs flailed out in panic, trying to grab something or anyone, anything that would stop my fall. All they could find, however, was air.The impact sent sharp pain through my chest that made me cry out in pain. I was dizzy again as I struggled to get back up so I could continue my journey down to find my dad."Somebody help," I cried, feeling tremors all over my body and seeing spots in my vision.Everything around me closed in, and I could hardly breathe anymore; it seemed like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. My heart started racing, a
MariselleI sat at my desk in the bustling lecture hall, hating the chaos all around me. My classmates were so noisy, and it was quite different from Brookville Uni because of the different energy levels.Here, people shifted into their wolf form freely and were wild as hell. I tapped my pencil on my notebook, wishing they could just shut up for a minute.But then, my sour mood wasn't their fault. It was all thanks to my mother, whom I thought was perfect and would never hurt a fly.But now, I realize that the ten years of staying alone with my dad were way better than this unpredictable stranger we were living with. My gaze wandered to the window, with my mind consumed by several fearful thoughts."Lenora," I muttered into my hands. This secret was bigger than me, and if I didn't say anything fast, my head was going to explode.I tried to squeeze out more information from India, but she pretended not to know what I was talking about. The sly woman was a big ass licker, who would do e
LenoraI was busy making sure that the party was going in full swing and tried as much as possible to avoid Titan. Unfortunately, his charming smile and seductive voice had gotten some females in the house, including the married ones. He flirted with anyone, not caring whether they were married or not, and I was annoyed. I couldn't wait for him to get the hell out of my house.I hated him so much because he was a very good pretender and hated myself for falling for his cheap ploy. The party was over. CJ asked me to show the entourage their rooms. I was about to walk past a room but gasped in shock when he drew me inside and shut the door."What are you doing, Titan?" I yelled, giving him a dirty look. I never knew I was capable of being this angry. I felt like using a knife to stab him.My nasty look didn't stop him. Instead, he was adamant and had an amused smile. "You know you turn me on when I see you mad. I missed your lips, darling. And this is between you and me, but I came here
RubyI couldn't believe that that wicked boy and his father were here. It hurt more that he was sitting at the dining table chatting with my dad, looking so smug and confident as if he had done nothing wrong and was fooling my dad, who didn't know how terrible the boy was.He didn't even glance at me and was acting like I was invisible. I felt a surge of pain. How could people be so cruel and heartless? I wanted to scream at him, to tell my dad and everyone how much he hurt me. But I couldn't do that because the Lycans were very important and powerful, and they were my dad's guests. My dad beamed with pride, and I could tell that he was so happy.I was glad that my sister spiked Enzo's food, and I wished she had done more. I couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore, so I excused myself to get some fresh air. My mom gave me a worried look but didn't say anything. She was also battling with her demons.It didn't help that Jade and Luca were also around. I didn't want to se
Ruby My niece, Jade, hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around my neck, almost lifting me off the ground."Can you believe it, Rubs? We're in senior year! This is going to be the best year ever, especially now that I have a boyfriend," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.Pretending to share her enthusiasm, I returned the smile. There were familiar faces here and there, all chatting, laughing, and reminiscing about their summer. I wished I could escape from it all and go back to my quiet room where I could lay in bed all day. I didn't care about senior year or any of the things that Jade was babbling about. I just wanted to be left alone.I was in the bathroom doing my thing when I heard Tammy and the other queen bees of the school walking to the bathroom. They were putting the finishing touches on their makeup and also talking about who was dating whom. My stomach tightened when they mentioned Luca and Jade."Oh my God,
Lenora After the craziness the previous night, I woke up at five-thirty with a splitting headache. Luckily, there were painkillers in the drawer. After taking them, I decided to go for a run to clear my head and escape from the nightmare that had happened last night.I put on my running shoes, grabbed my phone, and checked the flight app again, hoping to find a way out of this hell, but the next available flight was at seven PM, which meant that we had to wait for another fourteen hours before we could leave Bali.Muttering to myself, I tiptoed out of the room without wanting to wake Ruby, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. She looked so innocent, like an angel, and I felt like a failed mother, for exposing her to strangers who had tried to hurt her.I began running along the beach, feeling the sand under my feet and the breeze on my face. The rising sun painted the sky with orange and pink hues but I couldn't enjoy the beautiful scenery and, despite trying not to focus on what
RubyI sobbed uncontrollably, bitter with myself and that pretender, Enzo, who ended up being everything I never thought he'd be. He seemed harmless, but little did I know that he was up to no good.My mom led me out of the nightclub, her eyes wide with fright. Although I suspected she was a bit tipsy from her stumbling movements, she still managed to hail a taxi and shove me inside.I hated her. I hated her for making me come to Bali with her. I hated her for encouraging me to explore and have fun. I hated her for being a hypocrite and a liar.But I couldn't tell her these things, so I kept quiet.We arrived at the hotel, and she locked the door behind us and turned on the lights. She looked at me with concern in her cornflower-blue eyes."Baby, what happened?" She asked softly. "Did that boy hurt you?"I glared at her through my tears. "And how's that any of your business?"A gasp escaped as if I'd struck her, and her face paled with tears gathering in her eyes."Don't raise your vo
Lenora The first thing that hit me when I stepped into the nightclub with Titan by my side was regret. Unable to fill my lungs, my thoughts turned inwards. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like Titan was controlling my mind, taking control of every cell in my body and keeping a tight grip on my consciousness.When I got to the door, I realized just how stupid I was acting. After CJ called me earlier, I decided to stay away from Titan, knowing that I was growing an attraction for him, but here I was in the club with him, ready to dance the night away. He took my hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze before releasing it.The music was too loud, and the lights were flashing everywhere, making it impossible to see past the crowd, but Titan's eyes were glued to me as if he wanted to see what was under my clothes.I didn't belong here. Maybe if Ruby hadn't gone out for the karaoke night with Enzo and I had someone to talk to, I wouldn't have agreed to come out with Titan.But when
Lenora An adorable smile appeared on Ruby's face, and Enzo grabbed her hand as they ran off, laughing. My daughter looked so happy and carefree, and I could tell she was into the boy. I couldn't blame her. The young man was dashingly handsome, with eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. His hair was parted neatly on one side of his head, with a few tendrils that had escaped, falling onto his forehead. He had a well-built body and strong arms.Standing beside his father, I stole a glance at him. His eyes lit up with a warm smile as he watched the children."It seems our kids are really into each other," he smiled, thrusting his hands in his pockets."It seems so," I cleared my throat and smiled back. But when Titan leaned closer to me, my body froze with paranoia, my blood started beating rapidly, and my heart skipped a beat as though it wanted to escape from my chest."You know, there's something very unique about your girl. Something I can't quite place my finger on," he reac
Ruby I was as high as a kite. The vape was so powerful, and it made me feel dizzy and lightheaded. Enzo was high too, and he was smiling, talking, and even touching me."Enzo, please. Let's go," I tried to push him away, but he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. Then he planted a kiss on my neck."Come on, don't be a sourpuss. We're having fun, sweetie."My body shivered, and I pushed myself away from him. "I really have to go to my mom."Adding enough strength, I stumbled away from him and towards the hotel, hoping my mom wouldn't be in the room. But when I opened my door with my key card, she was on the couch watching a movie on the TV.My heart skipped, and I hoped she wouldn't notice. She merely looked in my direction and waved at me. I sighed in relief when I snuck into the bathroom to wash my face with cold water.After failing miserably to sober up, I snuck into the bedroom and hit the bed, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes.I woke up hours late
Ruby I ran into my mum at the hotel lobby, just as I was coming back from the beach. She looked surprised to see me and flustered, like someone running away from something."Darling Where have you been?" she asked. "You need your sunscreen so you don't get sunburned," she said in a motherly voice."I was at the beach. What about you? Where are you coming from?" I asked, staring at her flushed cheeks.She smiled sheepishly and glanced around. "Oh, I was just... sightseeing. You know, enjoying the beauty of Bali."I raised my eyebrows and smirked. "Sightseeing, huh? With whom? That man?"She blushed and shook her head. "No one, just by myself."I didn't believe her for a second. I knew she was lying but decided not to confront her about it. I didn't want to ruin our vacation. Besides, it was none of my business. She was a grown woman, and she could do whatever she wanted except cheat on my dad."Come on, let's go to our room," she grabbed my hand..We entered our room and locked the do