~ Bella ~Mrs Francesca practically flew off the witness stand. She kept her eyes up, completely avoiding meeting her friend's gaze. Well, former friend now. Obviously!"She lied. Can she do that? I thought we weren't supposed to lie on the stand," Eliza said, sobbing.I didn't answer. The sad truth was that she could and just did. Without another witness testimony to counter hers, it was just her words against Eliza's. Who knew who the jury would believe!"Stay calm," I whispered. She had to present a good image for the jury now."We'll be calling on our next witness now," the lawyer said. "Mr Antonio."Mr Antonio stepped up. "Who is he?" I asked."He is Marcus' caretaker at the house," she answered.Marcus gave his testimony, detailing how he often heard 'the Mrs' screaming and yelling profanities around the house.He described her as rude and condescending and stated that the kids sometimes ran out of the house to avoid her.Next was the maid, a wirry little woman called Bekky.
~ Bella ~Eliza gasped. My heart broke. I didn't even hear the rest of the judge's statement. I couldn't hear it over the roaring in my ears.It was all I could so to put my hand around Eliza who was sobbing with renewed vigour.I looked over her shoulder at Benedict and Clarisse and saw that they were both crying in earnest now too.They looked so small and frail...so broken, so different from the children who took to the stand earlier with brave faces.It was so obvious now that they were devastated even though they'd asked to stay with their dad.It made me wonder just what he'd said to them to make them say that on the stand. Obviously they didn't like him or want to stay with him. He couldn't have threatened them, could he? They were just children for god sake!Marcus got up and started walked towards us. Eliza immediately cowered down again.It broke my heart that she was living in such fear. 'How had she survived these past seven years?' I wondered. To have to live in such c
~ Bella ~The door opened to reveal Alpha Nikolai standing in the doorway.His white shirt billowed around him, giving him an ethereal look.I launched myself at him. Just like the last time, he caught me in his arms easily. I could feel his muscles contract in his hand but otherwise he didn't even grunt at catching my weight."Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you're okay," I exclaimed. "I thought something had happened to you." My voice cracked on the last word.He drew back and looked me in the face. "What could have happened to me? It was just Marcus. He's a small fry," he said dismissively.I pulled him back into the hug. "I'm just glad you're okay!" I reiterated."I'm fine," he assured me and I was sure I could hear a smile in his voice. "What about you? Are you okay?" he asked."What?" I asked, drawing back and giving him a quizzical look."I heard that you fainted at the courthouse. That's why I rushed right back as soon as I took care of business," he said."Oh," my face colored. "I
~ Bella ~I walked back into the office alone. Maggie looked up at me as I came in, an unspoken question in her eyes."Eliza is fine and back with her children," I informed her before she even asked."Hun-hun," she muttered, eyeing me blearily. Obviously, she had more to say but wasn't saying it.I fidgeted under her gaze. "I'll be in my office," I said and headed there, trying to run away from her. I had an idea what she was planning to say and I wasn't ready to confront it just yet."Oh no, you don't," she exclaimed lightly. "Sit your ass down, we have things to discuss."I groaned but obeyed my friend. I'd known this conversation was coming anyway. There was no point running."Hi," I said needlessly while Maggie eyed me up and down.She was silent for a few moments. I knew what she was doing. Drawing it out so that I could get as uncomfortable as possible.I jerked my chin up defiantly. She sighed. "So what's up with you and Nikolai," she asked finally."What do you mean?" I aske
~ Bella ~I stood on the balcony of our luxury vacation condo overlooking the ocean.The gentle sway of the water back and forth was so calming. The gentle morning sun kissed my skin delicately like the warmth of a lover's embrace.The air moved calmly with a soft breeze causing Parker's oversized white shirt to float around me.I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. I loved the feeling of the wind against my skin; my face and my bare legs.The glass door slid open behind me and Parker stepped out onto the balcony.I immediately knew it was him because we were alone in the beach house we'd rented for the week.He came up behind me and hugged me from behind.I smiled contentedly. "Hey you," I whispered."Hey back," he said."Last night was awesome," I said."Why, thank you, Mrs Smith. I try my best," he teased.I laughed. After arriving yesterday, we'd spent the better part of the night making sweet, sweet love.I'd discarded my clothes at some point and honestly, I'd been too lazy
~ Bella ~"We aren't expecting anyone, right?" Parker asked, looking confused.I shook my head. "No, we're not." It wasn't like there was room service or anything like that here.There were also no neighbors to randomly pop in to say hi around here. Each house was built a good distance apart. Word on the street was that these house were actually owned by celebrities and billionaires who liked to protect their privacy.But since they barely lived there, they rented it out to vacation seekers like Parker and I from time to time.One of my main reasons for choosing this place was that we were assured not to be disturbed."Stay right here," Parker said and went into the room to find out who was at the door.Despite his instruction, I trailed behind him to the door but I stopped a good distance behind.He opened the door. He gasped aloud. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.Intrigued, I drew closer to the door to see who or what Parker was seeing.Finally, I saw the person standing
~ Nikolai ~I stood in front of Bella, hand beside her head, her back to the wall. It was a position we'd been in before. The last time she'd been scared out of her mind. She'd cowered down, whimpering like a hurt dog.But not this time! This time, she was staring up at me defiantly, her eyes blazing with fury.I don’t think she realized how inviting her eyes were like that; how tantalizing her lips looked thinned in anger.If only she knew, she wouldn’t be looking up at me with that look.If only she knew the thoughts going through my head right now, she would know that she was playing with fire looking like that.Fuckable... that was the word. She looked deliciously fuckable. “Fuck me?” I asked in a low voice, repeating the swear word she threw at me earlier.“Did I stutter the first time? Yes, fuck you!” She repeated.I leaned my head down closer to hers and let my eyes trail to her lips. “Are you quite sure you want to fuck me?” I asked in a whisper, slightly dipping my tongue
~ Bella ~"Mr Isaiah, I'm really sorry about last time but I had something very important to do over the past few days," I said to the man in the chair facing me.He shook his head. "I totally understand. But if you don't mind me asking, why did you change your mind?" he asked.I smiled. "This man," I pointed at Nikolai, "was kind enough to come to me and plead your case," I said."Thank you," Isaiah said.Nikolai smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing," he said."I never caught your name the last time," Isaiah said."Austin Wireman," Nikolai said, shaking his hand firmly. "I'm Mrs Bella's assistant.""Nice to meet you," he said. "And this is my partner, Isabella Morov." He pointed at the woman sitting at his side.She smiled and stretched her hand out to me. "Thank you for agreeing to help us," she said."So are you like partners...or partners," I said, differentiating between the words by adding different inflections to each one.She laughed. "
~ Bella ~"In the case of the Shelbys and Hamilton against the Deca General Hospital, this is the order of this court: that the defendants be liable to pay the sum of $1 million dollars to the plaintiffs for the emotional distress, mental torture and general irresponsibility they displayed in handling this matter! "Thank you, your Honor!" I said, beaming. I turned to my Dylan and gave him a hug. I hugged his wife next."Thank you! Thank you!" she whispered in my ears repeatedly.It'd been a long battle that had spanned over the last three months.The hospital put up a good fight but in the end, we managed to prove that not only were they negligent, but that they also tried to cover it up.The result? Dylan and his wife and the Hamilton's were richer had their rightful babies and were each now half a million dollars richer."Make sure you use that money to take good care of your girl," I said."You can bet we will!" Dylan cried.I waved goodbye to them and packed up my belongings.I m
~ Bella ~At Nikolai's words, Nicholas whirled around, dragging me with him.My eyes widened in shock to see a fox, an actual full grown red fox, flying through the air towards us.This wasn't a normal kind of fox. It was huge! Just as big as me.It's teeth were barred and claws outstretched towards us.I screamed in fear at the frightening sight. I tried to duck down but I couldn't because of Nicholas' ironclad hold on my neck.My life flashed before my eyes for the umpteenth time.But the fox jumped clear over my head, grabbed the back of Nichola's shirt in it's teeth and dragged me away from me.In the next breath, there was a ripping sound and Nicholas transformed into a wolf too. His wolf was even bigger than the one that first attacked.Alone for the first time in hours, I was suddenly a loss as to what to do with myself.For a second, I stupidly stood blinking at the wolves.But teeth were snapping just a few feet in front of me. One snap came too close to taking my arm off.I
~ Bella ~The door crashed open.I whirled towards it. Nikolai! His familiar face filled the doorway.My heart soared with happiness. I jumped up and started to take a step towards him.I stopped immediately and took a step back. No! That wasn't Nikolai.These were the cold, dark eyes from earlier. It was Nicholas.He stormed towards me and grabbed me by the forearm."Shut the fuck up!" he snapped.I winced as the part of my arm where he was holding flushed with pain.That meant he'd heard me singing. Maybe Nikolai would have heard too?"You're coming with me," he snarled and dragged me out.We circled to the back of the barn room he'd put me in. He began to drag me towards the woods.Fear gripped me as we got closer and closer to the dark woods.Oh, gods. I'd just been raising my hopes that Nikolai would find me thanks to the singing.Would he be able to find me in the woods? What did Nicholas plan to do to me in the woods?"You don't have to do this," I said, my voice shaking slight
~ Nikolai ~War!During my father's lifetime, war was a common thing.Clashes between different packs and factions tore at our pack time and time again.Our kind were hot-headed and extremely prideful. Those weren't great combinations when it came to co-existing peacefully.But ever since I took over the pack, the number of wars we fought have drastically reduced.In fact, we hardly interacted with other packs and factions at all.The pack was as self-sufficient as they come and I loved it like that.But even then I'd always known this day would come.This problem had been brewing long before my father even died. When one day, a young man suddenly showed up on our doorstep, claiming to be a Reese, I knew immediately that one day I would have to fight to protect my birthright and my people.Well, that day was today and he had the perfect ace in his hands, my mate.I couldn't afford to get distracted or I would mess things up and she'd end up dead.We had to move with precision. Thank
~ Bella ~"It was you! You're the one who killed Parker," I spat."Right again!" he shot back with a grin.It was like a dam within me broke. I just found my husband brutally murdered barely two hours ago.I'd not even had time to process the horrific situation or mourn his death like he deserved.So his snide retort and self-pleased smile didn't sit well with me at all.I heard a loud sound and was shocked to discover that it'd come from me.The next thing I knew was that I was flying towards him in blind rage, hands raised and poised to hit him.But I didn't even get close enough to hurt him.With a backhanded slap, he sent me flying backwards into the wall.My head snapped against the wall and I crashed to the ground again for the second time.I yelped like a dog in pain. He stood looking down at me and tsked."Stupid girl," he said. "You really thought you could hit me? Don't you know who you're dealing with?I didn't bother answering and he didn't bother waiting for a response."
~ Bella ~I blinked in confusion, momentarily too stunned to even feel scared.'Nikolai? Why was he here? Was this some kind of sick joke?'Was it Nikolai who'd abducted me? Why though? And that fight put up by Boulin? Was it just acting?"Hello, Bella," he said, grinning at me as if everything was perfect in the world. As if I wasn't just shoved into a dark room after being yanked around and dragged along by kidnappers.When he spoke again, I realized why his voice had set off alarms in my head.It was because I knew the voice well. "What the hell, Nikolai!" I snapped. "What the hell is going on?"He was walking towards me slowly but he paused now. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Nikolai..." he mused. "Oh, I just realized that I have forgotten to introduce myself."My frown deepened. What the hell was he saying now? He sounded like a lunatic?"Sweet Bella, I am not your darling Nikolai. I am Nicholas Reese," he stated."What?" I spat, still confused."I don't know if I
~ Bella ~My abductors bundled me into a plain white bus exactly like your expect from the movies.I screamed and kicked the entire way, trying to get back to Boulin.I couldn't stand the fact that I didn't know if he was dead or alive.Oh my gosh, if he was dead... if he'd died because of me... I didn't know what I would do.No! He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be! He was as strong as ten men! He was the strongest man I knew! Well, maybe except Nikolai.So he couldn't just die like that, right? I had to believe that he couldn't be dead.Nikolai would come looking for us. I had no doubt.He would save Boulin and then come to save me."You should let me go if you know what's good for you," I piped up.My voice shook embarrassingly. I swallowed the knot in my throat.None of the men even spared me a glance."If you knew who was coming for me, you would let me out right now!"Again, no visible response. "Nikolai Reese!" I exclaimed. "Nikolai Reese will come for me. He won't spare any o
~ Nikolai ~After saying my goodbyes to Nick, I headed out.I headed for my car, which I remembered now that I'd left haphazardly on the road.I got into the car. It was then and only then that I allowed myself to pull the yellow scrap of paper I'd recovered from Parker's body.I unwrapped it and spread it out against the steering wall.Just as I thought, there was a note written on it. Also, the note was for me.Even with no name there, I know it was addressed to me.I know the murder of Parker Smith had everything to do with me.I'd left Parker alive and well and then someone had gone in and killed him, making it look like I did.I knew it was only a matter of time before the police found out about my visit here last night.They would come to me with questions. I fully intended to have answers before then.But apparently I didn't have to look too far, the note was an invitation to me by the perpetrator.It read: Knock KnockWho's there?ShoulderShoulder who?Shoulder kept an eye o
~ Bella ~We were surrounded on every side by menacing, growling werewolves. Boulin was constantly turning, trying to keep everyone in his line of sight at the same time.I turned with him inch by inch, keeping to his back.Without turning around, he reached back and grabbed my hand in his giant palm. He raised my hand and placed it on his shoulder.His message was clear, "Stay close!" 'Sir, yes sir! What was I, stupid?' I didn't plan on going anywhere.I saw the attack before it came. It was like an invisible signal that rung through the group and suddenly one of them jumped at us with a roar.Boulin stepped forward to meet him halfway. He swiped a claw at him, catching him midriff.With one swipe, he took out his entire belly. Blood gushed everywhere.The next second, he whirled around and pushed me behind me. I hadn't realized it but the one behind me had come up behind me.Boulin grabbed him by the neck, shook him and tossed him away like a rag doll.I kept my hand on his shoul