His words hit me harder than I expected. If it were up to Lisa, I’d already be wagging my tail for him, just hoping for a little more affection. You settle for so damn little, I snapped at her internally. "Alright. If that’s all you had to say, I’m outta here." I tried to end the conversation and walk past him again. This time, he stepped aside—but just as I passed, William grabbed my hand and held it tight. "Come with me. I want to talk some more." "I don’t want to talk to you!" I said, trying to yank my hand free as he pulled me toward his car. "It’s about my sister." Of all the things he could’ve said, that was the one that hit the mark. I really did want to know how Caroline was doing, so I stopped resisting and got into the car without a word. We sat in silence while he drove through the streets. Strangely enough, he ended up taking me to his own house. He parked in an underground garage and turned off the engine. There were other cars down there, but I couldn’t focus on the
As I gently stroked Caroline’s head, I noticed she had gone quiet, clearly deep in thought about what I’d said. That’s when William stepped in. “Eliza, explain yourself. Now!” Despite the harsh words, his tone was full of urgency and worry—and his eyes shimmered with hope. From the look on the Alpha’s face, I could tell he was waiting for the same answers. “Caroline has a lot of tangled emotions inside her, so she uses music as a way to cope. Through music, she manages to organize her thoughts—but instead of expressing them with her voice, she uses her hands, weaving melodies into a pattern she created for herself. I just read that pattern and gave her the understanding she needed.” “How can you be so sure?” the Alpha asked, clearly emotional. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. “Because she’s like me,” I answered simply. I didn’t want to get into my own story—this wasn’t about me. “Eliza, can you play some more for me?” Caroline asked sweetly. At that moment, William and his
Friday afternoons were basically reserved for club activities. Since I wasn’t part of any, I didn’t waste a second before rushing home the moment the lunch bell rang. Hoping to avoid William, I had packed my bag the night before and planned to skip lunch, grab a cab to the next town, and catch a bus from there. But my plan fell apart fast. A gray pickup truck was parked right in front of my house. William was leaning against the hood, and when he saw me, his eyes lifted like he’d been waiting. I didn’t even bother to hide how pissed I was as I walked up to him. "You could’ve at least warned me you were coming." I couldn’t help feeling frustrated that he had completely wrecked my plan. "And let you be on guard?" he replied with a smug grin. "I figured you’d try to ditch me, but I also figured you’re way too polite to leave without saying goodbye to your grandma." He wasn’t wrong—so I had no comeback. Since there was clearly no escaping him, I figured I might as well eat lunch first
His choice of words hit me hard. It sounded cocky—like he was claiming he had the upper hand over his rival, which wasn’t exactly true. As much as I hated the idea of being with Damian, he’d always been attentive and caring when we were together. William, on the other hand, mostly acted like I didn’t even exist—pretending the mate bond meant nothing. And when we did cross paths, he usually belittled me, humiliated me, and crushed Lisa’s heart again and again. I shoved him away, pushing him back. What the hell was I doing, letting him touch me like that after everything that had happened between us? “I still prefer Damian over you! At least he never hurt me or made me feel like shit!” I blurted out without thinking. Instantly, the air turned cold as William clenched his fists, staring at me with pure rage in his eyes. “Get out! Get the fuck out of my car—now!” he shouted, furious. Before he could change his mind, I grabbed my suitcase, yanked the door open, and stormed off. I knew m
I followed William back to the car, feeling a bit deflated. I thought I’d have my Precious in hand today, so it was frustrating to walk away empty-handed. Just as I was buckling my seatbelt, my phone started ringing. The hope that it might be my mom calling to say she’d found the code vanished the second I saw the contact name on the screen. “Answer it,” William ordered coldly when he saw me hesitate. I was afraid Marcos might say something revealing—and that William would hear it. “Marcos, do you need something?” I asked, skipping the pleasantries. “You already in town? Was the trip smooth?” Smooth wasn’t exactly the word I’d use. “Yeah, I’m here. Just get to the point.” “Straight to the point, as always!” His laugh was contagious on the other end. He always countered my cold attitude with humor, and that was one of the things I liked about him. “Well then—meeting at my place. Now.” “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” I asked, glancing at William’s icy, impatient face. “It’s reall
The last thing I expected when I decided to come to Heington was to end up stuck in the same apartment as William. Dinner had taken a relaxed, casual turn, with Marcos cracking dumb jokes nearly the whole time. Since I got in the car with William afterward, he hadn’t said a single word to me. Everything changed the moment we entered the housing complex owned by Siram. I went to check—again—which building and apartment I was supposed to stay in, and that’s when William snatched the authorization slip from my hand and tore it into tiny pieces right in front of me. “Why’d you do that?” I asked quietly. I didn’t have the energy to argue or yell at him anymore. “You’re with me. So you don’t need it.” I believed him for a second—but as soon as I stepped into the apartment he said I’d be staying in, he followed me inside and closed the door behind him. “Seriously?” I crossed my arms and gave him a look. He was standing between me and the door. “Please tell me you’re not seriously thinking
The team quickly mobilized around me until I got inside the studio. In the entrance hall, Marcos was pacing back and forth, clearly impatient. "Eliza, finally! Humberto’s been waiting for you! Let’s go!" I gave him a quick nod as I opened the door to my dressing room. Aside from Liliane, who was casually scrolling through her phone without a care in the world, Patrícia looked like a nervous wreck, checking—probably for the thousandth time—if everything was in place. "Thank God you’re okay!" Patrícia exclaimed the moment she saw me, giving me a quick visual scan. "Even I was getting worried. You’re never late!" said Humberto, guiding me to the chair and helping me sit down. "We called you a bunch of times, and when you didn’t answer, we thought something had happened." I frowned as I grabbed my phone and punched in my passcode. Dozens of missed calls from the past half hour. Even though William probably couldn’t unlock it since I never registered my fingerprint, he still manag
As soon as the limo reached its destination, the security team was dismissed. I stayed in the car until it pulled back into the courtyard of the security company’s headquarters. After changing clothes and wiping off my makeup, I respectfully said goodbye to the team: “Great work today, everyone! Thanks for everything!” “Miss, we’re always at your service. It’s always a pleasure working with you,” Mr. Vasquez replied with a smile as we exchanged a final handshake. There was something about this security company that I’d always found special. Besides the two official exits—one in the front and one in the back—there was also a hidden one: a wall that opened into a laundry facility next door. I’d used that route plenty of times before and had gotten used to slipping out through the laundry unnoticed. From there, I blended into the crowd—most people heading home from work. I walked through the streets until I reached one of my favorite spots to eat. Just thinking about the food made my
The next day, wolf training got real. After getting sidelined with serious injuries from dueling with me, Nicolas and Arthur had to train with each other until John was finally satisfied. Meanwhile, I took a dip in the lake and sunbathed with Kate during two full days off.When they finally called me back to training, they looked confident. Arthur had that revenge spark in his eyes as he teamed up with Nicolas to take me on. It wasn’t a fair fight. Unable to intimidate me, the beta joined in, turning it into a three-against-one brawl. They snarled around me, circling, looking for any opening to strike. No matter how strong you are, when you're outnumbered, it takes more than skill to win. I started dodging defensively, avoiding hits while my mind raced to come up with a strategy. A few times, I had to shift into semi-human form to fully dodge the attacks and hit back. Eventually, I decided to cut down the numbers—starting with the weakest link.I aimed for Arthur, but mid-air I change
The real training was about to begin. A fight between two wolves was way more intense—and brutal. I felt awkward as I undressed and slipped on the robe they gave me.“No need to be shy, sweetheart. I’ll help you through it, okay?” said Kate, who was in the room with me, trying to reassure me.I walked barefoot out onto the backyard patio, with Kate right behind me. John and his sons were already there, standing at attention. The way they all stared as I approached made my face burn with embarrassment, and I ended up lowering my gaze.“Well, well… doesn’t look so tough now,” Arthur took the opportunity to tease me.“Since we know you’re a shy little wolf, we figured this was more appropriate,” John said, referring to the fact that his sons weren’t naked—they were wearing men’s robes.Wolves were used to running in packs, so nudity wasn’t a big deal for them. But for a lone wolf like me, it was a bit much. I was genuinely touched that they had considered how I’d feel.John went over a b
I took care of my hygiene before heading to my room and setting my alarm for the next morning. When I woke up, I felt completely refreshed and even helped Kate set the table for breakfast. When Nicolas and Arthur showed up, they looked like a pair of zombies."I'm dead. Do I really have to train today, Dad?" Arthur groaned."More than anyone," John replied. I could feel Arthur shooting daggers at me with his eyes, but I pretended not to notice. "Today and tomorrow, you’ll be doing hand-to-hand combat in human form. Eliza will be your opponent, and I’ll be supervising the whole thing."“I get to fight Eliza? Can’t wait,” Arthur said with a sly grin.“Should I tell him or do you want to?” Nicolas whispered, barely holding back a laugh.“Let the kid enjoy the moment,” I whispered back.“Just go easy on me, okay?” Arthur asked. I gave him a nod as I finished my breakfast.I stopped by my room to grab the training outfit they’d given me, then headed out to the garden. I started warming up
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t gone back to talk to the Phantom Guy. Weeks had passed, and my routine of visiting the waterfall had become solid. Senior graduation was right around the corner—in fact, it was happening next week. Because of that, Beta John decided to run an intensive training program with his sons to get Nicolas ready for the alpha oath.“Phantom Guy, school’s officially over, and I passed with flying colors. I got the highest scores in the whole school, so I’m top of the class. Smart, huh? I even gave myself a little break from the piano lessons I teach Caroline. Some people aren’t on vacation yet, so they’re still going to school for tutoring or makeup classes. Anyone who doesn’t pass the retakes is gonna fail the year—but thankfully, that’s not my problem.” I laughed softly, swinging my feet in the water.“Anyway, I’ve got some news you might not like. Next Thursday is senior graduation, when students take the alpha oath. Then Saturday is the end-of-year dance. I’m
What felt like a long run for the wolves following me—clearly exhausted—had already become routine for me. I hardly noticed time passing anymore when I came here. I stopped in front of the waterfall and let out a howl. This was our final stop. Catching Annie’s attention, I motioned for her to follow me, and we stepped into the tent to change."You okay?" I asked. Her breathing was way too fast."Just a little tired. Try to go easier next time," she said with a gentle smile."Sure!" I was already finishing getting dressed while she was still sprawled out on the ground, catching her breath. "Don’t forget to put your swimsuit on underneath."She nodded slightly, and I stepped out of the tent, zipping it closed behind me. I didn’t see the boys, but I could smell they were nearby. I walked up to the waterfall and stood there for a while, staring at the water."Your wolf is beautiful," Nicolas said, coming up beside me."Thanks," I replied with a smile, then turned my gaze back to the water
John’s request totally caught me off guard. Kate ended up dropping her silverware in surprise, while Arthur was left speechless, totally confused. I looked down and thought about it for a bit. He didn’t pressure me, but I was worried it’d make things awkward if I just said no.“Why did you agree to that?” Nicolas asked once we were alone. He’d taken me to the practice room so we could talk. I sat on the floor, crossed my legs, and looked down.“I just wanted to show you some songs, but your dad answered the door—and he recognized me as the white wolf.” I shrugged, feeling a little discouraged. “So we ended up talking, and I kinda said more than I should’ve. I’m sorry.”Nicolas sat down in front of me on the floor. He didn’t look upset at all.“I’m surprised you opened up like that, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Actually, I’m kinda excited. My dad’s good at keeping secrets, so don’t worry. Plus, the training’s on private property outside of town, so no one’s gonna see us.”“I’m n
It hadn’t been easy to focus on studying, and I couldn’t concentrate on the classes I had to teach last week either. I’d spent three days in a row talking to the mysterious ghost, and I already missed being there. It was wildly irrational, but being at the waterfall had somehow become the best part of my day—the moment I looked forward to the most.“Aunt Lisa, is this right?” It was Tuesday’s class. Caroline tugged gently at the hem of my shirt, trying to get my attention.“You’re off on the timing, sweetheart,” I replied patiently.“You seem different. You were like this last class too.”“Like what?” I asked, puzzled.“Smiley! You’re smiling a lot.” I paused for a few seconds and realized she was right—I was smiling. I wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t pointed it out.“It’s like the music’s just flowing through my head, like a waterfall,” I said. Since the first time I interacted with Mr. Ghost, I’d written two brand-new songs from scratch and finished four others I’d left incomple
The week started off pretty much like any other—same old routine—but with one big difference that came from inside me. My feelings weren’t all over the place anymore. With my head clear, I started sketching out notes in one of my sheet music books during my free time. Even with exams going on, I managed to juggle studying and composing.I’ve always had a great memory, so one focused read-through was usually all I needed to do well on tests. A lot of the time, while answering questions, I could clearly picture the teacher explaining the material, word for word. Same with the textbooks—I could even recall the chapter and page the info was on.Thursday’s test was in the morning. I took my time turning it in so I could leave with Annie. Morgan quickly caught up to us and walked with us down the hallway. She and Annie were going back and forth about the questions. I could tell Morgan was straight-up complaining, while Annie was kinda defending the test, saying it wasn’t that bad. I stayed
Exactly three days had passed since I last saw him. Lisa’s heart was finally starting to calm down again. It was a Sunday morning, and all I wanted was to finish a song I’d been working on for the past few weeks. I strummed Preciosa, a persistent melody stuck in my head, but the words just wouldn’t come.I decided it was time to be alone for a few hours, to try and reconnect with myself. Leaving Preciosa behind, I walked into the forest and started running in my human form, completely shutting out all thoughts and feelings—including Lisa’s voice. I trained with her every night at dawn, but her constant longing for our mate had been draining my energy and killing my appetite.“I can’t believe this thing’s still here—and untouched,” I said, circling the tent I’d set up near the waterfall. There was no sign it had been used since. I was drenched in sweat after the long run. My eyes locked onto the waterfall, completely mesmerized by the view. It was the first time I’d come here during th