DARK PAST. So with my gown, the sandals and some jewelry, I was good to go. With just a bit of makeup and a proper fix of my hair,I would have a very close to perfect look. I changed back into my normal clothes and they packed up my things for me. “Don't forget this” Karen said, shyly as she stretched out her hands, passing me a bag. “What is in here?” I asked her. “The gown, shoes and jewelry for your friend.” She answered. “Oh that's right” I said, I had totally forgotten about that. Shopping was really stressful, just a dress and accessories to go with it took so much time and effort. I looked at the wristwatch on my wrist, I had spent over six hours here. But on the bright side it was worth it because I had gotten what I wanted and Bree must have spent enough time with Dave. I smiled at the thought of that. “I'm sure you can't wait to get home to your husband” one of the girls said blushing shyly. “What? Ooh, that's not why I am smiling, "I said. Whether they believed me
NEWLY FOUND ABILITY.Bree and Dave walked into the boutique, I knew it was time to go.I turned to the girl and asked for their names. I realized that I had been with them for hours without knowing their names. I couldn’t part with them that way.Dave helped with the boxes and bag and we walked out after all the farewells had been done.“I hope to see you again” I heard Karen say with sad eyes as she waved at me.“Definitely” I said pointing to the bag with the dress and she smiled. I would definitely remain in contact besides i had taken all her number.We got into the car and began heading home. “So how was your day?” I asked, throwing the question to the both of them seated in front.“It was nice” Bree said, while Dave scratched the nape of his neck, not saying a word.“What about yours Dave?” I asked, not letting him avoid answering the question.“It was fine,” he answered, looking straight ahead at the road.“So how was the shopping?” Bree asked me.“It was great, I got just what
AWOKEN.I felt a warm towel press against my head as my eyes fluttered open. I recognized this room as Roman's. I groaned as I felt pain all over my body, especially my head. I turned my head and my eyes immediately met with that of a young lady. From her clothes I could tell that she was one of the maids here.She gasped as her eyes met mine, dropping the wet towel from her hand which made a sloppy sound.She quickly dashed out of the room before I could ask anything. I was trying real hard to remember what happened to me. The events that led to me being here. I noticed that I was hooked up to an IV which made me want to think harder but the more I thought the more blank my head became.I was so weak, I looked to the bed stand for water. The good news is that there was water on the stand but the bad news was that unfortunately it was a bit out of reach.I tried to move a bit and it hurt like hell. So I just lay there helplessly hoping that that lady would come back soon.The door of
HEALERS “Can I get a glass of water before you start?” I asked Viola. She instantly turned to the bed stand and poured water from the jug in a glass cup and gave it to me. She supported my hand with carrying the cup as I drank out of it. “Thank you” i said to her when i was done and she nodded her head in acknowledgement as she dropped the cup back on the stand “So I am going to start from where you need to know,” she said and I nodded slightly. “Okay you are what we call a healer. Every werewolf has different special abilities and you too are no exception. I am a healer also just like you, but you are stronger, well younger werewolf are most times stronger than the older ones. Our kind, healers I mean, there aren't much left of us.” She said, “Did something happen?” I asked “Few years back we had a dispute with a rival pack that wanted to take over our territory and well, we werewolves are very protective of our land, very territorial. This dispute became more tha
ROMAN'S POV. As we walked out of the room leaving Viola alone with Rose. I felt Rose's burning glare at my back till I was completely out of the bedroom. We all went to the sitting room downstairs but none of us were seated. Even victor who was frail due to sickness remained standing. Only the alpha and Viola from her family were here, not a surprise though. We remained standing, some leaning on the wall, others just standing straight. The alpha eyes remained glued to the door of my room, he looked really worried. Victor just kept calm, it looked like he was doing the same as I was, observing everyone around. Caspian just stood there leaning against the wall, looking at his feet. And then my eyes fell on Dave. He met my eyes and quickly looked away. I watched him closely like a hawk. Was something going on between him and Rose? She pleaded, wept, begging for him continuously, that was one of the things that fueled my anger. I watched him move from where he currently was and
CURIOSITY OF THE LYCAN KING. “I'm sorry” I heard Roman say. I wasn't in the mood for his apology, I just wanted him to leave me alone. “What exactly are you sorry for Roman? Truly I don't want or need your apology just let me be” i said to him coldly. “Look I have apologized and whether you like or not at some point you would have to speak to me” I heard him say. How could he be apologizing and still act so cocky? Who does that? “You don't feel any remorse at all for what you did to Dave the other night, do you?” I said to him, narrowing my eyes. “I can either say two things right now, the truth or what you hope to hear,” he said. What an asshole. “You are really the worst. You almost killed the guy and for what?” I asked. “He should have known better than to keep a pregnant woman out that late. You passed a bridge to get to the boutique. Do you know what happened on that bridge that same night? An accident. I was so worried and your dear Dave wasn't picking up. So yes i hit
WILLING TO LEARN. Two days flew by quickly. I was already better than I was when I woke up. I walked around Roman's mansion looking around and admiring the surroundings to kill time and boredom. I hadn't seen anybody since after the day I woke up, I wondered if that was Roman's doing. Viola told me that it was because he wanted me to rest I wondered where Roman had been for the past two days. Viola and the maids say he is around but I never see him. Was he avoiding me? How can we be in the same house and never have I crossed paths with him in the past forty eight hours? I know that this was a mansion but at least I should have seen him once. “You guys said that Roman is around so why haven't he come into his room to sleep for the past two nights?” I asked some of the maids walking by my side as I strolled along the flowery paths of Roman's garden. “We don't know, my lady” they chorused. I was still trying to get used to the title they used to refer to me. I was tired of telling
LEARNING FROM THE LYCAN KING. You will do what?” I asked him, wanting him to repeat what I clearly heard him say. “I will teach you how to control it and any other thing you need to learn,” he said. I smiled turning around to face him, successful was really sweet especially against an ass like him. “What was all of pride earlier about then?” I muttered but loud enough for him to hear. “I heard that,” he said. “I know” I told him, smirking and he smiled. What was that smile about? I thought to myself furrowing my brow at him. “Why did you just laugh?” I asked him, he shrugged his shoulders playfully. “Where have you been for the past two days? Everybody I asked said you were around but I never saw you, why?” I asked the question that had been on my mind for the past two days. “They were not lying to you, I have been around” he said, laying emphasis on around. “Around? Were you avoiding me?” I asked. “Yes, I was,” he answered, straightforwardly. “Why? Why would you avoid me?
Happily Ever AfterHayley's POVThe morning sun shone through the windows as I stared at the garden below, savoring the beautiful view of it. It was like a gentle whisper of hope, soft and tentative, whispering through my ears. My fingers traced the windowsill, exploring the smooth, weathered wood beneath my touch - each groove and grain a tactile memory of our tumultuous journey. Two days. Just two days since Roman had returned from a battle that had threatened to unravel everything we knew, a conflict that had hovered on the razor's edge of total destruction.Memories cascaded through my mind like fragmented scenes from a nightmare. The metallic scent of blood. The paralysis of fear. That horrifying moment when time seemed to stop, and I believed I might lose everything I had come to love.But not today.Today was different.Today was about healing.About redemption.About hope rekindled.Downstairs, the kitchen was a symphony of preparation. We had hired more cooks for the celeb
A Promising Future Roman's POV I opened my eyes to the soft morning light coming through the windows. The pain in my chest was less now, thanks to the healing I got last night. Rose sat next to me on our bed, her hand gentle on my arm. She looked tired but happy."How are you feeling?" she asked softly, her fingers threading through my hair with such tenderness it made my heart ache. Dark circles circled her eyes, evidence of her exhaustion from last night, but her smile held all the warmth of the morning sun.I caught her hand in mine, pressing my lips to her knuckles, breathing in the familiar scent of her skin. "Better. The healing worked better than I expected." Every word was true – the piercing pain that had threatened to tear me apart was now just a memory."That's good." Her smile wavered slightly, worry dancing in the depths of her green eyes like shadows in still water. "The twins are still sleeping now. But they gave me a hard time sleeping last night. It's like they c
A New Dawn Hayley's POV I paced the hospital corridor as we waited for Dad to wake up. The fluorescent lights shone too bright even though it was already night, making the white walls seem even more clinical. I sat down in an uncomfortable plastic chair and shifted numerous times, my muscles protesting after hours of sitting. Next to me, Viola kept checking her phone, her fingers drumming an anxious rhythm on her thigh. Bree had gone home to rest about an hour ago, practically falling asleep on her feet. I'd insisted she get some proper sleep, promising to call if anything changed. The twins were with Dora, and even though I trusted her completely, my thoughts kept drifting to them. It was the longest I'd been away since they were born. "Family of Lucien Merchetti?" A doctor's voice drew my attention to the doorway. She was young, probably in her early thirties, with kind eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled. "You can go in and see him now, but just for a litt
The Final Battle Roman's POVThe private jet touched down in San Francisco just as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. My muscles were tense from the flight, but my mind was sharp, focused on the hunt ahead.Beside me, Caspian checked his phone for the hundredth time, his usual playful demeanor replaced by cold determination."Our tracking team is already working on Scarlett's location," I told him as we climbed into the waiting SUV. "They'll have coordinates for us within minutes." I informed him."Good." Caspian's voice was clipped. "The sooner we end this, the better." He added.As we drove to my wolves' team here in San Francisco, I pulled out my phone to hear from Rose back in New York. My fingers hovered over Rose's number for a moment before I pressed call. She answered on the first ring, her voice tight with worry."Roman? Did you find them?" She asked me.Just hearing her voice made my wolf whine. "We're close. The tracking team is working on it now." I leaned aga
Escape Before DawnRoman's POV We sat at the back of the garden, and the late afternoon shone across the immaculately beautiful lawn. My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin as I watched Scarlett and Stephan exchange their vows, not fooled by the serene facade of this wedding. Everything about them looked fake – the forced smiles, the tension crackling in the air, the way my guards tried to blend into the background while keeping their eyes fixed on Melissa.Rose was beside me, her hand warm in mine, her emerald dress making her skin glow in the fading light. She was trying to keep her composure, but I could feel the slight tremor in her fingers. I found myself thinking about our own future wedding, the one we'd have once all this mess was over. It would be different – filled with joy instead of suspicion, love instead of hatred."You may kiss the bride," the officiant announced, his voice carrying across the hushed garden.I leaned closer to Rose, my lips brushing her ear as I wh
Scarlett's Wedding Hayley's POV I stood before the full-length mirror in our bedroom, pulling down the hem of my emerald green dress for the hundredth time now. I felt nervous.The silk material mused against my skin as I stretched it, but even its luxurious touch couldn't calm my nerves. Today was my sister's wedding—if you could call someone who'd tried to kill you a sister."Stop fidgeting, Rose." Roman's deep voice called from the doorway. I didn't have to turn because I saw his reflection in the mirror before me, and my breath hitched in my throat. He looked devastatingly handsome in his charcoal suit, his dark hair slightly tousled as if he'd been running his fingers through it. His eyes, those piercing amber orbs that never failed to see right through me, held mine in the mirror."I can't help it," I mumbled, smoothing my hands over my stomach. The twins' birth had left its marks, but Bree had chosen this dress perfectly—it hugged in all the right places while still being ap
Three Days of GraceRoman's POVIt was three days before Scarlett's wedding. I was pacing my study in the early morning, thinking. Dawn hadn't yet broken when Caspian arrived and joined me in the study. I had called him earlier. I'd been up for hours now, my wolf restless beneath my skin. The weight of leadership had never felt heavier than in these moments, when every decision could mean life or death for those I loved."Three days," Caspian said, leaning back in his chair. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he'd been up all night too. "Are we really going through with getting Melissa out for the wedding?" He asked me.I paused my pacing to rub my temples, where a headache had been building since midnight. I turned to walk to the window, watching as the sun shone down in the garden looking too peaceful for the turmoil in my mind."I don't know," I admitted, my voice rough from lack of sleep. The thought of letting Melissa out made my wolf snarl with protective rage. "With ever
Betrayal in Plain SightRoman's POVThis morning I woke up with new determination. I rubbed my tired eyes, determined to review more surveillance footage. Yesterday's run with Rose had helped clear my mind, made the bitterness and pain more manageable. I didn't expect to find anything new in the recordings, but I had to try. I had barely started hearing the recordings in my study.Then I heard it.Scarlett's voice came through the speakers, trembling slightly. "I don't know what to do. He's going to banish me from New York. I have nowhere to go." She cried.I leaned forward, turning up the volume. A female voice responded, making my anger spike."Come to San Francisco. We need to stick together now more than ever," the voice said. "It's time we dealt with Roman and Hayley once and for all." She told her. Wait. That voice sounds familiar.My fingers gripped the edge of my desk. That voice... I knew that voice."Are you sure?" Scarlett asked, hope creeping into her tone."Yes. Just co
Comfort in ChaosHayley's POVMy heart ached as I watched Roman storm upstairs to his study, his shoulders rigid with tension. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the foyer, each step heavy with the weight of yesterday's revelations. Viola's eyes followed his retreating form, and concern appeared on her elegant features."Kate, darling," Viola said softly, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "I've never seen him this tense, even for Roman. What has happened?" She asked me.I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. The morning sunlight streaming through the windows suddenly felt too bright, too cheerful for the heaviness in my chest. "He visited his mother in the dungeon yesterday," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "She told him... she told him Victor might be his real father."The silence that followed was deafening. Bree's coffee cup clattered against its saucer, the sound sharp in the quiet room."Oh my God," Bree breathed, her blue eyes wide. "Are you