MORNING SICKNESS. “Someone should talk to me” Doctor Emmaline said again. “What did she eat?” She asked. Noise from metal could be heard in her background. She was truly in an operation theatre. “She just came down for breakfast” the maid said. “So i believe you all are in the dining, right?” She asked. “Yes, yes, Doctor we are all in the dining right now” the maid answered almost immediately. Doctor Emmaline was silent for a while. It was like she was saying something to herself. “Are there quails on the table?” She asked. “No” the maids answered in chorus. Hayley again started throwing up. “I swear to God Emmaline if anything happens to her, you would not lose only your license” Roman threatened but she ignored him and carried on. “Are there any kind of seafood on the table?” She asked. “Uhhh uhm” the maids said going through all the meals before them “Answer me” Emmaline said raising her voice. “Shrimps, there are shrimps here” she said. “That must be it. Get rid of
HIS MOTHER. Every step Roman took towards the place made his heart pound faster. He tried to tell himself that he did not care and that he was not affected by the thought of seeing her again but he could not lie to himself with his act of indifference. He was nervous,he did not know what to expect at all. Roman was not someone that mentally tries to imagine and plan how a conversation would go but all of a sudden, he found himself doing so. Finally he got in front of the building. It was beside the basement. The gates were opened for him by the men standing by it. The structure of this place is in such a way that escaping would be made totally impossible. Roman wàlked past the gate as he was being greeted by his men. Normally he would nod or raise a hand to acknowledge their greeting but this time he just passed. It was not because he was angry nor was it because he just felt like ignoring them but at that moment he wasn't really focused on anything other than his goal here. Ro
HARD TRUTH. “Victor was the one who murdered the previous Lycan king, who was my Father. He did that because he felt the throne belonged to him. So he cleared the obstacle in his path to getting the throne, the Lycan King at that time, my father” Roman paused and looked to see her reaction to his story so far. She obviously knew everything that happened but Roman couldn't care less. Her expression was blank but from time to time she would gulp saliva nervously. “Not only did Victor get rid of him, he went as far as framing me, his son, for his death. As a helpless child what could I do? I had nobody on my side. “Dante” she called out softly and one of the guards made an attempt to step forward but Roman held up his hand stopping him from coming any closer. “Don't call me that, it is ‘my lord’ to you” he said and continued with his story. “Yeah so basically Victor committed treason by the law of the pack and then it's personal for me because he killed the only person
BLINDED BY RAGE. “Take her. She should be treated the exact same way we treat treasoners. ” Roman said. “Soon you will get to meet your partner in crime again. I would make sure you both pay for everything, most especially Victor. Did you know he tried to kill my wife and unborn child to cure himself and prolong his life?” Roman asked his mother and she gasped in shock covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh please, don't act human, we all know of your beastly nature.” He said. “I am truly sorry for everything and I just want you to know that I accept whatever punishment it is you have chosen to give me.” She said and Roman scoffed. “I wish you well with your family” she said further. “Keep your wishes to yourself, my family and I do not need it” Roman spat out angrily. He turned to his men standing at one corner. “What are you all waiting for?” He asked. “Take her away” he told them and they walked up to his mother grabbing her roughly by her arms. Two of his men on either sid
HIS COMFORT ZONE. Roman turned towards the crying family and they all scurried backwards, avoiding him. Roman signaled one of his men to drag away the body of the boy. He bent down close to Victor's family and they whimpered more. A very sardonic smile crept on his lips “Who next?” he whispered and they all began to whimper and cry. The men amongst them tried to comfort the women, even though they themselves were scared too. They looked at him as if he had gone mental and they weren't totally wrong, rage had driven him to blind anger. “Don't look at me like that, he caused all this, he killed my father and then framed me for it. I am only paying him back so if you all want to look at someone with resentment, look over there. He started all this. All I am doing is ending it.” He said to them “Aish! This is seriously no fun, let us do it this way” he said as he stood up. “We would let Victor, the eldest in the family who caused all this to choose which of his family members s
A CALL FROM SAN FRANCISCO Roman left the basement with Hayley. He left Caspian to handle things there. Hayley walked slowly, she wanted the fresh evening breeze to touch Roman so he would get calmer. “Why are we walking this slow?” Roman asked. “See it as an evening stroll, it is calming is it not?” She asked him. Roman looked at her and then back in front of him. “What is it?” She asked him. “I know you are trying hard to make me feel better and I appreciate it but it is not necessary. With you here by my side, I am at my calmest, I mean it” he said. Hayley looked at him and smiled and he returned the smile. “But i must admit the breeze is a bonus' ' he Said and her smile brightened as she looked ahead. Roman noticed the wind was pushing her hair in her face, so he reached out and tucked them behind her eyes and when he did that, blood rushed to her cheek. “Is she blushing again?” He said and he pulled her hands away. “Who? Me? I was not blushing.” She said and the hair
RETURNING THE FAVOR. Hayley was in disbelief at what she just heard. Her mother was one of the strongest people that she knew and to hear that this kind of a thing happened to her just felt so unrealistic. Had she stayed away so much that they felt like telling her was going to be a bother? Is that how she had made them feel. A rush of guilt filled Hayley immediately. “Jane, how bad is it?” Hayley asked her. She heard Jane scoff on the other end of the line. “Such a great daughter you are, well you have realized that they aren't your parents so why would you give a damn about them?” Jane asked her sarcastically. “Jane it is nothing like that. Why would you say that to me?” Hayley asked really hurt by her best friend's words. “The truth is bitter honey, you always do this, when people are out of your sight they can just fuck off from your mind right? Don't come here with another sob story of yours, telling me how you have been so busy. That is bull crap” Jane spat out. “Jane, y
JOURNEY TO SAN FRANCISCO. The next morning Roman woke Hayley up from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when her eyes met his. “Good morning” she said smiling shyly and Roman pressed his lips on her. “Good morning,” he said. Her smile widened and she began to blush. “Go and get ready. You need to leave on time” Roman said and she nodded and got up from the bed She went into the bathroom, had her bath and came out. As she picked out the cloth she was going to wear, her towel fell from her body. She wanted to pick it up but then she changed her mind. There wasn't any need for that, really. Roman looked at her, he watched her closely waiting for her to quickly cover up but she never did She just continued searching for clothes. She found a loose gown and then she wore her undies and threw it on “You know you are playing the wrong game with me, Rose” he said and she turned and looked at him. “I am sorry but I am afraid I do not understand what you mean,” Hayley
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