“I'm thinking white. I hear it's virgins’ favorite color.” He paused for a second before the realization of what I said hit him, and I dodged the playful punch heading my way. “I kissed Kira for your information. Even though her tongue tasted like tarp.”“I'm aware,” I chuckled. “But you did tell me how you chickened out of sleeping with Renée because you were so hard and were afraid you'd wound her during coitus due to her cute little frame-” “Shut the fuck up,” he said in a serious tone, but the next minute we both erupted into laughter. He sobered up before me, however, and sighed. “I know the circumstances surrounding the beginning of our friendship were tragic, but I'm really glad we're friends. I hope you know that.”I grinned. “I do. And I'm glad we are too. You've called me out on my shit more times than I can count, but you're also the only one I'd be proud to have as my best buddy and best man.” “I'm not wearing white.”“We'll make it cream then.”He swore again, and I c
“You're her servant for today. She told me the Beta is coming as well, which is why she invited you, but you will still act in the capacity of a help. Whatever she needs, you will provide it without question. Unless the Alpha or Beta decides to be a gentleman, you will be at her beck and call. She's not aware of this, by the way, but you know what you must do.” I pursed my lips before releasing a breath. She'd done worse. “Okay.”“Splendid.” She clapped her hands together. “I'd be off now. I have a meeting with the pack's widows. Ensure you do exactly as I say, darling.” Out loud she cried, “Bye Tanya!”“Bye Mother!” my stepsister replied in such a cheerful tone, I wanted to cry. Diane didn't give me a second glance as she turned on her heels and walked out the door. Not too long after, the doorbell rang, and I froze for a millisecond before remembering my place and scrambling to the door.“Um…who is it, please?” “...Roman.” The voice the had just spoken was deep, unfamiliar, bu
Roman POV:By the time we pulled up at the mall, I was a mess. It might not have looked that way outwardly, but my mind was raging with thoughts that threatened to throw my mental health out of balance. Although, if you considered the fact that I was the Alpha of a pack facing numerous battles, now with a bounty on my head, you could say my health was already out of balance. I let out a curse as Julian's voice echoed in my head for the umpteenth time, then blocked him again. Throughout the ride, he hadn't let me rest, constantly indicating that he wanted to talk to me. And I knew what he wanted to speak about, so I didn't let him.“Is everything alright, Roman?”I looked up to see Tanya's worried face, her sister's turned away from us. As usual, my frown melted into an easy smile. “I am, don't worry. I just stubbed my toe.”The worry on her features turned to confusion, below swimming back to worry. “Oh, no! Shall I have one of the mall attendants check for bleeding?”I blinked. “Wha
Now I knew why she'd looked familiar in that file. She looked exactly like her father. I hadn't forgotten Bernard’s face, but Julian had experienced more torture at the man's hand when he started visiting regularly, so it made sense for him to remember his face more clearly. “Okay, but that doesn’t mean-” “Recall that Gatrix-Hill had ties to the Crimson Wolves, Roman. This lady left our pack about three years ago, around the same time that they officially announced to be residing in human civilization.” I paused. “What?”He scoffed. “I’m the Beta. I did my homework. And everything points to the fact that she might be dangerous. Very, very dangerous.” I said nothing for a while. “What if she isn't?” I retorted, plastering a smile on my face as Tanya finally came out wearing an exquisite gown, her eyes twinkling. The girl Audrey stood behind her, hands clasped and headed down, as though she was her servant. That same sweet scent appeared as she raised her head, and an odd feeling
I stared at him in disbelief. “You've concocted all of these on an assumption, and instead of finding out what the truth is, you're here accusing me?” He blinked. “On the contrary, I'm trying to find out the truth from the horse's mouth. The horse, in this case, if you haven't realized, is you.”We went silent for a few seconds after he said that, our eyes boring into each other, but I soon snapped out of it and moved back before glaring at him.“Tanya needs me,” I stated firmly, whirling around and heading for the changing room. The Alpha was a lot worse than I thought. At first I'd assumed he was only looking at me because I looked very pitiful as always, but to accuse me of having something to do with the rogues that attacked him the other day, as well as trying to seduce him to get back at Tanya-I stilled as electricity zipped through my arm and into my brain, and inside me, my wolf let out a whimper. I turned immediately to see what had caused it, only to find a hand on my arm
Roman POV:Audrey persuaded me to walk back into the mall alone so she could join us all a few minutes later with some flimsy excuse. I'd been against that, my wolf wanting to be near her instead, but I knew in that moment that it was probably best to do as she said. I had no idea why she was so afraid of Diane, but I was willing to go along with what she said. The first thing I noticed was the manner in which my to-be mother-in-law was dressed as she gushed over her child's dress.“Aw, look at my baby!” Diane was saying as I walked in. She was teary-eyed, but I didn't miss the disguised glare she sent my way. Instead of responding in that moment, I went to stand beside Julian and observed the situation.Diane was decked in a terribly official suit, like she was going for a diplomatic mission. Knowing her, she wasn't dressed like that without purpose, and I noted my Beta glaring at her with suspicion.“Roman, darling!” the she-devil suddenly said in a fake, high-pitched voice. “Could
“Julian,” I called.His eyes, which were on the three women giggling among themselves (well, the two women; Audrey was shivering) slid to me before moving back to them. “Yeah?”“We've got a big problem.”He snorted. “I would never have guessed.” ♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎Audrey POV:Thankfully, Diane had made some excuse about needing to be somewhere and had left almost as soon as I arrived. But from the Beta and Alpha's quietness after her departure, I knew something had gone wrong. Tanya was oblivious, as usual.It wasn't long before we set to return to our pack, and unlike it had been the first day I returned, my wolf had been restless throughout the ride back to our territory. Tanya obviously felt my disturbance, but I kept sending forced smiles her way and sagging against the car seat whenever she wasn't looking.I knew exactly why I was feeling that way, and it was killing me. In the rearview mirror, Roman was constantly trying to catch my eye, but I couldn't let him. I was afraid that one sl
I mean, it made so much sense now, seeing the type of person she was normally. But finding out that she and my stepmother had once again forsaken proper tradition for their selfish interest had me stumped. Knowing Diane, she'd most likely used a very convincing method to rope the Alpha in, and I almost felt sorry for him. I was also very angry considering the fact that it was my mate who'd been roped into such a thing. “That dress looked terrible on you, by the way,” she suddenly said, and I was pulled out of my reverie. I almost thought I hadn't heard her properly. “...what?” She smiled up at me, looking so innocent that one would not believe it was venom dripping from her words. “That thing I said outside about the dress being lovely on you was a lie. I just didn't want him to think his offer to pay was not appreciated.” I stared at her in disbelief, my initial thoughts now shoved to the back of my mind. “You could have just told me. I'd have returned it instead of-” “Bad as i
Roman POV:I looked up when the door opened, my cheek resting on my palm. Julian walked in with an envelope, and dropped it on the desk after he'd shut the door. “Here we go,” he sighed, plopping onto a free chair and placing his hands behind his head. I gave him a questioning glance. “What's this?” “Feedback from the spies.” He closed his eyes. “This time, they stressed the importance of discretion while reading it. Not that I would have done otherwise.”I opened the sealed envelope with a claw and pulled out the file, a bit of anticipation building up in my mind. Then I saw the first photo, and my eyes dimmed. “Shit.”Julian opened his eyes. “What?”“They killed them.”He sat up, his gaze trained on me. “Killed who?”“The spies.” I examined the photo. “Fuck. They found them out. Tortured them before killing them, too.” “What?” Julian sped to my side, snatching the paper from my hands. I didn't stop him or get annoyed. I was too spooked to do that. If they'd killed the spies and s
Audrey POV:Paul tensed beside me when he saw the look as well, but I knew it was a defense mechanism, not because he wanted to fight Jacob. As Gamma, Jacob was leader of the Guard, and there was no way Paul would strike him unless Jacob attempted to hit me first. Which, from the look in his eyes, seemed very much likely. However, I was sure he wouldn't do that. Right from time, Jake preferred to talk things over than use his fists. That knowledge gave me the courage to continue approaching him as he sat on a stone watching his soldiers train. “Jake.”He glared at me, then turned back to his trainees. “What are you doing here?” We were attracting a bit of attention. I almost panicked. “I need to talk to you. Please.” He didn't look at me, and I saw the slight tense in his shoulders before he spoke. “Where's your mate?” The bitter tone of his voice indicated he wasn't asking out of excitement, but out of anger. I was taken aback. Why was he asking about Roman? “I-” I paused, cleari
“He's dangerous,” she said, her voice wavering. “How the hell did you get roped with him?”She knew him. Great Luna. They knew each other. I was about to speak when Marvin pulled me closer to him, and briefly sighted a grin on his face. “Well, there was a bit of back and forth in the beginning, Diane. But the most important information is that we're mates now.” He pecked the side of my head, and I hated the butterflies that erupted in my stomach as a result of his action. “Meaning we’re in-laws. Isn't that wonderful?”My mother's response to his question was to collapse. ♠︎♠︎♠︎♠︎Audrey POV:Roman was suspicious. I knew that much from the expression he'd given me three nights before when I returned from the bathroom. It'd been on his face for just a second, but I'd seen it clearly, and it'd registered in my mind before he switched to a neutral look. And ever since the following morning, we hadn't slept in the same bed, nor had he come looking for me. It was obvious he had his rese
Tanya POV:Marvin hadn't called yet. I stared at my phone, wondering when he would. After he smacked Audrey into unconsciousness, he told me to stay put and not do anything till he returned to visit or called me. I'd obeyed, of course, but it was noon, and I hadn't seen either hide or tail of him. It wasn't like I was worried for him. I just didn't want him to find himself in trouble because that would put a major damp on his plans. And his plans included me, so I would be suffering by association. I didn't want that. Especially now that I was the town's joke. I sighed, placing my phone screen down beside me and staring up at my ceiling. It hadn't been up to four months since Audrey arrived, yet she'd turned so many things upside down. I'd gone from being the most envied to the most joked about, from the most beautiful to the most idiotic, and from the beloved Tanya Hill to the Hill brat. Mother had started ignoring me, too, going for long days without exactly saying where she was
Roman POV:Marvin’s forehead was wrinkled when I finished describing the events Julian and I had gone through, and his lips were pursed together. When they were finally separated, it was to let out a breath. “Well, that sucks.”It did suck. Apart from the incident where we’d found that Gertrude was in cahoots with some Crimson Wolves’ worker, Margrave wanting me to give up Audrey for a shaky alliance had continually echoed in my mind, and I was beyond annoyed about it, even if a part of me had begun to doubt my mate's credibility. I adored her with all of me, but who was to say she wasn't- ‘No, Roman,’ I told myself, stalling the buildup of such thoughts in my mind. I had to hold off on my assumptions. ‘Stop that. Audrey wouldn’t do that to you.’ Or would she? “Well, I have the perfect solution to end at least half of the problems.”I looked at my stepbrother, who had a mischievous smile on his face. I didn’t need to think twice to know that whatever he'd cooked up was something cri
Roman POV:I stared at my mate while she struggled to explain. A similar occurrence happened when we first met, and she'd begged for innocence. I'd been on edge during that period, and I was not in the mood to accept whatever she had to say. Thus, I'd been very eager to toss her into prison, though that wasn't the best move at that moment. My brow furrowed as I realized the case was never really solved. We'd seen a note with her, I'd had her arrested…but that was it. I hadn't investigated further into the situation after her brush with death. I'd been too afraid to lose her. As I watched her stutter and fall over her words, I wondered if that hadn't been a mistake. What if she actually was in liaise with the Crimson Wolves? Or the rogues, at least? She carried the Gatrix-Hill blood, after all; there was nothing stopping her from being in cahoots with her father's networks. Her father's networks. My eyebrow twitched. But Audrey obviously didn't see that action, because she kept
Audrey POV:The guards stood at attention the moment they saw their Alpha emerge, and I felt so much relief at the presence of my mate that I didn't hesitate to go into his arms, not even when his brooding Beta came out of the car as well. Roman squeezed me so tight it seemed as though he never wanted to let me go, and I reveled in the feeling of his arms around me, wanting to freeze time at that moment. But there were more important things. “What happened here?” the Beta asked, his brows furrowed. “Why is this woman outside?”I tried to step out of Roman's arms, but his arms tightened around me. “Don't go,” he whispered. I resisted the urge to chuckle and obeyed. “Well?” my mate said out loud, his eyes dark as he looked at the pack guards. “Talk. Anyone of you. Why is my mate outside?” The guards seemed to remember themselves and flew to open the gates, before baring their neck in obeisance. “Alpha.”Roman scowled. “I didn't ask for a greeting. I asked for a goddamn explanation.
Roman POV:It was in the middle of the night. Julian and I had found it difficult to sleep, and we'd stayed awake for a long time discussing the next course of action as regards the revelation about Gertrude and her Crimson Wolves lover. An hour before we heard the scratching sounds, we'd finally drawn a plan up. Thus we’d retired to bed, but my eyes opened when I heard the sounds. A second later, Julian had sat up. “Do you hear that?” he mouthed to me, and I nodded, my eyes trained on the door. Someone was trying to get in, but not by kicking the door open. The person wanted to come in quietly. I heard whispers and narrowed my eyes. Not a person. Persons. That meant a group of people wanted to sneak into the room. In such a situation, especially in a place like Roguemania, it meant they didn't have good intent. They wanted to cause us harm. Most likely kill us. Julian looked at me with a questioning glance, asking if he should go ahead and kill them immediately. But I shook my h
Audrey POV:I shivered from the coolness of the place I’d been caged in, completely unaware about the goings on of the outside world. Jacob and Derek hadn't replied my other fear-filled questions when I'd awoken, and at a point Jacob had snapped at me to shut up, with certain backstories on when his hatred for me began. I almost could not believe it. Jacob, my close friend, had kidnapped and regarded me as some annoying fly he'd had to put up with. I was finding it hard to accept that he and Tanya had planned the entire ruse. How could he have done that to me? He'd been brazen enough to destroy my trust in him without a trace of remorse. We'd grown up together, for crying out loud. He was my best friend! He'd changed so much, that I knew when I returned. He'd become the Gamma, and though he tried to be normal with me, I could feel it. He was different. Perhaps I'd changed too, but that hadn't stopped me from being his genuine friend. I loved him just as I'd loved him before I fled