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
“What do you want?” I snapped. “Mate,” it complained, startling and annoying me at the same time. I hadn't expected it to refer to her at this point in time. “Injured.” I didn't register the meaning immediately, but when I did, I ran to the person who had groaned. Sure enough, my supposed mate lay on the floor, but she was in her wolf form. I stared at her, first wondering why I couldn't perceive that sweet scent of hers, then asking myself what the hell she was doing outside the pack house.Jacob had apparently placed the entire pack house on lockdown, meaning that no one would have been able to leave the compound if they hadn't snuck out. In that situation, I should have been able to perceive it everywhere as soon as I arrived on the scene, unless she... Unless she'd attempted to hide her scent.Julian's words rang through my mind, and I almost let out a growl. I didn’t care that we were mates. If I found out that she was the reason my pack was experiencing trouble, I was goi
“Beta Julian!” Jacob yelled. “Beta, please, let her go. There are better ways to discuss this.” The Alpha was quiet. The Beta turned to my best friend and raised me even higher so that I was now gasping. “I should let her go, hm?” His eyes were blazing, but his voice remained deathly calm. “Read the letter.” Jacob didn't move. “She's about to choke to death. She needs proper trial first before we condemn her for whatever-” “Read the damn note, Jacob.” The man turned to glare at me. “Then you'll find out why she's a traitor.” “I…” I wheezed. “I really *cough* didn't do that-” My lungs were burning, and I was struggling to take air in. The Beta, on the other hand, looked like he could do that all day. His eyes flashed with anger as he tightened his grip.“Let her go, Julian,” a familiar voice with a withdrawn tone said, just as I was about to become unconscious.“Roman.” The Beta sounded disgruntled.“Now.” I could sense the reluctance in his gaze as he released his hold on me,
Roman POV:The elders murmured among themselves after I dropped the information about the rogue attack. Julian and Jacob stood behind me, both of them looking like they wanted to flee the room.I wanted to as well. But for the sake of the pack, we remained. “That's the third one in less than three weeks,” someone commented. “This is getting worse.” “It's like they just spring out of nowhere!” Kennedy yelled, slamming his fist onto the table. I frowned at that but kept my peace. “What in Luna's name is going on?!” “My Beta has some reports he'd like to give,” I announced. Julian nodded when I called him up and stepped forward. The expression on some of the elders’ faces switched to disgust, while some exuded fear. The child of the former Alpha's maid, now Beta, is rumored to be a killing machine. They weren't wrong on both counts. I pursed my lips, recalling the way my best friend sped to Audrey and captured her neck in a vice grip. I'd spoken to him earlier and warned him never
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
Roman POV:The last time I’d seen Gertrude was about two weeks ago, when she'd been brought to my office from her place of temporary confinement so we could discuss the terms of co-parenting, after which the guards had returned her to the quarters.And now she'd appeared in a place I'd never have dreamed of seeing her in. Julian had a frown on his face. “What's she doing here?” I had the very same question. But we knew we would not get our answer by standing in the street, so we followed her quietly, ensuring she would not be able to see us. Due to the training we'd received as spies, this was terribly easy, also considering the fact that she was an amateur at sneaking about. Finally she turned into the back of a rundown bar, and I frowned when I sighted another figure behind the said bar. Another look confirmed that it was a male, and when she threw her arms around him, my eyes narrowed. Well, she'd drugged me to sleep with me and get pregnant. Had I really expected that I'd be
Audrey POV:Tanya couldn't be planning to kill herself. But as I rushed down the path leading to my former residence, I couldn't help but think otherwise. The tone she'd used while talking to me had caused me to have an adrenaline rush, and though the guard at the door had stopped me initially, I'd snuck out through the backdoor.For what it was worth, I genuinely hoped she hadn't died. Sure, we'd had our issues, but I never wanted her to die. I arrived at the front door and immediately banged on it, not caring that it was late at night. It didn't take long before my stepsister opened it, mascara streaks running down her face. She seemed surprised to see me but also relieved. “Audrey,” she breathed. “You came.” Then she opened the door wider. “Please, come in.”I walked in, surprised at how foreign the house I'd lived in for so long seemed to me now. “H-how are you, Tanya? And what was all that talk about wanting peace?” She looked at me with fresh tears in her eyes. “I'm so sorry
Marvin POV:I whistled a merry tune as I strolled to the Hill residence. Everything was going according to plan. Diane Hill had gone on another travel, Margrave had successfully gotten Roman and Julian to visit him, Audrey was alone, and Jacob was alone. All I had to do was set the stage. “Marvin?” Tanya recoiled when she saw me at the door, then bowed her head as I entered. I grinned at her show of humility, knowing that fear was what drove her actions. Since I'd made it clear just how far I could go, she was ready to cooperate. Which was good, considering what I was about to make her do. But first… “Hello, darling mate,” I purred, shutting the door behind me and locking it, before pulling her to me. She yelped and tried to move away, but went mute when I pinched her waist. After finding my next partner, I'd tossed and turned all night, my wolf itching for her to be by my side. Now that she was before me, I had a somewhat overwhelming urge to devour her. But I didn't plan to do