Xavier's POVLady Shaw knew her son just as well as I knew my father.When I saw Elder Shaw standing there, hands in his pockets, as if this was just some casual midday visit instead of a random, middle-of-the-night intrusion, I knew he was up to something. He looked calm, composed—and completely out of place. But that was just like him. He didn’t care how he looked. He was here with a purpose.“Mother, step aside. Let’s have some late-night tea,” he said, his voice full of the authority he liked to pretend he still had—authority he didn’t hold over Lady Shaw, who, unlike him, had actually earned respect in the pack. She was still the acting Alpha in his absence, no matter what he thought.“It’s late, son,” she replied with a frown. “Either say what you came to say or leave.”“You don’t look like you just got out of bed to open the door, Mother,” he smirked.“Neither do you,” Lady Shaw retorted smoothly.“Well, I never said I was in bed.”“Neither did I.”“In that case, you wouldn’t m
Zoe's POVI had only been to the cabin with Xavier once. So, without the GPS that Jacob had set up, I'd be entirely lost.I tried to stay calm as the evening turned to the night. The cabin was a couple of hours away from the tunnel opening. I didn't know who built the cabin or of they knew about the tunnels. But, they had chosen the safest location in all of the pack, for a secluded, secret place. No wonder Xavier loved to go there to relax.I parked the car in the cabin garage which was also a storage room. Using the keys from the glove box of the car, I got inside the cabin and was instantly hit by the memories of the amazing, passionate time that Xavier and I had spent there. At that time, the worst problem in my life was saving my Dad and not falling for the Alpha the thought of whole sent delicious shivers down my spine.The place was just as I remembered it. The paintings, the empty canvases, the easel and random splashes of color here and there, and the hammock where I had spent
Zoe's POVI wasn’t expecting anyone when I walked into the cabin, so seeing Jacob standing there in the middle of the room gave me a serious jolt.“You gave me a heart attack!” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest.Jacob raised a brow, amused. “You almost cost me my life.”“How?” I blinked, still catching my breath. “I’m not the one sneaking around someone’s hideout like it’s your personal Airbnb.”“Right, because you just take casual strolls through the woods while running from some of the most powerful and connected people in the country,” he shot back dryly. “Do you have any idea what Alpha would do to me if I told him I lost you on the first day?”I laughed and walked over to the sink, splashing some water on my face to cool down. “Don’t overreact.”“I’m not overreacting,” he muttered, folding his arms.“Uh-huh.”“Wow.”“Wow, what?”“Nothing.”“Jacob…” I narrowed my eyes.“It’s just…” He hesitated, looking at me like he was seeing something I wasn’t. “I’m surprised you don’t reali
Xavier's POV Spending my first night at Gramp's house was supposed to be my respite before I had to go back to my duties. But, my father's appearance had changed that. For an hour, he tried to get stuff out of me. Where was I? Why had I gone? What made me return? Who knew about my whereabouts? Who was with me? But I knew his interrogating techniques by now. He was just a man who made my existence possible. Knowing his actions against my people made it easier to see him as a threat rather than family. We hadn't been a family in a long time. When he was sure he wasn't going to get anything out of me, or maybe he just grew bored of the games, he left. I went to Gramps room and found her asleep in her rocking chair. She must've dozed off while waiting for my father to leave. Not wanting to disturb her, I decided to go back to the guest room. Since I had lost my appetite, I quickly got to making backups of all the data Luca had given me. I made physical copies to be stored in Gramp
Zoe's POVI woke up to knocking on the door. I looked around, I was still in Xavier's cabin. I grew worried. Xavier had been explicit about knocking. Both he and Jacob had keys to the cabin which meant, it wasn't them and thus shouldn't be trusted.I quickly slipped on Xavier's shirt and called on Dahlia to help if it came to that. 'I'm right here, though it would've been better if you could hand me control willingly, rather than me having to take it from you every time things get too much for you.' Dahlia yawned. She had been resting as well.I rolled my eyes, "Yes, how simple it is, isn't it?"'You don't even try,' Dahlia retorted."I am not having this conversation with you when there is possibly a hostile intruder here," I replied and got ready to defend Xavier's cabin.The door unlocked and swung open slowly. My heart was in my throat as I raised the frying pan in my hand to attack the intruder, when I got still in shock."Zoe, what are you doing?" Xavier walked in, dressed impe
Zoe's POVI ran through the woods, trying to clear my head as always. For the first time in my life, it wasn't working.The feeling of Xavier's lips on my neck, his hands on my body, his presence around me. It was all overwhelming my senses. I could still smell his cologne. When had I started to get so horny for him to start having such dreams?I ran faster and took a U-turn to return to the cabin. Jacob had been very adamant about me staying close to the cabin as much as possible. He had wanted me to stay indoors at all times, but that was not going to be an option for me. So, I was granted a few liberties. I was not going to misuse those.While returning, I decided to take one last lap around the cabin before going in to shower and getting to read my hard work from yesterday, finally.That was when I noticed something different. A certain part of the ground was covered by the bushes more thickly than the rest. If I didn't know any better I would say it looked like an attempt to hide
Zoe's POV'We should leave now, Zoe.' Dahlia said firmly.I turned to face Claire once more. She was skinnier than I remembered and had dried blood all over her body. Her nails were broken but her smirk was still there."Ask. You know you are dying to know." She said like she knew what was going on in my head.'Zoe, walk away. We cannot trust a word coming from her.' Dahlia kept telling me. If I knew how to block her, I might've."Xavier loved you. Why did you betray him?" I finally asked."She speaks," Claire mocked.'Zoe,' Dahlia warned."Answer me," I tried to ask firmly."You haven't done this before, have you? Interrogation is an art. You should learn it from your beloved. Xavier knows how to paint a body red." She mused but ended up coughing probably due to her dry throat."He wouldn't have to if you hadn't betrayed him," I replied. She didn't know how much I knew and I intended to keep it that way. But I was barely thinking straight."Oh look at the little fawn defending the hun
Zoe's POVThere was blood everywhere and I was so angry. I could see the corpse of my father lying in the pool of his blood, motionless. It was heartbreaking. But it only made me upset. I had left my home pack. I had tried to build a new life, gotten a new job, tried to make new friends, and hoped to lay low. But then, Xavier Shaw had returned and he had kidnapped me. I know he meant well by showing me what a rotten man Richard Peterson was. But, that had only gotten my father to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.And it had gotten him killed. Richard had killed my dad. Emptied his gun in my Dad's chest. I felt movement behind me and whirled around, only to see that Richard had gotten another gun and was pointing it at me.I saw him through Dahlia's vision, looking down on him. His hands were trembling. But he was ready to kill me to save himself. Just as he had killed my Dad to protect his illegal and villainous business. I took a step toward him and he shot at me in panic.The
Zoe's POVMy head was pounding. It was like someone had cracked open my skull and was performing brain surgery without anesthesia. It was torture. I wanted to yell,' Stop it,' and I think I said something, but different words were coming out.I tried to yell. I knew Xavier was holding me, but every
Xavier's POVMy head was fuzzy. I was trying so hard to focus on the conversations around me. It was like I had been underwater and just resurfaced. The light, the sounds, the colors, everything felt weird. I blinked as I tried to focus on the fork in my hand. I whispered to Zoe, "Please get ready
Zoe's POVThat night, I stayed up and waited for Xavier. He took his time coming to the bedroom. He must've thought that I was asleep, and that's exactly what I pretended. But, I had a theory and I was about to test it out.I stayed still, kept my heartbeat calm, and eyes closed. Until Xavier went t
Zoe's POVWhen Xavier and I walked in hand in hand, every jaw in the dining hall dropped, but no one was as shocked as Blondie, who entered after us. She must've been waiting for him when he was walking me to the dining hall. She swallowed her shock and forced herself to sit on the opposite end of t
Zoe's POVFinding friendship with Alyssa was one of the strangest things that happened to me that week. Since then, I saw less and less of Xavier. He came to the room when I was already asleep and often left before I had woken up. We missed that one meal we used to share before the coronation.He sp
Zoe's POVThe conversation with Xavier was the hardest I've ever had with anyone. He was acting like I was just another wolf in his pack that he was responsible for. The only emotion I got from him was regarding the baby but even that was fleeting. I was so bewildered that I ended up asking, "Are y
Zoe's POV"What are you going to say to Alpha? I mean, I know Lady Shaw said that no matter what happens, you are our true Luna, but without your coronation," Olivia didn't complete her question, but I knew what she meant.I placed a reassuring hand over hers, "Don't worry. Xavier might be the Alpha
Xavier's POVThe ringing of the intercom woke me up. I noticed that Zoe had left without me. I felt a pang in my heart. The first obstacle since we got together and we were already fighting. I hated it. I checked the time. It was still early in the morning. Jacob was ringing the intercom. It must'v
Zoe's POVTo say that I was furious was a major understatement.I walked down the driveway and yelled at a chauffeur, "You. Get a car right now!" Usually, I always made sure to be polite to them, but if I stopped, Dahlia would take over. She had been mad at Xavier for two days now, and arresting Oli