Zoe's POV“So, where did you learn how to cook?” Lady Shaw asked as she stirred the boiling pot of soup I was making for dinner.“Mostly my Dad and Aunt Julie. She was Dad’s cousin, used to live with us. Some I learned from experimenting with MJ,” I was instinctively going to add that some I learned for my ex John because he preferred home-cooked meals, but that asshole did not deserve a mention.She took a small spoon and tasted the soup. Subconsciously, I held my breath waiting for her reaction. She took her time and the knife in my hand hovered over the fresh coriander that she had brought.“It’s good,” She smiled in affirmation, and I let out a tiny sigh of relief. Her approval was important to me for some reason. I didn’t know if she knew that I was Xavier’s mate or not, but this was the second time I was meeting her and I did not want to disappoint her. I did not have many special skills but I knew I could trust my cooking and self-defense.“It’s Dad’s recipe,” I couldn’t keep th
Zoe's POVI had sirens blaring in my head but I had to keep calm. If Lady Shaw was truly not on Xavier’s side, then I had to tread very carefully.First and foremost, I had to make sure that the suspicion was right or not. If I was right to be suspicious of her, I needed to gather evidence. I couldn’t just put empty blame on her. Xavier would never believe me over her.But I desperately prayed to the Moon Goddess that I was wrong and Lady Shaw had a perfect explanation of how she knew about the documents. Maybe Xavier had told her and I had nothing to worry about.She was looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.I tried to calm my heart rate and asked as casually as I could muster, “What documents?”“The ones that made that ink smear on your fingertips, leave that table mark under your wrists, and left the charging port on for the laptop that you hid in a hurry.” She explained calmly with a slightly amused tone.I glanced at my fingertips and indeed, even though I had tried to
Xavier's POVI had spent the first hour back in my office, making sure there were no bugs installed other than the ones I had placed before my departure. Once I was sure that my room was safe I got ready to work.During the day, many of my people, especially the permanent residents of the Mansion came to visit. Everyone had different types of questions. It was easier to differentiate between friends and foes, based on the types of their questions alone. While some merely came to welcome me back and tell me how much they missed me, others were more concerned about where I was, and what I had been doing. It had been a long day of watching the surveillance cameras around the Shaw Mansion on fast-forward and dealing with the news of my return to the pack. It was around dusk when Jacob finally rolled in with a determined expression on his face.“Good evening, Alpha. All is set for the meeting tomorrow before noon. We couldn’t arrange any sooner because a few officials were on business tri
Xavier POVThe alarm on my phone rang jolting me awake from a dreamless sleep. I checked the time.11:00 am.I had only slept for three hours. I didn’t even remember dozing off. The videos had stopped by themselves at some point and the laptop had gone to sleep due to prolonged inactivity. I cracked my neck and suppressed a yawn.I was used to working late nights, working overtime, and sleeping in the office. I had always been this workaholic. It helped me become the youngest Councilor in the Werewolf Council. Though back then, I had nothing else to do but take care of my pack and career. Now, I had so many more things to worry about.I knew by this time the council would know about my return to the pack. I had up and left so abruptly that Jacob had informed me that some people had been speculating that some calamity had befallen me. I knew a lot of my enemies were eager for the confirmation of that news. Soon, I was going to find out how many friends I still had on the council.I rubb
Xavier's POVI had spent the walk to the conference room bracing myself for betrayals. After all, once this meeting was over, many people I had once counted as my trustees would be unveiled as moles. It was going to be no ordinary meeting of my assembly members.Jacob, who had been locking up the conference room to make sure that no one could make a run for it, stood straight and addressed the assembly, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the toast that you just sipped had a generous dose of Verumexeat. As most of you know it is a very potent truth potion. The name translates literally to, Let the truth come out.”The reaction that ensued throughout the room was a variety of levels of indignation, offense, surprise, and a few silent submissions. The only one who did not react at all, was my Delta, Rowan.“Silence!” Rowan ordered when he noticed me having observed his reaction or lack thereof, “If you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to worry about. Listen to the Alpha.” He then turned to me w
Xavier's POVRosewood had already accepted his fate and the rest of his peers were about to find out exactly what it was.I walked behind him, took out my Glock 17 with special silver bullets made for werewolves, and a wave of gasps went through the room, “Mr. Rosewood, you have just confirmed to have committed treason against your pack, Blood Crescent and for this offense, you are hereby sentenced to a quick death. Only because I have much of your kind to work through today.” I added the last part almost lazily when in reality it hurt me as much as it would hurt his family to have lost him. As an Alpha serving punishment was an obligation that I never took pleasure in, but it was a necessary evil.“Ladies and gentlemen, pay attention, lest it be you next,” I said and placed the gun behind Rosewood’s head. He closed his eyes, trembling in fear with tears flowing from his eyes, his mouth still bloody from the bitten tongue. He looked pathetic. So far from the well-dressed gentleman of p
Xavier's POVI was used to fighting foes larger than me since I was a young wolf. My father used to say that the bigger the foe we defeat, the better version of ourselves we become.But it wasn't true. Now, I know that. No, the physical size of the foe does not matter because the tiniest of termite
Xavier's POVJacob handed me the laptop and I sat up straighter, rubbing my eyes to focus on the screen.There were a bunch of messages. It was a correspondance between someone with a username of Durain with my father using the username Elder S. For someone working to destroy the pack from with in a
Zoe's POV"This is good," I complimented, taking another bite of the lobster sandwich."Mr. Malarkey is among the best chefs in this hemisphere. He comes from a long line of chefs loyal to Blood Crescent for generations." The way Xavier spoke about the chef made me feel like he was the kind of Alpha
Zoe's POVXavier and I spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to leave the cabin. We took a quick lunch break and then loaded up Xavier's car.The hours we spent on the road going to the pack center where the Shaw Mansion stood in all its glory, felt nostalgic. It hadn't been very lo
Zoe's POVXavier was looking at me expectantly. He was waiting for an answer. And at that moment, I loved him so much that I would follow him anywhere if he held my hands the way he was holding them. He had so many problems and wasn't afraid to make me his knowing how many problems were on my tail.
Xavier's POVI knew I should've told Zone about not keeping Claire in the dungeons. It had been a momentary decision because she was still dear to me and I was so shocked at her betrayal. And then, everything else happened and I couldn't move her or expose her yet. It was not like I was hiding the
Zoe's POVBy the time we reached the cabin, a light sprinkle had started. I liked this light summer rain. It made everything look cleaner and fresher as if breathing new life into nature. I loved the smell of wet soil. I also liked how pleasant the weather became after the rain. It was the thunders
Zoe's POVAfter yesterday's activities, Xavier and I slept in each other's arms. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have any nightmares. I slept like a log and woke up with a smile on my face. And it was all thanks to my mate, my Alpha. Xavier's face was tranquil. I had missed seeing this
Xavier's POVI have no idea how I survived without Zoe's touch for as long as did. Was it possible to die due to starvation of mate's touch? I didn't know and I wasn't going to test it either because I had no intention of ever letting her go.It didn't matter how much I tried to worship her body. It
Zoe's POVNow that it was just me and Xavier in the cabin, neither of us knew what to say. I kept thinking of how to start the conversation. We had a lot to talk about, but where to begin?"How have you been?" Xavier asked, tentatively stepping forward.After being with him for months, I wanted to t
Zoe's POVThe more Xavier talked the more I tried not to panic. I knew things were bad, I hadn't realized they were this bad. A part of me felt guilty because all of it could've been avoided if Xavier hadn't left to support me. As much as I appreciated his presence after Dad's death, I never wanted