The Alpha's wife is hosting another party that Friday evening, and the Alpha and I decide that it would be best if I was there the entire time that the Alpha is there. I will keep an eye on his food and administer his evening medication before dessert.It will also give me a chance to listen in on conversations as I circulate the room, and to watch for anyone who looks suspicious around the Alpha's food and drink. He's not allowed alcohol anymore, because I don't like how it mixes with his medications, so he sticks to sparkling water.
Marcus is more convinced than ever that Evelyn is somehow connected to Nicole's disappearance.There's something about her that reminds him so strongly of Nicole – perhaps it's the tone of her voice, or the inflection, or the way she unconsciously tucks her hair behind her ear while she's talking.Or maybe it's the way her eyes light up when she sees him. Or the way that a little smile hovers on her mouth when he teases her, like listening to him joke is her favorite thing in the w
The last thing Marcus wants to do is follow Charles up to his office for some alcohol-fueled private confrontation, but he has little choice. Gritting his teeth, he strides steadily behind Charles to the elevators in the foyer.They're silent on the way up to the office, and as they walk down the hallways to Charles's private rooms. It's not until they've shut the door and both taken seats at Charles's desk before Charles speaks."You need to concede your candidacy for Heir to your siste
By Sunday, Ty is finally recovered enough that I'm comfortable "discharging" him from the villa. It's a brilliant early morning in mid-June when I throw back his curtains and let sunlight stream into the room."Harrumph," Ty mumbles from a tangle of sheets. The weather outside is already warm, veering quickly to hot, but the villa's air conditioning system keeps the whole place pleasantly cool all day and night. Ty flings a pillow over his head and tries to burrow further into the bed."
Becki is in her room, which used to be Nicole's room. God, it took Paul long enough to finally give Becki this ensuite. She was in one of the guest bedrooms before, can you believe it? For years. Blah blah Nicole's childhood home, blah blah been her room since she was born, blah blah no reason to upend the whole household blah.It wasn't until Nicole graduated from high school that Paul saw the light and put Becki in the ensuite instead, shuttling Nicole down to a basement room where the bitch belonged from the start.
"Ev, can I talk to you?" Roger is standing in the doorway to my office, leaning against the frame and fiddling nervously with his suit jacket cuffs. He looks uncertain and upset, and I'm instantly on alert."Of course," I say, setting down my pen from where I'm making notes on the last physical I'd just given the Alpha that morning. I always like to hand write my notes and type them up later; it helps me remember more without having to check the files for every little detail."Do you wan
"And I don't know what to do to stop it, either!" I finish on a semi-hysterical note two hours later, having taken the rest of the afternoon off from work by pleading a bad headache.Kent extends an arm across the table to squeeze my free hand, the one that's not currently clutching my second glass of whisky like a lifeline. I lift it to my lips and down the rest of it in one, then raise it shakily toward the bar.Dave nods and walks over with the bottle, topping me up with a stiff doubl
Marcus waits at the table he booked in advance, twirling the stem of his wine glass through his long fingers as he does so. Liam is late, but Marcus isn't worried or bothered about it. Liam has been run off his feet even more than usual lately; he's earned quite a bit of leeway when it comes to punctuality.Marcus has chosen the same wine bar as his recent date with Lydia, and where he had the unpleasant run-in with the odious Becki. Honestly, can the woman not take a hint? It's getting ridiculous, the way she pops up at the most inopportune times to pester and flirt.
"Marcus!" I shout, tripping over the last step at the bottom of the staircase. "Ouch! Damn it, we need to get that fixed. Marcus, where are you?""I'm in here, carina," Marcus calls back. He comes out of the kitchen with a raised eyebrow. "Just making your coffee. I think I've almost got this machine figured out, I swear."I burst out laughing. "It's been five years, honey. I think if you were going to get along with that machine, it would've happened by now."
"I'm so glad you chose a December wedding, darling girl," Jeanette says to me, looking a bit misty-eyed. She steps back from the mirror we're both looking in after adjusting my veil and clasps her hands in front of her."Me, too," I breathe, lifting a hand to touch my face. Jeanette slaps it away, playfully."What are you doing?" she exclaims. "You're going to ruin all of Maya's hard work. You look stunning, my dearest. Don't smudge your foundation, I beg of you. Are you nervous? A mimos
The biggest problem with waitressing is that Becki really freaking hates it, okay?It's miserable. People are so rude to you, all the time, and your arms ache after each shift from carrying around everybody's hot plates and their stupid trays of cocktails and wine and soda and god knows what else.And nobody is ever happy, either. They ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon, but all your restaurant sells is Merlot. Well. You'd think the entire sky was falling down, the way some people car
The dinner is sumptuous, one of the most elegant dinners I've ever had, even by Alpha-family standards. It's an old-school seven course dinner, with hors d'oeuvres circulating on silver trays along with trays of champagne while the servers set up for dinner.Then comes the soup, which is a crab bisque that I could eat all night long, even if there were no other courses. I make a mental note to tell Marcus that I definitely want it served at our wedding.Next are the appetizers - a sort o
A few weeks later, I'm at the villa, poring over paint samples. Jeanette has been very generous in helping me with ideas for a massive makeover for the villa, and I'm excited to make the place really my own.Well, mine and Marcus's, of course. He comes home in the evenings from his business duties at the hotel to have a glass of wine with me and talk over options. We've discussed decorators, but for now, I think I'd like to handle most of the decisions myself."You surely don't expect to
The next morning, Marcus and I are having coffee in the villa kitchen when my phone rings again. I tense up and check the caller ID to make sure it's not my father again, and I heave a sigh of relief when I see that it's Jack Darlington."Hey, Jack," I say when I answer the phone. Marcus raises his eyebrows at me in question, and I shrug. "What's up?""What's up is that I have some fantastic news for you," Jack says at the other end of the line. There's a rush of traffic and voices in th
A week later, I'm starting to feel like I've really settled into my new life full of possibility and hope. Things are so much easier now, and not just because I don't have to hide who I am anymore.As soon as Charles was taken away by police and chucked into jail where he belongs, awaiting his trial in the human court system, it was like a black cloud of despair and tension finally lifted from over my head.It's time for me to move on, into my new life, with my new family and friends.
"Do I look all right?" I ask Marcus in our bedroom at the villa. I'm staring at myself in the mirror, smoothing my navy blue dress over my hips. "I've never been to a Werewolf Council before; I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to wear.""You look fantastic," Marcus says, coming up behind me to tug my zipper all the way to the top of my dress. "Very professional. A real Alpha's Heir wife.""Fiancee," I say with a smile. I tuck a curl - now back to its original brown - behind my ear. M
"It's terribly convenient for you, Marcus, that your paramour owns an entire villa for you to move into at the drop of a hat," Liam grumbles the next day as he helps us wheel our suitcases to the elevators. "Some of us are going to be in this bloody hotel for the next decade, if the fire department has anything to say about it.""It's not the fire department's fault that Nicole's ex-boyfriend is a psychotic arsonist," Marcus responds, shooting me a wicked little grin. I whack his arm playfully.