I'm at the Alpha's mansion bright and early the next day – a bit earlier than usual, in fact, because I want to review my notes before our physical. I wave to Roger on my way in the door, who gives me a cheerful but guarded wave back.He's still nervous, obviously, and I can't blame him. I haven't yet figured out what to do about Charles and Charis, but I'll need to think of something soon. Kent is looking into it, he says, which I appreciate. But we can't linger too long.I'm wondering if I'll need to step in and do something myself, if Kent can't come up with a plan in time. I hope not – I rely on Kent and the gang to keep me safe, at least for now. I don't want to piss him off, or betray him, or make him think I'm not on his side.I am on his side. I just have to be on Charis's side, too, because it seems like I'm the only one looking out for her. Charles's father has clearly lied to her about everything that's gone down, and Charles himself is now plotting her murder.My own famil
Marcus had come down to his father's office to ask for advice before meeting with his mother. He knew that Dr. Prism examined his father regularly at this time, and he wanted to ask both the Alpha and the doctor for the most up-to-date information on his father's health before he took his concerns to the Luna.He had expected a fight from Jeanette, but what he didn't expect was to hear her screaming like a fishwife so loudly that half the third floor could hear her. People's heads were poking out of offices and bedrooms, looking astonished and trying to eavesdrop without looking like they were eavesdropping."Back to business!" Marcus had snapped repeatedly at them as he hurried along to his father's office. "I'll sort this out."Now, standing in the doorway to his father's office, he takes in the scene before him. His father looks tireder than ever, gray-faced and a little worn as he listens to his mother shriek her fury. He sits straight-backed behind his desk, though, and still has
"I must say, this isn't your usual style of haunt," Liam says a few hours later, looking around the dive-style bar that Marcus has asked him to meet at. "And certainly not in the early afternoon on a weekday.""Life has taken several unpredictable turns recently," Marcus says drily, tipping his beer in greeting."Beer as well," Liam shakes his head. "What is the world coming to?" He motions to the bartender and asks for a beer himself."I feel like we're proper mates now," Liam says, taking a long pull of his drink. Liam was raised in England with his mother, and Marcus has always found his lilting accent quite charming. They used to joke that it made Liam far more popular with the ladies than he had any right to be.They're not in a joking mood today, however, Marcus thinks sourly. No, this is a meeting to discuss unpleasant business, and better to get on with it."Might as well jump right in," he sighs, and then fills Liam in on recent events.Liam listens attentively, murmuring lit
The evening I get home after that wild confrontation with the Luna – the one where Marcus stepped in to defend me – I'm beyond exhausted. I enter the villa through the kitchen doors and toss my keys onto the countertop before pulling out my phone to scroll through a takeout delivery service app.Having settled on Chinese, I set my phone on the kitchen table and get myself a glass of water. Musing, I sit down and drum my fingers thoughtfully on the table as I wait for my food to arrive.I could go sit in the living room, but the kitchen is my favorite part of the house, something that's reinforced to me every time I come home. There – there's that word again. Home. I think of the villa as home. I'm starting to think of Kent and the gang as more than just people I've been thrown together with for the sake of a mission. I see them as friends – almost family. They're certainly a better group of people than my actual family.It's a bit funny, the fact that a gang of drug dealers turn out
"It's just weird," Charles snaps at Trent Mickle, who flinches slightly at his boss's tone. "Who is she? Where did she come from?""Dr. Evelyn Prism, from Australia," Mickle begins tentatively, wondering how many times they're going to have this conversation.Charles actually picks up a pen and flings it at Mickle's head. Mickle dodges, and the pen harmlessly hits the doorway with a smack."I know all that," Charles roars at Mickle. "But it doesn't make sense! You know as well as I do that the whole thing is fishy. It's rotten. Something is rotten in the state of this mansion, and her name is – supposedly – Dr. Evelyn Prism.""I just don't know what you want me to say, boss," Mickle says helplessly, waving his hands vaguely. "I've looked her up. She doesn't have a big online presence, but that's not surprising, given that she worked in remote locations for her entire career thus far.""There must be something off," Charles says. "Something you can find. Fabricated degrees, reverse-sea
I hang up my date outfit on the back of my office door as soon as I get to the Alpha's mansion that morning. I brought it with me, so that I don't have to go home to change, because obviously I can't risk Marcus knowing where I live.He could put things together too quickly if he really starts looking into who owns the villa, and even him knowing where the villa is would put too many other people at risk. Kent especially. I can't risk that.I'm a little insecure about my outfit choice, which is unlike me. I shuffled through two or three options last night before settling on this one, and it's not like I have a ton of date material in my closet right now, anyway.Yes, I get a pretty good salary here at the mansion, and I will admit that I do love to shop for clothes. It just hasn't occurred to me lately to pick up any date-worthy clothes. I never anticipated I'd be going on a date anytime soon, particularly not a date with Marcus.But I do have some options in my wardrobe, mainly dress
Marcus doesn't question me or seem to disbelieve me. He simply thanks me for the information, then apologetically excuses himself to make a call."I need to talk to my closest ally about this," he says. "Right away. I'll be back as soon as I can, Evelyn. I'm sorry to excuse myself on a date like this – I know it's incredibly rude.""I completely understand," I say, and I do. "This is obviously an exceptional circumstance."Marcus speaks for a moment to the man at the door before slipping outside, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he does so. A fresh glass of wine appears in front of me a few moments later.As worried as I am, I'm still having a wonderful evening. I haven't been on a proper date like this…well, ever. Charles was never much for taking me on true dates when we were together. More and more, I wonder what I used to see in him.He's always been such a selfish man, with such an ugly personality. It's amazing that I didn't see it before. Well, I'm wiser now, and tha
It's Friday afternoon, a couple of days later. I'm still glowing in the aftermath of my fantastic date with Marcus, weird little scene with Lydia notwithstanding. I'm still a little angry about that, but it's not anyone's fault – well, except Lydia's – and I certainly don't hold a grown woman's behavior against anybody else.Despite that little hiccup, and despite the gloomy and worried tone that inevitably crept in when Marcus and I discussed some of our concerns around Charles, it was a marvelous evening. I don't know that I've ever felt so taken care of, so listened to, so considered.Well, except the last time I went out with Marcus, that is.I think he might be it, I muse to myself. I don't know how I'm going to reconcile that with the fact that I'm currently parading around as someone else after having faked my own death, but I'm starting to think that this might be fate.This might be it for me. Marcus might be The One.I don't know why I'm so certain of this. I never believed
"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.