Leah's POV
"Hey, look who's back! My best friend Leah!" An elf-like red-headed girl popped up at my door as soon as my father left.
"Laura!" I ran toward her and hugged her in my arms. She wrapped her long, slender arms around my neck in a graceful posture that gave her an air of elegance and refinement.
Louisa was my cousin. She was three years younger than me. Growing up, I have always considered her my best friend. She had got long, fiery hair that cascaded down her back in soft waves, giving her a wild and untamed appearance. Her big brown eyes were bright and expressive, full of intelligence and curiosity. They seemed to sparkle with mischief and playfulness, hinting at her fun-loving nature.
"They've told me that you're back, so I dropped everything and came as soon as I could. Oh, my gush! Look at you!" She patted my protruding shoulder blades. "You've lost a lot of weight! You're practically a skeleton! Let's go downstairs and grab something to eat. You look like you're going to faint at any moment and I'm starving!"
Everyone around me seemed to have an uncontrollable need to feed me ever since I came back to my family.
"Is your brother here?" Leah looked around with inquiry as we were walking downstairs.
"What? Did you sniff him?" I chuckled.
Laura burst into laughter and said, "You haven't changed a bit, have you? I saw his limo parked outside when I came."
"I'm afraid that His Young Master Lucian has just left. He has an urgent meeting to attend." Mr. Carson, my father's butler, stated in a deep voice, pulling out the chairs for me and Laura.
Looking a bit disappointed, Laura sighed and sat down in front of the table, poking beans on her plate with the tines of a fork.
Over the years, Laura had developed a special admiration for my brother Lucian.
"Miss Parrish, please mind your manners. No poking of beans on a dining table." Mr. Carson looked disapproving.
"Just give me a break, Uncle Liam. Bring us some more beef." Laura munched with a full mouthful of beans.
Mr. Carson rolled his eyes at his niece so hard that he could see the back of his head before walking away.
I smirked and lowered my head, cutting the beef on my plate into pieces.
"I'm so glad that you're back. That son of a bitch Lucas doesn't deserve your love! He's such an idiot. I'm sure he's biting his nails right now because he is regretting his decision!" Laura said.
I put down my knife and fork and poured myself a glass of wine, but I had no intention of drinking it.
What's Lucas doing? Is he really feeling regret for rejecting me? Or is he celebrating with his lifetime lover Josephine?
I clenched my fists.
"What are you going to do? Any plans for today?" Laura asked.
"I left my driving license at Lucas' place. I guess I'll go there and pick it up," I said.
"Do you need a ride?" Laura's eyes sparkled as if she was scheming something.
Before I could answer, she continued, "I'll give you a ride! No problem!" Laura wiped her mouth and patted her chest.
**
Back to Lucas' place. As soon as I walked into the living room with Laura, Rosalie saw me from a distance and approached me.
Being a formidable mistress in this house, Rosalie had a withered and wrinkled face that spoke of a life filled with bitterness and resentment. Her sharp eyes were like daggers, constantly scanning the room for any signs of weakness or disobedience. I used to walk on eggshells around her.
"Where have you been? I'm looking for you all day! Did you pick up Lucas' tuxedo from the tailor's? He needs it for tonight's Grand Ball. I also need you to clear the drain in the garden. You know where to find the tools. You need to do it fast because it starts to get smelly. After that, I want you to report to me right away. It's Full Moon Day today. I give all the soldiers and servants who work in this house a break because I am a good hostess. But that means you have to do their work. So come on. Chop, chop! And who's that redhead standing next to you? Is she a mink or a rat? How many times have I told you that you're not allowed to bring any irrelevant personnel to my place? You just don't learn, do you?"
"Hey, hey, hey, Baba Yaga wearing knock-off Prada! Shut the hole in your face already. Nobody talks to my friend or me like that. Do you understand?" Laura leered at Rosalie and crossed her arms.
Rosalie had never been talked back by anyone in this manner before. Her face was contorted with fury as she glared at Laura. Her eyes were burned with anger and her hands shook with rage.
"Who... Who the hell are you?! Get out of my house!" Rosalie's voice trembled with frustration.
Laura hurled out a string of insults before I could stop her -
"You know what, old witch? I didn't want to step into this creepy bat cave in the first place. But now since you want me to get out, I've decided that I don't want to leave. What are you going to do? Bite me? You're an old rotten piece of crap. You're full of shit, you know that?"
"Security! Security!" Rosalie raised her voice while covering her head. Her hair, once neat and tidy, now looked like it had been pulled out and rearranged in a fit of rage.
"All your soldiers are on a break today, remember? Scream as loud as you want. No one will come! Dah!" Laura said, threw herself on the sofa, and put her feet on the table. "Aha. This feels great. Bring me a cup of soda, woman. Be the good hostess that you claim yourself to be."
"You! Remove your feet from my table and get out! Get out right now or I'll sue you!" Rosalie's words dripped with the venom of accumulated fury.
"No. I love putting my feet up. As a matter of fact, I guess I will feel more relaxed in this way." Laura kicked off her shoes and took off her socks, sticking her bare feet into the potpourri plate.
"Ah, talking about resting your feet!" Laura smirked at Rosalie.
Rosalie managed to cling to her last stroke of pride and turned to me.
"What is this?! Take your friend out of my place right now!" She said in a threatening voice.
"We'll get out of this place as soon as I retrieve my personal effects," I said in a calm voice.
Rosalie looked shocked by my attitude. I knew she was expecting an apology from me. But my voice made it very clear that she wouldn't get any for today.
She stood there, shivering, hopeless, and alone.
Going upstairs into my room, I thought to myself, I was such a fool to have let myself be verbally and physically abused by this demonic old woman.
After fetching my driving license from the drawer, I walked downstairs.
"I will definitely tell Lucas what happened today! I've been too tolerant of you all these years and that's why you start to forget about who you really are! You were nothing but an imbecile omega before you married my son! My son could have married Lycan King's princesses, Senator's daughters, Vampire Countess, or Czarinas! But he ended up getting married to you! Your inferior lowbred creature! I will make sure that Lucas drives you out of our family! By that time, you will be crawling on all fours, begging him to take you back! And do you know what I am going to do? I will step your neck and spit at you! That's what I'm going to do! You've heard me?!"
"Don't even bother. He has already rejected me. I will never ever come back to this place again."
Having said that, I walked off. I didn't want to wait for one more minute of being insulted and diminished by this woman.
Leah put on her shoes and stood up, leaving her socks on the table.
When she walked past Rosalie, she smirked and said, "Aha, guess who's going to clean the smelly drain in the garden and pick up my dirty socks today?"
Then, she quickly ran out of the house with me, giggling along the way.
Lucas' POV"Mother, please speak slowly and clearly. I'm going through a tunnel now." I talked to my mother through the in-car speaker. Even though her voice was shattered, I could still tell that she was furious. "Did you reject that bitch?!" "Mother, what are you talking about?" "Leah! That bitch! Did you reject her?" "Yes, Mother. How did you know about it?" I frowned."She's here with someone! She's such a bitch! She..." My mother's hurling became weak because the signal was poor. Leah came back?! And she was with someone?! Was it the man in the limo who had physical contact with her?! "Stop the car," I told the driver, my Beta Jorah."Alpha, we're in the middle of the highway...""Stop the car, right now." I reiterated. Jorah sighed silently and steered the wheel. As soon as my limo parked on the side of the road, I pushed the door open and got out of the car. "Mother, can you hear me now?" I raised my voice at the speaker. "Yes, Luke. Loud and clear now." "Who was w
Leah's POV As soon as I came back home from Lucas' house, I heard Laura's voice - "Leah, you need to see this!""What's going on?" I asked. "That wicked witch has just tweeted! She claimed that you stole her jewelry! That filthy old bitch! I should have broken her legs and stuffed my socks in her mouth yesterday!" "What?" I jumped off the bed. Laura's words came as a shock, jolting me fully awake. "Look!" Laura pushed her phone to my face. "Hash tag DesertRose! The original post of that old bitch has been retweeted a million times and become the trendiest topic of this morning! Everyone is talking about it!"I scrolled down a bit and clicked the original post. There it was. Rosalie's original post -"Daughter-in-law took away my 20-million-dollar jewelry #DesertRose after she was divorced by my son yesterday. Anyone who sees her please tell her to return it ASAP." Followed by a string of peace & love emojis and a picture of the missing necklace.People who retweeted it were al
Leah's POVI hung up and saw Lucian sitting on the sofa, chatting with Laura. Every time I looked at Lucian, I couldn't help but be struck by his mesmerizing presence. With his long legs stretched out before him and his slender fingers delicately holding onto the paperwork, he exuded an aura of quiet confidence and authority. As soon as he saw me, the ice in his eyes melted."You look sad, Leah. And that's why I've got gifts for you. It's on the table." His eyes were filled with admiration. "There are two packages. The black one is for you and the orange one is for Miss Parrish."Lucian's superpower was being freakin' rich and he was very good at making a girl's day.Laura's face turned crimson when Lucian mentioned her name. "Thank you for your gift... But you don't have to..." Laura stuttered as she opened the box and saw a limited version of the Birkin bag inside. Known for her silver tongue and quick wits, Laura only stuttered in front of my brother. It would be so cute if th
Lucas' POVMy anger boiled over. "Mother, Leah didn't steal your jewelry. It was stolen by Clara! You've just seen it on the video." My mother's eyes widened in anger. "How the hell was I supposed to know? I had no idea! Clara was just a child..." My mother had always spoiled my younger sister. I had had enough. "Mother, you know Clara isn't a child anymore. She is addicted to gambling. When I cut her off, she came back and took away your jewelry." I said in a cold voice.I thought my mother would argue with me again, but she just leaned against my shoulder and wailed. I sighed and said, "Mother, you need to stop shaming Leah online and treating her like a criminal. You need to make an announcement and clean her name right now."My mother's face contorted with indignance. "Do you want me to apologize to an omega?!"I sighed, feeling drained. I knew that my mother's arrogance had caused irreparable damage to my marriage. I couldn't fix the past, but I could make sure that I di
Leah's POV"Do I really have to wear this to the Derby?" I looked at my reflection in the mirror and asked.The girl in the mirror was wearing an elegant but extravagant silky white dress. The gown was covered with 800 diamonds and Swarovski crystals weighing over 1,900 carats and included an 80-carat teardrop diamond in front of my chest."I look like a wedding cake decorated with diamond sprinkles," I added."It's called Nightingale of Beverleyhill, Leah. It's worth 50 million dollars and you look absolutely stunning in it." Lucian said, holding a diamond necklace in his hand."Are you sure you want to add more stuff on me? I could barely move in this dress." I looked at that giant diamond on that necklace and covered my forehead."This is your first début in public. Father insists on showing the best side of you to the crowd." Lucian put that necklace on my neck."By giving me spondylopathy?" I held up my hair to let my brother fix the necklace on me."Ah, this looks much better tha
Lucas' POV"Luke, I'm so happy that you agreed to see me again!" Josephine wrapped her arms around my arm. She was wearing a pale purple nightgown. It looked familiar. I remembered Leah was wearing it when I met her for the first time at our engagement party. I wasn't sure. But one thing I was sure of was that Josephine must be wearing it the wrong way -The cleavage wouldn't be that deep if Leah was wearing it. I'm getting paranoid these days. This isn't healthy. When I look around, the only thing I see is Leah. In the past few weeks, I've been trying so hard to get in touch with Leah, but I failed. It seemed that she was determined to cut me off her life. I had no intention of showing up at the Derby. I had better things to do than watching filthy rich people compare their horses.In my opinion, horses are stupid. They can run way faster than human beings, but they end up being enslaved by them. And it's not like human beings are cute or kind to them or anything. They treat ho
Leah's POV"Ah, that sucker," Lucian whispered to my ear as he saw Lucas in the crowd. "Keep walking, Leah. Don't be afraid. I'm with you.""I'm not afraid, brother. The only one who's supposed to be afraid now is him," I replied. As I looked at Lucas, I couldn't help but notice his handsome features which were now etched with sadness. His once vibrant, piercing blue eyes had lost their sparkle and now appeared as though they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. The creases around his eyes had deepened as if each passing day had taken a toll on his soul. "That's a man who has lost his sense of purpose," Lucian said with hatred in his eyes."He's just a man who has lost his wife," I whispered. "Lucian, please, let's just walk away..."But it was too late. Lucas had already seen me. He looked surprised to see me holding Lucian's arm. "What are you looking at, Farrow?" Lucian asked. Then, he commanded in a cold voice. "Come forward."Lucas immediately approached us
Leah's POVI looked back and saw Josephine falling to the ground."Oh, Luke, help me! I feel dizzy! I... I can't walk!" Josephine pleaded with tears in her eyes, stretching out her arm toward Lucas.Lucas, who had already walked away, stopped immediately and ran back, pulling her up from the ground."What happened?" he asked."Oh, nothing. I tripped over something. This is all my fault." Josephine said and wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck."Can you walk?" he asked.Josephine shook her head with grief. She looked petite and innocent.Lucas sighed and carried her up in his arms, walking away with her.Josephine snuggled with Lucas and took a glance at me over Lucas' shoulder, displaying an evil smile.That bitch always played innocent to get sympathy. I needed to teach her a lesson today and stop it once and for all.Just wait.After the race, Lucian was in high spirits because our horse won.While he was talking to some Alphas from other packs, I grabbed a bottle of wine and walked t
Finn's POVThe air in Mediland was thick with the stench of desperation and decay, a familiar reek that clung to the walls of the slave market like a second skin. I stepped through the rusted gates, my boots crunching over gravel and broken glass. The place was still a cesspool of misery, still a monument to the cruelty of the worst of the worst. But this time, I didn't feel the usual weight of despair pressing down on my chest. No, this time, I felt… light. My plan was going on smoothly.Lycidas, the fucking Lycan Prince, was here. In my territory. In my office. The thought almost made me smile. He'd spent years parading around the human world, basking in the adoration of his fans, untouchable. But now, he was mine. The fire in Los Angeles had been a stroke of luck - or perhaps fate. The paparazzi had scattered, and for the first time in years, Lycidas was vulnerable. Cole met me at the entrance, his face grim. "His Highness Lycidas
Lucas' POV"Alpha Lucas!" Dr. Jafar exclaimed, rushing to my bedside. "I saw the changes in your vitals on the screen and came as soon as I could. This is a miracle! You woke up!" I dismissed Jorah with a nod, and he left reluctantly, his eyes lingering on me as if afraid I'd vanish. "Dr. Jafar," I said, my voice low and urgent. "Did you perform the disguise surgery on Leah?"He hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. It was Finn's order, but it was my work. We had to change her appearance - everyone was hunting her...""What exactly did you do to her?" I asked.The doctor looked hesitant, but eventually he said, "We had to apply bionic skin, but her body rejected it at first. We had to keep injecting her with suppressants. And we… we reduced her height with bone surgery. It was painful, but necessary. Alpha Lucas, I felt so guilty about what I had done. That was why I was trying to remind you of her presence. I tried so hard to p
Finn's POVThe air thickened. Lucas' name hung between us like a corpse on a noose.I let my shoulders shudder first - a convincing tremor. Covered my face as if stifling sobs. Gean moved to embrace me, his idiot heart thundering through his charred coat.He said, "You already have Mediland. You have hurt those who once persecuted you. It's time to reconcile with your past self. If you don't stop now, you will eventually die from your own hatred."I looked up at this moment, and Gean was horrified to find that I wasn't crying, but laughing."You..."Chrome claws slid through his ribcage like butter. He gasped, warm blood pattering the floor in Rorschach blooms."Shhh," I breathed into his ear as he sagged. "Jafar’s scrubbing Leo's memories as we speak. He will help me to rebuild the lab. Your body will be used Leo's next experiment. He may cry when he sees your body, but he will not remember why he cried, just like... you've nev
Finn's POV"As the ruler of Mediland," I said, my voice smooth, "I meet with the king every now and then to report on recent affairs. Is there any problem with this?" "If you only want to meet," he said, his words clipped, "you should make an appointment with the Foreign Affairs Bureau and wait in line like everybody else."I gave a cruel smile, though he couldn't see it. "If you tell Lucian about my request for an audience, I think he'll agree to see me immediately.""Blind confidence is no different from stupidity," he shot back. I ignored the jab. "You haven't answered my question, Mr. Cleary. Do you know who started the fire?"He hesitated, and I could almost hear the tension in his voice. "I didn't ask anyone to burn down your lab. Have you talked to Leo after the fire? He's set enough labs on fire before, hasn't he?" "It was Leah who set the fire," I said, my voice steady. The silence that foll
Finn's POVCole hesitated, his eyes darting to the room behind me before he spoke. "The lab called. There's… a situation. Gean didn't explain much over the phone, but it sounds bad."My stomach dropped at the mention of the lab. "What happened?"Cole lowered his voice, as if afraid someone might overhear. "The lab's on fire. The girl who was with Lucas—she attacked him. Injured him pretty badly, then ran into the fire. They're searching for her body now."I held up a hand, silencing him, and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind me. Lycidas didn't need to hear this. Not yet. I motioned for Cole to follow me to the garage, where we could speak without prying ears.Once we were in the car, I turned to him, my expression hard. "What happened?"Cole took a deep breath, his hands gripping the steering wheel like a lifeline. "Gean said Lucas is with Dr. Jafar. The girl… she forced him to accept her refusal, then
Lucas' POVI was paralyzed, my mind reeling in shock. What have I done?The fire roared, its flames licking hungrily at the night sky. Leah's figure began to blur, fading into the chaos. Fear coiled around my neck like a vice, tightening with every passing second. She is Leah. My Leah.I had pushed my mate, my wife, into the inferno. And now, she was burning alive. What have I done?! How could I have been so blind, so heartless? What cruel twist of fate had the Moon Goddess cast upon me?Why?! Why did She demand I destroy my own mate, my Leah?My thoughts shattered into fragments of despair. Without hesitation, I leaped forward, charging headlong into the flames. I would rather die with Leah than live as this hollow, heartless shell. I shouldhave died long ago. But as the searing heat kissed my skin and singed
Lucas' POVThe harbor air clung thick with salt and diesel rot, the kind of humidity that made lungs feel like wet paper bags. I adjusted the delivery crew cap - too small, its plastic brim digging into my brow - and watched the girl mimic my motions. Her uniform sleeves hung loose, hiding arms that shouldn't have been strong enough to snap a man's spine."Steady," she murmured as the cargo ship groaned against the dock. Her voice was wind through dead leaves, a sound that made my hollow chest ache.My chest, once filled with the rhythmic pulse of life, now lies hollow and empty. What once was organic and vibrant has transformed into a void, where the girl's voice sweeps through like a gust of winter wind through a desolate graveyard.Leaning against the mast, I thought to myself-Leah's voice had been honey and wildfire. The girl's voice was neither.The gate ahead yawned like a rusted jaw, its chain-links strangled by ivy. A single red bul
Leah's POVThe wind stole my scream. Or maybe I never made a sound. My body cut through the air like a rusted blade - all jagged edges and decaying purpose. Fingertips brushed cold metal, rope, the ghost of a railing that wasn't there anymore. My remaining eye watered; the hollow where the other had been throbbed in time with the seagulls' shrieks.Salt. Rotting kelp. Diesel fumes.The smells hit before the memory did.I'd done this before.Not the falling- the choosing.A bridge materialized behind my eyelids, its girders bleeding rust into black water. My palms remembered the chill of that rail, the way my bones had vibrated as trucks roared past. The sunset had looked like fire consuming a photograph, edges curling, everything reddening before the burn.That man.His face came sharper than the pain of shattered ribs. Diplomat's uniform starched to knife-edge perfection, motorcycle helmet dangling carelessly from one hand. He
Leah's POVI stared at the dress thrown on my bed.It spread out like a blossom of weaving lies.I'd been counting the crystals on the chandelier in the ceiling when Lucas appeared - thirty-seven of them shaped like teardrops. He filled the doorway without touching its frame, that cursed crimson fabric draped over his forearm like a skinned serpent. Sunlight caught the black embroidery. I wondered how many slaves had bled to stitch those constellations."Wear this." He tossed it onto 800 thread Egyptian cotton quilt. The silk slithered against my bare knees, colder than the iron collar I'd worn in the slave market.I waited, bathrobe clutched tight. Three heartbeats. Four. The clock above the bed - still smelling of his cologne - ticked like a dying thing. When I turned, Lucas hadn't moved. He'd claimed the wingback chair, legs spread in that infuriating mimicry of relaxation. Sunlight through the French window caught the flawless profile of his fa