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
Leah's POVThe realtor's office smelled like desperation and vanilla-scented bleach. Floor-to-ceiling windows glared with Miami's midday sun, bouncing off marble floors so polished I could see the exact moment the man behind the desk decided we weren't worth his time. His name tag read Bradley Kensington III, which explained the smugness oozing from his salmon-colored tie.Seth shuffled in behind me, wearing a T-shirt that said "I Paused My Game To Be Here" and cargo shorts with more pockets than sense. I wore Liam's shirt and pants that were obviously oversized. We looked like two raccoons who'd fought a lawnmower and lost.Bradley didn't stand. Just swiveled his chair, lips curling like he'd caught a whiff of dumpster juice. "Walk-ins before noon require an appointment," he drawled, examining his manicure. "But I suppose I can pencil you in for a studio apartment tour next Tuesday. Cash-only, of course."Seth snorted. "Dude, we're here to buy a
Leah's POVThe fluorescent buzz of the internet cafe felt like a swarm of gnats in my skull. I'd chosen this place for its stench of burnt coffee and desperation - the kind of hole where men hunched over screens, their dreams pickled in porn and energy drinks. The clerk at the counter was all greasy hair and nicotine fingers, his eyes widening when I leaned over, my shadow swallowing the glow of his monitor."Where's your boss?" I asked, letting my voice fray at the edges, a threadbare thing.He blinked, throat working. "Who're you? What d'you want with him?"I smiled, all teeth. "Tell him I’m pregnant with his child."The lie tasted like rust. The clerk's face went slack, a fish gasping on a dock. He bolted, chair screeching, toward a door marked STAFF ONLY. I followed, silent as a blade, my boots sinking into carpet sticky with spilled soda. The basement door swung open ahead, and a man's roar clawed up the stairs -
Finn's POVLycidas flung the car door open, tossed me into the back seat, and slammed it shut, locking it with a click. He climbed in, pressing himself over me, his voice a low growl. "I'm gonna tie you with a chain to me like you're a fucking dog. Torture you bit by bit, make you wish you were dead."Just as he moved to take me, I felt a jolt - sudden lightness. I twisted around and saw the slave, that dumb bastard, yanking Lycidas by the shoulder. He ripped him out of the car, hurling him to the ground, and the whole damn door came off in his hands. I blinked, shocked - he hadn't left.A slave had actually attacked the fucking Lycan Prince. Just when I thought I'd seen everything.The slave stood over Lycidas, chest heaving. "Stay away from my master."Lycidas didn't wait until he finished his speech. He roared, his body shifting in a blur of fur and claws, transforming into a massive wolf. He lunged, pinning the slave to the dirt, jaws snapping
Finn's POVThe moon hung heavy outside, its bloody glare slicing through the dark, painting the room in shades of red and shadow. I gasped as the slave pressed into me again and again, his hands rough and greedy, clawing at my scarred skin like he owned it. My body rocked under him, sweat slicking my flesh, the air thick with heat and the stench of lust. He was a nobody, some grunt I'd plucked from the shadows, but fuck, he moved like he knew me - hard and relentless, pinning me to the mattress with every thrust. My breath hitched, ragged and loud, but my mind wasn't on him. No, I'd calculated this shit down to the second.Lycidas was coming. I could feel it in my bones, that prickling certainty crawling up my spine."Take me to the window," I rasped, my voice raw, edged with something dark. "Fuck me at the window."The slave didn't blink, didn't question it. He grunted, scooped me up like I weighed nothing, and hauled me across the room. My face slammed
Finn's POVThe car growled low as it carved through the night, the city's edge bleeding into a haze of filth and neon. I slouched in the back seat, one arm slung over the leather, staring out the window as the slave market loomed closer. Its lights pulsed like a fevered heartbeat, red and sickly, casting shadows that writhed over the cracked pavement.We rolled up to the fighting ring, a piss-poor setup of ropes and stakes stabbed into the dirt, spotlights glaring down on the carnage. Two werewolves tore into each other, fur matted with gore, claws slashing through flesh like it was nothing. One - a scrawny bastard with desperation in his eyes - took a hit that split his muzzle wide open, blood spraying the crowd. They roared, a mix of wolves and humans drunk on violence, fists pumping the air, bets flying like spit. The taller one, a hulking brute with shoulders like a fucking ox, smashed his fist into the weaker wolf's skull. Bone crunched, loud enough I heard it ove
Leah's POVThe sterile stench of antiseptic clawed at my throat as I stood beside Liam’s Nonna. Her arm lay bloated on the mattress, purple veins snaking beneath skin stretched thin as rot-stained parchment."A carrot," Liam had choked out earlier between sobs, "it’s swollen like a goddamn carrot."Talia hovered at the foot of the bed, her knuckles bone-white where they gripped the metal rail. Humans always held onto things when their world frayed — rails, hands, lies.Liam's crying cut deeper than any wolf's snarl. Not the proud, wounded howls of my kind, but wet, shattered noises that made my gums ache. When the doctor came, he collapsed on his knees, fingers twisted in the man's lab coat, begging in a broken voice -"Do something. Anything. Please."The doctor's eyes slid to mine once, quick and guilty, before he murmured platitudes about pain management. I tasted the lie before he spoke it."Weakness." My wolf br
Lycidas' POVDarren looked away. "I have no interest in learning that." I leaned against the car door, trying to seem casual. "Would you like to go out for a drink? My treat." He turned his head, his voice firm. "I don't drink at 10 AM." "Well, we sure can do something else without drinking alcohol."He glared at me angrily. I quickly backtracked and raised my arms. "I mean, we can chat without drinking." He lowered his head again, not saying a word. "I insist. Don't make me force you," I said, moving closer and whispering in his ear. "I can be really persuasive."I saw his fists clench, his body tensing. I casually put my arm around his shoulder and started walking him towards my Bentley.As we walked, I could feel the heat from his body, the tension in his muscles. I wondered what had happened to him, what had turned this once-confident man into something like this.Once we rea
Lycidas' POV"Get up," I said, jerking my head toward the headboard. Finn scrambled to his feet, awkward and unsteady, and I watched him climb onto the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight, and I followed, letting the chain drag behind me like a hound on a leash. I grabbed his wrist, hard enough to bruise, and looped the cold metal around it. The clank of it locking into place sent a shiver through him, and I felt it under my fingers. Good. Let him shake."You think you're sorry?" I asked, leaning close so my breath grazed his ear. "You think that little apology downstairs means anything?" I yanked the chain tight, pinning his arm above his head, and he gasped, his lips parting in a way that made my blood hum. "You don't get to decide when you're forgiven, you fucking slut.""Yes, Sir," he whispered, his voice small, broken. His eyes stayed on me, pleading, but I didn't care for pleas. I cared for power, and he gave it to me every time he bent.I sat
Lycidas' POVThe sunset hung heavy outside my window, its crimson glow bleeding through the curtains, casting jagged shadows across the room. I'd dragged the man back to my lair, his wrists still bound tight with the coarse rope. The stairs creaked under my boots as I hauled him up, his useless squirming only stoking the fire in my gut. I flung him onto the bed, the frame groaning under his weight, and watched him thrash like a trapped animal, his voice grating against my ears."Let me go!" he barked, his words sharp and desperate, clawing at the air. "I must go see my pro officer today! Otherwise..."I loomed over him, my shadow swallowing his form, and let a smirk curl my lips. "Otherwise, will they throw you in jail again?" My voice rumbled low, a predator's taunt, and I savored the way his eyes flickered with panic, even as he tried to hide it."Let me go!" he snapped, his tone brittle, cracking under the strain. He twisted against the ropes, his scar