Valerie's POV..The last few days had been beyond eventful. I thought about my life, and how it had done a full 360. From being almost killed to almost having sex again with the man whom I swore I hated. It all seemed too ironic. My thoughts drifted to Adam, and our make out session. A flutter in my chest surprised me. I'd tried to brush it off as a mistake, but the truth was, I'd enjoyed it. The spark of attraction, the thrill of the unknown, the feeling of almost getting caught made me feel alive.Adam's strong jawline, his piercing eyes, and that captivating smile all swirled together in my mind. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I recalled the way his lips had felt when they touched mine, the way his palm though rough had felt so soft against my skin. I thought I would feel guilty for being with a married man, I waited but the feelings never came.After my attack, a few days later I was able to get a hold on Rendall, he felt sorry that I got injured looking for him but I told h
Valerie's pov…I don't know if he's psychic or he just enjoyed showing up at places he wasn't wanted or needed but Adam had a niche for appearing at the most awkward and uncomfortable moments. Rendall was about to crack at the exact moment he showed up. I knew it, I could feel it, the more I persisted the more I saw his resistance slowly wear off through his eyes and I felt I finally had the upper hand in this chaos I called my life, but I should have known it was too good to be true. The moment Rendall heard Adam's voice, the reverse was the case. His eyes became the size of saucers as he turned back taking in Adam's full size before running off back into the woods. I tried yelling out for him to stop but he didn't turn back not even once, only the moon goddesses knew when next I would have an opportunity to meet him. This was my one chance and now it's gone because someone decided to butt in where they were not needed. I hoped more for Adam's sake that he had a good reason for show
Valerie's POV…I wanted to bake the cake the previous day but procrastination had always been a hard habit to break for me. The sound of chattering voices, pots clanging and instructions being thrown around was what welcomed me as I walked towards the kitchen. I watched from the doorway as some maids helped mix pastries, some prepared brines, while some were chopping up vegetables and fruits for different dishes and cocktails. A thought urged me to turn back and go upstairs to avoid disturbing them and also I didn't want to be in the company of people but then again my thoughts were on a roll and I wasn't in the mood for any overthinking. As I stepped into the kitchen, all the voices reduced to a bare whisper as some of the kitchen aids turned to face me. God!! Why did they have to make it seem so weird?“What's going on?” the head cook asked in surprise, of how silent the place had suddenly become. His eyes travelled around the room before coming to rest on me. It felt beyond awkw
Adam's POV….I slowly opened my eyes, grogginess giving way to confusion as I took in my surroundings. I was in my bedroom, but something felt off. The room was too bright, the sunlight streaming in through the windows and illuminating the space in a way that seemed almost deliberate and I knew I had drawn my curtains closed last night before I slept.I sat up with a start, my heart racing as I scanned the room. That's when I saw her - Analisse, standing by the window, a sly smile spreading across her face. But she wasn't alone. Several maids stood behind her, their faces expressionless. What the hell was going on.My mind reeled as I tried to process what was happening. What were they doing in my bedroom? And why was Analisse looking at me like that? And why were there so many maids in my room?"Good morning, Babe. Happy birthday," Analisse said, her voice dripping with sweetness as she stepped closer and kissed my cheeks."I hope you're feeling refreshed. We have a big day ahead of
Adam's POV …I carefully lifted the knife and began to cut into the black forest cake, the blade gliding smoothly through the moist chocolate layers. Valerie watched with a smile as I cut a slice, the cherry filling and whipped cream oozing out from between the layers.I picked up the slice and brought it to my nose, inhaling the rich aroma of chocolate and cherries. My stomach growled in anticipation as I took a bite, the flavors exploding on my tongue. The chocolate was rich and decadent, the cherries sweet and tart, and the whipped cream added a creamy texture that tied everything together. I closed my eyes, savoring the flavors and textures, feeling a sense of joy and contentment wash over me.As I chewed, I felt a sense of gratitude towards Valerie, who had somehow managed to make it into my room and bring me this amazing cake. “This tastes awesome, thank you for going through all the trouble to make me this. I really like it” I said, taking another bite of the sweet dessert.“Y
Adam's POV…I walked as quickly as my legs could carry me to the back of the house, on my way there I almost broke into a run but I had to refrain myself because I didn't want to alarm anyone and I wanted to leave as quietly as possible to avoid any of the staff or security guards following me or worse running into Analisse and explaining why I'm leaving my own banquet. I was getting too excited, I wanted to know so badly what Valerie had planned for the day. She had always been creative and I knew that even if she wanted us to just sit down and do nothing it would still be the best birthday because I get to spend it with her. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this eager to do anything, it felt like if I didn't get there any sooner I would explode from all the pent up happiness. It took a moment for me to realize that it had been ages since I felt this happy or excited about anything, my life had always been so bleak and straightforward. All I did was attend meetings, sign pap
Adam's pov…“Valerie, what the hell?” I said laughing heartily as I tried to keep my head above the surface of the cold water. Though it was cold, it wasn't uncomfortable in a teeth chattering way but it felt cool and soothing. I watched as she crouched down to her ankles laughing so hard she was almost choking herself in the process.“I'm going to get you back for that.” I said without malice, I knew she was trying to get me to loosen up but I was going to get her back. I fell flat into the water, my entire outfit clung to my body, tendrils of my hair fell across my forehead almost getting into my eyes.I stretched out my arms trying to keep myself afloat in the body of water. I still couldn't believe that Valerie had pushed me into the lake. When I saw the mischievous look in her eyes, the last thing that came to my mind was that she was going to push me into the water. She was still laughing and tears had begun gathering in her eyes at how hard her laughter was, at a point she had
Analisse’s POV…I knew she was up to no good, I tried warning Adam but whenever he was around that skank his attitude towards me was both distant and he tended to make rash decisions. I knew what she wanted all along but he made it seem like I was being jealous and spiteful, she knew she was nothing compared to me and that's why she kept on going after what was mine. I was sure the story she told about coming here for her children was a hoax and a plot to get into my family and destroy it from within and Adam being as gullible as he always was,fell for her tricks blindly but she wasn't fooling me and even if she actually had kids and they did go missing how sure was Adam that they were actually his children to begin with.I knew they thought I was oblivious to all they've been doing behind my back but this is my house and I have eyes and ears everywhere. Adam's birthday had finally arrived and I made it a duty to make sure I outdid everything I had done the previous year. This banqu
Valerie's POVI was done today and was ready to call it a night. In conclusion, the next time my mind wasn't feeling so sure about a particular place or location, I wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole. I couldn't stand by and watch the guards feed her the poison even though she planned on doing it to me. My mind wouldn't have been at rest if I had let her be poisoned by Adam's guards. After Adam dismissed everyone and cancelled the rest of the dinner, I just stood unmoving. It was still a lot to take in but I was going to get over it. I knew it, though I felt like my life was ending and I was constantly getting betrayed by the people around me, I could tell it was going to get better soon. After everyone had left Adam reached for my hand and pulled me towards the house. I could hear him talking to me and trying to reassure me but it felt like an out of body experience.I could feel him pulling my body but it felt like the contents of my body were temporarily gone. My feet
Valerie's POVI've always disliked abuse whether it was physical, emotional or mental. Whatever form it came in was an instant no for me. So when Adam kicked the maid, I screamed out so loud I was sure I scared away the birds that were on the neighboring trees. I had expected him to shout at her, to maybe humiliate her but the last thing he would do was to kick her. The moment his foot landed against her stomach, I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and made my way towards him.“Adam stop kicking her, she's a person. You don't do such things to people regardless of how you feel about them.” I said pulling him off her but being stronger than I was he wouldn't budge.“She wanted to kill you,” he said, kicking her once more. I knew he was trying to defend me but he was going about it the wrong way. I meant nothing to the pack, he shouldn't be doing this for me.“Exactly she wanted but she didn't, I'm still here and I'm okay you don't have to hurt her.” I said, still urging him and t
Valerie's POV“I almost got killed again.” It was a hard pill to swallow but it was the truth and I had no choice but to accept it.At this point I didn't know if it was just bad luck or I had a death warrant on me that others could see but I couldn't because I was beyond tired of getting ridiculed, of being attacked, of all the near death experiences I was having and tired of basically everything. I was just tired, we had all watched in awe as she cried and begged over and over again to be forgiven. She did it like she had no idea what she was doing when she had put the poison in the food but I just couldn't be moved to say anything. I was still in a state of shock from everything that had happened this evening. Her cries and wails filled the room but no one dared to move, Adam features were filled with disgust and contempt as he watched her putting on a show. I couldn't blame him, she had gone from defiant to sorry in the blink of an eye. Her cries seemed forced and fake.The murm
Valerie's POVThe heated back and forth between Adam and the maid had been going on for quite a while and I was sure as hell that aside from myself every other person seated on this table was getting irritated by it. Adam had been insisting she take a bite of the steak but she kept on refusing everytime he asked. The smile that spread across Adam's features everytime she told him the word ‘No’ was calm but had a menacing look to it. The smile not getting to his eyes was a telltale sign of how fake it was.“I know that the helpers are not allowed to eat the food of Royals but as your Alpha, I'm ordering you to eat from it. Plus it's not like you're finishing the entire plate, you're only taking a bite from it.” He said still adamant that she eat from the plate.Adam's gaze snapped to the maid, his eyes glinting with a cold intensity. "Eat a piece of the mutton," he commanded, his voice low and menacing when he noticed she wasn't moving when he asked.The maid's eyes widened in terror,
Valerie's POVSo much for not wanting to be the center of attention, the whole room was still in shock from how loud the timbre of Adam's voice was, the once lively table which was filled with laughs and chatters of guests had now become as silent as a graveyard. The table was now filled with surprised gazes, wide eyes and hushed tones but no one dared to move or question his order. Most of the eyes on the table had thrown their attention my way trying to deduce his reason for raising an alarm and scaring everyone. The weight of their gazes felt uncomfortable against my skin, I could feel myself turning a bright shade of crimson with how embarrassed I was.The entire room had instantly turned quiet, if you dropped a pin on the floor you would probably hear it echo inside the house. My mind was currently in turmoil, why had Adam reacted like that, he knew I didn't want people's eyes on me and he literally threw me to the wolves.“Why don't you want me to eat it, is something wrong?”
Valerie's POV“I thought I was done with these stupid panic attacks.” I thought to myself as I fought to keep my tears at bay.I had to take a minute to calm down, and reduce the pace of my breathing. I was scared out of my mind, the only thing that kept echoing in my head was how I got beat-up and kidnapped a while ago. I tried to convince myself that it was a thing of the past and I was safe but my body wasn't accepting the fact. I thought I was over the attack but I guess it took being put in a similar position to show that my healing journey was far from over.I could still feel my pulse pounding in my temples, and my hands were shaking slightly. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sound of my own breathing. I tried to slow down my heart rate, to calm my frazzled nerves. But my mind kept replaying the sensation of the hand over my mouth, the feeling of being trapped and helpless. I ran my hands along the length of my arms trying to warm myself up but my efforts were futile as I k
Valerie's POVI could finally confirm it now, Analisse didn't have a heart, matter of fact where her heart was supposed to be, there was a fist sized boulder there and instead of blood, it pumped poison through her veins. I had stood at the same spot for about five minutes watching her facial expressions to see if her stoic mask would crack and she would feel some empathy for her brother before gathering him in her arms and taking him inside but it was the exact opposite and in some crooked way I knew that was going to be her reaction. All she did was stare at him with contempt and irritation in her eyes.I didn't know how possible it was that every time I saw Rendall he managed to look worse than the previous time I had seen him. This evening had taken the crown, his clothes were torn, the sole of his shoe had finally burst open, he looked like he was covered with several layers of sweat and grime. His hair was matted together by lumps of dirt. He had several cuts and bruises l
Valerie’s POV“This was a bad idea” I thought, as I placed my palm on my temple, groaning to myself. I should have done something else for Adam, instead of coming to this party. I could have pretended I was sick, he would have believed me regardless of what I came up with after all we had spent most of our day in a body of water, it wouldn't sound weird if I came down with a fever or a cold. I felt so out of place and uncomfortable, the cocktail event for the dinner had started a few minutes before I stepped onto the terrace and so far I've hated each and every moment of it. The invited wolves around me were moving from place to place with a drink in hand, talking, laughing and socializing with each other but here I was tucked in a dark corner of the room regretting my decision of even coming outside. It wasn't like the party was bad, actually it was the exact opposite, the drinks were good, the appetizers were delicious but it was the company of people in the party that made me f
Valerie's POVI walked gingerly across the garden path towards the staff door, making sure to survey the vicinity with each and every step I took to avoid bumping into anyone who would ask pressing questions. I couldn't afford for anyone to find me outside and inquire on where I had been. The staff door led straight to the kitchen. I didn't want to meet so many people but I knew that was inevitable whether or not I used that door or the main garden entrance,aside from that it was the entrance that came with the least prying eyes and suspicious glances. The memory of what happened the last time I was in the kitchen played itself in my head and it was the warning I needed, to come up with a good plan before entering the kitchen, as a precaution this time around in case I bumped into anyone and especially to prevent a repeat of what happened the last time with Analisse or one of her cohorts. I pushed the door as gently as I could to prevent it from squeaking before quietly stepping insi