~~Valerie I once read somewhere that it took a special kind of bravery to stay sober in a room full of drunk people. I was sitting before the makeshift bar in Adam's party, watching my friends take shot after shot of burning liquid from nameless bottles. I stared at their swaying, bleary-eyed form, wondering why anyone would want to subject themselves to that for an entire night and end up wasted in some random place, and wake up with severe hangovers. Stupid nineteen-year olds. I stared at the golden-colored liquid in my own glass. Apple juice was all the refreshment I needed. Maybe it wasn't bravery though. Maybe I was just being plain stupid and I should have enjoyed the night with my friends. Alcohol would have definitely helped me to survive the events of that night. "Bar!" Rendall, the one who was closest to me yelled and slammed an empty glass on the table, his eyes unfocused. "I mean...drink..." "Don't get too drunk, Rendall. You're the one driving us home." Cheryl slu
VALERIE~~I slowly peeled my eyes open, the morning sunlight filtering through the window and warming my face. I groaned and stretched my limbs, then turned to the side to avoid the glare of the sun, pulling the sheets with me. It took me several blinks and head scratching to realize that I was in Adam's bedroom, not mine. Wait, where was he? I sat up and looked around. The only indication that he had been in this room were his shirt and dress pants, which were slung over the back of a nearby chair. I looked down and realized I was utterly naked, the memory of the night before lingering in my mind. Then I smiled in satisfaction: for as long as I could remember, I had dreamed of waking up beside him, and now that dream had finally come true. The sheets smelled of him: that pure, aqua scent that had driven me nuts since I was thirteen years old and I'd finally discovered I had feelings for him. As I rose from the bed, a sense of eagerness filled my heart. Today would mark a new c
VALERIE~~My eyes burned with tears as I pushed myself into my silent home. It was one of the numerous things my parents had left for me before their death.The house was one I had grown to love and cherish. Even my friends, Analisse and Rendall admitted to how cool the building was but right now I'm alone and desolate in that very building which was once a lively place.I was totally clueless on what to do next. I can't possibly keep living here, around my friends after knowing the bitter truth but it wouldn't be easy trying to leave since the building was my parent's.I was still thinking about that when my phone beeped. It was a big announcement from the pack house. The Luna's coronation. My tears threatened to fall but I wasn't ready to give in to the torment.'I'll be fine on my own' I reassured myself as I gulped down a bottle of wine.My door suddenly barged open and a number of guards swam in, shocking me to the core."What the hell is going on?" I yelled but no one replied. T
VALERIE~~Blinded by tears, I raced out of the pack house and down the staircase in front of it. I could feel their eyes on me as i rushed out but I didn't turn. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me totally shattered. He'd taken my virginity, my heart and even everything that belongs to me. What else?I stopped, then opened my mouth to speak, I wanted to curse at him so much but my sobs choked me. All I could let out was a pitiful whimper. My heart was like broken shards, piercing through my chest and leaving me gasping with hurt.I would never be the same again. I pushed the gate open and walked out of their lives. Forever!Immediately I stepped into the pathway that led away from the pack house, I broke into another run. The wind blew dust and dead leaves into my face but I didn't care much.The pain was too much for me. Questions and tears jumbled into one another in my heart. Salty streams gushed out of my eyes and the wind whipped them back as I felt all the
VALERIE~~I had been sleeping for an eternity. Or so it seemed.My consciousness was stuck somewhere between light and darkness. I was floating around in a deep, dark abyss, punctuated only by unrecognizable sounds and flashes of light.Voices swam in and out of my consciousness, and within those voices, I recognized the voice who had chased the rogue wolves away from me.My dreams were every bit as riotous as the life I'd left behind. In them I saw Adam in every stage of his life since I'd known him, and the dreams always ended with him sneering and rejecting me.I knew, even then, that the only way I could escape from those painful dreams was to wake up, but waking up was more difficult than I'd thought.Then something sparked in my head, kick-starting my consciousness, and I woke up with a gasp.Tears stabbed at my eyes the moment I opened it, and a sob escaped my lips. The trauma and pain from the past hours— or days, or weeks, I couldn't even tell— poured over me in one overwhelm
Valerie's POVI couldn't stop my tears from flowing down my face as realization dawned on me without sparing a little of my long time believe. My whole body trembled with fear as my hands found their way to my tummy, clutching it tight and protectively.I had no idea what to do next. I was helpless and restless and..."Kenneth, I can't be pregnant, I mean, I'm all alone, the person responsible for this clearly rejected me and banished me. I don't know what to do in this strange world. I, I" I stammered as more tears escaped my eyes. "It's okay, Valerie, you'll injure yourself" Kenneth tried holding me but I eluded his grasp."It's not okay! Nothing's okay here. I have no idea how to navigate my way in this human world. It's my first time here, Mr. Kenneth" I found myself yelling in despair as I cried even harder.All my joints were aching, my head was splitting with unbearable headache but I'd rather just pass out and wake up from this terrible nightmare.I needed someone to wake me
EIGHT YEARS LATER~~Valerie's POVHappy birthday to you,Happy birthday to you,Happy birthday to you, sweeties!Happy birthday to you!!!!"Hurray, my cutie pies are seven today" I said in excitement, taking turns to hug Jaden and Jordan as a cute smile formed on their faces making them look irresistible.Tears welled up in my eyes as I recalled eight years ago when I had clearly denied the fact that I was pregnant. Back then I never knew I could pull it off but I did, thanks to Kenneth by our side."Kenneth planted a little kiss on my lips before scooping up Jaden in his arms. Jordan pouted as he clung jealously to my legs."Should I do the honor of lifting you up, Mr. Jordan?" I teased and he stretched out his arm, nodding quickly with a smile.Seven years ago, the scan said I'll be giving birth to a boy and a girl but it seems fate had something else in store for me. It turned out to be two beautiful boys and as they grew I couldn't fail to notice the strange similarities between t
*Valerie *My whole brain was in turmoil, I couldn't think straight as I feared that something out of ordinary might have happened to Lily and my sons.I hope not! I really hope not.I dialed Lily's number still and this time I could hear her breathless voice on the line. "What's happening, Lily?" I asked with fear-clouded mind and she struggled to catch her voice for a second or two , making me lose anything they called patience."What the hell is going on!" I yelled as my tears threatened to fall. Nothing must happen to my sons and their nanny.Nothing at all!"The man... the mansion was raided by some unknown people" she managed to say and my heart raced hard against my ribcage, sending tremors and waves of fear down my bloodstream."And?" I asked as calmly as I could but all I could hear was an inaudible stammer."Then what the hell happened to you? Where are my sons?" I yelled again but I couldn't hear a single more sound."Jaden, Jordan... Lily, please be okay" I muttered despe
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
Valerie's POVTaking Adam to Willow's creek was my final resort. I had tried thinking of another simple way he could spend his birthday but no ideas were coming. I needed to do something that was easy to plan and didn't need many items to carry it out. After spending a long time thinking and nothing was coming forth I decided to use the spirit of nostalgia hoping that he would enjoy the serenity of our old childhood hideout and not mind how bland it might seem.The fact that he didn't speak as we walked there, was enough proof for me to know that he didn't remember the place and it kind of hurt my feelings because it was our special spot, something that we shared together before age and other factors destroyed what we had. Everything was going perfect when he got there, the air was light, we were laughing and enjoying each other's company before it all went in the opposite direction. We were laying facing each other on the grass, when Adam placed his lips on mine in a searing kiss.
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
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
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 …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 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