Samantha’s POV“The Alpine Bar is just down the street,” one of the Alphas recommended but the others refused, uttering bad experiences in the said establishment. I had not expected the meeting to end on such a strange note. The moment the rogue incident was resolved, the Alphas and Betas seemed eager to blow off steam as they planned to go to one of the nearest bars in the area. Jokes were shared, and a few of them were already laughing, the threat of the hybrid seemed to have been pushed aside for a temporary escape.We all left the conference hall once they had decided on a place, but I was not in the mood for a drink.“Sam!” Killian called, jogging up to me with a mischievous grin. “Come with us. We could use a little distraction, right?” he convinced. I folded my arms, already shaking my head. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”Killian groaned dramatically, his hand over his heart. “You’re no fun,” he teased, acting like he had been hurt by
Samantha’s POVWhy did he do that? Dominic had kept Olivia by his side after all these years, for sure, there must be going on between them. But, why did he push her away, ignore her? and the way he stared at me intensely as if he wanted me to hold him instead of Killian. Though he never asked… I should stop being delusional and acknowledge the fact that he could not let go of Olivia. Because if he really wanted me instead of her, he would have left her long ago. But he did not.Killian slumped in the passenger seat, groaning softly as I buckled him in. His head lolled against the window, and his eyes were barely open. I slid behind the wheel, and started the car, the engine purring to life. II gripped the steering wheel, trying to focus on getting Killian back safely, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop racing.Dominic. The way he acted… did not fit the image I had of him. He had always kept me at a distance, cold and uninterested. But tonight, his behavior had been anything but detached.
Dominic’s POVSamantha had always been a mystery to me, but lately, she was something else entirely. After six years since she vanished, she returned like a very different person— fiercer and more outspoken.I could not stop thinking about her. Everything about tonight, about her, felt off. She was no longer the Samantha I remembered. The shy girl who used to blush every time I so much as glanced her way had vanished. This Samantha did not shrink back. She met my eyes, fired back sharp words during our encounters, and held her ground like she did not care what I thought of her anymore.And it threw me off.It was not just her attitude that had changed; it was her whole presence. She walked into a room like she belonged there, like she did not need anyone to grant her a place. The way she carried herself now— it made me see her differently, and I hated that it made me question things I had always thought I knew.For years, I had convinced myself that Samantha had somehow planned our ar
Dominic’s POVThe taste of her name still lingered on my lips as I opened my eyes fully. And then, everything shattered.It was not Samantha.My heart plummeted like a stone as reality hit me with the force of a punch. My vision cleared just enough to see Olivia’s face inches from mine, her lips swollen, her expression smug and satisfied. A wave of nausea hit me and cutting through the haze of alcohol.“What the hell?” I growled, my voice rough. I shoved her off me with more force than I intended, and she stumbled back, her smirk replaced with a pout.“Dominic, what’s wrong with you?” she whined, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. “You were the one—”“That’s enough,” I snapped, sitting up unsteadily. “What do you think you’re doing?”Her pout deepened, her lower lip jutting out as if that could undo what had just happened. “What do you mean? I thought…”“You thought what? That I wanted this?” My head throbbed, anger replacing the drunken fog. “We are nothing, Olivia. Nothing.
Samantha’s POVThe first thing I felt was the sharp sting in my arm. My eyes fluttered open and met with the dim glow of the tent’s lanterns, the fabric walls swaying faintly in the cool night breeze. Everything smelled of herbs and antiseptic, which was far different from the chaos that reeked with blood and stench of rogues. I blinked, trying to sit up, but a voice stopped me.“Easy there,” the doctor said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. Her face was lined with worry, though her tone was calm. “You have been through quite a lot.”“Killian?” I croaked, my throat dry.The doctor smiled reassuringly. “He is fine. A few scratches, but nothing serious. He has been pacing outside, demanding updates every few minutes.”Relief washed over me like a wave, loosening the knot of tension in my chest. Killian was safe. That was all that mattered.“What happened?” I asked, my voice steadier now as I tried to recall the night.The doctor’s expression darkened as she set a bottle of medicin
Devon’s POVThe house was too quiet without Mom. The kind of quiet that made my stomach feel funny, like when I ate too much candy and got caught. Diana was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her “thinking face,” the one where her nose scrunched up like she smelled something bad.“I can’t sleep,” I whispered, even though I did not have to.“I know,” Diana said, rolling over to look at me. “Me neither. It is because Mommy’s not here. She always kisses our foreheads before we sleep. It’s magic or something.”I nodded, hugging Mr. Snuffles, my stuffed wolf, closer. “Maybe she is fighting bad guys again.”“Or maybe she’s with him,” Diana said, her voice all huffy, likely jealous of the attention.I knew who she meant. Killian. The big, funny Alpha who kept looking at Mom like she was chocolate cake. I like him so much, he was like a Daddy to us.“Let’s go find her,” I said suddenly, sitting up in bed.Diana blinked at me. “How?”“We will drive,” I said, puffing up my chest. “I
Samantha’s POVHis hand trailed at my exposed knees, brushing softly, and gently at my skin, treating me like a fragile glass that might break if he gripped me too hard. “Dominic, what the hell do you think you are doing?” I uttered as I shifted on the bed ignoring the whimpers of my wolf that was so much willing to surrender in his touch, relishing in his close presence at my side. I would not deny that his touches felt so warm and comforting, like what I would honestly need especially in my situation right now. But I can’t give in again.His lips curled into a half smile that might have been charming if I was not already irritated and tired. Right now, I just wanted to rest. “I just wanted to see you, so I came back, Samantha.”“You are seeing me. Now leave,” I dismissed but apparently, my wolf stirred in disapproval at my action and clearly unimpressed with my tone towards him. She was far too interested in his presence. I could feel her warmth spread through me despite the cold w
Devon’s POVThe car was weird. It smelled like old leather and something spicy that made my nose twitch. Diana sat beside me, her legs too short to touch the floor, swinging them back and forth as she stared out the window. I could tell she did not trust these guys any more than I did.The driver kept glancing at us through the mirror. He had dark hair and a beard that made him look kind of like one of the bad guys from the cartoons we were not supposed to watch. His friend, sitting in the passenger seat, was older, with white hair and a face that scrunched up like he was always thinking too hard.“So,” Beard Guy started, his voice a little too cheerful, as if trying to be less suspicious, acting so likeable to a children. “What are your names, kids?”Diana and I exchanged a look. Mom always said not to talk to strangers. Diana gave him her best unimpressed face and said, “We are not supposed to tell strangers our names.”I nodded, crossing my arms. “Yeah. And we do not know you.”Bea
Dominic’s POVI stood there as she left. The urge to go after her nearly consumed me, but something stopped me, a bitter mix of shame and realization of the fact that I hurt her, that I pushed her away, and now, she did not want anything to do with me.I had no right to demand anything from her. Not after what I had done.The frustration simmered just beneath my skin, fueled by both anger and regret. Regret for the years I had let slip by without finding her, and anger at myself for being the reason she had left in the first place.My chest felt tight as I turned back toward my mother’s house. I had come here hoping for answers, for some kind of clarity, and instead, I was left with more questions and a gnawing sense of failure.“She’s not going to make this easy for you.”I looked up sharply to see my mother standing on the porch with her arms crossed over her chest. She was watching me with that knowing look she always had, the one that told me she had seen and heard everything.“Di
Samantha’s POVI froze at the bottom of the porch steps when I saw him. He was there, standing in the shadow of the old oak tree at the edge of the driveway. Dominic.His eyes locked on mine instantly, and he looked like he had a thousand questions in his head and had no idea which one to ask first.For a moment, neither of us moved. It was like the world had stilled, leaving just the two of us in this charged, suffocating silence.I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep walking, ignoring the way my pulse raced and the way my wolf stirred uneasil, yet delightedly inside me. Though I did not share the same joy she felt.“Samantha.”His voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Deep, rough, and filled with something I could not quite name, or one that I refused to — longing.I did not turn around. “I have nothing to say to you.” I did not want to look into his eyes and feel guilty to all the lies that I said. Lena said he had changed, and that he was devastated when I left, and he was here
Dominic’s POVI shouldn’t have come.The thought hit me like a gut punch as I pressed my back against the cold wall outside my mother’s sitting room. Her voice floated through the partially open door, soft and warm, a tone I had not heard in years.And then there was Samantha’s voice.It was not the sharp, defensive tone she used whenever we crossed paths recently. This voice was softer, more vulnerable. It caught me off guard, the way it threaded through me, stirring memories I had no right to hold on to.I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay rooted to the spot even though every instinct screamed at me to burst through the door. My wolf was restless, clawing at the edges of my mind, demanding to see her, to speak to her. But I couldn’t. Not yet.“I’ve managed,” she said, her voice was quiet but firm. “The Moonstone Pack has been good to me. It’s peaceful there.”Peaceful.The word stung. Was she happy without me? Had she found a life so free of the chaos I brought into hers tha
Samantha’s POV“You’re thinner than the last time I saw you.”Lena’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as she placed a steaming cup of tea on the small table between us. She settled into the chair across from me, scanning me in the way only she could — half affectionate, half appraising.I let out a short laugh, one that felt foreign and awkward after years of keeping myself guarded. “I guess life has a way of wearing you down,” I replied.She frowned, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You’ve been through too much, Samantha. More than anyone should have to endure.”I avoided her gaze, my hands warming against the teacup. The years apart had not dulled her ability to see right through me. It was comforting and unsettling all at once, after all, when my mother died, she took me in, cared for me, and raised me to be the Luna I had been. But fate decided to hand me a cruel life I had to escape from.“I’ve managed,” I replied after a moment. “The Moonstone Pack has been good to me. It’s
Dominic’s POV“Have you found her yet?”My mother questioned as she came into my study, making me flinch in surprise. She sat across from me and her hands folded neatly in her lap, she had been hard on me ever since I lost my Luna — Samantha, though I knew there was still concern lurking behind her eyes, after all, I was her son. Mother was never one to press unnecessarily, but when she did, it was because she cared.“Yes, but she doesn’t have to do anything with me anymore,” I muttered, leaning back in the chair and scrubbing a hand down my face.Mother tilted her head, her piercing gaze pinning me in place, somehow, she reminded me of Dad, stern, yet Mom still had softness in her. “And why would that be, Dominic? Have you ever thought about why she would not want to see you?”I stiffened, clenching my jaw. I did not need her to spell it out. The truth hung me like a noose, choking me as if punishing me for the crimes I had done. “I made mistakes,” I admitted gruffly. “I know that.”
Samantha’s POV“I think I deserve the truth.” Dominic’s demanded.I stiffened, my nails digging into my palms as I faced him. His eyes burned with accusation, suffocating me with the lies and secrets I had kept hidden.“The twins,” he continued, his voice softening but no less intense. “Who are they, Samantha? Are they yours?”My lips pressed together in a hard line, and I bit back the instinct to respond. He did not deserve an answer. Not after everything he had done. But the silence stretched between us, heavy and oppressive, and I knew he would take it as guilt.“They are none of your concern,” I replied firmly. I did not owe him an explanation, after everything he had done. He had chosen Olivia over me, over us.His jaw tensed, the frustration in his eyes flaring brighter as he retorted. “That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one you’re getting.”I folded my arms across my chest as a defense and comfort, every muscle in my body coiled like a spring as he stepped closer. The proxim
Dominic’s POV“Tell me you have something,” I said, leaning back in my chair as Liam stepped in, taking my attention away from the file spread across my desk. Liam cleared his throat. “I tracked down some details about the twins.”My fingers drummed against the desk as I waited. He always dragged out the bad news like it would soften the blow, but it never did. It was only prolonging the agony and anticipation to hear something positive, only to end up delivering bad news.“They are under the foster care of a human nanny, that alone was certain.” Liam finally said. “Her name’s Annie. Beyond that, nothing substantial. There is no confirmed information about their mother.”A human nanny? My jaw tightened. That did not align with anything I knew about Samantha. She was many things, but reckless was not one of them. She would not just leave the children in the care of some random human. But, if that was the case, then they might not be her children, because she would not be that stupid t
Samantha’s POV“Mommy, look! I made a butterfly!” Diana exclaimed, as she held up her craft project — a messy combination of glitter, glue, and construction paper.“That’s beautiful, sweetheart,” I said, crouching down to admire her creation. Devon sat nearby with his tiny hands busy assembling what looked like a spaceship made of popsicle sticks.A knock on the door pulled me out of the small bubble of peace.I straightened and glanced at Annie, who had just walked into the room. “Annie, keep an eye on them,” I said as I stepped to the door and opened it. Killian stood there. He smiled warmly, but the tension in his eyes betrayed the purpose of his visit.“Killian,” I greeted with a smile. “What brings you here?”“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice was calm but it carried something that put me on edge.I nodded and stepped aside, closing the door behind him. As soon as we were in the living room, I folded my arms. “What’s going on?”Killian’s expression softened as he glanced towar
Dominic’s POVThe phone rang three times before Liam picked up."Alpha," he uttered. He knew better than to expect a casual conversation when I called."I need answers, Liam," I said, pacing the length of my office. My mind felt like it was tearing itself apart with a tangle of suspicion, memories, and unanswered questions. "Did you find anything about the twins yet? Who their father is?"A pause. Too long. And it ticked my nerves.“We're digging, Alpha," Liam replied. "Killian's pack records are airtight. No mention of the twins in any formal capacity. It is like they do not exist on paper."I slammed my hand down on the desk and the sharp sound echoed through the room. "That’s not good enough, search the hospitals in his area, Liam. I need every single piece of information about them."Liam sighed on the other end. "I’ll see what more we can do, Alpha. But Killian’s pack is notoriously private. You know that."My jaw tightened. I did not care how private Killian was. I needed to kno