Dominic’s POV"You’d throw it all away for her, wouldn’t you?"Richard Bennett’s words echoed off the walls of my office like a challenge. He stood there with a commanding presence as if he owned the room, and me.I did not bother to hide the irritation flashing in my eyes. “Is that why you are here? To question my choices?”He smirked, the kind of smug expression that used to make me bite my tongue out of respect, but not anymore.“Questioning your choices implies you have made any worth questioning,” he replied condescendingly. “This is not about choices, Dominic. It is about your complete disregard for everything we have worked toward.”I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. “You mean everything you’ve worked toward. Let’s not pretend your interest in me or my pack has ever been selfless.”His smirk faltered, and I knew I had struck a nerve. He recovered quickly, though, stepping further into the office and closing the door behind him. “Selfless or not, my investments have ma
Samantha’s POVThe knock on the door was unexpected, especially at this hour. I had just put the twins back to bed after they were woken up by the thunder. Devon had fallen back asleep almost immediately, but Diana kept her eyes on me, as if watching for any sign of trouble, I assured her and handed her the wolf stuffed toy before I kissed her forehead and promised her everything was fine.“Dominic? What are you doing here?” I asked, barely masking my surprise as I opened the door to find him standing there, looking as though he had just walked out of a war zone. His shirt was wrinkled, his jaw tight, and his eyes carried the kind of intensity that made my pulse quicken.He did not answer right away, his gaze flicking behind me before settling on my face. “We need to talk. Now.”“It’s barely dawn,” I countered, glancing over my shoulder to check if the twins were still asleep. “This could not wait?”“No,” he replied firmly, stepping past me into the house without waiting for an invita
Samantha’s POVTrust was one thing that once it was broken it could no longer be fixed. And I knew that even if I tried to trust him again, I would not be able to completely do it. To return to the Silver Crescent pack and live with him, be his Luna, it would be a nightmare that would keep me on my tiptoes, walking on a tiny thread that would shatter me once again with even one minor mistake he would make. Could I risk it? Could I gamble with my heart again? It was a difficult decision especially since it was not just me who would be in this, I now have the twins to worry about too. I did not want them to undergo what I went through. It would break me to see them suffer because of their own father.My heart felt like it had been thrown into a storm, torn between the past that refused to loosen its grip and the present that demanded something I was not sure I could give.“Trust you?” I repeated softly, more to myself than to him. My voice wavered, barely a whisper, but he heard it. Of
Samantha’s POV“You’re trembling,” Dominic uttered.I inhaled deeply and balled my hands in an attempt to stop the slight trembling for I did not even realize I was until he pointed it out. Dominic stepped closer with his eyes fixed on mine, full of longing and wanting, and his presence burned like wildfire in the midst of the pouring rain outside.“Don’t.” The word came out before I could stop it, shaky and unconvincing, as if I were begging him and warning him all at once. My mind was in a mess and his presence was making it even worse. I was already conflicted about which decisions to make in our situation, and yet my heart was still adding up to the stress, including my wolf that had been pacing around and purring in my head since he arrived. “Don’t what?” he asked, taking another step closer, so close I could feel his breath ghosting against my skin.I opened my mouth to reply, but the words got stuck in my throat. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t say my name the way you do. Do
Samantha’s POVI woke to the sound of soft, steady breathing beside me, and my heart instantly seized in panic. The events of last night came crashing back and I bolted upright, clutching the blanket to my chest. Dominic stirred next to me, his arm draped lazily over his face as if he did not have a care in the world. The sunlight filtering through the curtains illuminated his features, his sharp jawline, the messy strands of hair falling across his forehead, and the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.He looked peaceful. Content.I, on the other hand, was a mess. My thoughts scrambled for clarity, guilt and longing clawing at me. What had I done?“You’re staring,” Dominic murmured, his voice husky from sleep, his lips twitching into a lazy smirk as he cracked one eye open.“I’m not!” I snapped, yanking the blanket tighter around myself, even though my face was burning red.“Sure, you’re not.” He rolled onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow as his eyes roamed over
Samantha’s POV“You’re imagining things,” I replied, crossing my arms on my chest as if it could comfort me from my own lies. “It’s not possible. I am past the age of awakening. If I did not have a wolf all this time, I am not going to suddenly get one now,” I denied.Dominic’s eyes narrowed as he focused on me and we both stepped out of the twins’ bedroom. “I know what I felt, Samantha. You—”“You are wrong,” I interrupted immediately, my voice rising slightly, more defensive than I intended. My wolf stirred inside me. ‘Stop this’, she growled, impatiently and laced with authority. ‘Tell him. He’s our mate.’No. I argued, shoving her presence away from my mind. And as I noticed Dominic still trailing behind me, I spoke again. “You’re reading too much into it. I am still the same wolfless Samantha you looked down on, remember? Nothing’s changed.”Dominic’s steps faltered. I did not want to start a fight this morning, but… his questions were bringing me back to the past when he used to
Dominic’s POVI stepped closer to her and brushed her arm, trying to calm her down and make her understand that it was her that I sincerely wanted, and not Olivia. “Olivia means nothing to me, Samantha,” I said but she laughed bitterly, taking her arm away from my touch. She did not believe me. “Nothing? She is in your pack, always around you, practically glued to your side. That’s what nothing looks like?” she retorted and I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair as frustration tried to surface. “Samantha, I know how it looks, but it is not what you think.”“Then explain it to me,” she demanded, stepping closer. She was cold, and challenging, but I could see the pain in her eyes. “Because from where I stand, it seems like she is more to you than you are willing to admit.”I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Olivia and I were close in the past,” I admitted, watching her expression closely. “But I changed, Samantha. I no longer engaged myself with Olivia. And she is
Samantha’s POV“Why were you kissing him?” Devon’s question cut through the awkward silence. He looked so confused.I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. What could I possibly say to a kid who just caught his mother kissing someone he barely knew?Dominic was the first to recover, crouching down to Devon’s eye level. “Well, buddy… that’s a great question. Do you think I shouldn’t kiss your mom?” he questioned, glancing briefly at me.Devon’s arms crossed over his chest, his tiny lips pursed into a pout. “Yes. Only me and Diana can kiss Mommy,” my son replied.Dominic glanced back at me, his lips twitching with amusement, while I stood frozen, unsure whether to intervene or let this play out.“Hmm,” Dominic mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “That doesn’t seem very fair. What if your mom wants someone else to kiss her? Like, say… me?”“No!” Devon exclaimed, stomping his foot. “Mommy doesn’t need anyone else’s kisses. She has mine!”“Devon, sweetheart,” I said, finding
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from my mate.Diana and Devon stood in front of me; both faces were filled with guilt as they fiddled with their fingers and pouted their lips, too embarrassed and ashamed of what they did.
[ALPHA DOMINIC’s Point of View]“You don’t understand the situation here, Alpha Dominic! I am helping you!”I snarl ripped in my throat as I pushed him away, dropping his body on the dusty, marble floor of the old library. I started walking in circles around him like a predator ready for the kill and was aiming to slit his throat if he ever made a wrong move.
[DEVON’s Point of View]“Devon, we have to go!”“Shhh!”“Madison must be already in the room!” Diana grabbed me by the arm and forced me to return to the playroom. ‘I
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]I had to know what was really going on.Why was my mother involved with those people? What was her part in what was going on at Silver Crescent? All I knew was that Lena was my mother's best friend. They’ve always been together, discussing the issues in the pack, and Lena trusted Mom—her judgment and Mom’s advice were always appreciated by Mothe
[ALPHA Dominic’s Point of View]I was on my way to the pack house.My eyes were focused on the road while my mind was on Samantha and my kids. Feathers appeared on the muscles of my jaw as I ground my teeth. I couldn’t leave them when things like this happened in the pack. Liam was right. It was worse than we imagined, and the first thing I had to ensure was my family's safety.
[DEVON’s Point of View]I sensed something wasn’t right, and I knew Diana felt it.I caught her looking at me the second Madison and Cynthia left the room. I was anxious and confused, but Diana's stare made me confirm that these feelings were not just uneasiness but an instinct that she and I had been feeling since Mom suddenly disappeared days ago.“I’m scared, Devon,” Diana whispered as she pulled her blanket halfway over her face. “Can you feel it too?”I was scared, too, but I couldn’t show it to my sister. “Yes, something is wrong. Mom and Dominic have been acting strangely since they came back. Liam said they are just dealing with something to help the people of the pack.”“I can sense Mommy always being anxious,” Diana murmured, teary-eyed. “How long are we going to stay here? I miss home. I miss Annie.” she pouted her lips, almost crying.“It’s okay, Diana. I believe Mom is doing her best to solve whatever is happening.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Things will be better.”
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]After I read that horrifying letter, I thought of searching for any suspicious things around the manor, especially the twins’ room. How could those people perpetrate the inside of the pack manor?! Did they have spies here? Should I tell Dominic? Or will it only bring chaos to the pack, knowing there are enemies inside my husband's turf?The panic made my stomach tighten, and I decided to solve this alone. Dominic was already dealing with the incident at the eastern gates, and I couldn't distract him when he already had so many problems to attend to with his Beta. This would only divert my husband's focus to the real problem of the pack.“Miss Samantha, is there a problem?” Madison noticed my distress after I had slipped the letter into my jacket pocket. She looked at my pocket with a puzzled look and then at my face.“N-Nothing, Madison. Nothing's wrong. How are the kids? Are they asleep?”“Yes. Diana insisted she would rather not sleep yet, but Master Devon
[ALPHA DOMINIC’s Point of View]My brain kept convincing me that I had to stay and solve this.But my heart and feet wanted to go to where my car was parked, drive back to the Pack Manor, and stay with my mate and the twins.
[SAMANTHA’s Point of View]“I’m sorry if we have to head back so soon. I know you still have so many questions you want to ask Ethan, but Madison already texted me that the kids are looking for me.”“You shouldn’t feel bad about it, love. I know you want to focus on this matter as well. But the kids are important too. And after you were gone for days, Diana and Devon became too worr