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
Dominic’s POV“Why are you in Mommy’s bed?”The voice startled me out of a deep, content sleep. My eyes flew open, and the first thing I saw was the two small figures standing at the side of the bed. Devon had his arms crossed over his chest with a suspicious and accusing look, while Diana clung to his side, her head tilted as she curiously studied me.I blinked a few times, trying to orient myself and trying to avoid Devon’s glares toward me because I knew that this little kid had already warned me hours ago, and yet, he still found me with his mom, worse, on the bed.“What are you two doing here?” I whispered, sitting up carefully so I would not wake Samantha since we barely slept at dawn when we went back to bed. She was still fast asleep beside me, her dark hair spilling across the pillow, and how I wished I could have this view every morning, and with the kids. My heart warmed at the thought.Devon ignored my question, narrowing his eyes. “Why are you in Mommy’s bed?”His voice w
Dominic’s POV“You took them without asking?!” her voice raised, reaching for the kids who shrank behind me, their earlier joy from the walk vanishing in an instant.“I didn’t—” I started, but she held up a hand, stopping me in my tracks.“Do you have any idea what went through my mind when I woke up and found them gone?” she snapped, her voice trembling in anger. “I thought something happened to them! I thought—” She paused, her chest heaving as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.“They are fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “I just took them for a walk. They wanted to explore, and I thought—”“You thought?” she interrupted again, cutting me off. “You did not think, Dominic. You did not think about telling me. You did not think about how I would feel waking up to an empty house.”Devon tugged on my sleeve, his small voice barely above a whisper. “Mommy, it was not his fault. We wanted to go.”Samantha’s gaze softened for a brief moment as she looked at her son, but
Samantha’s POV“I almost called Killian.”The confession tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. Annie froze mid-motion and the rag she was using to wipe the kitchen counter dangled from her hand as she turned to look at me.“You did what?” she asked surprised and with a tinge of disapproval in her tone.“I didn’t,” I said quickly, burying my face in my hands. “But I almost did. When I woke up and found the kids and Dominic gone, I panicked. My first instinct was to call Killian for help,” I admitted. I was scared that Dominic would take my kids away and it was only Killian that I thought could help me. Even after learning from Annie that Dominic took the twins for a walk, I was still paranoid that he might have tricked her and actually took the kids away from me.Annie set the rag down and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. “Samantha, you really thought Dominic would just take off with them?”I lifted my head and looked at her, my chest tightening with shame. “For
Samantha’s POV“You’re going, and that’s final,” Annie said, cutting through my thoughts as I stared at the red dress laid out on my bed. “You have spent the entire day pacing back and forth like a caged animal. The least you can do is see where this date leads,” she added and I sighed.I shook my head, biting my lip. “I don’t know, Annie. What if this is a mistake? What if he is just… doing this for the kids? Or to make himself feel better? I don’t want to end up—”“Stop.” Annie’s hands landed on my shoulders, forcing me to turn and meet her gaze. “You deserve this, Samantha. You have been punishing yourself for so long that you have forgotten what it feels like to just live a little. And Dominic…” She sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I see the way he looks at you. Whatever his reasons were before, they are different now.”I opened my mouth to argue, but her expression left no room for debate. Instead, I glanced back at the dress with its vibrant red fabric shimmering soft
Samantha’s POV“You are seriously not going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked in disbelief. I had to muster some courage and put up with all this makeup, high heels, and a red dress just for the night to be put on hold. I thought he wanted to fix us, but he could not even properly be with me even just for a night. Well except when we were in bed.He sat stiffly in his chair, barely meeting my eyes as he reached for his drink, taking a huge gulp before as if it could soothe his nerves.“It’s pack business,” he said evenly, carefully controlled, like he was talking to a mere business partner he did not give a shit about. Was I that to him? “An emergency. I need to handle it,” he added, and I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes. “That’s it? You are not going to explain anything? You dragged me out here, acted like this was important, and now you are just going to bail?”His jaw tightened, and he finally looked at me with his gaze filled with a mix of frustration and guilt. “Samantha, I
Samantha’s POV“They are going to hate me,” I muttered under my breath, my fingers clenching the hem of my sweater as we walked on the uneven dirt path toward the pack house, and as we passed by several pack members, their eyes were trained on me with questioning gaze.Dominic’s stride did not falter as he gripped my hand tighter. “They will respect my choice,” he remarked, with a faint hint of frustration that he did not bother to hide.Respect his choice? The concept felt foreign to me now, like something out of reach. “You don’t understand. I did not just leave, Dominic. I disappeared. I abandoned my role, my place, my duties. Do you have any idea how much damage that must have caused?” My voice cracked despite my efforts to keep it controlled.He stopped so abruptly that I nearly stumbled. Turning to face me, he cupped my cheek with his free hand, his dark eyes boring into mine as he spoke. “They will understand, and they will accept you because you are their Luna. You always hav
[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