~King~ My eyes fluttered open, and I sucked in a deep breath almost as if the dream I just had was real, my gaze meeting the harsh glow of the hospital room’s overhead light, nearly blinding me. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to shake off the remnants of the dream where I struggled underwater, fighting to stay afloat and catch my breath. "Ah, you're awake," Kristopher's voice said beside me. I turned my head to find him nestled on the only velvet couch in the room. His left hand was still in a cast, but he looked fine. The last thing I remembered was coming back from Avery's place, feeling drained, and then the sudden struggle for air. I had had an asthma attack. It's been ages since I ever had an attack because I was always cautious of my health. I wasn't entirely surprised that this happened because it would have been a miracle if it didn't happen after all that smoking out of frustration. When I heard Regina's self-confession about setting Avery up five years ago and threate
~Avery~ "Ava, I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you feel that way, you need to talk to him. He deserves to know about the twins, especially now that he knows the real reason you left. We can't keep pretending they're mine. Even the blind could see the resemblance! How long do you plan to keep taking them out in disguise?" Jane asked, pouring batter into the cupcake moulds. I winced. Jane wasn't wrong. The resemblance was starting to get comical, especially when little Julian sported a frown that could rival King's signature brooding expression. "He is going to hate me," I groaned, rubbing my temples as the evident signs of a migraine began to form. The past week had been a hurricane of stress. Work was a nightmare, the hospital visits with Julian were draining, and King? King had been acting like an iceberg around me. There was this weird vibe like he was keeping tabs on my every move. Every time I glanced up, there he was, watching me with the intensity of a hawk. Our co
~Avery~ In a matter of minutes, I had managed to convince my mother that King and I had mended fences—well, sort of. Her sceptical expression suggested she wasn't fully buying it, but hey, it was worth a shot. I couldn't let King cause a scene in front of the kids or unleash his Hulk-like temper. He was already simmering like a forgotten kettle, and I figured it was best to keep my own fury under wraps, at least until he was thinking with more than just his fists. I fibbed to Mom and Jane, saying the kids and I needed to spend just a week at King's place. Fingers crossed, a week was enough time to get him to trade in his tantrums for some semblance of reason, right? Jane, ever the detective, insisted I tell her if King was forcing me into anything. But I couldn't risk him going on a rampage just because he was ticked off. So, I said no with a very bright smile. Mom and Jane helped gather our few belongings while Divah cheerfully carted them out to my sedan. King, in all his peac
~King~ It was quite fascinating to see them, and what was even more amusing was that I was thoroughly enjoying every word they said. Their endless questions made me smile, and to my surprise, I relished answering each one. These moments with them were golden, filling me with a warmth I hadn’t even known existed. My pups. Goddess, I never thought I would utter those words. They felt foreign on my tongue, yet incredibly right in my heart. The whole thing was still a bit of a mind-boggler. How the fuck could Avery hide something like this from me? Did she hate me that much? Although the thought of fatherhood had never crossed my mind before, but now that Julian and Julia were in the picture, it was the only thing I bloody well wanted. And nothing was going to stop me from raising my twins. With or without Avery. I was so pissed off; I couldn't even bring myself to speak to her— not that she would answer any of my questions anyway. She had refused to even look at me, which infuri
~Avery~ As we trudged up the stairs, my anger simmered just beneath the surface, ready to boil over at any moment. King led the way, his heavy footsteps matching the pounding in my chest. When we reached his door, he swung it open and gestured for me to enter. I stormed past him, practically charging into the room. He followed, slamming the door shut with a resounding bang that shook it on its hinges. With no chance of the kids overhearing, I was fully prepared to unleash my fury on King. I folded my arms tightly across my chest, my glare sharp enough to cut glass. "Are you out of your mind?" I snapped, my voice dripping with incredulity. "Like you're the one to say that," he shot back. "You're unbelievable! Do you have any idea what this is going to do to them? You're so damn selfish!" "Selfish? You fucking hid my children from me for five years without any intention of telling me, and I'm the selfish one?" King growled, advancing towards me with each step radiating fury. I
~Avery~ King didn't return until much later that evening, long after I had tucked Julia and Julian into their makeshift bed. I say “make-shift” because the room provided for them was nothing like children's rooms; this whole situation had been rather too hasty. As I sat in the dim light of King's room, doubt filled my mind. Was this what he thought fatherhood looked like— showing up late and acting as if his kids were a minor inconvenience? He was not even there to bid them goodnight. The bed was untouched, and I hadn’t even tried to lie down; the very idea of it seemed absurd. We needed to have a crucial conversation tonight, and King needed to understand where I was coming from. I never should have brought the twins back to even the same city as him, let alone the same pack. I should have done everything I could to keep them far, far away. This was exactly what I was afraid of. Now, King seemed more like a villain, and my innocent children were caught in his twisted plot. His
~Avery~ I woke up in King’s bed, my head resting on a pillow damp with the remnants of my tears. The room was covered in darkness. Ugh, how long had I been out? Groggily, I pulled myself out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom mirror. My eyes resembled two overripe plums, puffed up from either sleep or crying—though, judging by the state of my pillow, the latter seemed more likely. I was still in the same clothes I had arrived in, and the urge to freshen up was overwhelming. But as I glanced at the clock, a new wave of panic washed over me. It had been hours since I last saw the twins. "Julian? Julia?" I burst into their rooms, one after the other. Each room was neat and orderly, but there was no sign of the kids. A cold dread slithered up my spine as I bolted down the hall. It had been years since I was here, but I still remembered the intricate layout of King's house. "Julian? Julia?" My calls grew more desperate, but there were no answers. A million thoughts played
~King~ I couldn't sleep the previous night as the images of how Avery tucked the kids into bed kept replaying in my mind. I had leaned against each of their doors, unnoticed, as she put them to bed. The sight stirred a mixture of emotions within me—it warmed my heart yet ignited a storm of fury. But despite this turmoil, my spirits lifted with the comforting knowledge that my children now recognized me as their true father. I swear to the goddess, I would spoil them silly. I chose not to sleep in my room with Avery. Part of me knew she would resist the closeness, and I, too, was wary of another bitter argument. Also, I couldn't shake the fury that consumed me just at the sight of her. I kept going back and forth between hating her for what she did, understanding it, and wanting her to forgive me for how I had been acting. Mostly, I was furious and wanted her to feel the brunt of the pain I was experiencing. I couldn't comprehend how she could do that to me. By the break of dawn, I
~Avery~ I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after noon, my heart racing, my stomach doing somersaults. What was I even thinking coming here? I told myself it was for closure, to put an end to this once and for all, but deep down, I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to meet Cassius without letting King or anyone know. I don’t know. Cassius had not done anything to me, but I had been wary of him since he told me about his feelings, and I felt he was hiding something from me. But it all could be my imagination too. But after the feeling of being watched which, I had been getting lately, I think I needed to hear what he had to say because he sounded pretty urgent on the phone. I parked my car, sat for a moment, and exhaled, mentally preparing myself. This meeting was going to be quick. In and out. That was what I promised myself. But a part of me kept telling me I had no business here, but curiosity is a dangerous thing. I had to know what Cassius wanted to say. The moment I
~Avery~ “I’m all ears,” I said, slipping off my apron, already bracing myself for the same tired story. Cassius always had something up his sleeve. “This isn’t something I can say over the phone. I need to see you.” I sighed, rolling my eyes even though he couldn’t see it. “Cassius, come on. You should know by now I’m over all this. I’ve got a lot on my plate.” “I swear, I won’t take up much of your time,” he insisted, his voice smooth like he was trying to charm his way out of detention. I hesitated, knowing this was probably a bad idea. “Fine, I’ll let King know and—" “No!” His response was so quick it nearly made me laugh. “He doesn’t need to know. I’m not going to bite, Avery. Just come alone. I’ll text you the address, and it’ll be in a public place. We need to meet as soon as possible.” Before I could fire back with some excuse, I caught sight of King heading toward the kitchen. “I’ll speak to you later,” I said, hanging up and slipping my phone back into my pocket j
~Avery~ King followed me into the kitchen like a man on a mission, clearly craving some alone time. We hadn’t had a moment to ourselves in days, not since that unsettling visit to Oliver’s cell. And boy, had things gotten complicated since then. Turns out, after some digging, we discovered that what Oliver said about King’s father was horrifyingly true. The man had been running a dirty side business beneath the surface, and King had been carrying around a false image of his father this whole time. As I stirred the food in the casserole, I felt King’s arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back into his chest. I couldn’t help but smile as I tilted my head to catch his scent, a mix of cedar and something distinctly him. Before I could even playfully protest, his lips were on mine, and it was clear he had been starving for this kiss, as though it had been an eternity since we had last been like this. But even in this moment, something felt off. I had that weird sensation of being
~Avery~ As King and I stepped into the prison, the air was thick with that unique scent of old concrete and metal, the kind that makes your skin crawl. The walls seemed to absorb every echo, like they were listening in on every secret. King’s hand tightened around mine, as if he was trying to reassure me, that I was safe with him beside me. “It’s crazy how the Steels have been the bane of our existence,” he muttered, his voice edged with irritation. It had been two whole days since Oliver Steel’s arrest, and we were just starting to breathe again. It felt like we had been holding our breath for weeks. Still, even with that small relief, the unspoken problems lingered, particularly the rogue wolves with those strange tattoos who had tried to take me at Alpha Cassius' ball. We still hadn’t tracked them down, but that was a nightmare for another day. Oliver had lost everything—his status, his rank, even his pack. The Wolf Council had stripped him bare. His beta was in charge for no
~King~ Kristopher pulled up in front of Alpha Oliver’s packhouse, with our warriors' cars trailing behind us. But the sight that greeted us was anything but expected. The Council police were already there, swarming the place like they were filming an episode of “Packhouse Cops.” I had given the Council a heads-up about Oliver, tossing in some evidence to spice things up, but I didn’t expect them to go full-on detective mode and ransack the place like it was a crime scene. I slid out of the car and swung the door open for Avery. Kristopher, Jane, and Axel followed, looking as confused as I felt. We had come to see Oliver get cuffed and carted off to the werewolf equivalent of Alcatraz, but it seemed we were in for more than just a simple arrest. One of the police officers, spotting our little ensemble, made his way over, looking all official. “Alpha King, Luna Avery, Beta Kristopher, Miss Jane, and Gamma Axel,” he greeted, nodding like he was about to hand out awards. “What’s
~King~ "Wakey, wakey, Mrs. CEO," I teased, grinning down at Avery, who was comfortably nestled in my arms, looking like she belonged there forever. She had returned to Silverpine last night, finally claiming her rightful place at Bells Empire. I couldn’t be prouder. But, of course, she was utterly exhausted from her grand takeover, so she pretty much collapsed into bed the second she got in. Me? I stayed up a little longer, just staring at her—because why sleep when you can marvel at perfection? Eventually, sleep caught up with me too, and I drifted off with her still in my arms. I had also filled her in on all the latest developments, including how we had involved the Council, thanks to Axel’s brilliant advice. The cherry on top? Oliver Steel, the guy behind those pesky threats, would be behind bars by tomorrow. Avery groaned, stretching like a lazy cat in the morning sun, before yawning and blinking up at me with a smile that could melt stone. I couldn’t resist leaning dow
~King~ I paced the length of our hideout like a caged tiger, my heart doing that annoying thing where it thumps against my ribs. My thoughts were spiralling, each one more anxiety-inducing than the last. What if these guys double-cross us? What if the plan goes south? And seriously, how long does it take to create a distraction and grab a stupid machine? Are they doing this in slow motion? And that wasn’t the only thing gnawing at my nerves tonight. One of my men had casually mentioned that Alpha Cassius had dropped by Avery’s company. Oh, just a little visit, no big deal. Yeah, right. I had called Avery, fishing for details, but she was a locked vault. Her explanation? Cassius had a meeting nearby and thought he would stop by to say hi. Sure, because he’s just that friendly. I didn’t buy it. Not for a second. Cassius doesn’t do ‘friendly visits,’ especially not to Blue Moon. There was definitely something fishy about his timing, and I wasn’t about to let it slide. If that slea
~Avery~ I won’t lie; when King left me here on my own, I felt like a lone soldier abandoned on the battlefield. The empty spaces seemed to echo with my uncertainty, and I had that sinking feeling of being all alone. But I knew I had to keep it together. I had to stand strong, for myself, if nothing else. Sure, I was torn between wanting to scream and curl up in a ball, but hey, one crisis at a time, right? I didn’t know how I was going to run this company from Silverpine if King and I got back together. I guess that was a bridge I would cross when I got there. For now, the mission was simple: reclaim my company from the clutches of Marcus and those conniving board members. Today was the day—the day I would finally take the reins as CEO, wresting control from Marcus’s slimy fingers. Walking down the lobby, I nodded back at the people who greeted me with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some looked thrilled, others… not so much. Probably Marcus’s loyal minions. Whatever. As I neare
~King~ “How much more damage has that conniving witch done?” Kristopher snarled, his frustration practically vibrating through the room after I finished recounting the whole printer-and-ink drama in the library. If words could kill, we would be sweeping Regina’s ashes off the floor. “We need to tread lightly,” Axel cautioned, his voice calm but eyes sharp as ever. “If she so much as catches a whiff of our plan, she’ll make sure every shred of evidence vanishes faster than my patience during a boring meeting.” That little nugget of wisdom sent my heartbeat into overdrive. Knowing Regina, she probably already had the printer in the back of some getaway truck by now, laughing maniacally as she drove off into the sunset. I rubbed my forehead, praying that this wouldn’t turn into yet another colossal headache for us. Evidence—we needed it, and we needed it fast. “And we need to confirm it’s the right printer,” Axel added. “We can’t go off half-cocked. The serial number’s our ticket.”