~King~ I dropped my phone onto the table and emptied my glass in one gulp, sighing heavily. An empty bottle of alcohol lay at my feet, and I was nearly finished with a second one. I knew rumours about Regina and me getting back together were flying around the packs, but I hadn't realised just how far the media could take it. Every picture of Regina and me together was splashed across the internet, looking very suggestive. If I were another person, I would believe something was definitely going on between us. Being around Avery was driving me nuts. One moment, I was pining for her, realising how deep my feelings ran and drowning in them; the next, I was ready to tear out my fur in frustration at her attitude. I knew how I had tried to make things right between us countless times, but she was always so annoyingly stubborn. Part of me understood her pain, but another part just wanted to howl at the injustice of it all. She seemed determined to make my life a living hell, always an
~Avery~ It was one thing to imagine King with Regina but seeing them together was like taking a surprise jab to the heart. A twist I never saw coming. And in his study, of all places? Seriously, what on earth was he thinking, doing that in his study with the kids around? What if one or both of them had gone looking for him and opened that door instead of me? I quickly wiped away the tears that were threatening to roll down my cheeks. I had no right to be upset. After the way I'd been pushing him away lately, what did I expect? That he would sit around pining for me, composing tragic sonnets about his lost love? Did I expect him to take a lifelong vow of celibacy? He was an Alpha, damn it. Those guys could have any woman they wanted with just a snap of their fingers. I practically sprinted all the way to his room. It hurt. It hurt more than I expected, and I hated it. Maybe it was the realization that he was making good on his promise to break me. Maybe it was the fact that she
~King~ Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What just happened? What had I done? I shifted back into my human form, grabbed my clothes, and put them on with shaky hands. My wolf had been enraged at me for putting my hand on Avery, and so running in my wolf form had proved futile since all the beast did was curse at me. I blocked him off immediately after shifting back to be able to fucking think. What was fucking wrong with me? I stared at my hands as I stumbled back to the car. Tears blurred my vision. This wasn't just out of character, this was like a whole new character had hijacked my body, one named "Jerkface McManhandler." Manhandling Avery had not been my intention when I went into that room. What had come over me? I should have waited for both of us to calm down before I went in to talk to her. Look what my anger had made me do. I got into my car, signalling none of the guards to follow me. I ignited the engine and sped off, leaving dust swirling behind me like a chaotic storm. I had n
~Avery~ "So, he did this to you?" Jane's finger jabbed the air towards the blossoming purple bruise on my neck after I told her what had happened. I could only manage a miserable nod, my gaze fixed on nothing in particular. "Oh, Ava," Jane sighed, her voice dripping with sympathy. "And here I was thinking things were rosy between the both of you." "Yeah, and our little love garden has definitely turned into a battlefield," I croaked, my voice as raspy as a gravel road. "There's no coming back from this—not with Regina in the picture. He actually laid his hands on me because of her! I’m done, Jane. Completely over it.” Jane placed a hand on my back and rubbed me gently. "I'm sorry this had to happen this way, Ava. King really crossed a line. It surprises me." I gave her a sideways glance, baffled by the calmness with which Jane was handling this. "Really? This shocks you?" Frankly, her composure was throwing me off. I had half-expected her to burst through the door like a supe
~Avery~ I opened the door to the hospital to find Kristopher seated beside King, who had an oxygen mask on his nose. Kristopher's expression turned to one of relief as he saw me. He stood from his chair and motioned for me to sit, but I shook my head. I wasn't going to stay long, anyway. I only came here to make sure he was alright. At least that was what I told myself. "Sorry to bother you, Avery, but he kept mumbling your name the whole time," Kristopher said, looking apologetic. I sighed, folding my arms across my chest, as my eyes zeroed in on King. "What happened?" Kristopher shrugged. "He went all self-destructive before I got to his office this morning. He smoked a whole lot of cigarettes, and it triggered the attack." I was about to speak when King's eyelids fluttered open. “Avery…” he mumbled, his voice barely more than a whisper. I stood there as fury wrestled with pity inside me. “Please don’t go,” he croaked, his voice sounding like it was fighting its way through a fo
~King~ I watched Avery as she dialled her mother's number, setting the phone to speaker mode so I could eavesdrop on the conversation. The phone rang twice before Eloise’s familiar voice burst through the speaker. "Hey, munchkin," Eloise chirped from the other end. "How's that handsome devil of yours doing? The twins said you were off to the hospital to see their daddy." Avery squeezed her eyes shut like she was preparing for a roller coaster ride. "Mum," she called, her voice tight. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be brutally honest with me." There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line. I could almost hear the gears turning in Eloise’s head as she tried to figure out what was coming next. "Everything okay, honey?" Eloise asked, her voice dropping to a serious tone, losing its earlier sing-song quality. Avery didn’t waste a second. She dove straight into the question that had been gnawing at her. It was heartbreaking to know that all these people c
~King~ Kristopher and I decided to visit Alpha Oliver without any prior notice. Why? Because I was boiling with rage towards his daughter, Regina. I didn’t see the need to inform him; my sole mission was to warn Regina to stay far, far away from me and my family. If she meddled in my life again, I would lock her up, long-standing family friendship be damned.We rolled up to the pack house like we owned the place – well, technically, I kind of did. This place was like my second home, just as mine was to Regina. We had been in and out of each other’s houses since we were kids, after all. Clearly, Regina hadn’t spilt the beans about our altercation because the guards gave us the usual nods and salutes, none the wiser to my real mission. Kristopher lounged in the den, probably flipping through some old magazines. Me? I stalked straight towards the Alpha's quarters. When I reached Regina’s room, she was nowhere to be found. Her maid, who seemed perpetually harassed, mentioned she might
~King~ Avery was done with dinner when I sauntered into the kitchen. The kids were seated at the kitchen table, waiting for their meals to be served. As soon as they spotted me, they shrieked with joy and raced over, latching onto my legs like tiny, enthusiastic koala cubs. I scooped them up, one on each arm, their giggles echoing through the room as I planted kisses on their foreheads. I felt an overwhelming peace flooding through me. This, right here, this was my happy place. My family. My pack. Knowing that Avery and I had sorted things out made my heart flip each time I thought about it. She might not want to jump into things with me immediately, but I was ready to give her all the time she needed and to make things right with her. Avery was busy drying her hands on a towel, her smile as warm as a cosy fire. As I gently lowered the kids to the floor, I walked over and placed a cautious kiss on her cheek. I wanted to kiss her lips, but I knew that moment would come in time.
~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.”