Asher's POV“What is happening over there?” Father exclaimed, shifting my attention from the ice cream cone that the vendor was extending toward me. I looked at him and followed his line of sight to see Mom and Stella standing beside the pond. They looked like they were having a conversation but it did not feel right. Stella hated my mom and vice versa. It was never a good idea to have them both in the same room, let alone talk to each other like this.Even the Alpha seemed to have the same feeling about this as he said, “I am gonna go and check on them.” He shoved his credit card in my hand and started to walk towards them.“Is everything alright?” Ashel asked me, sensing the tension in our father's aura. “I don't know. Maybe we should go check.” I said before putting the credit card inside my pocket. I told the vendor that we would come back for the ice cream later and he nodded his head.I grabbed Ashel's hand and had just started walking towards them when I saw Stella fall inside
Emma's POVThe three of us played the video on repeat. No matter how much we watched it, we could not get enough of it.Ashel's face twisted and she could not hide the disappointment anymore, “I knew she was a bad person but I did not expect her to stoop so low.”“Can't say that I am surprised.” Asher commented.Ashel then asked, “I thought Daddy was smart. How could he not see through her facade? It's disappointing…”“His IQ is in negative when it comes to emotional intelligence.”“Asher.” I called him out. “What? Do you deny that father is clueless when it comes to the emotional part of life?” The little boy berated back. I said, “It is not our position to say anything about this.”Ashel then slowly asked, “Mom, has this bad woman always bullied you like this? Didn't you say you were friends with her in college?”My face was saddened immediately thinking about our college days. Stella was the only friend I had and the only one who knew about my love for Draven. But I never blamed
Emma's POV“Yes. I am not kidding. Every single thing that she has said is a lie.” “No, I am not lying! I don't need to lie.” Stella stood up from her seat, clearly upset by the accusations. She looked at Draven who was still seated on the couch next to her and said, “Draven, what is all this? Your son is accusing me and you are watching it all silently?”Draven did not say anything immediately and slowly asked, “Asher, are you sure what you are talking about?”“I am.”“How can he be? He is just a kid.” Stella protested and looked at me, “Emma, I understand if you don't want your kids to love me but at least don't make them hate me like this.”“Keep my mother's name out of your mouth.” Asher glared at the pretentious woman. His sudden outburst shocked both Stella and Draven, they were too stunned to see the usually distant boy so rude and angry.Taking the silence as his stage, Asher continued, “Father, this woman was very calculative. She made sure to bully Mom in the park where the
Draven's POVDisappointment!Disappointment was all I could feel right now.I never expected this from Stella. The image I had of her as a smart, mature woman fell deep into the pits of hell just now.How good at pretending she was! Not only she managed to make a fool out of me thinking that she had no ill intentions towards Emma, but she also put up that whole act as if she was a noble woman forgiving her.So vile! So evil.I wondered how many times she has framed Emma like this? Just how many times she had lied and made me hate Emma?Did she tell me the truth about anything? Which one of her personalities is real- the sweet, mature one or this new one that I am seeing with my bare eyes?And Emma…I was about to punish her. I did not trust her words and hurt her. How many times did I hurt her because of a lie?The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I can never get rid of the guilt that I was experiencing right now.I looked at Emma and saw her standing there, for the first t
Draven's POV“Draven… Draven. Don't say that. Tell me you don't mean it.” Stella said and I stood there silently. It was evident that I meant what I said and I wanted her gone.Her eyes were bloodshot, it looked as if she had no more tears to shed. The girl wiped her tears and sat back on the couch, “No, I am not going. I am not going anywhere. You can't punish me for something as trivial as this.”“Fine.” I said before pulling out my phone. I unlocked it and wordlessly started to tap on the screen.Stella furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “Draven, what are you doing?”“Calling your father and asking him to take you back.”“My father?” Her eyes flared open. She charged at me, trying to snatch my phone away, “Draven, stop. Don't call my father.”“Stella, get off me.” When she was not willing to stop despite my many warnings, I had had enough. “Enough!” I roared and pushed her away, making her crash back on the couch she had just raised from.I called her father, “Alpha Gracy.”“Draven
Emma's POVWow.Else than that, I could not think of anything.The Alpha has apologized to me, a commoner for a mistake he made. Nice. There was nothing special about it.“Hmmm.” I grunted.Draven stayed there awkwardly for a while, it looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind last minute and walked upstairs.I understand if he has a lot to say but can't express it in words. The man was just proved wrong brutally!Even though he was not very trusting of others, he trusted Stella with all his heart. He loved her, he wanted to marry her. Imagine the girl you think you know turns out to be someone entirely different.I can understand what he was going through…I felt the same when Stella woke up from the coma and accused me of murder. The Draven I knew and loved vanished in thin air.Stella's father never really liked Draven, it was an open secret within the pack but I sure did underestimate the level of intensity. The Gracy's cars were outside our gates to pick up Stel
Emma's POVStella was too shattered to argue. I saw her face and could say that she was regretting every single decision that she had made so far.“Stella.” When she stood there unmoving for quite some time, Beta Alvin reminded her that they should really go now.The woman did not even lift her eyes to look at me or my kids, she just walked out of the house. Was that it?Stella was the only reason why Draven told me he could never love or accept me.Was the biggest obstacle which threatened my happy marriage with him, dissolving away just like that? It all seemed like a big joke to me.I heard the car engine start outside and turned back to head upstairs.“Emma?” Draven called out, “Is everything alright?”“Yes.” I replied and dashed my way upstairs.If this was a few years ago, I would have been thrilled that Stella was finally out. I would be here, dreaming about finally having a chance with Draven. But now, I have no such thoughts. The marriage that I shared with Draven was long
Emma's POVEarly in the morning, the very next day, I woke up and packed my stuff. The Alpha did not return to the room last night and kept himself locked in his study room. I did not go to check on him, I did not want to. It's been seven years since I walked out of the marriage, we both were battling for divorce but my silly, stupid heart was still unable to accept that he never wanted me. I was just making a joke of myself at this point.I was munching down on breakfast when the Alpha came downstairs. He asked, “You are going back to work?”“Yes.” I gulped down the toast along with some orange juice and said, “I am running late.”“So you want me to drive you to your workplace?” He asked and I shook my head, “No no. I booked a cab already.”“What about Ashel and Asher?”“Shit. I forgot about them.” In my defense, I have been getting ready on my own for the past few days to the office since the kids were with Draven. It was not entirely my fault that I forgot to wake them up and get
Emma's POVThe hum of the airport was a blur in my ears as my focus remained on Desiree’s face.“Desiree?” I involuntarily called out her name, causing her to look up. The usual haughty confidence that had been always there in Desiree’s eyes were replaced by flickers of shock when she us.She came to a halt right in front of us, staring at our faces as if we had caught her red handed or something.I barely had time to process her presence before Draven’s voice sliced through the tension. “What are you doing here?” Draven’s tone was sharp, authority laced in every syllable. Desiree tilted her head, an infuriating smile playing on her lips, “What does it look like? I mean, why do people even come to Hawaii? I am here for a mini vacation.” “I thought I made it very clear—no one leaves the pack.” Draven said, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone.Desiree shrugged nonchalantly, “Oh, I saw your little decree, Alpha. I just chose to ignore it.” I glanced at Draven, his jaw clenched
Emma's POVThe security room was a cramped, dimly lit space filled with monitors and buzzing equipment. The owner fumbled with the controls, his hands shaking as he brought up the footage from the day of the kidnapping. I stood to the side, my arms wrapped tightly around myself as I watched the grainy footage play out on the screens. Her mind raced with a whirlwind of emotions—fear, hope, anger, and an overwhelming gratitude for Draven. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He stood tall and unyielding, his sharp features illuminated by the flickering screens. There was something about him that made me feel safe, even in the face of the chaos surrounding us. “Here.” Draven said, pointing to one of the screens. The footage showed the children playing near the entrance of the restaurant, their laughter faint but audible. The grainy footage played on repeat, the flickering image of Asher and Ashel being dragged away at gunpoint seared into my mind. Three men—faceless, thei
Emma's POVMy mind was unable to process what was going on. Draven asked, “So, you were not intending to return my son if I stepped down from the position?”“Yes. We don't even have your son, Alpha.” The man said.“Where is he? How can I get him back?”“No idea.” He shrugged, “Maybe the group who has your son has a second task for you.”Draven was silent for a while, staring blankly at the screen. We could feel the tension well up in the room as his gaze intensified. Suddenly, he let out a chuckle confusing everyone.He let out a cold laughter before stopping abruptly, “The day I find you, I will wipe out your entire clan.”The man grunted before saying, “We will see about that. As for now, come get your kid.”The line went silent, indicating that the call was hung up.Draven stood up and came out of the room, I rushed to him immediately. Even though I heard everything, I was still in denial that our situation was so messed up. I asked him, “How is everything? You will get the kids b
Emma's POVDraven's phone beeped, notifying him of an incoming message. He checked it and the expression on his face told me that it was from those men. He said, “Okay, I will go now.”The Alpha played smart here and decided to attend the video call from the investigation room. Not only was there a camera to record everything, even we could watch everything unfold through the one way mirror. Before the call, Draven made sure to alter the investigation room to look more like a hotel room. He did not want the kidnappers to get the hint that we were already in talks with the cops.I was shivering involuntarily watching all of this unfold, and Alex was always there to tell me that it was alright and that we would find the kids. I didn't even have the strength in me to respond to him, all I did was nod mindlessly while my eyes were hooked on Draven.He sat down on the chair and opened the laptop in front of him. His fingers flew across the keyboard, creating a symphony out of the clicking
Emma's POVThe tension in the air was suffocating as I paced the small room, my heart racing in sync with my restless thoughts. The kids…Draven…The pack…Everything was in shambles, all because of me. I looked at Draven, he had been silent since the call was hung up. It was worrying me more and more. I have always seen him as a man who was clear about his next move, it was my first time seeing him so clueless. It was haunting me.Alex stood by my side protectively, even though he was bleeding he refused to leave me alone. I know he was blaming himself deep down as well. Just then I saw Robin walk into the room, his pace as brisk as always.“Alpha!” He greeted Draven who was silently staring at his phone.The man nodded his head in acknowledgment and asked, “Do we have anything?”Robin nodded and said, “They were smart and kept their IP bouncing but we managed to find their location. They are in the forest near the pack.”My eyes widened, a flicker of hope piercing through the dark
Draven's POVI looked him dead in the eye and said in the most impolite tone possible, “Stay out of this, Alex. You have no idea what you are dealing with. This is family business.”The mutt did not say anything but he did not break eye contact either. It was as if he was challenging me.Before I could say anything, Emma spoke up in her meek voice, “Let's not do this here…”I gave Alex a scornful look before asking Emma why she did not heed my order and come back to the pack. The Emma I have known for so long was not this irresponsible and definitely not someone who would put our kids at risk. I was desperate to know what changed.“I did not know it was serious.”Did not think it was serious? I did not know how to react to it. How can a summon given to the entire pack by the Alpha himself not be of importance? Why would anyone think it was not important unless…My eyes widened in shock as I realised. She did not take it seriously because she thought it was a bluff!I said, “You must h
Draven's POVI looked him dead in the eye and said in the most impolite tone possible, “Stay out of this, Alex. You have no idea what you are dealing with. This is family business.”The mutt did not say anything but he did not break eye contact either. It was as if he was challenging me.Before I could say anything, Emma spoke up in her meek voice, “Let's not do this here…”I gave Alex a scornful look before asking Emma why she did not heed my order and come back to the pack. The Emma I have known for so long was not this irresponsible and definitely not someone who would put our kids at risk. I was desperate to know what changed.“I did not know it was serious.”Did not think it was serious? I did not know how to react to it. How can a summon given to the entire pack by the Alpha himself not be of importance? Why would anyone think it was not important unless…My eyes widened in shock as I realised. She did not take it seriously because she thought it was a bluff!I said, “You must h
Draven's POVThe sound of the private jet’s engines faded as I descended the steps onto the Hawaiian tarmac, my strides purposeful and my mind consumed with worry. I didn't even have the time to properly pack or prepare. The moment I got to know that the children were missing, everything else had ceased to matter. Emma. The kids. My entire focus was on finding them and bringing them home. The sun blazed overhead, its warmth doing nothing to thaw the ice in my veins. As I approached the sleek black SUV waiting to take me to Emma’s resort from where the kids had vanished, Robin jogged up beside me. His phone was in his hand and his serious face was grim. "I just got the word." Robin said, falling into step, “Miss Whitemane has been arrested."I froze as his words didn’t register at first, "What did you just say?""Arrested.” Robin repeated, "Apparently, she caused a scene trying to find the kids. Police didn’t take kindly to it."My jaw tightened, the veins in my neck throbbing. A
Draven's POVThe scout barely had time to catch his breath as he came rushing into my cabin, “Alpha, we have an emergency.”The panic on his face was evident and I looked at Robin wordlessly. This matter seemed to require my urgent attention, so I hung up on the call and looked at him, “What happened!”The scout caught his breath and said, “We have new intel about the Rogues.”My eyebrows furrowed themselves and my ears perked up. It was never good news when it was about the Rogues.“They are rallying up into an organized force this time, not the usual scatterbrained attacks. Worse, they have a new benefactor, someone powerful enough to pull their strings.”“What?” Robin was shook. Someone was helping the Rogues? Why would anyone want to help those sinister, good for nothing?I inquired, “Are we positive?”“Yes. We are positive.” The scout, “Whatever they are planning, it is huge.”The implications were clear: danger wasn’t lurking in the shadows anymore; it was at the gates.I didn’