Emma's POVXavier dropped me off at the gates of my complex and I walked in after saying my good nights. It was a fun day, I had even bought a dessert along with me which Xavier said was the restaurant’s delicacy. I was excited to try it with my kids and talk to them about their day.I walked in on the door to see the whole house engulfed in a strange atmosphere. The housekeepers were eerily quiet as they did their work and looked as if they were under some pressure.I removed my bag and kept it on the floor, asking, “Hey, what is wrong? Why do you all look so weird?”Jada, who was busy changing the tablecloth, shivered visibly when I spoke up. “Miss Whitemane…” She spoke softly, a mask of fear in her face.I furrowed, seeing her change the tablecloth. I asked, “What are you doing? Why are you tidying up the table out of the blue? And where did you get that tablecloth from, don't remember buying it.”“Because I asked her to.” Draven spoke up from behind me, scaring the literal hell ou
Emma's POVAfter Draven left, I sat down on the sofa exhausted. I asked the girls to stop working and relax. As soon as he left, the atmosphere of the whole house started to relax. His presence overwhelmed everyone one of us, especially me.Asher and Ashel, who seemed to have heard the commotion downstairs, came out of their room to check on me.“Mom?” Asher asked, “What is all this about? Who came?”He looked out of the door to see if anyone was there, but Draven was long gone.I said, “Nothing, baby. It was just someone with a wrong address.”“Are you sure?” He raised an eyebrow in doubt, “You seemed to be arguing with that person.”“He was a little confused so we had to put a little sense in him. It's alright.”The kids nodded and came to hug me. We chatted about our day and during this time, they asked me if I ate.I guiltily nodded, “Yes. I have already had my dinner.”“Oh, a night out with the girls?”“Sort off.” I did not want to introduce my kids to Xavier yet. It would be too
Emma's POVI asked the Chief for permission to step out for a while and he agreed. After that, I drove straight to the pack house, determined to meet Draven.Enough is enough! I was not going to let him do whatever he wanted anymore.I got out of the cab and walked towards the gigantic tower. The security at the door stood up, seeing me. “Miss Whitemane…”Before he could say anything, I asked, “Is your Alpha inside?”“Yes, but…”I did not wait for him to say anything and directly stormed inside.The security person helplessly chased after me, trying to tell me that the Alpha was busy but I was not ready to hear anything. I went into the lift, and he watched me go to the topmost floor helplessly.After I got off, I went straight to Draven's cabin.Robin, who was just getting out of that room with his nose buried inside a document, looked up to see me. The colour on his face drained, “Miss Whitemane? What are you doing here?”“Step aside, Robin. I am here to see Draven.”“But…”I opene
Emma's POVMoon festival? As his Luna?I felt like throwing up. If there were two things I hated the most in this entire world, it would be Moon Festival and being Draven's Luna again.Moon Festival is the most important ritual for every pack done in the honour of the Moon Goddess herself. This ritual was celebrated once in three years during the night of Emrald Moon. If not done properly, the legends has it that the Moon Goddess would shower the pack with problems and turmoils.There was once a time when I used to look forward to this festival as it was one of those rare occasions when I would be respected and acknowledged as the Luna of the pack. But when the day of the festival actually came, I loathed it!The festival fell during the first year of our marriage. I was so desperate for the acknowledgement and love that I went above and beyond for the preparation.I was really looking forward to it but during the final day…I dressed up and went to the temple only to see that Sherra
Emma's POV“No.” He stood up from his seat and walked towards me, “The ritual can't be performed without the Luna. You will have to attend the ceremony whether you like it or not.”I rolled my eyes, “This just doesn't make any sense.” I paused and said, “How about the last time this happened? How did you do it?”“We assumed that you were dead, so we did it without the Luna. But you turned out to be very much alive! All the pack members think this is the reason our pack has been going through a rough time lately.”“Wait. You all blame me for the recent attacks?” I was stunned to discover this. I remember the meeting that was happening and asked, “That meeting a few minutes ago, was that about me?”“Yes.” Draven said, “The whole pack board agrees that you have to be present. You don't have any choice.”“You can't force me.”“Actually, I can.” He said and stepped close, towering over me, “If you attend this festival as my Luna, I will withdraw the case.”“You will?”“Yes.”At this point,
Desiree's POVMy life hasn't been the same since the Pack banquet. As the daughter of the Alpha and the sister of the future Alpha, I held a position of authority from a very young age. People feared me, and no one ever dared to speak against me; what I said was set in stone. Growing up with no one ever daring to question me did get in my head. I used to believe that no matter what I did, there was not a tongue which would slither against me. This bubble of mine burst brutally that evening. I have bullied Emma a lot of times in the past. I hated her for sobbing the life which rightfully belonged to my friend and I never even tried to hide it. I would trouble her whenever I would get a chance, even if she was not at fault, no one ever dared to stop me.Alex was the first man ever to call me out and humiliate me in public. That night, after he sent me back home, I was upset. This was my first time ever being proved wrong or sent out. I could not stop thinking about him. Who was he? W
Desiree's POVI left the Riverside pack early, claiming that I had some business to take care of in Silvermoon, but the truth was I came here just to meet him. That day when I showed up to his ward, I was nervous! I knew that he would be associating me with Stella and would not want to meet me. Also, if I was going to apologize, I would have to come clean that it was me who invited him.Given the current dynamics, it would look extremely suspicious of me to have invited him out of nowhere. He would have a lot of questions and I had to be prepared to answer them.I bought a bunch of roses, asked the receptionist about his whereabouts and made my way to his ward. I was feeling confident when I was still in the elevator but once it reached his floor and I stepped out, I started to panic. The fright within me only grew stronger when I spotted the door to his ward. I stood in front of the closed door and took in a deep breath. My heart was beating so fast that I felt it would leap out of
Emma's POVSeeing Desiree run over to me was something I never expected to see in this lifetime. I did not know what to feel about it! I was already having a bad day because of her brother; bickering with her was something I could not take for today.Natalie looked at me and whispered, “Should we dash?”“She saw us! It would be pretty of us to just run away.”“Why should we not run away? That woman is literally a devil's spawn.” Natalie gnashed her teeth. Because of her position as the pack’s ambassador, Natalie was forced to have a diplomatic relationship with everyone. This was the only reason she was putting up with the whole Sinclair family, especially Desiree. If she was not the face of the pack, she would have long jumped that spoiled brat for the things she put me through.I took in a deep breath and prepared for whatever bullshit was coming my way.Desiree stopped in front of us and caught her breath. To my utter surprise, she smiled at me and asked, “How are you? I did not ex
Emma's POVAlex held his ground, but I could see the tension in his posture. He was trying to defuse the situation, to keep Draven from escalating further.I said, “Let's… Let's not do this. I…”Draven turned to me, almost screaming in my face, “Why are you like this, Emma? Why are you so stubborn? Why could you not just listen to me?”“I…” I did not have any answer for it, “I did not know it was serious…”He scoffed, “You must have thought that I was doing it to sabotage your little vacation, didn't you?”I pursed my lips, too ashamed to admit it. I have lost my kids because of my pride and ego, how can I ever admit to doing something so horrible?Draven started again, “You have lost the kids, Emma! It is entirely your fault.”His words were hitting me like nail hitting the coffins. I felt my eyes stinging with tears as I kept staring at my feet. I could not even look up to meet his eyes! Even though Draven was not the best father, he always made sure to go an extra mile to make sure
Emma's POVI barely registered his words. Everything in me screamed that the twins were out there, somewhere, and I wasn’t about to let anyone stand in my way.I shoved the door open, but before I could take a step inside, two large hands grabbed me from behind. "Let go!" I yelled, but the grip tightened, pulling me away from the room."Emma!" Alex shouted, but he was too far away. One of the restaurant workers was holding him back now, pinning him against the counter."Let go of me!" I screamed and struggled in the man’s arms. And before I could realise, I threw a punch across his face, "I need to see them! I need to know where they are! Step away from me!”“That's it. I am calling the cops.” The owner immediately ran away, tapping on his phone when he was unable to control the crowd, "Yes, officer, I need you to send someone to the restaurant. We have a disturbance here."I could hear the sirens before I even realized it, their sound cutting through the air like a knife. My breath c
Emma's POVThe restaurant buzzed with chatter and the clinking of silverware, but none of it mattered to me. The noise and the laughter all faded into the background as my gaze swept desperately across the room. The twins were nowhere to be seen.I checked the corners, scanning every table, hoping to catch a glimpse of their faces. Nothing. I could not find them anywhere!My heart hammered in my chest as panic started to crawl under my skin. It was unlike them to wander off, to be out of my sight for so long. I forced myself to breathe, taking slow, deliberate breaths as I stood up from the table."Excuse me." I said, my voice tight as I approached the nearest waitress, "Have you seen two children, about six years old? Twins, a boy and a girl?"The young woman blinked at me, her eyes wide with confusion, "I am sorry, ma’am, I haven’t seen any kids around here."Frustration coiled inside me, but I forced myself to stay calm, "Are you sure? They were just here, playing around."She ga
Emma's POVThe message from Alpha Draven echoed in my mind like an incessant drumbeat. The vacation we had been looking forward to had just turned into another reminder of how little control we had over our lives. The bright, tropical island surrounding us seemed like a cruel joke now, a stark contrast to the dark cloud hovering over us.I glanced at Alex, still holding his phone in his hand, eyes narrowed in concern. I asked, “Why suddenly? Om what grounds is he asking us to return.”“Apparently there has been some intel that the rogues are planning to attack us. He wants everyone to return to the pack for safety purposes.”I wasn’t buying it. Not for a second.“So, let me get this straight.” I said, my voice clipped, trying to control the growing irritation in my chest, “Draven wants us to return to the pack because there’s some rogue attack coming? That’s why he’s pulling us back in the middle of our vacation?”Alex sighed, looking like he was weighing whether to argue or just give
Emma's POVThe suggestion hung in the air between us, filling the silence with a potential that both excited and intimidated me. “A trip?” Ashel echoed, her interest piqued.“Yeah,” Alex said, looking over at me. “A little getaway. Get out of the house for a while. Change of scenery might do you all good.”He continued further, “It’s been a tough few weeks, Emma, for all of you. Maybe a change of scenery will help you all take your minds off things. The kids will get a break from school, and you will get some time to breathe.”I didn’t know how I felt about it at first. A trip meant leaving the comfort of home, leaving the familiar, and that terrified me. But then again, Alex had a way of making things seem simpler than they were. Maybe I needed that. Maybe we all did.I glanced at Asher and Ashel, who were now both eagerly nodding, their faces lighting up at the idea of an adventure. “You think it would help?” I asked Alex, my voice quieter now, almost uncertain.“Of course.” He sai
Emma's POVThe man's eyes softened when he heard my words. He pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to me like a gentleman, “We are always here for you, Emma. I am not quite sure about others but I can vouch for myself, I am definitely here for you and I always will be.”His words made me smile, for some reason it was silly to hear all these heartwarming words from an emotionally stoic man.“Thank you…”He stared into my eyes, “Don't thank me. To be honest, I am sorry that you felt alone and as if you had no one in your life. I should have expressed it better.”I hugged him and said, “It means a lot, Ducian.”The man walked a single arm around me and said in the same stoic tone, “You mean a lot to me, Emma. More than I can ever express.’The next day…The soft chime of the doorbell echoed through the quiet house, stirring me from the haze of thoughts that had consumed me all morning. My gaze flickered towards the front door as I sat up on the couch, cradling a cup of lukewarm coffe
Emma's POVThat night, after the twins had gone to bed, I couldn’t shake the restless feeling that gnawed at me. Natalie, Alex and the girls from the hospital kept calling me to check on me every now and then. Merely even dropped by to see how I was doing after her shift ended.These people did not just make me feel loved but also secured. It felt nice to see people actually care about me but I was still not content.I needed to do something, anything, to regain control over my life. I had been working at the hospital for four months now and despite everything, it had been a place of stability. But now, in the wake of everything that had happened, I couldn’t help but feel like it was another part of the life I was trying to leave behind. I needed to move forward, I knew I was going to move out of this pack very soon and restart my life. I did not want to stalk it anymore, I wanted to start the process of moving on right away.Without thinking, I grabbed my coat and left the house, hea
Emma's POVI sat in the car for a while, left with no strength to walk out. Alex asked, “Do you want me to go in with you?” He knew what I was the most scared of and why I was stalling to go inside the house.I pursed my lips and did not lift my head, “She really thought we could get back together. It just breaks my heart that I will have to go inside and tell her the truth.”Alex covered my hand with his palm and said, “Ashel is a sensible kid. She was in the ward yesterday when Draven came demanding for divorce. She will not blame you.”I smiled in heartbreak, “She won't blame me even if it was just me being selfish. That's the thing, she is too kind to be hurt like this.” I continued, “All she ever wanted was a father and I failed miserably in providing her that.”“Don't say that.” He said, “You are a damn good mother! You have been both a father and mother figure to the kids since they were born.”His words gave me comfort but not the courage to go inside. I stared at the door, tak
Draven's POVThat thought slipped into my mind, unbidden, but it felt true. If I hadn’t married her, she wouldn’t be in danger. She would be safe. She would still be the Emma I had met all those years ago, the one with a future untouched by darkness, untainted by my mistakes.I lifted my head and shoved the ring back in my pocket. I had to do this! I have failed her multiple times, I am not going to fail in protecting her.But the clock was ticking.I couldn’t change what had happened. I couldn’t undo the call, couldn’t turn back time and tell her the truth. If I told her now, it would only put her in more danger. The man who threatened her was real. He was dangerous. And if I didn’t follow through, if I didn’t protect her the only way I knew how, I would lose her for good.I had already lost her, in a way. I had watched her crumble, her heart breaking under the weight of my words, and I had stood by, doing nothing. But this—this was the end. I was no hero. I wasn’t the man she thoug