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 POV “Job offer?” I asked.Draven nodded and said, “I want to hire you as Ashel and Asher's nanny.”“Nanny?”“Yeah.” He said, “It's a win-win. You stay with them and take care of them and I will pay you for it.”I didn't know how to react to this. I asked, “What about after we divorce and I take away the kids?”“We can think about it later.” He said in a sharp tone, “You can start your work as a nanny now and we will figure it out later.”I smiled and said, “I understand what you are trying to do. I appreciate your good intentions but I enjoy my work and I am not looking for a career change.”“Hmm. Are you sure?”“Yes.” “Okay.” The man replied before saying, “I still want you to think about it. If you are interested, you can always ring me.”“Sure.” My cab was here so I had to leave. I kissed my kids goodbye and boarded the cab which took me straight to the hospital.Before leaving, I did one final check-up on Draven to determine that he was fine. I went to Doctor James's of
Emma's POVI narrated them the whole story and the initial excitement they had about this guy faded away drastically. Sonia was the first one to put down her foot, “This is scary. This man sounds like he has stalked you a lot. There is no other way he would know about you in such great detail. Emma, don’t unblock this man.”I nodded, “My son had the same thoughts, he said this man could be dangerous. That is why he made me block him in the first place.”While all of them agreed to this, Merely had some more perspective to add to this, “But, what if he is simply looking out for you.”Sonia rolled her eyes and dragged, “Merely, are you serious right now?”“No, no. Think about it.” The girl said, “We don't know if he was intentionally stalking her but even if he was, he never harmed her. Instead, he helped her out. Emma could have really lost Asher if not for that guy helping her with the link.”“What are you insinuating? He is looking out for her?”“Yeah, like some guardian angel.”Soni
Emma's POVMy composure crumbled. “Draven,” I choked out, “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I am hallucinating. I think I am losing my mind.”“Hey, hey. Breathe. Tell me what happened.”I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling as I sent him my location, “Please, hurry.”“I AM on my wa.,” he assured me. “Stay put.”Just as I hung up, movement caught my eye. A figure stood in the middle of the road, draped in a black robe.My pulse spiked. My instincts screamed at me to drive, to leave, but something held me in place. Slowly, I rolled down my window. “Do you need help?”No response.My phone chimed again. I glanced at the message from Draven—Almost there.When I lifted my gaze, the figure was gone.A shiver ran down my spine. I scanned the area, my breath catching when I turned to my side—The figure stood right next to my window.I barely had time to gasp. My heart slammed against my ribs, my chest tightening with panic. The woman’s hood cast deep shadows over her face, but I could f
Emma's POVJust when I thought that I was hearing things, I heard her again, “Mom… Can you hear me?”The voice was faint, distant, but unmistakable. My heart leaped into my throat and I gasped, my breath hitching as I heard the familiar voice echo through my head.“Ashel?” I called, my eyes darting frantically around the dimly lit space. But there was no one there, just the cold walls and the flickering bulb above me.My heart pounded against my ribs and I was dying to just hear her voice one more time. “Ashel!” I yelled again, desperation creeping into my voice.“Mom, please save me. I am scared.” Her unmistakable voice spoke to me.“I am here. I will get you, sweetie. Don’t be scared.” I pressed my ear against the door to see if anyone was there and heard the faint mutters of the housekeepers talking to themselves. I started pounding on the door with clenched fists, “Let me out!”The initial chatter stopped dramatically and there was dead silence now.A sharp wave of panic surged th
The air was thick with tension as I watched Traces disappear into the hallway, his silhouette fading into the distance of the Pack house. My heart twisted with unease. The children. Where were they? Were they safe? Every second that passed felt like an eternity, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on my chest like an iron hand.And then, out of nowhere, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. The ground beneath me tilted, my vision blurring at the edges. A soft gasp escaped my lips as my knees buckled. I tried to stabilize myself and grab something to help me from falling but alas, it was too late. I didn't even have time to prepare or understand what was going on, I just felt my body fall towards the ground.I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact but before I could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught me mid-fall. The scent of embers and something unmistakably him enveloped me, steadying me even as my head spun."Emma!" Draven’s voice was sharp with concern, his gr
Emma's POVThe air was thick with tension as I watched Traces disappear into the hallway, his silhouette fading into the distance of the Pack house. My heart twisted with unease. The children. Where were they? Were they safe? Every second that passed felt like an eternity, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on my chest like an iron hand.And then, out of nowhere, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. The ground beneath me tilted, my vision blurring at the edges. A soft gasp escaped my lips as my knees buckled. I tried to stabilize myself and grab something to help me from falling but alas, it was too late. I didn't even have time to prepare or understand what was going on, I just felt my body fall towards the ground.I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact but before I could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught me mid-fall. The scent of embers and something unmistakably him enveloped me, steadying me even as my head spun."Emma!" Draven’s voice was sharp with conc
Emma's POVMy fingers curled around the armrest as the plane finally touched down. The turbulence had been mild, but my exhaustion made everything feel heavier, the vibrations of the landing rumbling through my already tense body. More than twenty-four hours had passed since I last slept, but fatigue had yet to claim me. Restlessness coiled tight in my chest, refusing to let go.I stole a glance at Draven beside me. He was checking his phone, his sharp features set in a mask of unreadable focus. The moment the aircraft doors opened and we stepped into the terminal, his phone rang. The distinct vibration pattern told me it was Robin. Draven did not even waste a second and picked up the call immediately.“What is it?” His voice was low and controlled, but I could sense the undercurrent of tension.I stayed close as he listened, his expression darkening with every second. By the time he hung up, his jaw was clenched so tight I thought it might crack.He asked, “Are you sure you have the
Alex's POVDesiree froze on her spot and looked at me and Robin simultaneously, “What? Was I not supposed to say that out loud?”I narrowed my eyes as I gestured toward the tattoo on the grainy surveillance photo, “Do you even know what this means?”Desiree scoffed, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips as she crossed her arms, “Of course I do. I spent the majority of my life in Italy, Alex. You think I wouldn’t know about the underworld?”“Desiree, I swear on the Moon Goddess I will send you back to the pack on the very next flight if you are playing around with me.”“I don’t need to, Mr Frost. I am already bored here, I won’t give you a useless puzzle to solve so that you spend more time here investigating. Honestly, I just want to get out of here.”Robin and I exchanged glances, not sure how to react to this new information that was revealed to us. The girl looked too confident in what she was saying, there was no way she could be messing with us. But still, we could not blind
Alex's POVI stood near the edge of the tarmac, arms crossed, watching as Draven and Emma disappeared into the terminal. I could not shake Emma’s worried face off my head, Ashel and Asher were her whole life, and losing them was putting her in a spiral. I exhaled sharply, pushing away the gnawing feeling of unease that settled in my gut. For some reason, I felt like this was happening all because of me. I was the one who bought them here, I was the one who was responsible for their safety. I should have looked after them, but instead, I slacked off and now not only Emma’s family but the entire pack was in shambles.I have to find the kids, no matter what! And I had no time to waste, the time was ticking fast and I had to be quick.Just as I turned on my heel, ready to leave, a slow, deliberate smirk caught my attention. Desiree.She stood a few feet away, her arms lazily draped across her chest, eyes gleaming with a knowing amusement that instantly put me on edge. My jaw clenched seei
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