Emma's POVPetty?No.Petty would not even begin to describe him.I silently took the card and nodded. Draven did not stick there any longer and walked out of the door.Fine! Since he was so insistent that I spend his money, I will make sure he regrets it. It was not like I was getting any alimony from him, I might treat this as my little revenge.I drove to the nearest fancy restaurant where one meal cost in thousands. Even though it was not a rush hour, one required to reserve a table to go inside.I booked a table online and once it was confirmed, I drove over.I parked my car in the restaurant's parking lot and walked inside.To my surprise, I was stopped by the security.“You can't go inside.” The tall man in black suit said to me.“Why?” I asked, “I have made the reservation already.” I took my phone from my bag and proceeded to unlock it but he stopped me, “No. There is no need for this, you can't go inside.”I was starting to get frustrated now.I asked, “Why? Can you give me
Emma's POVPetty?No.Petty would not even begin to describe him.I silently took the card and nodded. Draven did not stick there any longer and walked out of the door.Fine! Since he was so insistent that I spend his money, I will make sure he regrets it. It was not like I was getting any alimony from him, I might treat this as my little revenge.I drove to the nearest fancy restaurant where one meal cost in thousands. Even though it was not a rush hour, one required to reserve a table to go inside.I booked a table online and once it was confirmed, I drove over.I parked my car in the restaurant's parking lot and walked inside.To my surprise, I was stopped by the security.“You can't go inside.” The tall man in black suit said to me.“Why?” I asked, “I have made the reservation already.” I took my phone from my bag and proceeded to unlock it but he stopped me, “No. There is no need for this, you can't go inside.”I was starting to get frustrated now.I asked, “Why? Can you give me
Emma's POV“Alpha.” The staff immediately stood upright and lowered their gazes. Draven glared at them and did not acknowledge their greetings. Instead, he looked down at me and asked, “Are you okay?”I steered my eyes away from him and blinked my eyes furiously to fight back my tears. “I am fine.” My voice cracked and he seemed to have noticed it. Without a warning, he pinched my cheek and forced me to look up.His eyes widened in shock when he saw the tears in mine.He asked in a murderous tone, “What happened?”“It's nothing. Let's go.” I tried to walk past him and go outside but before I could, he grabbed my hand and forced me to stop. He asked again, his tone far scarier than the last time, “I asked what happened.”When the man uses his Alpha tone, there is nothing much we can do other than succumb to his orders.I narrated everything that happened to him and watched his expression turn from ugly to worse.After I was done talking, he directly looked up at the two staff behind
Emma's POV Sometime after we dismissed the staff, Draven's legal team came with the business transfer contract. The owner of the restaurant signed but I could tell by his expressions that he was not happy about it. He started this business from scratch when he was very young and raised this empire with his blood, sweat, and tears. Even though Draven was paying thrice the price of the whole business, it still felt unjust to do something like this to him.I turned down the offer, Draven only asked me the reason once and when I told him my view on this, he respected this.He gave back the business to the owner who was smiling ear to ear after this. He thanked me for being grateful and apologized wholeheartedly for the inconvenience.Draven remembered to give him his one final warning and told him there wouldn't be any mercy the second time.The owner wanted to treat us to a meal but I turned it down.I had no appetite after all this and my only thoughts were to head back home.“Where a
Emma's POVIt only took a blink for the man to adjust his emotions and go back to being an expressionless robot. He came in and looked at her luggage, “You didn't tell me you were going to come back early.”“I wasn't planning to but my father told me about the fight that ensued in the territory. I was worried so I came back home.” Stella said with the same amazingly sweet smile.Bullshit! She was definitely lying! She must have heard that I was living in the Alpha's house, causing her to abandon whatever she was doing and head back home.Draven's reply was a small grunt. He was about to leave when Stella said, “You both are sleeping together?”“Huh?”“What?”Draven and I asked in unison. Stella apologetically giggled and said, “I saw Emma's things in this room. So I assumed she is staying in this room with you, Alpha.”I was about to say something but the Alpha interrupted me first.“Yes. We are sharing the same room.”I looked at Draven in shock. How can he say something this seriou
Emma's POVI stopped in my tracks with Asher and turned my head to look at the little girl looking up at her father. The whole garden fell eerily silent, it was so quiet that I could feel my heart pounding within me in nervousness.I stole a glance at Stella, she had stopped whatever she was typing on her laptop and was staring at her screen blankly. It was evident that her whole conversation was on the topic now, she did not want to make it obvious.I then looked at Draven, the man pulled the phone away from his ear and returned my gaze.Why was she asking him this?This was not part of the plan?I said, “Ashel, daddy won't be able to join us. See, he is busy.”“Is that true, Daddy?” The little girl's smile started to fade.“Yes.” Draven said in a stern tone. His reply visibly saddened the little girl. She was about to give up when the man disconnected his call without a warning. He put the phone inside his pocket and said, “But it's okay, we can go.”Ashel was thrilled and I was sho
Emma's POVWhen I turned around involuntarily to the voice that called me, all I could see was a pair of eyes with anger gleaming in them. Draven took long strides towards me, his eyes were locked with mine as if he was questioning me what was happening.I froze, my whole body shut down as if I had malfunctioned.“Draven…” Stella cried out, she sounded as if she was in pain. Her cry for help grabbed Draven's attention and he changed his course towards her. “Stella, are you okay?” He went inside the pond himself and helped her stand up. The girl stumbled before revealing a huge cut on her leg.Draven's expression turned angrier when he saw that she was bleeding.“Mom…” Ashel and Asher grabbed my hand but I stood there blankly, not knowing what to say.“What happened?” He asked.“I…” Stella looked at me and quivered, “I tried to initiate conversation with Emma but she kept being rude to me. When I asked her why she was angry, she told me that I was coming between you and her. She blamed
Emma's POV “Fine. I am calling the cops.” He pulled out his phone and was tapping on the screen.“Mom…” Ashel was so scared that she was on the verge of tears. I had to take care of the kids. If I go behind the bars, what will happen to them?“Fine.” I stopped Draven and was about to apologize when Ashef spoke out of nowhere, “Wait.” Draven looked at the little kid and asked, “What is it?”“My mom won't be apologizing.” The boy said firmly, shocking all of us.Draven's already grim expression turned grimmer, he asked, “Why won't she?”“I trust my mom. If she says she didn't do it, she didn't do it.” He replied, crisp and clear. Even though his voice was still childish and hasn't developed yet, he sounded as serious as an adult. The Alpha said, “Then how do you explain what happened?”“I don't have an answer to that yet but I am sure there is a logical explanation to it.”Draven took in a deep breath and got on his knees to match the kid's height. In a much calmer tone, he said, “A
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