Emma's POVThe car was awfully silent as we drove down that lonely road. As we went further and further, away from the city, everything was getting silent and peaceful. I looked out of the window, enjoying the moon which was illuminating the night sky.Xavier looked over at me and said, “You are quiet.”“Hmmm?” I was startled and looked over at him.He smiled like a devil seeing me all fidgety and scared. He said, “It's hilarious.”“What is?”“You being so scared after talking so big in call.”My face flushed out of embarrassment and I looked away, refusing to participate in the conversation.He added, “You are so fearless all the time, but why are you being a scared kitten around me.”“I don't know. Maybe because I don't know you and you are taking me to some place I don't even know about.”He pretended to pout, “You cannot complain about me taking you out. I have made sure you have everything to feel safe. I even gave you my gun.”I had no answer for this. He did go above and beyond
Emma's POV“Like it?” He asked as he leaned on the car dashboard.“I love it. It's so beautiful.” I said with a smile.“I am glad.” I heard him say. I inhaled the pollution-free air of the hill; it was something I had never experienced before.I don't know when was the last time I found Silvermoon beautiful. Every time I looked at it, all I felt was hatred and disgust. The silence was hindered by the sound of a lighter being flicked. I turned around to see Xavier trying to light up a cigarette.“Hey.” I said and he looked up at me. I shook my head negatively and he understood what I meant.He flicked the lighter close and tucked it in his back pocket, “The lady doesn't like smoke?”“I don't mind usually but don't do it now.” I said, “Besides, is it fun to slowly kill yourself? You might as well jump down this hill if you are so keen on taking your own life.”“I play with my life enough.” He said and stood next to me. He said, “You know, this is my favorite place. I come here whenever
Emma's POVXavier has so many things like this that I could not understand if he was just joking or actually meaning those.I asked, trying to force a smile, “You are joking, right?”He did not say anything but the eerie silence was a resounding answer. I said, “Xavier, are you seriously contemplating killing someone?”“Yeah. What's the problem? She leaves Earth and leaves along with her your problems. Besides…” His tone turned chilling as he said, “She had the guts to even think about hurting you. She needs to face the consequences of hurting something I am protecting.”“You are out of your mind! You won't do any such thing.” At this point, I did not even consider the possibility that maybe killing someone is not within his power. I have seen his men kill my kidnappers mercilessly, that was enough to speak volumes about him as their boss.I said, “Also, Draven won't let it go if you hurt her.”“I will also take care of Draven.” My face turned as pale as a ghost, and I just stared at
Emma's POVA week passed just like that and there wasn't much development. I was continuing my work at the hospital and my kids were getting busier and busier with school stuff. Alexander was out of the hospital and he resumed his work for the divorce proceedings.This time, we had more evidence of Draven's atrocities and the case was stronger against him. I was heavily relieved because there was a huge chance of the verdict ending in my favour.There was not much time left so I was also going through job listings for once we moved out of this stupid pack.That day, I was in the common room, and we were chatting about the usual things. Our conversation got interrupted when a delivery guy knocked on our door.“Yes?” We all turned to look at him and asked.He checked the package in his hand and said, “I have a delivery for Emma Whitemane.”“Me?” I muttered and we all looked at each other in confusion.Sonia was the one who directed him towards me, “That's her. Emma Whitemane.”The deliv
Emma's POVAs soon as I hung up, I was bombarded with questions by the nurses. “Emma, who is this?”“Is he your boyfriend?” “Do we know him?”The girls were more excited about this than me and all I could do was laugh. I said, “No, he is not my boyfriend. He is just a friend.”“Is your friend rich?” Sonia asked.Merely was the one to reply, “He gifted her cookies that were worth hundreds of thousands. Of course, he is rich.”Sonia grinned, “What is his name? Is he single? Is he looking for a date?”I nodded, “He is single but I don't know if he is looking for a date.”“Oh, no worries. I would just like to know him.” She waved her hand, “What does he do?”“He is a businessman. He is currently in our pack to open a new branch here.”“Wow, he sounds super rich.”I shrugged my shoulders, “You can say that.”Sonia said, “I am intrigued. Emma, why don't you introduce this new friend of yours to us.”“Of course.” I said, “I am going to meet him at a bar after work. Would you two like to co
Emma's POVThe security guard did not answer our question but it was quite loud by his expressions that it was the case. My eyebrows knit themselves together, “This is ridiculous. We are coming back from work, we don't have time to put on something fancy for a bar.”“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem. I have seen plenty like you; you get your sugar daddy to get you the membership and walk in with your poor etiquette, corrupting the whole environment.”“Mister, watch your tone.” Sonia stepped in to defend me, “You can't just bad mouth us by assuming random things.”“I am assuming?” The guard laughed, “Florence is not a place everyone can hang out in. Just look around, this is not the place you belong.”I said, “We might not have money to squander on fancy dresses like this, but it doesn't mean that we don't fit in here, or you can stop us from entering.”“Yes, the only thing that we need to enter is the membership and we have that right here.” Sonia added.The guard, however, refused to
Xavier's POVGift giving is my love language and when I went to Italy for a business deal, I knew I had to get something for Emma from there. But what…Guns? No, she doesn't need them. She can't even shoot properly. I will teach her how to shoot, and then maybe I will buy her one for self defense.Fancy Pasta? She doesn't even like those and only eats them because her son likes them.After much contemplation, I settled on cookies. They were nice and sweet and she liked them too.I did not tell Emma about this and wanted to surprise her. I was glad that she liked them!After I hung up, I leaned back on my chair and looked at her picture framed on my table. My eyes turned mellow just by looking at her, this girl was like the first drop of rain on a barren land. Just then, my assistant walked in and whispered something in my ear. What he said made my eyes turn cold and I immediately got up from my seat.We went to the basement where my men had someone kneeling on his knees.“What do w
Emma's POVThe crowd stood there stunned and were talking amongst themselves. “He is the boss?”“No, he is not! I have seen Wilson and he does not look like this.”“Aren't you aware? Wilson sold Florence to XS Group.”“What? When?”“A few days ago. Wilson is not the boss anymore.”“So… the new boss would be the CEO of XS?”I picked up from the conversation. I had no idea that Xavier had bought Florence, but I wasn't surprised; he had already mentioned that he was here to expand his business. What better way to expand your business than by buying the largest commercial hub of the pack?The words that XS bought the bar quickly spread amongst the group and it caused a whole other set of arguments.“Ain’t no way he is Xavier Stone!”“He could be. No one has ever seen him in real life.”“Yes, no one has ever seen him. He is always secretive about his identity.”“Exactly. There is no way he would hang out here and reveal himself just like that.”“This man is looking for troubles, that's it
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