Draven's POVAs soon as Emma walked out of the room, Alpha Gracy fell on his chair, exhausted. He asked his Beta to take the contract Emma had just signed and keep it safe. Of course, he was prioritizing it like a gem, his daughter's life and death depended on it.I walked up to the window and slightly moved the curtains to see Emma striding off.Alpha Gracy's mansion was in a scheduled area with no cab or public transport services. She came here with Alex but he was already sent back to the Silvermoon pack to get his treatment done. There was no way she could find a ride back home.I called Robin and muttered to him, “Send a car to take her back to the pack and make sure she reaches home safely.”The Beta nodded and walked off.I kept watching Emma until the said car stopped next to her. After exchanging a few words, she hopped in and the car sped off.My phone pinged and it was just Robin sending me a thumbs-up sign, notifying me that the work was done.Just then, Alpha Gracy, who h
Emma's POVI walked out of the house without even knowing where I was or where I was supposed to. This was my first time coming to the riverside pack and I had no idea how it functioned. I was too prideful to go back in and ask for directions so I just walked on the one road in front of me, hoping I could reach a highway or something from where I could get a transportation back home.I only came here by the grace of Alex, since he was injured and unconscious in the hospital, I really had no one to contact or rely on.But fortunately, Alpha Gracy was not an asshole when it came to being a good host to his guests. A car drove in my direction and came to a halt right next to me. The driver explained that the Alpha has arranged for drivers to drop guests back to their home.“No no, I don't belong to the Riverside pack. I am from Silvermoon.” I explained and to my surprise, the driver smiled, “No problem. I will drop you back to the Silvermoon pack.”This was the second time I was this hap
Emma's POVThis was a huge moment. Asher never praised anyone, especially Alex. The two have an unspoken rivalry between them for some reason. Alex has tried numerous times to please Asher or at least get on his good side but the little guy never allowed him to have that.I am damn sure Alex would be in the ninth cloud if he hears Asher talking about him so highly.“I will make sure to convey it to him.” I said.“Yes. Tell him to keep protecting you like this until I am big enough to protect you.” The little kid said.I was in a much better mood now after seeing my kids. They just naturally put me in a good mood and make my day better if I was having a shitty one.Now, I wanted to mess with him.I said, “Sure. But he won't do it for free.”“What do you mean? What is even the meaning of the word ‘free’ here?” The little kid lifted his head from the plate.I said, “No one will want to keep risking their life for their friend. He will stop some day or another.”“Yeah, so who is asking hi
Emaa's POVAfter lunch, I went back to my room as I had to make up for the sleep I lost last night. As soon as I hit the bed, I had the thoughts about the banquet bother me but I still managed to fall asleep.By the time I woke up, the sky outside was almost dark. I dragged my tired body and went to the table to grab my phone. I had a bunch of missed calls and texts, most of them from the hospital. I hurriedly opened the text fearing that it was something bad. Luckily, it was not, they had just contacted me to inform me that Alex was awake.I was still in the same dress from yesterday. I was so tired that I slept with it.I finally removed it from my body and tossed it aside before stepping into the shower. I filled the bathtub with hot water and stayed in it for a while.The silence in the bathroom was extremely peaceful and gave me the room to process my thoughts.I exposed Stella to seek justice for myself so that everyone knows what she has done to me. Even if Alpha Gracy pushes i
Emma's POVI took the plate from him and nodded my thank you. In the shock of what all happened, I totally forgot that I had only bought one portion of the meal only for him. I stopped him, “I only got food for you. That won't be enough for you.”“It's ok. We can buy more later. There is no way I will eat without you.” Alex said as he made a seat for himself in the bed.I was not hungry and did not need the food right now but the way he was not willing to eat without me was warming up my heart. No one, not even my parents, have ever done this for me.I silently took a spoonful and put it in my mouth.Alex asked, “So, what happened?”“Huh?” I lifted my head in a daze.“The Stella situation.” He said, “I was… unconscious so I don't know what happened.”I was so absent minded that I realized that I had forgotten the reason why I came here. I put the plate on the table and stood up, “Alex, I am so sorry you got hurt because of me. You had to go through a surgery and I am so stupid that I d
Emma's POVAlex kept mum and looked at me for a while. I looked up at him, my vision was blurry because of my tears and I could not clearly see the expression on his face. I said, “I am not worthy of this. Don't torment yourself because of me.”I could not hold myself back anymore and let the tears pour down my cheeks. Alex finally spoke up, “Emma, I disagree with you.” “W-What?” He said, “Who made you feel like you are not worth it? You deserve more than the love I can ever give you.”“Why would you say that? I brought you nothing but misery.”“Whatever you give, even if it is misery, is a reward to me.” The man commented solemnly, “And it is my choice. I want to keep receiving it.”“I…” I choked on my tears. Alex reached out to wipe my tears but for some reason stopped midway. He withdrew his and and handed me a tissue instead, “Here, wipe your tears first.”I took the tissue from him and blew into it like a kid. While I was doing it, he said, “Emma. I don't want to hurt you but
Emma's POV“Hello, baby doll.” The man who said this had a mask on his face and only his eyes were visible. The dim lighting of the car wasn't helping me much either but his voice was imprinted in my head. “X?” I said and he shrugged his shoulders, “Did not expect me, did you?”“W-What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?”I could not believe that he was in front of me, in flesh and blood. I knew I was going to meet him but I never knew it would be today.“Your friend was admitted and you were not home. I made a lucky guess, I guess.” He said before signaling for me to come in, “Hop in.”“No.” I said. There was no way I was getting in the car with him. I don't even know if it was really him or just an imposter. Also, even if it was him, I don't know what his intentions were.“Why not?” He put his elbow on his seat and looked at me.I said, “I… I don't know what your intentions are. You can't just show up here and ask me to come with you. I don't even know you.”“Then let
Emma's POVI did not know what to do, I just stood there not knowing how to react.Why would he give me his gun?Does he trust me so much that I won't try to misuse the opportunity?Is it some kind of conspiracy to drag me down?Is that gun even real?X furrowed his eyebrows and bent down to match my height, “What is going on inside your tiny brain?”“I don't know if I can trust you.” I said, “I don't even know if you are real.”His eyes softened and he pulled back. He took out his phone and with a single hand, tapped a few times on the screen with his thumb. Once he stopped, my phone vibrated and I checked it.It was a message from X, saying, ‘I am real.’My grip on my phone tightened. There was no denying it anymore! He is indeed the man I have been talking with all this time.I had so many questions in my head.Why did he show up now?Why is he no longer keeping his identity a secret?What are his motives?I opened my mouth to say something but he interfered with me before I could
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