Emma's POVI squinted my eyes and shook my head in confusion, “Because of me?”She nodded, “Yes.” And proceeded to tell me what had happened and what all he had told her. I did not know how to react or what to say. To be honest, it seems reasonable. I would have done the same for him, I would never be friends with Alex's enemies. But how can I say it to Desiree without sounding mean?I replied diplomatically, “Maybe he is not trying to give up on his friend just like how you did not give up on Stella.”“No. You can't say that.” She protested, “Stella is in a coma, but I am here, talking to you and apologizing to him. Do you still think I support her?”What she said was thought provoking and I was rendered speechless again.Desiree said, “I know I have been troublesome in the past but it was just because of plain hatred. I am not heartless enough to support someone who tried to kill someone.”I nodded my head, “I think I might have had a wrong impression on you, after all.”“You do.”
Emma's POVA week passed by and I have no idea if Alexandr talked to Desiree or not. What I do know is Draven has taken back his case and he is no longer suing me. But he made sure to tell it to me clearly that if I try to pull any stunt on the day of the festival, he will make sure I pay for it.Asher and Ashel were excited about the festival, surprisingly. They were not looking forward to seeing their father but the festival itself. They had heard about it a lot growing up, and to experience it first-hand was something they were looking forward to.The costume that we wear on the day of the festival was specially made. Draven sent a dress designer to my house the very next day to get my measurements. He did not want any kind of delay or mishap on the day of the festival and was taking extreme precautions for it.Everyone in the hospital was pleasantly surprised that I would be hosting the festival this year and told me they were looking forward to it too.The whole pack was in the f
Emma's POVDraven and I continued with our work, even though we were in the same cabin, we did not talk. He was busy with his phone call meetings and I was busy with my head buried in the documents. He had just gotten off a phone call and had just kept his phone down. I asked, “Is everything sorted?”“Yes.” He nodded, “Everything is smooth so far. The extra reinforcement we are sending to the borders will reach there on time. I think everything is pretty much good. What about you?”“Just a few more documents and I am done too.”Draven nodded and leaned back on his chair, “Thank you for helping me out. I could not have done it without you.”I blushed; it felt good to have been praised by the almighty Alpha himself, who cherished his words like gold.In the past few days, while observing Draven and his work from a close proximity, I could not help but feel pity. Even when preparing for the festival, he had to go out every now and then to take care of his last minute Alpha duties. Even
Emma's POVThe empty street was flooding white by the petite snowflakes and the temperature was dropping drastically. I was wearing a simple sweater and it did not prove to be very helpful in keeping me warm. In no time, I was standing on the street, covered in snow and shivering.Fifteen minutes passed by, and I still had not managed to find a cab for myself. They were just mercilessly driving past me, not even caring that I was all alone and freezing.“Hey stop! Please! Asshole!” I cursed at the fifth cab which drove past me.My fingers were numb at this point and I needed warmth. Even rubbing them together or keeping them under my arm wasn't helping me much.I turned around to look at the pack house, how badly I wished to run inside and take cover but my ego would rather make me collapse than ask for help. The snow seemed to be messing with the network reception, neither was I able to access the internet to book a cab or call anyone to come pick me up.I was truly stuck…There was
Emma's POVHe did not wait for me to say anything and got out of the car. He walked up to my side and opened the car door, silently asking me to step out.I crossed my arms and turned away, “No. I am good.”“You haven't eaten anything since afternoon.”“I am not hungry.”I heard his wolf groan in frustration but there was no expression on Draven's face. He was calm as usual.Just when I thought that he had given up, he swiftly unbuckled my seatbelt and picked me up in his arms again. Before I could even realize it, I was dangling over his shoulder and watching him carry me inside.“Draven, you creep! Put me down.” He turned a deaf ear against my protest and carried me inside the cafe. We were inside now and the weird way he was carrying me attracted everyone’s attention. The guests stopped what they were doing and stared at us in confusion.“Alpha?” One of the customers asked, “Is everything alright?”“Yes.” He replied, “My wife is just upset. You can all go back to your work.”My f
Emma's POVI asked, “So, you don't have any fond memories of your childhood?”“No. I think I don't even know what it is supposed to feel like.”I grunted, agreeing with him, “You know, I relate with you.”“You do?” He raised an eyebrow, “But you were in the pack and Gamma Austin looks like he is a good father.”“He was a good father to my brother, not to me. Even though they adopted me and let me live with them, I was still an outsider.”“I am sorry you had to go through that.”“No no! Why are you sorry? Even you had a shitty childhood growing up.” I smiled at him, “It used to bother me once upon a time but it doesn't matter anymore.”“Yeah.” He took the last bite of his meal and said, “There is nothing we can do about it. It's long gone.”I opened my mouth to agree with him but shut up immediately when I remembered something. I put down my fork and grinned at him, “Let's go!”“Where?” I got up from my seat and grabbed his hand, “Let's go!”“But your food…”“Let's go go go!”I starte
Emma's POVDraven walked to the front and said, “I think that is enough. You will get dizzy.”“No, I am never getting off of this.” I said at the top of my voice. His face was clouding with worry seeing how fast this was going. He said, “Emma, I am serious. Get down! I don't have a good feeling about this.”“What are you worried about?” Just as soon as I said this, my hands slipped off the bar and I went flying off the swing.“Careful!” Time seemed to have slowed down as I found myself falling towards the ground. I closed my eyes, preparing myself to hit the ground but instead of the cold, hard ground, I fell on something soft but rigid.I stayed there for a while, feeling two arms tightening their grip around me. That was when I opened my eyes to see Draven heaving, there was a mask of fear and worry on his face.He somehow managed to work fast and grab me, saving me from falling off and breaking my nose.His clutch was so tight that I felt like my bones were about to crush. I was j
Emma's POVI was not expecting him to ask this question all of a sudden and did not have an answer for it. I stared at him, blinking blankly as I tried to come up with an answer.The dynamics…How did I forget about the dynamics between us? We are a couple going through a divorce. Today does not typically happen, how am I supposed to handle it?Draven stepped closer and asked, “You seem to have forgotten that we have applied for a divorce, Emma. I am fighting for custody of our children. I forced you to come to the festival.”His voice was as dark as his eyes and haunted me. I could feel the colours draining off my face as fear overtook my expressions.He growled, “Think about it, do you still want to be next to me? Don't you want to run away?” He took a step towards me and I involuntarily backed off. This caused him to stop and smirk, “Thought so.”He stepped back and turned to leave, welling me with guilt. “Draven, stop. I didn't mean to.” “You should stay away from me, Emma. I w
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