Emma's POVI was stunned at Alex’s answer; it started off normally but he ended it in a vague way. As soon as these words left his mouth, the reporters started to note them down furiously. This moment I knew what would be the front page headline in tomorrow’s newspaper. Alex excused us and folded up the interview, all this while I kept a pretentious smile on my face. We hooked hands and went inside the lobby, when I made sure that no one could hear us, I asked, “What was that?”“What was what?”“Your answer. You just gave them a free scoop.” I said.“No, I did not. I was merely stating the fact that you might start dating someone in the future. I just said that it could also be me.”“Yeah… But… We are not ever gonna date, Alex. we are just friends.” I said hesitantly. I did not want to beat around the bush or hurt him with my blunt honesty.He stopped and turned his head towards me, reaching out to tuck my bangs behind my ears, "But the Alpha doesn't know that."Just when he said thos
Emma's POV'I did not know she tricked the Alpha into marrying her. No wonder he hated her so much.''This is despicable. How can you even think about stealing your friend's man when they are in a coma.''She acted like a saint and demanded divorce as if she was not the one in the wrong. I can't believe people can be so shameless.''Not only did she do something so heinous, she even dared to bully Miss Gracy.'I could hear the cacophony of people trashing me loud and clear, it was as if they were not even trying to be discreet. Some people came to comfort Stella as she kept sobbing. "What is happening here? What is with all the crowd?" A haughty, feminine voice rang behind my back. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around to see if it was who I thought it was. I was not mistaken, it was indeed Desiree Sinclair.Desiree was Draven's younger sister. She was in Italy all this time, pursuing her career in fashion design. She left the pack when I was still with Draven, when did she come ba
Emma's POVNo matter where we went, I had people look at me and start whispering to themselves. I shook my head and looked away but Alex noticed this. He said, "We can leave if you want.""No, are you crazy? Why would we leave? We just arrived." "Are you not bothered by the people talking?""I am not. All I want is to get my divorce papers signed by Draven. I am willing to do whatever it takes."Alex and I walked over to the bar and ordered ourselves a margarita. I was an occasional drinker and today seemed to be a good enough occasion to get drunk. We both sat on the chair next to the stand and were waiting for our drinks. Just then, one of his colleagues walked over and whispered something in his ear.Alex listened to him calmly and asked, "Do I have to come over right now?""I would say. The higher-ups are waiting." The man whispered."Okay." Alex got off his chair and put on the coat buttons smartly.I asked, "Is everything alright?""Yeah. It's just a small, member-only meeting
Emma's POVDraven walked away, leaving Robin behind. The man tried to help me but he was warned by his Alpha to follow him out."But Alpha…""I said we are leaving.""Yes, sir."The two men left, leaving me all by myself on the roof. The night was freezing and the only source of heat was my burning divorce papers, which were going out too. I stood at the edge of the roof when Alex called me. I told him that I was in the roof and he immediately rushed to meet me."Emma? What are you doing here? And what the hell is this?" He looked at the ashes in the ground and the burning smell which intoxicated the air.I turned to look at him and said with a straight face, "It's the divorce papers. Draven burnt it and told me that he is not going to divorce me."The man touched the bridge of his nose, "I am sorry, this is all my fault.""No. You are not responsible for my decisions. I married that monster of a man." I said.Alex stepped on the pile of ashes to put out the leftover fire and shoved h
Draven's POVThe atmosphere in the car was grim and I knew it was all because of me. Robin was staring straight ahead at the road, too afraid to even move an inch while my sister and Stella were at the backseat. A few moments later, Desiree spoke up, “That was some welcome.”Her complaining like a brat was the last straw of my patience. I asked, “Why did you come back?”Desiree was taken aback by my question, she said, "What do you mean why did I come back? I was gone for so long, you did not want me to come back?"I touched my temples, I sent Desiree away to Italy as a punishment when I caught her trying to frame Emma. I always knew that the women in my house were mean to my wife, she never complained and suffered in silence but what happened that day was something I could not ignore.I caught Desiree trying to spike Emma's drink. When I asked her why, she told me that she wanted Emma to cheat on me so that I could have a reason to get rid of her.My sister was just trying to help me
Draven's POV“Good! Good… She was a good-for-nothing-for-nothing anyway. I am happy that we are finally getting rid of her.” My mother complained and went back to reading her magazine.Since the topic was over, I decided to go upstairs and sort things out with my kids. Just when I was about to leave, Desiree asked, “Draven, who are those kids?”“Kids? What kids?” My mother asked, making me stop on my strides. I swear on the Moon Goddess herself, if I could, I would have strangled my sister right now. Desiree ignored my glare at her and continued her conversation with Mom, “You have not met them yet? They were upstairs when I was getting ready for the Ball. I did not have time to ask them who they were since I was in a hurry.”“Is that so? Who are they, Draven?” My mother asked me, “Why are there kids in your house?”Robin stepped in and said, “They are my niece and nephew.”“Niece and Nephew?” Desiree raised an eyebrow, “I never knew you had them.” She looked at the housekeeper clean
Emma's POV“Shit! Shit! Shit!” All the drinks last night did me dirty as I slept off my alarm today. Since I took half a day's leave yesterday, I had to make up for it by taking today's morning shift. I thought the girls could use some rest so I agreed to this plan, I clearly did overestimate the influence of alcohol over me.I grabbed a slice of bread and chugged up a glass of milk, rushing outside to catch my bus. As I was making my way out, I saw a new car parked outside, and standing next to it were two men clad in suits. They had no expression on their face but their watchful eyes followed me. I ignored them as I did not have time to investigate this and made my way out of the complex. But then, I was stopped by the same two men, “Miss Whitemane.”“Yes?” I stopped to answer. They said, “I am Henry and he is Marcus. We work for the Alpha.”“Oh, him.” My expressions turned sour just by the mention of that man. I said, “What does he want now?”“Alpha wants to meet you. He asked us
Emma's POV Draven watched as I signed the contract, I did not even read it because… what’s the point? He won't let me change a thing about it even if I don't like it.He secured the documents and locked them inside a briefcase, “Good. You can have the kids now.”“Where are they? Can I take them home with me now?” I asked. I was eager to meet my kids.Draven stood up and said, “They are not with me right now. They are with Robin.”“Oh.” I mused, “I can go and pick them up.”“No, need for that. We have something important to do before that.”“What?” The man picked up his jacket and car keys, “Come with me.”“Where?” Again, utter silence. Asking this man a question was like throwing a stone in the ocean. Completely useless! I rolled my eyes and followed him behind. We got into the elevator and he called his receptionist to inform her that he was heading out and canceled all his meetings for the day.We got into his car and the car set out in the city. None of us talked, he was starin
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
Emma's POVMy mind was unable to process what was going on. Draven asked, “So, you were not intending to return my son if I stepped down from the position?”“Yes. We don't even have your son, Alpha.” The man said.“Where is he? How can I get him back?”“No idea.” He shrugged, “Maybe the group who has your son has a second task for you.”Draven was silent for a while, staring blankly at the screen. We could feel the tension well up in the room as his gaze intensified. Suddenly, he let out a chuckle confusing everyone.He let out a cold laughter before stopping abruptly, “The day I find you, I will wipe out your entire clan.”The man grunted before saying, “We will see about that. As for now, come get your kid.”The line went silent, indicating that the call was hung up.Draven stood up and came out of the room, I rushed to him immediately. Even though I heard everything, I was still in denial that our situation was so messed up. I asked him, “How is everything? You will get the kids b
Emma's POVDraven's phone beeped, notifying him of an incoming message. He checked it and the expression on his face told me that it was from those men. He said, “Okay, I will go now.”The Alpha played smart here and decided to attend the video call from the investigation room. Not only was there a camera to record everything, even we could watch everything unfold through the one way mirror. Before the call, Draven made sure to alter the investigation room to look more like a hotel room. He did not want the kidnappers to get the hint that we were already in talks with the cops.I was shivering involuntarily watching all of this unfold, and Alex was always there to tell me that it was alright and that we would find the kids. I didn't even have the strength in me to respond to him, all I did was nod mindlessly while my eyes were hooked on Draven.He sat down on the chair and opened the laptop in front of him. His fingers flew across the keyboard, creating a symphony out of the clicking
Emma's POVThe tension in the air was suffocating as I paced the small room, my heart racing in sync with my restless thoughts. The kids…Draven…The pack…Everything was in shambles, all because of me. I looked at Draven, he had been silent since the call was hung up. It was worrying me more and more. I have always seen him as a man who was clear about his next move, it was my first time seeing him so clueless. It was haunting me.Alex stood by my side protectively, even though he was bleeding he refused to leave me alone. I know he was blaming himself deep down as well. Just then I saw Robin walk into the room, his pace as brisk as always.“Alpha!” He greeted Draven who was silently staring at his phone.The man nodded his head in acknowledgment and asked, “Do we have anything?”Robin nodded and said, “They were smart and kept their IP bouncing but we managed to find their location. They are in the forest near the pack.”My eyes widened, a flicker of hope piercing through the dark
Draven's POVI looked him dead in the eye and said in the most impolite tone possible, “Stay out of this, Alex. You have no idea what you are dealing with. This is family business.”The mutt did not say anything but he did not break eye contact either. It was as if he was challenging me.Before I could say anything, Emma spoke up in her meek voice, “Let's not do this here…”I gave Alex a scornful look before asking Emma why she did not heed my order and come back to the pack. The Emma I have known for so long was not this irresponsible and definitely not someone who would put our kids at risk. I was desperate to know what changed.“I did not know it was serious.”Did not think it was serious? I did not know how to react to it. How can a summon given to the entire pack by the Alpha himself not be of importance? Why would anyone think it was not important unless…My eyes widened in shock as I realised. She did not take it seriously because she thought it was a bluff!I said, “You must h
Draven's POVI looked him dead in the eye and said in the most impolite tone possible, “Stay out of this, Alex. You have no idea what you are dealing with. This is family business.”The mutt did not say anything but he did not break eye contact either. It was as if he was challenging me.Before I could say anything, Emma spoke up in her meek voice, “Let's not do this here…”I gave Alex a scornful look before asking Emma why she did not heed my order and come back to the pack. The Emma I have known for so long was not this irresponsible and definitely not someone who would put our kids at risk. I was desperate to know what changed.“I did not know it was serious.”Did not think it was serious? I did not know how to react to it. How can a summon given to the entire pack by the Alpha himself not be of importance? Why would anyone think it was not important unless…My eyes widened in shock as I realised. She did not take it seriously because she thought it was a bluff!I said, “You must h
Draven's POVThe sound of the private jet’s engines faded as I descended the steps onto the Hawaiian tarmac, my strides purposeful and my mind consumed with worry. I didn't even have the time to properly pack or prepare. The moment I got to know that the children were missing, everything else had ceased to matter. Emma. The kids. My entire focus was on finding them and bringing them home. The sun blazed overhead, its warmth doing nothing to thaw the ice in my veins. As I approached the sleek black SUV waiting to take me to Emma’s resort from where the kids had vanished, Robin jogged up beside me. His phone was in his hand and his serious face was grim. "I just got the word." Robin said, falling into step, “Miss Whitemane has been arrested."I froze as his words didn’t register at first, "What did you just say?""Arrested.” Robin repeated, "Apparently, she caused a scene trying to find the kids. Police didn’t take kindly to it."My jaw tightened, the veins in my neck throbbing. A
Draven's POVThe scout barely had time to catch his breath as he came rushing into my cabin, “Alpha, we have an emergency.”The panic on his face was evident and I looked at Robin wordlessly. This matter seemed to require my urgent attention, so I hung up on the call and looked at him, “What happened!”The scout caught his breath and said, “We have new intel about the Rogues.”My eyebrows furrowed themselves and my ears perked up. It was never good news when it was about the Rogues.“They are rallying up into an organized force this time, not the usual scatterbrained attacks. Worse, they have a new benefactor, someone powerful enough to pull their strings.”“What?” Robin was shook. Someone was helping the Rogues? Why would anyone want to help those sinister, good for nothing?I inquired, “Are we positive?”“Yes. We are positive.” The scout, “Whatever they are planning, it is huge.”The implications were clear: danger wasn’t lurking in the shadows anymore; it was at the gates.I didn’