Nate’s POV Many years ago. I sat behind my desk in my office, going over some files, when a knock sounded on the door. A second later, my secretary, Veronica, breezed in carrying a mug of coffee on a small tray. “Your coffee, sir,” she said, dropping it on the desk, and I nodded. “Thanks,” I muttered, “you can leave now.” As she walked away, her hips swaying from side to side, my eyes followed the jiggly movements, mesmerized by the beauty of it. My groin hardened the longer I looked, my dick starting to crawl around in my pants, and when she was almost at the door, I gave into the temptation and called out to her. “Veronica.” She turned, her brows cocked. “Sir?” “Why don’t you come a little closer?” I asked, beckoning on her with a finger, and although a fleeting look of surprise crossed her features, she came towards the desk slowly. “Come over here,” I pressed, directing her to move around the desk to where I sat, and after she obeyed a little reluctantly, I n
EDWARD’S POV I hesitated in front of the mirror, adjusting my tie as I debated whether to check on Clara before leaving for the business meeting. I glanced at my watch, my brows furrowing at the time. 7:15 A.M I wasn’t even sure she was up yet. Would going to her room make me seem too clingy? Maybe. I could just send my regards through Jaxon. I turned to leave, ready to find Jaxon and give him instructions, but I hesitated again, remembering I wouldn’t see her all day. The meeting might stretch into tomorrow, meaning she’d be alone for twenty-four hours. Could I really go that long without seeing her? I sighed, adjusting my suit, frustration settling into my bones. Agitation, confusion, desire—I couldn’t believe these were my thoughts before a business meeting. Clara had seeped into every part of me, consuming my senses completely. Before we signed the contract, I told myself I wouldn’t overwhelm her, that I’d keep my distance. Because if I gave in to how I truly fel
CLARA’S POV I stared at the list in my hands, disbelief settling deep in my chest. It contained the names of possible suspects behind the last attack on me—the shootout that had claimed the lives of my driver and bodyguard. “You really did it, huh?” I said, glancing up at Lydia. She sat across from me on the garden terrace, her hands folded on her thighs, with a satisfied smile. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied bowing slightly. Shaking my head, I couldn’t hide my admiration. “I thought you’d take some time off because of what happened and how traumatic it was. But instead, you put this together? How did you manage it so quickly?” She shrugged. “I only used a few minutes of my leisure time, Luna Clara. It wasn’t a big deal.” I gave her a pointed look, knowing better. Lydia wasn’t the type to rest when there was work to be done. She had likely lost sleep over this, refusing to stop until she had every possible lead. But I chose not to press her on it. “I’m really impressed.” I
EDWARD’S POV As the car rounded the next corner, bringing us closer to the Estate, my gaze flicked to the small bags beside me. A satisfied smile tugged at my lips as I rubbed my forehead. I’d spared no expense in choosing gifts for Clara. I couldn’t wait to give them to her, all of them, including the ones stacked in the trunk. Would she love them? And if she did, would she smile the way I hoped she would? I had wanted to see her reaction when her favorite flowers I ordered for the garden arrived, but they had been delivered while I was at work. She had called to ask why I’d bought them, and I couldn’t tell if she was impressed or not from her voice. I could have said they were for her, and I got them because she loved to spend time in the garden pavilion. But I felt it was too much, considering she was still healing from her divorce back then and had her walls up. But now, she was finally over that jerk. Other thoughts crept in as I glanced at the bags beside me agai
NATE’S POV The air in the room felt suffocating, sweat forming beads on my forehead despite the air conditioning. My heart was racing and several questions flitted into my head. Unable to answer them and knowing they couldn’t help me either, I turned to Serena. “I’m sorry, but our partnership has come to an end,” I said, standing off to the side with my hands shoved into my pockets. She straightened from where she’d been leaning against the wall, confusion flashing across her face. “What?” She took a step closer. “I’m not moving forward with our deal.” I repeated, my tone clipped. She blinked, looking stunned. “B-but why?” she stammered. “Edward will be captured soon. Everything we planned is falling into place. So why—” “It doesn’t matter why,” I cut her off. “What matters is that it’s over. Do you understand?” Her gaze narrowed suspiciously as she shook her head. “Something doesn’t feel right,” she muttered. “Do you know something I don’t?” I exhaled sharpl
CLARA’S POV “Before the startup, I need to put myself out there.” Seated behind my desk in the office Edward had provided, I studied the list in my hands while Lydia typed furiously on her laptop from the couch. “It’s important to set things in motion before we officially launch,” I continued. “We need to attract investors, both foreign and domestic.” “I have a few ideas,” Lydia said, glancing up from her screen. “Let’s hear them.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk. She picked up her laptop and walked over, turning the screen toward me. “Since your goal is to promote women in business, you should start showing support before the official launch. It’ll help establish credibility and build trust.” I pulled the laptop closer, nodding as I considered her words. “That’s a great idea. It’ll make the transition feel more organic when the company goes live.” Encouraged, Lydia placed her hands on the desk, leaning in. “You could also offer loans and business gra
EDWARD’S POV I tilted my neck from side to side, feeling the stiffness and ache from yesterday’s fight. Damn… I should have listened to Clara when she told me not to come to work today. But I couldn’t just sit at home trying to heal when there was so much to handle, so much to figure out. Like Serena. I was still trying to understand why she had sent those men after me—why she’d tried to have me captured. I didn’t want to believe it was because of Clara or my rejection. Could she really go that far? Still lost in thoughts, the phone on my desk vibrated, and I glanced down, looking at the caller. Jaxon. “Jaxon,” I answered. “Any news?” “Serena has been arrested,” he reported. “She’s in pack enforcement custody.” “Good.” I rose to my feet. “I’ll head over now.” I strode out of the office, taking long, quick strides toward the parking lot. The moment my driver spotted me, I snapped my fingers. “Get the car running. We’re heading to the pack enforcement office.
EDWARD’S POV I strode into my office, my head throbbing. No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t put my finger on who had helped Serena. I knew she got help from someone but figuring out that person was turning into a big, distressing task. The usual enemies came to my mind, but something gnawed at me. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone new in the picture. Someone I didn’t know about? What would their motive be? What did they want from me? I lowered in my seat, still thinking. Then the intercom buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts. I pressed the button, listening as my secretary’s voice filtered through the speaker. “Alpha, there’s a guest asking to see you.” He said. “Does he have an appointment?” I asked. There was some brief hesitation from him. “No, Alpha,” he admitted. “It’s Alpha Carter. He seems… agitated.” Alpha Carter. As expected. “Send him in,” I ordered. Moments later, the doors burst open, and Alpha Carter stormed in, his fa
EDWARD’S POV I sat at the head of the table, my gaze sweeping across the faces of the Alphas gathered around the U-shaped table. Their expressions were tight with anger, distrust clearly visible in their faces as none of them tried to hide it. And I didn’t blame them. Not after what happened at the Fruitful Banquet. I hadn’t offered any explanation since that day. They were nearly killed on my territory. If the substance had been deadlier, we wouldn’t be sitting here. “What’s this meeting about?” one of them asked sharply, without waiting for permission. “Are we finally going to talk about the chaos you dragged us into?” I scoffed quietly, shaking my head. Why dance around the truth when they could just say it outright? I let my eyes slide toward Nathaniel, who sat in silence, arms crossed, unreadable as ever. His calm demeanor rubbed me the wrong way. And the fact that he even showed up surprised me. And irritated me. I tore my gaze away from him before the rage b
EDWARD’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of the meeting room, gazing outside to ease my mind. My fingers absently moved over my jaw as my mind churned despite my attempts to forget everything. In the faint reflection on the glass, I caught a glimpse of myself and paused. I looked like hell. I looked unkept, my eyes hollow. A sigh escaped my lips. I’d been neglecting my appearance, my health, everything. But how could I not? I felt restless day and night. Every damn minute, I was either pacing or spiraling. Nothing sat right anymore. This entire mess? whatever game was being played, I couldn’t get ahead of it. No matter how hard I tried, I always felt like I was several steps behind. At first, I thought it was just Nathaniel Bennett pulling strings. But now I was sure… someone else was involved. Someone smarter. Someone staying hidden, and easily manipulating things. Whether they were working with Nathaniel or acting alone, I still couldn’t tell. That uncerta
CLARA’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window early in the morning, rubbing my stomach as I looked out over the estate. Most of the guests were already leaving especially those who’d recovered and I felt a faint feeling of relief watching them go. Very faint. These people likely carried resentment toward us now as they left. For something we hadn’t done and we didn’t even understand ourselves. They probably blamed us for everything that happened during the banquet, forgetting that we were also victims. Their outburst yesterday had really hurt me, considering how I wanted the banquet to be successful, how I looked forward to it as it was my first time. I was celebrating the baby in my womb but they forgot that part, they forgot that I was hurting too. A slow burn of anger rose in my chest. I clenched my fist, trying to push it down. It was pointless, getting worked up over what I couldn’t yet control. I turned slowly, my gaze settling on Edward at the far end of
EDWARD’S POV By the time we left the kitchen, I was completely drainedmentally and physically. My thoughts kept circling back to the brown-haired suspect. Who was he? Why would he do this? Was it personal? Against me? Clara? No matter how I tried to piece it together, nothing made sense. I couldn’t think of his motive, his reason. I just had questions without answers. Jaxon had gone off immediately to search the Estate, determined to find the boy. That left me with a handful of guards escorting me to the hospital wing. We hadn’t gotten far when a strange sound reached my ears. It was faint and distant, sounding like chants. I slowed, listening carefully. At first, I thought it might just be in my head, some lingering stress playing tricks on me. But with every step I took, the chanting grew louder. It sounded like a group of angry people were yelling close to the Estate. I stopped completely, frowning. What the hell was that? I gestured for one of the guards to
EDWARD’S POV Just as more emergency vehicles were pulling into the hospital wing of the Estate, I rushed in through the main entrance, feeling even more frustrated. I hurried into the wing, my eyes quickly catching the panic in the air. I looked around the hallways, filled with people groaning on both my left and right. Most of them were throwing up badly, dropping to their knees. It was complete chaos in here. I saw some doctors and nurses helping the poisoned victims who were too weak to move, guiding them into the wards. As I moved quickly through the hallways, I noticed almost every ward was packed full of sick people. This was horrible. What made it even more disturbing and upsetting was that most of the people vomiting so terribly were important figures in the territory—Alphas and Lunas of high ranks. I shook my head at the sight, my fingers curling into fists at my sides, wanting nothing more than to catch whoever was behind this. Even while I was worried ab
CLARA’S POV I sat beside Edward at the very front of the hall, shifting my weight uncomfortably in the chair. The dress I wore was stunning but heavy. The layers of fabric clung to my body, weighed down further by the glittering jewelry adorning my neck and wrists. From the corners of my eyes, I could feel the stares. Nearly every woman in the room had their gaze fixed on me. Some looked on in awe, others in admiration but a few with jealousy. Despite the nausea churning in my stomach, I held my head high. I refused to appear weak in front of them. Today was a significant day, the Fruitful Banquet. It was a celebration of new life, of prosperity, and so many had gathered in our honor, the hall packed to the brim. I adjusted the folds of my gown around my ankles, then reached up to smoothen my hair. I needed to look flawless, to silence the rumors before they had a chance to spread. Edward leaned in, his hand brushing my hair gently away from my ear. “Alpha Reynold and his
CLARA’S POV “Congratulations, Luna Clara,” Luna Patricia said, towering over me with a wide smile on her face. “Thank you,” I replied, smiling back as I reached up to take the gift she offered. I was still very sick, my head pounding. I shouldn’t have been out of bed yet, but this was something I had to do before the upcoming banquet, which was only a few days away. Edward had wanted to cancel everything, but I refused. I didn’t want anyone to question his place as Alpha or damage his reputation just because of a little gift rite that every Luna has successfully done. As Luna Patricia stepped away, another woman walked up, her face tight with a dry smile. “Congratulations, Luna,” she said, handing me a wrapped box. “Thank you,” I said again, rising slowly to take the gift. But the moment her eyes dropped to my stomach, her forced smile vanished. I accepted the gift without saying anything, pretending not to notice her reaction. Even during a celebration, there were
NATE’S POV I watched as my lawyer poured me a glass of wine, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. “I told you my plan would work,” I said as he settled back into his chair, smoothing down his tie with the same smug expression I wore. He nodded, lifting his own glass. “Worked like a charm, just as you envisioned.” “You’re brilliant, my love,” Isla chimed in from the corner of the office. “Everyone’s talking about it across the territory. No one else could’ve pulled that off.” I rose to my feet, exhaling deeply as I ran a hand over my already slicked-back hair. “What can I say?” I said with a scoff. “Everything I’ve been working toward was achieved in a single move. It was so easy to get it done too.” I turned. “You’ve heard what they’re saying about Edward, right?” I asked, glancing down at my lawyer. He nodded. “People are talking about how he’s abusing his power, how his jealousy is driving him crazy. And your ex-wife? They finally see how bitter she really is.
EDWARD’S POV I felt agitation course through my veins as I paced about the hallway restlessly, keeping my eyes on the door and watching as nurses trooped in and out of the medical wing. I heard a sniffling sound just close to the doors, and I paused, listening closely. “Luna Clara, please get well soon.” It was Lydia’s voice, and it sounded like she was crying. “We have so much to do!” she cried, hiccuping in between. “That’s enough, Lydia,” Jaxon’s voice rang almost immediately. “Luna Clara is going to be okay. You’re crying a river like she’s dead.” “I’m just worried about her!” she whined, the tears still in her voice. “It’s not like you know a thing about being pregnant.” “Well, do you?” he returned, and that was when her crying got louder. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall, trying to shut out their voices. But I was just numb all over, the new development with Clara weakening me to my bones. I was feeling different emotions all at once. A