"Miss, we can only buy it at this price. The house is old, and you want all the cash in a hurry," the man said, sitting on the chair, negotiating the price."But $50k is too low. The whole house is worth more than that. How can you buy it for so little, Mister?" Mary asked, looking at the man, who appeared to be in his 40s. They were here negotiating the price for the house.This house held a special place in her heart. Her late husband had built it, and they never had children. They adopted Alisha, and after her husband passed away, Mary turned the house into a small orphanage, adopting more children or taking them in after various incidents.Never did she imagine she would have to sell it, but today was that day. She didn't want to face tomorrow knowing Alice would come and cause trouble because they refused to marry Alisha to him.Here she was, ready to sell it now. The only person willing to do so urgently was exploiting the situation, knowing they were in urgent need and taking a
“Sis, where are we going? Why is Mother selling the house?” one of the kids asked, concern etched on their faces as they all sat in Alisha's room, feeling stressed.Mary was busy downstairs, dealing with the situation, while they anxiously awaited her return, hoping to get some answers.Alisha looked sadly at the children. She didn't know how to ease her guilt, knowing she was the reason for everything. It weighed heavily on her heart.She didn't know what to say or how to answer their questions. The decision to leave had been made, but neither she nor Mary knew where they would go or what the future held.Beyond her own regrets, Alisha was heartbroken, especially knowing how much this house meant to Mary. It held so many memories, especially of her late husband, which the kids might not fully understand.“We will go to a better place. Mother Mary thinks this place is a bit old for us all, and we need a change of surroundings. It will be better,” Alisha lied, forcing the words past he
"It's my daughter, not a thing, and even if you are the last guy existing around this whole globe, I won't be marrying my daughter to you," Mary retorted, her voice laced with defiance as she squared her shoulders, attempting to conceal her fear.In all her years, she had never encountered people like Alice—wealthy, powerful, and utterly intimidating. This was uncharted territory for her.She knew the danger he posed, evidenced by his underhanded tactics in purchasing her house. If she had known, she would have given the house away for free rather than let it fall into his hands.But now, she realised the extent of her mistake in selling it without proper research. Money could cover a multitude of sins, and she had unwittingly played into his hands.He was a monster, capable of burying her with ease and covering his tracks without a second thought.Even as she filled with these thoughts, one question nagged at her: Why had he bought the house in the first place? The unsettling realis
"See, Alice, I'm literally begging you, please just stay away from my daughter. She's too innocent for the crap you're trying to pull," Mary resorted to politeness, knowing nothing was working in her favour if she kept behaving like this."I don't see you begging, though. I don't know how sitting counts as begging, but you do sound sincere," Alice said, one eyebrow raised. "But I'm not in the mood to accept sincerity."Mary looked at him with surprise shooting from her eyes. Never in her life had she met someone so heartless and cocky. It didn't matter that he didn't even seem to understand any emotions. All he cared about was what he wanted."Keep looking like that, maybe my heart will melt, and I'll take my Angel with me now. You won't mind, right?" Alice's lips spread into a mocking smirk."Take your money back. I don't want to sell anything, at least not to you," Mary pushed back the suitcase of money, feeling disgusted to even touch it now."Quite a drama, but don't worry. Even i
"Alisha!" Mary hurried into the room, her footsteps echoing with haste, and glanced at the kids and Alisha gathered together."Mother," Alisha stood up, walking towards her, eager to know if everything had gone well.Mary sadly smiled as she hugged Alisha, her thoughts filled with remorse. 'I'm sorry, Alisha. I never wanted this, but please forgive me someday. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself, but I hope you can.'Her heart ached as she embraced Alisha, knowing that what she was doing was no less than a sin. Yet, it was a choice she made to protect Alisha from a fate even worse.‘It's a marriage. Alice is rich,’ Mary tried to rationalise her decision, knowing deep down it wasn't entirely right. But for Alisha, he wasn't half bad; at least he'd be well-off."What's wrong, Mother? Why do you seem so sad?" Alisha asked, squeezing Mary tightly in her arms."Yeah, why are you sad?" the other kids chimed in, their concern evident."I'm not sad, just tired," Mary replied,
“Please,” Alisha choked as she thrashed more in Alice's arms, tears spilling from her eyes.Alice took her close to his car, and his driver opened the door for them. He sat inside, placing Alisha in his lap.“Let's go home,” he ordered, and pushed the button to part the partition between the driver and him because Alisha was crying so hard. He didn't want anyone to hear her beautiful crying voice and see her beautiful tears.Vroom! Vroom!The driver turned on the engine and drove off from the place.Alice looked at Alisha, who was just crying now, doing nothing, all shocked, her nose having little red dots, her cheeks all red too, with her choking in her breath.He sighed. “Don't cry anymore, Angel. You're going to get your asthma attack. Please try to breathe in and out.”He rubbed her back as he softly wiped her tears with the back of his other hand.Alisha looked at him, her eyes all red, her heart feeling like it got clogged.Mary's words roamed inside her head, thinking that now
Alice snapped back, not angrily but not softly either.What did she think his mother was?Even for the world, his mother wouldn't sacrifice him. Maybe she would, but who knows? He did feel a sense of obligation to save others, like Mary did. His mother could sacrifice him too, but he wasn't going to admit that.He was his mother's priority, so it wasn't an issue for the time being.“My mother wouldn't even consider it. I'm sure you threatened her,” Alisha dug her nails into his chest, even through his shirt, scratching his skin.Alice winced a little as her nails dug into his skin. “You're not the one and only child of your so-called Mother Mary, so of course, she has her choices to make. She chose the other kids, leaving you aside. I won't do that to you for anyone, that's for sure.”He patted her head, relieved to see her seeming more relaxed, her breathing returning to normal.He could banter with her for a whole lifetime if it meant he could ease her pain. He was willing to sacrif
Noticing Alisha's silence, Alice asked, “Angel, do you want to eat something or do something to improve your mood?”Alisha looked at him, giving him a look that clearly conveyed, 'Are you seriously asking this?'“What?” Alice shrugged, looking at her. “I think having your favourite food is good when your mood is bad.”“I don't want to eat anything, I just don't,” Alisha rudely answered, pushing back the anxiety creeping in.This man knows he won and he's not even considering how she may be feeling; he's behaving like a proper jerk.Here she is, feeling nauseous, her heart in grief, and still, he has the audacity to ask if she wants to eat something she likes. It's like he doesn't understand her at all.He is the devil trying to disguise himself as a saint, and she knows one thing: in one way or another, he can never be good in her eyes.She never felt anyone was this wrong or bad, but after meeting Alice, she believes the worst exists, and he is that worst in her eyes.How much hate s
"Then what about you? Always behaving so high and mighty, you're just a witch, don't forget," Jackson growled, having had enough of this woman. Though he didn't like her from the start when she came to the pack, why was a witch even needed? But then again, she helped with healing and other things, so he let it be.But he hated her whenever their paths crossed."You're angry because you were rejected, and your whole life went to hell after your wife died, and me, just a fucking witch, rejected you as a second chance mate," Lima spat her words venomously.Maya and Alice's eyes widened in shock. Mostly Maya was stunned. Of course, she knew how Jackson lost his wife in the attack, but she never knew that Lima was his second chance mate and had rejected him too.It made sense why she didn't know, because she was away for 18 years, but this whole situation was quite strange. He showed no sign of discomfort while they talked and decided to come here."I don't want a mate like you. I had on
"What brought you here? Let me have some peace. Didn't I tell you last time that I am now too old to help? Even when I helped before, my powers are still recovering, so find someone else," Lima softly sighed, seeing three familiar faces.It's not like she doesn't want to help, but her old bones can't assist at all. Even though Alisha is a royal heir, that doesn't mean she will put her life at stake. She is here due to a treaty, or else why would a witch live among werewolves?When the attack happened on this pack, she got sent here because Alisha's mother had some witch powers, so she was considered part of the witch side too. She helped them when they needed it, so as Lima came here to help the warriors and to heal others, she had to stay due to the circumstances, and how the pack needed her powers for healing and recovery.Now, she did help by telling about the curse and curing Alisha a bit. That doesn't mean she will keep doing it; she hates sticking her nose into business that isn
"Come here, sit down. Now tell us what you all found," Levi immediately came with water as soon as Alice, Maya, and Jackson entered.She, Rish, and Alisha were all so eager to know what happened about the whole building scenario.And all three of them were dissatisfied too because they were left behind. Usually, they all went there to train and were very familiar with the area, but today Maya allowed no one other than Alice, who obviously saw the building, so it was necessary for him to go.Elk had some work, so he couldn't go with them or stay at home either."Let us breathe. Why are you so eager?" Maya sighed as they all settled in their seats and took the water."How can we not be eager?" Rish stated. "You all went there without us, of course we are curious, and it's so hard to keep our calm after seeing you all.""That's because it wasn't necessary for so many of us to go there, and we can't just leave one person alone here, even though this house is safe. That doesn't mean I'm no
"Is this the place where you found the key?" Jackson asked, unsure of what to do next."Yes, this is exactly where I saw the building and got this key," Alice replied. How could he forget? Even in his dreams the previous night, he had seen that damned building and felt the exact same feeling as the moment he stood in that place. Now that they were here, the building was nowhere to be found, just as he had been unable to see it after exiting yesterday. Again, he wanted to dismiss yesterday as a dream, but this key wouldn't let that happen – nor would the vivid, detailed memory ingrained in his head.So it was useless to even try. But what now? There was no building here, and he didn't know what he was meant to do with this key.He brushed his hair back, stress clearly visible on his face. He didn't look panicked, but he was far from comfortable or at peace.This was mostly because of his involvement with the mafia; he rarely felt panic unless his mother or Alisha were somehow harmed
"I know you've suffered a lot, but that doesn't mean it'll set things straight," Maya said, her wrinkled face showing the weight of her exhaustion and stress. "It doesn't matter, Alisha. When you're in a place where you have to fight, death is unavoidable. Did you think you'd get the Alpha position peacefully?"How could she not be tired? Everything was taking its toll on her mind; she didn't even want to count it all. Finding Alisha had been her first priority, but back then, she hadn't thought deeply about what she'd do next or how things would work out.Now, when she did think about it, it seemed like a far-fetched dream. It was as if she'd only dreamed about the starting point—finding Alisha—and then never dreamed beyond that. And now she was suffering in her success: the attack, Alisha's curse, the pack's new Alpha, and this building mystery. Everything was crushing her.She didn't even know how to mend her relationship with Elk. He'd said he forgave her, but since that day, she
Alisha sighed, watching him sleep peacefully. She didn't understand why she felt compelled to comfort him and talk with him like this, especially when he had been inches away from forcing her into a situation she would never want.Somehow, she felt guilty because he was here because of her. Maybe he wanted to be here, but that didn't mean she could simply push things aside. He wouldn't have to be here if it weren't for her; he was away from his mother and everyone else, all because of her. So, she couldn't bring herself to deny him some peace.It wasn't that she was particularly good at providing comfort, but she thought he needed someone to rely on. At the dining table, he had looked pale when talking about the building that no one else had seen. She was shocked when he showed the key, knowing that Alice wasn't a paranoid person who would joke about such things.It might have been believable if it were about a place she had never seen, but she had trained on that ground for a whole w
"Maya, I wanted to ask you something," Alice finally spoke, pushing his dinner around the plate.What happened today—the old building, the key—it had messed with his head. No matter how he tried, the building wasn't there again. As if it was all a dream. But the key in his pocket was solid proof that today was real."Ask," Maya looked up, her gaze sharp.Levi, Rish, Alisha, Jackson, and Elk all turned to Alice, waiting."So I was running on the training grounds today," Alice began, fiddling with his spoon."And?" Maya prompted, confusion lacing her voice."There was... a building," he stumbled over the words, not sure how to explain."What do you mean, 'a building'?" Jackson's eyes narrowed."Yeah, what building? There's nothing out there," Elk added. "Even the pack doesn't use those grounds. That's why we picked it for training.""Maybe you ran too hard," Rish chimed in, swallowing a mouthful of food. "We're out there every day. No buildings in sight."Alice's fingers twitched. How c
'Why do I always lose my temper and control like this? I was doing fine, but then I ruined everything,' Alice mumbled to himself, regretting his actions with Alisha in the room.It was as if everything had slipped away, and he wasn't in control of his own body. Most of the time, he never regretted what he did with Alisha, but today, what happened in the room felt different—as if someone else was controlling him.The way he wanted to consume her, though she always allured him in a way that made him lose his mind, today was too much.'I need to be in control, or else Alisha will hate me more than she already does,' he reasoned with himself.He'd held his patience for weeks, trying to make Alisha comfortable with him, and again, things went exactly how he didn't want them to.He started running on the training ground they'd been using for a week. The exercise felt refreshing to a certain point; his fuzzy mind began to clear as his legs picked up pace and the soothing air hit his system.
"I don't want it. Or has my dumbness turned on you and you've caught it whole? Is that why you're unable to hear what I'm saying?" Alisha sneered, not liking even the tiniest attempt to manipulate her like this.And yet, her body was betraying her. She felt a heat crawling up her skin, a readiness to give in that had nothing to do with her will. Maybe it was the mate bond, something she didn't fully understand but couldn't ignore. The effect his touch had on her lately was no joke. But that didn't make it right."You're making this so hard for me. You know that, right?" Alice's voice was crisp and curt as he grabbed her by the neck. Not with too much force, but enough to startle her, enough to make her whole body shake."Ahmmm," Alisha whimpered, his grip on her neck tightening just shy of pain. His chest rubbed against her forehead as he towered over her, a predator watching his prey. His eyes, dark and intent, seemed ready to devour her."Just like that, moan for me," he growled, hi