Chapter 8 Orion stormed into the dining room and charged towards Bryan. He glared at Ciara who was sitting close to Bryan and she stiffened before changing her seat. "What are you doing here?" Bryan didn't respond right away but took his time, devouring the piece of steak in his mouth and then washing it down with the wine that the servants had served them. "It's not nice to bully people Orion." He finally replied, his gaze fixed on Ciara and Orion clenched his jaw. What right did he have to tell him what to do? Ciara avoided their eyes and picked at her food. Orion could feel her nerves wavering all over the place and he snorted in disgust. "Ciara, come back to your seat and ignore him," Bryan said, ignoring Orion who was now glaring at him. Ciara eyed Orion first and then shook her head, refusing Bryan's request. Orion smirked, satisfied with her decision and turned to his brother. Bryan sighed and looked up at him, "It's the family month." he shrugged after saying that
Chapter 9Ciara watched Orion storm out of the dining room and sighed in relief. Why did he have to be so scary?"Why are you so afraid of him?" She heard him ask beside her and she turned to face him. "He is the Alpha." she simply responded not wanting to continue the conversation. "But he is your mate," Bryan said and the fork she had been holding dropped from her hand. "What are you talking about?" Bryan's eyes widened as he realized Ciara still didn't know that Orion was her mate because she didn't have her wolf yet. "I meant he is your Alpha," he corrected himself and she watched him for a while as if checking to see if he was lying. Satisfied with what she saw, she looked back at her food and decided to focus on finishing breakfast as quickly as possible. She didn't want to be anywhere near any of these men at this point, they spelt trouble. She was curious to know what kind of relationship he and Orion shared but she wouldn't dare ask him. It would be forward of her. "Al
Chapter 10Ciara's POV "Thanks, I have to go," I avoided his gaze as I walked away from him. I wish he didn't have to see me like that. After embarrassing myself and setting whatever pride I had left on fire, I made my way back to the mansion and headed straight for my room. It was somehow dark and no doubt, Orion wouldn't bother entering this room since he knew I would be here. I still don't know what connection he has to Alpha Bryan but I am still curious to find out. However, no matter what connection he might have, I can see that Orion would love it if it didn't exist. The tension between them during breakfast earlier had been thick, thicker than clouds during a rainy day. I was curious about it but at the same time, I didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. Orion already hated my guts, I didn't want to give him any extra reason to do so. I flopped down on the bed and sighed, closing my eyes as the thought of everything I had been through today rolled through my
Chapter 11 Bryan's POV "Alpha," Being here in the Silver Moon pack was becoming a serious pain in my butt. The only thing that made it feel worth it was my mate.Just thinking about Ciara brought a smile to my face. I didn't know her all that well but I was intrigued by her and I wanted to know her better. Orion didn't value her or pay attention to her but I knew I could give her all the love she deserved. Being so close to her and not being able to hold her and show that I owned her was killing me slowly.I would kill for a chance to be with her the way I should be with my mate and I wasn't talking about sex. For years I had hoped to find her, had searched everywhere in hopes that she would be out there somewhere. Along the way, I lost hope that she even existed. I just decided to settle for any unmated female willing to satisfy me. I scrubbed my hands over my face and closed my eyes. Orion was a fool for neglecting her like this and how was he even beating the mate bond? I was
Chapter 12 Ciara's POV I rolled over on my side and yawned, opening my eyes. Yesterday had been a fruitful day if I do say so myself. I had accomplished what I set out to do and I felt very proud. I was one step closer to my goal of being a strong Luna and being remembered as one. Orion ignored me when I served them the other day but I knew he noticed my presence. Either way, I was glad he had ignored me. I couldn't take any hurtful words at this stage. I was just starting to find myself again and I didn't want anything stopping that process. Bryan on the other hand was still a puzzle and I didn't know what to do with him. I found myself wishing he was my mate instead of Orion because, unlike Orion, Bryan was attentive towards me and my pain. He was sweet, kind, less scary and he was just different really. I knew he probably had his flaws and demons but at least he tried to be a better person and I was grateful for how different he was; like a breath of fresh air. I
Chapter 13 Ciara's POV As I walked towards the dining room, my heart was beating fast inside my chest. I was struggling to breathe and if I didn't get a hold of myself, I would pass out from the shock of everything. Alpha Stone and his wife and mate, Luna Stone preferred Sophie over me and just like their son, they had made it clear especially on the day of the coronation ceremony and my Luna reveal. So the fact that he was asking me to join the family for breakfast was a fact I was struggling to understand. The maid stopped suddenly and I had to stop before I ran into her. She held the door of the dining room open for me and I bit my lip, not sure if I wanted to go in there. No one in that room liked me well except Bryan but he didn't know me so........on second thoughts none of them knew me. It would be utterly disrespectful of me to ignore the Alpha's invitation and for that reason, I forced my legs to move towards the door. I passed the maid who bowed and closed
Chapter 14 Bryan's POV When father asked the girl to go and bring Ciara to the dining room, I didn't know what his plans were and I didn't care, as long as he didn't insult her or try to demean her with his words, I was okay. And when she eventually showed up wearing that cute white number that left her legs on display and her shoulders on display as well, I swooned She was cute and she was strong, if she wasn't she wouldn't be standing in this room, especially with the criticisms she must have endured while growing up as a child. I was curious about why she had stormed off like that but I was even more irritated with Orion and his nonchalant behavior towards her. It was so disgusting the way he treated her. Something my father said must have upset her because colour drained from her face after the announcement. I had been ready to pull her into my arms before I wondered how it would look seeing as her mate was sitting only a few feet away from me. I glared at my father
Chapter 15 Ciara's POVI smiled as I picked up the little girl and chuckled when she tried to kiss her nose."She's so cute," I cooed, staring at Bruce who had tagged along uninvited. I loved children so much and I had always dreamt of being a mother myself. After the disastrous breakfast experience, I ran to my room to process what I had heard and ended up shedding a few tears. Someone had knocked - probably Bryan because I couldn't think of anyone else who would run after me like that - but I didn't answer, I couldn't so I had ignored them and then when a few minutes had passed, I forced myself to get a grip. Initially hearing about that dreadful place where I was tortured brought back dark memories and that's part of the resasons why I fled. I just couldn't look beyond the name in the moment so I had to leave the room where he was. Eventually I realized I had overreacted because so what if Bryan was the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack? It wasn't like he had been part
Chapter 142 Orion's POV “He's still not picking up?” I asked and James shook his head. “No Alpha. It keeps going to voicemail,” I sighed and banged my fists on the table repeatedly. What was going on with my brother? Surely he wasn't still mad at me because I called Sophia's bluff? We were both mature adults and we could harsh it out like men. James had informed me that he had been here to see me a couple of days ago but I never received him in office. I had been confused when James told me about it. Why had my brother come to see me but then changed his mind last minute? My heartbeat picked up as I remembered that the same day, Lucas and I had been discussing something sensitive in my office. A gasp left my mouth before I could stop it and I nearly tumbled out of my chair. Could he have heard our conversation? “Alpha?” If he had, surely he'd have barged in and challenged me for lying right? He wouldn't just storm off like that. At least that's what I wanted to
Chapter 140 Ciara's POV It's been two weeks since I found out I was pregnant and so far I have been doing a horrible job at hiding it from James and Brianna. The maids have stopped serving me since Brianna took over making it easier to hide since Brianna is as oblivious as they come. In a couple of months from now it would be rather difficult to hide it because then I'd have a noticeable bump. If I was home and had access to my wardrobe then I'd have selected a couple of maternity gowns. Here I'm stuck with shirts and my single pair of jeans that I had on when they kidnapped me. Now there's a slight bump that isn't noticeable except I take my shirt off which I would never do in the presence of these people anyway. I had to think of a way to ask for more clothes or find a way to get myself out of here before my child would be at risk of being used for Sophia's dirty games. It was getting close to noon and since Brianna had already fed me once for breakfast, my next mea
Chapter 141 Ciara's POV “Hey,” I raised my head and rubbed my sleepy eyes to see James standing at the door, one foot in and the other outside. With a frown I sat up as my mind began to race. “Did something happen? What's going on?” What time was it? He shook his head and walked in fully, closing the door behind him. “Good morning to you too,” he teased with a smirk and I raised a brow. “Okay okay, I know this might be weird for you,” “Weird? Try strange, uncomfortable amongst other things,” I sighed and slipped on a smile. “What can I do for you?” His smile grew bigger. “Oh it's nothing I just came to keep you company that's all. If you don't mind of course. I could leave if you don't want me…” He turned his back to me and started to move towards the door. I flew off the bed and grabbed his arm. “No, sorry,” I let my hands fall to my side again and took a step back, my cheeks flushed pink. “What I mean is I'd love to have another human being besides myself in this room
Chapter 139 Bryan's POV “How could you do something like that?” “You weren't thinking clearly,” The heavy words I had spoken to my brother yesterday without thinking came back to haunt me as soon as I laid down to rest for the day. Guilt and a sense of loss filled me. When he had walked out after bowing and calling me ‘Aloha’ I should have realized how much I had screwed except I chose to turn a blind eye and kept fumming. But as I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, images from that moment started to replay like a film in my mind ripping my peace away. In truth I had been the one who told him to stand up to that dreadful woman and when he took my advice, I had turned my back on him. How could I have been so stupid and judgy why all he had done all these while is trying to protect our mate? He had been forced to sleep with the enemy literally and wine and dine with her while I got to live my life free just without Ciara in it. If I was being completely honest, h
Chapter 138 Orion's POV “Alpha,” James greeted me as I walked past him but I didn't respond. My head was clouded with different thoughts all centered around Bryan and his reaction when I told him how I stood up to Sophia. For someone who didn't want to entertain Sophia from the beginning, his reaction had been less than satisfactory. I had gone there with my head held high feeling extremely proud of myself for sticking it to Sophia and I had expected he'd be proud and pat me on the back. Instead he lashed out at me as if I were a little kid. I hadn't been expecting the completely different 360 reaction he dealt me today and it was still a bitter pill to swallow. My office door slammed behind me but I didn't flinch as I made my way to the chair. Setting down on it, I shook my head as if to expel every negative and hurtful thing he had said to me. Even if he was angry, he shouldn't have spoken to me in that manner and tone. Not even my mother would speak to me the way
Chapter 137 Bryan's POV “Since the killings have stopped, our people have grown more secure and more confident in your leadership Alpha Bryan,” one of the elders said and I almost scoffed at his attempt to flatter me. We were having a council meeting that had started since 7am but my mind was divided. After Old Man Heartfield's visit yesterday, I found myself thinking a lot about Ciara and her wellbeing. I wondered how she was doing and if Sophia was treating her right just like she promised Orion she would when they made their deal. I was going to keep being strong and not give Ciara any reason to worry about me. The less she worried about us, the better for her. All she had to do at this point was focus solely on staying alive and eventually getting out of there in one piece. Once she was safe in my arms again, she could go back to being the worrywart she always was. “Have we found the cause of the killings?” Another elder asked and I looked at Ryan. He flushed an
Chapter 136 Orion's POV “Hey babe,” Sophia whispered as she walked into the dining room. I grunted and turned my face away when she tried to kiss me. “What's wrong? Did someone upset you?” She asked and I scoffed. Was she really that oblivious to the disgust I felt for her? I motioned for one of the servants to set the table and pushed Sophia away lightly. She huffed and went to sit down but she kept touching me and leaning over to put her hands on me. “Don't you take a hint? I wish to be left alone,” I yelled, unable to tolerate her behaviour anymore. “Why are you reacting like this? I always do this,” I shook my head and stood up. “Have breakfast by yourself.” I stormed off, fuming and shaking in anger. I made my way to the room and slammed the door hard behind me. She ran after me and walked into the room after a few seconds. “What is going on? What did I do wrong Orion?” I shook my head and pointed to the door. “I just want to be on my own. Is that too m
Chapter 135 Bryan's POV “How long have you known?” The old man made a sound in the back of his throat but didn't respond. I shifted in my seat feeling very uncomfortable. After a while of silence, I cleared my throat. “I didn't mean to keep the truth from you. I was just hoping I'd have found Ciara by now.” He grunted but still kept quiet. I cleared my throat. “Please say something,” I begged, almost about to fall on my knees before him. “I know I should have told you. I was wrong to keep something as important away from you but I thought I was protecting you and her family from the pain.” He nodded and finally spoke, his words shocking me. “How have you been holding up?” I blinked, wondering if I had heard him right. “You…” He sighed. “Look Bryan,.I get why you did what you did. Am I angry you hid the truth from me concerning my granddaughter's situation? Yes I am. But at the end of the day, you did what you thought was best and I can't fault you for that.” My eyes
Chapter 134 Bryan's POV Turning on my side in bed, I opened my eyes and yawned. A smile slowly made its way to my lips as I recalled the events planned for today. Ciara would be coming home today after several months of being held hostage by her crazy relative Orion had been so sure that Lucas and his men would come up with better results than the other men we had assigned to the job a while back. I had my doubts but with no other options available, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Lucas didn't disappoint and gave us the first major clue. He had managed to do what we couldn't do in the months since we had been conducting the investigation. The best part was the place had been infiltrated with our own people who knew that Ciara's life was the top priority. I had repeated it constantly to Lucas that I'd rather have Ciara held hostage but alive than dead and gone. Despite having all this set aside, I couldn't brush off the nagging feeling in my mind tha