Vanessa's POVI took my phone away from my ear to confirm who I was talking to, and it was none other than Declan. Did I hear him wrong? Declan of all people wants to sleep with me? He must be playing mind games with me…"Just one night, and we can go back to what we used to be," he repeated himself and I stood there in shock.It's crazy how things change so fast. A few years ago, I'd probably be dancing out of excitement from the news. I remembered how he used to treat me like scorn…I'd have killed to hear him say those words— killed to be touched by him. I'd go to any length to share his bed, and I did… I forced myself onto him out of desperation, only to be brutally rejected by him.I was the one dying to be touched by him. I was ready to take whatever he was ready to give; the barest form of intimacy, I was willing to accept it, but he has never looked at me, let alone spare me a glance, and now… now, he is begging to have a taste? What changed?"We both know how much you hated m
Vanessa's POVDeclan is probably waiting for me to call him and give in to his request but the mere thought of it makes me want to throw up. I deserve better. I shouldn't allow anyone to use me like this… just because he craved me all of a sudden doesn't mean I have to give in. I have a self-esteem for crying out loud.He had given me two days to think about it, and I spent the whole of yesterday doing just that--thinking about it. If he wants me all of a sudden why is he threatening me? I hated myself for thinking he could be a better person for a split second. I hate myself even more for putting myself in this situation.I knew I was pretty much attracted to him, but I should have resisted. I should have controlled myself.All I wanted was a stable life and peace of mind, but for whatever reason, probably because of some cruel thing I did in my past life, the universe is keen on tormenting me in this present one.My mind went off to his threat and I wondered how he found out about D
Declan's POVWho would have known that an ordinary message could bring me this much joy? Seeing Vanessa's message where she had agreed to do what I wanted was the highlight of my day. I had spent days imagining what I will do to her… how I will bend her over, fuck her hard against the wall and make her beg for my cock, and now that the day is finally here, all I could do was smile.This is not the first time you will be fucking a woman, it's not a big deal. My subconscious mocked, but for some reason, it felt like a big deal. She belonged to Tristan. It was meant to be forbidden, but that is what fuels my desire for more. I wanted to see the hurt on his face when he eventually heard about it.I'd be glad to tell him how she moaned out my name out of pleasure and was begging for more. How she felt under my skin… I would be sure to provoke him.The thought alone made me excited as I listened to the song I was playing on my phone."Are you sure this is what you want?" My wolf asked aggre
Vanessa's POVIt was past the time Declan and I had planned to meet, but for whatever reason, he was running late, and I couldn't be more grateful. I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that made me fidget with anticipation…What am I supposed to do? Lay in bed and wait for him to come? Change into a sexy lingerie just to look appealing? How am I supposed to react when he gets here? Pull him over and just get things over with? Or have unnecessary conversations just to make it less awkward?What the hell am I even thinking right now?I paced around the beach house, nervous about the whole thing. Maybe I did make a mistake. It's not too late to bail out though. He is not even here yet, I can just lie about something and wait for his wrath later.At least, it will be better than going through another series of humiliations.This time is different. He won't be under the influence of alcohol. He would be able to assess my body, watch my reaction and… gosh! What if he finds me repulsive?
Vanessa's POVI was too stunned to understand what he was saying or comprehend why he was suddenly bringing that up. He had always known that Dame wasn't Tristan's son and he never seemed to care about who the father was. In fact, he took advantage of the situation, and that is why we are here.Why is he suddenly interested in finding out about that? I studied his expression, and his eyes were burning with rage. I need to find a way to change the topic, but I don't know what to say.I can't seem to find a suitable response because I am afraid anything would trigger him."You asked us to meet here and you are just coming. What took you so long? You know that I need to go back home, why are you so late?" I mustered up my courage, trying to avoid answering his question and hoping he would let it go but that doesn't seem to be the case because he was still staring at me intently, the same look as before when he first got here. His cold gaze burned my skin and I swallowed hard. "I won't a
Declan's POVVanessa's reaction was all I needed to confirm what the doctor had said. Even with the printed result lying somewhere in my car, I still found it hard to believe that Dame was mine.I tried to make up a series of excuses in my head, trying to ignore what the doctor had said despite the glaring evidence because none of it made any sense.Why would she lie to me? Why would she make me think that I was taking care of someone else's child all along when he was mine? Why did she hide it for five years and made me miss five fucking years of his life?Why didn't I think about it when she arrived with a son around that age? Just why did I think his illness was a coincidence?What ifs and why, were the only thoughts that filled my mind until I got to the beach house. When I arrived I stood a few feet away, watching her from afar as I questioned everything.Even through my cloudy thoughts, I could tell just how beautiful she was. She looked calm as she stared into the water, and I
VANESSA'S POVI woke up in the middle of the night and everywhere looked dark and strange. This isn't what my room looks like back at Tristan's pack. I looked around confused for a while when it finally clicked. I was not at home.Memories of what happened a few hours ago came rushing in and I figured that I was still at the beach house. I was expecting myself to be lying in wet and dirty clothes, but when I took a look at myself, I was wearing different clothes from earlier.The last thing I remembered was walking Into the water with Declan repeatedly yelling out my name, asking me to come out, so why am I wearing different clothes though?Declan couldn't have had sex with me while I was unconscious, right? Certainly not. The last time we had sex, I was sore for a couple of days because he was anything but gentle. I doubt the man had any sense of gentility in him so if we had sex, I would probably be aching right now because it would be my first time since then.It must have been bec
Declan's POVI watched as she suddenly went quiet upon seeing the envelope. She didn't even know what was written there, and she hesitated for a while before opening it.She slowly brought out the document in the envelope, and I was more than curious to see what her reaction was going to be. She read the paper in her hands, and put the document back into the paper with her eyes widened out of shock.She placed the envelope on the table as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen. That was the clear evidence that Dame's blood matches one hundred percent with mine.She soon took a step back, still in disbelief, and she almost lost her balance in the process. Before she could fall, I held her swiftly to steady her balance.I looked at her intently, studying every expression on her face as I watched her become speechless. Even with the glaring evidence, I want the truth to come out of her mouth. I want to hear her tell me that Dame is indeed my son. That she kept him away from me, t
Vanessa's POV"Vanessa! Come and play with us!""Yes please, we are tired of playing alone," the kids whined as I sat down on the swing and watched them play by themselves."No, we want to play hide and seek," one of the kids whined, and I smiled at them."We have been playing hide and seek all morning," I said, still panting, from running for a long time. "You should play another game or I will have everyone go back inside," I threatened them, but it didn't even look like they were listening to me."Let's play a video game. Whoever wins gets to decide what we do next," one of the kids suggested, and I couldn't help but smile about how they reminded me of Dame in every way. That trick was the same Tristan and Dame always used to get whatever they want, and watching the kids say the same thing made me smile.It was as if the kids knew about my past life. They always find a way to remind me of the past in every way.It's been three years since I left the southern pack. Three years of le
Vanessa's POVI have concluded that I would be leaving once I regained my strength, but I do not want what happened when I tried to leave the last time to repeat itself. I know Declan would probably be looking all over the place for me, and he might have stopped me from leaving again, so I thought of writing a letter to him instead.I knew going to see him and telling him whatever I had to say was the proper way to end everything, but I was afraid that I might change my mind if I saw his pained expression, or even melt at his words if he surprised me by begging me to stay or do something worse like lock me up in his house to prevent me from leaving. With Declan, one can never be too sure.I opened the drawer and saw everything the way I left it. It was as if Tristan was hoping that one day I would return back to him. I expected him to throw out all of my belongings and wipe out every single trace or reminder of me in his pack, but he didn't.I imagined the good life I could have had w
Declan's POVTwo days have passed, and I have no clue where Vanessa might be. Even after watching the CCTV footage, I refused to believe that Vanessa would leave me. I spoke to the doctor and he said the side effects of the drug and injection he gave her were drowsiness and hallucination. Judging from how she left the hospital, I want to believe that she was sleepwalking and she is properly in some kind of danger right now.I had my men look everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found. We searched everywhere… every single road that led to the hospital. The streets nearby, we even went as far as searching through the people's houses, but there was no sign of Vanessa.I sat in my room, tapping on my table as I thought of where she might have gone. What if she had an accident? Then, the police would have said something. She doesn't have anywhere to go. She doesn't even have anything on her, where could she possibly go?Jenny…I rushed over to the kitchen where Jenny was busy cutt
Vanessa's POVCrying for so long made me feel numb and it felt like there was no water left in my eyes to shed. The injection given to me made me drowsy and my head felt heavy. I know the smartest thing to do right now was to sleep or at least lay on the bed and get some rest, but I can't afford to be anywhere around Declan anymore and I just wanted to leave.Staying in the hospital reminds me of how I watched Dame's lifeless body on the bed without being able to do anything to revive him and I think it's best to just leave.My vision was blurry, and I felt so weak. I knew I had to leave, but I couldn't even think straight. With trembling hands, I reached for the tube in my arm, wincing as I pulled it out. The pain shot through me, but I gritted my teeth and kept going. Finally, I was able to pull it out, and I staggered out of the ward, barefoot and disoriented.Every step felt like a hassle as I made my way down the corridor. I have to get out of here. Those were the only thoughts i
Declan's POVI stormed back home, feeling enraged, as my insides boiled with anger like a pot left unattended on a raging fire. Guilt weighed down on me at the reminder of Vanessa's accusations, and shame chewed me up inside. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Dame died because of me, I killed him.Even if that was true, it's not like I neglected them intentionally. She has equal blame in all of this. She ran away with my child and only showed up years later. If she hadn't left, or if she had ignored her pride and informed me about the pregnancy, none of this would have happened.Dame's death hasn't been easy on me too, heck, it hasn't been easy on anyone. Even the maids are grieving his death so what made her think she could get mad at me on this? I understand that she was mourning her child, but he was my son too.I could feel all sorts of emotions surge inside me; anger, irritation, hurt, and pain.The last time I felt this way was when I lost Ellena, and now, once agai
Chapter 140Vanessa's POVI woke up in the hospital bed, surrounded by the sterile scent of antiseptic and the low hum of medical equipment. My body felt heavy like I was being dragged in the mud, and all of my pain came rushing back in double folds.When I lost Dame in the rogue attack, I thought that would be the end of me. I cried every day and became a mess because he was all I lived for. But then Tristan came back to tell me he was alive, all of my pains vanished into the air. It felt like I was given a reason to live again. To work harder, to become a better mother.Just when I thought I had all the time in the world to be with my boy, I lost him to the cold hands of death. I wanted to scream, to yell out my frustration. I wanted to blame somebody so badly, and hate them for the rest of my life, but where do I begin?I haven't shed a single tear since we got back home from the hospital. This one was different— I had two weeks to prepare for his death. His death wasn't exactly ne
Chapter 139Declan's POVIt's been a week since Dame died. Seven miserable days of wishing and hoping even though no amount of breakdown would bring him back. The last time I felt this vulnerable was when Ellena died. I wasn't even this sad when I lost my parents.Everything felt vain and I had lost the will to continue with my role as the Alpha or do anything to gain more wealth or power. What was the use of all my power and influence when it couldn't save my son from dying?What is the point of being the most powerful Alpha when I can't even keep the one thing I wanted most in my life?What hurt the most was the fact that I was beside Dame when he took his last breath, but I wasn't there for him. I slept peacefully that night, thinking I still had another day to grant his wishes. I went to bed feeling on top of the world because I finally got to hear him call me father, not knowing those would be his last words.If only I had known that those were the last time I'd hear him speak, m
Vanessa's POVI traced my hands on the bed, expecting to feel a small hand or at least a tiny body, but there was none. I opened my eyes lazily and found myself in a room different from the one I thought I would be in.I was at Dame's ward until last night, how did I end up here? Judging from the smell, I could tell that I was still at the hospital. Did I pass out? I searched my body checking for any visible injury but other than the throbbing pain in my heart and the headache that has become a constant thing since I found out about Dame's health, I am all good.Maybe Declan brought me here so that I can sleep peacefully. I stood up from the bed and made my way to Dame's ward, where Dame and Declan were sleeping peacefully.This is the first time Declan has looked peaceful since we have been visiting the hospital. He was trying so hard to stay strong, to hide his feelings, but he couldn't always keep them in check. His expressions sometimes sell him off.Dame clung onto Declan's cloth
Declan's POVVanessa paced the room anxiously, waiting for Tristan to return with Dame as I watched from the minibar. We haven't said a word to each other since our last encounter in the morning and I do not want to say another word knowing she would end up misunderstanding it.Right on cue, Tristan came in with Dame sleeping peacefully in his arms. Vanessa's worried expression was soon replaced with excitement as she rushed over to his side."Thank you so much for today," Vanessa gave Tristan a warm smile which made my stomach twitch. The way Dame and Vanessa act so comfortable around Tristan was enough to rile me up, and once again, Tristan does that thing he always does.He acts like the perfect gentleman that Vanessa could always lean on. Too fake if you ask me. They seemed to be carried away with their little conversation to notice my presence.I made my way to them, and Tristan handed a basket of fruit to Vanessa simultaneously."What is that?" I pointed at the little puppy roam