Tristan's POVI had just finished speaking to Declan on the phone, but his response wasn't enough to tell me what I wanted to hear. I wondered if he was telling the truth when he said Vanessa was happy or if he was only mocking me.I sat on the bed and wondered why Vanessa wouldn't pick up my calls too. Everything felt stupid, and I buried my face in my palms. Everything has been going smoothly up until now. Why does Rhiannon have to show up now at all times?I was busy thinking about what to do when my phone began to ring. Vanessa's name popped out, and I was delighted that she was calling. Maybe Declan wasn't an asshole after all. He must have informed her that I called earlier.I was super excited that she was finally talking to me and I apologized for how I spoke to her the last time. "I am so sorry, Vanessa, I am sorry for being so insensitive," I apologized for what I said the last time, and she surprised me by asking if she could come back home.I went quiet for a while, thinki
Vanessa's POVI have been trying so damn hard to avoid Declan since the kiss because I knew what was coming after. A series of degrading words if not worse. I know for sure that he won't let me off the hook so easily and he would slut shame me at any given opportunity. What the hell on earth have I gotten myself into?I was too embarrassed and confused to look into his eyes or talk to him. Over the past few days when our paths crossed, I would mutter sorry and run off like he was some kind of infection, and I avoided him like a plague.It is starting to look even more ridiculous so I thought I should just stay in my room, instead of making a fool out of myself. I know that sooner or later, I will have to talk about the kiss, but I hope it is later because I am not ready to talk about it just yet.I spent the entire day trapped in my room and I only remembered Dame later in the evening. I went into his room and he was nowhere to be found. Where could he be? I looked everywhere for him
Vanessa's POVI pushed Declan away from me, feeling startled by Jenny's reaction even though Declan was a bit reluctant. He didn't seem to mind whether Jenny was watching us or not, and I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.Jenny covered her eyes dramatically and shouted, "I didn't see anything," while taking careful steps back to where she was initially coming from.I tried to follow after Jenny, but Declan dragged me back immediately. I gave him a questioning look before he broke the silence."I'm not going to stop you from going after Jenny but this isn't over yet. We are going to have a proper conversation like an actual adult. This isn't a mistake, and I won't allow you to pretend as if nothing happened once again." He said, and I just stared at him as he spoke.Why does it feel like I have gotten myself into trouble?He let go of my hands, and I ran after Jenny immediately. I met her halfway and stopped her immediately. "Jenny," I called out, and she stopped right on track.
Vanessa's POVI watched Tristan in what might have seemed like a mixture of shock and uncertainty at his sudden appearance and the request for me to come back home. My mouth ran dry and I swallowed an amount of saliva that should be considered nothing but unhealthy as I waited for him to say something again, anything to remind the both of us—especially him, if he has forgotten—that he asked me to leave the house because of another woman while painfully reminding me of my place in his life. Also, hadn't he been the one who told me that I couldn’t come back until whatever he had going on was sorted? I continued to stare at him in nothing but utter confusion and wondered if he was talking about a different thing or I was the one who was most definitely seeing things and Tristan wasn’t here right now. Tristan brushed his fingers through his hair as if fighting something deep inside of him while also trying to remain calm as he talked to me. "The truth is,” he began and paused for a beat
Declan's POV"We are going home," Vanessa's voice broke the silence, and my head snapped towards her direction. What the hell does she mean by she is going home? What is this place to her if it's not home?I could feel a surge of anger rise within me and I couldn't help the irritation I was feeling from within. Why did Tristan drive all the way here to take her home? Couldn't he have informed me beforehand?I can't explain the reason for my anger because deep down, I know I wasn't making sense. Vanessa his is wife, and he doesn't need my permission to do whatever he wants, but he made it my business when he asked her to stay with me for a while.I watched as Tristan heaved out a breath of relief, and I could tell that things were a bit good between them. Why did Vanessa decide to go back with him then?Seeing them together annoys me more than it should and it took all of my self-control to break their union and drag Vanessa to myself, where she belonged."Am I sensing jealousy here?"
Declan's POVDame made a whole scene after Vanessa left and no one dared to move closer to him. He kept on throwing things at everyone who tried to move closer to him as he cried his heart out. I became even more angry to see the boy's reaction and thought of how heartless Vanessa was for picking Tristan over us.He threw a flower vase to Jenny who tried to pet him, and she was only lucky he missed it. The vast was scattered on the floor, and I ordered everyone to leave before he got anyone else injured."Dame, don't throw things at others, it is a bad thing to do," I corrected him, as I moved closer."I want to see my mommy," he cried out. I would probably be rejoicing that he has been speaking more than two words but I was too mad to care about that.Just when I thought she was a caring mother and she would do anything for her son, she left him in this position. What a shameless woman.Hours passed by, and Dame was still fighting to get out of my grip. I finally managed to calm him
Vanessa's POVTristan drove us back in silence, and all I could do was stare at the road. Everything feels weird. I have only been at Declan's home for a couple of days, and his attitude aside, it feels like home.With Jenny constantly there to help Dame to make me happy, it really felt surreal and now that I am back here, I don't know how to feel.Tristan stopped the car in the garage and I hopped out immediately. He gave the key to the guard, trying to catch up with me, but I didn't bother to wait. I was angry. Not exactly at him though… more like myself, at everything.I walked into the house casually and a sudden sound snapped me out of my truce."Surprise!!!" The maids yelled, and Ayra came rushing over to my side."Welcome back home," she hugged me tightly, forcing me to take a step back due to her weight and I hugged her back."Keep this up and we will be rolling on the floor in a minute," I said, pushing her off gently, and she chuckled."Gosh, I miss having you around," she s
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 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