AURORA“I did not know, I thought….”“You thought that what? That you choosing Clara over me, over the five years we spent together was okay, that it was not going to hurt me?”“I did not mean to hurt you”“Jackson, if you had said this to me a year ago, I would have believed every bit of your words but now I find it hard to even believe anything. ““It is still me, this is still us”“You ruined us”“Don't say that please”“Is it me?”I asked Jackson as he looked at me in confusion.“What do you mean?”“Are you choosing me?”“Aurora…” Jackson began“Please answer me” I said , my voice shaking “You cannot ask me that, you cannot ask me to go against my pack. I am the Alpha it is my duty and I must fulfill my duty ,it is what makes me be alpha and what makes me who I am, so no matter how much I love you and how much I care ,please don't”I looked up at him, tears running freely down my face, at this point I made no efforts to stop it . Despite everything I was still not the first choic
ETHANIt took everything in me not to track down the man with the dragon tattoo that hurt my mate. She was my fucking mate, and he dared laid a hand on her, I would burn the world down to find him, just for her and I knew I would, she was mine and I would do anything to protect her.I almost lost her today and the thought of that killed me, I did not think that within such a short time, I would feel these kind of emotions, when I saw her ,all I wanted to do was to hug and and never let go of her and protect her.Today was a sign of my failure, I could not protect my own mate and she was kidnapped, the bastards responsibility for this would pay with their heads, I would rip them apart till nothing was left of them“Derek, go back to the hospital and watch over Aurora, nothing should happen to her, I have some things that I would like to take care of”I said using the mind link to Derek as I hopped into the car , I inserted the key into the ignition and that was when the events of the d
JACKSON'S POVI almost had her; I felt it in the kiss; I felt her resolve begin to crumble in that kiss. I was so sure that if we had continued, she would have agreed to even go away with me if I had suggested it.But that damn call had to come in at that time, Clara could have could at any other time, why did it have to be when I was so close There was no possible way that Aurora would reconsider my offer anymore; it was hard enough as it was to get her to listen to me.It was evident in her eyes that she was finding it hard to believe me or anything I said to her while she lay on that damn bedAnd fucking Ethan, how on earth could he accuse me of hurting Aurora. No matter how angry I got, there was no possible way that I would hurt her, I still cared about her so much. I still loved her.Aurora had always been very understanding, she never questioned my decisions and always took it to be the best option. Why on earth was she finding it difficult this time around? Why could she not
ETHAN'S POVAs I drew closer to the meeting point, I began to have doubts regarding my plans.I had promised myself that I would not have any dealings with him, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.I could not afford to waste time on this one, the more time I wasted, the more time the tattooed man had to get awayOne thing I could not do was to let him get away, I had to think of Aurora and Heather's safety.The reason for the attack was something that I was not sure of yet, neither was I sure of who was being targeted.Was it Aurora or was it Heather??I had time to spare wondering the reason, I had to take measures to prevent it from ever happening Even if it meant having to deal with him again, it was just one of those things that had to be done to achieve what you needed I was different; I was no longer the old me; the old me then had no responsibilities and restraint, but now I had a lot riding on me.There was no possible way that I would fall back to
Jackson’s POV“what the hell is going on here?” I didn’t intend it but my voice was loud, booming in the vast room, the workers had all paused sharing a stare between I and Clara then between themselves before they scurried away from the living area. I knew that I should mind my tone with Clara but she really couldn’t be reasoned with. I had left Aurora, skipping kilometers to get to Clara, thinking she was hurt or ill, not that I really gave two fucks, but she was my mate and her father’s daughter; if she goes; first, I wasn’t getting away unscathed either. God! The frustration.Clara merely turned, a stupid grin across her lips. Her effort to stand up from the couch was a fail given that the bag of chips she was eating turned over on the expensive chaise lounge.“babe!” she piped up, “you came.” She finally stood up arms wide open and embraced me. My body stiffened in response, she noticed because I felt her head turn to glance at me. Whatever it was that she made me feel at
CLARA'S POVAs I walked up the stairs, anger simmered in my vein.Jackson was a douche bag. A pathetic loser.No wonder he was given an ultimatum to assume a position that was his. Thinking about it made my finger nails curl and dig crescents in my palm.I pushed the double doors to the en suite I shared with my husband, the cold air sweeping through my skin, the vastness of luxury was to my taste but the loneliness I felt whenever I entered this room and slept all by myself, was sickening.I deserved better.Jackson wasn’t the only one who had been in love with someone else, I had someone else too. I loved someone else but he wasn’t my fated mate.Jackson was, and somehow, over a short time of forced proximity pioneered by our families, I found Jackson lovable, I was bonding with him but the fool was obsessing over another woman.The distance in his eyes whenever I spoke to him about my concerns.What! He had a problem rushing over to his wife?But he took the time to be with Auror
CHAPTER 32CLARA'S POV Maybe my wolf was enjoying it too much, and my brain was too foggy to decipher. Jackson's tongue roamed my mouth, stealing any chance of air that I had and, at the same time, removing every question of doubt in my head.He let go of my hands and pressed his hand onto my waistline, squeezing. His mouth drinking in more of me.My hands, erratic at their freedom, roamed his body, my nails scratching against his dress shirt. I squirmed against him and a distressed moan escaped from me. His hands wrapped around me as he unzipped my dress, the zipper bearing the grunt of his innate desires. The sound of my dress ripping halted both of us briefly. I chuckled, and he smiled against my lips.He smiled. He smiled.Jackson fucking smiled at me.What was he on?What was he thinking? Did my threat really do the trick?The thinking was brief, foggy. Sensible thoughts didn’t last a minute. He was kissing me, intoxicating me with his scent.We were back to kissing. Our han
ETHAN'S POVA wide grin appeared on my face, it had been years since I last saw him and he looked the same but a lot sharperThe scar on his eyebrow had not been there and he had grown out his hair like he always said that she would He always said that he would look dangerous if he grew out his beard and hair, and damn, he was right; he did look dangerous.The telltale of a smile forming on his face was there, a corner of his lips lifted in a smirk.He had done some jobs for me in the past but it was either through one of my men passing a message to him or through calls or texts.“My! Have you changed!”Fenrir exclaimed, a cigarette in between the pad of his thumb and a finger.“You say that with so much surprise when we both know that you've been watching me for the past years”I shot back at him“Well, how can I not, you are always on the screen, gets tiring after a while though”Fenrir said as he took a drag from the cigarette he held.“Want some”“Nah, I'm good. I quit ““Oh yes,
JOSHUA'S POV “Jackson, hold on,” I said, the phone beeping to signal the call had been ended; I put the phone in my back pocket, sighing in frustration, “God knows how he expects me to handle them,” I muttered under my breath as I went back, to my lovely company.I knew Jackson would eventually break someday, and alas, it had to be that we were both meant to meet up with Clara's parents; just wonderful.If they were anything like their daughter, how would I survive this, “O heavens help me,” I prayed silently as I walked up to them and offered my most charming smile.This smile could bring people to their knees, but they stood there very much unfazed, Mr Kim's face wrinkling even more from the frown on his face; on the other hand, his wife looked every bit not interested. This will definitely be a long wait.“Sorry for keeping you waiting, my apologies,” I said, still giving them my charming smile; what a waste!“This meeting was fixed concerning the merger that was signed between
JACKSON'S POVWhen I got a whiff of the fact that Aurora would be at the la Diamondé, I decided that this would be my only chance to talk to her before her wedding and stop her from making the worst decision of her life.There was no possible way that I would stay still while she made plans to get married to my uncle. I could never let that happen.I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. I had thought that immediately I got married to Clara, everything would be okay. I would not need to worry anymore, but it seemed that everything had gone downhill; everything was going wrong.In the hospital, I hoped that she would give in, Hell! She was about to when that damned call came in and I could not refuse the call.Clara had my life in her hands and she knew damn well that she did.She took every opportunity she got to let me know my place and to remind me that she could end me if she wanted.I thought that giving in to her desires would satiate her, but it just made me want Aurora a
AURORA'S POVI had insisted to undergo training before taking up the job at the company but Ethan shut down all my arguments.According to him , I was properly trained to be the COO. I was able to convince him that I would not start the job till we were married , but that was weeks ago and now it was just one week to the day.Honestly, I was freaked out, I was so fucking freaked out and scared.All my life, I had dreamt and prepared myself that when I walked up the aisle I would be staring into those blue eyes of Jackson with Heather by my side but everything had changed.In a week , I would no longer be Aurora Sterling but Aurora Thompson and all I could hope was that Heather would make it back in time for the wedding.I would not have pushed through with this if not for her and her being absent to it would hurt me so much.Detesting the days as the wedding drew near was something I could not even do because I could not detest Ethan. I could not find it in me to detest a man who had
JACKSON I took a deep breath after handing my car keys to the valet. _Jackson you are a pathetic loser!_ I, an alpha in all his splendor, was cowering to every whim of my wife and her family. The mere thought of being at a place I had initially refused to come was disgusting.All the while, I hadn’t heard from Aurora, and it laid heavy on my heart.Longing and want were in her eyes that day.I saw it.Fuck! I even tasted it in the way she kissed me back.Raw want.She wanted me; she had kissed me like she used to like I was the most precious person in her life. That kiss would've turned ravenous had Clara not interrupted us.I kept wondering why she hadn’t reached out, normally, she would have.There were a few possibilities as to why she hadn’t yet reached out. One was Heather who was my number one pain in the ass. That lady never liked me for one day.Another possibility was that Ethan probably took her phone away because even when I tried calling, it went straight to voicemai
CLARA'S POVAs usual, the Preston Hotel was a cocoon of serene ambiance.The piano was playing in what I supposed was a pianissimo with a very rich crescendo effect; it reminded you of Clair de Lune.It was a place for the highest class, the one percentile of the economy. A place suitable for mummy, and because it was suitable for her, it was for me.Even though truly I preferred a more upbeat venue than a classical inn.The hotel restaurant was around the back of the lobby; mummy always decided on the menu; it was always some form of lean white meat and very pricey wine; it got monotonous sometimes.That was mum.Change scared her, she’d rather live a life of routine than change her coffee order.She gets the same butterfly bob cut, never adds color to her hair, goes to the same spa, and the same nail polish. Mummy was stagnant. She didn’t like change; she even disliked the fact that nature forced her to change, the new smile lines and wrinkles. She’d had Botox done twice, and tha
CLARA.My stomach churned.I was meeting mummy today.The meeting is always inauspicious. No matter how much I prepared my mind for it, she penetrated and tore down whatever protective gear I had put in place.My stupid bra was giving me a hard time fastening, and the chill of our massive closet was enveloping me, causing an uprise of hairs on my skin. My nightgown pooled on my waist. I sighed; my hands were already hurting from all the failed trials of clasping the bra.I gave up, thumping into the cushiony chair.“babe!” I called out to the bedroom, “Come in here please”Asking Jackson for help always had me on pins and needles. The feeling of being such a bother to him, whatever it takes to avoid that look of sheer disgust on his face.He’d been acting weird.Staying home more often.He didn’t even go to the neighborhood gym and just used the one in the house.It was scary.No one changes that fast.However, money, wealth, and influence all-cause powerful men to cower.How much mo
****** Five days later*******HEATHER'S POV“I didn't expect your face to be the first I would see. Your concern as much as it is flattering, is scary “I said to Ethan, who had surprise written all over his face.“Damn woman, you just woke up”Ethan said, trying to hold back the smile that was trying to burst out.“More reason to get back into the groove, yeah?”I grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, that action portrayed everything I wanted to say to himBeing a sentimental person was not my thing at all; I was more of a realist, and I left all the sentimentality for Aurora.Fuck, Aurora.“Ethan..Aurora..”I started and he shook his headI released a breath that I did not know that I was holding back.“How did you pull that off? How long have I been unconscious?”I asked him, ripping the IV connected to my wrist.Ethan stared at me with a look of disapproval on his face and a brow raised.“Don't give me that face, I am very fine, I feel like I could lift this hospital”I s
DAHLIA’S POVI had no idea how to tell my son that we could not go to Canada because his father was there when the reason he wanted to go in the first place was to see his father.There was no possible way that I could agree to that, I could not let that happen.But how on earth was I meant to do that?“Liam baby, who told you that? Who told you that daddy is in Canada?”I asked him with wide eyes, as I parted his hair softly.“I heard you say it to Uncle André”Liam said, looking at me so sweetly.I groaned, I was so fucking careless. How could I have had that conversation without ensuring that no one would be able to hear it?All these years, I had kept Liam's questions about his father at bay with promises that he would meet him soon and stupid stories of how he left us. When the truth was that I took him and abandoned Ethan.My actions may not be justifiable to anyone but I did what I had to do. I could not continue living with Ethan and acting like everything was fine between us.
Dahlia's POV“Cut!”I ran my hands through my hair once the director finally decided to end the scene.We had been taking this scene for the past few days and he was still not satisfied with any of the takes.Personally, it was quite an easy scene, but the director was just a stuck-up motherfucker, so he just made me re-take them because I refused to suck his dick.I was pretty sure that he had a tiny stump for a dick with his protruding pot belly.Envisioning him naked would probably send me to the bathroom to puke.“Thank you guys, that is all for today”Those were the best words I could have heard all day; my feet ached so much, and actually, my whole body ached.Being the lead actress in this drama was an offer that I could not refuse; this movie was going to be another milestone in my career.Instead of the three billboards at Times Square with my pictures, there would be multiple.I had sacrificed everything, every single thing, to reach where I was, and I was not about to give