Trista’s POV The next morning, I whipped up some Italian crepes for everyone, including Hazel. The twins ran eagerly to the table to devour the sweet treat, but when I texted Hazel to let her know I’d made breakfast, she didn’t reply.I wasn’t concerned though; I imagined that her and Lucian were lounging around in bed casually sipping coffee. I was happy for her.However, when she burst through the door an hour later, she had a scowl on her face. Her hair was disheveled and she had dark rings under her eyes from lack of sleep. She took a seat at the table and hunched over, her hand resting under her chin, and sighed deeply.This did not look like a woman who had spent the night in the throes of passion.Quite the contrary. She looked like a woman who’d be up all night pacing and fretting about something.“Rough night?” I asked, deciding to broach the subject directly.Hazel sighed again, then looked pensively at her plate. I knew she had something to tell me and she was debating whe
Trista’s POVI called a neighbor and asked if she could look after the children while Hazel and I went out. We were determined to confront Lucian together – a united front. The neighbor was happy to oblige. She remembered Billy and Belle.She rushed over, her arms full of boardgames.“Thank you so much,” I told her as she plunked the games down on the table.“Oh my, look at you two,” she gushed. “You’ve grown so much!”Hazel and I collected our coats, but Belle stopped us at the door. She thrust out a small fish toy.“Give this back to Lucian,” she puffed. “I don’t want it anymore.”Billy and Belle had Lucian. He’d saved their lives, after all! But they knew that Aunty Hazel was upset. And that Lucian was the cause. So they were Team Hazel all the way.I took the fish toy from Belle and kissed her on the forehead. Then we left the building and clamored into a cab.We pulled up to Lucian’s building. It wasn’t too tall, but it was ornate. It had a vintage look and feel, opulenc
Trista’s POVAwkward wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the feeling in Lucian’s flat as the four of us sat, two on each couch, facing each other. Lucain pressed an ice pack to his jaw, right where Hazel had punched him.Liam had broken up the fight outside and Lucian has asked us all to follow him to his apartment. We’d all taken our seats on these couches, and now we sat, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact. Every so often, I caught Hazel’s eyes and tried to ask her with my expression what Liam was doing here?She just raised her eyebrows and shrugged.I’d been shocked to see Liam, of all people, emerge from the building. It was too much of a coincidence, I realized. Liam just happened to be in the same building that Lucian lived in? In Italy?No, there was something else going on here.Truth be told, though, Liam looked just as shocked to see us as we were to see him, though. He looked at us quizzically. After a few more minutes, I couldn’t take the silence anymore.“I assume
He chucked then. “Of course,” he said, shaking his head. “Well isn’t that convenient,” he said mockingly. “You go and get a position at an acclaimed company like HS without any prior accolades, a company that just HAPPENS to be owned by your ex-husband. Imagine that?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm now. He was clearly implying that the only reason I was given my own brand was because Liam was my ex-husband.“That had nothing to do with it,” Hazel snapped.“Right,” he said flatly. “I’m sure it didn’t. But then again, what would you know of it? A lucky woman like you? You know, Hazel, not everyone is as fortunate as you. Not everyone has everything handed to them on a silver platter. And just because you happen to know a very wealthy, powerful man, well, that doesn’t mean you should get everything so easily. Especially honor and fame.”“What are you saying?” Hazel gasped.I gasped too, completely taken aback by Lucian’s audacity.“If you have something to say, just come out and sa
Trista’s POVI inadvertently glanced at Liam. I was surprised! Really? Where did that come from? That slew of compliments? He actually thought I was talented? Who knew? Not me. At least, I’d never thought he believed I was.And as for my shares and position in the company? Deep down, I’d honestly believed that Liam had given those things to me because he wanted me back. But now? Had he really given me shares and my position based solely on my talent?It appeared so. Why else would he come all this way to see Lucian?He flashed me a smile and I couldn’t help but smile back. He was defending me. He had come here, to Italy, to find Lucian himself. So he could persuade Lucian to let me to enter the competition. Of course, he didn’t know that Hazel and I had already met Lucian on the cruise ship. We’d have to tell him, but now didn’t seem like the right time. Liam kept his gaze fixed on me.“Trista WILL be famous one day. I have no doubts about it.”I felt a flutter in my heart. It was re
Trista’s POVI chuckled, bemused by Liam’s confused expression.“I think you owe me an explanation,” Liam said. “Because CLEARLY they know each other.”Smash.Something else crashed against the wall. A lamp maybe?“Calm down!” Lucian’s voice yelled.“I’ll do NO such thing, you LYING ASSHOLE!” Hazel shrieked.“Okay, the ruse is up,” I smiled at Liam. “Lucian and Hazel…they sort of had a ‘thing’,” I confessed.Liam narrowed his eyes. “A thing?” he asked skeptically.“Yes,” I confirmed.“And this ‘thing’…did it happen on the cruise ship?” Liam prodded.We had filled Liam in on our initial meeting with Lucian. We’d left out most of the details though.“Yes?” I offered, feeling a bit sheepish.Hazel and Lucian continued to fight it out in the bedroom.“Is that why Hazel was attacking Lucian on the street? Because of this…thing?”Liam studied my face. I nodded.“Lucian was… he was different on the ship,” I said.“Different how?” Liam asked. I could tell he wasn’t too pleased about Hazel and
What was wrong with me? Where had that come from? Why was I so emotional? Liam’s words had really gotten under my skin. I was extremely agitated, but I didn’t know why. I’d gone straight back into the past, blaming him for all the things I THOUGHT I’d let go of.Why did I do that? This fight wasn’t about the past. It wasn’t about my relationship with Liam. It was about Hazel. So why had I bought up all this shit…AGAIN?I faltered then. I looked away, embarrassed at my outlash.“I…I’m sorry, Trista,” Liam stammered. He stepped towards me but I recoiled. “You’re right. I did the same thing I’m accusing Hazel of doing. I…”Knock knock knock.Someone was at the door.“Who’s that?” I asked, grateful for the distraction.“I’ll get it,” Lucian said, emerging from the bedroom. “It’s my boss.”Hazel came out too and nodded at me to show she was okay.Lucian opened the door and a man waltzed in. I recognized him, but it took me a moment to place him.“Mr. Liam Stonewood, Trista, Hazel, I’d lik
Trista’s POV“Fabulous,” Lemone said, smacking his knee with his hand. “I’ll add you both to the list for the competition. Best of luck.” He beamed at Liam, but neglected to look my way. “Now, perhaps you could go and fetch us all a latte, Lucian? All this business talk has me craving some caffeine.”Lucian looked severely unimpressed, but he couldn’t refuse his boss. So he sulked out of the apartment, leaving us alone with Liam.The moment the door was shut, Lemone turned to Liam, a twinkle in his eye. “I hope you don’t mind, but there’s something personal I wanted to discuss with you. It’s about my daughter…”Clearly, Lemone had asked Lucian to fetch coffee as a ruse to get Liam alone. As a human, it would hardly be appropriate to discuss werewolf matters in front of him.Liam, however, wasn’t interested in discussing what ‘plans’ Lemone had up his sleeve for Liam and his daughter.“I’ll just stop you right there,” Liam interrupted. “I honestly don’t want to sound rude, so please do
Trista’s POVLiam and I arrived in Paris with plenty of time. We had dinner at the airport and waited for our flight to board. They called us for boarding and we both took our seats in first class. Liam offered me the window seat but I insisted that he have it. His wound was bothering him – I could tell – and if he sat by the window, he could sleep more easily with his head against the wall. As we settled in, a strange feeling washed over me. I realized that Liam and I had never travelled together. In all our years of marriage, we never strayed far from our pack, at least not as a couple. I glanced over at him. He was fastening his seatbelt.‘How odd,’ I thought to myself. ‘Here we are, together on a plane. I never, in a million years, could have imagined our first trip together would be like this!’“Champagne?” the stewardess asked, her eyes bright. Champagne was one of the perksof flying first class. Liam wasn’t much of a champagne drinker, though, so I went to shake my head and
Trista’s POVBack upstairs in the small cottage, Dagny rummaged through her cup boards. She produced a small, crystal jar.“This ointment will make Liam well enough to travel back to the United States,” she told us. Darren eyed the small jar and I looked at him for confirmation. He nodded, indicating that the ointment was fine.Dagny walked over to Liam, lifted his shirt, and removed his bandage. I gasped when I saw his wound. It was red and angry-looking, with small black veins spread out over his stomach and chest like a spider web. Dagny scooped up some of the ointment with her fingers and roughly rubbed it on Liam’s stomach. Liam inhaled a sharp breath and winced.“That hurts,” Liam said as Dagny continued to apply the ointment in a belligerent way. I had to admit, she could have been a lot gentler. Dagny didn’t reply to Liam’s comment so Liam put his hand over hers to stop her.“Dagny, do you have some sort of problem with me?” Liam asked. “You’ve been very polite to Trista and D
Johnson’s POV“My father wanted to hand over the family business to me,” I told Jake. “But I wanted to go to New York.”“Because of that bitch?” Jake asked smugly. I nodded.When Trista left to go to the US, I felt a void in my life. I realized how much she meant to me. My feelings for her were complicated since we were such good friends. But I missed her so much it hurt. And the twins too. So I’d asked my dad if I could follow her to New York and set up business there. My father had been very reluctant at first. He wanted me to stay in Italy for the family business. He was preparing me to take over, but he said there were a few loose ends he needed to tie up first. I argued with him. I was a grown man and if I wanted to go to New York, then I could. He disagreed. He said my responsibility was to the family first.But then, one day, he just changed his mind one day.“My father allowed me to go to New York because there was someone he wanted me to find.”My father’s instructions had be
Johnson’s POVThe bullet ripped through my shoulder. A bolt of pain ripped through my shoulder, so intense it made me dizzy. Jake chuckled at my reaction.I expected to die. I expected to bleed out from the bullet wound. So did Jake and his men. But as they held me, something unusual happened. The bullet wound spurted blood at first, thick and warm. Within seconds though, the blood stopped. The pain still radiated through my body, but I could feel it healing, as though my muscle fibers were somehow weaving themselves back together with extraordinary speed.Jack frowned, his eyes narrowing. He could see what I felt, that my wound was healing with remarkable speed. He didn’t like this. Flummoxed, he marched right up to me and grabbed my collar. He tore open my shirt to see the wound for himself. Sure enough, the hole from the bullet was already growing over with fresh skin.“I thought that was a special gun,” one of his men said.“Shut up,” he seethed at the man. Then he turned to me. “
Johnson’s POVI zipped through the streets like a maniac. Jake blew through several red lights and I had no choice but to do the same. I laid on my horn as I went, alerting the few cars on the road this late at night to get the fuck out of the way. My heart raced and my palms were thick with adrenaline-induced sweat.Jake had agreed to let me have Trista and the men she was with, but I didn’t trust Jake. He was a loose cannon and capable of anything. It didn’t take much to make him snap, so even though we had a deal, I had a feeling he’d break it without hesitation. I had no idea what I would do when I got to the Milan checkpoint. The police were crawling with Jake’s informants. I’d seen firsthand that the police were useless when it came to Jake and his men. They’d detained a car at the Milan border FOR Jake. I had no faith that they’d help me out in any way. If we got to the border, and Jake decided to kill Trista and Liam after all, there was no one to stop him. Except me.Jake
I…I loved her, I realized as my breath hitched in my throat. I had to save her from these men. But how?Just then, a phone rang. One of Jake’s men answered it. He nodded and then hung up.“That was the Milan border. The car with the woman and two men are being detained there.”“Looks like we were right in the first place,” Jake said. He kicked the corpse, rolling her onto her stomach. “This bitch here side-tracked us. Come on. Let’s go. The man in the picture must be with her. The hunt has begun. Time to kill the right slut. Am I right?” Jake smiled sardonically at me.“I’ll come with you,” I told Jake, my mind racing.“Good,” Jake replied. “I need to see you kill her yourself.”I shook my head.“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Jake asked, narrowing his eyes. “Cousin, it seems like this woman is very important to you. You've been acting awfully unusual.”“I hate her for what she did on me,” I told Jake, scrambling for an excuse. “You’re right she’s important. The bitch betrayed me. But I ca
Johnson’s POVI rushed out of the auction house, my heart hammering in my chest. I had to get away from these men and to the border before they did. But as I ran down an alley that would lead me to my car, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.Jake and his men. They were at the end of the alley, crowded around a figure on the ground. I watched, horrified, as they kicked and beat the woman. And even more horrifying, there were two police men not even five feet away. At first, I was certain that the police would intervene. I mean, it was the POLICE after all. But the police did nothing. They only stood by and watched as Jake and his men kicked the figure on the ground.Cautiously, I took a few steps towards the men and the figure on the ground. It realized it was a woman – a woman who looked an awful lot like Trista!“No!” I hollered, rushing towards them, overcome with fear. Had they found Trista? Had she been here after all? It was possible! Maybe she hadn’t left yet. Or
“Who are you?” I asked the second voice in my head. Silver’s voice was gone. I didn’t understand. Where was this second voice coming from? It was so different than Silver’s. It was soft and gentle. Silver’s voice tore through my head like a whip. This voice rippled and floated. I was instantly drawn to it.“Quill,” the second voice said. “I’m your other wolf.”Other wolf? But how could that be? Did he mean that…Silver was my wolf? My heart dropped. If Silver was my wolf, then that meant – my wolf was a blood-thirsty, evil beast bent on killing everyone and anything in his path?Oh God.But wait. He’d just said ‘other wolf’. So that meant…“I have two wolves?” I asked, confused.“Yes. We’re twins,” the gentle voice confirmed.Twin…..wolves?“We’re nothing alike, Johnson,” the second voice, Quill, continued. “In fact, we’re polar opposites. We argue all the time.”“Why haven’t I heard your voice before?” I asked.“Silver often overpowers me,” Quill explained. “But I’ve found a way to br
Johnson’s POV“Impressive,” Jake smirked, looking at the shattered window. I hoped he bought it. If he knew that I was trying to protect both Liam and Trista, and that I let them go on purpose, it would only pique his interest in both of them, especially Trista. He’d want to find her and have a ‘good time with the bitch.’ I couldn’t let them happen. I had to persuade him that I hated both Liam and Trista. “Yeah well, he deserved it,” I snapped back, lacing my voice with as much venom as I could. “He was a pompous ass.”Jake nodded appreciatively. “And the bitch?” he asked, meaning Trista.“She’s nothing,” I snipped, waving my hand in the air dismissively. “I was nice to her at one point. I mean, come on, she’s a hot piece of ass, after all. I wanted a taste of her. But she chose that scumbag ex of hers over me. So I naturally got pissed and snapped. I wanted some revenge on the woman who hurt me. But she got away before I could.” I chose my words carefully, hoping I could fool Jake.