Liam’s POV“Yes,” I said. “Then I want you to go directly to my safe. Take all the gemstones, Jules. Package them up carefully, and YOU, send them to me here, in Milan.”“ALL of them?!” Jules was shocked. His yelling made my eardrums hurt a bit. “But that’s your mother’s private collection, Mr. Stonewood. She spent years collecting those gems from auctions all over the world! I thought she wanted to use them for the next Luna’s Crown!”“Nevermind any of that,” I snapped. This was none of his business. “Just do as I say and package them up. I expect them to be here by tomorrow morning.”Trista had less than three days until they closed entries to the competition. That wasn’t much time.Jules agreed to both my requests and we hung up.I felt a little disoriented after the phone call. It wasn’t like me to make such quick, brash decisions. I was acting strangely and I knew it. My behavior was unusual. Was it guilt driving me to behave this way?I’d always considered myself a no-nonsense s
Trista’ POV“Billy,” I said, grabbing him by the shoulders and kneeling down to eye level. “What were you doing, coming all the way down here like this on your own?”We were safely inside the building now, out of Liam’s sight. But my heart was hammering in my chest. Liam wasn’t supposed to see Billy! What if he got suspicious? Recognized him as his son?“I told you,” Billy said in a small voice. “I heard you and I snucked out.”“It’s snuck out, not snucked. And you can’t do that, Billy,” I said.“It’s okay, Trista,” Hazel said, tossing me a reassuring look. I stood up. “He didn’t recognize him,” she whispered. “And he was too far away for Liam to pick up his scent.” I nodded.Hazel was probably right. But I was still worried. Billy was the spitting image of Liam. It wouldn’t be hard for Liam to put two and two together. “Who was that man?” Billy asked, cocking his head to the side.“Oh, just a friend of Aunty Hazel’s,” I told Billy.This sucked. I hated lying to Billy. I hated
Trista’s POV“Pasta?” I asked, leaving the window and heading to the cupboard. “How’s that for dinner?”Hazel knew I was changing the subject. But she didn’t prod any further. “Pasta sounds perfect. We ARE in Italy, after all.I set some water on the stove to boil.“So,” Hazel said, also leaving the window. “Three days to prepare your entry for the competition? Is that enough time, Tris?”I sighed. “I sure hope so,” I said. But deep down, I honestly didn’t know. I had yet to see the raw materials that Liam was giving me. I had no idea what sort of shape they were in. And they needed to be delivered all the way here, to Milan. What if they were held up for some reason.Three days was really tight. And it was a lot of pressure, since both Liam and Hazel had done a lot for me already. If I didn’t make the deadline, all their efforts would be in vain.That was the last thing I wanted.Just then, I had an idea.“Hazel, where’s the wedding gift I gave you?”“It’s damaged, remember? That a
Trista’s POVI woke up bright and early the next morning. The sun was streaming through my window. Hazel and I were planning to go and check out the studio first thing that day since I hadn’t been there in a while. I sauntered out of the bedroom and yawned. Hazel was already flipping pancakes for the kids.“Coffee?” she asked, handing me a steaming mug of cappuccino before I even answered. I smiled gratefully. But we were both surprised to hear a knock on the door.“Who could that be this early in the morning?” I asked as I went to answer the door.“Beats me,” Hazel shrugged.I opened the door to find Jules – a very disheveled and tired Jules holding a small safe.“Trista?” he asked. I wrapped my housecoat tightly around me. “I’m not sure if I have the right address.” He was clearly perplexed. Liam had tasked Jules with delivering the precious gemstones in person but Jules hadn’t expected I’d be the recipient.“You’re in the right place,” I smiled brightly. Poor Jules. There were dark
Trista’s POVI walked into the studio, a genuine smile on my face. It had been so long since I’d been here. I was instantly flooded with memories. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it!I planned to hole up here, in the studio for the next three days. Between Hazel and the next door neighbor, Billy and Belle were taken care of. I must admit, though, when I said good-bye to Billy and Belle, I thought they would cry. They used to throw a fit whenever I went away. But instead, they both kissed me on the cheek and said, “good luck, Mamma.” I had to blink back a tear; they’ve grown up so much and I was so, so proud of them.“Wowza,” Hazel said, setting down my luggage. “This place is gorgeous! Where should I put this?” She motioned to a box full of food. Hazel had insisted on bringing everything edible from the house to the studio. “You know I can’t cook,” she said. “Besides, I’m looking forward to taking Billy and Belle to as many restaurants as we can possibly squeeze in while your gon
Trista’s POVThree days later…“Trista! Hello!” Someone was pounding on my door. I was groggy, though, barely awake. My body was sore. Where was I? I looked around. Oh, I’d passed out on the small sofa couch. I was still in the studio. I yawned. What time was it? What day…The competition! I bolted upright.Today was the last day to submit entries! But I…Then I remembered. I’d finished the piece last night. Or early, early this morning, I should say. Sometime around 3:00 am.“If you don’t answer me, I’m knocking down the door.”It was Hazel. I picked up my phone. 15 unread messages.Whoops.I’d been checking in with Hazel diligently and talking to Billy and Belle everyday. But last night? Well, the pressure was really on so I put my phone on mute. Hazel had been calling me all night and I’d ignored her.So now, she was here, pounding on my door, afraid that something had happened to me.“I’m okay,” I said, rushing to the door. I opened it.Hazel was standing, her hands on her hips
Trista’s POVWe were on our way to the elevator when we saw Lucian. Hazel grabbed my arm. He was just getting off the elevator and he held the door open for us.“Hello,” Lucian said.“Hello,” Liam and I said. But Hazel turned her head away from him, her chin high up in the air.I locked eyes with him as we approached the elevator. I flashed him a sincere smile and he returned my look with his own bright smile of encouragement. Hazel went straight to the back of the elevator. She didn’t even look at him once. She waited for the elevator doors to close before she launched into her rambling vent.“Did you see that? The nerve of him!” Hazel’s voice was high and tight. “That son of a bitch just smiled at me, like nothing happened! Yeah right! Like his handsome smile is going to draw me back in. Is that what he thinks? Because it won’t! I don’t care if he was standing there naked, with his strong, muscular chest flexing right in my face! NOTHING he could do would make me talk to him! NOTHIN
Trista’s POVI thought I’d be really anxious over the next three days, but I was surprisingly relaxed. What was the point in worrying or stressing? I’d done everything I could. It was literally out of my hands now. There was no point in stewing over something I couldn’t control.Hazel, on the other hand, was a hot mess.She pretended like she didn’t care about Lucian, but I had to wonder. Several times she asked if she should call him.“Just to find out about the competition,” she assured me. “I mean, he might know something, right? Maybe it will help ease your anxiety?”I chuckled. MY anxiety? I think she meant HER anxiety. She was the one who was walking around the apartment with a one-track mind. She kept forgetting to do little things, like turn off the stove or close the fridge. She was clearly distracted. So much so, that she almost let the bathtub overflow when she was giving Belle a bath!“If you want to call him, you can. But don’t do it on my account,” I said gently. I had a
“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.
Johnson’s POVJake began to chuckle, a low, guttural laugh. I thought for sure he’d raise his strange gun again and shoot Liam right in the head. But he didn’t. Instead, he turned the gun over in his hands. I could tell by Liam’s reaction that it wasn’t an ordinary gun. Clearly, Jake and his men had come to the auction prepared. They must have known they might encounter a werewolf. I could only assume, but something told me that the strange gun had some sort of power over werewolves.Jake proudly showed his men his weapon. They nodded appreciatively. I stared at the gun, my eyes falling to a peculiar emblem. It looked like some sort of S. I had no idea where that gun came from, but there was something about it that I really didn’t like.“Looks like it finally came in handy,” Jake chuckled. “I knew it was.” Then he turned to Liam. “That was for my father, you mother fucker.” Jake motioned at Liam and his gun wound. “He always hated you fucking wolves.”The wolf was gone from Liam’s f
Johnson’s POVI glanced around the room. Any minute now, these men would fire off another shot with their strange weapons. They’d already shot Liam in the stomach, but they wanted to kill him. Their next shot would be through his head.An uncontrollable fury ripped through me. I tried to push it down. I had to save Liam. But Silver smelled blood. He gnashed his teeth! I was so mad at Liam. What was he thinking? Why had he come in here? Didn’t he know these men were dangerous? Why had he just barged into the VIP room unannounced?He was an alpha but he was no match for these men. Not when they were armed with guns.Liam looked at me, confused. He was holding his stomach, blood oozing out through his gunshot wound. Then his confusion gave way to anger. He narrowed his eyes. He thought I was one of them, one of these men. And I had to keep acting like I was. But I couldn’t let them kill Liam! Jake lifted his strange gun again, his lips curled into an evil smile.NO!I reached out and gra
Trista’s POVDagny eyed me with a quizzical look. “Are you certain?”I completely understood her trepidation. It was like a miracle. I was shocked myself. But I was sure. Jules was the person we needed. “Yes,” I said emphatically. “There’s only one personal assistant named Jules at HS. It has to be him.” I grinned from ear to ear. I felt like finally, we’d caught a break. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Jules was supposed to be working for Johnson, but he was Liam’s personal assistant. So he was basically working for Johnson’s rival. It was all so surreal. “You think he knows where the key is?” I asked.“If he doesn’t know firsthand, then he’ll know how to find out,” Dagny said.I nodded. “Then I should go back to the United States immediately,” I told her. Of course, I had some ulterior selfish reasons for wanting to go back.I missed Billy and Belle terribly, as well as Hazel. Relief flooded through me. Finding Jules would be easy. I knew exactly where to look! Plus, I could hold my
Trista’s POV“I know what you’re thinking,” Dagny said. “I have no idea what’s in the vault, I don’t know where the key is and I can’t tell you where Storm and Mercury are so how are you possibly supposed to find them, right?”Yup. She pretty much nailed it right on the head. That’s exactly what I was thinking. But then she flashed me a mischievous smile.“Well, I might not know where Mercury and Storm are, but I know where their son is.” I balked. Their son? I’d assumed that Mercury and Storm were both men. But apparently my assumptions were way off base.“Mercury and Storm fell in love. They got married and had a child, a boy. He’s just a little younger than Jonathan. Maybe four years or so? Anyway, Storm and Mercury wanted their son to return to the land of their ancestors. So they left Europe and brought him to the United States. He was raised there from a young age and they integrated him into human society. He went to school, graduated, and got a good job at a good company.”
Trista’s POVI appreciated Dagny’s support. I wasn’t sure yet what I was going to do. The Erasthai bond came with a lot of inherent risks and I needed time to carefully sort through it all. But in the meantime, we needed to come up with a game plan for our current situation.“What should we do now?” I asked Dagny. “Do you know where Stewart it?”“Yes. He must be hiding somewhere,” Dagny told me. “He changed the color of the curtains in the window in the attic to warn me. So I think he’s around here somewhere. I can stay here, hidden in the cottage and look for him.”I nodded. That made sense. If Steward had been in the estate to change the curtains, then he was probably nearby.“What about Johnson?” I asked. I was really worried about him, even more so now with all the things Dagny had told me.“Well, based on the information you gave me about Milan, I think he’s safe for the time being. It sounds like Felix’s younger son is running the show now. He’s likely taken control of all the m
Trista’s POVI turned the words over in my head.The Lycan Erasthai?“No, I don’t think I have,” I told Dagny. The words were unfamiliar to me.She nodded. “Well, the Erasthai is a special bond that Lycans experience. Werewolves have matebonds appointed by the Moon Goddess. But Erasthai is an emotional bond that comes from the heart.”“It’s like a matebond for Lycans? This Erasthai?” I asked.“Yes, sort of. But it’s much stronger. Much more serious,” she told me.I found it hard to believe that anything could be stronger than a werewolf’s matebond, but I had no point of reference since I wasn’t a Lycan. So I had to take Dagny’s word on that.“I’ve sensed Johnson’s feelings for you. I sensed them when he came to visit us at our estate. I think you might be Johnson’s Erasthai.”I also knew Johnson had feelings for me, but I thought they were just human feelings, since I thought Johnson was human. But now Dagny was telling me that his feelings might be something much deeper. If Erasthai
Trista’s POVI was speechless.Me? Had I just heard her right?She looked at me intensely.“Like I said, Trista, I can’t be entirely sure. It’s only a guess. But something has changed. Something has instigated his wolves and I know how he feels about you. I think you might be his mate. And his wolves are reacting to that.”She stated it so matter-of-factly. But her words sent my thoughts whirling. I was relieved we were downstairs in this secret room. I was grateful for the privacy as I grappled through the enormity of the things Dagny was telling me.I was the reason his wolves had awakened? Me? I didn’t like that thought. It was bad enough that Liam was upstairs right now, injured by a mystical Silvery because of me. If what Dagny was saying were true, then I’d activated Johnson’s dormant wolves? But how? And why? I considered Johnson to be family, but up until a little while ago, I’d thought he was human. I’d known him for five years and there hadn’t been a single day I thought he