Trista’s POVI was brought upstairs to the VIP room. The staff member opened the door.“Aren’t you coming in?” I asked. But she shook her head and scurried away, leaving me alone at the door.Hesitantly, I stepped inside.It was a large room that looked out over the auction floor. I could see the lights of the stage shining down below. But the room itself was dark, the lights low.I squinted. Given my poor eyesight and the dimly lit room, I struggled to see. I heard the clink of ice cubes in glasses and low murmurs. There were several people in the room but no one addressed me.Eventually, my eyes adjusted, but only slightly. I saw a few men sitting on a large, black leather couch. The sweet scent of scotch and whiskey permeated the air.They were rich. Filthy rich. That had that demeanor that only ridiculously wealthy people had. They looked up at me, eyeing me like I was some sort of prized possession rather than a person. I didn’t know which of these men had bid on my jewelry, s
Trista’s POVIt was an odd thing to say. Devour me with his eyes?There was something about his tone.I should have bolted for the door. I should have run.But the truth was, I was torn.I was intrigued by this man. Who was he? What did he want from me? He wasn’t human so WHAT was he? Why had he bid on my jewelry and demanded to see me?“Come,” he said again. He was still sitting, in the dimly lit corner. I was strangely drawn to him. Serena acted like he was dangerous. I didn’t feel like that, though. Arrogant? Yes. Bossy? Absolutely. Entitled? You bet.But not dangerous.So, out of curiosity, I moved towards him.It was so damned dark in that room though. I stumbled over a low coffee table and tripped. But instead of hitting the floor, I fell into his arms.He’d caught me with lightning speed. Inhuman speed. If I hadn’t been sure before, I definitely was now.This man was NOT human. He held me, dipped backwards in his arms. He hovered over me. Then he removed one arm from my bac
Trista’s POVI ran out of the VIP room, my dress clutched in my hands. I put it back on as best I could, even though I had to hold it together with my hands. I couldn’t let anyone see me, not like this, so I ran to the stairwell and hid in a corner.Tears spilled from my eyes.What just happened? Who was that man?He looked like Johnson but he couldn’t have been. There was no way! Johnson knew I had poor eyesight. He knew how much I hated dimly lit rooms. Johnson would NEVER try to trick me like that.My breath was coming in ragged gasps. I had to calm myself down.The man’s silver eyes flashed through my mind. Johnson had beautiful blue eyes. And yes, I’d seen them turn a strange sort of uncontrolled red before.But never silver.I wrapped my knees into my chest and rested my cheek on my knee. I was calming down now but I was still very upset.That man had spent a hundred million dollars on my jewelry! Yes, Johnson was rich, but he wasn’t THAT rich. He couldn’t flippantly squander a
Johnson’s POV Fear.That’s what I saw in Trista’s eyes as she pried herself from me. I released her then I watched with narrowed eyes as Trista ran out of the room.“Arggg!” I hollered, plunging my claws into the table. It was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing her. I wanted to run after her but I knew I had to stop myself“What have I done?” I whispered out loud, horrified at myself. My wolf, Silver, growled menacingly. “Get her,” he demanded. “She’s yours!”I shook my head, my claws digging into the table.“No,” I told him.“Yes,” he hissed.“SHUT UP!” I snapped at him.He paced, his fur bristled. “She belongs to you. CLAIM HER!”My hands shook. “I won’t let you hurt her,” I said. “Stop it, you bastard.”Silver stopped pacing. He chuckled, a low, threatening laugh. “Bastard?” he scoffed sarcastically. “A moment ago you were deliberating between fucking her or tearing her to shreds. If I’m a bastard, then so are you. Admit it.”He glared at me, and I saw the gleam
*Warning*: Dear reader, I apologize for the somewhat gory and violent content of these two chapters. It is meant to show that Johnson did go through a dark moment.Johnson’s POVMy mother had called me, out of the blue. I was in the United States, missing Trista. Her words made my blood run cold. “Please come, Johnson,” she pleaded into the phone, her voice barely above a whisper. “Your father’s been shot.”I hung up the receiver and booked a red eye flight to Milan.Shot?My father?But whom?I rushed to their home in the south of France, expecting the worst. I knew by then that my father was involved in some pretty shady business, but I hadn’t known the extent of it until I arrived at their estate.I ran into the lobby of our family home and instantly noticed a strange atmosphere. Instead of being greeted by our butler, the lobby was full of big, burly men in black suits.“Where’s my father?” I demanded, unease settling in. Who were these men? Where was our normal staff?Just then
*Warning*: Dear reader, I apologise for the somewhat gory and violent content of these two chapters. It is meant to show that Johnson did go through a dark moment.Johnson’s POVMy uncle Felix. My cousin Leopold. A dozen bodyguards.All dead.My father?I rushed to his bedside. I lowered my ear to his mouth. Thank god! He was still breathing.Jake walked to the bed and hovered over my Uncle Felix’s body.“Ssshh,” Jake told me, putting a finger up to his mouth. I watched him with wide eyes. Jake was smaller than his twin brother had been, and far less imposing. Yet, watching him there, hovering over his own FATHER, something told me he was FAR more menacing.We listened, and sure enough, Felix was still breathing, although it was raspy.“Oh,” Jake said, covering his heart with his hand. “You didn’t finish him off. You saved him, for me? How sweet.” “I…” But before I could say anything else, Jake whipped out his gun and shot his father square in the back of the head. His skull ex
Johnson’s POVJake suddenly changed directions and walked over to the one-way window. He tapped on it lightly. It seemed he wasn’t going to stop me from leaving after all. So I reached for the door handle.“My oh my,” Jake said, peering out the window. “What have we here?”He smacked his lips and looked at me over his shoulder.“You really ought to come see these ones, Johnson. The one in the gold dress? Mmmmm. She’s delicious.”Wait.Gold dress?Trista was wearing a gold dress. I saw her enter the room with Hazel.“I’d LOVE a taste of her,” Jake said, clutching his dick for effect.Maybe it was a coincidence? There were probably tons of women wearing gold dresses down there on that floor.But then again…What if it wasn’t? My protective instincts kicked in and I went over to the window.“That one…right….there.” Jake pointed at the window and I looked down. Sure enough, he pointed right at Trista. “She’s a tasty one, isn’t she?”My blood boiled.He was leering at Trista and the way he
Johnson’s POVThe men stepped back from the window.“Get me a drink,” Jake told one of them. He nodded and poured himself a whiskey.“You staying?” he asked me as I also walked over to the bar.“Yup,” I said nonchalantly. Even though I didn’t want Trista to have anything to do with me anymore, I couldn’t just abandon her. Not with these men ogling her like that.I’d tried to keep my distance from her. It had damn near killed me though. I missed her so so much. But I was caught up in this whole mess now with the mafia. And I still didn’t know the full truth about my father’s underground business.So I had to cut Trista free.AFTER the auction. First, I had to know she was safe.I poured myself a whiskey and swirled it around in the glass.“You were awfully quiet just now, cousin,” Jake said, eying me suspiciously. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like girls?”I had to keep playing the part. I had to keep convincing these men that I was on their side, that we were in an alliance. At least
I was so shocked that I couldn't speak, let alone know how to comfort him.“That’s… awful,” I told him. I didn't know what other words to use. Poor Darren. It was one thing to be threatened by the Alpha, but it was another thing to be stabbed in the back by your mate. Mate is our closest family member. Because of the bond of the mate bond, we instinctively trust and support our mate and would never betray them for the sake of simple gain. From what I know, this is also why wolf families usually have a stronger bond than humans.Betrayal from our mate is enough to shatter a wolf's faith. I've felt it once. Darren's experience was even worse than mine. “What happened after the accusations?”“Everyone believed her, including Alpha Jeremy. So I was permanently exiled from the pack.”“I know how that feels,” I said sympathetically.“It gets worse though,” Darren said. “Alpha Jeremy issued a wolf hunting order against me. I was a good doctor, but no pack dared to accept me. Not with an or
Trista’s POVIt was awhile before we could all breathe again. I kept looking in the rear view mirror, convinced I’d see a slew of black cars tailing us. I couldn’t believe it. We’d somehow narrowly escaped a really dangerous situation.But we weren’t out of the woods yet. At least, I didn’t think so. We drove on, fast, down the Italian roads, leaving Milan behind us. Eventually, I realized that no one was following us.“I think we’re safe,” I said. “Liam, you can sit up again.”Liam emerged from under the blanket.“What the hell was all that?” he asked, his eyes flooded with worry.“I have no idea,” I told him.“I don’t know either,” Darren said. “That man was definitely Jake, but I have no idea why he was there.”Was that other man Johnson? I wasn’t sure, although I had a sinking feeling it was. I couldn’t think about it right now though. I had to focus on the task at hand – getting Liam safely to Dagny in France. I really hoped that once we were there, she’d have some answers for m
Trista’s POVI could tell by the looks on their faces that they weren’t going to let us go without searching us themselves. It reminded me of scenes I’d seen in movies, where underground organizations usurped government officials and conducted searches of their own.Is that what these men? Were they part of some underground mafia? They looked an awful lot like the men from the VIP room. Their clothing was similar. My eyes flashed to their waists. It looked like they had guns underneath their coats, even though they were standing right behind the police.The police were frozen in place. They seemed to fear these men. Or at the very least, it didn’t look like the police were going to do anything to stop them.They approached our car. My mind raced. They men looked menacing and dangerous. We had a disabled wolf, an injured wolf, and an elderly medical wolf. How would we get out of this situation? Our odds weren’t looking so good.“Get out of the car,” one of them ordered. My heart sank.
Trista’s POV“Get in the car,” Darren urged me.“Hurry,” Serena said. Her fur was bristled and she was standing on all fours in her defensive position.“What is it?” I asked Serena. She sniffed the air.“I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t smell anything. But I can sense danger in the air.”“Go,” I said to Hazel. She nodded curtly and took Billy and Belle. They climbed into the cab. Jules was already in the front seat.“Wait,” I called to them. I ran to the cab.“I love you very much,” I said to the kids.“We love you too, Mama,” they both said. “Don’t worry. Aunty Hazel is a good babysitter.”I chuckled. Then I blew them each a kiss and shut the door.Darren was getting into the driver’s seat when I got back to the car. I checked Liam one more time. He had put on a brave face but I could tell he was in pain. Werewolves heal faster than humans, but we feel pain pretty much the same way. The wound in Liam’s stomach was deep and even though it was stitched, I could tell it was bothering h
Trista’s POVJules had parked Liam’s car out front. It was a luxury business car. I was grateful it wasn’t a flashy sports car like the one Johnson had. Fortunately, Liam wasn’t as childish as Johnson when it came to things like that; Liam had nothing to prove. Liam’s car was spacious and it would be far more comfortable for all of us during this long trip to France.We helped Liam into the back seat and set him up with some pillows and a blanket. Darren handed him a thermos.“It’s my wife’s special herbal remedy. It might help you heal, but at the very least, it will make you drowsy so you can get some rest.’“Thank you,” Liam smiled at Darren.I glanced at my phone. I hoped that maybe Johnson had sent me a text, but I knew deep down that he hadn’t.I missed him. Where was he, I wondered. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Was he with all those dangerous men?I tried texting him but I knew he wouldn’t receive it. I’d tried calling him a couple time but his phone number had been disconnected.
Trista’s POVI wished I could watch Liam and Billy talk more. It warmed my heart to see Liam being so gentle and fatherly with Billy. But time was of the essence.We had to hustle.“Billy, love,” I said, coming into the living room. “I have an important job for you.” I knew it was going to be hard to pry Billy away from Liam. The way Billy looked at Liam told me he was enamored with this brave, injured man on the couch who had save his precious mama.“But I’m talking man talk,” Billy said.“Listen to you Mama,” Liam intervened. “If she says she has an important job for you, then you must accept it.”I flashed Liam a ‘thank you’ smile.“Okay, Mama,” Billy said, standing up.“I need you to go all the way upstairs and get Belle. Can you do that? Do you remember the way?” I asked.Billy’s eyes grew wide. The thought of being entrusted to fetch his sister was very appealing to him.“Yes, Mama,” he said, his voice serious. “I will get Belle. I won’t let nothing happen to her.”“Anything,” I
Trista’s POVI decided to let Belle keep sleeping. I needed to go back to my apartment and pack some things. I brought Billy with me.“Where are you going, Mama?” Billy asked on the elevator ride down.“I have to help my friend,” I smiled sweetly at him. “But don’t worry, love. I’ll come back to our home in Summerset soon.”My mind turned to thoughts of Johnson. What was wrong with him? What was causing him to act so strangely? Johnson was not an aggressive man by nature. Could he be helped? Cured even of this odd affliction?“Trista?” Hazel asked worriedly as we opened the door to my apartment. Liam was awake and sitting up on the couch. He had another fresh, white bandage wrapped around his stomach. My eyes darted to the sink where there was a blood-soaked bandage.His wound was still bleeding. He really needed help.“Billy!” Hazel said, extending her arms to him. Billy rushed towards her and Hazel hugged him tightly. Billy side-eyed Liam on the couch.“Billy, this is Liam,” I said.
Trista’s POVI held Billy tight and inhaled the sweet scent of his hair. I’d been so distracted with everything: preparing my entry for the auction, the auction itself, Liam’s injury – I hadn’t been able to spend much time with Billy and Belle.I didn’t realize how much I missed them.After everything I’d been through, holding my son in my arms was heavenly.“Did we wake you up?” I asked him as he pulled away.“Shhh,” he said, putting his finger to his lips. “You’ll wake up Belle. She’s very tired. We have to whisper.”“Oh, okay,” I said, and we all nodded.“Are you hungry, sweetheart?” Darla asked. “I think I still have some coconut cookies left?”“Yes, please,” Billy said, but his voice wasn’t as enthusiastic as it usually was at the mention of cookies.He sat silently on my lap for a bit, picking at the fluff of his cotton pajama pants. I could tell something was wrong.“Billy?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”He shook his head sadly from side to side. Then he looked up at me.“I kn
“I’m from the Red Moon Pack.”“What?”This surprised me. The Red Moon Pack had a terrible Alpha, Jeremy. My mind flashed back to Hazel’s wedding, when I’d found the alpha’s son in a tent having sex with his sister. There was incest in that pack.I frowned.“I know what you’re thinking,” Darren said. “I’ve heard the rumors. But I haven’t been a member of the Red Moon Pack for a long time. And back when I was, the pack was different.”I nodded.“Then how did you know my parents?” I asked.“The Blue Moon Crescent Pack and the Red Moon Pack were friendly back then. I was young, and I was the doctor of the Red Moon Pack. But I often helped with medical concerns in Blue Moon Crescent Pack, too, since I was very skilled and knowledgeable. In fact, I gave your mother all of her pregnancy examinations.” “You did?” I asked, shocked. Then he really HAD known my parents. He’d been their doctor!“Yes,” he confirmed. “Both your parents were in excellent health. All through her pregnanc