Trista’s POV My heart lurched. Billy was thrown from the back of the horse. The trainer lunged under Billy and broke his fall. The horse reared up, kicking its front legs in the air. It neighed loudly. I ran to them. Johnson got there first. He dismounted and then lifted Belle from the horse. Belle wailed. She was terrified. Johnson wrapped his arms around her. Billy was on top of the trainer on the ground. I lifted him off the trainer. “Momma?” Billy asked, his face pale and his eyes wide. “I’m….I’m so sorry,” the trainer stuttered, getting up to his feet. He cradled his left arm. “I don’t know what happened. Something spooked her.” “Is Billy okay?” Johnson asked. The horse continued to kick, its nostrils flaring. “Yes,” I said. I checked him over. He wasn’t hurt, just shocked. The trainer, however, didn’t escape the ordeal so easily. His arm was bent in an unnatural way. “Your arm,” I said to him
Trista’s POV A Lycan?If my face was shocked before, well….“Well, I suppose I better fill you in,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Would you like more tea? It’s a bit of a long story.”I shook my head. My thoughts were reeling. She was…she was a lycan? But..but how?“I come from an old Lycan family,” she started. “We were based in the United States, on the West Coast. It was a very, very powerful family, too powerful, actually. We had a lot of enemies, other werewolves that wanted to kill us to stop our power. So, my parents, Johnson’s grandparents, came to Europe to go into hiding. They figured it was the safest thing to do.”I nodded. I had heard about lycans going into hiding. Lycan always had a lot of enemies; werewolves are jealous of their power so they hunt them down. Dagny continued.They first settled in Paris, but it was too big and busy. They longed for the peace and quiet they’d had for so long. So they moved out this way, to the South of France. I lived a ver
Trista’s POV Suddenly, my mind flashed back to the day I met Johnson. The parking garage.The man, with the gun.“You said people were hunting Johnson’s father,” I said. “I think…maybe someone was hunting Johnson, too.” I told her about the day in the garage. Her face turned serious, and a darkness washed over her features. “Do you think…maybe…There might be the connection between these people?”She pressed her lips together. “Because it probably is,” I continued. “Who are these people? What did they want with Steward?” She looked down at her hands. “Were they…were they trying to kill him?” I asked.Then she looked up at me, with a fake smile on her face. “Thank you for the information, Trista,” she said. “I will speak to Steward about it. I’m sure it was nothing. He’ll sort it out.”I snapped my mouth shut. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it. I was offending her -prying into her personal life. Her normal expression returned. “No need for apologies,” she said. We
Trista’s POV Go home? How could I possibly do that? Did she mean back to my pack? Back to Summerset? I was rejected. Exiled. I didn’t have a home there anymore. I carried Billy back to my bedroom, Dagny’s words swarming through my mind. The herbs had made Billy sleepy, and he was dead weight. He was heavy in my arms and I realized that he wasn’t my tiny little baby anymore. He was a young boy now. I laid him down on my bed. He stirred, then curled up into a ball. He looked so much like Liam. The same eyes, the same hair, the same build. Looking at him there, on the bed, he didn’t look like an average five-year-old boy. He looked older. Stronger. More robust. “It must be the Alpha blood in him,” I sighed to myself. My mind turned to Johnson. He had been so calm and collected during the accident. He knew just what to do but the concern on his face – well – that had been the concerned look of a parent. “Johnson
Trista’s POV Liam? Ugh. He was the last person I wanted to talk about. “He made us, well you, a pretty good offer, Trista.” I didn’t want a damned thing from Liam, let alone some sort of business offer. But I trusted Johnson so I listened. “Liam’s been in touch with Stevia Sinclair.” My eyes lit up. Stevia Sinclair? She was the hottest movie star right now. She was a massive influencer with a multi-million social media following. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knew who she was. Johnson chuckled at my expression. “Looks like Liam managed to secure a deal with Miss Sinclair. She’s agreed to endorse your latest jewelry line. With a few conditions, of course.” I couldn’t respond. How? What? Was this really happening? “It gets better,” Johnson said. “Liam has offered to fund the creation of an independent brand, in YOUR name.” It was a dream come true! My own brand? Endorsed by the most famous movie star on the p
Trista’s POV His question hung in the air. I thought about it. It was an attractive offer. My own line? Endorsed by Stevia Sinclair? It was everything I’d ever dreamed of! But I hesitated. Because there were strings attached. Giant strings, ready to strangle me. Liam. I didn’t want to see him again. Ever. Dagny’s words rang through my head. ‘Billy’s wolf might be unstable. He’s been raised without his pack. Maybe you should go home, Trista.’ Now, if Liam had made me this offer yesterday, I would have flat out refused. Yeah right! Work for that jerk? But this wasn’t yesterday. And a lot had changed since then. Billy had spooked a horse and taken a bad fall. Dagny had voiced her concerns. Was Billy at risk? Of having an unstable wolf? I didn’t know. I had to admit there was some truth in Dagny’s words. When I’d first left, I hadn’t thought about the ramifications of raising my children away from their pack. I’d
Trista’s POVI chose Summerset. I knew the town well and it was close to the forest town where the Blue Moon Crescent Pack was.Many young wolves came to Summerset. Young people from the pack, to start their own businesses. It helped strengthen our pack. Starting their own business gave them better, richer lives. I had encouraged our young wolves to do this when I’d been Luna.Many of them had. My children would be surrounded by wolves in Summerset. It was the closest I could come to being ‘near’ a pack, without actually being part of one. Blue Moon Crescent was doing really well. That’s what I’d heard. Of course, I had made Blue Moon Crescent its first buckets of wealth. But Liam had turned that money into more. He’d done really well financially. His reputation spread far and wide. Even in Europe I’d heard whispers about the ‘mysterious billionaire who lived in a small, forest town.’ He’d integrated his business into the human world very successfully. Our pack was doing very well.
Trista’s POV Hazel!MY Hazel!Reunited at last!Moon Goddess, it felt good! We embraced. Then we both started talking at the same time, gushing and chattering.We were talking over each other and neither of us could understand a word the other was saying. I laughed. “We clearly have a lot to catch up on. How about you come back to my place and we’ll have tea? The kids can play in the yard. Please?” I took her hands in mine.She squeezed my hands. “Trista, I already let you go once. I’m NEVER letting you go again!”Back at my house, I made tea. But before it had finished steeping, Hazel looked at me with a mischievous look. I knew that look. I ditched the tea and grabbed a bottle of wine. We sat out back and clinked our glasses together.“To us,” Hazel said, sinking back into her chair.“To us,” I smiled.We hadn’t seen each other in five years, but we slipped right back into our friendship, talking easily and comfortably as though no time had passed. I regaled her stories abo
Trista’s POVI stared in disbelief as Dagny and Darren smiled at one another.“I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize me. Time has been kinder to you, I’m afraid. I’m an old man now,” Darren said.They knew each other? But how was that possible?“I’m sorry, “ Dagny said. “That probably took you by surprise. Let me explain.”All eyes turned to Dagny as she began her explanation.“The Cartwright family is very well-known in both Italy and France. As I’m sure you’ve surmised, they own many successful businesses. But that’s just on the surface. Most of their businesses are just fronts because their ancestors gained control of the largest underground mafia organization this region has seen in several generations.”She paused to let the words sink in.“How about some tea,” she said. “I think there’s still some in kitchen, as well as a kettle. This is a lot to process and a hot cup of tea might help.”Before any of us could answer, she scurried off the kitchen. Honestly, I failed to see how a cup
Trista’s POV“It’s a trap,” Dagny said. Her brows furrowed and I could see how stressful this was for her. “These people don’t care about the police. The police are scared of them. They operate in a criminal, underground world. The police can’t protect us. No one can.”I side-eyed Liam and Darren. They both had concerned looks on their faces.So the police were out. If Dagny thought it was a bad idea to go to the police, then I trusted her judgement. But were we supposed to do? “I waited here, for Johnson,” she said sadly. “Otherwise, I would have left as soon as I saw those curtains. I just couldn’t bear the thought of my poor Johnson walking into a trap. It’s another reason I had to risk exposing myself and go to the funeral. I was afraid he would just show up. I tried calling him but I can’t get through to him on his phone. I’ve been worried sick,” she said. A single tear fell from her eye as she wrung the handkerchief in her lap. “I just kept hoping he’d come and I’d get to him
Trista’s POVI asked Dagny if there was somewhere else we could talk. The men in the black suits were eying us up, making me feel uncomfortable. I had so many questions but I knew I couldn’t ask them there, in that church, with all those people around.“There is,” Dagny whispered to me.“I have a car waiting outside,” I told her. She simply nodded and then we made our way outside.We approached the car and relief washed through Liam’s eyes when he saw me.“I was just about to go in for you,” he said sternly. Then his eyes fell on Dagny.I introduced her and both Darren and Liam nodded knowingly. Dagny, on the other hand, looked at them suspiciously. There was a blood stain on Liam’s shirt. His wound was soaking through.“You can trust them,” I assured her. “They’re my friends.”She glanced at me quickly then back at the men in the black suits. They had come out of the church and were eying us across the parking lot.“Let’s go,” Dagny said firmly, and we all climbed into the car. Darre
Trista’s POVThe parking lot to the church was packed. We pulled in and got out. A stream of black-clad people were walking into the church. A few others were mingling outside on the front steps.My heart sank.Was Steward really dead? I really didn’t want that to be true. Both he and Dagny had been very generous to me and my kids when we stayed with them.My mind flashed to Johnson. Where was he? If this really was his father’s funeral, then why wasn’t he here? The only explanation I could think of was that he didn’t know.“Do you want to go inside?” Liam asked, taking my hand. I let him. It felt warm and comforting.“You should wait in the car,” I told him. He’d put a shirt on over his bandage. It looked like the bleeding had stopped, but he was nowhere near fully healed. It was hard for him to walk, I could tell.“She’s right,” Darren said. “I can go with her. You should rest.”“I’m not leaving her,” Liam said. “We don’t know any of these people. They could be dangerous.” His eyes
Trista’s POVI might have poor eyesight, but I have a fantastic memory. As soon as we got close to Johnson’s family estate, I remembered the roads perfectly. Before I knew it, we were heading towards the estate where Johnson’s parents lived.We pulled up and parked the car.“This is it,” I said, opening my car door. But as soon as I did, I could tell that something was wrong. “Stay here for a moment,” I told Darren and Liam. “I just want to check something out.”The air was full with the scent of people – all strangers. And a lot of them, too. They were all sort of milling about, dressed in black.It was very odd. I knew that Dagny and Steward had lived at the estate for a long time, but they didn’t seem very social. At least, they hadn’t when I was there.I saw a group of people huddled in the courtyard, talking in a whispered hush. They seemed to be consoling one another. I really wanted to find out what was going on, so I tried to blend in.I pretended to walk around for a bit, to
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