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 POV At that exact moment, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID. ‘Speak of the devil,’ I muttered under my breath. It was Johnson. I had barely answered though when the twins swarmed me. “Is it Johnson? Is it?” They asked, hopping from foot to foot with excitement. I nodded and went to say hello, but Billy snatched the phone out of my hand! “Johnson!” he said. “We boughted a hammock! A real one!’ Then Belle grabbed the phone from Billy. “It’s ME! Belle!” she squealed into the phone. “Can you hear me cuz we flew all the way across the ocean!” Hazel raised her eyebrows. “Johnson, is it? Is that his name?” “Oh yes, he’s a friend. And my boss, actually…” “Well, judging by their excitement,” she pointed at the kids who were taking turns with the phone, “he sounds like a lot more than a friend.” “It’s not like that,” I denied. “Look at them!” Hazel
Trista’s POV “What do you mean?” I asked. What rumors? What awful, terrible rumors? “Just stuff,” she shrugged dismissively. “What sort of stuff?” I prodded. “Well, as you know, Lycans are an ancient race. They’ve always been a little…mysterious. You know, they keep to themselves and all that.” “Get to the rumors, Hazel,” I said flatly. “I’ve just heard things. Like – that they’re brutal. Powerful. Merciless. People, werewolves, are afraid of them. Just things like that.” I was silent. Brutal? Merciless? I had a hard time thinking about Johnson in any connection to THOSE words. He was the complete opposite. Kind. Loyal. Generous. Seeing my silence, Hazel continued. “Obviously Johnson’s not like that,” she said. “You told me he takes care of you. And the children. He sounds lovely, he really does.” Her words were coming out rushed. It was making me feel uneasy. “He’s clearly VERY differen
Trista’s POV We drove through the busy streets of Starhaven. I knew Starhaven was big, but I had no idea it was THIS massive.Traffic was bumper to bumper in the downtown core, since it was the middle of rush hour. Everywhere I looked, skyscrapers loomed overhead. Pedestrians scuttled across the streets, briefcases and coffees in hand. I’d been to some really large cities in Europe, so a large city was nothing new. I was just surprised that THIS is where Liam’s head office was.This was a far cry from the pack’s simple town in the forest. And a far cry from Summerset.Hazel slammed on the brakes, causing my body to lurch forward.“What are you doing?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Are you color blind! That’s a green light, you jerk!”I gave her the side-eye. Hazel was generally a pretty calm person, but something about driving in the city turned her into a swearing, angry, maniac. I checked my seatbelt to make sure it was secure. “Are you sure you can find the building?
Trista’s POVI woke up groggy on the plane just as it was about to land. My head was still resting on Liam’s chest, and when I lifted it, I noticed I had left a small drool stain on his shirt.“Oh my god,” I said, mortified by the stain. “I’m so sorry.”Liam chuckled. “You should apologize to the other passengers, too. You were snoring so loud, it literally rattled the windows.”“What?” I asked, horrified. I was snoring? “Why didn’t you stop me?”“You were so cute, all fast asleep, snoring like a train and drooling like a toddler,” Liam teased, “Kidding.”I elbowed him hard in the ribs.“Did you get any sleep?” I asked, concerned.“A little,” he winked. “In between your snores.”“Ha ha,” I mocked, rolling my eyes. The seat belt fasten sign came on and we prepared for landing. Now that we were back in the United States, I was anxious to see Billy and Belle. Hazel, too. I’d missed them all a lot.I whipped out my phone as we de-boarded the plane. I called my house but no one answered. I
“It was,” I admitted. “Especially at first. I had no job and I was terrified that me and the babies would be forced to live out on the streets. But as soon as I moved to Milan, I met Johnson.” I stopped and smiled faintly. It was impossible to tell Liam about my struggles with Billy and Belle without mentioning Johnson. I worried for a moment that Liam would take offense to me talking about Johnson. Liam had, after all, made it pretty clear how he felt about Johnson. But to my surprise, he squeezed my hand and urged me to continue.“Johnson was a god sent,” I told Liam. “He gave me a job and took me under his wing. We became…really good friends. And with time, we became more, even though I don’t really know what that is yet. Johnson was always there for us, all three of us, and Billy and Belle adore him. They love him, they really do. And I’ve come to rely on him. I know you and Johnson don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, Liam. But he’s a good man. A loyal man. A kind, loving man. He’s my…”
Trista’s POV“What?” I blurted out, but I was immediately hushed by a man behind us.“For the love of God, just go to sleep,” the man said. Liam and eyed each other, then we both brought our heads closer together so we could keep talking, but more quietly.“They’re mine, aren’t they?” he repeated, without even the slightest hint of anger in his voice. “Billy and Belle?”I’d feared this conversation for so long. I’d been carrying this secret with me from the day they were born. I’d spent years swearing to myself that Liam could never know the truth about his children, that it was a secret I’d keep from until my grave. But from the moment Liam had come back into my life, I’d questioned whether lying to Liam was the right thing to do.Hazel and I had talked about it many times. She gently asked me if raising my kids without a pack was really what I wanted. As far as they knew, they were human. The human world was all Billy and Belle had ever known, but I knew I couldn’t keep their true i
Trista’s POV“Because I still had feelings for you?” I asked.“Yes,” he said, his eyes fixed on his hands. “Because I still had feelings for you so I thought maybe you did too.”“I didn’t,” I said gently. I was surprised that Liam was confessing this all to me, but at the same time, it didn’t really matter to me. If he had been struggling with regret and lingering feelings for me during his marriage to Lucy, well, that was his own damn fault. I was tired of conversations like these. I needed him to understand that whatever feelings he might still be harboring for me were not reciprocal on my part. “Well, thanks for clearing that up,” he said flatly. Then he turned away from me, back to the window. The easy, casual feeling between us was gone. The air was tense now and I didn’t like it. The plane ride had been enjoyable up until that point, and I wanted it to be that way again. I decided to change the subject. I didn’t want to talk about ‘us’ and our past anymore. I wanted to focus
Trista’s POV“A confession?” I asked, momentarily stunned by the seriousness of his voice and expression. What could he possibly have to confess, I wondered. But a moment later, he continued.“It wasn’t just after Lucy betrayed me that I wanted to win you back,” he said, his voice steady.“What? What do you mean?” I asked. Where was he going with this? What was he insinuating?“This is hard for me to admit, Trista. But I wanted you back long before that.”“Liam,” I started. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear this, but he cut me off.“You’re right. Lucy and I travelled a lot. We went to tons of beautiful places. Tropical beaches with white sand. Stunning European cities with ancient architecture. We even did a safari in Africa.” He paused.“Sounds nice,” I said dryly. What was his point? I already knew all this. I’d seen pictures of him and Lucy at various galas all over the world. Her in a long silk dress, him in a tuxedo, both smiling, hand in hand. I’d also seen the pictures of them on
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. “