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 POV I 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 we
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?