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 POVLiam’s assistant, Jules, was leading me down a long corridor. He was walking really fast and I struggled to keep up. Liam had passed me off to him. “So the launch party is first. Just a small affair. Only about 300 or so guests. Then it’s the photo shoot with Miss Sinclair,” Jules said. He glanced back at me while we walked. “Miss Sinclair is a real doll. You’ll love her. Really. This way.” He veered left into another long corridor. “Now, as I’m sure you know, our company, Dress Right, is the father company to all our other apparel companies. In fact, we’re now the largest group of apparel companies on the East Coast.”“Oh, I actually didn’t know that,” I said.Apparel? I didn’t know Liam had gone into the apparel business.“Yes, yes,” he nodded quickly. “This way.” We turned right this time and were met with yet another long corridor. “We have a wide range of business lines. Everything, really, from casual wear to popular designer brands. We cover luxury goods, too, of
Trista’s POV“Crisis! Total crisis mode here.” A female voice broke through my thoughts. The door swung open and there she was…Stevia Sinclair!She was even more beautiful in person. I stood to greet her. She eyed me.“It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” I gushed. “I’m…”She cut me off. Her voice was pleasant but curt. I was a bit taken aback.“May I ask… are you a celebrity?” she asked, her eyebrow raised.“Um. No.”“Is this your dressing room?” She walked towards the mirror. She put her hand on her hip and clicked her nails on the counter.“Well, no. It’s not mine.”“Are you all finished?”Was I? I supposed so. Basically, anyway. We’d been at it for hours. What was left? Just some accessories. Maybe some earrings? So yeah, I was pretty much done. “Almost,” I replied.“Good. Because my stylist totally flaked on me. Tell her,” she pointed at Brenna, “to do my makeup right away. I assume she’s the stylist?” Stevia was looking at me.“Um…yes…”“Perfect. I have an important meeting with
I rubbed my hands on my dress. My palms were sweaty. My heart was beating a mile a minute. We were waiting in a backstage area. But right beyond those doors, a ton of people were waiting in, what Liam was calling, ‘The Launch Room.’The staff eyed Liam and Stevia excitedly. The big boss and the big star! Next to them, I was a nobody. Don’t get me wrong. People were polite enough. It’s just that I didn’t hold the same allure as a CEO and a celebrity.And I knew it.Liam and Stevia giggled like old friends. I held my elbows and giggled too whenever they looked my way. You see, they were acting like I was part of the conversation, but I wasn’t. Not really.Especially since the conversation was about me.Stevia warmed up to me the moment Liam introduced me.“Well I had no idea the designer is your ex-wife!” she’d exclaimed. “Come. Come, Trista. Come sit,” she had said in the dressing room, standing up so I could take her seat. But Liam had said it was time to go to the launch party.What
“Where’s Stevia?” I asked as I returned to the waiting room.“Oh, she’s already gone in,” Liam replied. “You know what it’s like with the media. They wanted her ahead of time.”No. I didn’t know what it was like with the media. This was all new to me.I heard a lot of noise, then, from outside the room. Applause, the click of cameras, people shouting: “Stevia! This way! Look over here!”And I realized…This was no small launch.Liam had glossed over it, claiming it was ‘simple and intimate’. But I should have known better.The HS Group had a lot of financial power, so there were likely a ton of business bigwigs out there. Then add in Stevia Sinclair, who’s a real media draw. And of course, the elusive Liam Stonewood, president of HS. Apparently Liam rarely appeared in public, at least, that’s what I’d been told.Mix them all together and voila! You have a conference room packed with over a thousand people.“Over a thousand?” I blinked, frozen in spot. Liam had just told me the head co
Trista’s POV Everyone waited with baited breath. A big announcement? What could that be? Liam flashed a smile at me then he addressed the crowd. “You’re all in for a real treat,” he said with a sincere smile. “Trista is an extremely talented jewelry designer, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her on board with HS.” I smiled back at him. Those were kind words. “But I have something very important to share with you all. Trista is my ex-wife.” He paused. The crowd gasped. My mind spun. Why was he telling everyone this? This was SO embarrassing! This was our personal life! How dare he! But before I could finish my thoughts, he continued. “In fact, Trista was my first wife. As such, I am transferring 20% of the shares of HS to her.” Again, he paused. Cameras flashed, blinding me. I felt like everything was moving in slow motion. He looked at me as he said the next part. “I am appointed Trista as the Senior Art Director of HS, eff
Trista’s POVMy heart raced. I ran through the HS building. I couldn’t get home quickly enough. I zig-zagged through the corridors, desperate to reach the door that would lead me outside.Liam chased after me.“Trista, wait!” he hollered. “I’m really sorry! I shouldn’t have blindsided you like that. Just…slow down…let’s talk about this!”People in the hallway stopped and stared. I looked like a crazy person running through the halls, with Liam hot on my trail spewing out apologies. But I didn’t care. I finally found the front door and burst out into the bright sunlight.I stopped for a moment to get my bearings.Liam appeared, placing his hand on my arm. I shook it off.“Leave me alone,” I said firmly. “I’m going home.”“Can we at least talk about this?” he asked, his head cocked to the side.“No,” I said bluntly.“Okay,” he nodded, realizing that I was firm on this. “Then at least let me drive you home. It’s rush hour. You’ll never get a taxi.”“I’ll bus,” I snapped back. The last th
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. “