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
I blinked.Remember her?She was the one who took my spot as Luna.He saw my face as we turned out of the city onto a less busy highway road. “Right,” heSaid. “Of course you remember her. Well, anyway, she came to me, when you and I were still together. She said she was homeless and needed protection. The Alpha of the Red Moon Pack was abusing her. She’d run away but now he was trying to hunt her down, to kill her. I took pity on her.”I nodded. I knew some of Lucy’s backstory, but not all of it.“I asked Beta Jack to find somewhere for her to live. Then she rang me up and said we had to meet. She had important information, business information, from her old pack. She said it could help me. So…I met up with her. We had a drink and then…well…I don’t remember anything after that.”“You don't remember anything? You mean you don't remember what you and she... did?” I asked, appalled.“I honestly don’t know,” he sighed.I stared at his eyes, not missing a single detail, trying to catch an
Trista’s POVHe misunderstood. I had followed news of Liam for a short while after our divorce. Of course I had! I was curious. But when I saw how well he was doing, and how happy he was, I’d stopped following him.“You were all over the news,” I explained. “I wasn’t looking for news about you. But there you were, every time I logged on. I deleted all the apps shortly after your wedding. I honestly didn’t care to see what you were doing,” I denied. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. “Okay, Trista, whatever you say.” He said it in a tone that said he didn’t believe me at all. “Is it true? Were you really pregnant?” he asked.I sighed and looked out the window. The trees whirled by, the massive trunks tossing speckles of shade onto the ground. It really was beautiful, this forest.He continued. “Johnson said you were fired when you were pregnant. That was right after you left our pack.”Left? He was making it sound like I had chosen to leave.“You mean exiled,” I snapped. He
Then I got out of the car and walked across the parking lot.He sat in the car and waited.But I didn’t look back. Not this time.Billy and Belle ran to me when I got home. I collected them into my arms and smothered them with kisses.Then I told them to run outside and play.Hazel handed me a cup of tea.“So?” she said, her eyebrows raised.“He embarrassed me,” I sighed, collapsing onto the couch. “He told the media about our personal life. I’m so…so angry. I can’t forgive him for this.”“I understand,” she nodded. “It was quite the production. And it wasn’t fair to you to be put on the spot like that.”We finished our tea and then Hazel went home. I checked my phone and there were five more texts from Johnson. He was really worried.“Trista!” he said as soon as I called. “It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve been worried sick!”“I know,” I said. His voice was comforting. It helped me relax.“Are you okay? You fainted! I saw it all on the live broadcast.”I assured him I was fine. I
Trista’s POVWe walked back into the house. I was really glad I’d had that talk with Liam, but now that all those things were out of the way, my mind went back to the problems at hand. The children were in the living room, crawling all over poor Jules.“Let’s play pony, Uncle Jules,” Belle exclaimed, clapping her hands.“Yes! I want to ride Uncle Jules!” Billy laughed.I was anxious, but I tried not to let Jules or the children see.“Oh, all right,” Jules sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. Then he got off the couch and went down on his hands and knees. “Pony Jules at your service,” he said. Then he lowered his front half down to the floor and Belle climbed on. He paraded around the room with Belle on his back. She cheered and laughed with delight.It warmed my heart, seeing the children having so much fun. And honestly, it looked like Jules was having a great time as well, which made me happy since the poor man had been through a lot in the past few hours.“Perhaps he missed his call
I hope he can read my mind.In fact, I also need his support.I know that the current situation may not be optimistic, and I can't just leave them alone and pretend nothing is happening; On the other hand, I can't put the children in danger if I’m helping Johnson and his family.If there is someone else here I can trust and who will protect my children at any cost, then that person must be Liam, their real father.“Liam, not just Johnson, but the whole family are wonderful and decent people. They helped not only me, but you too! Liam is the one who saved you by throwing you out of the VIP room window and told me to leave. And Johnson is the reason we were able to escape and come back here, to the United States. He distracted the black-clad men. If he hadn’t done that, who knows what would have happened? And Dagny, she healed your wounds. I know you feel she is unfriendly. But if you knew their family history you would not say that. They are Lycans. For many years they have been hunted
Trista’s POVThe early evening air was cool and fresh. I inhaled the scent of the forest just beyond my back yard. I’d missed the smell of the forest. My mind flashed back to the night Johnson and I had sat out here, after Hazel’s wedding and sipped on ice cold beer. I’d been so comfortable that night with him. We’d gazed up at the star-speckled sky and let the night roll by. By the time I’d woken up the next morning, he was gone. It was the last time I’d seen him, the REAL Johnson, not the man in the VIP room at the High Seine auction.That had been months ago, before our cruise and our shopping trip through Europe. Before I entered the competition in Milan. Before Liam was shot and we raced to the Milan border to track down Johnson’s parents in France.Had it really been that long ago? So much had happened since then, it was hard to fathom. And even though it felt like a lifetime had passed since that night, every time I thought about Johnson, sitting there, beside me with a beer in
Trista’s POV“What do you mean?” I asked. Liam eyed me, his expression serious.“I mean,” he said, “Jules is a werewolf. I can accept him into Blue Moon Crescent Pack. He’ll have the pack’s protection.”I paused, stunned by Liam’s idea. I hadn’t even thought of that, but Liam was right. Since Jules was a werewolf, Liam could formally accept him into the pack. He’d be safe there with the entire pack behind him. He’d be protected. It was actually a really good idea.It wasn’t that easy though. “What about his life?” I asked. “Jules has been living as a human. He’d have to give all that up. He’d have to leave the city and learn the ways of the pack.” Shifting from life in human society to life in a pack would be jarring for Jules, to say the least. It wouldn’t be an easy transition.“He’d get used to it, with time,” Liam said. “He was never given the option of living with a pack. That choice was taken from him when his parents withheld the truth. Maybe this is the best thing for him? Be
Trista’s POVBilly and Belle laughed with delight as Jules entered their bedroom. My mind spun with everything Jules had just told us. I felt sorry for him. He’d been struggling with the fact that he was different his entire life, without knowing why. That must have been so hard for him. I still found it strange that Jules had no wolf scent, though. I wondered why. It was highly uncommon for a werewolf not to emit the wolf scent. It was how we recognized our own kind.Was his wolf weak? Disabled? It didn’t make sense. But I didn’t have time to dwell on things like that.We had more pressing matters to think about.“Mercury and Storm are the key to this whole thing,” I told Liam. “They have the key to the vault. Or at least, they know where it is. I’d been hoping that Jules knew about the key, or at least knew more about his parents and their role in all this. But that was a dead end.”It was crystal clear that Jules had given us all the information he could.“That’s an understatement,
Trista’s POV “They never told you,” Liam said. “Your parents? That they’re werewolves?” Jules shook his head.I was stunned but I guess that made sense. If they hadn’t told Jules that he was a werewolf, why would they tell him that they were, too.“They just raised you in the human world?” I asked.“Yes,” Jules shrugged, but I could see the shock in his eyes. He was trying to process all of this, but it was a bit too much for him. “They never said anything like that…about being…wolves. So when I started hearing the wolf voice in my head, I thought I was crazy. I never told them that I thought something was wrong with me. I didn’t want them to worry. But now…you’re telling me…Are you sure?” “Yes, Jules, we’re sure,” I told him. He lowered his head and fiddled with the cuff of his sleeves. “Oh,” was all he said. This was unbelievable. Mercury and Storm had kept their identity hidden from Jules for his entire life? As well as his o
Trista’s POV“What?” Liam exclaimed, bolting upright in his chair. I was equally as baffled. What did Jules mean he didn’t know he was a werewolf?Jules shrunk back into the corner of the room. “Please don’t be mad at me,” he said.“I don’t understand,” I said. “How could you not know?”As werewolves, our wolves were a part of us. They are with us since birth. Of course, it’s not until we’re older that they really surface. Billy and Belle, for example, didn’t know their wolves yet. But there would come a day when their wolves would make themselves known. And when they did, there was no denying the wolf. How could Jules not know he had a wolf?“I mean, I guess I knew,” Jules said, his voice small. “Sort of. I…it’s confusing.”Jules was almost hyperventilating at this point, so I tried to calm him down.“Just take a deep breath,” I said. “No one’s mad at you. Come. Sit on the couch here.”Jules nodded and sniffled, then he followed me to the couch like a little boy. Luckily, Billy and B
Trista’s POV“Jules!” Liam demanded, waiting for an explanation. But when I turned to look at Jules, I saw his lips quivering. He had tears brimming in his eyes.He looked like a little school boy who was afraid of being punished.“You owe me an explanation,” Liam said. “I…I…” Jules stuttered, taking a few steps back from Liam. His face was pale and he looked terrified. Billy and Belle were watching with wide eyes. I walked up to Liam and patted him gently on the arm.“Liam,” I said, “stop it. Can’t you see you’re scaring him?”Liam inhaled a sharp breath. His eyes flitted from Jules, who was shrinking into the corner, and me.“You’re right,” Liam finally said, calming down. “But we need to get to the bottom of this.”“The…the bottom of…of what?” Jules said, clearly flustered.Jules was always so talkative, so it was a bit jarring to see him so flustered and tongue-tied.“Are you going to fire me?” Jules asked, his voice small. “For hiding my identity?”Liam shook his h
Trista’s POVI opened the front door to my cozy little home, happy to be back. I felt like it had been a lifetime since I’d seen my house. And I couldn’t wait to see my sweet babes again.Billy and Belle saw me from the kitchen and squealed with delight. They ran towards me and I embraced them, inhaling their scent. Tears brimmed in my eyes – I’d missed them both so much.“Momma, where have you been?” Belle asked. I noticed that she had chocolate smeared on the corner of her mouth. I glanced over at the kitchen table and saw that is was covered in junk food! French fries, chips, pop, chocolate, assorted candies were strewn all over the table. I rarely let Billy and Belle eat this much junk food. I was appalled.“Jules,” I chastised, surveying the food. Jules was sitting at the table happily stuffing his mouth full of take-out French fries.Jules looked at me and shrugged sheepishly. “Welcome back,” he said.“Is this what you’ve been feeding the kids?” I asked, walking into the living