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
Johnson’s POVI hung up the phone, with a silly smile plastered on my face. I couldn’t help it! I was on cloud nine.I’d been worried sick ever since the broadcast. Liam had apologized to her on live television! Offered her shares, a big position within the company! And then she’d fainted and they’d disappeared.Visions of them together had permeated my mind. What were they doing? Making up? Kissing? Fondling each other? Or worse…I’d texted her like crazy! Too much, I realize now. But it’d taken her so long to get to me, I’d convinced myself that Trista and Liam were getting back together.But now?“There’s nothing between me and Liam.” That’s what she’d said. And I trust her.Liam didn’t understand her. Not like I did. I knew her, I knew her heart. She has a strong heart, full of love and compassion. She has this unique charm. She can win over anyone with that shy smile of hers.But she doesn’t know her own strength. How many women could have accomplished what she had? When she arri
Trista’s POVI dialed the number of the lawyer. I needed some legal advice.Liam had rescheduled the promotional photo shoot with Stevia for the following week. I took this opportunity to withdraw from Liam. To get space between us. And to get my ducks in a row.“Carter and Associates,” a bright voice said.“Um, yes. I’m looking for some legal help,” I told the receptionist. She patched me through to a lovely lawyer. I explained that I was trying to open an office in Starhaven and I had a contract I needed her to look over. She asked me to send it to her office, and assured me she could help.With the help of a real estate agent, I found a beautiful little office space in Starhaven. I was bustling with pride. This is where I was going to work on and launch my own line. The contract with HS had already been written up, and there was nothing that prevented me from starting my own line. That’s what the lawyer confirmed for me. So if I accepted Liam’s offer, I could still work on my own
Trista’s POV“What?” I asked, pushing Hazel to the side. She was still staring at Gladice, frowning.“It’s nothing,” she said, her voice in a whisper. “I just didn’t know that you’d already hired someone.”“You don’t like her?” I asked.We both looked casually at Gladice. By now, she’d moved on from the basket. She was looking through my fridge.“I don’t know her,” Hazel shrugged. “I guess I just thought…well….your old omega maid really misses you. She heard you were back. She said she’d love to work for you again.”Gladice took out a bottle of something (salad dressing) and sniffed it. She shook her head and put it back. Then she grabbed three apples and crammed them into the basket.“Oh,” I said. I missed Emi too. She had been lovely. So kind and attentive. And I’d always felt like her little pups, well, like they’d been my extended family.“Knives?” Gladice asked.I pointed to the drawer.“What does she need knives for?” Hazel whispered.“I dunno. They’re going on a picnic. To cu
Trista’s POVOn Monday morning, I stepped into the main hall at HS. Everyone was staring at me, slyly, with side-eyes, but they were staring nonetheless. They whispered after I passed by. Looked like all the juicy gossip from the launch event had spread through the office, like wildfire.I held my head high, though. I’d done nothing wrong. They could talk all they wanted.I arrived at Liam’s office and went straight to his receptionist. I didn’t have an office there, so I had to ask to see him.“Is he expecting you?” she asked.“No,” I answered. After talking with Hazel yesterday afternoon, and then again with Johnson last night, I’d made the firm decision to accept Liam’s offer. I hadn’t scheduled a meeting or anything to let him know, though. I’d decided to just drop in on him and give him the news face to face.“I’ll let him know you’re here, Miss…”“Trista.”At the mention of my name, her face registered recognition. “Yes, of course.” She told me to take a seat. I waited patiently
I opened my mouth to protest, but he waved his hand in the air.“Trista, this is non-negotiable. I need timely feedback. Timely responses from you. I tried calling you countless times over the past week, to discuss BUSINESS matters. But I couldn’t get a hold of you. A personal secretary will prevent a situation like that from happening again.”I snapped my mouth shut. He was right. I had ignored him. He’d called several more times yesterday afternoon, but I’d shut off my phone to drink with Hazel.In all truth, it had been a tad bit unprofessional of me. “You can relax, Trista,” he said. I noticed that I was actually very tense. “These conditions are all reasonable. I look forward to working with you.”I smiled. So there it was. We COULD maintain a professional, working relationship. We could…“I also look forward to winning you back.”Wait. What?! I glared at him.“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I have every intention of winning you back. But I realize now that it ca
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