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 POVMy hands were shaking. I was letting my emotions take over. I didn’t want to let him see me like this, so I steadied my breathing.I stared at Liam. He was quiet. What is thinking, I wondered. After a little bit, he said, in a very quiet voice:“I didn’t know.”“Didn’t know what?” I asked.“You never told me any of this. I had no idea you felt that way. I thought…” he lowered his head. “I thought you liked being a full-time housewife. You never said otherwise.” He fixed his eyes on mine. “I’m sorry, Trista. I really am. For everything.”His eyes were sincere. This time, his apology really hit some. I felt like I’d finally gotten through to him, like FINALLY, after all this time, he understood. I’d given three years of my life to him, to our pack. During that time, I’d put my own dreams on the back burner. I’d put everyone else first.I’d almost given up being a mother!I studied his face. He looked ashamed. This was the apology I’d been waiting for.I’d been afraid of com
Liam’s POV Monday mornings were always a shit show. A million things always piled up over the weekend. 56 unread emails. A stack of papers for review on my desk. Meetings all afternoon.I sighed and took a big swig of my coffee.But then my secretary called to tell me there was someone to see me. “A Miss Trista Moonlar?” Trista! Relief washed over me. I’d been trying to call her all weekend but she was avoiding my calls. I’d been so worried that she wasn’t going to accept my offer. That she was going to pack up and move back to Milan. In fact, I’d had a bit of a panic attack sometime yesterday afternoon. I called her five times in a row. Not my finest moment, I know. But I was freaking out! She was here now though? In the office? First thing on a Monday morning? Perfect. Unless she’d come to tell me in person that she wasn’t accepting my offer. I shook my head. No. She would have just texted that. It had t
Trista’s POVHa! I’d held my own against that smug Carlos. I was really proud of myself. Other than his little hissy fit about the shares, the meeting had gone really well. I walked out of the meeting feeling like I was on cloud nine.But even though I felt a high level of satisfaction, something nagged at me.Lucy. Carlos had mentioned Lucy.How well did he know her? It seemed like maybe they were friendly?It also seemed like Liam and Lucy’s breakup had been bitter…I decided to focus on the positive, and to celebrate with a vanilla latte from the cute little coffee shop across the street. With my coffee in hand, I plunked down at a seat outside and dialed Johnson.It was a habit of mine, I realized. Whenever anything good happened in my life, he was the first person I wanted to share it with. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about the meeting, and the way I’d defended myself against that arrogant executive.But the call didn’t connect.Huh. That was strange. I’d have to try again la
Trista’s POVHazel and I rushed home. She drove like a bat of out hell, but I didn’t even object once.Was it true? Had Liam found out where I lived? Had he seen the children?We pulled into the driveway and ran up to the house. But before we were even inside, we heard a male voice inside the house. He was talking to my children!I shot Hazel a nervous look as I reached for the doorknob.If Liam found out these were his children, what would he do? I’d done everything I could to hide the truth from him. My heart pounded in my chest.I looked at Hazel with a pleading look. After all, Liam was Hazel's Alpha, and the pack's rule was that you could not betray the Alpha's order. But I knew Hazel would not betray me. I didn't want to put her in a difficult position.I gestured to Hazel and waved my hand to let her go first. But Hazel shook her head and tapped her chest. She winked at me and made a gesture as zipped her mouth. We grew up together and know each other best. I know I can al
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. “