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
“Emmmm, your friend is… cute.”Johnson glanced out the window at the back of Hazel's leaving. I took a quick peek at him and joked to him, “You are the type of man my friends like. I can create some opportunities for you two. ”“No, no, no. I'm just curious about what your friends from childhood are like. You rarely make friends in France. I'd better continue reading stories to the children.” Johnson nervously explained and closed the curtains tightly, which made me laugh.After Hazel’d left, I sat on the couch and listened to Johnson finish his story. He was enthralling as a story teller. He used different voices for the characters and everything. The house felt cozy and warm. Comfortable. I realized it wasn’t just the children that had missed Johnson.After dinner, Gladice cleaned up the dishes, then I excused her for the night.“Well, I really should get the kids ready for bed,” I said to Johnson, trying to subtly cue him that it was time for him to go, too.“Sure. I’ll just wait h
Trista’s POV The following week was the most relaxing one I’d had since I returned to Summerset. Having Johnson in the house felt so natural. Gladice was not very comfortable at first, letting Johnson be alone with Belle and Billy. But after a day, she told me that she had never met a young man like Johnson who had never had children of his own but took great care of the kids. I smiled. Indeed, I could not imagine without Johnson how I would have managed to raise a pair of twins alone in a foreign country for five years. Johnson came home one day, bursting through the door. “I have fabulous news,” he said. “I found Billy and Belle a school for kindergarten.” I was planning on enrolling them in the local public school, so I cocked my head, curious about this ‘school’ of Johnson’s. “It’s called the Scornbrooke Academy. Actually Hazel recommended it to me.” he explained, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Trista’s POVThe day of the big photo shoot finally arrived. I walked into the HS building, my stomach in knots. I was actually nervous about running into Liam. He’d given me my space, which I was grateful for, but I knew we couldn’t avoid each other forever.I got to the dressing room and was surprised to see that Stevia was already there.“Darling!” she said, rushing towards me. She air-kissed me on both cheeks. “Lovely to see you again. You look fabulous! Have you lost weight? You’ve lost weight. You can’t fool me!”I blushed. I hadn’t lost any weight. She was just being kind. But I appreciated it. I wasn’t sure how she would be towards me after the whole media launch debacle. I was thrilled to see there were no hard feelings. In fact, it felt like we were old friends. She linked her arm in mine and led me over to the mirror.Brenda was waiting for me at the table. “No need for a full makeover this time,” she winked. I thought back to the afternoon I’d spent with her and the ma
“Who are you?” I asked the second voice in my head. Silver’s voice was gone. I didn’t understand. Where was this second voice coming from? It was so different than Silver’s. It was soft and gentle. Silver’s voice tore through my head like a whip. This voice rippled and floated. I was instantly drawn to it.“Quill,” the second voice said. “I’m your other wolf.”Other wolf? But how could that be? Did he mean that…Silver was my wolf? My heart dropped. If Silver was my wolf, then that meant – my wolf was a blood-thirsty, evil beast bent on killing everyone and anything in his path?Oh God.But wait. He’d just said ‘other wolf’. So that meant…“I have two wolves?” I asked, confused.“Yes. We’re twins,” the gentle voice confirmed.Twin…..wolves?“We’re nothing alike, Johnson,” the second voice, Quill, continued. “In fact, we’re polar opposites. We argue all the time.”“Why haven’t I heard your voice before?” I asked.“Silver often overpowers me,” Quill explained. “But I’ve found a way to br
Johnson’s POV“Impressive,” Jake smirked, looking at the shattered window. I hoped he bought it. If he knew that I was trying to protect both Liam and Trista, and that I let them go on purpose, it would only pique his interest in both of them, especially Trista. He’d want to find her and have a ‘good time with the bitch.’ I couldn’t let them happen. I had to persuade him that I hated both Liam and Trista. “Yeah well, he deserved it,” I snapped back, lacing my voice with as much venom as I could. “He was a pompous ass.”Jake nodded appreciatively. “And the bitch?” he asked, meaning Trista.“She’s nothing,” I snipped, waving my hand in the air dismissively. “I was nice to her at one point. I mean, come on, she’s a hot piece of ass, after all. I wanted a taste of her. But she chose that scumbag ex of hers over me. So I naturally got pissed and snapped. I wanted some revenge on the woman who hurt me. But she got away before I could.” I chose my words carefully, hoping I could fool Jake.
Johnson’s POVJake began to chuckle, a low, guttural laugh. I thought for sure he’d raise his strange gun again and shoot Liam right in the head. But he didn’t. Instead, he turned the gun over in his hands. I could tell by Liam’s reaction that it wasn’t an ordinary gun. Clearly, Jake and his men had come to the auction prepared. They must have known they might encounter a werewolf. I could only assume, but something told me that the strange gun had some sort of power over werewolves.Jake proudly showed his men his weapon. They nodded appreciatively. I stared at the gun, my eyes falling to a peculiar emblem. It looked like some sort of S. I had no idea where that gun came from, but there was something about it that I really didn’t like.“Looks like it finally came in handy,” Jake chuckled. “I knew it was.” Then he turned to Liam. “That was for my father, you mother fucker.” Jake motioned at Liam and his gun wound. “He always hated you fucking wolves.”The wolf was gone from Liam’s f
Johnson’s POVI glanced around the room. Any minute now, these men would fire off another shot with their strange weapons. They’d already shot Liam in the stomach, but they wanted to kill him. Their next shot would be through his head.An uncontrollable fury ripped through me. I tried to push it down. I had to save Liam. But Silver smelled blood. He gnashed his teeth! I was so mad at Liam. What was he thinking? Why had he come in here? Didn’t he know these men were dangerous? Why had he just barged into the VIP room unannounced?He was an alpha but he was no match for these men. Not when they were armed with guns.Liam looked at me, confused. He was holding his stomach, blood oozing out through his gunshot wound. Then his confusion gave way to anger. He narrowed his eyes. He thought I was one of them, one of these men. And I had to keep acting like I was. But I couldn’t let them kill Liam! Jake lifted his strange gun again, his lips curled into an evil smile.NO!I reached out and gra
Trista’s POVDagny eyed me with a quizzical look. “Are you certain?”I completely understood her trepidation. It was like a miracle. I was shocked myself. But I was sure. Jules was the person we needed. “Yes,” I said emphatically. “There’s only one personal assistant named Jules at HS. It has to be him.” I grinned from ear to ear. I felt like finally, we’d caught a break. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Jules was supposed to be working for Johnson, but he was Liam’s personal assistant. So he was basically working for Johnson’s rival. It was all so surreal. “You think he knows where the key is?” I asked.“If he doesn’t know firsthand, then he’ll know how to find out,” Dagny said.I nodded. “Then I should go back to the United States immediately,” I told her. Of course, I had some ulterior selfish reasons for wanting to go back.I missed Billy and Belle terribly, as well as Hazel. Relief flooded through me. Finding Jules would be easy. I knew exactly where to look! Plus, I could hold my
Trista’s POV“I know what you’re thinking,” Dagny said. “I have no idea what’s in the vault, I don’t know where the key is and I can’t tell you where Storm and Mercury are so how are you possibly supposed to find them, right?”Yup. She pretty much nailed it right on the head. That’s exactly what I was thinking. But then she flashed me a mischievous smile.“Well, I might not know where Mercury and Storm are, but I know where their son is.” I balked. Their son? I’d assumed that Mercury and Storm were both men. But apparently my assumptions were way off base.“Mercury and Storm fell in love. They got married and had a child, a boy. He’s just a little younger than Jonathan. Maybe four years or so? Anyway, Storm and Mercury wanted their son to return to the land of their ancestors. So they left Europe and brought him to the United States. He was raised there from a young age and they integrated him into human society. He went to school, graduated, and got a good job at a good company.”
Trista’s POVI appreciated Dagny’s support. I wasn’t sure yet what I was going to do. The Erasthai bond came with a lot of inherent risks and I needed time to carefully sort through it all. But in the meantime, we needed to come up with a game plan for our current situation.“What should we do now?” I asked Dagny. “Do you know where Stewart it?”“Yes. He must be hiding somewhere,” Dagny told me. “He changed the color of the curtains in the window in the attic to warn me. So I think he’s around here somewhere. I can stay here, hidden in the cottage and look for him.”I nodded. That made sense. If Steward had been in the estate to change the curtains, then he was probably nearby.“What about Johnson?” I asked. I was really worried about him, even more so now with all the things Dagny had told me.“Well, based on the information you gave me about Milan, I think he’s safe for the time being. It sounds like Felix’s younger son is running the show now. He’s likely taken control of all the m
Trista’s POVI turned the words over in my head.The Lycan Erasthai?“No, I don’t think I have,” I told Dagny. The words were unfamiliar to me.She nodded. “Well, the Erasthai is a special bond that Lycans experience. Werewolves have matebonds appointed by the Moon Goddess. But Erasthai is an emotional bond that comes from the heart.”“It’s like a matebond for Lycans? This Erasthai?” I asked.“Yes, sort of. But it’s much stronger. Much more serious,” she told me.I found it hard to believe that anything could be stronger than a werewolf’s matebond, but I had no point of reference since I wasn’t a Lycan. So I had to take Dagny’s word on that.“I’ve sensed Johnson’s feelings for you. I sensed them when he came to visit us at our estate. I think you might be Johnson’s Erasthai.”I also knew Johnson had feelings for me, but I thought they were just human feelings, since I thought Johnson was human. But now Dagny was telling me that his feelings might be something much deeper. If Erasthai
Trista’s POVI was speechless.Me? Had I just heard her right?She looked at me intensely.“Like I said, Trista, I can’t be entirely sure. It’s only a guess. But something has changed. Something has instigated his wolves and I know how he feels about you. I think you might be his mate. And his wolves are reacting to that.”She stated it so matter-of-factly. But her words sent my thoughts whirling. I was relieved we were downstairs in this secret room. I was grateful for the privacy as I grappled through the enormity of the things Dagny was telling me.I was the reason his wolves had awakened? Me? I didn’t like that thought. It was bad enough that Liam was upstairs right now, injured by a mystical Silvery because of me. If what Dagny was saying were true, then I’d activated Johnson’s dormant wolves? But how? And why? I considered Johnson to be family, but up until a little while ago, I’d thought he was human. I’d known him for five years and there hadn’t been a single day I thought he