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
Trista’s POV Johnson was NOT happy. I could see it on his face. I scrambled out of Liam’s arms and back onto my feet, even though my ankle was throbbing.“I thought you were shooting a product endorsement. But it looks to me like you’re filming some sort of romantic drama,” Johnson quipped sarcastically.“It’s not what it looks like,” Liam said defensively.“No? Because it looks like you were cradling Trista in your arms. If that’s not the case, then enlighten me.” Johnson glared at Liam. The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone could feel it.“She’s hurt. She tripped on a wire and cut her ankle. I was helping her. That’s all.”The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone could feel it. “Hurt?” Johnson’s eyes grew wide. He rushed over to me and knelt down to examine my ankle.“It’s nothing, Johnson, really,” I said dismissively. Everyone in the room was staring at us. I was embarrassed.“There’s…blood…” he said. Then he stood. His face was strange. Pale and twisted. Hid
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. “
Johnson’s POVI zipped through the streets like a maniac. Jake blew through several red lights and I had no choice but to do the same. I laid on my horn as I went, alerting the few cars on the road this late at night to get the fuck out of the way. My heart raced and my palms were thick with adrenaline-induced sweat.Jake had agreed to let me have Trista and the men she was with, but I didn’t trust Jake. He was a loose cannon and capable of anything. It didn’t take much to make him snap, so even though we had a deal, I had a feeling he’d break it without hesitation. I had no idea what I would do when I got to the Milan checkpoint. The police were crawling with Jake’s informants. I’d seen firsthand that the police were useless when it came to Jake and his men. They’d detained a car at the Milan border FOR Jake. I had no faith that they’d help me out in any way. If we got to the border, and Jake decided to kill Trista and Liam after all, there was no one to stop him. Except me.Jake
I…I loved her, I realized as my breath hitched in my throat. I had to save her from these men. But how?Just then, a phone rang. One of Jake’s men answered it. He nodded and then hung up.“That was the Milan border. The car with the woman and two men are being detained there.”“Looks like we were right in the first place,” Jake said. He kicked the corpse, rolling her onto her stomach. “This bitch here side-tracked us. Come on. Let’s go. The man in the picture must be with her. The hunt has begun. Time to kill the right slut. Am I right?” Jake smiled sardonically at me.“I’ll come with you,” I told Jake, my mind racing.“Good,” Jake replied. “I need to see you kill her yourself.”I shook my head.“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Jake asked, narrowing his eyes. “Cousin, it seems like this woman is very important to you. You've been acting awfully unusual.”“I hate her for what she did on me,” I told Jake, scrambling for an excuse. “You’re right she’s important. The bitch betrayed me. But I ca
Johnson’s POVI rushed out of the auction house, my heart hammering in my chest. I had to get away from these men and to the border before they did. But as I ran down an alley that would lead me to my car, I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks.Jake and his men. They were at the end of the alley, crowded around a figure on the ground. I watched, horrified, as they kicked and beat the woman. And even more horrifying, there were two police men not even five feet away. At first, I was certain that the police would intervene. I mean, it was the POLICE after all. But the police did nothing. They only stood by and watched as Jake and his men kicked the figure on the ground.Cautiously, I took a few steps towards the men and the figure on the ground. It realized it was a woman – a woman who looked an awful lot like Trista!“No!” I hollered, rushing towards them, overcome with fear. Had they found Trista? Had she been here after all? It was possible! Maybe she hadn’t left yet. Or
“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