Trista’s POVAs soon as I removed my contact lens - instant relief. I rubbed them and squinted into the mirror. I’ve had my eyes checked several times by optometrists. I even went to see a renowned specialist in Italy. He said it was strange because there was nothing wrong with my optic nerves or my actual eyes. But for some reason, my vision is still really poor. I got contacts when I moved to Italy so I didn’t have to wear my ugly, clunky glasses anymore.My face was blurry in the mirror now because my contacts were gone.“Sorry,” my wolf, Salina, whispered. I don’t hear from her very often. Because of her disability, she’s really quiet and shy, much quieter than other wolves. I could feel her pacing around, though. She’d been a little restless since we landed, and even more so since we got to the restaurant. She can sense the familiarity of this place, and the unease that comes with it.“It’s okay,” I whispered back to her. “It’s not your fault.”For a moment, my nerves got the bet
Trista’s POV“Let’s go check out the JL store,” Liam said, as he took a final swig of his drink. “I’d like you to take a look around. You know, so you can get a sense for the branding.”The mention of the store sent my stomach lurching. My mind flashed back to Lucy. Her mocking laugh. My manager firing me. The embarrassment of being forced out of the store by a security guard.“I…I don’t know,” I stammered. “Is that..is that necessary?” I REALLY didn’t want to go back to that store.“I think it might be a good idea,” Jonhson said. “I personally have never seen a JL store in this area, and I wouldn’t mind checking it out.” He looked to me. My hands were wrapped around my drink and my head was down. “I mean, if that’s okay with you, Trista?” His voice was kind and gentle. He knew something was off. I lifted my head and gave him a confident nod. I was here on business, and part of that meant checking out the store.“Sure, sounds good to me,” I lied through my teeth.“Great. Let me just c
Trista’s POVI quelled Salina. She was upset. She didn’t want to be here. And quite frankly, neither did I. Liam called the manager over. I recognized him immediately. He was the same manager that had thrown me out five years ago! I pushed down the nervous feeling in my stomach.“Mr. Stonewood,” the manager said in a humble tone. “Will you be needing my assistance today?”I squinted at him, but he didn’t recognize me. Fair enough. I was older now, and much prettier. Plus, I didn’t have those awful thick-rimmed glasses anymore.“As a matter of fact, you can,” Liam said. Was it just me or did he look nervous? “I brought a ‘special’ guest to the store.” He emphasized the word ‘special’. Liam pushed me forward. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize her!”The manager studied my face for a moment, and then realization washed over him.“Of course,” he said, clasping my hands and smiling.“I brought her here to see the…the gift?” Liam was acting strange. He was definitely nervous. He kept wiping
“This isn’t necessary,” I said, helping the manager up off the floor. I didn’t need him to apologize to me! I didn’t care about any of this. I don’t know what Liam THOUGHT he was doing, but this was ridiculous. So I decided to turn the whole thing around on Liam. “In fact, I should be thanking you,” I said to the manager.That rattled Liam. “Thanking him?” His eyes grew wide. “He FIRED you!”“Yes,” I replied, lifting my chin. “But if he hadn’t fired me, I never would have gone to Milan. And then I never would have started my OWN jewelry line. So, I owe him my gratitude.” I smiled at the manager. I wanted Liam to see that whatever he was trying to do, whatever ‘plan’ he had, it wasn’t going to work on me.I was still mad at Liam and I wanted him to know it. I didn’t care about this stupid manager anymore. LIAM was the one who had caused me pain.I turned to Johnson then. “I don’t want any of this,” I said, waving my hand dismissively at the display counter. “If Liam doesn’t want it, ca
“I truly am sorry,” the manager said humbly. “I never should have fired you. Not like that.” His eyes were sincere. Maybe I should forgive him?Nope. Johnson didn’t even give me a chance.“You’re fired,” Johnson said dryly.“What?” the manager asked. His shocked eyes flitted from my face, to Liam’s, then back to Johnson’s.“You heard me. Pack your things. You’re fired effective immediately.”“Well I hardly think that’s appropriate,” the manager scoffed, clearly annoyed. “Who are you to fire me? What right do you have?”“Every right,” Johnson shrugged. “I’m the CEO. I can fire whoever I want.”“The CEO?” the manager’s eyes widened.“Yes. So you’re fired. Get your stuff and go.” Johnson’s voice had a hint of anger in it now. This was odd behaviour from Johnson. He was usually really kind to his employees. Patience and generous. He always forgave them whenever they made mistakes. At least, that’s how he’d always treated me. I’d never seen Johnson get upset with an employee before.The ma
“You lied,” Johnson said.“I did,” Liam confirmed. I expected Liam to erupt like a volcano, but he surprised me. He was honest and calm. Johnson pressed his lips together. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. He was mad, I could tell. But he was a professional business man so he would remain tactful.“I regret to hear that, Mr. Stonewood,” Jonhson finally said. “It appears that we have been brought here on a ruse. Trista is my employee, but she is also a very dear friend of mine. You are doing her a disservice by not taking her talents seriously.”Liam scowled at Johnson. I flushed at the compliment. Johnson was clearly protecting me, and I adored him for it. “Trista has many opportunities,” Johnson continued. “Her designs are top notch. She’s worthy of her own independent line. However…” he paused and fixed his eyes on Liam, “if you CANNOT keep this meeting professional, then I will abort this negotiation without hesitation.”Whoa. Johnson meant business now. That was a warning.
Liam’s POVA baby? Trista had a baby?That’s what the man had said – Johnson, the CEO.He fired the manager for firing her…while she was pregnant.Five years…That meant?God, she was beautiful. Way more beautiful than I remembered. I was gobsmacked when I saw her. She was so mature now. She finally ditched those ugly thick glasses. I never knew how lovely her eyes were, the way they sparkled when she smiled. She had an elegance about her, a gracefulness. She was successful and confident.And her designs! They were extraordinary. I’d be an idiot. A complete asshole to Trista. I had thought Lucy and I were in love. She was my mate after all. But the only thing Lucy was in love with was money. That became clear pretty fast.“Liam,” she would coo, batting her eyelashes. “Take me to the jewelry store. I need a new piece for our dinner tomorrow night.” And then, when we got there, she would beeline right for the most expensive piece in the store! She wouldn’t even ask me; she’d just tell
Trista’s POV Just as I sat back to relax – ping. It was my phone. ‘Strange,’ I thought. Who would be calling me on the plane?’ It was Johnson’s mom. Her words came out in a frantic slur. “I’m so sorry, Trista. It was an accident. Billy and Belle. They’re hurt.” “What?” I asked her to slow down. My heart clenched. Hurt? My babies? She explained that they’d been injured while they were playing with some other kids. She assured me that they were okay. This didn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach. I told Johnson and he said would go directly to his parents’ house when we landed. The kids were supposed to stay with them for another week while we had some business meetings. “We’ll cancel the meetings.” Johnson took my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry about work. Let’s go see the kids.” I nodded. The rest of the flight felt like it took a million years! But finally, we landed in Paris. We rented a car and went straight to his parents’ house
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