Trista’s POVI tried to sleep, but sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned all night. Serena’s words kept replaying in my mind, like a recording on loop. My mate? A Lycan? The man I’d known (and thought was human) for five years?Eventually, the sun rose. I checked my phone. Nothing from Johnson. Well, at least I could tell the kids about the vacation.In fact, I had a BUSY day ahead, I realized as I threw back the covers. We were going on vacation TOMORROW! I had a hundred things to do to get ready….starting with the kids!“What if I told you there was a giant boat,” I teased them as I scrambled their eggs. “And on the boat were more sweets than you could ever eat. Soda pop, too.”They raised their eyebrows. “That sounds like a fairy tale boat,” Billy said skeptically.“It does,” I agreed. “But there’s more. It has waterslides. And playgrounds. And swimming pools. Would you like to go? On a boat like that?”They both nodded emphatically.“Good! Because Aunty Hazel bought us all
Trista’s POVThe ship Oceanic Dreams loomed above us.“Holy shit,” Hazel said, her mouth gaping wide open.“Language,” I elbowed her. “The children.” But I knew how she felt. I couldn’t believe this was our cruise ship! I’d seen pictures, drooled over them actually. But seeing it here, in real life! No pictures could do this cruise ship justice. We were greeted immediately by a woman in a suit.“Welcome aboard Oceanic Dreams,” she smiled at us. “I’m Krista, and I’ll be your personal hostess during your time aboard. We have some wonderful port trips planned for you, as well as some pre-purchased tickets.”She motioned for us to follow her onto the ship. “Your luggage will be taken care of. I assume you’d like us to unpack it for you?”Unpack it? Holy crap. This was the lap of luxury. I’d never, in my whole life, had someone else unpack for me.“Yes, of course,” Hazel said, as though this treatment was perfectly normal for her. Then she winked at me when our hostess wasn’t looking.“Gr
Trista’s POV “The High Seine is an annual event,” Lucian explained. “It attracts the richest, most elite people in high society from all over the world. It’s invite only, which might be why you’ve never heard of it. It’s not publicized. Not for ordinary people, anyway.”“Sounds intriguing,” Hazel said.I raised my eyebrow. Ordinary people? That was a snobby thing to say. But he didn’t seem to notice. It was normal for him. The world was separated into two factions: high society and ‘normal people’ – aka: the rich and the rest.“Intriguing,” he repeated. He clucked his tongue. “Yes. I guess that’s one word for it,” Lucian smiled. He had an easy way about him. His eyes were a frosty blue, almost translucent and then sparkled when he talked. He told us all about the auction, about some of the jewelry pieces that had been sold there. Apparently, people dished out big money to buy one of a kind pieces. There was no other auction in the world like it.I listened intently. It sounded fabul
Trista’s POVDinner was resplendent. Lucian told us more about the High Seine auction. But whenever I tried to bring up the competition, he was either vague, or he changed the subject. I realized I would have to figure this out on my own. Other than that, he was warm, friendly, and very charismatic. After dinner, we made our way over to the theater for the Broadway Review. Kirsta had snagged us some pretty amazing seats – we were in a box. We had an unobstructed view of the entire stage.“The rich really have it made,” I said to Hazel as the curtains went up.“Agreed,” she replied. We even had our own private butler for the box. He made sure our champagne glasses were always full and brought us caviar and fancy cheeses (although I couldn't possibly eat another bite after the dinner we’d just had.)During the show, I couldn’t help but side-eye Hazel and Lucian. He was decked out in an Italian silk suit, dark and elegant. Hazel was wearing a sleek cocktail dress, her hair pulled back in
Trista’s POVI felt a little sad when I heard Hazel say that. I still remember when we were teenagers, she mentioned that we might both have a mate, and her eyes were like stars. “Hazel, you can do both. You can have a relationship AND be a great Beta for Blue Moon Crescent.”She nodded pensively. Then she turned to me with a half smile. “I know you believe that. But it’s different for me, Tris. You’ve already had such an exciting life! I mean, come on! You got a degree and lived in New York City! Then you moved to Milan. You have an amazing career. You’ve traveled. You’ve seen things. You’ve experiences I could only dream about.” Her voiced was tinged with sadness. “And what have I done? Nothing. My parents both spent their whole lives in the pack. And so far, I have too. But I don’t want to be like them. I envy you, Trista. I want to be like you. You understand the human world. You’re a part of it. You integrated so well.”“I integrated because my wolf is disabled,” I interrupted.
Trista’s POVThe next few days passed by in a blur. We tried everything on the ship: rock wall climbing, ziplines, go karts, mini golf, and of course, plenty of time at the water park. We spent our mornings and afternoons with Billy and Belle. Their own private nanny followed us everywhere, and the children didn’t want for anything.At night, we took them to the kids’ camp and gorged on exquisite 5-star dining. Italian, French, East Indian, Japanese – there was a restaurant specializing in every cuisine under the sun! After dinner, we took in shows, or went dancing.We were having the time of our lives, soaking up every single minute.Lucian reached out to us a few times, inviting us to dinner, or drinks, or another show. We politely declined. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to see him. It’s just that we wanted to focus on ourselves. Hazel was reluctant to be with Lucian, knowing he was her human mate. She wanted this trip to be about US – about girltime. Not about relationships.“MAMA!
Trista’s POVLucian passed us.He swam so beautifully, almost like a fish, that I would have applauded him if my child hadn't been waiting for rescue in the water.He was at Bella's side in a flash, then pushed her with one hand and quickly brought her back to us. Belle, my sweetheart. Her wet hair clung to her face, but she smiled as she clamored into the boat. I hugged her fiercely.“Thank you,” I said to Lucian. He was holding the side of the boat with one hand, and paddling the water with his other. He smiled up at us, his tan face showing off his gleaming white teeth.“No worries,” he said. “I love a good exercise swim.” Then he hefted himself up and over the side of the boat.I caught Hazel watching him as he climbed into the boat. I didn’t blame her. His muscles strained and flexed as he pulled himself up. He was only wearing swimming trunks, and his wet, tan chest glistened in the sunlight.I saw her blush and look away.“I knew you couldn’t swim,” he told us, as he sat hims
Trista’s POVBelle, Billy, and I strolled through the onboard botanical gardens, ice cream in hand.“Look, Mamma,” Belle said, “a flutterby!”“Butterfly,” I corrected her. They both giggled as it landed on a flower right in front of them.The garden was in an atrium, and it boasted a wide variety of butterflies. Strolling through the garden was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Hazel was with Lucian. He’d offered to give us both swimming lessons, but I politely declined. Billy and Belle (Belle especially) had had enough water escapades for one day. They’d been bugging me to see the butterfly house, (as they called it), so I told Lucian and Hazel that I needed to be with the kids.Lucian had wasted no time in getting Hazel in the water. We walked by them on our way to the atrium. They were in the rooftop pool. He was holding her around her waist, quite tightly I might add, while she frantically kicked her feet.I think his offer of swimming lessons was really just an excuse to get
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. “
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.