ADELINE "Welcome home, ma'am." Alfred, our doorman, said to me as I handed my designer bag over to him. I nodded absentmindedly, making my way into the luxurious mansion I shared with my husband. "Daddy's car was outside. Is he home?" I stopped by the foot of the stairs to ask. Alfred bowed as he nodded. "Yes madam. He returned a few hours ago." Fuck. If Reed was at home, it only meant that he was aware of my visit to the Palace. Alfred must have said something to him, and it would be weird for me to ask. Once again, I managed a curt nod and continued my journey up the stairs, only less confident than I had walked into the house. Reed was right, the boys belonged to Asher. How was I supposed to fix this? What excuse was I to give? "Thank you, Alfred." I turned to take my bag from him once we reached the front door of my matrimonial room. I forced a smile as he handed the bag over to me. "You can have dinner and retire for the night." "Are you certain, madam?" I nodded, eage
SOPHIA Immediately I closed the door, I turned the key to lock it. Slowly, I pressed my back against the wooden door, closed my eyes and let out a soft breath. I had only been in Asher's presence for less than 15 minutes, so why did it make me so tired? Breathless? Dare I even say fatigued? By the time I opened my eyes, my three boys were staring up at me with their eyes wide open. I had thought they were close to falling asleep, but I was clearly wrong. "Are you boys okay?" I asked, making my way to them. I was worried, they all seemed like something was bothering them - especially David. He was always the cheerful one, and the brother who lit up the room without trying. "We're worried about you, mummy." Darwin spoke softly. I forced a smile and climbed the bed, finding my way to their middle. Daniel sat by my left and placed his head on my left thigh, while David climbed up to my knees and locked them between his own. Darwin, on the other hand, took my left hand and caressed it
ASHER My mother was set to give me an earful. I knew this because by the time I heard my alarm go off - a sign that it was time for my morning workout, my ears could already pick the sound of her stomping across the hallway. My wolf was very fast to pick her scent, she was the one who had birthed me after all, it was only normal. I let my eyelids part fully as I turned to look around my room, stretching my arms. All this while I did a mental countdown in my head. It was only a matter of seconds until she forced my door open by hook or by crook. "Asher Morris Junior!" Aha! There she was. I begrudgingly rose to my feet. I didn't feel like getting up so early, but I was certain my laziness and unwillingness to get out of my bed would not score any good points in my mother's books. The twin doors of my room soon flew open, and the Queen mother, in all her glory, sauntered across my room floor, not stopping until she got to where I stood. "Do you have something against the throne,
SOPHIA The morning started on a finer note. It was always a surreal feeling to wake up between my boys. There was nothing that could ever conquer my joy of waking up and seeing all three of them together; healthy, happy and strong. I rose up to start my activities of the day, which included getting them ready for theirs. I had a sense Gaston would be too busy to watch after them today, especially after telling Asher not to come close to them. That also reminded me of the fact that I needed to speak with him. "But do we really need to go to work with you, mummy? Why can't we stay back and play with uncle Asher and uncle Gaston, like we've always done?" Darwin asked as I dried his hair with his personal towel. I hung his towel over my shoulders and cupped his soft cheeks with both my palms. "Well, Uncle Asher is going to be very busy today. Let's not forget the fact that he is the alpha king of this kingdom, and he was to go about doing king duties." "So he's too busy for us?" Oka
ASHER If anyone had told me that my morning would be made by Sophia's three wonderful demons, I wouldn't have believed it. How the boys defied their mother's orders and ran to search for me the moment I was gone was a mystery. I had never seen a more stubborn group of brothers in my entire life, and it made me adore them all the more. Sophia was only slightly stubborn, so whoever their father was, must have gotten an earful from his mother if she's anything like mine. "Mummy is not going to be very happy to see us with you, is she?" Daniel asked as he held on to my hand. For some reason, his dislike for me had lessened just a bit, dissolved into a warmth and affinity I was glad to have. I chuckled and looked around the reception hall. The place was crowded, it was hard to tell the left from the right. "Why are there so many sick people in this park, Uncle Asher?" "There's been a nasty disease spreading, David. And whenever someone falls sick, they are brought to the hospital so
ADELINE "Get well soon, my dear." I read the tenth goodwill message I had read that morning, and tears gathered in my eyes. Everyone wished me to get well, to get luck, but no one wanted to know what was wrong with me, no one wanted to know how I had ended up there, and even if he did, I wouldn’t tell anyone. I couldn't. I didn't hear when the door creaked open, but I could tell when he stepped in. My nose caught the whiff of his scent immediately. I dropped my phone underneath my pillow and tucked the pillow against the wall, forcing a bright smile on my face. Behind me, stood the doctor. She wore a brighter smile, as though she was finally happy to see me awake and without tears for the first time. "Good morning, Mrs. Reed. It was a beautiful morning, is it not?" Reed sat beside me and reached for my hand. Once his skin brushed against mine, I could feel myself shudder. "Are you doing okay, darling? We were very worried about you. I was very worried about you." He said aloud
SOPHIA I didn't bother to turn or to look at any of them. I made sure to keep my eyes on my path as I led my sons away. Once they were in the safety of my office, I frowned and turned to face them. All three of them had their heads bowed, reluctant to look at me. It was only proof that they knew what they had done. "I thought we had an agreement on something, boys. Does anyone care to tell me what happened?" I thundered, pacing to and fro, about my office. They were silent. Only David and Daniel raised their heads and dared to look at me, Darwin avoided my gaze at every possible cost. "Does anybody want to tell me why we went back on our agreement? huh?" I lowered myself by squatting and examined each of them very carefully."Anybody? something? "we were bored, mummy." Darwin blurted out, earning him my rapt attention. "We were bored, mummy. I thought we could go and play a bit outside, and we got lost. Uncle Asher found us and made sure we came back to the hospital, mummy. We
ASHER The day went by quicker than I thought it would. Ivan and I left the hospital and proceeded to my mother's Chambers. My mother, the Queen, was overly delighted to see Ivan. Not that I could blame her, the man was every woman's picture of a perfect son. He was charming to a disgusting fault, and I rolled my eyes at how many times he threw compliments around, especially to the elders he really didn't like. I didn't know how he could pretend to be nice to people he didn't like, but it was not something I could do. If I didn't want you around, I was sure to let you know. It was a means of protecting my space and the peace that accompanied it. "My, my, Asher." Ivan breathed out as he stretched his feet on the grass while he sat in the fields. It had been a long day of attending court and business meetings together. I got a sense that Ivan would be staying for a long while, because he was keen on meeting everyone in such a short period. He was smart enough not to ask after Reed o
This has been an emotional roller coaster for me. This story began in January, and since then, a lot of things have happened. I’ve been sick, I’ve had countless visits to the hospital, gotten an operation, entered final year in medical school, a lot of things actually. And finally, after nine months, I get to say goodbye to the beautiful Morris family, and everyone involved in their story. It wasn’t easy, but you all stood by me. I hope you enjoyed this story as much I almost enjoyed writing it. And I hope to see you again in my next project coming in OCTOBER, and my debut billionaire romance novel. Thank you all. Xoxo, Bella Hemsworth.
SEVEN MONTHS LATER AUTHOR The sound of the door closing had everyone up on their feet. Daniel, Darwin, Lillie who had been fidgeting on her seat, Queen Sophia, even little Emilia. The doctor blinked twice, fairly surprised by how fast they had all stood. All the set of eyes that peered at her caused her to clear her throat. She couldn’t blame them for being anxious. Princess Darla had been in the labor room for over eight hours. “How’s everything? How’s she? How’s…?” Lillie moved to the front, and the doctor smiled at her. “Everything is fine, your highness. Princess Darla has just delivered two beautiful and handsome children.” Silence hung in the air for three brief seconds. Yes. The doctor had counted. “Does this mean…?” Lillie asked with wide eyes. “Yes.” The tall lady replied. “Twins.” “Oh my God!” Lillie screamed, tears in her eyes as she watched everyone else rush into the room. They were supposed to have gone in one by one, but even the doctor knew better than to tr
Lillie’s POV *THREE WEEKS LATER* I stood outside Darla’s room, taking a deep breath before knocking softly. No response, but I knew she was in there. I could hear her crying from where I stood. Even her large twin doors had done nothing to mask the sound of her sorry. I turned mine into a ball in my throat and swallowed hard to push it down to my stomach. It couldn’t come out, not today. I reached for her door knob, opened the door and found her sitting on the edge of her bed, her face pale, her eyes swollen from crying. The black dress Darwin had gotten for her lay untouched in a rumpled mess beside her."Darla, you need to get ready," I said gently, stepping inside. "It’s time."She shook her head, her hands trembling as they gripped the sheets. "I can’t," she whispered. "If I get dressed… if I go downstairs… it means he’s really gone. That Logan is really gone, and I’ll never see him again. The love of my life, Lillie… the father of my child." Her voice cracked, her should
David’s POV Blood. All over the room. Dripping from every wound in my body. I didn’t need to see my reflection in the mirror to know I had been beaten up real good. Yet, when I saw it, a bitter chuckle forced its way out of my throat. I had managed to kill them all even in my state. The fuckers must have known they wouldn’t be able to stand a chance, hence why they had to poison me. In those last minutes of my life, the faces of my brothers flashed in my mind as I sat on my bed. My brothers, my sisters, my darling mother who had seen so much loss in her time. I never thought I’d see them again. I thought that, by the time they reached the hospital, I’d be long gone. When the rogues came, I was sure it was over. They had knives, weapons—I barely had the strength to lift my arms, but something inside me, something primal, wouldn’t let me give up. Not yet. Not before seeing my family one last time. If they could get to me, that is. There was no guarantee they had been able to make it
Darwin’s POV Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but there wasn’t a crown on my head. However, I knew I had stepped into David’s shoes the moment he was hospitalized. It suddenly made sense why he had been so stoic and protective of everyone. For the first time in a long time, I could feel what he felt. The weight of the world resting on my shoulders. My world, and that of Dark Moon at large. Even as I ripped Jace’s head from his neck, the reality of what had just happened sank deeper as I looked at him—the cousin who once laughed with us as children, now reduced to this: A lifeless head in my hands. Who would have thought I would be the one to end his life? Who would have thought that he’ll be the one to turn our lives around? To hurt my brothers, to betray the only family he could call his? His eyes, once filled with arrogance and ambition, were now vacant, staring up at the sky even in his death. But now, he would be unable to see any fucking thing. His life had ended.
Darwin: The battle was far more brutal than expected. Dead bodies lay across the ground, a mix of our own people, rogues and rebel soldiers. Daniel and I were yet to turn as we were preserving our energy to fight our common enemy. A wolf lunged at me and I caught it by its collar and snapped its next in one move. It dropped to the ground, slowly shifting back to its human form as it took its last breath. Another one came and I sank my claws into it, twisting and tearing its guts out so it lay on the floor in a disgusting pile. I only one had one intention as I made my way towards the Palace. And that was to make sure Lillie and my family members were safe. After I'd confirmed that they were, I would return here and find Jace. The hall was empty. Void of anyone, so I knew they had all been carted away to safety to the Palace's secret basement. I heard a familar sob and hurried towards the corner leading to the underground building. Lillie was crouched beside Logan w
Lillie's POV: Tonight was a wedding and the whole Palace was bright with the hustle and bustle of activities. A decorating team had been employed to decorate the area and it had gone on for about two days. Tonight, they were finishing up the rest of the decorations as guests began to arrive. I heard the Queen's voice from where I stood in Darla's room. She was yelling at the decorating team for their slow pace and we all laughed when she asked one of the ladies to get out of her sight. "It's not mother's wedding and yet, she yells like it's hers." Emilia said from where she stood, our beautiful flower girl, getting dressed by some of the maids. Darla chuckled from where she sat in front of her vanity table. "Mother can be a control freak at times. Don't tell her I said this, or she's going to serve my body to the guests." Emilia grinned in mischief and I instantly knew she was going to use emotional blackmail now that she had power over Darla. "Wh
Lillie's POV: Things were going smoothly. More than I expected. I banished the thoughts of something ruining the good time everyone was having and decided to, for once in my life, be happy that things were going the way I wanted. Queen Sofia was forced to interceed on Logan's behalf and the embargo of being a slave was taken off him. Darla made it a point of duty to remind her every waking moment of the day until the Queen decided to have rites held on Logan's behalf. And now, they were seen always having little cute moments around the palace. Logan and Darla were always found in each other's arm and I always saw the look on the Queen's face. Even after taking the banishment off Logan's head, she still wasn't in approval of their relationship. But as time went on, she became busy with other things and paid them no heed until I found her one day, smiling at Darla and Logan as they sat at the porch. Darla had her head on Logan's lap as he read her a book. It was such a
Lillie's POV: I paced from one end of the room to the other, trying to come up with words to say to my brother. Logan stood, head bowed low, at the other end of the room. I could tell he was feeling extremely bad, but not guilty. He finally stood tall, steeling his expression as he stared right at me. "What are you going to do? Judge me for following my heart? Call that a mistake also?" I honestly had nothing to say to him if I was being honest. I was just surprised that Logan and Darla were ever a thing. I wasn't angry or judgemental. I just didn't like how it had been hidden from me. Did Logan not trust me? Or hadn't I been a good enough elder sister for him to talk to? These were the thoughts that plagued my mind. I turned to him and sighed. "When did you start Dating Darla?" "We're not... dating," He replied. "Though we really like each other a lot." "So when did all these start?" He scoffed. "Do I have to tell you all the details?" "Yes. I have to know."