Melissa's POVIt's more difficult to leave Asphodel than I thought. Even though I have a lot of happy memories of Elysium, I've been lonely for it ever since I left. Tyler's early life started here, when she walked for the first time and spoke for the first time.Knox has been looming over me all morning in the frantic manner that men do when confronted with an issue they are unable to resolve, as if he senses my misery. I believe he feels bad about refusing to make the move, but not enough to put it off. I guess it would only get worse if the suffering were prolonged.Tyler is actually taking this better than anyone, though I don't know how long that's going to last. She's been running around the docks while the men pack the boat, saying goodbye to all the fish and manatees, hugging her favorite buildings and even attempting to crawl into the mangroves to kiss them farewell. I almost fell into the canal pulling her back, which would have been the perfect end to a very stressful week.
Knox's POVAt first, I wasn't certain that surprising Melissa with a vow renewal was a good idea. She usually doesn't handle surprises well, but my mother assured me that this would be one she’d appreciate. It proves one thing: always trust your mom—at least, when she's as wise as mine.Melissa is glowing, her blue and violet eyes sparkling, and her hair still tousled from sleep. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she asks, "Can I kiss you now?"Brushing away a stray tear with my thumb, I murmur, "Only after you answer me."Melissa giggles joyfully,"Of course-of course I'll marry you again."I don't wait for her to kiss me, instead swooping in and pulling her from the car. Hitching her up against me, I finally dip my head to join our lips, slanting my mouth over hers and drinking her in.I only intended it to be a quick prelude, a sample of what is to come later.Instead I find myself getting lost in my mate,extracting kiss after kiss from her swollen lips and groaning when her delectabl
Melissa's POVAs the first light of dawn filters through the trees, Knox and I step out of the forest, once again dressed in our wedding attire. Tyler and Aiden are already up, though it’s clear the Beta would have preferred a bit more sleep. Tyler, on the other hand, is buzzing with excitement, her first camping adventure too thrilling for her to remain in bed any longer than necessary.It seems Aiden was the one to yield to her persistence, judging by the way he's rubbing his eyes, looking like he’s regretting indulging her eagerness. Tyler sits beside him by the campfire, her restless energy barely contained, like a pup waiting impatiently for permission to play until her breakfast is done.When she sees us, Tyler looks askance at our disheveled state.“Mommy you're dirty." Her little head tilts to the side as she takes in the sight of my muddy limbs beneath my dress. Knox isn't any cleaner, but his suit covers him a hundred times better than my gown."What were you doing?”Her quest
~ Knox ~When I finally step out, freshly cleaned and dressed, Tyler’s tantrum has quieted. I spot her and Melissa near the campfire, the little one sniffling against her mother’s shoulder. Melissa’s hand moves soothingly up and down Tyler’s back, offering both comfort and a gentle reprimand.“I know it’s a lot to take in, and it’s all happening so fast,” Melissa murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to Tyler’s hair. “It probably feels like all these changes are swirling around you, and you don’t understand why—just that all the grown-ups keep telling you that everything’s going to be different, without asking you how you feel about it.”Tyler nods, rubbing her wet, salty skin over Melissa's collar. A wave of guilt washes over me. Here I thought her tantrum was just regular toddler mood swings- I Took it at face value, but Melissa knew instantly. I wonder if it's maternal intuition, or simply experience and knowing the pup so much better than I do.A few weeks ago I would have felt bitter ab
Melissa’s POV "Congratulations, miss, you’re pregnant," the doctor said with a smile on his face."W- What?” I stammered."You are pregnant," he said again, handing me the test results.I collected them with a shaky hand and was horrified to discover that he was telling the truth. I was two months pregnant.I looked back at the doctor and noticed he was smiling. Of course, he thought that being pregnant was a blessing for me, and maybe it would have been a blessing for me if the father was a loving man who cared for me, but no, that was not the case for me, that was not the kind of relationship I had with the father of my child.The father of my child was cold and unfeeling. He did not give a damn about me, not to talk about loving me. Love was not part of our arrangement. He had made it very clear to me, that I was just his sugar baby, a pet and a plaything to satisfy him whenever he was horny. But that was it. He didn’t love me.And who would blame him? How could someone like him,
A few minutes after the unsettling announcement, Susie stepped out to answer a phone call, leaving me and Knox alone for a moment. Knox looked at me and sighed, “I know that this must have come as a shock for you, but you should have expected it Melissa. It was always going to happen. You should have already known that I would eventually choose a wife to marry.”At this point, I could no longer hold back my tears, and they were now dripping down my face.“Yes,” I whispered, “I expected it, but I didn’t think you would choose my sister,” I sobbed.Knox rolled his eyes at me. “Does it make a difference whether it is your sister or any other woman? Why should I care about your opinion when I choose a bride?”I looked at him in shock. How could he be this cold to me? When we had sex, he used to hold me like he never wanted to let go. He used to kiss me like he could never get enough. But now, he suddenly didn’t care at all?“It’s my fault then.” I sniffed. “I thought you cared. I knew yo
“Oh Sam,” I moaned, “please don't stop,” I said, throwing my head back as my boyfriend’s tongue wrapped around my nipple. My hands tangled in his curly blond hair, and his hands slip down to cup my ass.This had been our early morning routine for the last few months since he moved in with me and the twins. I loved early morning sex with Sam; actually, I loved any sex with Samuel because he was always eager to please me.When we first started dating, he wasn’t quite this good. He didn’t really know how to please me, but he quickly asked me to show him what I liked, and ever since then, he has been getting an A+ response from my body every time.Sam was just about to pull my pants off, but the sudden pitter-patter of small feet had us ripping away from each other like the other person's body was made of hot burning coal. I just barely had enough time to pull my top down before my two little boys burst into the room with a shout.”“Mommy, Mommy, Dylan peed on the bed again,” Tyler squea
A week after I received that weird email from the Crimson Pack, everything was very quiet. They never sent me a follow-up email, so I assumed they understood that I was not interested in their opportunity.Still, I couldn’t shake off the weird feeling that had descended on me since that day. Alpha Knox might not have typed that message, but it was definitely sent with his approval and probably by his instruction. That means he wanted me back in the pack.That thought was worrying because the Alpha Knox I knew, when he wanted something, did not just give up because the person refused to reply to an email or ignored it. Alpha Knox was a go-getter. He produced only results, not excuses. If he wanted you to do something for him, he would make damn sure that you did it. This is what terrified me, because if Alpha Knox wanted me to work for him, then why did everything suddenly seem so quiet? Was he looking for other ways to make me work for him? Were you planning something right now?The