Sorry, this came in late. The next chapter will be the Jump. We will be going a year and two months in the future. I can't wait. Thank you 🤗🙏🏾
~Harper~ ONE YEAR TWO MONTHS LATER. Jacob kept his promise and visited me in Grizlo. He came whenever he could and was a gentleman about it. Justin believed Jacob liked me, but I wouldn't jump where he was concerned. Now that I was a little over nineteen, I needed to be careful because whoever I was with would be my mate. There was no mystery about Jacob, and he seemed like an open book, yet I was still dragging my feet where he was concerned. I did not know if it was our investigation or the circumstances that surrounded me, but I just wanted to give it time. Jacob had checked on me in Lucland once and had dinner with my parents, and they liked him. I knew it must count for something, yet something held me back. We were fixing up the hall in the packhouse at Grizlo for Josephine's 18th birthday. Liam wanted to go all out, and this was where he was starting from. He had booked a holiday in a lovely resort on Cain Island with the help of Caspian, and I did not know what he was
~Caspain~ It had been a year and two months of anticipation, resisting the urge to claim my mate during that elusive blue moon. The complexity of my life weighed heavily on me. For six long years, I had searched for Charlotte, and when our paths finally converged, her father harboured a deep-seated animosity toward me for reasons known only to him. While my family insisted I should have followed my mate's instincts and claimed her immediately, I couldn't bear the thought of her becoming estranged from her own family. It mattered greatly to me that her father would eventually accept our union, ensuring her true happiness. The injustice of her gaining me while losing her father in the process gnawed at my soul. He had been the first man in her life, the one who had loved and cared for her unconditionally. I couldn't fathom severing that precious bond between them, no matter how much it pained me. She was his cherished little princess, and I held onto the hope that he would on
~Caspian~ Lord Lawrence settled onto the couch in the breakfast lounge, with Charlotte and me occupying the two adjacent armchairs. His expression was neither angry nor pleased but rather a mixture of disappointment. "I am deeply disappointed in you, Lotte," he began, directing his gaze at his daughter. "You not only moved in with Caspian, but you also ceased coming home and stopped responding to our calls. It seemed almost as if you were deliberately distancing yourself from your family, Lotte," he remarked, his disappointment palpable as he shifted his gaze to me. "Was it your idea? Did you intend to isolate her from her loved ones?" he inquired, his tone carrying an accusatory undertone as he directed the question at me. "Enough!" Charlotte's voice trembled with anger. "I actually thought you had seen the light, and that was why you came here. Instead, you are here dishing out blame. What did you expect me to do? Reject my mate? If it were that easy, why didn't you reject Mom
~Harper~ I stood frozen in place, my gaze fixed on Adrian. Inside, I struggled against Riley's insistence that I rush to him. The grip on my emotions was unyielding, and in that moment, my thoughts were consumed by him alone. After uttering the word 'mate,' his eyes seemed to regain some composure as if he were trying to downplay it. Jacob, oblivious or perhaps pretending to be, asked, pulling me closer to him, "What's wrong?" I couldn't believe Jacob's apparent ignorance. Hadn't he heard Adrian's words, or were they meant for my ears alone? I turned to Jacob, feeling a bit bewildered, and he wore a puzzled expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he remarked with a smile. I turned my gaze back to Adrian, who averted his eyes. Did he feel ashamed? "I..." I managed to stammer, but Adrian interjected swiftly, his voice carrying a hint of strain and vulnerability. There was a pain in him that resonated with my own. "There's a storm approaching, Jacob. We should move," he said
~Justin~ A year and two months had elapsed, and our investigation had made little progress. It felt like we were trapped in a state of inertia while the criminals either bided their time or plotted something on a grand scale that could overwhelm us when it eventually unfolded. I was at a loss for what to do, yet I clung to a glimmer of hope. Our team had managed to unearth some clues thus far, and I held onto the belief that more pieces of the puzzle would gradually fall into place. Even though we seldom mentioned the Maguires anymore, I couldn't shake my concern and sorrow over our inability to rescue Sophia. The absence of any communication or ransom demands from the criminals left an ominous void. Deep down, we all understood that there was a possibility they had already taken drastic measures. The stagnation we faced made the idea of packing up and leaving Grizlo tempting, lurking in the recesses of my mind. I hadn't signed up to be an Alpha, but given the circumstances, it app
~Justin~ Morning arrived, and I practically sprang out of bed, brimming with eagerness to start the day. It was the long-awaited day for the shipment to arrive, and my excitement was palpable; I couldn't wait any longer. After my morning workout, I got dressed and made my way to the breakfast lounge in the house. Caspian and Charlotte were already there, appearing quite cosy together. They were practically living like a couple. "Took you long enough," Charlotte quipped as she poured herself a cup of tea. I grabbed a muffin and settled into a chair at the table. A mischievous glint sparkled in Charlotte's eyes as she arched an eyebrow at me. "Aren't you going to inquire about your guest?" she prodded, and Caspian chuckled. Apparently, something had transpired last night that I wasn't privy to. "So, what about her?" I inquired, looking to Charlotte for an explanation. She took a sip of her tea, wearing a sly smile. There was something different about both of them, and I had yet to
~Liam~ I found myself seated in Justin's office, my patience tested as I awaited my cousin's call, hoping to hear that his mission on Cain Island had been accomplished without a hitch. I'd be dishonest if I claimed not to harbour some worry. It wasn't a lack of faith in Justin's competence that concerned me; rather, it was the nagging fear that perhaps we had underestimated our adversaries. To be truthful, receiving news of the shipment was a welcome relief after enduring several months of frustrating stagnation. If it weren't for Sophia and the magnitude of what was at stake, I would have decided to head to Gad with Josephine. Ever since I confided in Lord Alexei, he had been a steadfast supporter of our relationship, and with Josephine's eighteenth birthday just two weeks away, my nerves were on edge. I couldn't help but wonder how she would react when she discovered the truth. I had absolute faith that she would embrace our bond, yet my anxiety lingered, for I knew that our rel
~Justin~ After we exited the warehouse, we swiftly made our way to where we had parked our car. Sophia felt incredibly light in my arms, a stark reminder of the unhealthy weight she had been reduced to. How could she have a healthy weight when they had been starving her? No one should ever endure such dehumanising treatment. Anger coursed through me. Throughout our mission, I had often maintained a passive demeanour, but not tonight. Tonight, I was seething with anger. She had been abducted at the age of sixteen, and only the goddess knew the horrors she had endured for nearly two years. I had my doubts about whether we could fully mend her, but I took solace in the fact that she was still alive. Hopefully, we could bring her some measure of justice. I gently settled her into the back seat alongside Charlotte while Caspian took the driver's seat. The car ride was marked by a heavy silence, with my constant glances backwards to check on Sophia. Charlotte had removed her prosthetic