Six Months Later"Happy Birthday!" I am awoken by the enthusiastic cheering of voices in my room. I opened my eyes to see April standing on the bed with Violet by the bedside, holding a birthday cake, and Wesley and Atlas at the foot of the bed with ribbons around their necks."Happy birthday!" April exclaimed again, jumping onto the bed."Hey! Get off me!" I laugh, gently pushing her away as I sit up in bed."Happy sweet nineteen!" Violet sat on the bed beside me, planting a peck on my cheeks as she handed the cake over to me."Hey." Wesley playfully tousles my hair and quickly gives me a kiss on the lips.You don't have to, you know?" I said, flashing her a smile, It was obvious she planned this."Well, this is just very little. I actually planned to do more, but then I remembered how boring you can really get and escaped the party I should've planned with lover boy here." She wiggled her brows, looking at Wesley from the corner of her eyes. "Come on, you need to get ready, take you
Kane's POVHonestly, if I had been approached by Alpha Enzo himself for a business collaboration, I would've declined without hesitation. There had been numerous records of him making some other packs almost go bankrupt with the failed investments he manipulated them to join.However, in the past six months, there have been rumors of the alpha having an aide that had surprisingly helped the pack largely and saved him from failure. At least he found someone more capable than his son, Tyler.It was even more hilarious that rumors had it that it was a very young girl, about nineteen if I remember well. I wonder what could've possibly made her want to help. Which is something I would find out, since there was little or no information about her yet.I stood before the mirror in my room as I put on my jackets, adorning my wrist with a gold watch. Just then, a brief knock came on the door and before I could even respond, it swung open and I heard footsteps walk into the room. Without turning
Valerie's POVI led Alpha Kane out of the woods and back to the packhouse. Once we settled in the living room, I offered to make him coffee and made my way into the kitchen. Maybe it was only to escape the tension and give myself a little space to breathe. I was a nervous wreck since this was my first time meeting alone with these business' partners. It was usually with Alpha Enzo where I would just sit quietly most times watching them talk.As I started making coffee, I took deep breaths to calm myself down while I quietly began rehearsing phrases I thought would be professional enough in case he started a conversation with me."Hey." I must've been so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice him entering the kitchen. He sat on a stool near the counter, in a position where he would be able to watch me clearly, which felt rather uncomfortable.Unlike the other alphas whom I had encountered in the past few months, he was the weirdest of all. He appeared to be over friendly and talked a
Valerie's POV*The Next Day*After finalizing the contract and signing all necessary documents between both packs, Kane left immediately, heading back to his pack. It was quite strange though, as most alphas tend to spend about a week before leaving. It wasn't my concern though, as long as his main purpose of coming in the first place was done perfectly, I shouldn't be worried about him staying or not.I sat opposite Alpha Enzo in his home office, watching as he leaned back against his chair, exhaling a sigh of relief. Tyler was also sitting beside him. He was present during the entire contract deal with Kane. "Alpha Enzo," I called in a soft voice, entwining my fingers together as I prepared to ask him the question I had been meaning to ask. "All the pending deal with all the Alpha's has been successfully concluded, which means I've done my part in regard to your promise of treating Wesley right and elevating him into a better position in the pack." I said as I rubbed my palm togeth
Valerie's POVSlowly, I feel myself emerging from unconsciousness, my eyelids fluttering open, revealing the ceiling above me.As my senses sharpened, I gradually became aware of my environment and the antiseptic smell that radiated the room. Attempting to sit up, my head throbbed and a dull ache pulsated through my temples, making me reach up with my hands to gently massage my temple."Hey, you're awake." I turned to my side to see Wesley to see Wesley sitting in a chair by the bedside with worry lines on his forehead, although he looked like he just woken up from a nap."Lay back or you'll hurt yourself." He reached out and gently held my shoulders, slowly easing me back onto the bed."What happened?" I managed to croak out, as my voice feels raspy and weak. My head felt foggy and my memory remained hazy, making it difficult for me to try to remember what had happened previously.Wesley quickly turned around, picking up a glass of water on the table beside him and handing in over to
I expected him to pull away after a few seconds, probably with fear that I might kill him, but it never happened. Instead, Wesley placed his other palm on my neck, rubbing it softly and he whispered words I guessed were supposed to be soothing, but I heard none as they were all carried away by the wind. I didn't care yet. All I wanted right was to satisfy my thirst, so I drank greedily, moaning as his intoxicating scent filled my nostrils. A few seconds later I pulled away, deciding that was enough and if I had gone any longer, I might've killed him."You okay?" Wesley asked with a smile as I licked off the rest of the blood from my lips. I nodded, moving closer to wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head against his chest. "I got good news for you, though." I said, looking up at him with a smile."What is it?""Your father finally agreed to let you be involved in the pack businesses. I think he has already considered you to take over the alpha's position after him." I expected
Valerie's POVWe left the crime scene about thirty minutes later and headed back to the packhouse. The BlackMoon Alpha, Ace managed to regain his composure and took the body back to his pack, after promising to help in whatever way he can to catch the killer.Alpha Enzo also made sure to tighten securities in all areas of the pack, especially deserted areas. Once back at the packhouse, Wesley and I headed straight to the kitchen, where I planned we could take coffee and think of what we could do to prevent another murder. Wesley grabbed a wine from the top drawer with two cups, placing them on the table at the center of the kitchen. "Not coffee now. This would do." He raised the bottle up to my face and expertly uncorked it, the rich crimson liquid filling both cups immediately.Wesley dropped one cup before me and I took a sip of the wine, savoring its rich flavor, before setting the cup down and looking intently at him. "I feel like we're missing something. How does he manage to g
Valerie's POV"Are there any packs with harboring grudges against us?" I asked, pacing around as I searched through my thoughts for any possible culprit."No one. The only enemy we had was wiped out over 3 years ago. The Night Exiles." Tyler responded and clenched my fists tight, trying to suppress the surge of emotions rising in me as he spoke with confidence. "Then the mastermind behind this could be someone from our pack, a traitor or a psychopath who derives pleasure from killing people. Cause what the heck with the eyeballs all the time?" I pointed out, feeling a mix of anger and frustration coursing through my veins."Besides, how else could he get the contacts of his victim to be able to lure them to meet him?" Wesley added."We need to question the girl?? She can tell us something, whatever it is." I hurried out of the woods, heading to the wooden house where I was sure the guards were keeping the girl. Tyler and Wesley followed closely behind, and before long, we arrived at
Valerie's POVIt's been over a week since I last saw Wesley, which was at Violet's house on the day she died. I tried to reach him severally, through phone calls which he ignored and our mind-link which he had completely blocked me out from. Did he regret mating me?Or had been foolish from the very beginning to think I could find my place in this pack. I don't even want to think anymore cause I've tried so hard to make sense of the situation but nothing is working yet. Sometimes I think maybe I've been doing it wrong all along and what the goddess actually meant by making things right is revealing to them who I am so they can kill and completely wipe out our entire clan. But I'd that was it, there was no purpose of sending me back just to die again. These past weeks had been lonely and very frustrating, due to Wesley's betrayal if that's the right way to call it and April not even giving me a hard time. She told me to my face that I had been the one foolishly trusting them because I
The room is totally messed up, the entire furniture is broken and scattered around the room. There were broken glasses on the floor, and as I walked further into the room, I tried to think of what could've possibly happened here.However, I gasped when my eyes landed on a figure lying motionless on the ground. "Violet!" I screamed, hastily dropping to the floor beside her and shaking her shoulders, but she didn't respond and my heart raced even faster when I saw the blood trickling from her nose and mouth. Paramedics swiftly arrived, but instead of rushing to the hospital just like I expected, they walked out of the house with her on a stretcher and a white shroud around her."What the hell are you doing?" I asked, trying to remain in denial that it wasn't what I was thinking. "I'm sorry, Miss. But she's dead." The world around me stopped immediately, and I dropped to the ground, placing my trembling hands on my chest as my breaths came out in shaky pants, tears stinging the back of
Valerie's POVIt's been a few hours into the party, yet Violet still didn't show up or replied to any of my messages. I told Wesley about it and he assured me not to worry about her since it was quite common for her to do something like this, perhaps she might have never fully agreed to come to the party.Considering her disinterest for the family, it was possible she might have changed her mind at the last second. I tried to push my worries aside, joining them in the celebration. Minutes later, Wesley suggested we go to his room since it was evident that none of us were enjoying the party or were used to things like this. Standing by the window in his room, we gazed at the stars and moon adorning the night sky. "You think this is over now?" I asked, not staring at him but keeping my gaze fixated on the sky. "Well, I can say we have over ninety percent of our problems solved. We're a bit free now, no more bad guys. Everything will get back to normal in a short while. “Wesley replies,
Valerie's POVThe next morning I woke up to the good news that Renée arrived at the pack early, bringing Kyle along to face the authorities since he was from our pack.I dropped April off at school, telling her to be careful before rushing off to the packhouse. I heard Kyle had been locked in the cells in the basement of the house, so I hurried there, seeing Renée leaving on the way. After exchanging pleasantries, I walked into the basement to see Wesley standing before the cell. Kyle's gaze shifted towards me, and a smug smile appeared on his face. "Hey there, traitor." He said, and I tucked my hands into my pockets, not saying a word to him."It's good to see you behind bars," I said, smiling."I bet your mate here doesn't really know who you are and what you're capable of.""Why did you do it?" Wesley asked with a demeaning gaze fixated on him."I wanted power, Wesley. In fact, I was greedy for it and the rest of y'all seemed to settle for less. Accepting the losers you all are, ev
Valerie's POVThe rhythmical beeping of a machine filled my ears even before my eyes fluttered open. The dim light of the white room washed over me—the antiseptic scent hitting my nose, giving me a hint of where I was. Maybe a hospital.I shifted my gaze to the side and found Wesley by the bedside, his eyes immediately glinting as soon as he noticed my movements. "Hey," he whispered, his voice a gentle caress. "You're awake." His eyes were filled with a mixture of relief and worry. "Where am I?" It was difficult to speak, as my throat felt dry and scratchy. "We're back at the packhouse. You're safe now." He took my palm into his, giving it a soft squeeze—his touch warm and reassuring.Confusion washed over me for a moment before my memory started to piece together the fragments. Then I remembered my encounter with Kyle and trying to escape him and his men."Where's April?!" That was the next question I asked, sitting up with a speed that had Wesley staring at me in surprise and confu
Wesley's POVAs soon as I heard gunshots reverberate through the air, I dashed through the forest, not needing to think twice to know that it was Valerie. It has been over four hours we've been searching for her since she mysteriously disappeared. We searched the entire pack and yet there was no trace of her. My wolf was paranoid, demanding we find our mate. And when we saw traces of blood in the back of the house that I was sure belonged to her, we knew something had gone wrong. It was quite difficult trying to put Wade under control, but I gave that up as soon as we heard distant gunshots, letting him shift into his full form completely, without waiting for the warriors or any of the other search party members.I could feel her fear, almost tasting it. She must've been trying to escape from whoever captured her, and if by chance, it was the rogues, today would be the last day they would use their fucking lungs to breathe.I spotted them through the bushes, firing in a particular di
Valerie's POVA piercing pain in my head is the first thing that greets me the moment I slipped back into consciousness. I groaned in pain, noticing my vision was blocked with dark clothing wrapped around my eyes. I tried to move, feeling my muscles numb, but instead, I felt my skin scrape against a rough surface. If I could guess right, my hands were tied to a tree while I sat on the ground with both legs tied together.I heard the loud chattering of male voices around me and footsteps moving all about. Trying hard not to panic, I struggled against the restraints, which was just a wasted effort.A rustling sound caught my attention and through the black fabric around my eyes, I could make out a shadow looming above me. The blindfold is swiftly removed from my face, and I move my gaze around slowly, sighting some men gathering around a fire with drinks in their hands, laughing loudly at their own jokes. There were several young men moving around, none of them even sparing me a glance.
Valerie's POVI recognized him immediately as Alpha Kane. "Miss Valerie!" He called out, stretching out his hands for a handshake. I stared at his palm reluctantly before accepting it. "I didn't expect to see you." He states briefly glancing at Wesley who maintained a cold stare directed towards him."Nice to see you again, Kane," Wesley spoke, shifting his attention back to Renée. "Where's your father?"Renée's eyes clouded with a mix of worry and sadness before she blinked off quickly, replacing it with a stoic expression. "My father was injured during the attack and he doesn't seem to be recovering yet, even though he was just shot with an arrow.""Can we see him?" I asked, feeling a sense of empathy wash over me.She seemed to be contemplating for a moment before she nodded. "Of course, come with me." We followed her into the packhouse which was quite crowded, filled with women and children around all corners. Some of them, moving around while trying to clean and put the packhous
April's POVI shut the door to my new room, bolting it locked before plopping down on the bed, and letting out an angry groan. I could hear the sounds of Valerie's cries from her room, causing a knot to form in my stomach, twisting with exasperation. I loved Valerie, and she had always seemed to make the right choices until she decided to associate friendly with the alpha family. How could she forget the nightmares, the tears, and the anguish that haunted us both? At first, I thought she was only being nice to Wesley since he wasn't in support of what they had done to us, but then Tyler? Why was she even pleased that he changed his attitude towards her? I pressed my palm against my ears, trying to block out her cries. My gaze shifted to the pink diary sticking out of my bag—the diary that made me realize Valerie had given up on finding justice for our parents. Did she even realize how all of this changed me? I wouldn't be surprised if she never knew, since she has chosen to direct h