George's POVThe chair was uncomfortable, and the small cushion did nothing to help my back pain. I kept staring at Wendy. The way her chest moved up and down was the only sign that she was still fighting for life. Hours turned into night, and each tick of the clock felt like a blow to my heart. Sleep was long gone, as my worry kept me stuck here, her bedside my chosen prison. I wouldn't leave her. Not now. Not ever.As dawn approached, tiredness finally broke through my determination. My head lowered, my eyes felt heavy, until a soft creak jolted me back from the edge of sleep. The door was opening, and I woke up quickly, fully aware.Elder Lucius stood there, his face showing clear worry. “Your Highness.” he said gently, “I'm really glad you're here. I wanted to share my heartfelt condolences for what happened to Wendy.”I didn't respond.“I understand this is a tough time.” Lucius said as he walked into the room, “but the pack needs you, Alpha King. Important issues need your focus
George's POVThis was done on purpose, carefully planned. It wasn’t some small-time criminal. I looked at Edward, my eyes sharp.Edward looked furious but tried to keep it hidden. “We could try –”“No.” I stopped him, my voice low and threatening. “No soft questions. We make him talk.” I stepped forward, balling my hand into a fist. “And I’ll do it.”Edward's eyes grew wide, and he looked worried. “Your Highness, are you sure? Maybe-““I’m sure.” I snapped, cutting him off. I’d waited too long, been too patient. I was done being nice. This guy knew things, dangerous things, and I’d get them out of him if I had to. I rolled up my sleeves, baring my forearms. “Get the tools.” I said.Edward stood still, his forehead creased. “Your Highness, think about this. What if you overstep?”“Too far?” I repeated, slowly turning to face him. “He almost killed her, Edward. Do you think there's a limit to that? He'll talk, one way or another.” I could see he was unsure, but he knew not to argue when
George's POVThe healer's eyes were wide with fear as I held him by his shirt. His face had turned pale, not a good look for someone in his job.“What is this?” I growled, my voice low and threatening as I grabbed the syringe from his shaking hand. The needle shimmered ominously in the dim light. I pulled him closer by his tunic, our faces nearly touching. “What were you about to inject her with?”He stuttered, his eyes jumping from the needle to my face. “I... I... it's just something to... to help her feel better before the surgery, Your Majesty. Just to ease her pain.” His voice was weak and scared.I glared at him, my eyes squinting. “Ease her? Why are you acting like you saw a ghost?” My voice was full of suspicion, anger simmering underneath. “You looked like you were about to pee your pants when I came in. Why? If it's just to ‘ease her,’ then why did you look like you were about to poison her?”He flinched. “I... I was just...” He licked his dry lips and looked around the room
Wendy's POVMy eyelids were so heavy as I tried to open them. The world slowly came into view, first fuzzy, then clearer, showing the walls of a room I sort of knew. I was in the infirmary.I got up slowly. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I held the bed edge so tight my knuckles turned white. Once the room stopped spinning, I looked around. George was sitting in a chair by the bed, looking worried. Edward stood by the wall, his face hard to read. But it was the body on the floor that made me gasp — the healer’s lifeless form with a dark stain spreading near his head.Confusion and fear mixed inside me. What was happening? I blinked, trying to remember the ambush, the fight...then nothing. Just blank. “What...what’s going on?” I croaked, my voice rough.George jumped up, his hands reaching out to me but not touching. “Wendy, thank goodness you’re awake. You were hurt.” His voice was full of relief.I stepped back, away from his hand, and looked at him doubtfully. “Hurt? What do you mea
Wendy's POVIt was hard to concentrate on the screen. The scary things that happened in the last few hours, almost dying, George's weird behavior, and seeing the body on the cold floor when I woke up—all of it was heavy on my mind. My head hurt with a constant, dull pain.I really wanted to sleep and escape it all, but I couldn't afford to rest. Not yet. Not until I dealt with Rosina. Brittany, the snake, could wait, but Rosina, who caused all my pain, had to be stopped first.My fingers moved quickly on the keypad. I got into the healer’s phone, getting past its easy security. The call log didn’t show much, mostly normal calls. But there it was—a single call from an unknown number, made yesterday at the time of my 'surgery.'My eyes narrowed, and I felt a surge of energy despite being tired. I copied the call log to my computer and started a tracing program I made myself, called Cerberus.It was ironic that the same security system I created for everyone to use was what Rosina used t
Wendy's POVI folded my arms, still feeling his touch make my skin crawl.“I... I'm sorry, Wendy.” he started, his voice quiet and full of regret that seemed to come too late. He looked down at the floor, his shoulders drooping. “I shouldn't have touched you. It was... wrong.”I stayed quiet, his apology not healing the pain inside. I looked away, anywhere but at him, and my eyes fell on the papers on my coffee table. A fuzzy picture in one of the files caught my eye. It was a photo of me, or rather, a badly altered one, showing me talking to a tough-looking guy. He seemed like a mercenary, with his face partly hidden by a cap. But what stood out was the red circle around a blurry spot in his pocket, where a wallet or ID should be, even though it was hardly visible.I pointed at the fuzzy circle. “What's this?”George stood up and looked at the picture. “He's one of the mercenaries we've been following. The circle is around his ID. It's fuzzy, but our tech team is trying to make it cl
Rosina's POVThe maid talked fast. “And then, she threw a vase! Right at his head! Can you believe it, Your Majesty?” I smiled, not feeling sorry for poor Lucius, but finding it truly funny.“The old fool.” I said while looking at my freshly sharpened nail. “He should know better than to upset his wife at her age. What did he do this time? Did he forget their anniversary again?”“Oh, no, Your Majesty, this time it was a… a ‘misunderstanding’ about the new servant girl. It seems the elder has been… too friendly with her, and his wife is really upset.”I laughed. “Oh, what a show! This is way better than any play. Keep going.” I said while waving my hand like I was brushing off a fly.The maid who was looking flustered but excited by my interest, went on, “She said his eyes were looking where they shouldn’t. And she also said…“ The maid paused with her eyes wide and leaned in closer, “...that his back has been really stiff lately, but he says it’s from work. She knows it’s not true, tho
Wendy's POVRosina's shocked face was satisfying. Now though she seemed in control again. Or so she thought.“This is ridiculous!” Her usually sweet voice was now sharp and angry. “I am the Queen! How dare you bring me before the council like this?” She glared at me with eyes that could turn milk sour. “And you, Wendy! This is your fault, isn't it? You must have tricked George, made the evidence point at me!”A ripple of murmurs spread through the gathered elders. George, thankfully, didn't let her continue her accusations. He slammed his fist on the table. “Enough, Rosina. The evidence is clear. We have printouts of your messages with Logan. Your dealings with the healer who tried to kill Wendy. And now, we’re talking about your mercenaries.” He pushed more papers toward the elders. “This evidence was collected under my command and watched over. It’s all documented and we know where it came from. You can’t just change it!”Rosina's face twisted in anger, and she quickly denied it. “L
George's POVWendy’s hurt and disappointed face kept flashing in my mind. I kept replaying the date, feeling regret with every mistake. What could I have done better? How could I have reached her heart? These questions circled, with no answers, until the early light of morning started to come through the curtains.I finally fell asleep, but only for a little while. I woke up suddenly, grabbing my phone. The calendar showed Wendy's birthday. I felt a rush of panic and guilt. I had been so focused on feeling sorry for myself that I almost forgot. I threw off the covers, my heart pounding. I needed to fix this, or at least try. I hadn’t forgotten her birthday. I planned everything, and I needed to show her I still care and haven’t given up on us.I wrote a letter, sharing my regret and hope for her happiness. I called my helper and told him to send it with a bunch of her favorite red roses and a box of the fanciest chocolates I could find. I didn’t mind the cost all that mattered was Wen
Wendy's POVThe glass doors opened as I walked into the lobby of my office building. The quiet sound of the air and the gentle typing on computers filled the room like a nice background noise. But today, there was something more - a quiet excitement, a soft murmur of people talking. I didn't need to see them to know they were talking about it, about her. About Queen Rosina, the mean person finally shown for who she really was.I walked past the front desk, the quiet talking fading away, but I heard a few things - “bad person.” “mean plans.” “finally caught.” It seemed everyone knew about Rosina's dishonesty now, and it was ruining her reputation. I let a small smile show on my face. It was a good day, a very good day. I was finally getting my life back to normal.Arriving at my office door, I swiped my card, the lock opening with a nice click. My office was calm and quiet, which soothed me. I went to my desk, the shiny surface reflecting the morning sun, and sat down. I checked the la
George's POVI honked the horn on my car. I knew it was childish, but thinking about Wendy’s reaction made me smile like crazy. I’d spent the whole afternoon adjusting it to be just the right amount. Her door opened, and then she showed up.I couldn't breathe. She walked down the steps like she was floating, wearing a dress. I didn't even notice the color or the fabric, just how it flowed with her, how the light highlighted every curve. The dress was both elegant and incredibly sexy, and she wore it perfectly. It didn't matter what the dress looked like. It was her in the dress that mattered.I quickly turned off the car and jumped out, rushing to her side. I opened the door for her, my heart beating fast. "Wendy," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "You look… absolutely beautiful."She hesitated before taking my hand, looking at me a bit longer than she had to. "George," she said, her voice polite but not too friendly. "Thanks for the ride." She got into the car. I could feel my
Wendy's POVMy eyes met Brittany's across the crowded room but Brittany's eyes didn't show shock, they showed anger, like more trouble was cooking inside her.A slow smile spread across my face. Rosina was running, her plans were out, and her power was falling apart. Brittany was next. This thought excited me, it felt like I was winning. I kept looking at Brittany for a moment, letting her understand my smile, before I turned and walked away with the room's chatter fading out.I could feel George's eyes on me, but I didn't stop. I kept walking steadily and confidently with my head held high, until I reached the doors and went out into the free space.Daven was already there, leaning against my car, with his big smile on his face. "Miss Wendy! That was great! You totally beat them. We won, Miss Wendy! We really won!" His voice shook with excitement as he stood up.I stood in front of him with my face not showing the same excitement. "Won? Daven, this isn't over yet. Rosina is gone, but
Wendy's POVDaven drove the car through the scene outside our house. The morning sun reflected off many cameras all trying to take my picture.“Ready Miss Ashton?” Daven asked his voice calm despite the disorder. I liked how calm he was.“As ready as I'll be” I said taking a deep breath. I didn't want them to see me get nervous. I grabbed the door handle the cold metal a small comfort.The moment I got out of the car I was hit with a lot of questions. Microphones were pushed in my face reporters shouted over each other their voices a loud mix of accusations and weird curiosity.“Miss Ashton can you comment on the accusations?”“How do you feel being back after all these years?”“Did you expect to return as an Omega?”“Is it true that you were behind the cyber attack?”I ignored them my eyes on the big entrance of the pack house. It was the same stone the same big building but it seemed smaller less scary than I recalled. I made my way through the crowd Daven behind me protecting me fr
Wendy's POVGeorge had a serious expression while keeping his eyes on the road with his hands tightly gripping the wheel and his knuckles turning white.That accidental kiss was still fresh in my mind. It was a mistake, a silly one that happened. But I couldn't forget it. I still felt the quick and surprising warmth of his mouth on mine when we fell a while back.I saw the shock in his eyes, and for a moment before he pulled away. He's been different since then, less like a king and more... personal. I looked at his profile silently admiring him.He seemed different not just older but in the way he felt, the way he moved. I had built strong walls around my heart and I wasn't sure if I was ready to tear them down, even for him. Even though a part of me deep down wanted to.I moved around in my seat while trying to ignore my racing heart while The man we caught was lying in the trunk. We were both really stressed out. He had been hinting at me that he was interested. He's a tough and co
Brittany's POVI watched as the council members spoke one by one. “No witness… impossible… no evidence….” Rosina's smug face which was shown live on TV, made me feel slapped. I could almost hear her laughter in my ears.“This can't be happening.” I said while walking back and forth in front of the screen. I let myself believe Rosina’s false promises. Rosina was so sure with her smiles and confident glances. She swore she had a perfect plan. Now see how it all turned out. This is a disaster!I grabbed my phone from the table, tapping Rosina’s number so hard. The phone rang loudly. When she finally answered, her voice was calm.“Brittany? What's the matter?” she said with her too-sweet voice annoying me.“I watched the whole trial on TV“ I said. “This is a disaster! They’re basically gunning for you now, How can you be so calm?”There was a pause just long enough to make me angry. “Now, now, Brittany, no need to get upset. We’re not done yet.” she said while still annoyingly calm.“Not
George's POVAs soon as I stepped onto the porch my senses went on high alert. The front door was unlocked, showing we weren't the first to come. I pushed it open slowly, moving carefully as my wolf instincts took over. Inside, it was dark with only a little light coming through the cracks under the closed curtains.I slipped inside and held my breath listening for any sign of life or noise in the silence. My eyes slowly got used to the dark and looked around. It was a messy living room, not from everyday use but from someone searching in a hurry. Tables were knocked over, cushions open, and papers everywhere as if someone was looking for something specific.I moved slowly and carefully. The house was too quiet, which made me uneasy. Then, I heard a noise from the room next door. It made me stop and turn. I didn’t have time to think about it as I turned and looked. The sound came again. I followed it with my attention very focused.I carefully moved to the doorway and entered the room
Wendy's POVI leaned on the car feeling overwhelmed. George stood next to me looking confused. “Who else are you talking about Wendy? There's no one else we can call now not after...” His voice stopped and I could see how frustrated he was.“George listen.” I said sitting up straight my voice serious. “The witness I mean is in the fake photo! That fuzzy picture of me with the mercenaries? That guy is important! If we make the picture clearer look into it we can find out who he really is. Knowing who he is will let us take him to the council!”George's eyes showed he got it but he still had doubts. “You really think this will work? They already stopped us once.”“Yes!” I said feeling sure. “I know it will work. I have what I need at my desk - we can make the picture clearer and figure out who he is. We can show the council what's real!” I held onto the car feeling more determined. “We need to hurry before Rosina hides the proof.”With a firm nod George opened the car door. “Then let’s