Cynthia Dion: "But I'm the one footing the bill for her," Mr. Beret interjected, reminding my father of their prior agreement. "And I'm more than willing to pay triple the amount originally offered for her," Mr. Holt said as he produced his checkbook. My dad's eyes lit up with excitement; he knew he had struck gold. "What's happening here? We've already settled this. She's my br---," Mr. Beret looked as if he'd seen a ghost. The thought of losing me as his prospective bride made him agitated, but he couldn't argue any further because Zeon extended his neck and cracked his knuckles. That gesture was enough to silence Mr. Beret. "You can keep her. Besides, she's too young for my taste," Mr. Beret forced a smile tinged with fear before stepping back from Zeon. "Now, could you give us a moment alone?" Mr. Holt politely asked Mr. Beret, holding the door open for both him and my father. Mr. Beret had no option but to exit the room, clearly defeated. This was my chance to express my g
Cynthia Dion: "As for your sister, I'll do my best to ensure your father doesn't bother her. He'll understand that, as long as he treats her well, he'll receive financial support," Mr. Holt continued to surprise me with his concern and affection. Although he never admitted to having feelings for me, he seemed more willing to give his second chance mate a try than I was. I was still stuck on the fact that my mate had gotten me into this trouble and had accepted his best friend, who was involved with his other friend, while I was unfairly labeled as a whore. "I'll hold you to your promises," I nodded, making sure to meet his gaze, so he knew I expected him to follow through on what he had just said to me. "Very well, then," he replied, holding the door open for me. There was nothing holding me back from moving on from my first mate, who had tarnished my reputation without a second thought. When Mr. Holt offered to help, I took a deep breath and held his hand. Now more than ever, I
Cynthia Dion: She had perfectly curly blond hair, an hourglass figure, and was dressed in a golden gown. Whoever she was, our marriage must have caused her significant pain, as her brown eyes were filled with tears of deep agony and anguish. "Maleeka! Please, go back to your room. We'll talk later," Zeon spoke to her, but he didn't seem entirely focused on consoling her; he appeared worn out and agitated. "She's that girl you've been spending time with. How old is she? Just turned eighteen a few months ago, right?" Her tone and intense glare made me uncomfortable. "Who is she?" I asked in a hushed tone, trying to maintain my focus despite being extremely apprehensive. She seemed to grow even more furious when she heard me speak and started to move menacingly in my direction. She might have hit me in the face, possibly giving me a black eye, if Zeon hadn't stepped in between us. "As if you don't know who I am," she muttered, growing increasingly agitated that Zeon didn't allow h
Cynthia Dion: "You're causing me pain, Zeon!" I almost whimpered as I uttered his first name for the very first time. However, it didn't seem to faze him; instead, his expression remained stern, and I sensed frustration in his gaze. His grip on my delicate arm remained unrelenting, and his eyes bore into mine."If you want to avoid a shouting match, return to the darn room and don't come out until I give the signal," he barked at me, his words filled with anger, all while forcefully shaking me.I was too taken aback by this sudden change in him. It felt as though I were witnessing an entirely different person. I couldn't fathom where his usual demeanor and gentle speech had vanished to."And if you utter a word, I'll deal with you too," he added with a hint of threat, briefly directing his warning toward Maleeka. He had deceived me into this marriage, and I couldn't fathom what other intentions he might harbor. This wasn't the man I thought would protect me.He forcefully shoved me t
Cynthia Dion: "He marked me and left me stranded in this place. I resisted the urge to cry for a while before finally succumbing. The pain in my body after being marked was far worse than I had expected. I wiped tears from my face so frequently that they soaked into my sleeve. Clearly, he didn't give me anything, not even my phone."Look at what you've done, Atticus!" I muttered, my words echoing the misery of my current situation. I wasn't sure why he despised me so much, but because of him, I had to endure all this pain alone. If Atticus hadn't abducted me and subjected me to humiliation, I'd be at home right now.Besides the forced marking, I also had to contend with the justified hatred of his wife. I wasn't sure how I would survive this."How can I possibly fix this?" I asked myself, wondering if anything I said would make a difference. How did I never know he was faking all his kindness and sweetness? was I that desperate to believe in someone but that overlooked some red flags
Cynthia Dion:I maintained my composure and fixed my gaze on Mr. Holt, who kept his head down, engrossed in his meal."I don't think I can go anywhere right now," I said softly, "The school is starting again, and I've already missed many days. I don't want to miss any more classes or training sessions." I uttered these words, a subtle reminder of the promises he had probably used to deceive me.He mumbled, still not looking at me, "We can discuss it later," but I had piqued Maleeka's interest. She appeared shocked to hear the word "school" coming from my lips."Are you kidding me?" Maleeka hissed to herself, trying to take in what she just heard. She was like a ticking bomb and the worst part was that I cannot even blame her for showing so much frustration. "She's planning to go back to school. You're aware that she can't, right?" Maleeka scowled, displaying clear resistance."Why not?" This time, I asked her directly, as her interference in my affairs had been ongoing since the morn
Cynthia Dion: "You brought this trash here at last?" Atticus yelled, turning to face me. He didn't appear surprised or startled; instead, he seemed furious. He also seemed well aware that I was now Mr. Holt's wife.Pointing at my face, he continued, "And you." The fear that surged within me was so paralyzing that I couldn't utter a word. I just stood there, feeling as though my entire world had crumbled."I warned you to stay away from my brother-in-law and to stop ruining my sister's life over and over again, but you didn't listen. You're going to pay for this," Atticus's menacing threat and his rapid approach towards me compelled me to spring to my feet and wrap my arms around myself.Mr. Holt quickly rose and rushed over to stand between us, ensuring that we couldn't make eye contact."She's my wife now. You can't treat her like that," Mr. Holt hurriedly interjected.My mind was racing with a whirlwind of thoughts and worries. One of them was why Mr. Holt had pursued me when he kn
Cynthia Dion: I didn't know what to cry about - losing my first mate or having to interact with him every day while carrying the shame of breaking into his sister's house and even taking her partner? Or was it the fact that Atticus, my own partner and the one who had kidnapped me, was now passing judgment on me for marrying his brother-in-law to save myself from further humiliation?"Take a deep breath, Cynthia," Mr. Holt said gently as he helped me settle into the bed. I had been sobbing and hiding my face in my hands the entire time. Why was I feeling so vulnerable when I didn't want to be?"It will all work out perfectly. I've been taking care of the company for them, so they can't force us out," Mr. Holt whispered, attempting to hold my hand and speak softly. But I discreetly pulled my hand away from his. He might not have realized that he was a significant part of why I felt so upset in that moment."Did you know," I asked him quietly. To see him clearly, I had to keep wiping th
Cynthia Dion:It’s been two years since that unfortunate event happened.Maleeka couldn’t accept that she could no longer force Zeon to be with her.Atticus finally cleaned Eva’s grave, cleared her name, and even buried Zeon next to her. We also renamed the specific block in school to be Eva.I do think that day when I was cleaning in that block, it was Eva’s disturbed soul still wandering around.Maleeka was in the mental asylum, showing no signs of improvement. Atticus made it very clear that even if Maleeka gets better, she will be severely punished.However, things have changed in our relationship as well.We were not only two, in fact, we have welcomed a cute baby girl into our lives after a few months of that whole sad incident.We named her Flora."Flora! Stop running around," I rolled my eyes at her as she ran into Niles, Rosalie, and Enzo’s son.We have gathered around my father’s pack that I’ve recovered to celebrate my pregnancy news with my people."So, how did it go?" Att
Cynthia’s POV:As he finished telling us why he did all that, our faces changed colors. My eyes were teary, and the counsellors looked guilty, too.Maleeka had been breaking down after her dirty criminal history was displayed to everyone.I didn’t even know what to say anymore. The story of Eva and the horrible life she had because of the mean and selfish people around her was so bad.The fact that my mother didn’t even help her out and let the poor victim take a fall broke my heart.I know she was thinking she was doing it for me and Flora, but to push someone else’s daughter into such a shitty situation just for the sake of your daughters is not an excuse.Not to mention, I wonder if what Flora and I went through our entire lives was our mother’s karma, and maybe Eva’s broken heart cries are shadowing our happiness."Zeon!" Since Atticus couldn’t even say a word, I whispered in tears, "I understand your pain and Eva’s suffering, but hurting others wouldn’t bring her back. You can le
Author’s POV:Years Ago:It’s been a month since Eva passed away on the school grounds, and Zeon killed those rogues. Rowdy was the only one that survived, but he went into a coma after that night.Zeon had no clue what to do because it seemed like everybody was more focused on the ones that got killed than on Eva."She was innocent," he yelled at the counselors, who shook their heads at him."We will call our first witness here, who will explain to us how Eva had been clawing at the other boys and meeting them in the library." The elder of the counselor spoke as he pointed at the door. All eyes turned to the door, waiting for this so-called character witness.Zeon didn’t have a very good feeling about it. It seemed like something bad was about to happen. Why did they even need to have an investigation?A she-wolf got gang raped and killed. Why were they investigating her? It was beyond his mind, and he was just plain hurt and lost. There was nobody on his side. He was suffering and w
Author’s POV:Years Ago:After that day, Zeon and Jacque were escorted out and even got detention. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Nothing happened to Maleeka; the guards were even assigned to her to stop Zeon from coming after her.She would go to school every day and watch Zeon and Eva together. She was not at all satisfied with what she had done; in fact, if Eva were still alive, she would consider herself a failure.Although she was surprised to hear Eva get pregnant again, And this time, she couldn’t even get near her because all the eyes would be on her."This is the girl," she had asked for some rogue criminals to meet her after school."She is beautiful," there were five rogue young boys, probably 19, the same age as them."She will be alone in the school today, doing some assignments in the library. You can enter the school and get your hands on her. Listen, her mate will be there, but you can take him out with wolfbane. Remember, you are not supposed to hurt h
Author’s POV:Years Ago:"What do you mean by she stole your mate? Zeon is her mate. That’s what everybody knows." Mrs. Dion, who thought of Maleeka as this innocent and sweet little girl, was ready to accept any lie she was going to tell her."She was the second chance, mate. Zeon accepted me two years ago. We used to be together; we were never separated, and then i--- then I got pregnant with him, but during that time, she joined school. She caused my abortion. I know it is not an excuse to do the same to someone else, but think of it as your own daughter. You have a little daughter that you gave birth to with so much difficulty. Can you imagine anyone hurting her? Just imagine what I have been through." She sniffled as she shed crocodile tears. She was sneaking glances at Mrs. Dion, too.She wanted to get out of this mess by any means."I am so sorry that happened to you, but I still have to tell the counsel about the video. You can rest your case before them. If you are innocent,
Author’s POV:Years Ago:"How the hell did it happen?" Ever since Zeon got informed about Eva’s accident at school, he has been wandering in the school’s hallway and crying.Jacque and Bonnie had been sticking with him and feeling worried about him.He was in disbelief that such a horrible thing happened to Eva on the school’s grounds."There is no way she just fell off the stairs," he shook his head, not ready to believe what the school staff has been telling him."I understand your concern, but getting all stressed out won’t do anybody any favors," Jacque stepped forward to comfort Zeon, who was going crazy worrying about Eva.Bonnie and Jacque were worried for their friend and Zeon; they had never seen him so stressed out. On the other hand, Maleeka had returned home but was a little panicky. She has hurt Eva before, but this time she was directly involved.It just made her feel a little stressed. What if somebody saw her? It happened in a school, so there was a huge possibility so
Author’s POV:Years Ago:Eva was hanging out with Maleeka a lot after that day. She told Zeon that Maleeka apologized and promised to act well around her. Although he didn’t believe Maleeka, he couldn’t force Eva into deciding who to hang out with and who to ignore.He was just too concerned because Eva was too pure in her heart. One day, when Zeon was sent to the councillors for some pack-related stuff since he was supposed to be the royal beta of the pack in the future, Maleeka visited Eva.She knew Eva would be alone at home, so she didn’t want to miss this opportunity to mess things up for her. She has heard from Eva’s friend that Eva was pregnant, and it has enraged Maleeka.She was glad she heard her friends talking because she was ready to do any dirty job in order to stop Eva from giving Zeon an heir."I am so happy," Eva was pleased, clapping hands every two minutes and imaging having a child with Zeon."You two got married, too. I am surprised you hid it from me," Maleeka wa
Author's POVYears Ago:Zeon’s confession of love to Eva has left everyone in shock. Prior to this day, everybody assumed Zeon was going to accept Maleeka, but it all changed. Zeon didn’t hesitate to send back everything Maleeka had bought him in order to keep him to herself. He had cut ties with Maleeka entirely and had Eva move in. He was back in his old home, but because Eva was happy there, he didn’t feel any difference. In fact, he liked it more that way.One day, when Eva had fallen asleep, Maleeka kept blowing up his number. It had been months since Zeon and Eva had moved in together. He had been taking care of her in school to make sure nobody bullied her. He knew the instant he left her alone, Maleeka would approach her to say something."Talk to her; give her closure," Eva finally raised her face and told Zeon to speak to Maleeka."I have many times. She is not ready to understand anything," Zeon got up from behind Eva as he unwrapped his arms from around her and picked up t
Author's POV:Years Ago:"What did you say?" Zeon expressed, shocked when hearing her concern.Did she really think he was capable of killing her? Did she really think of him as an animal enough to kill someone?It surprised and unsettled him at the same time."Are you going to do something bad to me?" she proceeded to ask him while tears ran down her cheeks.That moment was the moment of realization for him.He never intended to hurt her. He was just making sure she didn’t leave until he told her what he felt."No! No! EVA NO!" He yelled in desperation, "Before even laying a finger on you, I’d end my life," he rested his hands on the tree and brought his face closer to hers."I didn’t bring you here to hurt you. I brought you here to let you know how much I’m hurting," As his tone softened and his eyes were filled with mist, she realized he was suffering and had used the wrong way to express his emotions."I’m sorry that I did that. I shouldn’t have stolen the chance of making a deci