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VANESSA DAVIS
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My mother seemed to have aged gracefully, and it infuriated me more than I expected. She looked like someone who hadn't endured the wreckage she left behind, someone untouched by the destruction she caused. I forced a tight smile, biting down hard on the bitter insults swarming in my head, begging to spill into the open. She looked at me, her eyes already swimming with tears.
“My god, Vanessa, you’re all grown.”
I felt the words cut through me like a knife. All grown. What did she expect after twenty years? That I’d freeze in time, waiting for her to decide we mattered again? I swallowed the lump in my throat and replied, my voice clipped, barely holding back the sarcasm.
“Yes, twenty years apart does that. Uh, you look good. I didn’t know you had remarried.”
Her face flushed, a fleeting expression of guilt crossing her features before she looked away. “I’m sorry... I didn’t want to explain everything over the phone. Come in, meet Tom and the kids.”
Kids? The word hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Kids. Plural. She had more kids. A whole new family. My stomach churned. I turned around to glance at Colton, who was leaning against the car, flipping through something on his phone, completely uninterested in whatever mess was unfolding here. Lucky him.
Thank goodness. If he were paying attention, I’d be mortified. How could I explain this without sounding pathetic? The guy has a good, loving family. Mine is in tatters—one quarter fled, one quarter buried in silence, and the rest of us trying to pretend the cracks don’t show.
I forced my legs to move, stepping into her pristine little house. The smell of pancakes hit me like a wall. It was warm and welcoming, something out of a Hallmark movie. A picture-perfect family morning. I almost laughed at the absurdity. Was this her new life? Waking up to make pancakes in a cozy kitchen for her shiny new family? The hypocrisy made my blood boil.
Ezra hates breakfast. Lionel sleeps through it after long hospital shifts. Dad skips it, like I do, though for reasons neither of us will ever admit. Breakfast was never a thing in our house because when Dad used to work as an officer Mom would say she couldn’t make breakfast for a bogus reason that seemed valid at the time. But here she was, flipping pancakes like some doting mother. A mother who abandoned her first children without a second glance. I shoved the thought away, forcing my face into neutrality.
“This is Tom—”
“Actually,” I cut her off sharply, my voice cold and even, “I don’t think I want to meet him. Can we just find somewhere to talk? No offense, Tom, but I can’t say anything nice to you or your children right now.”
Tom’s eyes flickered with what looked like understanding, which somehow made it worse. What kind of man marries someone who abandons their kids? He gave my mother a quick kiss on the cheek and ushered the two kids—no, not kids, they were practically adults—into the kitchen. They didn’t even glance my way, which said a lot about the woman I had gone through all this trouble to see.
“Come with me into the living room,” she said, her voice overly gentle, as though trying to soothe a wounded animal. “We have so much to talk about.”
The nerve of her. Acting like this was just another family reunion like she hadn’t ripped apart the very foundation of my life. I followed her stiffly, every step feeling like walking into a lion’s den. Except the lion was me, and I was ready to pounce.
We reached the living room, and she gestured for me to sit. She perched on the edge of the couch, smiling nervously as if this was some awkward first date. I stared at her for a moment, trying to keep the rage bubbling inside me from exploding too soon. But who was I kidding? I’m not someone who keeps her emotions in check. Not ever.
The only time I manage it is when I’m undercover. And even then, the second I’m out, I head straight to the boxing gym or therapy to unload everything I held back. So why the hell would I hold back now? For her?
I didn’t sit. Instead, I let it all out in a voice that was dangerously calm but shaking with every ounce of pain I’d carried for two decades.
“What the hell? You run off, after having three children, to start a new family and have two more? What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you put us through? You broke four hearts—mine, Ezra’s, Lionel’s, and Dad’s. And you have the audacity to sit there and smile at me like nothing happened? The only reason I’m here is to know why. Why the fuck did you do this?”
My voice cracked on the last word, and for a moment, I felt exposed. Vulnerable. I hated that. I hated her for making me feel that way. I crossed my arms, forcing myself to hold her gaze, daring her to say something—anything—that might make this make sense.
But she didn’t. She just sat there, her eyes wide and brimming with tears, her mouth opening and closing like she didn’t know where to start. And that silence? That silence made me angrier than any excuse she could’ve come up with.
"God, woman, tell me why the hell you contacted me after all these years. And how did you even find out where I live?" My voice cracked slightly, a mix of anger and disbelief tightening my throat.
She placed her trembling hands on her knees, her gaze darting away like she couldn’t bear to look at me. “I fell out of love with your father.”
I froze. The air seemed to still be around us. “You what?”
Her voice softened as if trying to soothe the blow she was delivering. “Your father and I mated when I was sixteen. I wasn’t... ready. I had just moved here, and people stared at me like I was an exotic animal anytime I mentioned I was a mermaid—well, a siren, technically. He was kind, and patient. We fell in love before we even realized we were fated together. After that, it was just... us. Always us. There was no space for me to figure out who I was. I lived in constant fear that he wouldn’t come back from his missions.”
Her words tumbled out, but they felt rehearsed, hollow. She wrung her hands nervously as if that could make it easier to say. “One day, when I was out shopping, I met Tom. A southern tourist, here to explore. We started talking, and it felt... different. Light. I didn’t tell him I was married, and when we—” she paused, lowering her eyes—“when we slept together, I realized how badly I had betrayed your father. Tom didn’t know, but the guilt was eating me alive. When he found out, he wanted to leave, but... I couldn’t let him go. He asked me to choose.”
“And you chose him.” The words left my mouth like poison, my voice shaking with suppressed rage. “God, I am so stupid.” Tears burned down my face, not for myself but for my father—a man who gave so much, only to lose everything. A man who still loved this woman.
“Vanessa,” she pleaded, leaning closer, her eyes glistening. “It wasn’t easy. It broke my heart, too. I loved him—your father—and I love you. I love your brothers. But Tom—”
“You knew him for what? Weeks? And you threw away decades for that? For him?” I gestured vaguely toward the kitchen, where her new family was probably laughing over pancakes. “Why did you contact me? Why now?”
Her voice wavered. “I... I called your company. I told them I was your mother, gave them details only I would know. They gave me your address.” She paused, looking at me like she was about to deliver the final blow. “Vanessa, my daughter—Kelly—she’s nineteen. She’s... she’s really sick. She needs a kidney. Mine aren’t viable, and Tom’s blood type doesn’t match. But you’re a universal donor. You could save her life.”
The world tilted. My stomach churned violently. I staggered back, clutching the edge of the couch for support before doubling over. I vomited into a nearby potted plant, the acidic taste burning my throat.“Vanessa, please—”“Don’t touch me!” I screamed, my voice raw and trembling as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “You didn’t contact me because you missed me or wanted to fix things. You brought me here to save your other daughter’s life. Or that you have a grandson. You don’t even care how I’ve been, how your sons are doing, how Dad is coping—no, suffering—because of you. Do you even remember that the mate bond doesn’t break just because you left? You're not even divorced! You didn't have the guts to get the papers! Do you even know what you did to him? Does Tom know his wife is still tied to her soulmate? Both in bond and by state law?”“Vanessa, lower your voice!” she hissed, her eyes darting nervously toward the kitchen.“I will not!” I roared, my chest heaving. “You’r
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★My shoes and i are not made for the farm life. I don’t need to explore farms to know that to be the truth. The farm is huge, and a definite sign of generational wealth. According to colton, no one in the pack paid or built their house. His family did all that. They supply light, and water as well. All the pack members have to do is a pay a monthly sum, and help around the farm. Imagine getting a four bedroom duplex for three thousand dollars a month- which includes light, electricity, and water. That’s an insane deal if you ask me. How are the hayes family not broke with this sort of hospitality?The biggest houses on the land belonged to his family. His house has a total of seven bedrooms, from what i gathered, and I’m guessing so do the others. This excludes the two living rooms, two extra guest bathrooms, the basement, attic, library and office. This man is rich rich. My family aren’t poor, the only reason we have a house in manhanttan is because m
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I knelt beside my father, the midday sun streaming through the cracks in the barn walls, casting sharp beams of light onto the straw-strewn floor. The warmth of the day made the air heavy, mixing the scents of hay, manure, and the sharp tang of Mila’s labor into something almost suffocating.Mila lay on her side, her flanks trembling as she fought through another contraction. Her sides heaved with the effort, and she let out a low, guttural moo, her eyes wide and rimmed with pain. My father crouched beside her, his hands steady and sure as he murmured soft reassurances.“Easy now, girl,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “We’re almost there. Just a little more.”The sweat on my brow had nothing to do with the heat of the day. I wiped it away with my sleeve, glancing at my father for guidance. Despite his calm exterior, the furrow in his brow told me he was concerned.“She’s struggling,” I said quietly, watching as Mila tensed again, another contraction rippl
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Rachel was complaining about Ezra, and how he’s taking Benny on a week trip out of the city. Without her. She’s upset because she can’t do anything, if she goes to court Ezra will win. He knows the best lawyers, and it also doesn’t help that one of the best divorce lawyers is Lincoln. Our older brother. I listened as much as I could while the heat was trying to melt me. God, I’m gonna need another shower. Why the fuck is it so hot here? And Colton’s house has no air conditioning. It has fans. But what good will those do for me?“- I’m so frustrated. Can’t he just talk to me? What is wrong with him?”I sighed. “Rachel, I am stranded in this town for the next few months. I cannot be the buffer between you and Ezra. Talk to my father, he might be able to help. Or here’s an idea, Rachel give him some space. Ezra is feeling hurt and vengeful right now. The only reason he’s trying to think rationally is because you two have Benny. Let him take Benny for the br
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥As expected sending my brother and sister to get Vanessa didn’t go as well as it should. The whole day i did my work, i was thrown by a wild horse into a mud pit for the pigs. This is what happens when your family invests in every thing. We have a chicken coup, pigs pen, horse barn, cows, bulls, dogs, people. Like fuck. And the crops. The crops as well. Which leads to insects, and a million more problems. Let me tell you right now i am exhausted, but i love it. This is a day’s work. A slow day at that. I returned home soaked in mud, and smelling rank when my brother ross road up in a horse. The sun had set long ago, and i was fucking tired, and hungry. I’d skipped lunch for good reasons. The reasons all being that i had too much to do i couldn’t take a moment to eat. What the hell was ross doing here anyways?His house isn’t close to mine.“You won’t believe the ass on your guest.”I would have dropped my jaw if i wasn’t trying to avoid getting mud into my mou
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★No mainstream channels, and he turned me down? The nerve. To even say I’m the girl guys fuck before they find their missus right. I am so fucking pissed off. I could seduce him. I could totally fucking do it, I haven’t even tried. He doesn’t know. I would have made his night. Instead, I’m here watching the local news while he eats his dinner. I sighed, I shouldn’t even be upset. He’s nothing special, but his comment irks me. Why the fuck did he say that? That’s not a compliment at all, it’s a fucking insult to me. Like I’m Missus wrong?I glanced around the room. He’s not wrong, actually, if you consider my boundaries and the sort of shit I’m into, I’m not for the faint of heart. I picked up my phone and went through my company group chat. The people on my floor were discussing the latest cases. God these are so intense. Trafficking, the mayor’s daughter was taken last night. Holy damn, that’s fucked up. They have to find her before she’s moved out of
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I wasn’t sure how long I was there in the bathroom stall, trying to calm myself down as my brain was going haywire. My heart was beating so fast, and I was crying. Eventually, I was able to reel it in and step out of the stall. I turned on the tap and splashed some water on my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. Taking in my clothes, my body language, and the sadness I could see in my eyes. I need to put on a good poker face. The stall next to the one I’d been in popped open, and a girl walked out. Tall, beautiful dark skin, black curly hair, brown eyes, busty, and dressed in a floral dress. She reminded me of me if only I were taller. “You okay, honey?”Had she heard me crying? She must have. She came towards the sink to wash her hands and I shook my head.“No, I’m having a crappy day.”She offered me a sympathetic smile. “Anything I can do?”“I don’t suppose you know where I can get wasted?”She grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Honey I
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Riding the bicycle back to the farm late at night, with my eyes fuzzy was not a good idea. I had to paddle slowly. I’ve walked down the busy manhanttan streets while drunk off my ass before. I made it hope in under two hours from the club, and i only got hit on four times, and pepper sprayed two guys. I do not recommend going home by foot or alone when drunk, and i do not recommend riding a bicycle down a hiker trail in the middle of the night. It is unsafe. I have to keep my speed slow to avoid death.I came across Colton, he was tugging the body of a sheep. How much cattle do they own?Colton spotted me in the dark, his eyes glowing like bright lights. “What the.... are you out of your mind?” He tossed the sheep onto a pile of dead sheeps. From the gasoline, and the matches on the ground i think he’s planning to burn them. He’s dug a hole so they don’t to the trees, and dry twigs and set the entire forest ablaze.“Oh my god, cowboy!” I turned, lifting m
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★It was buried.Like someone had wanted it to be.I’d been combing through articles for hours, the motions mechanical now, almost numb. My mind was on autopilot—just picking through keywords, cross-referencing names, digging into obscure land deals that didn’t make sense, tracking down vague, half-mentioned connections between people who seemed irrelevant at first glance. The rabbit holes I’d gone down had been endless, some of them leading nowhere. But I couldn’t stop. I had to find something. Anything besides what I found about the drug dealer. Still, I wanted more details. My eyes were aching, and my fingers were numb from tapping the keys. I was running on nothing but cold coffee and the burning need to dig deeper. I had spent the better part of the morning and afternoon chasing down leads that now felt pointless. But then… I found it.It was another old article, buried under thousands of newer headlines, hidden like someone had intentionally tucked i
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I stayed long enough to make sure they both ate. Ashley had come down minutes after I'd urged Samson to bathe and dress in something else. He didn't need my judgment and neither did she. Didn’t matter that it was just eggs, pancakes, and the last of the sausage from the freezer. I stood in that damn kitchen like a drill sergeant, arms folded, watching Samson poke at his plate like food was something foreign. Ashley sat across from him, silent, her eyes rimmed red but dry now. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. I didn’t ask her to.I didn’t ask them anything.I just waited, and eventually they started eating. Slowly. Quietly. But they ate.That was enough for now. They drank some juice and told me they'd be staying indoors for the day. Well, not Ashley. Catia was coming to take her to her place so she could be away from Samson.Once I was sure they wouldn’t go back to bed hungry, I stepped out and headed down the porch stairs. The air was already thick with humidity, t
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The water ran hot over my shoulders, and for a while, I just stood there, letting it scald the edges of everything I didn’t want to think about. My hands braced against the tiled wall, breath slow, heavy. It didn’t do much to rinse away the ache in my chest—but it helped. Just a little.It was easy to smile around Vanessa, but away from her, my brain was starting to think again. I'd love to have my ability to think fucked out of me. When Vanessa and I have sex, I can only think about her. I do love just thinking about her. It's better than thinking about all the problems in my life. By the time I dried off, dressed, and placed my hat over damp curls, the morning had already fully settled in. Vanessa hadn’t moved from her spot in bed when I peeked into the room again—still buried in her research, sharp as ever, focused like she was stitching the world back together with a single thread. She didn’t even look up when I asked her if she'd need my truck to go into
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I barely noticed the time passing.The world had narrowed down to my laptop screen, the dull hum of its fan, and the occasional click of my nails against the keys. Morning light had crept in slowly through the window, shifting from gray to gold while I chased paper trails and public records down digital rabbit holes. Every tab I opened spun into another, and another—property deeds, business filings, court case summaries, suspicious shell companies that seemed to tie back to a single name again and again.Alina.She was careful. Calculated. Her name was rarely listed, but the fingerprints were there—metaphorically speaking. I was stitching together something ugly. Bigger than what Colton had suspected. It wasn't just a bad deal gone personal. She was tied into something far-reaching. And worse—she was good at hiding in plain sight. I didn’t have the full picture yet, but I had the edges. And the more I found, the more certain I became: this was more than r
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I woke up warm.Not just in the way that meant the blankets were doing their job—but in the way that made my chest ache. Like a fire had settled there overnight. Slow, steady, and kind.Colton's arm was wrapped around me, his hand resting just below my ribs, his body curled into mine like he always belonged there. My cheek was pressed against the solid muscle of his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat—slow, even, completely at ease.It made me want to cry. In a good way. Maybe. This must be the good thing about having a partner. You're never truly alone. And if you want to be alone, you can. Take a moment to yourself. It works if you have someone who understands. Do I suddenly believe love strengthens and fixes everything? No. Heck, who knows if our relationship would stand the test of time. Who knows how this might end? In an affair? God I hope not. If Colton suddenly decides he's actually found his Mrs right, I'll kill them both. I nestled closer t
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I must’ve misheard her. No way she just said—Vanessa narrowed her eyes like she could feel my doubt. “I’m in love with you,” she said again, firmer this time. “I am. And when you said you wanted more than casual... well, I want that too.”My heart damn near leapt out of my throat. My wolf—usually quiet and brooding—sank somewhere warm and content like he’d finally been fed after starving.She said she loves me.I stared at her, stunned into silence for maybe the first time in my entire life. Vanessa. The girl who ran from any emotional talk as if it were fire. Who flinched at the mentions of true love, side-eyed people talking about mates and marriage, ducked out of the room when things got too real—just said she loved me. Out loud. On purpose.And she hadn’t even looked away. She stood there, her chest rising and falling like she was bracing for something, arms crossed like she needed to hold herself together. But she was still standing, still meeting my eyes
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I could have gone to my bedroom to take this call, but I didn’t want to go that far.. I stopped in the hallway, just out of earshot. I’m not the type to run from my problems. Hell, I run right into danger, that’s just who I am. But I’m avoiding the main conversation with Colton. I want to have it. I want to talk about it. I want to say, yeah, I want more than casual with you, too. I want more, I love you. I don’t know how or when I fell for you, but it kind of just happened. However, I cannot throw my whole life away. Long distance won’t work for us.... i mean, fuck, why am i even thinking about this?I brought my eyes back to my phone.The number was unfamiliar, but I answered it anyway, partly because I needed a distraction and partly because a flicker of dread told me who it might be.“Hello?” I said cautiously.There was a pause. Then a shaky inhale.“Vanessa?” a voice I hadn’t heard in days, maybe weeks, not in person, not like this. But I knew it i
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 After a moment of watching the lake, each of us silently making a plan in our heads, we decided to return home.We didn’t say much on the walk back. Vanessa kept close, her steps quiet but fast to keep up with mine. The storm had left behind a world slick with mud and the chill of lingering rain. Trees dripped steadily, and the sky overhead was still a dull sheet of grey, hanging heavy like the grief inside me.By the time we stepped back into the house, I shrugged off my damp jacket and tossed it on a hook. Vanessa followed, tugging her sleeves down her wrists like she was trying to ground herself. The house was too quiet without the family. Too hollow. The air still smelled like breakfast and loss.“Coffee?” I offered, needing something to keep my hands busy.She nodded, and we moved into the kitchen. I prepped the machine in silence, only the gurgling hum of it filling the space between us.“I was thinking…” she said eventually, leaning on the counter, “we s
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I arrived back at the farm—Colton’s house—just as the sky slipped further into gray.From the second I parked, I knew something was off. The driveway was clear. No voices floated from the porch. No creak of floorboards or clatter of kitchenware inside. It was empty.Too empty.I stepped out of the Jeep and onto the damp ground, the air thick with leftover moisture and the scent of wet wood. The storm had passed, but the rain hadn’t fully let go. It lingered in droplets that clung to the leaves and coated the windows like tears that didn’t know how to fall.Inside the house, the silence clawed at me.“Colton?” I called out, voice echoing just slightly. No response. My footsteps padded quietly over the wood floors as I walked from room to room, scanning for any sign of him.Nothing in the kitchen.Nothing in the living room, either of them.His phone wasn’t on the charger. His keys were gone.A slow panic started bubbling in my stomach.I checked the front p