[--Esmarie Cruz--]Camping was nice. Due to that, I felt more motivated to step out. Obviously, I went nowhere but the backyard but I could do it without Kaiser. It felt nice to walk around his house without fear in my throat. Making me feel like I can’t achieve anything. Fear is a strong killer, it’s the kind of pill that you can almost never recover from.But.... I got to learn certain things. So two days later when Martha invited me to join her at her bakery I actually said yes. Kaiser has been busy, I’m guessing he’s either working or trying to avoid me because I asked him to teach me about the pleasures of the body.Ugh, what an awkward night that was. I remember feeling his skin, scratchy, and torn. I never noticed how Kaiser wore more and more clothes with each passing year. The abuse was happening right under the noses of everyone. Well with how I was treated I know the pack doesn’t pay any attention.But that is not the topic for today. My focus is on trying to make sure I ke
[--Esmarie Cruz--]She ate really slowly and my eyes kept moving towards her form because it was strange. Then Martha came out with more pastries and we arranged them in their respective places. She told me she needed some more ingredients, she was out of eggs and flour. So I was asked to hold down the bakery while she drove to the nearest supermarket to get those things.The moment she left, something went crashing to the ground.“Server, come clean this shit up.” Aren't we too old for bullying? What is wrong with this girl?I glanced over the counter to see the mess, the good scones that someone nicer could have eaten, on the floor with the plate it had been on. I grabbed the broom, and dustpan then headed towards her table. Crouching, I swept the pieces of food and ceramics onto the dustpan.“Ouch!” I hissed as something dropped on my head. It turned out to be the cup of coffee but my mounds of hair prevented it from breaking on my head. The warm liquid pours over my face, and the
[--Kaiser Volkov--]Will doesn’t need me to overlook the gates, the men building the compound don’t need me breathing down their necks. So when Martha calls to tell me that her next-door neighbor needs someone to drive her to the hospital and asks if I can help her buy some eggs and flour since she can’t do it anymore, I obviously say yes.It’s also a chance to check on Esmarie who is working at the bakery for the first time. I buy the items, and head to the bakery. I hopped out, deciding to step in and see if I could get Esmarie to help me with the eggs because I had a lot of eggs. Instead, I find her passed out on the floor in vomit with no one in sight. I panic immediately but what gets to me the most is the sound of her twins crying.I had to make a choice so I grabbed her, taking her to Martha’s office which has a bathroom. The twins are set up in a nice crib there, they’re the first thing you see when you walk in. I took Esmarie to the bathroom, to wash her face and help her wak
[--Esmarie Cruz--]So we can all agree that yesterday was a heaping disaster. And I refuse to step foot out of this house ever again. Kaiser is acting weird, like a prowler. He seems to be everywhere, and he seems to suddenly be interested in my entire life. It’s weird. I swear he smells funny too. Sure, it’s only been one day, and even when I explained everything to him he looked so calm but I could smell the strong pheromones he was giving off. Like a deadly man.A man hungry for blood. It’s like another side of him was revealed. I think, and I know this might shock some people, but Kaiser might be mentally unstable. I finally got why he didn’t want me here. This careful playboy facade he has built is crumbling. And I take no blame. It’s not my fault he was friends with a psycho.Is that how people in love act? Fuck, I really hope that never turns out to be me. Mentally, I need to be hospitalized. Physically, I need to be restrained. Spiritually, I need to be prayed for. I don’t eve
[--Esmarie Cruz--]“Do you remember those old cliche stories of vampires hating werewolves and werewolves hating vampires?”I nod, giving him my whole attention.“yeah well, it was a cliche at the four regions until Elias’s family became the top dogs. They may appear like they only run their region but they’re liars. They make rules for the rest of us and expect us to follow them blindly.”Huh, that explains why he says I don’t know Elias. But the man was kind enough to help me, and I have to appreciate that.“A couple of years ago, before we were born, vampires were allowed to visit the regions. I mean we’re the one part of this big blue earth that contains most of our wolf population. We’re massive, different breeds of werewolves all in these parts. And surrounding us are more wolf packs so naturally vampires want to explore and visit. The first group to visit were almost royals, wealthy, affluent, and valuable to the world of the bloodsuckers. Elias’s family doesn’t like blood suck
[--Esmarie Cruz--]Kaiser had perfected the art of suspense in a way that was almost maddening. It wasn’t in his nature to rush, and tonight he seemed to take particular pleasure in delaying whatever conversation or confrontation awaited us. Instead of addressing the elephant in the room—the box of inappropriate things that still sat innocuously nearby—he opted to spend his time with the twins. Waking them gently from their slumber, he slipped into a new persona altogether: one of a doting, playful caretaker. His gruff demeanor softened as he cradled them in his arms, his voice a low, soothing hum as he began to tease and interact with them in a way I had never quite seen before.It was mesmerizing.For two whole hours, I sat back, silently observing from the sidelines as Kaiser dedicated himself entirely to them. He tickled their small feet, eliciting high-pitched giggles that filled the room like music. He bounced them in his arms, playing an improvised game of hide and seek around
[--Kaiser Volkov--]Her passing out wasn’t something I anticipated, but I didn’t panic. Nor did I rush to catch her. The carpet beneath her was thick and cushioned, and a bean bag had conveniently broken her fall, cradling her unconscious body with its softness. For a moment, I stood there, merely observing the stillness of her form, the way her body had gone slack, her limbs limp like a puppet with its strings cut. There was a serenity in the scene that felt almost out of place as if she had chosen this exact moment to surrender to the world.I rolled my eyes, not out of indifference, but more out of a quiet amusement at the unpredictability of it all. This was far from what I had imagined would happen. Still, I wasn’t overly concerned. After all, fainting wasn’t exactly life-threatening, and I knew she’d come to her senses soon enough. With a sigh, I redirected my attention to the task at hand. There was a box of items meant for her training, a collection of objects she could use to
[--Kaiser Volkov--]A relaxed woman is something to behold. I don’t do this to the girls i sleep with though. My trick is fucking, and not letting them stay for a meal or a shower. Why? Because those things could lead to conversations and seeing as I’d forget their names the moment they leave the house having a conversation is something I try to avoid.“Lose the shirt.”She glances at me, then she moves to grab the bottom of her shirt. I wait, a smile on my face. Esmarie is like a work of art. She barely lifts the shirt before she comes back to her senses and watching her face morph from contentful submission to shock almost forces me to break and laugh. God this is a weird deja vu.What is the opposite of deja vu? Cause that’s what I was going for.“I am not stripping out of my shirt you pervert. No!”“Okay, well I want to you explore your baby feeders-”“Never say that again. First, you call me a spider, and now you can’t even give me the dignity of saying breast? Am I not a woman t
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I'm not entirely sure when Esmarie and I rounded off our conversation and made our way back into the house, but we did. It felt like one of those surreal moments where the world fades into the background, and for once, everything just clicks. I couldn’t stop replaying her words in my head, letting them wash over me like a balm to wounds I didn’t even realize were still open. The thought of being allowed to have a relationship with her—being given that chance—made something in my chest tighten in a way I wasn’t used to.It was all part of my grand scheme to seduce her, and it worked out well.Tch. Part of me wanted to punch the air, another part wanted to groan because I could practically hear my wolf laughing at me. There wasn’t some master plan to seduce her. I hadn’t been sitting around with a blueprint labeled Operation Win Esmarie’s Heart—but here I was, somehow making progress despite myself. Despite the universe actively choosing to expose all of my darkest
[--Esmarie Cruz--]After the festivities of the evening, watching the vibrant fireworks and basking under the serene glow of the blue moon, Kaiser drove us back home. The ride was a quiet one, the kind of silence that feels natural after a long and eventful day. I felt a sense of peace, mixed with exhaustion and a tinge of happiness. The twins were snug in their car seats, their soft breaths barely audible but enough to remind me of their comforting presence. Kaiser seemed at ease as he drove, his usual stern features softened by what I could only describe as contentment.There wasn’t much to say between us, and the silence stretched comfortably. I found myself lost in the hum of the car’s engine, my thoughts wandering back to the festival. The glow of the moon, the music, the laughter of the crowd—all of it replayed in my mind like a pleasant daydream. Every now and then, I would glance at Kaiser, trying to decipher his thoughts, but his focus remained on the road, his expression unr
[--Esmarie Cruz--]I sat at Martha's booth, working alongside her and spending the majority of the day helping to feed people. It wasn’t something I had expected to enjoy, but as the hours went by, I found myself actually looking forward to it. The rhythm of chopping, stirring, and serving felt comforting in a way I hadn't anticipated. The people who stopped by were all so kind, and their smiles after tasting the food made it all the more rewarding. Each compliment was like a small victory, and by the time the afternoon began to fade, I was proud of what we had accomplished. The booth was buzzing with energy, the air filled with the mingling scents of freshly cooked dishes. But underneath the pleasant hum of conversation and laughter, there was an underlying current of nervous excitement in me. The twilight ceremony was only a few hours away.I was both nervous and excited. It was my first time experiencing the twilight ceremony. The anticipation, the magic of it all, stirred somethin
[--Esmarie Cruz--]The next morning, I woke up nestled in Kaiser’s arms. The sensation was disorienting—unfamiliar yet oddly comforting. My first instinct was to pull away, but a part of me hesitated, feeling a strange sense of safety I hadn’t expected. The light filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in soft hues, and I could feel his slow, steady breathing as he stirred awake beside me. His eyes fluttered open, meeting mine briefly before we both groaned in unison. It wasn’t irritation or frustration; it was more of an unspoken agreement to set aside whatever had happened the night before. Without exchanging a single word, we moved apart, a mutual understanding that today would start fresh as if yesterday’s events were a story meant to be rewritten.I slipped out of the blanket- not sure where it came from, the chill of the morning air hitting my skin, and began to stretch the stiffness from my body. Kaiser rolled onto his back, running a hand through his tousled hair, befo
[--Kaiser Volkov--]After Esmarie sobbed into my arms, her body trembling as if her emotions had drained every ounce of strength she had left, I let her stay there, holding her tightly. My shirt was damp from her tears, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to let go, not yet. She needed this moment, and, truth be told, so did I. There’s something about seeing someone you care about break down in front of you that makes you want to fight the entire world to make it right.She said some words to me, but it didn’t really feel like we were speaking about it. She had been focused on me rather than what I had revealed. God, I consider my luck turning. If not, there’s no reason for her to be in my arms instead of across the street screaming bloody murder at me.Once her breathing evened out and her sobs softened, I hesitated before speaking. I knew what I had to say would only add to the storm swirling in her mind, but I couldn’t keep it from her. Not now. Not when I was trying so damn hard to p
[--Esmarie Cruz--]I dropped to my knees, the weight of everything hitting me all at once. My legs buckled beneath me as if they couldn't support the burden of the truth Kaiser had just revealed. I clutched at his arms, fingers trembling as they gripped the fabric of his shirt. My chest heaved with ragged breaths, and I fought to keep the overwhelming emotions from spilling out all at once."I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The words cracked as they left his lips, soft and almost hesitant. He didn’t move to embrace me right away, though I could feel the tension in his arms. His restraint was deliberate, his way of giving me the space I might need to process this. It was so him, but not him at the same time. Sometimes careful careful, sometimes he thinks of me first. And yet, his quietness only made it harder. It made me feel annoyed at myself for not being more pissed off at him.What is this weakness of an emotion?I shook as waves of emotion rolled through me—a
[--Esmarie Cruz--]I didn’t think it was possible for things in my life to go from bad to worse. I honestly didn’t think that was possible.There are a million things I expected to hear from Kaiser in my lifetime, but none of them were the words that just came out of his mouth. My breath caught, and before I knew it, tears streamed down my face, silent but unrelenting. Throughout my years with the Darkwood family, I’d been told that my mother had abandoned me. That she’d disappeared because she wanted nothing to do with me. Barry made sure I believed that. He’d drilled it into my mind that she was cruel and only loved herself and money, that she’d walked away without looking back.While most of that was true, turns out that he’s not just a sadistic bastard but he’s a lying bitch who had always wanted to keep me trapped.Now, hearing the truth—that Kaiser was the one who killed her because they made him do it—it shattered me. Completely. My chest ached, and I could barely see through m
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I drove to Martha's house late in the night, almost midnight, exhaustion clinging to me like a second skin. My bones ached from the day's relentless grind, and my mind was teetering between shutting down and spiraling out of control. As I pulled into the driveway, I spotted the faint glow of the living room lights through the curtains. It didn’t surprise me to find Esmarie awake, sitting on the floor with her twins, who were transfixed by whatever cartoon Martha had queued up on the TV. Their big, drooling smiles and bubbling laughter were a stark contrast to how drained I felt. It was oddly comforting—just for a moment, anyway.Martha’s house always smelled the same: a blend of lavender air freshener and whatever was baking in her oven earlier that day. Which might have been nothing since she cooked at my house. Her place always smells like there’s a new meal in the oven waiting to be brought out.Tonight, it smelled faintly of cinnamon. I stood in the doorway, wat
[--Kaiser Volkov--]I met up with the assassin I’d hired after sending Esmarie home with Martha. The meeting was held in a secluded alley just outside the pack, the kind of place where shadows seemed to linger a little longer and the air always smelled faintly of damp concrete and regret. The man, tall and broad-shouldered, wore a plain black jacket and a hood that obscured most of his face. Not that it mattered—we didn’t need formalities, not in this line of work.When he approached, he didn’t say a word, and neither did I. We both understood the weight of unspoken agreements. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick envelope, holding it out with a steady hand. I nodded as I took it from him, a brief acknowledgment passing between us. No gratitude, no farewells. Just business. He turned on his heel and disappeared down the darkened alley, his steps quiet but deliberate.Wolves like him kill for cash—efficient, detached, and dangerous. He wasn’t the type to do favors, but our