Lily What I was seeing was definitely not an illusion.His eyes traced mine, holding me captive under his stare. I stood frozen, my mind racing.‘Why was he here?’ was the first thought that came to my mind. And suddenly everything else came rushing back.I held the door tighter as I realised my mistake. I shouldn't have opened it in the first place, but how on earth was I to know that it was him?I wanted to turn away as soon as possible but my body hadn't kept up with my mind yet.Looking over him, something coiled in me. He looked strange. Different.It wasn't his appearance. He still looked like an asshole. The way he stood was strangely…awkward or was it just in my imagination?. But there was just something so strange about how he looked.Why should I care how he looked? What mattered was why on earth he was standing here in the first place.This was the first, no, second time he had been here since id officially moved in— if one could even call it that. The first time…Images o
LilySleep had eluded me throughout the hours of the nightmare and time moved at a torturously slow pace until the dawn arrived.The sun's rays were already high in the sky. I watched from the seat, fully dressed in my office wear, waiting for…something.I was going to work today, that was final. I'd taken one day off already and I wasn't planning on doing anything more. Nothing that could make me owe him. I refused to stay within these four walls, although staying with the pack had refreshed me, I had to resume my normal life.Unless, Alexander wouldn't let me. I swallowed thickly.It was his house after all and his rules and his damn company. For all I could do he might have fired me, truly keeping me confined in this place. I never regretted my hasty words now more than ever. Thankfully there was no need to wonder. A knock came from my door behind me and I nearly jumped out of my seat.“Come in.” I said, my throat tightening. For all I knew Alexander was the one on the other side
LilyI tensed immediately I realized how close he was to me. Seeing him brought me back to the day after I found out I was pregnant, how he'd approached me to berate me to tears after my mistake. Funny how things changed.I immediately stepped back, distancing myself away by a few inches.“Mr Sterling.” I greeted, gauging him silently. The distance helped some, but I needed to be more guarded. First the ‘apology’ last night and now this? What was he up to now? His jaw jumped. I tried to not show any emotion. His gaze wavered for a moment. “I'll be going down to the restaurant within Luminous Works. They have an extensive menu.” he spoke in stilted tones that could have made my eyebrows rise from how foreign it sounded on his lips. It was this strange look again, making him seem different than before. It was so jarring that his words nearly flew by my head.“It would be my pleasure if you followed me for dinner.” his voice rang.I stiffened immediately.He came to talk to me about…d
Alexander I had to hold back a flinch as the sound of the door slamming echoed through the room. The ringing continued in my ears continuously. I couldn't tell if it was just the silence.There was nothing to say. Any words I could have dried off my lips the moment she stared at me, leaving numb silence. Even the corners of the walls seemed to press me at this moment, the image of her eyes suffocating me. This was foreign. Different. Strange.Once. Twice. I ground my teeth against each other for ten more times before I finally moved, leaving the meeting room. As I entered the hallway, it was completely empty. Her frame was nowhere to be found, leaving only the brief waft of her scent.I forced the thought away in favour of moving to my office. The feeling still hadn't gone away when I reached there.Thinking of her rejection made something clench inside me. A numb weight laid on my insides that I couldn't get rid of.From the ring of her laughter to her empty words both last night a
Alexander When I reached the pack house, I flit through the many pack members on my way, greeting them in small murmurs until I reached the room I was looking for. Her rooms were on the empty side of the hallway and thankfully so. I breathed in, bracing myself before twisting the lock. The coolness of the room hit my face. The place was air conditioned, fluorescent lights illuminating the large clinical space. I smiled at her desk, where she sat, embroiled in a document. It took several steps forward to get her attention. She looked up, surprise flitting over her face. “Alpha Alexander, long time no see,” she said dryly, pulling away the glasses from her tresses. “Hello Claire.” I greeted, moving towards her desk. She didn't bother standing up from her office seat to greet me. I didn't bother sitting. I felt more stable on my feet at this moment. I looked around the large space of her doctor's office, more or less a small hospital room of its own. Outside the pack house s
Alexander In all honesty, I didn't know what brought me to her doorstep, especially after her threat the last time I was here.“Don't you dare try coming into my room again. You've barged into my life for long enough.”The reminder of her glare and words sent a lump in my throat. I was supposed to follow through with her words. Nathan would have expected me to do so. Hell, after what I'd seen I was set on respecting her wishes anyways.Yet this time I COULDN'T .I'd been restless thinking about everything. All the time I'd spent seeing her on the surface was now creeping back to haunt me, especially with the awareness of how exactly I messed up. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get her off my mind and my instincts made it worse, dragging and compelling for the sight of her.Even though it felt creepy to watch her, it felt like his instincts won't rest until it did.This was so damn annoying. Usually I was more than capable of keeping those instincts at bay, yet now it was a con
Liy “Hmmm” i groaned against the warm cocoon. A blank feeling covered me against the chill in the air. It was comforting yet…strange? The draw of the warmth felt less and less tempting with every second that passed. Keeping my eyes closed didn't help anymore. I blinked blearily, meeting the dark ceiling. Everything felt normal. Good even. It all came back to me. Leaving the comfort of the pack, eating and falling asleep. The nightmare and then…. nothing. Nothing? Thinking about it alone was surreal. The nightmares haunted me with renewed confidence and it was strange to think about. Yet now, even though I could still recall the nightmare it didn't feel like much. I could barely recognize what happened but the terror dissolve into nothing. swearing shed seen a flash if something. drifted into silence and she felt peaceful. I blinked against the near dark state, adjusting.I felt refreshed in a way I hadn't in days. It felt satisfying, like I'd had a good night's rest
LilyMy rational side would tell me to stop, but I couldn't control my lips. Like a river it came spilling out.“No…not just two days. From the first damn moment I was kidnapped. Everywhere I went, every single place I was afraid. I thought I was being paranoid sometimes, that I was crazy but it kept on happening and in the end it was all because of you. I never wanted any of this yet here I am, suffering from night terrors daily. Is that what you wanted to hear?”The silence was deafening, ringing in my ears as I glared at him. My heart hammered in my chest and I didn't know if it was fear or anxiety, but I couldn't look away from him. I dared him to look away. To say something.He looked strange as I spotted his jaw moving against the light but I wasn't sure if it was my imagination.The seconds of silence passed and with it came a bitter swell of resignation. I scoffed, turning away.“Why would you care? You don't even see me as a proper human being. Just as something to use.” I sp
Lily“I know what my next question is.” I saidHe looked up from the documents while the taste omelette I'd just had was fresh in my mouth.He'd called me to his office again for breakfast. My instinctive refusal died at his stare. I had a feeling that this was going to be a regular thing.Without giving him a chance to speak, I asked.“Why did you choose me to plan the Gala?” I asked, “Was it because of our agreement or Emilia?”“Thays two questions,” he pointed out,“Oh,” I flushed instantly. I didn't know why I was so embarrassed when it was just a fluke but either way, I wasn't taking anything back. The seconds felt longer as I waited for his answer. I wasn't searching for validation, I just wanted to know.His icy blue eyes met mine.“I know you don't believe in what I say— for good reason, but that's the truth. I wouldn't entrust this to anyone else out of pity or a whim.” he said,“Every word I said in the meeting room was true. Your work as an event planner before entering t
LilyWhen dinner came hours later, I'd stepped down wearing the pyjamas I'd taken. There wasn't any need to dress fancy when there was nobody to impress.The air held that same awkwardness from before, yet my heart was more settled. Ignoring the tumble in my belly as I murmured a greeting, I focused on the food immediately for the second time that day to stave away the tension.I'd barely forgiven him, so I was far from eager to start a conversation. That is, until his throat cleared next to me.“How was work?” He asked“It was fine. I did everything you told me to.” I replied curtly before finally looking up to face him, “This isn't part of the deal.” I said. The clunking of cutlery stopped when he looked at me.“What do you mean?” he asked. Under his gaze I could only shrug.“We…we only agreed on you asking things regarding the baby. There's no need to make any other conversation.” I faltered at first, but at least I made my point clear. I was already weary of false pleasantries
Lily “What?” I gasped, were it not for her smile I would have believed it was a prank. But her expression remained the same. “It's true. I'm guessing it'll be revealed in a meeting later, so try not to act unsurprised.” she said as she pulled away. I could still barely catch up with her words.“But…why?” I asked incredulously. As far as this company was concerned, I was hired as a secretary. “I suggested it, but it was Alexander who gave the final call.” she replied, shrugging.My mind went blank instantly. Yes, I was an event planner before losing my job. Yes, I enjoyed it and despite my initial joy when I first got this job, I still couldn't compare it to the thrill. But why would he do this?And a Gala at that? I had dealt with planning for large parties and weddings, but a Gala wass something else, much less an Annual Gala of what was one of the largest conglomerate hotels.The real question was what he was thinking when accepting this. Did he decide this the night before afte
Lily‘Was I doing the right thing?’That was the first thing I thought the moment I locked my door. Leaning onto it, I closed my eyes.The buzz of adrenaline hadn't stopped racing and my thoughts were still going to haywire.It was Malina’s words yesterday that was the tipping point. She was trying to assure me that I could leave, yet it had done the exact opposite. Somehow her talking about ‘fathers’ sent a different trim of thought entirely. It remained stuck in my mind throughout and the day after, especially after the incident with Alexander.My mother raised me just fine and I hadn't borne any resentment, especially not after knowing the truth of his absence, but could I say the same for my child? Not to mention that he wasn't going to be entirely human in the first place. That issue had bothered me for the longest time, settling doubts even if I was stubborn enough to try to deny them at first. It wasn't just being a werewolf. Even if I was resolute on helping there was noth
Alexander ‘They were footsteps.’That was the first thought that entered my mind as I met her gaze. The tapping sounds were footsteps coming from her and I hadn't noticed it until she was right in front of me, just like the last time she was here. It was ironic. I'd been so focused on her that I didn't notice her presence until it was too late, twice.But then came the question; why was she here?Under the lights, she looked slightly flushed. I could sense her slightly quickened heartbeat yet her face remained neutral and expressionless. There was something different about her gaze. The hardness from the walls shed built up was still there, yet there was a hint of something else. Resignation? Curiosity? It took me a few more seconds to realise that I was openly gaping. Before the embarrassment could set in, she'd moved away, taking her place on the seat beside me, her usual place.I trailed her frame but then noticed the empty space on the table. I took action swiftly, sending a qu
Alexander “I would have thought you'd be asleep by this time.” He chuckled. It grated on my ears.“If you thought so, you wouldn't have called.” I replied smoothly, keeping the scathing anger inside.“So you were expecting my call then?”“My Beta informs me of every contact coming through the pack. You of all people should understand.” He chuckled again as if I'd told a joke and it took everything in me to not crush the phone with my bare hands.“Isn't that funny? My Beta has the tendency to run around, being in places he's not supposed to be in. He's quite a troublemaker you see.”A knot formed in my gut. Of course, now he would mention Sirius. He'd left the city anticlimactically after days of monitoring, less than a week after I'd moved Lily into my home. After his disappearance, there had been no other ‘incidents’, hunters or rogues or otherwise. His presence alone was proof of Marcus's actions yet now he was pinning it on Sirius being a ‘troublemaker’.“Does that explain his p
Alexander Ever since that night she suffered the nightmare, I'd been paying more attention to her. The only things I knew or wanted to know in the past were the things that I counted as important. Things to let me take advantage of her, but now I was taking notice of everything, even if it was in our spare interactions and my glances in meeting rooms.‘She bites her pen when she's nervous.’‘She knows that I'm staring at her.’‘She's stubborn. Immensely stubborn.’‘She's better at hiding her emotions than I thought.’As I continuously offered dinner and expectantly got rejected, I still kept that in mind, noticing what she often asked for and what the pack members brought her.“She prefers meat, no doubt due to the baby.”“She likes anything citrus aside from peaches.”‘She still isn't sleeping well.’I knew that her nightmares still persisted. Every night the tug of restlessness that woke me up told me so. I stayed at the locked door, wondering if it would be acceptable to break it
Lily In the night, I was prepared for another round of nightmares. Skipping over the melatonin, I silently braced myself for the semi-sleepless night.I woke up as usual in the middle of darkness. I didn't feel any different nor did I have a nightmare. Sitting up, I was about to pick up my phone when th I noticed the shadow beside me A scream nearly left my lips until I realised who it was. My fears instinctively turned to anger and hostility.“How the hell are you here?” I bit out, hostile despite my racing heartbeat.On the other side of the bed, sitting on the chair, Alexander stared agape, like he hadn't expected me to be awake.‘My suspicions were correct then,’ I thought. It came together, the slight hints of scent so faint I thought, hoped, was my imagination. The occasional feeling of warmth and the strange emptiness when I woke up.Not to mention the hints of voices I heard in my dreams. Comforting words I swore were just my imagination.‘I’m here. Nothing would hurt you,’
Lily“Alright then,” Claire smiled victoriously, “I'll leave you alone now.”I smiled tiredly as she packed up her tools, taking the empty dishes with her. Under Claire's instructions — which were more like commands, I was forced to take things easy, eating constantly and sleeping or relaxing every other time in-between. She often came over to make sure I was eating well.The results were drastic. The weakness that had plagued me for weeks faded during the first few days and I felt fuller. Even though I was set on going to work the day after the first few days, the routine hadn't changed. The results of her second search were partly disappointing yet not. I should have known that sleeping pills weren't allowed for pregnant women and the last thing I wanted was to endanger him in the first place. She gave me melatonin pills in its stead which was equally as effective yet I couldn't take them constantly. I didn't mind. Some sleep was better than none at all. Although napping in the