LilyMy heart hammered as he led me out of the restaurant into the outside. The car was still outside, but he didn't lead me into it. Rather, he locked his arms with mine and walked through the streets.I had never been to this part of the city and with good reason too. The street alone was filled with many glittering lights that told enough of the opulence surrounding it. I would've never imagined ever being in a place like this if not for Alexander.I tried to not gape in wonder. The sight wasn't as fancy compared to everything else seen in Luminous Works and living in the mansion, but something about the evening hues and the stars sent a different aura. I could swear there were hints of music in my ears. It seemed so… romantic.“Where are we going?” I asked.“You'll see.” He answered, squeezing my hand in a way that made me nearly stumble in shock.The more we walked the more I realised that the music I heard wasn't just my imagination. The sound of violins grew closer and closer a
Lily“Come on Nate, why do you think I'll go through all these lengths?”His voice still echoed in my head as I entered the office, shutting the door behind me.“She'll be obedient and under my control. It's as simple as that.”As simple as that, as if I had any agency in the matter.He wanted to control my emotions, make me more amiable to him by making me infatuated with him. He thought that by treating me nicely he would get me to calm down. What did he call it again? Oh yes, an illusion.It was insulting, inhumane and disrespectful, treating me like I was some dog or an animal to be trained.The sound of his chuckle rang loudly in my mind. Even if I'd stormed away from the office long ago. I didn't care if either of them heard me when I did, if Alexander heard me. He could go to hell for all I cared.And yet, he was still haunting me.Looking down I was suddenly reminded of the object I held in my hands. My eyes over the wrapping paper, the small box I held something far too exp
LilyI held my head high against his stare as he passed files towards me. “The Kieran family has decided to sort out a deal with us for their stay here. These are the files on the non disclosure and everything else. Sort through it and hand it over to Nathan when you're done.”I didn't bother saying a word, giving a simple nod, taking the files and turning away. The sooner I left the sooner I could be away from him.“Wait,” I stopped in place as he called out, turning to him.“Yes, Mr Sinclair?” I asked.It was the formal greeting we were both used to, yet this along with everything I said sounded harsh and distant in my ears.He didn't give any indication that he'd noticed, leaning towards me from the desk.“You didn't come down during dinner. They said you were sick?” he asked.His words almost sounded chastising, grating on my ears, but what irked me the most was the look in his eyes. He looked at me like he expected an explanation.Cold anger rushed in my veins. How dare he? Did
LilyA shiver ran down my spine. His gaze bored into me, cold ice freezing my blood.From my periphery, I would have noticed other women murmuring with their eyes on him, but I couldn't. Not when his focus was solely on ME.He wasn't supposed to be here.A nudge beside me brought me out of my trance, but I still couldn't escape his stare.“Is he your boyfriend?” One of the nurses asked. I barely heard her voice through the blood rushing in my ears. On a normal day I should have noticed how nosy they were being, probably even offended. If only I wasn't fixated on his glare.My grip on the folder tightened.What was I doing? Was I going to be cowed solely because he was here? ‘No,’ I thought to myself, determination filling me.“He's nobody,” I muttered, uncaring if they heard me or not as he moved towards me.“Miss Grace.” He spoke in a stony voice. It sent shivers up my spine with how unnaturally calm it was. I had faced his ire only once and it felt like I was being scrutinised now
54AlexanderThe silence that filled the room was deafening, suffocating me from the inside. I remained standing, frozen in place right where she'd left.Sucking in a breath, I flexed my fists to try to control my emotions. This had escalated quickly.‘She heard everything.’ I shut my eyes against those thoughts, sucking in a breath.How the hell did Nathan and I not notice? We were supposed to be more conscious of our environment. It explained her strange absence last night, and her attitude earlier this morning. And it was all thanks to that damn conversation.Flashback “The first quarter of this month has been settled then,” I told Nathan, rubbing my thumb in contemplation.“Nothing to worry about on LW’s end.” Nathan said, a small frown leaving him as he sank into my office couch. I watched him from my desk before turning to the aerial view of my window, the sky and city buildings familiar.Nothing was wrong, yet my gut clenched. There was an itch under my skin, a twinge of wo
Alexander It was like the air stilled between us. I expected him to leave, to storm out immediately after, but he didn't, still staring at me with that same glare on his face.“I'm done with this topic, there are other more important things to talk about.” I said to waive his words. Brush it aside.‘Coward.’ I stiffened as the thought came, but I held firm, waiting for his reaction. “I’ll leave you to it then, Alpha,” he replied in a frosty voice that gave me whiplash. Despite his visible anger, he still bowed to me before storming out. I said nothing, remaining still as the door slammed.Present daySqueeze. Loosen. Clench, unclench.I followed the rhythm, flexing my hands as the silence deafened my senses. I knew he wouldn't understand. None of them would understand. I was doing this for the pack and our full safety. Even though it was unethical in more ways than one.‘Was that all you really wanted?’ I shut my eyes tightly. These freaking thoughts. Sometimes it felt like I wou
Alexander I didn't bother knocking before slipping into the room, twisting the lock open. Classical music bombarded my ears the instant I opened the door, making me hiss slightly before I adjusted to it.This was the first place to look for him. There was no way he would have been in the bedroom or his home office by this time. Not while he was troubled or angry. I knew him too well.And just as I expected, he was here in the training room. The music alone was enough.All the curtains save one were draped down, shrouding the large room in partial darkness. I adjusted to it quickly, perusing the room for his frame. All the workout equipment was shifted to the ends of the room, leaving a vast empty surface in the middle but he was decidedly not there.Honing my senses, I finally pinpointed his location gaze tarting to a small movement in the corner. His silhouette was hidden in the corner doing pushups effortlessly. Only the faint sounds of his breaths covered the room.He hadn't pause
Alexander ‘What the hell?’I looked up, stricken to see Nathan laughing.“Well isn't that good for you?” he spoke between laughter.I inhaled sharply. I knew I had angered and hurt him but this was too scathing and completely disrespectful.What could possibly be good about this good about it?“This isn't funny Nathan.” I spoke in a warning tone.“Of course it isn't!” he shouted abruptly. I reared back instantly in face of his anger, stiffening instantly, not out if fear, but the deep seated instinct of adrenaline.He didn't move any closer or try to attack, although there was little chance of him doing so. He merely chuckled more, shaking his head.“I'm glad at least that I didn't have to keep up the pretense for any longer. I was tempted you know, to tell her early in the office. If it wasn't for how she looked back then, I dont know what I would've done, but now there's no need to wonder.” he said, letting out a snort.“I'm proud of her for handling it with grace. If I'm being hon
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