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Forty-Three
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Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Four
VALERIA"You're still in bed."With some effort, I raised myself in bed and saw Amelia poking her head around the door."Yes. Yes," I said again, hating how weak my voice sounded the first time, not that it was better the second time.The strength ran out of my arms and I fell back on the bed. I was so tired, bone achingly tried. As soon as I had woken up this morning, I had known that I just would not be able to go to work. I didn't even think I could get myself out of bed. The room spun for a second. I shut my eyes tightly until the feeling passed. I felt the mattress dip and Amelia's cool hand on my brow."I don't have a fever," I assured her, opening my eyes. Her worried expression did not relax."Then what's wrong?""I just feel tired and weak... and a bit dizzy if I move suddenly."Amelia clucked her tongue sympathetically, pulled up the covers around me. "I thought as much when you didn't come down for breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, you have to eat. What do you feel like ea
Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Five
VALERIAI tugged harder and this time, my foot slid out of Dimitri's lap. I felt hurt, confused, angry, all at the same time. Summer was moving into this same house? What on earth was Dimitri playing at? If he knew that he had plans of moving in with her, why then had he insisted on me staying at his place? She knew how cruel Summer could be towards me. Didn't he know that the baby and I didn't need this sort of stress at this time?I bit my lips hard to keep from asking him all these questions. Right now, Summer's attention was mostly on Dimitri, but give her the opportunity and she would turn downright nasty, especially since I had just had my foot in her fiance's lap. I glanced impatiently at Dimitri, wanting him to say something. One word from him about having made this arrangement with Summer, and I'd be on my way to my own house, and to hell with him! Slowly, Dimitri got to his feet until he towered over her."What did you say?" he asked slowly.Summer, refusing to be intimidate
Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Six
DIMITRII let out a stream of curses to relieve my pent up emotions and turned away from the window. I had been trying to clone Summer's laptop while keeping an eye out for her. Now I could see her re-entering the house. I quickly shut down the laptop, returned it to her room before reentering mine.Summer's presence was making my house a very uncomfortable place to be in. I laughed humourlessly when I remembered complaining to Silas a while ago about how clingy she was. That was nothing compared to moving into my house uninvited.My first impulse when she had arrived at my bedroom door with two enormous, overpriced suitcases, had been to throw her out of the house, but while arguing with her, I had realized the priceless opportunity her being in my house presented. With her that close, I would have the opportunity to get access to her phone and computer. The information I had been in search of all this time could just be lying around in there. The sooner I could get mu hands on the i
Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Seven
VALERIAI drummed impatiently on my desk. The thought of going home filled me with trepidation as I glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes to closing time. I wondered what other nasty surprises Summer had in store today when I got to Dimitri's house. My trepidation finally gave way to a sudden burst of anger. Wasn't the whole point of moving in with Dimitri to reduce my stress levels? And wasn't the whole purpose sort of defeated if I faced more stress at home than I did at work?I heaved a sigh. I had almost reached my elastic limit when it came to Summer. At the house, she never allowed me a breathing space. She constantly drove me nuts no matter how much I tried to ignore her. To make all this worse, Dimitri wasn't as firm with her as I had expected him to be. All things considered, I toyed with the idea of going to my own house after work. I didn't really have to put up with Summer's attitude after all, but then maybe I could manage to avoid her today.When I got to Dimitri's,
Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Eight
VALERIA"What are you doing?" I asked loudly.Though I was sure that she had heard me, Summer continued typing away on my computer."Don't touch that," I hissed and pulled my laptop out of her reach.She raised a brow, but did not make any move to take the computer from me."What were you doing with my computer?" I asked again."Your computer?""Yes."She shrugged and flicked her fingers impatiently."Not that I owe you any explanation, but how was I to know that it was yours and not Dimitri's? Everything in this house belongs to him, doesn't it? If you're desperate to keep that to yourself, you shouldn't leave it lying on the kitchen counter."Humming a tune, she left the kitchen. I stared after her suspiciously. She seemed to be in a better mood than usual, considering the fact that we had just been in the same space without Dimitri to stand as a mediator between us. I shook my head, dismissing those thoughts. I tapped on the keyboard to take me to the presentation slide I had bee
Set me Free, Alpha Forty-Nine
VALERIAThe sound of the door of Dimitri's study closing was very loud in the silence of the house. He kept staring at me. He was standing so close that I wondered if he could hear my heart beating. Breathing suddenly became very hard to do with him in such close proximity, so I stepped away from him and went to stand by his desk."So er- what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked him.Dimitri slowly stroked his jaw. His continuous stare first made me cold and then warm on the inside. I felt a flush invade my cheeks, a flush that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the way the riotous sensation his look coaxed from my body."Tell me... where did you go to after you left the office?" he asked with a return to his earlier brusqueness."I went out," I said.There was no way I was going to tell him that I had been with Noah. I didn't want to have another row with him."Out?" he repeated, stretching out the word, probing for an explanation that I wasn't goi
Set me Free, Alpha Fifty
DIMITRII walked past Valeria's room, supposedly on my way to my study, but in reality, I wanted to see her. I stopped in front of her door, listened. There was no movement from inside. I pushed the door open, already knowing that I wouldn't find her in there.It was an hour before closing time and I had to fight the urge to drive immediately to the office to pick her up.These days, she preferred to spend her time in the office than out of it. It was a constant struggle trying to get her to come home after office hours. I was mad at her for it, but I understood why she did it. Summer was becoming more obnoxious and clingy than usual, and Valeria was trying her best to stay out of her way. In my study, I caught sight of my reflection on the blank screen of my computer. I looked tired, but mostly pissed. Keeping Summer occupied and happy was taking it's toll on me. I just couldn't wait to get the goods on Fiona. The sooner I figured out what she was up to, the sooner I would get inf
Set me Free, Alpha Fifty-One
VALERIAA draught of air blew over my skin, waking me up. It was still and silent in the room or wherever I was. I moved my limbs just enough to discover that I was lying on something very soft- a bed. A bit disoriented, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the familiar dark blue and grey decor of Dimitri's room.I was in Dimitri's room, lying on Dimitri's bed. Why? A second later, it all came coming back to me. I pressed my hand to my stomach and immediately felt a flash of white, hot pain. It felt as though my insides had been ripped open, hollowed out and sewn back together again.I remembered coming to Dimitri's house by sheer force of will because I had not been feeling too good. I remembered getting into his office and then Dimitri had carried me into the kitchen, while he said something about getting me to eat.Then everything had gone black. I had only come to when I had dimly heard something fall with a crash. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, but a part of me knew that
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Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Six
VALERIAWith my hands on my hips, I took a step back to look at the decorations. After a few seconds or so, I had to admit that the decorators had done a pretty good job. I had as well. Jayden had his superhero theme decorations all in blue, his favourite colour. Jane had her favourite Princess whatsername theme also in bright yellow.I grinned, reflecting on how very different children's birthday parties were from those of adults. The entire living room area was a clash of yellow and blue, and then there were the balloons also, covering large sections of the floor."And what are you grinning about?"I felt myself relaxing at the sound of Dimitri's voice, leaning back against him until his arms went around me. He repeated his question."I was just thinking that the whole place looks like a rainbow exploded in it," I murmured."Mmm. I think I rather like the look of the place. It's an improvement if you ask me."I snorted. "Having kids have made you soft. There was a time when you woul
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Five
VALERIAIt was bone-chilling to see Amelia's expression when she realized the game was over. It was like she had been wearing a mask which had suddenly come off. Now I could clearly see what lay beneath the facade she presented to the world. The sight made me shiver and I unconsciously shifted close to Dimitri who gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Amelia, teeth bared, kept looking around like a trapped animal searching for a means of escape."There's no way out now," Dimitri said, leaving the sofa to stand in front of her. "You can't escape so bury that thought.""Why?" I said, the question drawn from my lips before I even thought of it. Everyone turned to look at me but I had eyes only for Amelia, the woman who was my mother but had done things to hurt me more than anyone in this world. "Why do you hate me so much? Why... all this? How could you-""You know nothing!" she declared vehemently. "So don't you think you can sit there and judge me when you don't know half of what happ
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Four
DIMITRII let my suggestions about Amelia's and Alexis' eventual capture sink in. When I was sure it did, and that Valeria was in agreement with all I had said, I stood up to leave. Valeria's hand on my arm prevented me from doing so."Wait," she said. "There is something more."I slowly sat back down. "Tell me.""I want to be part of the capture."My response was instant. "Oh no. You can't.""Why not?"Funny she would ask. Even the thought of putting Valeria, especially in her condition, through any form of danger was so abhorrent to me it made me shudder inwardly."Valeria," I said in the most reasonable tone of voice I could muster. "There may be danger when they are caught. I have no way of knowing, true. But I can't take the risk of you getting hurt. Silas, Vance and I with all the others I will bring in to help can handle them. Trust me. It will be best if you stay completely out of it."Then I groaned inwardly when I still saw that stubborn look on her face, the look I knew so
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Three
VALERIAOne of Ivy's nurse friends from the hospital clapped her hand over her lips to keep in a giggle."Ssh!" said a friend of Vance who just had to be a bodyguard. His tall, muscled figure could be made for nothing else.The man was smiling himself."Sorry," the giggler apologized as she smiled up at him.I felt much like giggling myself, especially at the look I was already picturing on Ivy's face when she eventually realized Vance had brought a lot of his friends and her friends on their date."They are here," Dimitri whispered in my ear.Dimitri's words were whispered back and forth between everyone."Remember everyone. Don't make a sound when they come in," someone said.I looked straight ahead and saw Vance, lead Ivy by the hand into the private booth of the restaurant where we were all hiding."It's beautiful in here," Ivy said, looking around. "But it's rather dark, don't you think? Maybe a little more light will-"She made a move to touch the light switch. I stiffened, drew
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-Two
DIMITRISilas, who was to all appearances lounging on the verandah outside while making some calls, met my eyes. For the last few days, I had kept him in and around the house, ostensibly running a few errands for me, being extra security for Valeria, but really he was around to keep an eye on Amelia.We had all come to the conclusion that since she felt herself entirely free of suspicion, she would make a move to contact Alexis or to put her plans into action soon. I felt that she was about to do either or both of these things now.Just this morning, Amelia had been acting strangely. Although she had tried to hide it, Silas and I had noticed her acting ill at ease, although Valeria had of course remained oblivious. Amelia had started acting this way after Silas, as he told me, had overheard her yelling at someone over the phone.A few minutes later, with her handbag slung over her shoulder, she had said very casually, "I'm making a quick trip to the store to pick up some things we nee
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty-One
VALERIAAlthough it had seemed impossible at first, the endless hours after Grandma Reese passed became days. Days became weeks. The weeks eventually added up to a month, and then several months. Though I missed her terribly with each passing day, life went on. My pregnancy became advanced. The doctors told Dimitri and I to expect our child soon.That was the only happy thought that kept me going all through those months. That, and the fact that I had Dimitri at my side.The rest of the time, I was consumed by fear, fear that at least one archenemy was still out there. Dimitri had gently broken the news of Grace's death to me, but had confessed that he still had not found a trace of Alexis. I was terrified that he would one day make an appearance and attempt to harm my child and I. Whenever I voiced out my concerns, Dimitri was quick to assure me that he was still on the lookout for Alexis.And though I took a little comfort in his assurances, I never once forgot that Dimitri was not
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Forty
AMELIAThey were fools. The lot of them. Stupid, trusting fools, but their stupidity suited me just fine. It was how I had stayed hidden all this time, after all.It was a shame about Grace, but it had to be done. She had been becoming a wild card, a disappointment to me. This early in the plot, she had shown that her emotions overruled her thoughts, and anyone who thought with the heart rather than the head was a liability, was expendable. This was why I had taken Dimitri and Silas to the spot where she was to meet with me. Grace was dead now and a lot of the future complications I knew she would bring had died with her.I glanced at the locked door of my room and continued pacing.I had to get word across to Alexis. Just calling him on the phone wouldn't do. I had to see him face to face in order to assure him that our plan was still on, and that Grace's death changed nothing.The only problem now was Dimitri wouldn't want to let me, a supposedly grieving mother, out of his sight. T
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Nine
DIMITRIThe place where Grace had chosen to meet with Amelia was very like the place where she had kept Valeria captive. It was on the grounds of a building, a deserted one by the looks of it. The building was in a scarcely frequented part of the city.Silas, Amelia and I got there a full hour before Amelia's appointment with Grace. We chose good hiding spots where we could see and not be seen. Then we settled down to wait for Grace to show up.Thirty minutes before the time of the appointment, we all clearly heard approaching footsteps. A woman came into view. She was wearing a scarf that obscured most of her face and huge sunglasses, but I knew it was Grace. My hands ached with the effort of keeping them still and not going for her right there and then. Grace gave a sweeping look around the area."Get down," I whispered to the persons with me.Though I was sure we couldn't be seen by her, we all went down and peered at her from between the thick foliage of overgrown shrubs we were h
Set me Free, Alpha Hundred and Thirty-Eight
DIMITRI"I can't remember."Amelia had said this more times than I could count in so many different ways, but it still boiled down to the same thing. She still clearly could not remember anything about what Valeria's grandmother had said about her and her past."Why can't I remember?" she said again, with tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.She glanced over at Valeria. Whenever Amelia had declared that she didn't remember, Valeria, with her head resting on the sofa, nodded mechanically and simply kept staring at the blank wall before her.Seeing that Valeria was more or less unresponsive, Amelia turned to me. "What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember any of what happened?"I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring look, patted her hand. "It's okay. Don't worry. I promise you that I will do everything to find out how your memory was tampered with and if possible, you will get your memories back."Amelia nodded and then just sat there, crying and wringing her hands. I sat by
