After spending yesterday off, Emily felt restless. Working was the meaning of her life. Having a day off with nobody to spend it with and no errands to run made Emily feel empty. The nursing graduate had no idea what she should do, and she found herself missing her students. Was Favian punishing them too strictly?
The company’s welfare policy was great, and most people would appreciate the time to catch up on sleep and recuperate after a shocking turn of events. However, Emily was more concerned about the welfare of her students. According to Annie, who heard it from Richard, the boys were severely grounded for a week by a furious secretary who took the first plane back after hearing about the accident.
Rolling around in bed, she checked the time. It was only nine in the morning, and the CEO would have started his day by now. The deep cut on her forearm d
“Hello!” Annie greeted with a huge smile. “Thank you for volunteering. The department is severely shorthanded without Mr Beowulf around.”Not expecting such an enthusiastic welcome, Emily flinched and plastered on a polite smile. She knew that Kendra sometimes came over to her room to share their off days and some dinner with stories about work. However, the caretaker still felt like a stranger in the office her boss worked at.“Good morning,” Emily returned the greeting as the HR manager dropped a huge stack of folders in her arms.Emily winced at the weight as the wound on her forearm stung. The enthusiastic HR manager saw her reaction and gasped in horror, apologising profusely for the damage she caused, but Emily reassured her that the wound did not reopen. Annie felt guilty,
They pulled up at a humble steak and pasta restaurant, contrary to Emily's image of rich CEOs. Didn’t wealthy bosses usually try to flaunt their wealth? She wasn’t disappointed by Richard’s choice. Honestly, she would have felt out of place if he had taken her to an upscale restaurant. This family restaurant had a cosy atmosphere, friendly employees and food that smelled like a mother’s cooking. It was perfect! Seeing the light in Emily’s eyes, Richard knew he had made the right decision. Other socialites and hotel heiresses might be charmed by the glamour of candlelit dinner with a city view from a seven-star hotel but not Emily. The caretaker was the most down to earth lady he knew, and she knew how to appreciate the simple things in life. They entered the restaurant together, and Richard held the door for Emil
Walking was a better idea than a drive. The night was cool, and the cold wind helped Emily feel refreshed. Although the confession was still heavy on her mind, there was no awkwardness between them as they walked. They appeared as two regular people on the street with no social difference. Perhaps she was overthinking. After leaving the restaurant, Richard could only follow Emily, who appeared deep in thought as she walked back to the employee dormitory. The CEO hardly went anywhere without a car and had no idea which road to take back. However, he wondered if Emily knew where she was going as he escorted her. The street ahead was dark, and the only lamp in the area was flickering badly. He could also smell other scents in the area that made him feel a little guarded. Although his sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as Favian’s, the shifter was still more sensitiv
“Stay here, don’t move,” Emily commanded the moment the door closed behind them. “Apply pressure on the wound. I’ll be back soon!”Without time to catch his breath, Richard watched as Emily disappeared to her bathroom to find a first aid kit. What was he going to do? Her serious attitude was touching, but the shifter did not need saving. He was absolutely fine.With different reasons to panic, the two occupants in Emily’s dormitory apartment tried to keep as calm as possible. The sound of Emily rummaging through her cabinets made Richard tenser. On the other hand, the CEO’s silence made Emily more worried. Every second she took to find that stupid first aid kit, he could be one second closer to death!Eventually, Emily found the box and yanked it. Bottles clattered ont
Frowning, Richard tried not to pout. Emily was definitely teasing him, and it wasn’t fair. Yet, the wolf in him did not mind. It was a privilege only his mate had, and Richard felt slightly happy knowing Emily still felt comfortable around him.“Let’s start with something easy. Did the bullet hit you earlier?”Ah, so that’s where she wanted to begin? Richard could manage that.Seeing the nod, Emily’s heart raced. So it was true! Her eyes weren’t deceiving her, and Emily’s trust in Richard increased again.“Do you have high-speed regeneration abilities compared to other people?”Again, Richard nodded, and Emily grew bolder in her assumptions of human experimentation.
The vibration of Richard’s phone going off repeatedly finally woke the tired CEO. Emily was already cooking breakfast, and the disorganised werewolf checked the caller log. All twenty-seven missed calls belonged to Favian, who had been calling since three hours ago.“Dammit!”Emily could hear that gruff groan from her living room, even from the kitchen. It was impossible to wake the CEO up no matter what she did. Richard slept like the dead if not for his soft snores. Emily thought that all men snored loudly when they slept but not Richard. The CEO managed to make such a thing elegant even in his sleep. Emily woke up only thirty minutes before Richard did, but she took some time to admire the sleeping giant on her couch before cleaning up and making breakfast. It was still difficult to believe how this defenceless man was a powerful supernatur
It was about an hour before noon when the doorbell rang. The cranky retired night worker groaned at the consistent ringing. What sort of overly enthusiastic bastard was here to ruin her day? She was living in a poor district, for heaven’s sake! Nobody living here had any money to buy insurance. They only had enough for spare cancer sticks on payday!Yanking open the door grouchily, Ms Gwayne growled menacingly. Just as she was about to give the pesky salesperson a piece of her mind, the words got lodged in her throat. That familiar sapphire blue eyes and coppery hair hadn’t changed since she left this shithole. For a moment, Ms Gwayne thought she was dreaming.“Good morning, Ms Gwayne! Or should I say afternoon? Have you had lunch? I made too many, so I decided to bring some over. It’s my day off, and I was getting tired of cleaning.&rdq
Returning to work after learning about the furry secret was awkward. Emily thought that the adults would keep the secret to themselves after she found out. However, the unusual behaviour of all three children and the presence of a strange teenager told Emily that her morning would not be the same as the others.“We will be leaving now,” Favian informed the albino teenager with striking blue eyes curtly. Richard hardly spoke a word, and the children ate stiffly, not daring to ask for seconds.Emily rushed after them before the CEO and his secretary could escape into their sedan. Even if she did not know the pretty boy in her kitchen, the children were familiar with him. She had some questions about that puppy, but that wasn’t as important.“Wait!” Emily chased after them as quickly as th
In a blink of an eye, two years passed quickly. Richard and Favian deliberately took some off time from work to attend the important occasion that afternoon with the boys who took special leave from the boarding school.Oliver, William, Ludwig and Darren sat proudly on their chairs as the presenter announced the names of the graduates. One by one, they watched the cohort’s graduates walk up to the stage and shake hands with an old man before posing for pictures and walking down the stage with their certificates.“Where’s Emma?” William asked, and Oliver pulled his brother to sit on the chair properly. The youngest of their pack was still rather ill-mannered.“Patience,” Ludwig smiled. “They will call her name soon. You’ll see.”
The purple sunset on the horizon made a beautiful backdrop for their candlelit dinner date. Richard outdid himself and arranged for a romantic beachside set up on the sand and under the sky so Emily could enjoy the sea breeze and sound of waves during the low tide. The venue looked like something out of a magazine, giving off a magical atmosphere.“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter smiled and left after serving the couple some fancy seafood pasta.Richard grinned at how Emily marvelled at everything. It took him a few days to organise this with some string-pulling after Ambrose insisted he put more effort into wooing his mate. Things were gradually changing in their lifestyles for the better with each day Emily was around in the Blue Moon Mansion. The Fenrir changed so much around Emily. The werewolves could hardly believe their lazy and bigoted founding
Two months passed quickly after the family meeting. Emily was slowly getting used to the shifter lifestyle, although there was a lot of compromise and arguments between her and Ambrose over the children’s education.Today, it was no different.“They need to learn how to defend themselves!” Ambrose growled, and Emily raised a brow.“There will be no robbers with guns in the boarding school that they need to disarm or kill,” she reasoned. “Rich- Mr Taleman doesn’t choose schools with poor security. If it happens, they will have to go out of business. If anything, they need to learn how to eat with proper dining etiquette more than disarming a robber. You might not care about it, but bad dining manners signify inferior upbringing among humans.”
“She’s here!” Ambrose announced tipsily as Favian sighed in frustration at the chaos.In the short span he left to find the home tutor, Richard managed to engage in a drinking competition with the other alphas. They might be going easy on him by choosing a less destructive method of competing as alphas but dealing with a drunk Richard Taleman was almost as troublesome as having ten Ludwigs high on sugar.“Emily!” Richard beamed and waved uncoordinated to the copper-haired human.Almost at once, everyone turned their attention to the little protection squad around her. Emily nearly froze on the spot. If it wasn’t for Favian acting as a shifter barricade, she might have suffered a heart attack from how predatory everyone looked.Ev
“Stinky one-eyed bastard!”“Old furless mutt!”“Bring it on, you fangless faggot!”Of all the things Emily mentally prepared for, the slew of vulgarities and flying furniture was not one of them.The front yard that was brilliantly decorated was reduced to a mountain of trash with shifters growling at each other. The expensive handmade tapestry was torn, the special ordered outdoor carpet was ruined with mud, the steel chairs were bent at different angles, and Ambrose was organising a gambling den for the makeshift fight ring full of rowdy shifters.Emily wasn’t even fazed by the sight of wolf ears, swishy tails or exposed fangs during the day. They reminded her of the boys when she f
Escorting Emily from the beauty parlour was a whole new experience. Although she looked wonderful whenever he saw her, the beauty parlour lived up to its reputation and turned Emily into a goddess. Richard almost dropped to his knees there and then to worship her but remembered that they were still among humans.He stood before her and said nothing, taking in her scent and appreciating the difference good clothes and makeup did to her. Wolves were particular about strong human scents, so Richard was happy how the beauticians did not use products that hid Emily’s earthy scent. He liked how the colours complimented her natural beauty without changing who she was. It was perfect!“You look stunning,” Richard finally breathed after his mind caught up. The wolf inside was howling in delight at the fine mate they had.
Richard was nervous. He had reasons to be. Favian shared his pack brother’s feelings as well. Ms Gwayne was more than a roommate. According to the more detailed private investigation, the older lady took Emily in when she was homeless for months and treated her like a daughter. Ms Gwayne was Emily’s foster mother in some ways, and making a good impression on the future mother-in-law was a higher hurdle than winning the approval from all the packs at the family meeting this weekend.“Are the preparations ready?” Richard whispered, fiddling with his seatbelt.Favian sighed. The excitement from the pups through the bond did not help Richard ease up. If anything, the CEO checked his hair for the fourteenth time since they left the company. He texted Emily to let her know they would be back soon, and she replied that her foster mother was get
Family meeting…Emily had no idea what she should do at the meeting. As someone who was considered an outsider to their secret society, Emily did not want to make enemies. Richard was the prophesied child who was constantly under Ambrose’s protection. There would be countless shifters who might be envious or simply unhappy with Richard, right? Would it truly be alright for her to attend such an event when she wasn’t fully ready to give Richard her reply? What if she could not give him a reply to his confession before this weekend?The more Emily thought about it, the more confused she became. Even if she liked her boss in a romantic sense, Emily did not know what to do with those feelings. Richard had children even if they were not biologically his. Ignoring the supernatural secret, they were too different. What kind of funny fate tied
As whimsically as he decided to come, Ambrose finished his promised egg tarts and disappeared into thin air. He kissed her copper strands and promised that they would be seeing each other again rather soon over the weekends at the family meeting.“Don’t forget to bring some treats. I’m sure the other packs would appreciate your gifts!”As Ambrose dematerialised, Emily stood dumbly in the kitchen. The fridge door was still wide open, so she closed it, feeling as if she had aged ten years from the brief encounter with the mysterious Fenrir. Exhausted, even if it wasn't even time for dinner, Emily dragged herself to the living room to check on the boys’ homework.From upstairs, four pairs of curious eyes studied Emily. Their tutor had been staring at the same page for the last five minutes