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Chapter 26
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2024-10-29 19:42:56NICCO
I finished my eggs. They were quite good, though missing the meat and cheese that I tend to prefer at every meal. It was much healthier than what I usually eat, that’s for sure.
I set the plate aside and gestured to Hope. “Do you mind looking at this for me and telling me what you see? First impression.”
She nodded, putting her plate down and came to stand beside me. I moved my chair to the side and pulled her onto my lap. My wolf needed her close. We leaned into her, sniffing her hair and letting her scent wash over us. She was so engrossed in the spreadsheet pulled up on my computer that she didn’t notice.
“First impression?” she asked, looking back at me. I nodded.
“Okay, first impression is that someone is doing a really good job moving money around. It would pass most audits, but there are some discrepancie
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HOPEI had the rest of the day to explore while Nicco set up my new office.Part of me was excited about having a job and earning my keep.I also loved that I was helping Nicco figure out who was stealing from him.The other part of me was nervous about what could possibly be asked of me.I knew he was keeping secrets from me. And I was also concerned about the legalities of everything. Nicco could do what he wanted but I wasn’t going to cross any of those lines. When I lived with my stepdad, I was in a prison. I had no interest in spending time in another.I left Nicco’s office and took the first exit to the outside that I could find.It was a little used door that opened out onto a small patio that was flanked by tall bushes, making the entrance private.I looked up to see cameras pointed at the door, so I gave a little finger wave
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NICCO I ushered the men my door, closing it behind them. I grimaced. The hour had slipped into ninety minutes, and I was a little irritated that I couldn’t wrap up the business any sooner. I really needed to have that talk with Hope. Things were a little chaotic in the Pack right now and there was a really good chance that Hope would find out that she was mating with a werewolf before I had the chance to tell her. I crossed the hallway and gave a gentle knock on her office door. There was no answer, so I pushed it open. Hope was sitting in her chair, slumped over her desk. At first I thought she was sleeping, but then I realized there was foam dripping from her mouth. I gave a bellow for help and then ran across the floor, pulling Hope up from the desk and checking her pulse. There was a pulse, but she was not breathing. Vinnie came running in just as I was going to give her mouth to mouth. “Alpha, no! She’s been poisoned,” he shouted, pointing at the foam coming from he
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 29
HOPE I drifted in and out of consciousness. I was crazy tired, and my throat was so sore. I had a vague recollection of someone stuffing something down my throat and choking me, but it was fuzzy. I moaned. Someone was instantly there, wiping my head with a cloth. I could hear Nicco, speaking in a worried tone. “She’s so hot, Charlie. Is she okay?” “She’ll be fine, Alpha. She just has a little fever, that’s all. That’s how human bodies deal with infections. They don’t heal like we do. As soon as the doctor figures out what poisoned her, we can treat her. Shouldn’t be long, now.” My brain was screaming at me to pay attention because something important was just said, but I drifted off again in a fog. The next time I woke up I felt a lot better. The light was barely peeking into the room. Nicco was laying on the bed next to me, asleep, and Charlie was in a chair, bolt upright, his head leaning against the wall. His eyes opened when I moved. “You’re awake,” he said, s
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 30
NICCO I was looking through my papers when there was a light knock at the door. “Enter,” I barked, thinking it was probably Vinnie.Instead, it was Hope holding my laptop.I immediately stood up. “Hope!What are you doing up?”It had only been five days since she was poisoned.I wanted her to take it easy. She flushed bright red.“I can’t take Vinnie’s cooking anymore,” she confessed.“I made lunch for everyone.It’s laid out in the dining room.”She gestured behind her shoulder, arbitrarily.“But I wanted to show you this, first.” She plopped down on the couch and put the laptop on the coffee table, twisting it so I could see the screen.“I was right,” she said.“They used me as a distraction to move some money around.And I can tell it’s temporary.It’s set to go back to the original
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NICCO I opened my eyes and looked at my Sweet Hope lying in bed next to me. She was curled in a ball, showing no effects from her nightmare. I sighed. It was time. She had her secrets, but I had mine. And it was time I shared. I was decidedly nervous. I spent most of the rest of the night trying to figure out how to do this. I thought about taking her to the Packland Village and letting her find out there, but if she reacted badly there would be no where for her to go. I needed to take her back to the city. Hope opened her eyes and looked at me. A slow smile spread across her face. “Good morning, beautiful,” I said, giving her a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Good morning,” she said. “What’s on the agenda today?” “We are going back to the city,” I said. Hope sat up in bed, excited. “Really?” she asked, in excitement. “What changed?” I shrugged.
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HOPEI walked through the door and gasped again. The entire floor was done in polished stone with very contemporary furnishing. Even though it was contemporary, it also looked comfortable, and I fought the urge to flop down on the nearest couch.I looked at Nicco. “This is gorgeous,” I said. He looked pleased at my praise.“I have two floors,” he said, almost shyly. “The balcony goes all the way around the building, so I have different areas. It’s important to me to have fresh vegetables, so the part of the balcony that gets the most afternoon sun has been set up as a little greenhouse. I have a place where I take my coffee in the morning and my dinners in the evenings. Would you like to see?”“Oh, yes please,” I breathed, letting him pull me out of the double doors. We started walking left and he pointed out the different sights.
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 33
NICCOI came out of the bathroom and smiled.Hope was curled up on the bed, sleeping.I looked at her with a smile.She looked so innocent and unburdened, rolled up in the fetal position.She must have been dreaming about something pleasant because she smiled in her sleep.I hoped she was still sleeping as soundly tonight, after she and I had our conversation.I shook her gently and she opened her beautiful blue eyes and smiled at me.“My turn in the shower?” she asked.I nodded.“Be quick.I would like to be at the restaurant in an hour.”I should have known that wasn’t going to be an issue.Most women take forever, but Hope was in and out of the shower, had her dress on and her hair up before I had finished tying my shoes.She was wearing the crystal sandals that she had worn at our first dinner, and I had t
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NICCO“I’m a werewolf, Hope. We’re real. So are vampires, Lycans and fairies.” I gestured to the other folks patronizing the restaurant.She looked at me with horror and then back at my hand, still Lupo’s paw. She looked around and then at me again. Her eyes were wide and she looked scared.“Talk to me, Hope,” I begged. “Please. Talk to me.”Her mouth opened and closed a few times but nothing came out. Finally she managed to croak out a one word question. “Vinnie?” she asked.“Werewolf,” I said.“Eloise?” She seemed to be grasping at straws.“Werewolf. Most people in my employ are wolves. All the people you saw at the house. Charlie, too.”“Caleb?” asked Hope. I chuckled.“No. He&rsq
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HOPE POVBeing behind the wheel of my van was like coming home to an old friend. I knew her idiosyncrasies and I loved them. The engine responded to me and the familiar hum lulled me. My mind began to wander. So much has happened in the past few months. It was hard to remember that, just a few months ago, I was working as a mechanic. Since then, I found out about werewolves, had several adventures, found my mate, had a few bad encounters and have changed as a person. I feel like I am a completely new person, but the old Hope was still inside me.I put on the blinker and slowed down. My map said that there was a campsite up to the left. I had headed northwest to try to avoid Nicco’s Pack, and my map said I was hundreds of miles from them. I should be safe enough to spend a night or two here while I tried to get my head on straight and to come up with a plan.I found the road in the dim light and drove the rough terrain that winded through towering pine trees. It opened up t
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NICCOI started by gathering all of the residents of Moon Tower. I wanted answers and Lupo was pissed. We lost our Beta and I wanted justice. Not as bad as Charlie did, though.The wolves began arriving, most of them confused, especially when we ushered everyone into the basement. It was dank and dark, but it was the only place that was large enough for what I wanted to do.“They’re all here, Alpha,” Caleb said, checking the last wolf off the list. I walked to the far end of the room, my pack members nervously shuffling out of my way. Charlie was already standing in the front of the room, his arms folded across his chest and glaring at everyone. “This meeting is to be kept secret,” I shouted in my Alpha voice. I could see everyone’s neck bowing to my authority, exposing their vulnerable necks to me and showing submission. I hated giving Alpha commands. It reminded me, and everyone else, of my father’s realm where Alpha commands were given multiple times a day. They should o
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 72
NICCOI raced over to Vinnie’s apartment. Despite his Beta status, he chose to live in an apartment building that I owned and used to provide living accommodations to members of our pack who worked at my companies. He had at least taken one of the top floor apartments, using the excuse that the view was amazing. It was.I didn’t wait for the elevator and, instead, took the stairs two at a time. It helped Lupo work off some of the nervous energy and gave me an outlet for mine. We made it to the top in record time and I gently knocked at the door.There were no police, no crime scene tape and no techs dusting for fingerprints. We handle things in house. There would be no outside involvement. And when I found out who did this, there would be no trial, no jury. Only swift justice.Charlie opened the door, his face white and his jaw set. He stepped aside and I slipped in, closing the door behind me. Until we knew what we were dealing with, I didn’t want to let anyone else know w
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NICCOI frowned at my watch. Hope was late and that wasn’t like her. I was glad she wasn’t early as usual, though. I didn’t want her running into Lucia. What a hateful brat. My phone chirped and I grabbed for it, a smile playing on my lips. It was probably Hope, begging for forgiveness because she got caught up in some sort of shopping expedition with her new friends.“Alpha?” It was Charlie and his voice sounded strained.“Yes.” I could feel my stomach tightening in a knot. Charlie rarely sounded this way. Nothing bothered this wolf. He and I grew up together and the wolf was cold.“It’s dad. He was killed.”Lupo reared up inside me and it took all of my self control to push him back down. I knew why he felt this way. He had immediately felt for our bond with Vinnie, the tether that held him to me, and we couldn’t find it. It was broken and the only way it could be broken was either by banishment or by death. I had lost my Beta.I threw some money on the table blindly,
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Chapter 70HOPENicco irritated me beyond belief sometimes. After all his lectures to me about lying, he goes and does it to me. Our mate bond must be getting stronger because I could tell he was lying. I was so angry, I was growling under my breath. When I caught myself, I giggled a little bit. I was picking up on Nicco’s habits.I had a good morning showing Mario and Gia around and getting them settled into their own apartments. Nicco had been kind enough to get them apartments at one of the many buildings that he owned. They were small, but they each had their own, which was usually unheard of. “This is amazing,” Mario gushed, coming back in from the little balcony. His apartment consisted of a tiny kitchen, a small living area and a bedroom with the balcony. “I have never had this much space before.”Gina’s apartment was almost the same, though I had picked out one that had a larger bathroom and more closet. Girls have to stick together and there are just some things t
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 69
NICCOMila’s attitude shifted and her face got dark. “You’re never around anymore,” she complained.“What did you do?” I asked, suddenly tired. I always felt guilty about Mila. The attack that killed her parents had taken place right after I became Alpha. I had been warned that it was coming, and I was too arrogant to listen to anyone. We had found Mila in the rubble, her limbs mangled and her little body limp. It had taken the talents of multiple healers and doctors to get her to where she was. “I just wanted to get your attention,” she said, the tears starting. I forced my emotions to harden. She was manipulating me, and I knew it but my guilt made it easy for her to do so.“Who?” I asked. Mila shrugged. “I don’t know. It came in an encrypted message.”“And you thought it would be a good idea?” I asked, dumbfounded. Mila was never one to consider the consequences.“They only borrowed the money. It was always put back,” Mila said, pushing out her lower lip. “I should k
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 68
NICCOHope and I stayed up the rest of the flight, trying to figure out what the signature meant. She was the one who finally did. She had gone to the bathroom and had come back, her eyes tired. Before she sat down she stopped with a start and softly chuckled, staring at the paper.“We’ve been making this harder than we needed to,” she said.I looked at her in confusion. “Yeah? If you have figured it out, I’d like to know. It’s driving me crazy.” I was irritable. She grinned and took the pen from my hand, writing over the top of the random letters and numbers that we had been working on, transforming them into one word. BITE.“I’d guess the hacker is a wolf,” Hope said mildly. I looked at the word, my vision clouded. I knew who went by that name and I couldn’t believe it. Hope picked up on my fury.“Do you know who this is?” she asked.“No,” I lied. I didn’t need her to know until it was over. I was going to confront this wolf and find out everything. I would get my ans
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 67
Chapter 67HOPE POVI woke up with a start, not sure of what had awakened me. I was laying in the only private bed in the back of the plane with Nicco. I listened carefully and his breathing was still even. Whatever woke me up didn’t wake him.The only noises I could hear were the normal noises of the plane. There was no turbulence. So what had awakened me?I carefully rolled on to my back, trying not to waken Nicco. There was a moment when his breathing changed so I lay still until it went back to normal. Then I slipped out of the bed.I used the bathroom in the dark, not wanting to waken him. Something was still nagging at me. It was like I had forgotten something very important and my brain was trying to remind me.I sighed. I wasn’t going to go back to sleep anytime soon. I slipped out of the bedroom in the back and into the main part of the aircraft. Vinnie opened one eye and looked at me, going immediately back to sleep. Mario and Gina didn’t move.I reached up into
Sweet Hope for the Alpha Kingpin Chapter 66
Chapter 66HOPE POV“I don’t care what he said,” I said, impatiently. “I am sick and tired of staying inside. The beach is out there calling my name.” I tried to get past Mario who was blocking the door to the hotel with his body. He looked terrified of me but I knew he was more afraid of Nicco, so he was doing what he could do to keep me in the room. I didn’t blame him, but it still made me mad.“Luna, we could watch a movie,” he suggested. I shrugged, sighed and acted like I was going to go back to the sitting area. He visibly relaxed and I took that opportunity to dart around him and dash into the hallway. “Sucker,” I heard Gina tease Mario behind me. I took off running for the elevator, giggling as Mario ran behind me, trying to reason with me. “Please, Luna Hope. Alpha is going to kill me,” he begged.“Tell him I forced you,” I suggested. I turned just in time to see him roll his eyes. “Just for that, I’m not coming back with you,” I said, jumping into the open eleva
