ALPHA HUGH:'Alpha Hugh. Are you done babysitting your slave?' Maddox asked after I called him. I was still inside the car, and could not leave Gabby alone. Both of the doors were open.'I am not babysitting her, Maddox,' I replied while watching the two sitting side by side, their shoulders already touching each other. My wolf was already growling at me, demanding me to go there and separate the two. It unsettled me after knowing that Autumn was now planning to accept Eric's feelings.'Oh. What are you doing right now, Hugh? I told you that we have a lot of things to do, yet you followed what you wanted and went with the love birds.''They are not love birds,' I corrected. 'Maybe not right now, but later on.''Later on? What do you mean by that?''Autumn...she said that she will now accept Eric's proposal.''What proposal? Wedding proposal?' he asked. 'You know what kind of proposal it is.''After Autumn will say yes, they will complete the mating ceremony which includes biting he
AUTUMN:I thought the alpha would be watching over our conversation, but he did not. Hugh stayed inside the car, watching over his sleeping son. It was too bad that Gabriel did not see the beautiful scenery in front of us. Another attraction of this place was that someone would paint you and give it to you over a few dollars.It was nice for creating memories. Eric had availed the service and gave the painting to me. It was me and him facing the river while I was leaning on his shoulder. It had a romantic atmosphere.I wanted to spend a few dollars on Gabriel and me, but the kid was asleep."So...what do you want to say, Autumn? We've been staring at the river for far too long. But if you want to stay like this, it's fine by me. As long as I got to spend my time with you. We can stay here as long as you want, Autumn."What did I want to say again? That I wanted to give him a chance? Did I not tell him already? Was I about to tell him that I accepted his feelings? That I wanted to g
AUTUMN:Who was going to get married? Alpha Hugh? To whom?What if it's you? the other part of my mind said.Me? Why would we enter a marriage of convenience?There was something like a lump on my throat."What do you mean by that?""I am just asking. That's all. You seemed to believe in marriage.""You don't'?""I...I haven't found someone whom I want to marry."My heart sank.In short, he had not found me. He did not see my worth as a person. He did not believe that I was some kind of wife material.Pathetic. How could I continue thinking foolishly? it was clear that this man had never seen me at all as a potential wife. Maybe a potential made of his house.Damn it.What did I really want from him?"Are you sure? Then why do you keep on asking about marriage?"He cleared his throat. "The thing is... maybe you are already aware of the conflict between our neighboring pack.""That has been going on for like what? forever? What about it?""The alpha has a daughter."I did not want to l
AUTUMN:What the heck was happening with my life? My first mate rejected me. My second chance mate was undecided with me. And now, he was telling me about a woman whom he was going to marry without even considering my feelings?Isn’t asking what you think of him marrying someone else one way of considering your feelings? another part of my mind asked. Would it be better if I did not know at all? ‘It was your fault in the first place,’ Trisha stated. ‘You told him you’re going to accept Eric’s feelings right now. That might be the reason why he finally decided on considering the woman as his wife.’‘He really did not have any feelings for me, right?’ All he wanted was to be friends with me again. Nothing else. ‘Tell me what I should do, Trisha.’My heart felt suddenly heavy as if there was a large elephant inside it.I just wanted to shift and let Trisha take over. A long run would be nice. I was pathetic. How could I long for someone’s acceptance to be his mate? How could I not mov
AUTUMN:Alpha Hugh’s eyes widened. “You’re in a relationship now?”“Yes,” I replied. “So please allow me to reject you, Alpha Hugh. Or you can reject me right now. it will be both beneficial for the two of us, Alpha HUgh. Let’s free ourselves from each other.”His face darkened once again. “No.”Someone suddenly cleared his throat. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Eric standing while holding some snacks. The sight made my stomach growl. “Uhm, did I interrupt something?”Alpha Hugh stood. “Gabby and I are going now. You can come with us if you want, Autumn.”Come with him? What did he think of me? Shameless and did not even have any dignity at all? After what he revealed, the more I wanted to stay here and think about everything once and for all. “No. I want to spend more time with Eric, Alpha Hugh. We will go home later.”“Don’t come home late,” he recalled and went inside his awaiting car. I gave me a curt nod. “Here, Autumn.” Eric gave me a cup and it turned out it was some kin
AUTUMN:I was already expecting that no one would answer Cedric’s question, but the beta responded, “It's because of the impending war. We don't want to lose our people and the alpha needs to marry the Alpha's daughter to save our people.”“I haven't decided yet, Maddox. Right now, I want you to shut your mouth while I think about it.”“I thought we were done with this, Hugh? You said you're going to meet that woman.” “I did say that, but I never said any date. I need to think about this a couple of times.”“Fuck,” Maddox cursed. “Do you think your people could wait? You heated them every day. And yet you could not even decide right now? What is stopping you, Hugh? Wake up! The people needed you!”Where was Gabriel again? I was glad that he was not here. Maybe he went upstairs and went to his room. It was safe if we were the only ones who talked about it.“Don’t you think I did not know that, Maddox? I am aware that the war should be stopped before it takes place, but I don’t want to
AUTUMN: Sabrina must be freaking kidding me. What the heck was she thinking asking me to be her bridesmaid? Was she out of her mjns;? “Tell her she did not know what she was asking,” I muttered. If she will not practice now, what will she do? “Of all the women, why did it have to be Autumn? No offense, beta maddox, but your woman…she’s crazy sometimes.” “It’s not sometimes. She is always crazy.” What was her deal? Why did she have to ask for my presence at her wedding? It only meant one thing. “Did she know about our connection? Did you tell her about us?” Beta Maddox’s brows furrowed. “Why would I do that?” “You’re the only one who could answer that one, Beta Maddox. But you can tell your fiancee that I am busy. There’s so many things to do inside this house.” “You’re never busy, Autumn,” the beta insisted. I know what you're doing inside this house. You rarely take care of Gabriel. You let him do whatever he wants while you clean. Is cleaning more important than the future a
AUTUMN:Cedric’s eyes shifted from the alpha, the beta, and me. And shook his head. “Something must be really wrong with you three,” Cedric stated. “I don’t understand this kind of set-up. How come it’s fine with the three of you to be paired with somebody else? You don’t know how painful it is when your mate will marry someone else. To the point that you wanted to die,” he explained. “You three should fix this one.”“There is nothing to fix since this connection was already destroyed before it will start.”Was I in pain? I was still. But I did not want to look miserable in front of them. “Autumn….” Alpha Hugh called. I raised my hand. “You don't have to defend yourself, Alpha Hugh. I perfectly know the reason. That's why I am shifting my focus on Eric. He is a good man. And whatever you say, nothing will make me change my mind.”Cedric shook his head again. “Why was I the only one who thought the three of you should do something about it?”“Nothing should be done, Cedric. I am alr
AUTUMN:My breath caught in the air. I did not look at Hugh right away. Instead, I stared at his fingers sliding into mine. It molded perfectly as if we were made for each other. ‘You two are both made for each other,’ Trisha stated, sighing. ‘He is our mateeee!’My heart was loud now. Louder than the squeals of Trisha inside her mind. Could Hugh have heard it, too? I wished he could not. It would only embarrass me even more. Did I like the feel of his hands against mine?His fingers locked mine and I could feel his callouses—one of the signs of how he worked hard to keep the pack safe. His hand reminded me of the great responsibility he was carrying. Until now. I fucking loved the feel of our calloused hands against each other. There might be times when I denied it, but when he did something to surprise me, it was always surprising. Finally, I looked up and saw how Hugh's eyes danced with joy when I did not tug my hand away. "I love you, Autumn. I really do."My heart somersaul
AUTUMN:I did it again. Forgetting that I should be saying that it was my "friend" who was asking. That it was for a friend.Dang it. I should be careful with my words, especially around Mika. This woman was sharp and I could not hide anything from her. "Y-yes. I'm asking for my friend."Her eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in her eyes. “You sure?” she asked as if she was only waiting for me to come clean and confess that there was no friend and it was nothing but me. I bit the inside of my cheeks. Right now, I should be telling her the truth. And nothing but the truth, but…wasn't it too embarrassing already?“N-No.”Mika heaved a sigh. "I know it's you, Miss Autumn," she said, out loud. "I don't get why you have to deny it. I can sense if you're lying or not.""It's not me," I lied once again, wanting to hold on to the lies. "I'm not buying it," Mika said. "Alright, whatever. It's your life. You're my client.”“It wasn't really me.”Trisha rolled her eyes at me. ‘What’s the harm
AUTUMN: The beta’s shout of pain continued to explode like wildfire shattering the silence of the hallway. As much as I did not want to feel any worry for him, I could not help it. His shouts seemed like he was being skinned alive. No wonder Beta Maddox does not want to get treated by Mika. It was because of this. “Hey. Tell me the success rate of healing the beta?” I asked. “You’re worried for him,’ he said matter-of-factly. “Alright. Fine. Yes, I am worried even if I should not be feeling it right now. I hated him. I hated how he rejected me, but dammit. I am not that heartless. I still feel sorry for him right now.” “Maddox had the same reaction when it came to this. But we can be rest assured that he is fine in Mika’s hands.” “Are you sure?” “I am sure.” “You seemed to trust that woman a lot. Is there something going on between you and her in the past?” He glanced at me while his eyes narrowed. “Is that jealousy I hinted at in your voice?” “Of course not! I w
AUTUMN:Maddox’s changing his mind about me? That was the most ridiculous thing that I ever heard right now. Why would he change his mind? What happened that I did not know at all? Using the shoes of my heels, I pointed it on the floor. “Tell me. Did he bump his head or something?”“No.”“So that’s the answer, Hugh. Beta Maddox did not change his mind. Maybe…I did not know.”“Then how would you explain how he changed his mind? He did not want to sever his bond. Which might only meant one thing. He changed his mind. Maybe his feelings when we were children returned.”I threw back my head and laughed. “What the fuck, Hugh?” I asked if I was done laughing. “If you’re going to say something, at least you should anchor it to reality. Maddox never changed his mind.” Making my expression serious, I said, “Let’s forget about this and focus on his healing. Let's waste our energy on that. You needed Maddox on the pack while I don't want to continue visiting him anymore.”It would only give
AUTUMN:With all eyes on Hugh, it seemed that his tongue had retreated. Then, a couple of minutes passed, and he answered, "Yes. I will be shouldering the expenses. Charge everything to me."Mika narrowed her eyes. "Why? Are you her second chance mate?"I coughed and said to change the conversation, "Now, now. It's not about me, but Beta Maddox. Why don't we return to our previous conversation and start healing the beta? So that he could return to the pack house? A lot of warriors might be missing him."Mika clapped her hands. "Alright. I agree. We lost so much time. Beta Maddox, can you handle the severing of your bond?"Secretly, I sighed in relief. "How will you do it?" I asked, plainly curious. Mika smiled. "It's not that simple. I will cast a spell. Others use a potion, but the chances of success are slim. If you want your money not to be wasted, let's go work on casting a spell. But I want to make it clear that there would always be a risk.""What kind of risk?" I asked, sudde
AUTUMN:I felt weird all over because Mika shed tears for me. She did not know me. She did not know my past, so why was she overreacting?No female had ever hugged me like this. Back in my pack, all they did was either bully me or inflict pain on me. They hit me or kicked me whenever they wanted. Including Sabrina, Beta Maddox’s fiancee. But never like this.Now, as Mika continued crying, I couldn't help but feel…comforted. That someone knew my pain? That someone was able to empathize with me. This witch, hugging me was like giving me some kind of comfort, giving me butterflies on my stomach.I shook my head when I realized something. I should never get accustomed to this. This woman…she was a stranger. "There's no need to hug me," I said and pushed her away. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for the waterworks. I'm an empath. I could also feel what you are feeling right now. You're heartbroken. I wonder why. Have you perhaps broken up with your lover? Or your mate?"My
AUTUMN:Maddox's reaction was far better than watching the newcomer. From the looks of it, it seemed that the beta did not like the woman at all. Good for him. I wanted him to squirm. I wanted him to be uncomfortable. Just because we had a truce did not mean I was all good to him. On the other hand, the interaction between the two was...how did I say it...interesting? I wondered what was the story between the two?"Autumn."My brows furrowed, realizing there was the alpha standing beside that woman. How come I didn't even notice him?Hugh’s expression darkened as if he was…mad? Again? For staying in the same room with the beta?‘Maddox and I did not do anything wrong,’ I said. ‘You think he has the time to fool around given his condition right now?’ I asked through our mind link, not hiding my annoyance. ‘Why am I even explaining to you? I do not owe you anything, Hugh. Please stop acting jealous because you're not being cute,’ I stated inside his head. ‘Could you blame me? My mate
AUTUMN:I forced a smile even if my heart was breaking apart for some unknown reason.It must be the bond that we shared. This should be cut as soon as possible, to avoid things like this. To avoid getting hurt like this. Again. “Good. So…when will your wedding be?”“Next month,” he said and coughed. Next month. Next month would also be six months of working in this house. Six months of taking care of the alpha's son. “Alright. I will be there at your service, Beta Maddox. I will be happy to be there as long as the price is right,” I declared, forcing my voice to sound cheery as much as possible. The corner of his lips lifted. “Everything should have a price, huh?”I gave him a half-shrug. “It should be. After all, it’s not easy to face Sabrina. I know why she wanted me. She wanted to rub on my face that she’s one lucky woman when you marry her.” I scoffed. “I will never forget what she did to me. Never.”“It’s your right,” he said. I turned around and watched the door when I fe
AUTUMN:Hugh loved me. He loved me? He loved me!The confession shocked me to the core and all I could do was watch him with wide eyes. When I did not say anything at all, he continued, "I loved you, Autumn and I am willing to risk everything to have you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I'm so sorry for taking this too long to say, but now, I am one hundred percent sure of my feelings for you."A confession coming from him was definitely not what I expected. "What about your mother? What about your family? What about your pack? What about Beta Maddox? What about the people around you?” I asked. His brows formed a straight line. "Just because I loved her does not mean I'm going to listen to her when it comes to relationships. You're my mate, Autumn and I will do my best to keep you in my life."A lump suddenly formed in my throat, and what happened earlier was temporarily forgotten.Hugh loved me. My mate loved me. Finally. "You're only confused, Hugh," I said after a