GIA O'LEARYI didn't realize a huge smile wrapped my face until I heard Redrine’s chuckles behind me.“You look beautiful, Luna. You've got the smile of a beauty.’’ She flattered.“Okay, let that be the end of your flattery for today.’’ I rolled my eyes, standing from the pretty violet flower I had bent to inhale.“I'm being serious, Luna.” She urged, following behind me as we walked further into the garden.“Is that rose flowers over there?’’ I pointed at the small section of red flowers a few steps away, excitement budding in my stomach at the thought o
GIA O'LEARY Keegan mentioned something about coming around today to hand the virgin herb for Alpha Levi's revival process to me. How could I have forgotten?“He insisted on seeing you, and left when he couldn't.’’ The man added. My eyes grew wide, turning over to regard him. “You were asleep, the maid couldn't have woken you up.’’ He twitched his shoulders, leaving another thrill of surprise over me. They were really being serious right now? Seems I underestimated the credibility of Luna's position, but Keegan wasn't going to take it that way. He must have gotten so mad at me. “I'm not saying you shouldn't have slept. I'm saying your father, the priest, could have handed whatever he wanted to give you to anyone else right?’’ It wasn't just me. There was a hint of sarcasm and something close to suspicion in his question and almost squinting gaze. Who the hell was this man?‘‘By any chance, are you aware of what he was going to give to me?’’ I asked, folding my arms across my che
GIA O'LEARYRedrine escorted me to the dining area. I breathed out silently in relief to see Alpha Levi already seated at the head of the table.I remained by the door and trailed my gaze around his face for any unusual feature, but his hair didn't allow me any access since he gazed downwards into his phone.“Is there a problem, my lady?’’ Redrine asked in a whisper. I had almost forgotten she still stood behind me.“No, it's fine. You may leave now, get out the meal.’’ I whispered back, watched her bow and leave, before returning my gaze to watch Alpha Levi.
LEVI EDELMAN I watched Gia pull into an abrupt halt. No, actually I'd had my eyes on her the whole time Keegan passed the instructions concerning my servings of the virgin herb. I left her to face Keegan. His eyes are plain cold and void of any emotions. At times I wondered if he always saw the spiritual beings before his eyes that had turned him so serious and never wearing a smile. Little wonders he managed to leave Gia in a tight position. ‘‘Did you hear me, Alpha?’’ He asked when I didn't give him any replies. “I need to speak to you as well, Keegan.’’ I relaxed back on my chair, stylishly disapproving of his request. Gia didn't seem pleased with the idea of sharing a private discussion with Keegan, but that wasn't why I declined him. We had just discussed Keegan possibly having an ulterior motive last night, Alan and I. That was the actual drive behind my decline and in fact my involvement in the whole meeting. ‘‘If that be the case, then who am I to question the Alpha’s p
LEVI EDELMAN A scoff flew its way through my lips. They didn't even notice my presence. That was how weak my Alpha ability had become. I didn't produce a single aura around me. “What the hell is going on here?’’ I voiced, my gaze fixed on Gia whose gaze met mine immediately. The maids went helter-skelter. Running around, picking what was and wasn't. “Good morning, Alpha.’’ A few managed to coordinate properly. But my care wasn't even about them.“We deserve to die. Please forgive us, Alpha. We did warn her but she refused to listen.” They went on ranting while Gia averted her gaze from me. “What do you think you're doing, I'm waiting for you.’’ I snapped, dishonored by her ignorance. “Please leave, Luna.’’ Some maids gathered to pull her up and towards me. I snatched her arm and pulled her out. I didn't care about my unmatchable pace and ignored her petty complaints until we arrived at my suite. Unlike every other room in the Marion which only had space for a bed, my chamber
GIA O'LEARY His gaze froze. A gust of unexplainable emotions flashed in his eyes in one moment. I sucked in my bottom lip, repeating the name, Madison while wondering who she could be. Alpha Levi stormed to the door without a word. I immediately followed suit. “What is she doing here?’’ I heard him ask as he pushed the door open and walked out. He didn't allow Alan the chance to respond and just bolted off, while Alan regarded me with a weird look. I almost asked him why the fuck he stared at me like that, but he dashed off after Alpha Levi too. I contemplated going after them or staying back. What does it matter? If the lady was here to stay then I'd have to deal with her eventually so why stress it. Alpha Levi didn't seem pleased to hear about her arrival, and that pricked my curiosity the most.In the end, I obliged to my inquisitiveness and pushed my legs downstairs. “Well, I'm here now.’’ A high-pitched feminine voice hit my ears. “You can't have me leave just like that.’’
MADDISON SNOWAnother scoff fell off my lips as I paced back and forth, my hand stuck in my hair. I was going crazy. I needed a bullion of nose powder to calm my nerves right now or I might just go up there and dismantle that bitch. ‘‘Can you calm down, Maddison?’’ Alan appeared down the stairs again. He was done taking up my stuff and had been off to dress my room. Seeing him down already only meant he was done preparing my space. “You promised to explain things to me. Why aren't you?’’ I almost screamed. “I did promise to explain but not here or while having you pace about like a crazy woman.” He snapped.I didn't even mind him calling me crazy cause I was indeed crazy right now. I urged to the stairs, almost bumping my shoulder into him as I climbed up. He followed behind me until we got to my bedroom. “What is she?’’ I asked once the door went shut. “She's Luna.” He blurted out. I scoffed. “I'm not in for some silly jokes right now.’’ And I really wasn't. “She is the Luna
GIA O'LEARY“Oh, hey. I was waiting for you.’’ Maddison forced a smile. She slipped her hand around Alpha Levi's arm, but it didn't last two seconds cause he yanked his arm away.He shot a glare at her, a disdainful one. “Never pull that with me again.’’ His voice held a daring warning.I didn't expect the way Maddison mellowed and quietly came to join us.I sighed. Distressed. Anxious. I really wanted to know what happened between them, why they got separated. The idea of having Maddison tend to Alpha Levi's therapy strangely didn't sit well with me. It was disturbing.Alan cleared his throat as t
LEVI EDELMANThe moment I saw her step outside, my breath stalled for a second.Gia walked down the steps with her chin held high, dressed so simple yet so beautiful it almost felt like the world slowed around her. The soft breeze caught strands of her hair, brushing them gently against her cheek, and for a second, I forgot about everything.All I could think about was how I’d let my temper get the best of me last night.I hadn’t meant to leave her room like that. I only wanted her to understand, but the more I tried to explain, the more it felt like I was losing her. I knew she didn’t trust Alan, and maybe I was a fool for believing she could see him the way I did.&n
GIA O’LEARYI stared at him for a moment, waiting for the joke to land. But it didn’t.When he told me he wanted Alan to be Alpha, I had laughed, not because I found it funny, but because I couldn’t believe it. The words sounded so strange coming out of his mouth, like they belonged in someone else’s world, not his.But Levi didn’t even crack a smile. His face stayed the same, calm, distant, and sure.That was when the laughter died in my throat.“You’re serious?” I asked, my voice low, searching for even the smallest hint that he was teasing.
LEVI EDELMAN I watched her face closely, the way her brows pulled together, the way her fingers twisted the loose thread of her sleeve like her thoughts were stuck in knots she couldn’t untangle.She had asked me if I thought the maid was the one behind it. If I believed the herbs had really been found just like that, without some deeper plan hiding underneath it all.I leaned back a little, stretching my legs out with a deep sigh. “It’s not the maid,” I said simply. “She was set up.”Gia’s head lifted slowly, her eyes finding mine. I could see the question in her face even before she opened her mouth.“If the maid was really the one who stole the herbs, like I have said,” I went on, “she wouldn’t have meddled with them. She would’ve left them alone and waited for someone else to find them naturally.”Her lips parted, but no words came right away. She was quiet for a while, almost like she was replaying everything in her head, fitting the pieces together, trying to make sense of it
GIA O’LEARYI couldn’t sit still.I paced back and forth across the room like a caged animal, my mind spinning faster with each step. No matter how many times I tried to make sense of it, I couldn’t. My thoughts kept chasing each other in circles.Mia found the herbs. That should’ve been good news. It should’ve been a relief. But all it did was make my stomach twist tighter. If she could find them, did that mean she wasn’t the one who took them in the first place? Or was she smart enough to return them without raising suspicion? Maybe that was her plan all along. Maybe showing them now was just her way of clearing her name.The more I thought about it, the more lost I felt. None of it added up.My chest ached from the weight of it all. Someone had to be lying. Someone had to have tampered with those herbs, which means the person’s main intention is either to tamper with Levi’s heart or trying to lay Levi’s suspicion on me. I stopped pacing for a second, standing in the middle of the
MADDISON SNOWThe moment I heard Mia’s voice say those words, my whole body jumped. My heart skipped so hard I thought it would burst through my chest.She found the herbs? How?I stood up without thinking, the chair screeching behind me, my legs moving on their own. My mind was racing too fast, trying to catch up with the shock. I clearly remembered what Alan told me before. He said the herbs were properly kept, hidden, and safe. No one should’ve found them. No one.But here we were, Mia testifying she had come across the herbs while cleaning.I turned my head slowly toward Alan, search
LEVI EDELMANI knew Alan was watching out for me. His eyes kept moving between me and Gia, but I didn’t care. Whether he was worried or not wasn’t my concern. The only thing I cared about was the way Gia sat beside me, looking like her mind wasn’t even here.Ever since we sat down for dinner, I’d noticed the way her hands kept shaking. It wasn’t much at first, just small, soft movements but the longer it went on, the more it started to bother me. I hated it. I hated the way she looked right now.I watched her pick up her fork, her fingers barely steady enough to hold it. She didn’t even lift the food to her mouth. She just stared at the plate, like she was too lost in her own thoughts to even remember where she was
GIA O'LEARY I stood there, frozen. My mind couldn’t understand what I just heard.For a moment, I couldn’t even speak. My lips parted, but no words came out. I looked at Levi, hoping maybe I had heard wrong. But his face was serious.“Is that… is that even possible?” My voice sounded small, almost like it wasn’t mine.Levi’s hand reached for mine, warm and steady. His thumb brushed lightly over my skin as he gave me a small shake of his head.“Yes, so don’t worry yourself about it,” he said. His voice was calm, but I could feel the tension under it.My stomach tightened. I lowered my eyes, feeling the guilt that had been sitting heavy on me from the start. I had caused too much trouble, more than I ever meant to. I didn’t even know how to fix it, or how things had gotten this messy. It felt like every time I tried to breathe, the weight on my chest only got heavier.“I’m sorry, Levi,” I whispered. My throat tightened as I spoke. “I really am. I didn’t want to cause any of this.”His
LEVI EDELMAN. The magazine in my hand had been stuck on the same page for what felt like hours. My eyes scanned the words, but nothing stayed long enough to make sense. Every line blurred together, every picture looked the same.And it’s because my mind wasn’t on the pages. It was on Gia. I leaned back against the chair, letting the magazine fall loosely onto my lap.I didn’t know why it kept replaying in my head, the way tears fall from her eyes without so much effort amazes me. And now, thinking about it, I didn’t even understand why it made me laugh.I let out a low, dry chuckle, shaking my head at myself.I rubbed a hand over my face, pressing the heel of my palm into my eyes until the sting faded.A soft knock tapped against the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Sir,” a voice called, I know it’s a maid so I didn’t bother to reply. “Dinner’s ready.”I didn’t answer right away. My hand dropped from my face, falling back onto the magazine, still open to the same page I had
LEVI EDELMAN I don’t know how long I sat in the room. The walls felt like they were closing in on me, pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe. My mind had gone too quiet, too heavy, like even my own thoughts had given up on me.I stared at nothing but feeling everything.At some point, I pushed myself up and left the room. I didn’t know where I was going. I just needed to breathe, or maybe I just needed to move, to remind myself I still could.I’d been trying not to think too much about Alan. Trying not to focus on how he always found a way to push Maddison away whenever I tried to lash out at her.I couldn’t understand it. Alan never did anything without a reason, but this time, I couldn’t figure him out.The thought stayed in my head, even as I turned the corner, heading for the door. But before I could step outside, I slowed down when I heard Keegan’s voice.I frowned, wondering what he was doing here and why he hadn’t told me.I took a step forward, and then I saw Gi