LEVI EDELMAN The traces of humour disappeared from my features, a thousand deeper thoughts crossing my head.I could read in her eyes now that they met my gaze, the level of seriousness that accompanied her voice. She seemed intense and focused, meaning every word that left her lips.“Of course, that is only if you're willing to let me help you. I obviously can't do it alone cause, like you just expressed, I know absolutely nothing. And I won't possibly know anything if you don't teach me to know it.’’ She added, breathing out heavily as she turned back to the railings. I almost couldn't believe my ears. What does she know, and how much did she know?I never mentioned to her that I faced any sort of crisis handling the throne in my condition. I never mentioned having enemies who wanted to rip me off my throne. Where was she getting all that from? Keegan the priest? Could this be related to what Alan discussed with me?Did she really know about her father working with some merchant
GIA O'LEARY I didn't see it coming. I was perplexed, and I didn't fail to show it as I swung my head back to face him.“You wanna share the meal with her?’’ He asked. I found his question sarcastic, but I chose to ignore it. “Is there something you need me to do for you?’’ Thanks to the calm expression I managed to keep on, the wrath beneath my voice didn't sound daring as to offend his ego. “About earlier, I overreacted.’’ He said.Was he trying to apologize or something? Was this the best way he was taught to apologize for a wrong?“Oh. I can imagine.’’ I nodded, my cheeks high up. I made to move, but his grip didn't bulge from my arm. ‘‘Is there anything else?’’ I drawled. “I wasn't done talking.’’ He snapped in a low voice that ignited sparks through my veins. I shivered. “You don't even know who Camela is.’’ He scoffed, finally dropping my hand as his hand raked into his hair. I couldn't identify what exactly his problem was. He seemed restless. As much as I cared, I chos
GIA O'LEARY “Go on. I'll get the maids to finish up here.’’ Camela said, cutting through the tension that built between Alpha Levi and I. I appreciated her interruption, but I wasn't willing to follow her statement. ‘‘It's nothing that serious. I just wanted to inform you…’’ “Go upstairs and do it.’’ Camela snapped. I was forced to daze a look at her, an amused one. What in hell did she have in her mind right now? It was a harmless report I was going to make. What was this hard intuition she was trying to incubate?“Uh..it…’’ I tried protesting, but Alpha Levi started off towards the stairs. “We have some talk to do later. For now, you should go with him.’’ Camela rolled her eyes, pouring herself a glass of juice as she sat. I placed a knock on his suite with shaky hands. His response came not long after, inviting me in. I stood strictly by the door. He sat on his favourite couch with the caramel wooden center table right in front of him. A mug of steaming liquid, which I assu
GIA O'LEARY I raced out of the suite, following his instructions. But there was no damn way I was keeping my mouth shut about what I had just witnessed. “Where is Alan?’’ I inquired from a couple of maids I ran across in the hallway.. “He just stepped out with lady Maddison.’’ one of them answered. What the hell, Maddison? She was the least person I needed to be aware of Alpha Levi's condition. Thankfully, she was a therapist and not a doctor. I got out and turned towards the park, but Alan's voice came from behind me. ‘‘Are you ready?’’I scanned my eyes around and appreciated it when I didn't see Maddison. I close the gap between, standing just an inch from him, in a bid to prevent a third ear from hearing my report.“The Alpha is not in a good shape right now. He's in a really bad shape.’’ I couldn't understand why Alex stared at me blankly the way he did. I was totally in panic.“What's wrong with him?’’ Was he really asking me that? How was I supposed to know? “I don't kn
KEEGAN O'LEARYMadeleine left my arm as Mr Kim, the chauffeur, pulled the back door of the car open for the girls.I waited until Gia joined them before moving to my position behind Mr Kim in the front seat.I peeked into the rearview mirror, and I caught sight of Gia picking on her nails at the deep end of the long jalopy, reserved and quiet as usual. As it should be.All I could think about was the evil crescent mark imprinted at the back of her shoulder. She had gotten to the most critical part of her fate. The part where her life was at the peek of a stake.I'd done my part. I'd done my best trying to pr
MADDISON SNOWI ruffled my hair roughly, moving the hand dryer over the areas I hadn't blown. Once I was done, I took out my towel and threw on a big polo with denim shorts.I bent to take a look at myself in the mirror, and I was satisfied with the image staring back at me, but my mind kept tugging me back.Levi's reaction from yesterday when I tried calling him out for our therapy session was totally unnerving. I feared trying again today. Who knows, he might throw a fist at my nose this time.“Gosh!’’ I collapsed back on the chair in front of the mirror.Sitting here wouldn't
GIA O'LEARYI decided to read a book today. Maybe it would help sway my thoughts a bit from reflecting over Keegan's words.He went asking me how it was at the mansion and if Alpha Levi was making any advances to me, which I found totally uncomfortable. He got pissed when I reacted awkwardly to him and lashed out;“Listen up, you dense brat. You can't go there and misbehave, or you'll never expect what comes to you. The fact that you have the Luna title now doesn't make you any more than you have always been. The cursed little runt no one would want to rub themselves with. You wouldn't want the alpha to discover what you really are, so avoid him like a plague for the next three months if you don't want your head
ALAN WOODSHer expression melted from feisty to stunned and helpless. She stepped back in an attempt to move away from me and almost stumbled against the table. She rested against it for support, obviously whelmed by my unseemly outburst.“W-what was that?’’ She breathed.“You heard me right.’’ I inched closer, and her gaze darted to my feet, her lips acting immediately.“Don't come any closer. It's a request.”Yeah, sure, because I wasn't Levi. For two whole years, I had to deal with my feelings for her and watched her cruise the world with Levi. How could s
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