LEVI ELDERMAN
Things grew a bit awkward. Actually, she made things seem awkward by her unpleasant silence.
“You have a problem?’’ I raised a brow.
Her mouth finally closed, and she breathed. “You should have your medication. We can't keep it any longer.’’
“It's almost past dinner time. I don't see the point.’’ I said sincerely.
“Well, I see the point. Who knows, you might pull a stunt after dinner and make me skip the medication again.’’ She implied.
“And by that, you mean?’’
“You s
MADDISON SNOWI traced his gaze to meet Gia by the door. She had a jar of some weird-looking liquid in her grip while her eyes scanned us.‘‘Gia?’’ Levi called. He seemed dumbstruck. I could swear I heard his heartbeat.“I'm sorry. I didn't realise you'd be busy.’’ She turned and left.“Gia!’’ Levi called after her, pulling away from me to go after her.I couldn't believe my world. Levi had never resisted my nakedness, he always went crazy at the mere sight. But he was pulling away now, and because of what, that little girl?&n
MADDISON SNOWHer face fell, and she instantly went quiet, as if I'd asked the most difficult question ever.“Spill. Now.’’ I commanded.“Um…she is the Luna.’’ She blurted out.‘‘Are you crazy?’’“I'm sorry, my lady. Please specify what exactly you want to know about her.’’ She lowered her head.“Obviously, she's not Levi's mate. What exactly is her deal with him?’’&ld
GIA O'LEARY“Helloo! Are you even hearing me?’’ Camela snapped her fingers to my face.“I'm listening,’’ I grumbled.“So why ain't you responding then?” Her aging face folded into a displeased scowl.“Shouldn't we wrap up for the day? All these are just so frustrating.’’ I whined, flipping the pages of the annals before slapping the whole book shut.I shoved my fingers into my hair frustratedly, resting my forehead against my palm.‘‘We have barely even started&helli
GIA O'LEARY“What Alpha?’’ Camela asked, eyes widened in horror.My heart flew off at the report, and my brain seemed to recoil to the dark corners of my skull. I worked with a sudden surge of adrenaline, jumping off my seat and racing out of the library.I ran crazily down the stairs, my palm burning along the bronze railings from the tension of my full speed. Alan's voice kept repeating, echoing in the hollow space of my mind at how Alpha Levi's life was sorta a mass target in the pack.“Where is he? Where is the Alpha?’’ I inquired from the gathering maids I met at the living area.
GIA O'LEARYCamela stepped aside, and Maddison rushed to grab Levi, leaving a sharp groan from his lips.“Oh, I'm so sorry.’’ She pulled away from him, scrutinizing the injured area.“It's on his shoulder, Mommy lady. The right one.’’ Redrine called out.I swallowed nothing, swatting my gaze to Camela without moving my head. She stood there, stealing unhealthy glances at Maddison, and I wondered what had suddenly gone wrong with her. Shouldn't she be cussing and ranting by now?“Exactly, right there.’’ Redrine voiced again, making me avert my gaze to Levi.
GIA O'LEARY“Luna! Luna!!” Redrine yelled after me, but I was far gone.“Open the gates.’’ I met some security men at the gate. They gave me weird stares and exchanged glances.“Aren't you the Luna?’’ One asked.“Obviously, I am. So, will you open the gate now?’’ I said in a more commanding tone, hoping my little tip works out.They exchanged another glance before the second one moved to unlock the gate. I ran out immediately before they changed their minds.
GIA O'LEARYMadeleine picked another apple from her tray, munching nonchalantly while I digested the news.“Father. What did father say? He didn't believe her, right?’’ I stuttered, resting my hand against the wall to support my stance as my heart beeped heavily against my ears.She scoffed. “That was your only luck, father wasn't home when she came around.’’“And Lara? Tara? Jade? Any of them?’’ I pressed, calling on the moon goddess in my heart to let me slide this last time.If any of the twins heard of it, there was not a single doubt they'd c
LEVI EDELMANI held back a grunt in my throat as I sipped from my cup of flavor tea, then returned the cup to the table.The more I tried exercising the injured hand, the more it felt like my arm was gonna fall off my shoulder.I threw my head back against the couch, sweat streaming down my neck as the wound throbbed behind my shoulder. Although the doctor had warned that I should keep my hand out of use for the next two days, I couldn't adhere to that.What would become of my reputation? My ego? My Alpha pride? I couldn't succumb to cowardly requirements.I almost tried to pick up
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