SUNSHINE:Knoxx was sorry. Sorry for what? Which particularly was he sorry for because there were a lot of things that he should be sorry about. The fingers on my hand were not enough to count them."I'm sorry. I was wrong," he added.I could feel his authenticity and the fast beating of his heart. The cold air was blowing in our direction, but I was sweating a lot.All I could do was to continue to gape at him because of surprise. Knoxx. He never said sorry before. He was not sorry when the vase nearly fell on the top of my head when his brothers were goofing around upstairs. He was not sorry when he ruined my wedding. And now…the wind had blown in the other direction? I opened and closed my mouth when my mind went blank.Of all the numerous times I needed to hear his apology, why only give it now? Was it because of my tears? Was he moved because of it? Do I have to cry so that his heart will move? So that he will be enlightened that what he had been doing for the past had bee
SUNSHINE:Knoxx was acting as if he had a right to decide for me. If he only accepted me as his, then I might allow him to sway my decision. But he did not. I put both of my hands on my hips. "What is your power over me?""I am your alpha.""It won't be after you and Brody signed the treaty.""I am your mate."I cocked my eyebrow. "You are my mate, but you never wanted to become one.""I'm only looking at what's best for you," he cajoled. “You won't allow me to live here because you think what's best for me? What kind of bullshit is that? The moment we succeed, this place will become peaceful. And we will no longer see each other. You will no longer see your mate. You will no longer pretend that you don’t have a mate. That's what you want, right?”"Yes, Sunshine. You are right.""Then? Well, you stop trying to decide for me?"After signing the peace treaty, I will return to the pack and officially ask for Alpha Ezra and Mother's approval. 'You think they will approve?' Helena aske
SUNSHINE:“I never said that. I might find the woman useful as the time goes, Knoxx answered.”“You will be using her? And next to her body? And then what?”"You're starting to act like you're jealous, stepsister," Knoxx declared. I forced my mouth shut. "Don't say I am jealous. Dante might get weird ideas."Dante’s eyes went back and forth between me and Knoxx. "I already did."Knoxx and I looked in his direction, my heart hammering against my chest. "Y-you do? Dante. Nothing is going on between us," I started. "Don't get any weird ideas.""They said that the more you hate, the more you love.""That's not true!" I exclaimed. Looking at Knoxx I said, "Did you hear him? It's because of you, stepbrother."Knoxx glared in reply. Sighing, Dante asked, “Haven’t you settled your issues? You're acting like children. No offense, Alpha Knoxx. You two reminded me of my siblings.”“We haven’t settled anything. Yet. Though I already seek her forgiveness. She won't forgive me."I shook my head
SUNSHINE:"I don't have feelings for the alpha," I said with a straight face. The only feeling I had for him was hatred. Nothing else.'Lies. You like him,' Helena urged.'You like him. Not me.'"But the way up you look at him…" Dante shook his head. "Never mind, Miss Sunshine. It was wrong of me to ask you that." "Did I give off that vibe? That I was desperate about the mate thingy, Dante?"Silence before he answered. "Please forget what I said, Miss Sunshine. I'm only imagining things. There's no way you like the alpha since you haven't found your mate.""You are correct. I have no feelings for him."I got to my feet and pretended to yawn. Now I understand why my stepbrother chose to sleep. To avoid questions like this. I pretended to yawn the second time. "I'm getting sleepy. Can we continue this talk next time?"Dante looked at me quizzically. "I g-guess so.""Good.""Miss Sunshine. Wait.""Yes?""Did I offend you with my last question? That was not my goal."I smiled widely. "
SUNSHINE:Knoxx's plan to have a negotiation was thrown out of the window after the murder. The townspeople had looked at us as if we were the culprit. The three of us—Dante, Knoxx, and me. Their eyes said that we were the reason why this peaceful town suddenly became chaotic. If only I knew the murderer, I would kill him myself. Because of him, it looked like our stay in this place would move over. What happened earlier still shook me. After doing the necessary steps, the dead body was carried away. Seeing Dante's house would never be the same. The victim's eyes would forever haunt me. I hugged myself as images of the victim's glassy eyes flashed through my memories. "Are we not doing anything?" I asked while biting my fingernails."Quite biting your fingernails. What are you? A child?" Knoxx chastised. We were on the balcony of Dante's house looking at the overlooking mountain. Knoxx's anger did not dissipate. He was on edge, but not saying anything. He was the most dangero
SUNSHINE:How long has it been since I last heard his voice? A couple of days? A few weeks? It felt like a year already had gone.“I’m glad you still remember and love me.”Rage pulsed through my veins. "Jericho," I uttered as if his name brought a plague. “What the fuck do you want?”“I thought you hated me.”“I hate to run even through the deepest water. Get lost!”Knoxx and my eyes met. ‘Who is that?’ he asked through our mind link.My hands struggled to control my shaking, but I did not succeed. ‘None of your business,’ I snapped. ‘It’s Jericho.’‘That man died already.’‘I heard you earlier.’‘Don’t eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation.’‘That man won’t stop you.’I stopped replying and distanced myself when Knoxx was eavesdropping on our conversation. I softly shut the door inside the room and focused on the call.“Are you listening to me, my beautiful Sunshine?”I flinched at Jericho’s creepy endearment. Yes. Creepy. But before, whenever he called me on our endearment,
SUNSHINE:Jericho wanted me back and did he think I believed him? I did not.Only a fool would believe him. That was what he was good at. Confusing my heart. Making me fall for him and the next thing he does, he will crush my heart using his own bare hand. Then, he would laugh at me and will say that I was stupid and foolish for falling for the same tricks over again. "You think I was the same fool in the past? Jericho. You cannot say that you want back without even apologizing for what you did in the past. Apologize first!”“I admit I was a fool, Sunshine. But I already reflected on my past actions.”"Say you are sorry."If he did, then the pain might disappear and I could move on. "I wasn't wrong, Sunny. Why would I say sorry?"“You hurt me. You cheated on me. You think those are not enough reasons to ask for my forgiveness?”“Do I have to say those words? I am an alpha.”He was hopeless and I could no longer stay with someone who was not even aware of his mistakes. “An alpha i
SUNSHINE:My feet led me to Thalia's coffee shop and I walked aimlessly around the town. Even if I already told myself that she was not my friend, I could not stop coming here. Unfortunately, with the status of my mind at the moment, I needed someone to talk to. Thalia was the best candidate for that. So what if she tried to seduce Knoxx? If she knew our relationship, and she persisted in seducing him, that would be the time I would be angry. But she did not. I should be more understanding because of her past.'That does not mean she should also take our mate away,' Helena blurted.Her mood became sour when she realized we would be going to the coffee shop.For Helena, Thalia was her rival.'She didn't know, Helena.''Then, tell her. Is that a problem?''Knoxx don't want anyone to know. He was scared that people might judge him if he took me as his mate.' And that was okay. In the beginning, my intention was not to have a mate but to have succeeded in this mission.With no other acq
SUNSHINE:I felt like I was an eggshell when I returned to the pack. My mind was a mess and I did not know whether I should be happy or not at the turn of events. Jericho had just broken the engagement and wanted me to be with Knoxx as if it were simple. It was not. How could I be with someone after knowing I hurt the person who truly loved me?“Sunshine? You okay?”I lifted my gaze after I stepped out of the car. Knoxx was at the garage, washing his car. Good for him. He turned off the faucet and wiped his hands on his pants. He was shirtless and sweat decorated his chest. Or maybe it was the water from the faucet. If I was not in shock at what happened earlier, perhaps I was already licking my lips upon seeing his body. “Do I look okay after seeing you?”“You were already not in a good mood when you stepped out of the car.”A low growl escaped from my lips. “You shut your mouth.”He heaved a sigh. “Have you eaten?”“Why does it matter?” I snapped. “Don't pretend like you care
SUNSHINE:Knoxx loved me. He finally loved me. Too bad, when I already gave up, he came chasing me. Why did it have to become this way? “What do you expect me to say?” I asked. “Do you want me to say that I have feelings too? How many times do I have to remind you that I already have Jericho? Why can't you see that?” I growled.Please don't confuse me, too. I pity Jericho. He was a changed man and I did not want to sin. My conscience won't allow that. “I…I don’t expect anything, Sunshine. I just wanted to tell you my feelings. I don’t…want to have any regrets.”“You really don’t care what your pack would say?”“Anyone’s opinion doesn't matter anymore, Sunshine. This time, I will pursue what I want. I won't stop unless you are already married. I don't want to live in regrets.”I inhaled deeply and pocketed his handkerchief. If only he confessed when I had not accepted Jericho…then maybe…there might be a chance between us. A sad smile spread on my lips. “Is this the kind man you ar
SUNSHINE:“Alright, Jericho. That’s good. Tell me if everything is okay.” I had to marry Jericho so that Knoxx would stop pestering me. I meant he already made it clear that he did not want me. So, I hoped he would stick to that. Sensing that someone was watching me, I looked around and found a pair of eyes watching me intently. Shite. My heart skipped a beat when I caught sight of Knoxx. He was about to enter the hall but stopped upon seeing me. If I stayed here, our paths would always cross. I had to get out of this pack as soon as possible.“I’ll be calling you back later, Jericho. T-thanks,” I muttered, in a hurry. Knoxx's steps faltered. As if he debated on approaching me or not. “Yes. Take care, Sunny. I love you so much. I hope this will be the start of something new. I love you,” he whispered lovingly. My mind went blank. He loved me. Until now? But my love for him had already disappeared when Knoxx entered the picture. What should I say?I bit the inside of my cheek
SUNSHINE: Out of reflex, I stood at the bed and scrambled away, losing my balance and landed on the floor with a loud thud. I gasped when a wave of pain exploded. I cursed loudly. Knoxx was suddenly on my side and asked, “Are you okay, Sunshine?” His voice was full of worry. His eyebrows raised and that was the time when I realized he was clean-shaven and his hair was also cut properly. He looked handsome…that I could not stop myself from thumping loudly against my ribcage. Jericho's face flashed inside my head. Guilt swallowed my heart. How could my heart jump because of someone else? Disgusting.“Do not touch me. Stay away from me. Your touch repulses me.”Knoxx let out a shaky breath. “Sunshine. I’m only checking if you are hurt.”“I’m not that weak. Why did you come here?”My heart continued to hammer against my chest. What was he doing here? Staying in the same room with him brought so many memories. I wanted to run away from him and hide.“I’m glad you're not in pain.”
SUNSHINE:I am going to marry Jericho a month from now. That was our agreement. Jericho’s parents were both excited and I had already told everyone in the family about it. Yes. That includes my stepbrothers as well. Mother was thrilled but my stepbrothers were not. It was as if they wanted me to wait for Knoxx. I sighed and rolled to my side. Leaving this room was not something I wanted to do now even if Jericho and I both agreed that we would be choosing wedding dresses even if the wedding ceremony was only simple. His Mother insisted that we should choose my dress properly for a prosperous life.I did not want a luxurious dress. All I wanted was a peaceful life. A peaceful married life. Marriage. Am I going to do this or am I only using Jericho?He said he was willing to be used, another part of my mind said.He did, but the guilt…If you don’t want to feel that, try loving him so that it will fade.I was not the type to use other people. I would rather be used than to be anoth
DANTE:The alpha was drunk again and stayed at the river, while watching the bonfire, I mused to myself as I hid on the large tree. I wanted to be disappointed, but I also understood why he was acting like this—his youngest brother's death. I wanted to pretend that I did not know what was happening to him, but I did.My heart tightened when he would call his dead brother and sometimes Sunshine when he was so drunk. I looked at the sky which was full of stars. I wished the day would come when Alpha Knoxx would stop blaming himself. He got worse after Miss Sunshine went back to the pack. Did the two have a falling out? If I were the alpha, I would not let anything separate me from my mate regardless of the reason. May it a step sibling or not.Alpha Knoxx emptied the contents of the bottle and put it aside. He already drunk five bottles of beer. There were five more left for him to empty. Still, he continued taking care of his people. Little by little, they accepted him as their
SUNSHINE: Jericho knew he messed up the moment he saw my expression. It turned sour until it darkened. His mouth opened and closed until he fell silent.I clenched my fist and put them on my side. “You think it’s about Knoxx?” That man who left me? That man who never wanted me? “What do you think of me, Jericho?”You liar! How could you lie with a straight face?Isn’t he the reason for all of this? Isn’t he the reason why you could not move on to the present, Sunshine? The other part of my mind asked.Jericho went to the window, pulled out something from his pocket. A cigarette. As if reminded that I hated the smell of it, he grabbed one stick and snapped it into two. “It was him. You loved that man,” he insisted. I lifted my chin, feeling my lips quivered.I was glad that he was not looking at my direction or he would know that he was right. I loved Knoxx. I loved the man who said he liked me but never loved me. At all.My chest went heavy. Fuck.How long will I continue to dea
SUNSHINE:“Mom. You don’t have to pressure Sunshine about that. We did not come to visit here for that,” Jericho declared in my defense. Lifting my gaze, I saw how his cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Cute. Cute?I chuckled nervously, but his mother won’t stop any moment from now. She pinched his son’s side.“Oh, come on, Jericho. Have you been slacking off? How many times will I tell you that you should win her back? I want her as my daughter-in-law!” his mother scolded.Mentally, I sighed in relief. She did not hate me for what I did to their son.‘Why would they when it was Jericho’s fault?’ Helena interjected. ‘It was right to reject him.’‘The last time I remember, you were bawling your eyes out when I rejected him.’Helena sneered. ‘That was all in the past. I want Knoxx to be better.’“Honey. Let’s just let the kids deal with it.”“That’s right, Mom. Right now, Sunny and I are friends.”“Friends?” His mother’s disappointment was evident on his face. “I never said that you two
SUNSHINE:The heart hammered against my ribcage as I walked in the hallway while clenching my fist.How could the beta ask me what would happen to Knoxx if ever I married Jericho when the alpha specifically showed me that he had nothing to do with me? Men. Did they think women had all the time to wait for them? Like the heck!I should seriously consider if I want to marry Jericho or not so that this will stop.‘What will happen to our mate, then?’ Helena asked, whimpering. She had been silently crying in the corner of my mind.‘That is no longer my concern. Knoxx has chosen and it’s time for me to do the same.’“Sunshine. Wait!”I heard footsteps and I did not need to stop to know who it was. Cayden. The rational one among the brothers. And he was also the most sane person who never blamed me for what happened to the youngest brother. How unfortunate we were never given the chance to be closer as siblings. “Sunshine. Can we talk?”I stopped and faced him. Sweat coated his forehead f