Edwina felt a shiver as she struggled with the cold glass of water in her hand. She seemed to be so uncomfortable in this waiting room even with all the air conditioning. The receptionist who had noticed her quivering earlier insisted that she had a glass of water to drink, but this did not help matters at all, as with each second that passed until it got to her turn, Edwina only felt worse.
She knows its not the atmosphere that’s making her this way, it’s the person she is waiting for in this very room she’s worried about. Her first mate, who also happened to be the alpha of her pack, the night howlers, alpha Alexander the great.
This is the first time in years that she will be meeting him, the first time since he rejected her, but this is only one reason for her nervousness. She is here to plead with him to release her sister, Sonia, and her husband Benedict. Their execution was pronounced yesterday immediately after Xander obtained the results of Sonia’s pregnancy test. The alpha painfully discovered that his Luna was carrying a child that belonged to his beta instead of him, the worst form of betrayal that had never happened in the history of night howler leadership.
Benedict and Sonia are now in prison awaiting their death date, and the whole pack, including her family have given up on the case, as alpha Xander has refused to change his mind since. Everyone knows it’s a hopeless case for the two of them, as the alpha’s words are always final, but only Edwina thinks differently from this. Not that she thinks she has any chance of getting the alpha to overturn their sentence after everyone else has failed, in fact she does not know why she would even consider such thought, but at least, she felt the need to try.
Benedict and Sonia are family to her, and she loves them both very much, even with all that’s happened, even with how much they hurt her, with how much they betrayed her, she could never bear to see them get killed. If meeting her former mate whom she’s dreaded for so many years, if staring into those cold blue eyes and getting down on her knees to beg with everything she’s got in her would give a small shot at saving Sonia and Benedict’s life, then she would do it a million times over.
“The boss will see you now, Miss Edwina.”
She nearly spilled the water upon hearing her name being called. It was the receptionist speaking.
“I’m sorry, um… Excuse me?” Edwina asked, knowing clearly what she’d just heard, but still feeling the need to hear it again, just to be sure it was her.
“I said, Mr. Chase will see you in his office now.”
“Oh, okay.” She got up nervously, placing the water on top of the stool next to her, before picking up her bag to follow the receptionist into Mr. Chase’s office.
She took slow steps behind the older woman, each one she took across the passage bringing her closer, making her heart beat faster. Was coming here a mistake? No, at least not to try to save the life of her family, but what about her? Will she be okay after this encounter?
Her mind took a short walk to the day of the rejection then, she’d never felt so much pain in her life as she did that day, after finding out that of all people on the planet, the moon goddess joined her with the alpha of her pack. Jealousy sparked in the hearts of all female night howlers her age as the news somehow travelled far.
“How could the alpha be mated to such a lowly creature?”
“She doesn’t even have a wolf; how do we even know she’s one of us?”
“She could never become Luna, alpha Xander would reject her straight away if he found out about her deficiency.”
She didn’t let those gossips upset her, as after meeting him, if alpha Xander accepted the union and agreed to marry her, their words would be as good as irrelevant. But sadly, they were not. Before she could even get the chance to tell him herself, alpha Xander had already found out about it. It’s been a few years since the rejection, but she never forgot his words, those words that brought so much pain to her heart on the day she first met him.
“I am sorry, but the night howlers cannot have a deficient Luna. You will have to find someone else.”
He didn’t even spare her a glance that day before sending her out, perhaps if he did, he would have seen how much hurt he’d caused her, perhaps he might have changed his mind.
“Miss Sinclair?”
Her mind snapped back to the present as she realized her name had been called a couple of times before she answered.
“Are you okay?” The older woman asked with a concerned look on her face.
“Yes,” Edwina nodded confidently, trying to hide her true emotions. “I’m fine.” She said again.
“Are you sure? You know, we could just reschedule if you’re not feeling up to it.”
“No, don’t!”
She had to do this no matter what. Apart from the fact that she knew what it took her to get here, she could not let her oversensitivity waste the small time that Benedict and Sonia had left.
“Are you sure?” The receptionist asked her again, wanting to be certain before letting her into the large office behind the door in front of them.
“Yes. I am very sure. I would like to meet with Mr. Chase now.”
The older woman nodded and then let her into the office of the CEO of Laurel Wolf Holdings, Inc, one of the world’s former leading real estate companies, which according to news reports, is now on the verge of bankruptcy.
After entering, the door closed behind her as she was left all alone with the blonde-haired man sitting on a wheelchair behind the large desk across the room. His wheelchair backed her as he stared the magnificent view of the city behind his office window, an advantage which the last floor of this high-rise building provided. He looked different since the last time she saw him, maybe its because the rejection came before the battle, when he wasn’t confined to that wheelchair, when he still had everything.
She didn’t know what to do besides watch the back of his head. He must have heard the sound of the door, so why didn’t he turn to face her? She was scared to utter a word, so she just stood there, waiting until he would be ready for her.
It didn’t take long before that happened.
“Miss Sinclair?”
“Y-yes, sir?” She stammered.
“You do not have an appointment prior to this. Who are you and how did you get in here?” He asked her without turning his chair over, still staring into the glass walls in front of him.
She took a deep breath as she remembered the words of his personal assistant, Lucia, who had cautiously warned her not to give her name out as the person who had given her a pass to the administrative floors. Edwina only had her to thank for getting in here. She would not put Lucia in trouble for her kindness.
“I’ll have you know that I do not repeat questions, Miss Sinclair!” The dominant voice rang loud across the room, giving her more shivers. This time, he had turned to face her, and as he stared at her directly, she had to answer quickly.
“I am Edwina Sinclair, sir. Omega Edwina Sinclair- of the night howler pack.”
So, she was one of his wolves. She belonged to his home, she expected his voice to soften upon hearing what she said, she expected him to relax after finding out she was not the enemy, but his voice seemed no different than the last time he spoke.
“You have not answered my second question. How did you get in here?”
Here comes the question she was trying to avoid. How does she answer this now? She looked at him from where she was standing and noticed he was glaring at her, seeming to be annoyed by her silence. She had to say something, anything.
“You can punish me as much as you like after this sir, but please, just hear what I have to say…” She then got on her knees before continuing, a move of hers which seemed to surprise him, “please… I beg you in the goddess’s name. Please, do not kill Benedict and Sonia. I beg of you not to kill them, please sir.”
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she waited for him to say something in response to her pleas. He didn’t, instead he remained in silence, watching her from where he sat. Since he didn’t respond, she couldn’t think of anything else to do besides plead more.“Please, sire. I beg of you to show mercy to them. Please.”His next words were disappointing. She should have expected something similar to that, but then she didn’t.“Get out of my office, Miss Sinclair!”“Sir, please I…”“I said, get out!” The tone of his voice increased which made her spring up to her feet immediately. Even while sitting on that wheelchair, even with the fact that she had a capacitated advantage over him, he still scared the hell out of her.What should she do now? She hadn’t even tried and he’d already given her his answer. Remaining here is dangerous, she could lose her life if she upsets him further, but still her life is nothing, it’s still worth giving it a shot to save her family.“You might not kn
Edwina Sinclair. As the name dawned on him, he tried to recall everything that happened at that time, about five years ago maybe. He doesn’t remember much.***FLASHBACK. FIVE YEARS AGO***As an alpha who had just ascended the throne, alpha Xander had been looking forward to meeting his new mate, a lot of night howler families had approached him, offering their daughters hand, but he’d refused, reason being that he prepared to wait for the one the moon goddess had prepared for him. Her name was later revealed in a dream, a direct message from the great goddess herself.His excitement to meet her was short lived when he’d found out about his supposed mates’ deficiency, this he found out after a visit from her father, John Sinclair. He was in the packhouse courts that day when instead of his mate, her father was the one who answered the call he’d sent in search for her.“Good day sir,” John bowed upon entering the night howler pack courts where the alpha was seated.“Good day to you,” Xa
His mind seeped back to the present as he saw his mate, the one he’d longed for that time, the one he’d sadly had to reject to marry her sister. Edwina Sinclair in his office.He wondered how things would have turned out if he’d chosen to ignore the words of the pack’s circle, if he’d chosen to ignore the words of John Sinclair and just follow his heart instead. Perhaps he wouldn’t have had so much regret. John’s so-called befitting Luna not only hurt him, but had to humiliate him in front of the whole pack, giving his disability and insolvency as an excuse for her foolish pursuits with his beta.He wasn’t in the marriage for love or anything of the sort, he’d always put his people first in all of his decisions and that’s why he’d taken Sonia instead of her sister. All he wanted was a Luna without any shortcomings, but at the end, he got the worst form of betrayal in a dish served cold.Sonia was more than happy to take the place of her sister and become Luna. They both had a happy ma
Edwina had this disappointed feeling in her heart as she was led out of Mr. Chase’s office, through the floor halls, down the elevator and the ground floor reception which led out of the tall company high-rise building. It was right in the middle of the Danbury city, one of the human territories which mostly had buildings belonging to some night howlers.As she began her walk down the street, her heart told her not to lost hope yet, as the alpha hadn’t given his final answer, she would just have to find a way to meet him in the pack house.“Edwina!!! Hello! Edwina!!!!”She’d been hearing someone call her name from behind as she walked, but was too absent minded to notice. Her attention was finally gotten when she felt a hand touch her shoulder from the back.“Edwina.”She turned to see it was the receptionist from the office. The older lady then stopped to catch her breath as she appeared exhausted having chased Edwina all the way here.“I’m sorry,” Edwina apologized. I couldn’t hear
A lot of things still surprised Edwina as she was being driven in the back seat of the private vehicle. A lot of questions she had in mind to ask about Mr. Chase and how he was able to locate her. Finding her home might have not been a problem, as this same driver had dropped her off there earlier today, but finding her new workplace where she’d barely resumed? How was he able to? “Excuse me, um… Mr.… Um.?”The driver turned to face her for two seconds, “Patrick. You can call me Patrick, Miss,” he said, before focusing his gaze back on the road.“Okay, Mr. Patrick. I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but how did you find out about my workplace? Prior to this time, no one else knew about my new job besides me.”“I also didn’t know about it before this time, ma’am.”“So how then did Mr. Chase find out?”“He didn’t. My only instruction was to come to your house to pick you up this evening, miss, but I knew you’d be working so I went to your new boss to ask for permission first.”“How
“Nothing sir,” the older woman whose name appeared to be Becca answered as she then let go of Edwina’s hand.His face scowled even more at her response, “I heard you, you were just saying something to her now, and now you tell me nothing’s going on? Lying to my face?”Becca didn’t respond anymore, just bent her head as she trembled in fear, fear of saying any other thing so as not to make matters worse.Edwina wasn’t staring at him, but still, she could feel him glaring holes into her face.“Stephen.”After hearing the alpha’s call, the butler didn’t need to be given further instruction as he hurriedly ran up the stairs to assist Mr. Chase down using the specially designed stair climber.“Edwina,” he called her after Steven placed him in front of them. She turned to face him, “Y-yes, Mr. Chase?”“What was Becca telling you before I came?”“Nothing sir.”“You’re covering for her, aren’t you?”She shook her head, “no sir. She was just welcoming me, that’s all.”He stared at her more d
***THE NEXT DAY***Edwina was still distraught with the after thoughts from what had happened yesterday. She’d returned to her former home in night howler territory after the dinner, the alpha had given her some time to think further about the condition he gave. There was no need for thinking, saying yes would give her what she wanted after all, but he still insisted on it.Now that she thought of it, even though she wouldn’t die, she realized she would still be at the losing end of all this. She would have to return to a disabled man whom she had no feelings for. She would have to live a life that involved caring for someone whom she once shared a bond with, a bond that had been rejected, a bond that had hurt her so badly. Now she had to go back to a home where she would be reminded of the pain she once felt every day. This will be hard, even much harder than death, but does she really have any other choice?She does, the other one would be to let Sonia and Benedict die, but she know
The time that Edwina had here was limited. There was so much she wanted to talk to Sonia about, so much lost time between the two sisters, but that will have to wait till later. First, she had to tell her what was most paramount, she had to tell her the happy news, that she wasn’t going to die, that her and her baby would live, all because of her sister’s sacrifice.“Sonia, you are not going anywhere. These will not be your last days on earth.”“I love your optimism, Edwina, but let’s face the truth. No one will make the alpha change his mind once it’s made up. The warden came to tell me here today that the execution date will soon be fixed.”“I’m serious about what I said, Sonia. And I’m not just being optimistic because I think it will happen. I went to the alpha to plead with him on you and Benedict’s behalf.”“You did what? And what makes you think he would ever change his mind? I mean no offence by this, sister, but he was once my husband, I lived with him for years. Once he deci
Authors POV...Becca searched around the kitchen uncomfortably, trying not to meet Caleb's eyes. It was just as Ramona had said; he looked terrible. His eyes obviously were sleep deprived. She had been trying her best to avoid him all week, and it worked. Becca didn't get to see him, just as she had wished.Watching her every move, Caleb walked towards the kitchen island, taking Ramona's seat. He sighed in exhaustion."Until when would you keep doing this?" He asked, holding his head together with his hands.She gulped hard, toying with her fingers. "did you know about Ramona coming?""How was I supposed to know? I haven't spoken to her in weeks. I was surprised myself to see her here."Searching his eyes for any form of lie or pretence, Becca saw the naivety in his eyes. It was obvious Caleb had no idea of Ramona's coming. She inhaled and exhaled at the same time, trying to steady her breath.It wasn't worth brooding on too much; Becca herself was tired of being so far away from him.
Authors POV...Ramona searched around the crowd, trying to see if she would get a hold of Becca, but she seemed to disappear at every chance she got to approach her. One thing about the gathering of night howlers is how merry they all become and how they know how to party till the day ends. Especially since the alpha had finally gotten back to his feet. Annoyed at how hard it was becoming, Ramona made her way towards the podium area to ask a guard where Becca was. The guard directed her to the kitchen.Her heels clattered against the hallways as she manoeuvred her way around the pack house. Getting into the kitchen, Becca was there as she had been told. Standing at the edge of the kitchen was Becca, who seemed so lost in her thoughts. Ramona bit her lip really hard; she felt so guilty.For the past three weeks, Ramona had forced her way into Caleb's home to have him bend to her wheel. Unfortunately, Caleb seems to be much more determined than she was to not give in to her advances.Ev
Edwina's POV...For what seemed like a lifetime, he didn't say a word. I was getting bothered, and my standing didn't feel good, considering my position. I would like to think that Xander reads my mind. Almost in a split second, he had dusted a chair that sprouted out from among the piles of antiques in the space and had me seated on it.I gulped nervously, feeling bad for thinking ill of him. "Xander..."He held a hand up, "please let me finish." He pleaded."Okay." I let out in a whisper.Still standing, Xander had his back turned to me, obviously trying to hide the tears in his eyes. "over the years, as I grew, I leaned on Ben as he was the only person really close to me. I felt safe trusting him with all of me. Also, the idea of family grew within me so much. I couldn't wait to have a Luna. When I did come of age, I pleaded hard with the moon goddess to show me my desired mate. When she showed you to me, I was too greedy and thought I was doing it for the sake of the pack. Eventua
Edwina's POV...I stomped my foot through the hallway in annoyance, indecisive as to why my emotions were spluttering all over the place. I could blame it on pregnancy, knowing quite well it wasn't just about that.Tears laced my eyes as I bounced off the walls. Seeing him stand in all of his glory, like the Greek god most books describe, was overwhelming. In all truth, Xander is a good-looking man. Every of his body structure, from the chiselled jawline to his legs, made my clit ache.I was wet beyond measure, and if he slipped right inside me this minute, I was sure to orgasm right on the spot. I feel angry at myself for having such thoughts, considering how much he had disregarded me. But what to do when I miss him so much? I ache for his touch every night, and my urges had mounted since I got pregnant.Probably, just maybe, I would have held back on my sexually consumed thoughts if he wasn't looking so much like a snack. It's been a month, and I must say every day is more than ten
Alexander's POV...I shifted uncomfortably in the wheelchair, eager to stand up and not have to deal with the facade I had been living in anymore. Glancing to my side, I tried to keep eye contact with Edwina. It was obvious she was doing everything she could to avoid my ears. A week after she found out about my true disabled state, I tried to get on her good book, but she never paid me any mind.I had thought coming out to the pack members would be easy, as I had informed Caleb to arrange the process after a week when I might have gotten back with Edwina. To my disappointment, three weeks went by with myself and Caleb wallowing in self-pity and none of our women paying us any mind. For myself and Edwina, we have been going back and forth on her forgiving me.But she had been really adamant about not wanting to talk to me. The last time I tried to reach out to her, she had told me it would take her a very long time to accept the new me, as she had put it. Sounds frustrating, right? I m
Edwina's POV...I rolled to the side of the bed, trying to find a comfortable side of the bed to rest in, but I couldn't. I had been awake since about seven am, but I couldn't find myself standing up from the bed. I just wanted to remain there, most especially to avoid seeing Xander. At the same time, I was aching badly for food and a nice cup of tea. My baby and I had awoken with a craving for food.Turning around to get a hold of my phone, I attempted to dial Becca when there came a knock on the door. As I got off the bed reluctantly to open it, I hoped it wouldn't be Xander. Nothing has prepared me for such a discussion this morning.Opening it, I found Becca by the door with a platter of food. "Oh my goodness, Becca! You are godsent." I muttered, opening the door widely.My eyes glazed at the sumptuous sight of the breakfast of bacon, toast, scrambled egg, sausage, some freshly made juice, and a cup of tea to cap it all."How in the world did you do this? Do you live in my mind?"
Authors POV...Caleb scoffed in irritation as he threw daggers at Ramona with his eyes. It had been hard for him to get over how low she had stooped to get back at him. Having her appear in his home looking all relaxed made him boil terribly. He had just taken a pill to suppress the headache threatening to split his head. The moment his eyes landed on Ramona, it seemed to be coming back with full force."Answer the fucking question. Why are you here?" Caleb blurted again, his eyes catching sight of Xander wheeling himself towards his room.Ramona sat with gait, staring at Caleb with a straight face. She had no intention of backing away from fighting for his attention. She had known the kind of ruckus the video and document she had sent to Becca would cause. However, she was less bothered about it and couldn't care less about what anyone thought of her. She wants a home with Caleb and being Ramona, there is no way she would let it go that easily without a fight.Becca was way older tha
Alexander's POV...Eyeballing his ass out, I turned my back to him, trying to wash up the used cups. One thing I loved to do was handle my chores. Before I got confined to the wheelchair, I used to swing by Ben's place to crash after a long day at work. We end up cooking and washing up ourselves. They were sweet memorable moments. I wanted to distract myself from responding to Caleb, or should I say, I was trying to gather my thoughts."Why aren't you saying anything?" He pressed on, raising his head fully now."Can you not." I inhaled deeply, scratching the back of my head. "I hope you haven't taken my advice of keeping something from your woman because I think that has cost me my small family."Caleb snorted, mumbling under his breath. "guess that's too late. But tell me, what happened?""Edwina saw me on my feet," I told him.He started with a perplexed look on his face, "Saw you on your feet? How did that happen?"I rolled my eyes, sitting my butt on a stool. I sighed, "so, yester
Alexander's POV...Woke up to a cold side of the bed. The bags underneath my eyes were enough to act as an airbag during an accident. They were so heavy it felt like my eyes were under pressure.I had waited up for Edwina to return to the room, but it was obvious that wouldn't be happening. I was surprised to find out when I drifted off to sleep, though.My mind wobbled, and all I wanted was to stick to the bed and never have to come out of the room. Different emotions flowed through me. Now that Edwina knows my truth, I feel compelled to let the pack members know too. Truth is, judging by Edwina's reaction, I'm really scared the pack members, too, would be disappointed.I groaned inwardly while pulling at my hair. I can't believe this shit is happening right now; I thought everything was falling into place, and I would show myself to my woman at the right time. I can tell she hates me now and compares me to that fucking Ben. Now I have stooped so low to cursing the dead. I might go b