Francesca couldn't speak. The intimidation that she felt standing in front of this blonde goddess caught her off guard. She couldn't even begin to process what she just heard.
"Where is he?" The woman asked again, irritated and Francesca pointed silently at the kitchen.
"Ugh, of course, he's cooking again." the woman pushed against Francesca towards the kitchen, "Tristan, honey?"
Francesca didn't follow, she remained gobsmacked at what was happening. How was it possible that Tristan forgot to tell her he had a girlfriend? But she shook her head. There must be some sort of explanation for this. Steeling herself, Francesca entered the kitchen only to find the woman on her tiptoes, her lips close to Tristan's. Swallowing a gasp, Francesca backed down from the room.
"No, wait!" Tristan called out in a panicked voice, chasing Francesca back to the living room. "It's not what you think. She's my ex-girlfriend, okay? There's noth
Francesca gripped the tray of refreshments that she was carrying, shocked at the scene before her."Is everything alright?" she asked. Tristan let go of Jacob, looking a bit guilty as he straightened the collar of his shirt. Jacob did the same to his front, smirking, while Gavin and Calvin stayed in their seats looking uncomfortable."Yes, of course. Let me take that." Tristan smiled at Francesca, taking the tray from her."Okay, um...it's just water though," Francesca said, still confused at the boys' reactions. "Lynn and I are heading to the cafe down the block. I was wondering if you guys want anything from there?""Is it Starbucks? I'll only order if it's Starbucks." Calvin piped up in sudden interest, his previously sour mood brightening."Yes?" Francesca answered hesitantly."Oh, I'll take a caramel macchiato, then. I love caramel." Calvin announced.Gavin cleared his throat, "My order's somewhat em
Francesca ran her hands down the black silk dress that she was wearing as she stepped out of the black limousine that her mate had sent for her. After a long, dreary meeting with the Crescent Moon Pack about Stefano's unexpected visit, Tristan had to leave for a meeting in Brooklyn and Francesca went back home. She had waited at the penthouse but she didn't mind the isolation. It was what she was used to, after all. But Tristan must have felt guilty for leaving her as Omega servants arrived at the door, saying Tristan was waiting to have dinner with her in a restaurant outside. Francesca had been pampered, made-up, and dressed-up and as she rode on the car on the way to the restaurant, her anxiety was a constant. The look on Tristan's face when he spotted her took all that away, however. "You look breathtaking, qin ai de." Tristan murmured, his eyes traveling from her head to her toe. Francesca blushed in pleasure as his gaze continued to caress her, a pl
"So here's your office. I'm so sorry about the mess." Lnn said and Francesca tried not to yawn as Lynn showed her around her workspace. She didn't get much sleep last night, unable to rest from the dread that she felt in her chest. And even more so, unable to confront Tristan about what he was keeping from her. Needless to say, last night was overwhelming for Francesca, feeling like she knew more about her mate and then nothing at all. "Hello, Francesca?" Lynn waved a hand in front of Francesca's face."Are you with me, I said, here are files...that need filing." "Yea, of course. Noted." Francesca said, trying to sound sure. Lynn briefly frowned at her, then turned back into showing Francesca the office, "So ledgers...I know nothing about that. I don't know why they're here. I'm pretty sure someone else is in charge of that." Francesca tried not to laugh at Lynn's expression, momentarily forgetting her unsettling dilemma. As som
She was dying. Francesca couldn't wrap her head around it. How was she supposed to tell Tristan? She managed to ask Wendy to not reveal it to her, which was hard to do considering how loyal the Epsilon to her Alpha was. But now it was her who felt like she was going to explode because of the secret as soon as she saw him. The whole time they were at work, she could barely concentrate, especially with him throwing hungry and loving looks in her direction. Francesca felt sick. Just earlier that day, she was starting to resent Tristan for the secrets he was keeping from her, and now she was keeping one herself.She felt this grave betrayal even more as the penthouse door opened, revealing Tristan with the groceries in his arms. They had stopped by the supermarket before heading back home as Tristan insisted on cooking for her again, obviously happy to do such a domestic thing for her."You should've let me help you. It looks like you can't even see the ground with all the
Tristan was in a bad mood. These past few days with them broken up, seeing her at work without being able to touch her was putting him on edge. That day, she had called Lynn and moved in with her the next day. Now his Beta was all over his case too, accusing him of being abusive to Francesca. Women can be so frustrating. On top of all this, Tristan was finally on the mission to discover who had been spying on him for Stefano this whole time. Only a few trusted men in his pack knew about his plan, with all of his human employees none the wiser, and he hoped they could catch the traitor today. Otherwise, he was really going to snap. Tristan spot his cousin Jacob on his usual spot at the board room table, deliberately not looking him in the eyes. Beside his cousin was Belinda Wong (nee Myers), the woman who he hired to marry him. Tristan smirked at how much of a hell their household might be, considering how the two hated each other. He felt sorry for his niece and nephew and wondered,
Tristan, Lynn, and Francesca rushed out of the office, their tense faces earning curious looks from the people working around them. Thankfully, no one asked them what was wrong."Why the hell would he take them? They're humans, for God's sake. They have nothing to do with this." Tristan whispered at Lynn angrily. He knew the answer to his question, though. As soon as Jacob made that deal with Stefano, they were in on it. God, how stupid could his cousin be? Tristan opened his mouth to verbalize this, but Lynn shook her head at him, looking around to make sure none of their human employees heard him."I'm not surprised. Stefano's easy to insult, and Jacob shouted at him." Francesca's voice piped up behind him and Tristan immediately stopped in his tracks."What do you think you're doing?" He asked with a frown, looking down at his mate.Francesca pulled herself up to her full height, "I'm coming with you. I can help.""No, you're n
Letting out her characteristic deranged battle cry, Lynn shifted back to her wolf form and lunged at Stefano. "No!" Tristan screamed as the Alpha struck her with no hesitation. In that one hit, Lynn broke the glass towards the balcony and landed there painfully. She went immobile within seconds. "You said you wouldn't hurt her." T snarled at Stefano. "Well, you can't really blame me for defending myself, can you?" Stefano answered, and Tristan couldn't really argue about that. He checked Lynn in his periphery. She was beginning to stir, so he gathered she'll be okay. Tristan made a mental note to remind her again about recklessly attacking Alphas, especially ones as insane as Stefano. "Are you sure you want to do this? All of werewolf kind will know what you are, Stefano." Tristan said, buying himself time. As he was, Tristan knew he stood no chance against Stefano, who was different than other werewolves. His opponent
"Lynn? Oh, thank God. How are you? How is he?" Francesca asked, pacing back and forth like a lunatic. She had been sick with worry for her mate and Lyn, and her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest."We're okay. Where are you right now? In my apartment?" Lynn answered from the other line."Oh..." Francesca looked around her and suddenly felt embarrassed. When Tristan said go home, the penthouse was the first thing that came to her mind. It was as if she never left."I'm at the penthouse," she tells Lynn, knowing how the Beta would react."Okay. We're on our way." Lynn replied, sounding amused.It was another grueling ten minutes or so until Francesca heard the door open. She saw him then, fresh scars on his body and an exhausted and pale look on his face. But her mate smiled brightly like he always did in front of her. And despite everything, Francesca rushed into his arms, crying."Please don't do that to me aga
The pain was excruciating. Francesca felt her confidence waver. In front of her, the moon was about to mee the sun. And she wondered as hot tears ran down her face, if she would see it happen in her current state. She felt like dying. But Tristan, with their mind link, reminded her to keep looking in his eyes. He held her gaze, giving her all the strength she needed. "This is the last of the mark, Francesca. Please bear with it," the gamma who had been marking her whispered. The tip of the rod touched her skin once again and Francesca screamed. "I'm here. Keep looking at me. You can do this." Tristan said in her head. A long pause ensued as Francesca dipped her head low, completely spent from the ritual. "Qin ai de," Tristan murmured, his palm against her face. His voice shook in fear. "You're okay. You're okay, right?" Francesca willed herself to speak, or even to just lift her head to tell him that she was alright. But her face felt like lead. "Hello, Francesca." Two fami
"I can't believe you kept me in the dark for so long," Francesca told Alberto. They were in the great hall of Luna's fortress, now Selene's again, looking at the trapped essences of the Roman goddesses in front of them. On that battlefield, once Helios became her and Selene, everything went smoothly. It didn't take much for her to overpower the Roman goddesses and harmlessly extract them from their vessels. But despite their victory, Francesca still had this weight in her heart. Considering what she just learned, no one could blame her. "I have nothing else to say except that I did it to protect you," Alberto replied. Francesca could only nod. She could tell any conversation with her father would just be for nothing. She knew why he did it and he would stand by it. Alberto cleared his throat awkwardly, "Do you really need to go?" "I want to be with him and he can't stay here. The moon would sap his energy." Francesca said. "And the earth would do the same to you." Alberto frowne
Tristan dragged himself to Francesca and barely caught her from slumping onto the ground. His vision heated up in his panic. Briskly, he felt for her pulse. It was faint. His wolf howled in pain, and so did Tristan as vine-like cords grew on their mate, ruining her perfect skin. "Qin ai de, no. Wake up, please." Tristan whispered. Francesca was deathly pale, and it was breaking his heart. "Don't do this to me." "Selene, get ahold of yourself." Hecate suddenly appeared beside him. She touched Francesca's skin, just above where the glow was. Tristan, in his devastated state, faintly realized that there was also a white glow around Francesca. "It's Selene. She's being forced to leave Francesca's body. She's holding on, trying to save Francesca's dying body." Hecate whispered. "What did I tell you, sister? The battle is here, on the moon." Olga crooned. She stood a few steps away from them, her sisters beside her. All around them, people have completely stopped pummeling each other,
The man sighed, "I guess I deserved that cold greeting." He inclined his head, as if seeing something in front of him other than Francesca, "Hello, sister." "Helios. It's nice to see you." Selene greeted, confirming what Francesca already suspected. Her sister getting burned like that, after telling Francesca that she was the sun. Mariana was the vessel for Helios, the god of the sun, and Selene's brother. "Where is this? Where did you take me?" Francesca couldn't care less about the sibling's reunion. She needed to know what he had in mind for suddenly showing up. "You're on the sun." Francesca whipped her head up at his height. But the shock was only temporary. In the past, Francesca would have panicked more at the thought of being on the sun, but she was too numb to feel anything at the moment. These gods and the games that they play, causing mortal casualties here and there. Helios needed to pay for what he did to her sister. "It was an accident, Francesca. Please, let him ex
Francesca and her older sister Mariana were playing tag outside their old house back in the Philippines. Their little feet dangerously skittering on the wet ground. The rain had just stopped and the air had that smell that Francesca loved. "Cheska, come on! Faster!" Mariana shouted back at Francesca, "Count of ten and if you can't catch me by then, I won't tell you my secret." "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Francesca yelled, giggling. "One, two, three, four, five.." her sister taunted and Francesac sped up. "Caught you!"Francesca excitedly announced as soon as she caught up with her sister, hugging her arms. Mariana shrieked. "Girls! Careful or you might fall into the water." their Mom shouted from the direction of their house. "Yes, Mama!" They said unison, giggling. Their Mom had such a loud voice. "So..what is it? What's the secret? Come on, I caught you." Francesca asked. "Okay, here goes." Mariana smiled, then she whispered, "Do you know? We are from the moon. You don't remem
Tristan and Stefano found themselves fighting side by side, both using halberds to assist them in battle. They found it strange compared to how werewolves fight with their bare hands. Tristan, for instance, found it a bit troublesome. But as someone who wasn't from the moon, the place tends to suck some of his energy away, so he needed the boost. "Are you seriously leaving her alone to deal with Luna?" Stefano asked Tristan, briefly gazing in the direction where Francesca and Olga were dueling. "If there's a fight that she would win, it would be that one," Tristan answered confidently. "But don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on her." Of course, he was. Tristan did not need to say that out loud for Stefano to know. Stefano grunted, eyeing Tristan with begrudging respect as the latter overpowered three Lunars at once. Tristan was obviously much stronger now, having been turned into a full-blown Alpha. That also meant Endymion's soul had been extracted from his body and sent back to the
Luna's forces now consisted mostly of Diana and Hecate's people. She could recognize them from the gaunt, haunted look of the people from the underworld, and the A****n-like hunter's garbs of the women of Diana. They stood a meter away from the Greek goddesses' forces, in a standstill before an impending fight. "Luna. I see you've made your sisters pick up the mess you've created again." Francesca said, speaking as Selene. "You." Olga spat out. She stepped forward to Francesca, but Tristan, his claws out, shielded his mate. Olga paused, staring at Tristan. Francesca smirked, she knew exactly why Olga hesitated. Tristan was different. Free from her hold. "What did you do to him?" Olga growled. "Nothing. He was just reminded that he belongs with me," Francesca said. Olga fumed but didn't say anything. Francesca knew that Olga and Luna didn't really need Tristan anymore. Their plan of trapping Selene by using the human half of Tristan's soul had failed. So, it was a matter of prid
Their plan was to attack the unwitting Luna in her own castle, and Francesca could have a panic attack just thinking about it. It was true that the old Francesca, who was fearless and optimistic, was back. She could feel the old her and she was happy to welcome her back. But remnants of the version of her that was wounded by Stefano by all means possible still peeked from where she had hidden her. Speaking of the devil, Francesca saw Stefano approach her from a corner. She tensed like she always does whenever he's near. But she thought about what Tristan said about it previously and held her ground. "Hi," Stefano said as soon as he reached her, scratching the back of his neck. Francesca wasn't at all used to seeing him so unsure in front of her, it was unnerving. "Hello," Francesca greeted back cautiosuly. "Francesca, listen, I--" Stefano said. "If you say you're going to apologize for everything you've done, I would have no choice but to laugh." Francesca interrupted, her heart f
Francesca almost fell on her seat. Selene. She was back. She grasped her chest in happiness. "Hello, Francesca." Selene said, "I see you left some space for me to easily find you. Thank you."Of course." Francesca replied, "But you had us so worried. What took you so long?" "Just found it hard to say goodbye for a while." the goddess answered. Just then, a delayed reaction of the goddess coming back inside her hit Francesca and she almost lost her baalnce again. “Francesca, are you okay?” Stefano caught her arm. Seeing who was holding her, Francesca pulled it back instinctively and Stefano awkwardly let go.Tristan frowned, "Qin ai de, you're tearing up. What's wrong?" he asked, replacing Stefano's hand on her arm. Francesca looked around as everyone stared at her worriedly and noticed it was true. The blur must've been from the tears that were starting to gather in her eyes. They were tears of happiness, though. “I’m alright. It’s just…” Francesca said. She couldn’t help but smi