Lori woke from a deep sleep to the sound of shuffling. That was strange, she thought as she slowly turned on her side and touched the other side of the bed.
It was empty. Gabriel wasn't in bed. Half-conscious, she wriggled her arm free from the sheets and slapped at the bed again, searching for Gabriel.He wasn't in bed and his sheets were cold.Lori opened her eyes, rubbing at her sleep filled eyes as they slowly adjusted to the light.She saw Gabriel in front of the closet dressing.He was putting on a suit. He already wore his pants and he was buttoning up his white shirt.It was a weekend. He didn't have work did he?!She thought as she stared at his back as he adjusted his shirt.Sensing she was awake, he slowly turned and smiled at her. The rays of the sun illuminated his face, making him look slightly golden."You're finally awake."He said with a grin on his face as he watched Lori stretch."First comfy bed in days. I couldSeeing his grandfather again wasn't as worrisome as he expected it to be. Gabriel was still reeling from the fact that he had found Lori safely. He really wasn't as worried as he should have been about the elder meeting. Although Kate mentioning the fact that Lori might be the purpose of the elder meeting did put him off a bit. He had mentioned to them during the last meeting that he had a mate, he just chose to omit that she was a werewolf. He would have to tell them about that too. The pack house was usually used for meetings, it was also sort of a recreational home for most wolves. Some stayed all year round, many came around every month. Gabriel himself used to visit a lot, that was before Emilia was born and he started to visit less and less. He didn't see many of the elders often either. He mostly saw the wolves he worked with. The guards, the ones that worked in the underground and the many other wolves that he had placed in all of his family empire. He saw the
The transformation was brutal, but Lori knew when it was complete. When the pain stopped. And at the end of it all... she crawled to the closet mirror with all that was left of her strength to look at her self.Gray. Her wings were the color gray, large spans with mottled feathers tethering at the edge of gray and pure white. They were massive, and they probably weighed twice as much as her with the way they dragged her down. They were a menace too! Large, clumsy and heavy. How was she every expected to move with something like this?!At least the worst was over... she just needed to shift back, or at least find a way too. Having wings wasn't as interesting as it looked, she'd much rather stick to the other powers that she had. No word from the guard. Or Gabriel, but Draco had called back. He was on his way. And no, he didn't find Astra. Nor did the guard whom she had sent to check her apartment. She must have left as she mentioned she would, probably as
There was little time to dress, but Gabriel had the good sense to order a dress for her beforehand. It was delivered at the nick of time. While a staff from the building management cleaned the penthouse, the personal chef Gabriel hired started on preparing his grandfather’s favorite dinner. Lori put on her dress and was in awe with it. It was a strapless gown with side split. How Gabriel had managed to get her size, she had no idea because the dress fit perfectly! Much more than she would have imagined. Simple yet bold, the gown stopped right above her knee. It had a strapless bodice encrusted with feathers on the neckline. The figure-flattering silhouette of the gown highlighted her curves in a subtle but sexy way. There was even a box complete with a pair of nude heels to match. Lori struggled with her makeup. Mostly because she didn’t have much to begin with. She always told herself she would buy more makeup but there had been no time for frivolities. But
Dinner was awkward. And quiet. Lori tried hard to make conversation but the words of Gabriel's grandfather still hung heavily in her heart. She was so relieved when he left, hastily taking off her heels and disappearing into the room. She took off her nice dress and wore some pajamas. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. For the longest time.This wasn't the first time she had been told she wasn't good enough for Gabriel. And something told her it wasn't going to be the last. What if they were right? What if they were all right? They couldn't all be lying. She left the necklace on her, her fingers touched it slightly. She liked the necklace. It was a pretty and thoughtful gift. She had to give Gabriel something in return. Since he mentioned that it was customary. Gabriel came back in moments later after seeing his grandfather off and saw Lori laying on the bed, her back to him. It was late, but not late enough for her to go to bed. "Lo
Gabriel was going to burst out of his skin. He couldn't stand it. The sight of Lori straddling his thighs, the soft flimsy fabric of her pajamas, the silken glide of her long dark hair over his bare chest as she pressed a kiss to his lips. She brushed her mouth over his, slid her tongue along his lips. Gabriel prayer them for her and her tongue slipped into his mouth, he caught it between his lips and sucked hard. Her whisper was a triumph and Gabriel kept still as she withdrew, straightening again and she lifted her pajama top over her head. Gabriel's mouth went dry at the sight of her. Her breasts... full and heavy... he had missed her. He didn't get a chance to get enough of them that day that they mated, but now, he was going to take his time with them. He was going to feast. Slowly, Gabriel took off her pajama bottoms, leaving her almost naked before him. Only her cotton pink panties remained. He hurriedly took off his boxer briefs too. As he came back
"We have to go!""We have to go now Gabriel!"Lori urged as she jumped out of bed. She didn't care that she was naked as she ran towards the closet, grabbing the first pair of jeans and shirt she could see. Gabriel made a quick call, Lori didn't listen to see who it was but by the time she turned he was also half dressed.He looked thoroughly confused."Where are we going?!"He finally asked her amidst the frenzy."Elliot is in danger Gabriel. We have to help him. We have to be there before something bad happens..."She murmured and Gabriel nodded, still mildly confused. "Do you know where we're going?"He asked as calmly as he could muster. Lori nodded, closing her eyes to remember the location. There was a river... a trail, grass, stone walls.. those were all that she could remember. Elliot was on the grass, bleeding out.She explained her dream to him again, specifically focusing on the details of where she had seen him. Gabriel
It all happened so fast. Everything. And Lori saw how fast life could change in the blink of an eye. How sad and gloomy it wasn’tElliot didn’t wake up. No matter how much she c cried and pleaded for him to wake up. Gabriel had to pry her away from his side when the backup finally arrived.Draco had managed to hold on to Lyle before he ran away and Vara didn’t get far away quickly. Gabriel’s men apprehended her. Lori watched as Elliot’s lifeless arms dangled while he was carried away. Lori followed Gabriel to the car and back to the penthouse when it was all over. Even though the dawn was breaking, it seemed as if they both made a silent agreement to go back to sleep since they didn’t get enough sleep.Lori was shook to her core. It all seemed surreal. Almost like a fever dream. She really couldn’t believe that Elliot was gone.She washed up and cleaned his blood off from her body. The wrist she had bitten was healed, not even a scratch
They arrived at the funeral location where Elliot’s funeral was holding. The cemetery where he was to be buried. The atmosphere not only looked gloomy but felt gloomy, oddly enough the sun was shining relentlessly. Everywhere Lori looked there were no smiles; she couldn’t remember ever attending a funeral before, but she couldn’t think of anything more depressing than one. She squeezed Gabriel’s hand and he squeezed back reassuringly as they walked towards the gathering. They had quietly dressed that morning, overwhelmed with grief. Lori spent most of her morning with Emilia, happy to have her comfort. Gabriel decided it was time she came back home and Lori couldn’t agree more. Emilia being around had comforted her a lot more She bought a dress for the funeral, she didn’t have anything funeral appropriate enough. A black lacy dress with long sleeves and a high neckline. Gabriel himself had donned on a black suit. His expression cold and grim, the same expression
Gabriel's POV. Six months later. I want to marry Lori. I've been thinking about it for months, I've bought the perfect ring. The type I know she will like. A classic, oval cut diamond I’ve caught her admiring at least three times on separate occasions and I’ve been waiting for the perfect time. But something keeps coming up. Lori’s too busy. She has way too much on her plate and sometimes I think adding wedding plans to the mix would be a little thoughtless of me. We just celebrated Jack and Emilia's first year birthday a few weeks ago and the planning drained her. Physically and mentally drained her. She wanted a big party, I didn't mind a small one but we ended up going all out anyways and thankfully it didn't turn into a complete mess. And after the party I thought we'd be getting more alone time since we finally have a new nanny but that's not really the case. Lori has decided to apply for college and while I'm finally happy that she's getting to d
Lori's POVIt's been three months. Three long months but they have been full of more bliss than I've ever had in my life. More peace, more tranquility than ever before. After the issue with Sabine and all that nonsense, Gabriel and I were finally glad and happy that things were back to normal. In our lives and in our children's lives. We could finally live the life we always wanted to live. No, not the whole white picket fence suburban kind of house that Gabriel wanted, but picture something larger, grander, with more rooms and more space for kids to play in.We did move to the old mansion. It was just honestly so much better than the penthouse and for me it held a lot of fond memories. And knowing that Sabine would never step her feet in them again gave me a sense of comfort and relief like never before. It made me happy. And there were so many things to be happy about. I had completed the Luna rites two months ago and I was officially Gabriel's Luna. In were
It all went by in a blur, but every punch, she remembered. For herself, for Gabriel, for her son and most especially, for Elliot, who didn't make it. How could she let her go, how could she let her live after all the pain and harm she caused her?! No, she would not.She didn't plan on letting her walk free. no, she didn't plan on letting her stay alive. She vaguely remembered punching Sabine, then she saw someone pulling her up. The hands around her arms pulling her away with superhuman strength. She fought against it but it was futile, the hands were much stronger than hers. "Loretta. Loretta!!!"The voice called out. Lori snatched her hands away from her mother. "Don't call me that."She murmured as she tried crawling back to Sabine. Her face was bloodied and battered beyond recognition, she was barely breathing but Lori knew that the bitch was still alive. She was like a cockroach. She wouldn't die so easily. "Trust me you do not wa
Even though they had gone over the plan multiple times, Lori still felt jittery and nervous. The anxiety was eating at her, fast and quick. It didn't help that her clothes were still slightly wet and she was uncomfortable and cold. The nephilim guards Ione had got had managed to do a sweep of the area. They estimated the number of wolves around to be at fifteen, all scattered strategically around the mansion. The nephilim guards promised to handle all the guards, just as long as Lori and Gabriel went inside first, they promised to handle everything else. They would block all exits, so no one got out, that way anyone in the house would be unable to escape. Gabriel assured her that it would all be fine, and she tried to stay calm at the thought that it would, they were so close now, closer than they had ever been. Her son was just a few metres away from her. The nephilim guards went in first, and then chaos ensued. The whole party erupted in chaos, Gabriel ushere
Lori transformed. The full transformation and the cabin suddenly felt small and stuffy. Two huge men came to her side, one ways holding a book. Lori didn't know what it was or what it was for, but it looked important enough. "We have created a bath, you have to stay submerged in it to drown out our voices and movements."Lori looked around, they pointed to the end of the hallway. She wondered if whatever bathtub they had prepared would fit her wings. "Will this work?! You look unsure."She noted as she got a sense of her mother's emotions now that she was fully nephilim. She could smell her worry, also laced with fear.She wondered if the ritual was safe. "It will. It can take several hours though."Ione answered. Lori decided at this point she needed to alert Gabriel. Just in case anything that wasn't supposed to happen, happened. Come now. As fast as she had sent the message, she heard footsteps on the front porch, the door opened
"Hello?""Who is this?!"Lori asked as she rolled on the floor. Oh Myra had kicked her ass during training. In fact, she could barely feel her legs. Her muscles had been out of use for a while. It had only been about a week or two since she was out of training yet it felt like it had been years. "Loretta? Am I speaking to Loretta?"Lori sat up. Something about the voice was oddly familiar. "Yes?! Who is this?""This is Ione."Ione. Ione. Where had she heard that name before? She could have sworn it was familiar. "Ione what? From who?!""Ione Verstrynge. A friend of yours gave me your number. Her name is Astra."That was when it clicked. Astra had told her. That her mother was named Ione. And that she had heard of her. Lori couldn't believe her ears!She couldn't believe that she was talking to her birth mother. As shocked as she was, she also felt overwhelmingly angry. It had been years, what reason did the
Lori was late. She had promised to start training again and was well on her way there when Grace called and canceled due to a family emergency. Lori couldn’t blame her, but she also had to go to training and needed someone to watch the baby, so she had stayed home till Gabriel came back to take over. She had hurried out of the penthouse, in nothing but sweats and slacks, her gym bag over her shoulder with a pair of socks almost falling out. She stopped at the lobby to stuff it in. One of Gabriel's men was waiting at the parking lot to driver her to the training ground. She was late already and she was also sure that he must have been waiting a while. In her hurry, she bumped into someone and her whole bag came tumbling down again. She muttered a string of apologies as she picked up her bag, not even glancing at the person before turning away. The person touched her hand and she turned, alarmed and confused. Her eyes narrowed as she saw who it was. Axel Walker. She loo
Ione Verstrynge had stared at the contents of the letter ever since it arrived. The words were even starting to replay in her head. Alongside with a past she had fought hard to forget. She had sent for Graham, her right hand man, confused and angry, he was the only one she could trust in her state and the only one she had entrusted the information with the minute she got the letter. If it was true she had a grandson, then her daughter must be alive and in danger. She had lost her for years. Years of running and running had made her paranoid she she had run without looking back. The only problem was that she had left her daughter behind. With no time to look back. For the first few years she visited at least twice. She found out the orphanage had named her Loretta. And that she was a spitting image of her father. That had hurt more deeply than anything and so she had left again. The last time she went back, she didn't find her, too bad, she had wanted to at least see h
“Hello?!”Lori answered the phone, knowing fully well who the caller was. She had been expecting Sabine’s call ever since they launched their series of coordinated attacks on her. It had taken at least five days before she finally deigned to call her. She knew the woman would call once she found out the extent she was willing to go to. And Sabine did not disappoint.“Lori.”She answered in a clipped tone.“How have you been Sabine?”She asked and Sabine didn’t reply for a few seconds. “I’ve been better.”She grunted and Lori resisted the urge to chuckle. She was itching to gloat. “Must have been a pretty hard week…”“I’ve had better…”Sabine murmured. Lori examined her nails as she smiled to Myra who was sitting next to her and listening to every bit of the conversation. Myra had come to ask her when she would resume practice, Lori had avoided all talks of practice and told Myra about what she was up to instead, Sabi