"Where's Violet?" My dad was quick to ask as he settled into the sitting room. He wasn't looking much different from when last I had saw him. Aside from the fact that he was aging from day to day.
This was exactly what I was trying to prevent. I hated moments like this, where he would have to question me like a child.
"Dad, I'm old enough. I'm no longer a child. I'm old enough to make decisions for myself!" I yelled, my head pounding. My dad was a man of control; he loved being in control, and when he said something, he wanted it done his way. He was mostly the reason why I had to marry Violet.
"You're old enough to make decisions, and yet you have to make a stupid one. I didn't ask for any story. Where is Violet?" His voice boomed through the room. I could tell he was losing his patience.
"She's gone!" I looked away; the word was hard to say. Heaven knows I didn't intend to let her go. That was a choice she made on her own.
I watched as his face fell with disappointment.
"I'll give you two days. Two freaking days to bring back Violet and take that woman away, or else..."
"Or else what?" I didn't know where the bravery came from, but I was done with being Daddy's boy.
"Or else... Whatever you see, you take it!" He grunted. He was shocked at the nerve I had replying back to him.
I knew my father was a man of his word, but I didn't feel threatened. I was already mad at myself, my wolf was also mad at me, and now my dad.
I sighed as I watched him walk away without saying another word to me.
"You're just getting started," Kai mocked.
"Oh, shut it!" I snarled at him.
---
Violet's POV
Mason had offered to walk me home after insisting that I wouldn't be strong enough to handle Nina. And here we were, deeply engaged in conversation as we walked. Surprisingly, he possessed a charming sense of humor, complementing his handsome appearance.
"So, tell me, where did you stay before you moved to town?" He queried, flashing another smile as he stared at me.
His look was charming, friendly, and welcoming. I didn't even realize how hard I was smiling back at him.
"Um... I was staying with a distant cousin of mine in New York," I lied. Of course, I had to tell a lie because no one from the Redmoon pack would tolerate knowing I'm from the Silvermoon pack.
"Oh, that's nice. I do travel to New York on certain occasions. I've visited like eight cities there," his response made my heart beat erratically. If he often visited New York, then... I hoped he wouldn't ask me questions I couldn't answer.
"So, where do you stay in New York?" There came the question I dreaded so much. I hesitated for a moment.
"Uhmm... Rochester?" It sounded like a question as I blurted it out.
"Rochester!" I confirmed, blinking rapidly. Thanks to the geography class I had back then in high school, else I was screwed.
"Oh, Rochester, that's nice. I visit there quite often," his response made me think twice. Who was this guy?
"Are you by any chance a globetrotter?"
He chuckled, revealing those pearly whites.
"You can say that again. I'm actually a businessman, so I do travel widely. Just for business purposes," he explained.
"That sounds exciting! Traveling for business must offer you a unique perspective on different cultures and markets."
"And how about you?" His question sank deeply into my soul.
What about me? I do Luna for a living, controlling the entire Silvermoon pack, and assisting the Alpha. But well, that was the past, and it was time to move on.
"Me? I'm a chef..." I lied again, well, that can't be an entire lie because I cook exquisitely, and it was a course I studied back in university. So, it wasn't really a lie.
"Oh, that's nice. I'm hosting this event. So, I'll be needing your service. What do you say?" He winked at me.
"I can't say no if money is involved, and I get paid according to what I deserve,"
"Well, so tell me, what's your charge?" He asked again.
"We'll discuss that on business terms, Mason," I smiled at him, then halted as we reached the entrance to my grandmother's house.
"So, we are here. Thank you for your help," I smiled at him, then collected Nina and waved goodbye as I took her back to her stable.
"Who was that fine young man? I only saw his shadow," Mama's voice startled me as I turned to face her.
"Oh, that was Mason. He helped me with Nina; she almost threw me to the floor, but Mason helped me," I recounted the experience to her; the incident was still fresh in my head.
"I told you about Nina; her lineage is ancestral. That's the reason I don't want to sell her off yet. You could lose the baby if you keep doing something strenuous," my grandmother's words made me realize that if Mason hadn't been there to catch me, then I might have fallen to the ground and perhaps lost the baby. The realization made me gasp.
"I'm sorry, Mama, I won't do that again."
"It's okay. Anyway, you need to visit the Manor today. The Alpha king is back from his travels, and you need to be introduced to him as a new member of the pack," Mama explained.
Of course, as Luna, I knew that every new member that moves into a pack must be introduced to the Alpha King, just in case of intruders.
"Okay, I just need to freshen up then," I muttered as I walked inside.
"You just have to do as I say, and all will be fine," Mama's voice echoed after me as I got inside the shower.
Adrian It's been weeks since my father threat, not like I give a damn anyways. I'd put effort in carrying out a search for Violet, but she was no where to be found. Though I was bothered, but I also had my concern laced on Emily. She's my major concern as of now.One Knock. Two Knock. Three!, Yet no response, I opened the door as I walked inside."Emily?" I called out, my heart racing as I approached her bedside. My pulse quickened as I saw her lying there, her body tense and huddled together."You're here," she whimpered, and a wave of calm washed over me."Yes, I am. My dearest Emily," I whispered, gently touching her face. Guilt washed over me as I realized how I had neglected her over the past few weeks, despite knowing full well about her medical condition."I can't express how relieved I am to see you. I thought you had truly left me. I could only see shadows. I feared I'd have to breathe without you by my side... I thought," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion."Em
Adrian's POVThe days that followed felt like pure torture. Ares, my wolf, was purposely ridiculing me. I could hardly focus on anything, my appetite was gone... my thoughts were everywhere and nowhere. It was wearing me out, all thanks to Dad."I have to put an end to this," I thought."Finally," Ares said in a mocking tone which I ignored. Lately, I preferred shorter conversations; they were less draining.Drumming my fingers against my table, I moved my feet aimlessly, my body already becoming restless from my indecisive state. Slowly, an all too familiar emotion began to spread across my chest, causing my breaths to become heavier as I clenched my fist."Damn it!" I cursed, banging my hands against the table."Don't tell me you're going to blame your mishap on your father," Ares said. "I'll advise you not to do anything reckless, Adrian." Gone was his mocking voice; now he sounded serious, but I didn't care. I had bigger fish to fry."In case you've forgotten, I'm at stake of losi
VIOLET It was as though I'd thrown away my courtesy after leaving Silver Moon. I rushed out again and was grateful to spot Mason's back, only a house away."Mason!" I hollered, waving my right hand at him as he halted in his steps. Hurrying out, I quickly caught up with him."Sorry for my manners, I don't know what's gotten over me lately," I sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind my ears. It was very windy."This is the second time you're apologizing," he said observantly, his full eyebrows raised."I know, I forgot to walk you—" I began to ramble."God, no, Violet. It's the other way around, actually," Mason said, letting out a little chuckle. I could feel the color rising in my cheeks. If I was being honest, I was a bit embarrassed."Okay then. I'll see you around," I managed to smile as I lowered my eyes."You too, take care," he said. I quickly turned around, relieved to see him going.The aroma of roasted chicken greeted my nose as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, where my gr
Stretching my legs, I heard a low rumbling sound from my stomach, like a bad engine trying to gear up. Instinctively, my hands stretched to my stomach and I rubbed it lovingly, the thought of a new life inside me bringing a smile to my face.A few months ago, I would have thought it was hunger, but now I was sure it was my baby. My precious baby."How are you feeling this morning? Don't worry, you'll be out soon," I said in a soothing voice to my stomach. I did that every day since I read that babies could respond to their mothers' voices even in the womb."You'll have your great-grandmother and me to take care of you." The thought of his father not being in the picture sounded a bit sad, but what could I do?"I'll take care of you to my fullest, even if it costs me my life," I added, remembering my grandmother's words about Mason. The thought of him ripping my baby away from me made me wrap my hands around my slightly swollen stomach, my protective instincts kicking in."I love you,
"She's new in the pack, let's give her some time to adjust. Please," Mason said in a low, gentle voice that spoke volumes of authority despite its tone.Rhoda, the aggressive lady, gave me a quick glance before nodding reluctantly. Letting out a sigh, I made a mental note to remember I was no longer a Luna and that I wasn't in my pack anymore. I found it difficult to bow to anyone since I was used to people bowing to me and because of that, I ended up causing tension.I sighed again. Glancing at Mason, I felt strangely grateful for his help."Thank you, Alpha," I mumbled as I strode past him, my grandmother now close behind me. I could feel her eyes boring into my head from behind.Acknowledging my apology with a slow blink, he called to his Beta, Hans, a slightly tall man with tired eyes that bore a scar above them and fast legs that made him look like he was in a hurry."Hans, take her to the ballroom and make sure she has everything she needs for preparations," Mason said briskly,
Violet's POVPouring all my attention into what I was doing, I prayed someone would call him away, what was he even coming towards here for anyway? I wondered angrily and in my anger, I mistakenly pricked my finger with a needle. "Ouch!" I winced shaking my wrists, now his cologne was closer, and even with my hair covering the sides of my face I could see him coming, Grandma Charlotte wasn't going to like this one bit. "Watcha doing?" He asked, his head a few inches away from mine, I could hear the smile in his voice. "Nothing," I said too quickly and his brows arched slightly, a glint of amusement he always seemed to possess lurking behind them. Facing him fully, I tucked my hair behind my ear"Fine I'm doing something, a lot actually" I agreed rolling my eyes and he chuckled. "You're doing a great job for sure. I've been watching you for some time and I can only say I'm impressed" I looked up at him and gone was the flirty look on his face ...he was serious and he'd also been
Mason's POVI found myself happier than usual. At first, I thought it was because of the upcoming ball, but somewhere deep down, I knew that wasn’t true. Last year, I’d also supervised the ball preparations and had been very restless. Yet today, I was grinning like a schoolboy. There was still something else about today...“Fold it again,” Violet said absently, stretching her hands towards me to grab a pair of scissors.Staring at her for some time, I carefully took note of how gracefully she carried herself. She spoke so carefully, like royalty, and her poise wasn’t something you could miss. It was elegant. Did caterers have a certain elegance to them? I wondered.“Don’t be silly. Of course, they don’t,” my wolf, Finn, said.“I wish we could solve this mystery,” he said, sounding thoughtful. I had to agree.“There’s just something about her,” I said through the mind link. “Like there’s more to her.” Immediately after I said it, I was surprised. When did I start making sappy statement
Inhaling the deep country air, I was grateful for the cool breeze that tousled my hair and the soothing calm sounds from swaying stalks of wheat as they danced to the wind.Breathing in, I let my mind wander off to Emily. It had been weeks since I'd seen her last, my brows furrowed as I remembered my promise to myself. Silently cursing, I wiped my forehead with my palms and sighed.I had little knowledge about her health status at the moment. It was one of those things Emily didn't like talking about, and because of that, she promised me not to ask about it except when we met face to face.Slouching against my seat, I stared up at the white ceiling, wondering what was taking the doctor so long. I'd arrived at home about two minutes ago and was told I couldn't see Emily right away because she was being examined.Trying to reduce my restlessness, which was a result of so many things, but one in particular, my dad's order for me to leave Emily...it was impossible, what he was asking for.