Lucas POVAfter my father's latest request, I decided that Victoria and I needed to meet to discuss our plan further.I had a feeling she would be just as surprised as me, and I hoped she wouldn't want to call off our agreement. It was already a lot to ask of her and now, we had to speed up the process.I was thinking of visiting Victoria at her house but decided it would best to go somewhere away from prying eyes. Her parents weren't my biggest fans.Victoria suggested meeting at a small coffee shop on the other side of town. It would be the best place for us to go talk without someone we knew finding out.As we sat at a booth near the back corner, sipping our lattes, the weight of the situation weighed on on me."I'm guessing you don't have good news since you wanted to meet so urgently," Victoria said as she stirred her latte with a spoon."No really," I blew out a breath. "My father had made some recent... adjustments to our original agreement?""You mean, he's making his own rule
I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as I walked toward the hockey locker rooms where Lucas wanted to meet.It had been such a long time since the two of us had trained together. I was excited to work on myself and show him any new abilities I had, and I was equally as excited to see him.After seeing him in person and talking thing through, I felt much more at ease. It seemed that Lucas was having a rough time with everything, just like me.That was all the reassurance that I needed.As I stepped down the hallway, I spotted Lucas already waiting for me wearing his work out clothes.When he heard me approaching, a smile lit up his face. Again, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest from just seeing him again."Hey there," I greeted him, my voice bubbling with excitement."Hey there, beautiful," Lucas replied as his blue eyes locked on mine. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I couldn't help but blush under his gaze.Lucas grabbed ahold of my hand as w
The past week is a blur of kisses, laughs, and hard work as Lucas and I meet every morning at Shadow High's training facility.I've felt my mood improved significantly thanks to how much time I've been able to spend with Lucas.He was trying to make sure that I felt special and appreciated every time he saw me. Every morning he'd greet me with a "Hello, beautiful" and wrap me in his arms for a hug.I felt better than I had in weeks since finding out about my wolf and my father's betrayal. Not only mentally and emotionally, but also physically.It seemed impossible to think that a few days of working out would be able to make such a change in my physical strength. Even Lucas mentioned it to me this morning as we finished our session."I can tell your body is craving the need to exert itself." Lucas also noted how toned I looked. "Don't you feel a difference?""My mind feels so clear," I told him. "Ever since we started training this week, I haven't felt any strangeness or overwhelming
Lucas's lips met mine, and it seemed like everything else in the world melted away."I know," he agreed, pulling his lips away. "Things have felt so chaotic lately, it's nice to forget and have fun for once."I nodded in agreement, playing with the ripples in the water. "We need to have more moments like this. Just you and me, away from everything else."Just as I was opening up, Lucas pulled another goofy expression."Stop! What are you doing?" I giggled.His grin was infectious. "Trying to earn a smile, or maybe even a laugh. Looks like I won."I tried to pretend like I was unimpressed with his tactics, but the corners of my mouth betrayed me as they lifted into a smile. "You're such a goofball."Right now, it felt like the connection between us was stronger than ever.It was such a contrast to the way I had been feeling. Moments like these reminded me of how much I cared for Lucas.We eventually left the water and started getting dressed again but the cold breeze against my skin ma
Lucas POVMy father had decided to hold Victoria and I's engagement party at an elegant rooftop restaurant downtown that Victoria's parents owned.Instead of glowing golden chandeliers, the stars in the sky were the highlight, creating a lavish setting.Even though my father said that he wanted this to be a small gathering of people, I'd never seen so many people before in my life.It didn't help that I hardly knew any of them.A sea of well-dressed Alphas mingled, their snotty and obnoxious conversations filled the air. The conversations only surrounded topics of business, status, and connections.It was typical of them to continue to network, even at a more personal event such as this. This was to be expected.As much as I hated events like this and how fake everyone was, I had promised my father that I would be on my best behavior tonight. I didn't want to embarrass him in front of all of these people.It was one thing to do it in the private of our own home, but I didn't want to m
That weekend, James had called me over to his house with an urgency in his voice, mentioning something about Victoria.Ever since James had told me about his new relationship with Victoria, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about them.As much as it wasn't any of my business to pry, I wanted to know as much about them as I could. I loved hearing him talk about how he felt about her or what they were getting up to.I didn't have any real girlfriends, so talking to James about relationships was the closest thing I could get. And if he was willing to talk, I was willing to listen.But the tone in his voice on our phone call earlier made me feel a bit nervous. He made it seem like it was something important. I couldn't tell if the news was going to be good or bad.I rushed over to his house which was luckily in the same neighborhood as Grandma Jo's house. Memories of James, Lucas, and I hanging out as children went through my mind as I drove with a fond smile on my face.It helped ease
Who the hell are you?" James asked Edwin, furrowing his brows in confusion.James turned to me and in a low voice he whispered, "Is it just me, or do his eyes look strangely familiar?"My pulse raced as I stared at Lucas's mysterious cousin, his presence sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't shake the eerie feeling that he had some ulterior motive for being here.Fear and panic rushed through my body as I stared at Lucas's cousin. Had he followed me here? Was he actually crazy after all?If he was mentally insane then James and I weren't safe right now. I had no idea what Edwin was capable of, and suddenly, I remembered how he wanted to seek revenge on the Busch family.What if he was going to hurt me? What if I was a part of his plan for revenge?I grabbed onto the side front door, attempting to shut the door in Edwin's face, but he stopped me."Wait!" Edwin shouted, putting his hands up on the door, resisting my efforts to close it. "I know how this looks—""You know how this lo
My emotions continued to surge uncontrollably, making my vision blur as tears streamed down my cheeks.The weight of everything crushed me, making me feel like I couldn't breathe.The one person that I thought I could trust had been lying to me for who knows how long. I didn't know what parts of Lucas were real and what parts were fake.I clung to James, my fingers digging into his back as if he could anchor me to reality.Breathe, Shana. You're fine. You're not going to lose control. You've got this. Just breathe.I squeezed my eyes shut trying to remind myself that I was okay."Shana, you're really worrying me," James said from somewhere above me as he continued to hold me. He started to rub my back gently in a soothing motion. "Are you feeling okay?"I nodded, unable to voice the words. In reality, I wasn't feeling okay - not in the slightest."Don't worry, Shana. You've got me." James's words comforted me, but also made the pain worse.I thought I had Lucas... I thought I had his