After I announced my decision, nobody argued with me. Yet the tension in the cabin continued to build as nighttime came closer.We ate our delicious supper of cheeseburgers and potato salad washed down with iced tea while William told us the history of the lake.“The town was built in the early 1800s by a group of Alphas who rented the land near here to Betas for farming,” he said.“The lakefront property was sold to other Alphas for vacation homes about a hundred years ago, and now there are about two dozen cabins around the lake.”“Betas in this area still farm the land or live within the town, working in the shops and stores.”“Has your family owned the property for a long time?” Victor asked.“No,” William replied. “My parents bought it last year as an investment. When I left the city after Daisy’s ball, it was the first time I had been here.”After the meal, I taught the guys dishwashing skills before we all went onto the porch to watch the sunset over the lake.It was stunning.
Victor’s POVAfter we watched Daisy and Jennifer walk around to the rear of the cabin, William and I shifted into our human forms and retrieved our clothes from my truck bed.“What did you want to talk about?” William asked as he pulled on his shirt.“I think you know what I want to talk about,” I replied. “We need to discuss what’s going on between us with Daisy.”William silently sat on the porch steps to put on his shoes and socks. I waited until he was finished before speaking because I wanted him to hear every word I said.“William, we are friends,” I began. “And I would like to remain friends with you. You are a good person, and we have always gotten along well.”“I’ve always admired you, Victor,” William admitted. “You’ve always known what you wanted, and you worked hard to get these things, but ….”“But?” I knew what was on his mind, but I needed him to say it first.“I respect the fact that you and Daisy are engaged,” William began. “But that engagement was arranged before Da
I couldn’t stand not knowing what William and Victor were talking about. I didn’t want to be nosy, but I couldn’t help being curious.I listened to the latter part of their conversation through the open window of the darkened living room and discovered they were talking about me.It was no surprise that Victor sensed William’s desire to explore a relationship with me. However, I thought William’s idea that Victor was in love with me was absurd.Besides Amy, these two men were my best friends. I was glad they would stay friends with each other.It was also a relief that they understood I would choose my mate. But there were so many changes in my life that I wasn’t ready to take a mate yet.It was just as well. No matter my feelings, my deal with Victor must be fulfilled. I was his fiancée until he became the leader of the Alpha Alliance.The scent of the other werewolves drifted to my nostrils a second after Victor mentioned it. It had to be the wolves from the field across the lake.W
I woke up early, feeling rested and ready for the day. The cabin was silent as I crept to the bathroom.After getting dressed, I went downstairs. Victor was sound asleep in the chair with his feet on the coffee table.I went to the kitchen and got a glass of juice and a banana before slipping out the back door.At the edge of the dock, I sat down to drink my juice, eat my banana, and watch the morning sun glimmer off the tiny ripples that spread across the lake.I just finished my banana when a strange pair of sneakers appeared at my side. I looked up and saw a girl who appeared to be about my age.She had a pretty face surrounded by gorgeous auburn hair. She was petite with a curvy figure and was dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt that advertised a baseball team.“Mind if I sit with you?” The girl asked. She had a brilliant smile that made me smile too.“Sure,” I replied and moved my glass of juice closer to me.“I’m Lexi,” she said and put out her hand for me to shake.I shook her h
Panic coursed through me when I heard Victor’s words. Everyone had been so friendly to us at the barbecue. Why would they be following us now?Maybe it was a trap. I could hear and smell the wolves running behind us too.With my body quivering, I looked around for a place to shift in private.“Over here, Miss,” Jennifer called. “Come behind this pine tree with me to shift.”I hurried behind the low-hanging boughs and kicked off my sneakers. But before I could remove anything else, I heard a girl calling my name.“Daisy, where are you?” It was Lexi. “Wait for me.”“Who’s with you, Lexi?” I asked. “Just my cousin, Cara. My brothers were following you, but I told them to go home, or I would tell Dad.”I came out from behind the pine tree and found Lexi and another petite young girl with auburn hair.“But we smelled wolves behind us,” I said. It didn’t make sense.“Yeah. Lucas and Liam shifted before they followed you,” Lexi explained. “They can be buttheads, but they wouldn’t hurt you. T
We did as Alex asked, and we found him at his desk in his home office, looking every inch the CEO.It was the first time I had seen him in one of his expensive suits since he had been admitted to the hospital. He was cleanly shaven, and not a hair on his head was out of place.His computer was running in front of him.“I have one of my lawyers going to the meeting,” Alex said. “He’s going to make sure they put me on screen.”We sat down where we couldn’t be seen by the computer’s web camera and waited. I couldn’t help bouncing my leg with anticipation.Finally, the computer came to life, and I could hear John Cameron’s voice. “Alex, you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed for this meeting.“ he said.“I’m fine,” Alex said. “But thank you for your concern, John.” Alex’s voice was strong and confident. “What is the purpose of this sudden meeting on a Sunday night?”“Evidently, you’ve heard what it’s about, or you wouldn’t be sitting in on the meeting,” John Cameron snapped.“Yes, I heard,”
I didn’t want to visit Justin and be the cause of him breaking my best friend’s heart. But how could I allow him to keep lying to her?Why would he want her to think he was a Beta instead of an Alpha unless he was trying to fit in and use her?I cringed when I met Amy outside the school, and she asked me what I had wanted to talk about the previous evening.I couldn’t tell her I was going to visit her lying boyfriend to get him to confess to her he was an Alpha.It felt kind of wrong to interfere this way. But I love Amy and can’t stand the thought of her being used.“I had a fight with Victor, and I needed to talk about it,” I replied. It was the truth, just not the whole truth.“Are you sure?” Amy asked. “It sounded like something worse was going on than you guys fighting again.”“Yeah, everything’s okay,” I said, feeling guilty for not telling her I was checking out her boyfriend that afternoon. But it was for her own good.The bell rang before I had to say anything else, and we ma
Diana and I went for a run that evening before I could sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Amy and Justin.Would Justin tell her about our conversation? And will Amy be mad at me because I knew for weeks that Justin is an Alpha, and I didn’t tell her?I woke up that morning with it still on my mind.After getting ready for school, I checked on Alex and grabbed a bagel before going outside to see if Joe was ready to take me to school yet.Joe had the car ready, so I ate my bagel on the way. I was still chewing on half of it when I got out of the car and spotted Amy near the tree where we always met in the morning.Her eyes were on her phone screen, and she didn’t see me walking toward her.Did she know about Justin yet?That question was answered when I got to her side, and she looked up at me with a brilliant smile.“Good morning, Daisy,” she said. “Eew, are you eating that bagel plain and untoasted? That’s like eating cardboard.”“I was, um …in …in a hurry,” I stammered. “I oversle