I rode the bus to school the next morning with the same happy smile on my face. William had given me hope of regaining my life and home. It was a fantastic feeling.Plus, it would clear my name.Too many of my fellow students think I am the imposter. Having people think I was the type of person who would scam Alex made me angry.It was hard seeing Olivia surrounded by many of the same Alphas who had befriended me while hearing them say horrible things about me that weren’t true.I didn’t intend to speak to Olivia. And I don’t think she wanted to talk to me. Each time I saw her that morning, outside the school and again in werewolf history, she looked the other way and ignored me.Maybe she felt guilty about what her impersonation was doing to me. I didn’t speak to her because I was afraid I’d ask her something to make her suspect somebody was looking into her sudden appearance in Alex’s life.If she was a scammer, It was best to leave the investigation to William. If she knew someone
My life in Denhurst was over. I couldn’t face Amy after what I did to her, and the bullying grew worse daily.There was no choice left for me but to leave the city and go somewhere nobody knew who I was.The prospect of leaving Denhurst and everyone I cared about made me cry harder. Everything was crashing down around me, and it felt like my life was over.If only I had told Amy about Justin being an Alpha, there would have been hope for our friendship. Maybe not after I let her be bullied at that stupid party.It was all my fault Amy didn’t want to be friends any longer. I screwed things up beyond repair.I got to my locker and placed my books inside. Since this was probably the last time I would visit this locker, I took the pictures taped to the inside of the locker door and held them to my heart.One photo was a selfie of Amy and me at a book fair. Another was one Benson had taken of me and Alex after he had gotten out of the hospital. The last one Jennifer had taken at the lake.
I rushed into the first stall. Wendy and the others would expect me to hide in the last stall again. While they looked for me there, I would try to slip past them and sneak out the door to the hallway.“But I only saw one pair of feet go past the stall I was hiding in, and a soft voice called my name. “Daisy, it’s me. Are you in here?”“Amy! Thank the Goddess, it’s you.” I flung the door open and hurried to her side. “How did you know they locked me in here?”“I was looking for you and saw those Alpha girls come out of the bathroom,” she explained. “I knew they were up to no good when they jammed the janitor’s mop into the door handle.”“Then I heard them mention your name, and I put it together,” she added. “Are you alright?”“Yeah, but Wendy tore up two of my photos,” I replied with a shaking lower lip. “One was the selfie I printed out from our trip to the book fair.”“We can take another selfie,” Amy said. “But I think you need to go home for the day. You don’t look well.”“I was
Victor’s POVWhen I saw Amy exit the kitchen to help clean up a mess in the dining room, I realized I shouldn’t have brought Olivia to Gray’s restaurant.It felt disloyal to be here, discussing marriage with Olivia in the place where I first met Daisy.“It sounds like a good arrangement for us both,” Olivia said after I told her I wanted an open marriage.Her eagerness to be able to take other lovers bruised my ego, but I couldn’t pretend to be in love with her. Daisy was too fresh in my heart and mind.The pain that tore through my soul when Daisy rejected me made me vow to never care about a female again.I should be grateful Olivia was willing to marry me. She was pretty enough to attract any man. But there was something about her, something strange about her reactions and mannerisms.She flirted with me like an experienced woman, yet she shied away from any contact with me, even the touch of my hand on hers.Still, she was Alex’s daughter, and she claimed to want to marry me. The
Seeing Victor with Olivia was agonizing. Without thinking, I ran out of the backdoor and began to walk. I had no destination in mind, but I had to get away from the sight of Olivia taking my place in Victor’s life.Four blocks later, I reminded myself that Amy and her dad needed me in the kitchen, and I returned to the restaurant. Amy and Mr. Gray tried to act like nothing was wrong.“Victor was here looking for you,” Amy said as she handed me clean dishes to put away.Great, I didn’t want him to know I was upset. It would be humiliating for him to know I cared that he was with Olivia.“What did he want?” I asked.Amy shrugged. “I guess he wanted to talk to you.”I could tell she wasn’t telling me everything, but I didn’t want to think about Victor and Olivia anymore that night. I tightly squeezed my eyes closed to try to get the image of them together out of my mind.The three of us finished our work for the night, and Mr. Gray took us to my apartment.“Thanks for your help, Daisy,”
Victor’s POVAfter leaving my parents’ house, I went home and gave my decision more thought. But I was sure Daisy meant more to me than the leadership position.Alex needed to know that I wasn’t interested in marrying Olivia even if he had to give the job to someone else. I’m sure he could find another husband for Olivia, who wanted the job.Benson was waiting by the front door when I arrived at the mansion. He held the door for me and then led me to Alex, who was waiting for me in his den.“Victor, you're here. Benson says you need to speak to me about something urgent,” Alex said and waved me into a chair next to him.“Yes. I must speak to you.” I tried to remember the words I decided to use to explain myself. I didn’t want to insult him by saying anything wrong about Olivia. She was his daughter, and he may take offense.Plus, Olivia hadn’t done anything wrong. If I didn't love Daisy, she would be acceptable for my mate. But as long as Daisy was in this world, I couldn't accept any
After the talk with Olivia, I returned to class. She gave me a little smile as I walked past her to my seat.It was a relief to know the bullies were done harassing me, but it was hard to keep my mind on what the teacher was saying when I suspected Olivia wanted to sell Wilson, Inc.I wondered why none of the Alpha kids would speak to me even when I had to talk to them first. Their passive-aggressive ghosting didn’t hurt my feelings. It was another lesson about false friends.Their friendship was no longer needed. I had Amy, a real friend.Things became more difficult at lunch when some of the boys began doing elaborate stunts to invite the girls of their choosing to the prom.One Alpha football player asked one of the popular Alpha girls by dropping balloons from the cafeteria ceiling with a banner that read, “Kylie, Be My Prom Date.”She said yes with a kiss, and the cafeteria exploded in applause. After that, every guy began planning a stunt to outdo the previous invitation. A few
The ride in the Lamborghini had my spirits soaring. How I love riding in this spectacular car with Victor. With my hair secured in a ponytail, I let the wind wash away any thoughts except my happiness at this moment.When he pulled into Alex’s driveway and glided to the mansion’s front entrance, I felt a swelling in my chest, and tears stung my eyes again.How I’ve missed this place where I had learned and changed into who I am now. It was home!I crossed my fingers and said a prayer that I would be allowed to stay.Many of the servants were waiting to greet me in the foyer. Their smiles when I walked in the door warmed my heart.“Good afternoon, Miss,” Benson said. He had his dignified butler face on, but his eyes smiled into mine. “Please follow me. Mr. Wilson is expecting you.”Benson led Victor and me into the living room, where Alex waited on the couch.“Daisy, my dear.” Alex stood and held out his arms. “I’ve missed you, sweetheart.”“I’ve missed you too.” I stepped into his emb