At first, I was too frightened to speak. Yes, I was scared for myself, but Victor was still asleep. If he woke up and saw a man painting a gun at me, he would try to disarm the man and maybe get shot.“Who are you, and why are you in my house?” the man demanded.“We …we …were on a …ya …yacht that blew up and …and the …life …lifeboat dra …drifted here,” I stammered. After everything that happened, this, being held at gunpoint, was too much.The man lowered the rifle slightly. He appeared to be about as old as Alex and was dressed in old jeans and a T-shirt. He would seem normal if he wasn’t aiming a gun at me.“You were on a yacht that blew up, huh?” he sneered. “What’s your name, girl?”“Duh …Daisy,” I replied. “Please don’t shoot us. We came into your house because we were hungry, tired, and dirty. A shark almost ate us!” I began to cry, and Victor stirred behind me.“Put the gun down, Arthur,” a woman said as she entered the house with her arms full of shopping bags. She was the sam
Victor pulled me into his arms as we stood in the darkness while the hurricane raged around us.Another loud crash against the roof made me gasp. My heart raced, and panic began to flash through my body. But then I felt the warm glow of the moonstones against my chest, and calm began to fill me.“We’ll be okay in this room,” Arthur yelled over the storm. “It was built to withstand any storm, and then the rest of the house was built around it.”“It wouldn’t be so bad if the lights were on,” Cathy shouted. “Why didn’t the generator kick on when the solar power failed?”“The wind must have taken out the lines to the house,” Arthur answered. “It’ll be okay, honey. Let’s settle in and wait for the storm to pass.”That’s all we could do was wait to see what would happen and keep each other’s spirits up.Even though the room was sturdily built, the walls seemed to move slightly with every powerful gust of wind that slammed into the house. And occasionally, a louder crash would make us jump.
I blinked the water from my eyes and realized the shadow was a wolf …a black wolf. It must have jumped onto my balcony and entered through the glass door.“Please be Victor,” I mumbled. With my luck lately, a burglar had caught me in the shower. But I was too tired to be afraid. I’d dealt with worse than a burglar in the last few days.I wrapped the towel around my body and flung the shower door open. In the exact second, the wolf shifted human, and my magnificently masculine fiancé stood before me in all his naked glory.“I missed you too much to leave you and go home alone,” he apologized. “I'm wiped out and just want to hold you while we sleep.”“But what if somebody comes into my room?” I asked. Jennifer would be shocked to find Victor in my bed.“You could lock the door,” he suggested.My eyes roamed over Victor’s muscular form. He was breathtaking. Every muscle was defined as if it were sculpted from granite.His wide shoulders and broad chest tapered into lean, narrow hips. His
Since Alex was driving himself again, I borrowed Joe and the limo to pick up Amy and go to William’s last football game.“Wow, we’re traveling in style today,” Amy commented as she climbed into the back of the car with me. “It must be nice to be an Alpha.”Knowing what Amy would discover later this evening, I ignored the remark and hoped she would take the news well that she was at least half Alpha.She settled into the seat and stared at me. “You look different. I expected you to look a bit rough after surviving a boat explosion and a hurricane, but you’re glowing!”I held up my left hand and showed her my engagement ring.“You and Victor are engaged for real!” she gushed. “Congratulations!” She looked me over again. “You did it, didn’t you? You had sex with him.”I blushed. “Yes, I did, and it was fantastic.”Amy buckled her seatbelt. “I knew you looked different. Did it hurt? How did he propose? You gotta tell me everything.”I began answering her questions. “It hurt at first, but
“Daisy, did you know about this,” Amy asked.“Only for a few days,” I admitted.“And you didn’t tell me right away?” Amy started to cry. “The first thing I would’ve done was call you if I found out something like this about you.”“Amy, it wasn’t my place to tell you,” I insisted. “After your dad told me, he said he would tell you himself.”“Why did he tell you?” she asked.I knew Amy wasn’t really mad at me. The news had been a big surprise for her. She was slowly processing and dealing with a new identity.But I would have to tell her about the party. She wasn’t going to be happy until she knew every detail.“I’m planning a surprise birthday party for you,” I said. “I called your dad from the beach to make sure he didn’t have other plans for your birthday, and he told me he wanted to be alone with you that night and why.”Amy wiped away a few tears with the back of her hand. “But still, you should’ve told me right away.”“Amy, I made her promise not to tell you,” Mr. Gray said sternl
“You look lovely, Miss Gray,” Jennifer said as she fastened a jeweled ornament in Amy’s blonde hair.“Thanks,” Amy said. “But I’m getting crazy nervous. Everybody is going to be watching the birthday girl.”“Relax, sweetie,” I said and pulled her in front of the mirror. “Let them stare. You look beautiful!”Amy’s hair was arranged in an updo with loose pieces framing her pretty face. And Jennifer had accentuated Amy’s delicate beauty perfectly with makeup in an ivory, pink, and gold color palette.She was wearing a ball gown that was one of Gisele’s latest designs. Made of delicate pink silk, it had spaghetti straps and a full princess skirt. The edges of the bodice and the hem were trimmed with gold thread and pearls.“Yeah, I look okay,” Amy sighed. “But I know I’m going to forget the dance steps and make a fool of myself. Justin’s family will love having another reason to criticize me.”“Stop worrying. Victor gave you a refresher course,” I reminded her. “You know all the dances. Y
Jennifer helped Amy replace her beautiful ball gown with the plain brown ceremonial robe of a first-shift ceremony. She removed her shoes and all of her jewelry and loosened her hair.“All ready,” Jennifer declared.“Do you have it?” Amy asked me.I patted the canvas bag under my arm. “Yep, let’s go.”Amy walked solemnly beside me, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was almost bursting with excitement.To avoid the guests, we went out the west wing side door and walked around the outside of the mansion to the rose garden. Justin, Mr. Gray, and the priestess were waiting there for us.Amy wanted the ceremony to be private, so a few footmen were standing guard nearby to keep away any curious guests.The ceremony wasn’t as formal as mine, but I thought it was very beautiful.As the witnesses, Justin, Mr. Gray, and I chanted the ancient prayers, the priestess called for the Moon Goddess.“We ask for your prayers and intervention with Lycaon, dear Goddess,” the priestess int
“I’ve heard a lot of nonsense out of some of you tonight,” Andy scolded the crowd. “But I can assure you that Amy’s mother was not a prostitute, nor did she trick me into mating with her.”Alex and Victor heard the commotion and came to my side. They listened intently to Andy’s story.“Deirdre was a laundry girl at my home and a kind, wonderful, hard-working person, just like her daughter,” Andy continued. His soft brown eyes, exactly like Amy’s, dared his family to stop him.“We were fated mates and deeply in love. But my family was determined to keep us apart because they thought the pretty Omega girl who washed our clothes wasn’t good enough to be a member of the great Archer family.”Amy stared wide-eyed at Andrew Archer, the man who claimed to be her father, as he spoke. She was too surprised to say anything.“You look like your mother, Amy,” Andy said. “Except you have my eyes. I’ll show you her photo sometime if you want to see it.”When Amy still didn’t speak, Mr. Gray stepped
I woke to the enticing scent of dark roast coffee. I stretched and realized I had slept more than I thought I would that previous night. The smell of coffee grew stronger, and I felt steam on my nose.Opening my eyes, I saw Amy standing over me, waving a mug under my nose. “Wakey wakey,” she crooned. “It’s your wedding day. Victor expects to see you at the chapel in two hours.”I reached for the mug and took a sip. The coffee was laced with dark chocolate almond milk and a touch of steamed heavy cream.“Mmm, thanks, Amy. It’s just the way I like it,” I said. “This is such a treat.” I stretched again and took another sip.“Enjoy it, but don’t dawdle in bed,” Amy put her makeup bag on the nightstand. “You need to get in the shower and wash your hair. Anna will be here to help us soon.”After waiting for this day to come for so long, I was both ecstatic and a little nervous that something would go wrong.“Is it really going to happen?” I asked my best friend. “Am I really going to be his
Kayla kept her word. The estate that we named Juniper Acres because of the dozens of Juniper trees on the grounds became ours a few days after my talk with her.I liked the small trees. They had a pleasant, fresh, and woodsy scent, and the blue/ green berries were pretty and had many uses.Besides making arrangements for our wedding, Victor and I spent the last three weeks getting our mansion ready for us to move in. It was a labor of love, knowing it was all ours.We painted some of the rooms in different colors that we preferred. I especially liked the shade of yellow that we painted our breakfast room.Like Alex’s mansion, our breakfast room had many windows facing east for plenty of natural sunlight. We would enjoy our mornings together, enjoying our first cup of coffee in the room.The living room now had comfy, overstuffed furniture in light blue and walnut. The carpets and drapes were neutral colors that set off the polished wooden floors.It was an inviting room. I looked forw
Victor called the realtor while I stood beside him with my fingers crossed. There had to be a way to fix the snag, whatever it was. The estate was perfect for us. We couldn’t lose it.I heard the realtor’s voice when she answered his call. “Victor, I’m sorry for giving you bad news.”“What’s the problem?” Victor asked. His voice was calm, but I saw the tension on his face.“The current owners of the Juniper Lane estate are two granddaughters of previous deceased owners. One of the young women refuses to sell to Miss Wilson.”Puzzled, Victor and I looked at each other.“Why?” Victor asked.“She claims Miss Wilson did something to cause her problems in the past,” the realtor responded. “I can’t change her mind. She refuses to sign the papers to finalize the sale.“Does she know the size of the offer we made?” Victor asked as I searched my memory for the identity of the granddaughter.But I couldn’t think of who I had angered that much. I shrugged at Victor and did a palms up.“Who is sh
“I’m sorry,” I said and knelt down to pick up the pieces of broken glass.“That’s alright, Miss Wilson,” Benson said. “Thomas will take care of the mess.” He motioned to a footman. “Let me get you another glass of tea.”“Are you okay, Daisy?” Cassidy asked. “We shouldn’t have shocked you with the news in front of guests.”I shook my head and tried to smile. “No, I’m fine. I was just surprised. Congratulations. I’m happy for both of you.” But was I? I had been an only child since Alex found me.Even though I knew Alex would continue to love me, my only experience with having a sibling wasn’t a positive one. Andrea enjoyed making my life miserable.So, I wasn’t sure how I felt about having a half-sister or brother. However, I was sure Alex and Cassidy wouldn’t treat me like the Smiths, and I’m optimistic the baby wouldn’t be like Andrea.But what would change in my life?“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Alex asked. He looked concerned, and even though I had been shocked, I didn’t want to spo
Victor’s POVDaisy was terrified. I could tell she was afraid her stutter would return. If she was scared enough, it could happen. She needed my love and support.I stepped forward to kiss her cheek and whispered in her ear, “No matter what, I love you. But you can do this. I’m right here with you. Pick one person in the crowd and talk to them.”Daisy gave me a weak smile, and I saw her take a deep, trembling breath. She looked out at the crowd of strange faces, and I knew the instant she saw someone she recognized.It was Amy, standing with Justin, William, and Penny among the sea of reporters. They must have heard about the press conference and come to support us. They were true friends.I sensed Daisy was relaxing, and she began to speak.“When I was seventeen, I worked in a restaurant owned by my best friend’s father. While waiting on customers and bussing tables, I dreamed of going to college and getting my law degree.“I wanted to use that degree to help the werewolf classes who
Victor and I freshened up while trying to think about what we wanted to say. Then we went back downstairs and watched the reporters and news anchors arrive outside the mansion.“There are so many,” I said. “I’ve never seen this many reporters at once before.”“They are coming from other cities to be here,” Shane said. “Your and Victor’s vision for the future is big news. There are rumors that Victor is going to quit the leadership, and you’re moving away from Denhurst.”Findlay snorted. “I heard that rumor, along with several crazier ones. I think the people need to be reassured of your good intentions for everyone.”“I can understand that,” Victor said. “How about you, Daisy?”All I could do was nod. I understood, but I was growing nervous about going out there in front of such a large crowd of reporters and photographers. There were so many. It was like a sea of people forming over the vast front lawn.My hands began to tremble when the estate staff began moving the temporary stage
I cried all the way back to the mansion. Amy remained silent, patting my arm occasionally and handing me tissues when I needed them.She pulled into the driveway and to the front entrance before she spoke.“It looks like Alex has company,” she said. “Who’s limos are they?”I punched the seat. “That one is Lana’s, and the one pulling in next to us is Lily James’s. The nerve of that pushy woman. She followed us!”“But look, Daisy,” Amy pointed toward the front doors. “Victor is here.”I wiped my eyes and saw Victor coming toward me. He opened the car door and took me into his arms.“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he crooned. “Gisele called and told me what happened. So I had Findlay call everyone here for a quick meeting to set them all straight.”I stopped crying and nodded even though I wasn’t sure it would help.“This nonsense will stop now,” Victor took my hand and helped me from the car.We waited for Amy to put the baby in the stroller before going inside.I looked around the foyer, unab
Victor’s mouth opened, but no words came out at first. Then he shook off his surprise.“Are you serious?” he asked.“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it for weeks,” I replied.Why did Victor look so shocked? During the few times we had spoken about kids, he said he wanted a family.Tears stung my eyes, and I turned away from him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.”Victor gently turned me around. “I know you’ve been upset since Amy had the baby, but I didn’t know it was because you want one too.”“When I first held Brendre, I felt such a rush of love that it was all I could think about for days,” I explained. “I never thought much of babies before. I think it's because my adoptive parents rejected me when they had their own baby.”“That makes sense.” Victor took my hand and started walking down the beach again. “Anyone would feel that way.”“Holding Amy’s baby made me realize I very much want to be a mother,” I said. “And I don’t want to wait a long time to start our family.”“What a
Daisy’s POVI couldn't believe Victor was leaving. Couldn’t he stay with me at the beach house for just one day?An emptiness in the pit of my stomach started when he turned to leave. It grew after he went out the door. Through our bond, I felt his painful, churning emotions and wondered if he was finished with me.I couldn’t lose him! I’d return to Denhurst this minute and marry him in any ceremony his mother wanted. The only thing that really mattered about my wedding was Victor must be the groom.I had to stop him from leaving. I needed to know what was on his mind and in his heart.Running out the door after him, I saw him climb into his car and start the engine.“No!” I cried as I jumped in front of the Lamborghini. “Don’t leave me, Victor. I love you!”The Lamborghini’s engine stopped, and Victor leaped out of the driver’s seat. He hurried to my side.“Why won’t you stay with me?” I asked.“I thought you wanted to be here alone,” Victor replied. His body was trembling with emoti