“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 can’t believe Justin’s parents apologized to me,” Amy said as we prepared for our graduation ceremony in a school bathroom.“From the angry look in Mrs. Brown’s eyes while they were walking over to us, I thought I was in trouble,” Amy giggled. Instead, she said, ‘For Justin’s sake, I’d like to start our relationship over.’”“I'm glad the Browns decided to listen to Alex and be nice to you.” I straightened my cap over my hair. “You didn’t need any stress from them at your birthday ball. Meeting your biological father was enough drama on top of your first shift.”“It’s weird. I don’t think of Andrew Archer as my father,” Amy told me as we pulled on our caps and gowns in a school bathroom. “I mean, I have his genes and everything, but Elliot Gray will always be my real father.”“Good. Mr. Gray has always been a wonderful father to you. But do you have any feelings for Andrew Archer?”Amy pulled on her graduation gown over her dress. “I need to get to know him, and we’ll see what happe
Frampton University was the third school Amy and I traveled to in the new blue Mercedes Alex gave her for graduation.I was now learning to drive, but I didn’t have my license yet. The green Mercedes Alex gave me was at the mansion, waiting for my next driving lesson.We were visiting universities that interested us to tour the campuses before submitting our applications and fees.As a wonderful surprise, Andrew Archer offered to pay Amy’s tuition and expenses at the college of her choice. The Archer family had signed over Archer Enterprises to him the day after the ball.“I hope we get accepted by the same college,” I said. “It would be great to go to the same school.”“As long as they have a good journalism program, I don't have a preference,” Amy said. She was going after her dream of being a reporter.“I still think you should go with journalism for your major,” she added. “You would make a terrific reporter, too. You’ve been in front of the cameras lots of times recently.”“I don
“Um, Daisy, he’s still behind us,” Amy said as we reached the city limits.“I know. Before you get to the light at Oak Street, make a quick right,” I said. “Don’t use your turn signal.” I had my phone in my hand, ready to call for help. The man following us couldn’t be a coincidence.Amy did as I asked, but the old pickup stayed with us.“Maybe we should call the police,” Amy suggested.“I doubt they can do anything yet,” I said. “The guy hasn’t done anything to us. We need to lose him.”I thought for a moment. “Pull into the Market Street strip mall, drive around the building, and leave by the back entrance.”“Good idea,” Amy agreed.She pulled into the strip mall and pretended to be looking for a parking space as we passed the drug store, the liquor store, a supermarket, and a hair salon.The pickup tried to hide from our view and didn’t see when Amy suddenly drove along the side of the hair salon and pulled onto an alley that led to North Front Street.She made a few more random tu
I helped a shaking Amy sit in a kitchen chair. She was pale, and her breathing was shallow and rapid.“Daisy, this is freaking me out,” she said. “Who would leave that photo and note in my mailbox? And is it true?”“I don’t know,” I said. “But we need to find out.”Whoever left them knows where Amy lives. I was worried about her, but I didn’t want to scare her even worse.“I’m calling the police,” Amy decided. She picked up her phone.“You should go downstairs and tell your dad before you call them,” I suggested. “It will scare him if he sees the police coming up here, and he doesn’t know anything about it.”“You’re right.” Amy gathered the photo and note from the table, and we went downstairs to find Mr. Gray.He was at the big stove preparing a sauce for a chicken dish that was the house special that evening.When he saw our faces, he took the pot off the burner and rushed over. “Amy, honey, what’s wrong?” he asked.Amy showed him the photo and the note.“They were in our mailbox?”
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