Instead of hiding in the bathroom and crying, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt so I could go into the home gym to take out my anger and frustration on the heavy punching bag.Kickboxing had become a hobby that I enjoyed. I attended classes at Jayden’s gym at least three times a week. The instructor told me I had a natural talent for it.Avoiding Victor, I went through the living room to get to the short hallway that led to Victor’s den and gym.I flipped on the lights and gazed at my reflection in the mirrors lining the walls. The sour expression on my face made me cringe.I began practicing leg work on the heavy bag, remembering the romantic dinner Victor had ready for me when I woke up.I kicked the bag harder, wondering if I had been unreasonable.He didn’t want me to quit college to work full-time with Shane. After the experience with Chloe, I understood how jealousy can make you think irrationally. But I’ve never done anything to give Victor a reason not to trust me.“You had
Victor was gone when I woke up the next morning. I was tempted to call him, but I knew he was probably busy after yesterday’s events at The Association. Plus, I had classes to attend. I couldn’t afford to miss more of them.After sending Victor a heart and a flaming kiss emoji, I climbed from the bed to prepare for my day. I showered and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers before putting my hair in a braid and applying light makeup.With a cup of coffee in a travel mug, I went downstairs to my car and started the drive to the university.I parked in the student lot and walked to the coffee shop to meet an Alpha Sophomore named Mia Johnson. She was a business major, studying to take over her family’s convenience store chain.Like me, Mia had a Beta best friend who had been denied admission to all the better Universities, including Frampton U.Mia wanted to arrange a meeting between me and her friend. She was angry because her friend couldn’t attend classes with her even though he
While my two attackers were distracted by the taller, more confident Alpha male who had come to my rescue, I rolled away from them and got to my feet.Clutching my phone in my hand, I continued to record.“They were threatening me to get me to quit coming to classes here,” I told my rescuer. “When they found out I was recording them, they tried to take my phone.”“Were you threatening my friend? Shane Ross asked. There was an edge to his voice that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.“She’s a Beta-loving troublemaker,” the blonde Alpha replied. “She wants them to go to school with us.”“Yeah,” the brunette chimed in. “Maybe you should pick your friends better. Or are you one of them too?”“I think more highly of Betas than either of you dirtbags,” Shane replied. “Most Betas wouldn’t gang up on a female to bully and attack them.”“You better walk away, pal,” the blond growled. “Or you’re gonna get hurt.”“Sure, I’ll leave.” Shane gave them a chilling smile. “Come on, Daisy.
Victor’s POVI watched Daisy walk out my office door in disbelief.She came there to tell me she was quitting school to work with the handsome hunk journalist and became angry because I hired a new executive assistant.Didn’t Daisy realize how much I was responsible for in our world? I had to have someone like Sarah keep my days and my desk organized.Yet, the hurt in Daisy’s eyes when she saw Sarah made me feel guilty. But why? I had nothing to feel guilty about. She was the one quitting a good school because super reporter Shane Ross wanted her to quit and work with him.I pounded my fist on the desk and stood. She promised we would talk about it, and we were going to do just that.Following her from my office, I hurried to catch up with her in the hallway.“Daisy, wait,” I called. “We need to talk.”“There’s nothing to talk about,” she insisted and kept walking.I heard the hurt in her voice and knew she was using anger to hide her pain. My beautiful fiancée had a lot of pride.And
Daisy’s POV“Why do you want a copy of the Video?” I asked Victor. He seemed angrier after he saw it was Shane who helped me.“I need it to have the two jocks identified,” Victor replied. “I don’t want to go after the wrong men.”“You’re going after them?” I asked. “What are you going to do to them?”“Don’t worry about it,” Victor insisted and held me tightly. “But they won’t bother you again.”I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “You can’t do anything violent or illegal to them, Victor. You are the leader of all werewolves in this country.”He looked away. “I can’t let them go unpunished for what they did to you. I yearn to taste their blood and hear them beg for mercy.”“No, you mustn’t,” I said. “It could bring your reign as leader to an end and sully your name forever.”“I can’t let them get away with what they did to you,” he said. “It’s bad enough that Shane had to come to your aid. How can I let them go unpunished?”“Shane helped me because he was there,” I argued. “You wou
“Daisy, you have the full report almost finished,” Shane said the next morning. We were working at the kitchen counter in Victor’s apartment.Victor had sent me a single text since he left for work, telling me the police now had the video I had taken. They promised to keep Victor updated on the case.“I put in a lot of hours working on it,” I said. “It has been a passion project.”“It shows. You should get full credit for this story,” Shane declared. “With this much of the work already done, there’s no reason to share the byline with me.”“It’s too long for newspapers. I need a shorter version,” I said. “But online platforms and magazines may run the entire report.”Shane sipped the coffee I made for us. “Condensing it will be tricky, but I’m confident you can do it with very little help from me. You are a natural reporter and a fine investigator.”I blushed. “Thanks. I enjoy doing both, so my career is moving in the right direction.”He patted my hand. “Definitely. Now let me advise
While Victor and I went to his apartment and packed, Findlay made us all the reservations we would need to have a magical long weekend together.Then we traveled two hours north to the city of New Ripon. Even though Denhurst was older and our capital, New Ripon was larger and flourished on tourist dollars.It had everything from some of the world’s best restaurants, museums, and art galleries to an amusement park and zoo.The city was bustling on this warm Thursday evening. I was fascinated by all the activity and people as we drove to its center, and Victor pulled in front of The Covington, New Ripon’s most exclusive five-star hotel and restaurant.A valet took care of the car while a team of hotel staff promised to have our luggage in our room when we arrived.It was exciting to look around the opulent lobby while Victor checked in at the front desk. The white carpets were plush, the walls covered with red silk, and the ceiling dripped with sparkling crystal chandeliers.Then we wer
Why would a stranger follow and take photos of Victor and me? It didn’t make sense. Besides Findlay, who knew we were in New Ripon?I had to know.Trying to keep my eyes on the man with the buzz cut, I followed him away from the dining room and through the lobby.It looked like he was heading for the main entrance, but when I got there, he was gone. I went outside onto the sidewalk and saw no sign of him.The sidewalk wasn’t crowded. I could see a block away in both directions. How did he disappear so quickly?The hotel doorman was talking to the valet in front of the entrance. Maybe they saw the man or knew who he was.“Excuse me,” I said to them. “Did you see a man a little shorter than me with a buzz cut come out of the hotel?”“No, ma’am,” the doorman said without looking at me.“I saw him.” The valet pointed down the street. “He jumped into a car that was waiting down there. Another man was driving when it took off in the other direction.”“Have you ever seen either of them befor