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
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
“Daisy, I’m so sorry that I can’t celebrate your birthday with you,” my only friend Amy told me over the phone. “I would definitely be there for you if I wasn't sick…”“Amy. It’s fine. I already got the cake you ordered for me and it looks delicious,” I said, looking at the small yet beautifully decorated birthday cake in my hand.Amy was my best and only friend at school. I wanted to tell her that school days when she couldn’t attend were long and lonely. But I don’t want her to feel worse.“I didn’t have my first shift last night, so today can’t be my actual birthday. You still have your chance to make it up to me,” I said.Orphans like me don’t know when we were born or if we are Alphas or Betas until our first shift. Werewolves never shift until midnight on their eighteenth birthday.Today was September 5th, the birthdate on my adoption papers. It was assigned to me by officials when I was only a few months old.A shy, geeky werewolf like me couldn’t be an Alpha, but I didn’t care
I turned away from the TV to keep my foster family from noticing my interest in the news. I especially didn’t want Andrea to see me staring at the handsome Alpha male who was the missing girl’s fiancé.I could still hear the reporter's words as he delivered the story. His voice seemed to echo through my mind.“So, I have a message for all you girls who will soon be eighteen,” the reporter said. “If you have thick eyebrows and naturally curly hair, please call the number at the bottom of the screen. You could be Alberta Wilson, the heiress of dying billionaire Alex Wilson.”“You should call the number, Daisy.” Cecilia tugged on a lock of my wild, unruly hair. “Maybe this is your real family.”Andrea let out a whoop of mocking laughter that made me cringe.“Daisy ... a missing heiress!” Andrea laughed again. “Alex Wilson is the leader of The United Association of Alphas.” She rolled her eyes. “No way is Daisy an Alpha.”“Sweetheart, stop it.” Cecilia winked at her daughter. “There’s no
Victor stared at his stained clothes, his face filled with shock and anger.I … I’m so … so suh … sorry,” I stuttered and rushed to the ladies’ room, where I vomited, over and over, into the toilet. After my stomach settled, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I threw up on Victor Klein! I’d never been this embarrassed in my life.I let myself slide down the bathroom wall until I was seated on the floor. Then I pulled my knees to my face and cried. What I had done wasn't good for the restaurant. What if Amy’s dad fired me? Where else could I get a job?I had to return to the dining room, find Victor, and apologize. Hopefully, Victor wouldn’t blame the restaurant for what I had done.After rising to my feet, I washed my face and hands before rinsing my mouth and checking my clothing and apron for vomit. They were okay. Most of my spew had hit Victor. Ugh! The situation was unbelievable.When I got up the courage to walk back into the dining room, I saw a young man I recognize
I wanted to do the test as soon as possible, but the earliest I could schedule an appointment was the following Saturday. I guess there were more girls taking the test than I thought.I arrived at the clinic on time. The number of other girls my age with curly hair waiting for their turn with the nurses was staggering. They were seated in every available chair, but most stood in long lines as they waited their turn to speak to ten different nurses.I never saw so many girls with curly hair all in one place. As soon as one of the girls finished speaking with one of the nurses, another girl took her place. Many left abruptly after answering the nurse's questions, while others went through a different door and into another room.I overheard chatter from two curly-haired girls around me. They claimed the girls who left had been rejected when the nurses felt they couldn’t be Alberta Wilson. The others were considered possible matches and continued on to the DNA testing—the girls who were c
Early the next morning, I woke up and wished I could stay in bed all day. I hadn’t slept well, and I looked more of a mess than usual. But it suited my mood.I was about to wash up and go downstairs to eat breakfast when someone rang the doorbell. After pulling on my old sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, I ran to the front door. It was still early, and the house was quiet. Cecilia, Andrew, and Andrea must still be sleeping.I looked through the peephole and saw Amy impatiently shifting her weight from foot to foot. What had her so excited already this morning? I opened the door and motioned her inside.“You’re up early,” I said as I led her to the kitchen. “Want some juice?”Amy shook her head. “Did you do the genetic test for Alex Wilson and give them the referral information?”“Yeah, why?” I replied while pouring myself a glass of orange juice.Amy held up an envelope addressed to me. The return address was Alex Wilson’s corporation.“Oh, yeah. I used your address. Cecilia was on
All I could do was shake my head. I was too overwhelmed to speak. My mind spun, unable to accept what Victor had said. How could I be Alberta Wilson?And I didn’t want to be engaged to Victor. I couldn’t marry a man like him.Sure, he was handsome and charming, but I didn’t like him. How could I fall in love with a man I didn’t like? And he was used to dating beautiful female Alphas, like the woman with him at the restaurant. He could never love me.“It’s true, Daisy,” Victor said. “His voice was gentle and kind. “The DNA samples you gave at the clinic yesterday prove Alex Wilson is your father.” Victor gave me another charming smile that took my breath away.Looking at Victor's radiant, smiling face, I realized he didn’t remember me. That was hard for me to understand. If someone threw up on me, I’d never forget them. He must not really look at people. He probably hadn’t thought I was important enough to remember.“No! You have the wrong person,” Andrea shouted. Her eyes narrowed as