“Never correct your elders in public,” I told Lana while she was quizzing me on werewolf rules of etiquette. “Who came up with that rule, an elder, right?”Lana fought back a smile. “Most likely. Nevertheless, you must follow the rule. It’s important in our society to respect your elders.”“I respect them, but they’re not always right,” I said.“Agreed, and if it’s regarding something important, you privately present your facts to them, with proof of your argument,” she added.Lana and I had enjoyed a delicious lunch together on her patio, and now we were going over some rules of etiquette that Victor had gone over with me last week.“What is the main rule concerning acceptable ways to raise money for your foundation?” she asked.I like how she called it my foundation. I guess it is mine now even though I can’t run it by myself yet.“Never directly ask for money; instead, express the need for donations,” I said.“Correct. You saw that in action while we were networking at the ambassad
Victor drove us deeper into the country to a spot in the hills that overlooked the river below.He turned off the car and turned to me. “What’s on your mind?”“I never thought about how our agreement would affect the people around us,” I said.“What do you mean?” Victor responded. “How does whether or not we ever get married affect anyone else but us?”“If your parents find out the truth, they will probably realize we were faking all the time and be disappointed in both of us,” I replied. “I’ve gotten close to your mother, and I don’t think I can handle her being upset over me.”I needed to vent, and he was the only person who could listen to me.“How are they going to find out?” Victor demanded.“You haven’t said anything have you?”“Of course not,” I replied. “I could never face them again if they knew we’ve been lying to them…lying to everyone.”“Why are you worried about this now? Our fake engagement has been happening for months, practically since I met you.”“I didn’t know your p
William and I hurried outside and scurried to the rose garden.“Do you always shift in the rose garden?” William asked.“Yes,” I replied. It’s close to the house, and the roses offer the privacy that I need to be comfortable while I shift, and the bushes keep my clothes off the ground.”“The pavilion in the center of the pond would be ideal also, or are you still afraid of the water.”“I’m not afraid of it anymore,” I informed him. “I learned to swim in that pond while you were away.”“That’s wonderful,” William said. “I’m glad. You’ll be much safer now around water. I Will never forget the day you almost drowned in my parent’s pool.”“Me either, although I’d rather forget it,” I sighed. The roses were now in sight.“Have you taken many runs out here?” he asked. “It is a lovely place, and there is a lot of room to run.”I didn’t want to mention Victor right now, so I avoided his name. “I’ve come out here several evenings for a run, and I swam in the pond once.”“I hope you didn’t try
Victor’s POVI couldn’t stop thinking about the argument with Daisy. My reaction to her concerns was way out of line.She needed me to tell her everything would work out. Instead, I accused her of things and acted horribly.I couldn’t control my tumultuous emotions while I wondered if Daisy was going to end our deal now that she could have William.I blamed it all on Adam.To make matters worse, she was right about hurting our families. She was also correct about my motivation for proposing the deal in the first place.The situation was all my fault. But I don't know how to fix it now. It would have to play out, or things could get worse for both of us.But I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else until I apologized to her, and I had to do it in person.I texted her to tell her I was on my way to talk to her before leaving my office.In the parking garage, I jumped into the Lamborghini and started the engine. There would be a lot of traffic in the city at this time of day, b
The next evening, Victor and I were on our way to a cocktail party at the home of a wealthy widow with an electronics company she wanted to sell.No matter what happened last night, I was responsible enough to follow the decided schedule.Victor’s family wanted to acquire the company, and he warned me before he would need to spend a lot of time talking to the older woman at the party.“I’ll try not to leave you alone as much as possible,” he said. “But I need her promise to give me the first bid on the company.”“I understand,” I replied. “Maybe I'll try to do some networking for the charity while you’re busy.” Being successful was time-consuming. The opportunity to make a deal was everywhere in an Alpha’s life.Victor sighed. “Thanks for being here… and I really am sorry about how I acted yesterday. I should have listened to you and let you vent. And I have no excuse for not being able to control Adam.”“Forget about it,” I told him. “Diana says his aggression is due to the strong ma
“Well, tell me what you have in mind,” I asked William.“Trey, one of the guys on the football team, is having a party tomorrow evening,” William said. “You met him when we went for pizza, and I thought you and Victor might want to go.”Yikes, a party with the Alpha kids from school? They had been treating me better lately, but I wasn’t sure if I should go.William noticed my hesitation. “Victor can go. He knows Trey, too. You need something fun to do instead of all these high society parties where you network.”Okay, let’s ask Victor when he comes back from talking to Mrs. Daley,” I agreed, even though I’d rather face a dozen stuffy Lunas than two stuck-up cheerleaders.William and I drank another glass of juice before Victor returned to our side.“How’s it going with Mrs. Daley?” William asked.“Very well,” he replied. I could tell he was stifling a big grin. “She wants to sell me the company. I will be at her office while they inventory all the assets tomorrow.”“Congratulations,”
I had to find out what was happening with my best friend’s boyfriend.Was Justin, her mystery boyfriend, Trey Brown’s cousin and an Alpha. If so, why would he lie to her about being a Beta unless he was using her?I had butterflies in my stomach as the chauffeur let me off outside the school. Somehow, I had to protect my friend, but Amy’s love for Justin wouldn’t make it easy.Amy was waiting for me in our spot. I approached her with my practiced smile. She was too busy looking at her phone screen to notice my cheerful expression wasn’t genuine.“Talking to Justin already this morning?” I asked as casually as I could.“Uh-huh,” she replied as she typed a response into her phone. “How was your dork party?” Amy asked me.“It was okay,” I answered. “I ate the most delicious sandwich.”“That’s good.” She typed another response.“What did you do last night?” I had to find out for sure if it was Justin I met last night without Amy suspecting what I was doing.“I worked with Dad for a couple
We arrived at the mansion before the ambulance. As soon as Victor stopped the car, I ran inside.Alex was still lying on the living room floor. Benson had covered him with a light throw to keep him warm and stood nearby wringing his hands.“How is he?” I asked and rushed to kneel next to Alex.“His breathing is very shallow, but his heart is still beating,” Benson replied. “The ambulance should be here any minute to take him to the hospital.”Victor entered the room and kneeled beside me. He put an arm around my shoulders as I held Alex‘s hand.“I love you, Father,” I told Alex.“I can’t lose you yet. Please, stay with me.”But Alex didn’t answer me or move. He was pale and barely breathing.Tears ran down my face as I leaned against Victor to avoid falling over.Even though I knew Alex was ill, it was a shock to see him lying on the floor like this. I couldn’t imagine my life without him now. He couldn’t die yet.Jennifer led the ambulance crew into the room. I stood between her and V