NAOMIWe were inside the car, and all I could hear was Hayden and Hazel giggling and laughing on Harold's lap while Harold was chuckling, looking happier than ever while talking with Hayden and Hazel. I couldn't comprehend what they were talking about because my mind was in total chaos.My plan was simple.I just had to visit Nadia's grave and go back to Miami without anyone seeing me.But my plan failed.I just can't believe that I agreed to get in his car, and now I'm halfway to our house.I mean, to his house...It was our house but now, not anymore.When I looked him in the eyes and when he whispered a please in a pleading way... I just couldn't... I just couldn't resist myself. I've hurt him way too much, and seeing him hurt again will only hurt me.I sighed, feeling the tension rising up again.All I have to do is get inside the house and leave at night.It's just a matter of some hours.And a huge part of me is happy... extremely happy as I got to see Hazel. She looked just lik
NAOMI"What celebration?!" I asked, facing Dylan.He frowned in return."It's Hayden and Hazel's birthday today." He replied.My face was void of any emotions, but beneath I was dumbstruck.Do they celebrate Hazel's birthday??But it's Nadia's death day!!Before I could say anything, Harold butted in by clearing his throat."It's not like a grand party.. it's just like cutting a cake and wishing them with a gift.. that's it." Harold said.I passed him a slight nod in reluctance. What else can I do??"So just wait till the celebration.. even Gwen is on her way here. She'll be happy to see you again."Dylan grinned."But..-" I was cut short by Harold."Please." He whispered as I glanced up at him.And again, all I could do was give him a subtle nod. I just don't want to hurt him more. So I'm agreeing with what he's saying because I'm just here for today. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving.Together, we all walked out of the room, and my eyes landed on our room.It was our room, but now it's his.
NAOMIThe dinner ended well as I moved towards the kitchen to help Daria, if required. I wanted to leave, but Harold was busy with the kids, so I just thought of making myself a little useful before I left.Daria was packing the remaining food into a container, and her gaze was focused on what she was doing."Do you need any help?" I asked with a smile.As her eyes landed on me, an angry grimace took over her face as she glared straight at me. "No!!" She snapped and resumed her work."You're still angry, I see!" The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them.She paused whatever she was doing and glared at me with reddened eyes. "Yes, I am!!" She gritted. "Your face just reminds me of the king's agony filled life.... that you caused him." She lamented as I fixed my eyes on the counter in guilt."I'm..-" I was cut off harshly by her."Didn't you vow to him that you'd bring solace to him during hard times... didn't you??" She screeched, and I was standing in front of her, guilt
AUTHOR'S NOTEHey lovelies, I want to post my new story hereMaddie’s Point of View“Hey, young lady! When do you plan to settle your rent? When I’m ready to set foot in my grave?!” I was rudely awakened by a loud scream. "If I count to three and you don't come out, I'll have these men break down the door! One!"Oh no, it's the landlord again! I hopped out of bed and hit the ground running. Without batting an eye, with a bedhead that could rival Medusa’s snakes, and a case of morning breath that could knock out a horse, I bolted out of bed without skipping a beat. I opened the door to see the landlord looking angry and surprised.I sheepishly greeted her, "Good morning, Mrs. Taylor! It's been a while—""It's been a while since you paid your rent! What's so good about the morning when I have to wake up early just to remind you to pay?!" she hissed, extending her hand for payment.I gave her an apologetic expression, but I didn’t really listen to her. She seemed upset, but I didn’t c
Alphonse’s Point of View"I can smell her and feel her presence," growled Kairo, my wolf. "She is close by!""Who?" I asked, furrowing my brow in confusion."Her… our mate! Your Luna! Can't you smell her alluring fragrance?""I smell a sweet aroma, a delicate scent. At first, I thought it was coming from the newly mated wolves in our pack," I casually replied, shrugging my shoulders. I scanned the surroundings with my eyes. However, as I approached the ceremony, the scent grew stronger, almost overwhelming, and it tickled my nostrils. It was so enticing that it made my head spin and my heart race with anticipation."Alphonse, how did you become the Alpha King when you couldn't even find your own mate?!" Kairo snarled.I prepared myself for an argument, but my attention was suddenly captivated by a sweet and captivating scent. It was so intoxicating that I couldn't resist following it, my senses overwhelmed. I no longer cared about Kairo's mocking anger - all I wanted was to find the s
Maddie’s Point of View My patience wore thin as I inched closer to him. Eventually, I couldn't hold back any longer and let out a bone-chilling scream. "Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about, but could you please stop? This act is really starting to annoy me. We're not in a movie, so you can't just pretend like this." I saw him flinch by my voice, but I paid no mind. I turned my back on him and walked away. However, just as I thought I was in the clear, two men in white shirts suddenly blocked my path, catching me off guard. In the blink of an eye, the man who had kissed me earlier also appeared with quick movement.How the hell did he do that…?!"What's happening?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. "I don't know why you're pretending not to know, but it's really irritating," he snapped, frustration evident in his voice. "I am Alphonse Percival, the Alpha King, and I won't be ignored! Juno! Ajar! Bring her to me!" "Yes, Alpha!" the two men responded, leisurely making th
"Kendall, are you being serious right now?" Juno's lips twisted into a wicked smile, exposing his sharp teeth. The sound of his menacing growl echoed in the tense atmosphere. “Yes,” Kendall answered without hesitation."Are you questioning our trustworthiness or challenging the Alpha's decision with your actions?" Juno's intense gaze pierced into Kendall's eyes. "Which of the two possibilities are you considering, Kendall? Make your choice." Kendall revealed her fangs and emitted a low growl, a shiver ran down my spine. Her sharp claws were visible, glimmering in the dim light, and I instinctively took a step back. These individuals, or rather, these creatures, were unlike anything I had ever encountered. I couldn't help but question if I had somehow stumbled into a nightmare. Desperately, I pinched myself, hoping to awaken from this surreal experience. I would have much preferred dealing with Mrs. Taylor's constant reminders about my overdue rent payment rather than facing these o
"Please... ", I croaked when I noticed that he was damn serious. He smirked eerily in response , pleaded beyond words. Tears leaked out of my eyes in rivulets on my cold and swollen cheeks. While l was in angony he was enjoying it with every delayed beat of my heart. "I can kill you right now", Soon enough the sound of my choking filled up the air when he lifted me up off of my feet.My legs dangled off of the floor by more than a foot. Something l used to watch in movies was happening to me. This was going to happen fast just like l lost my baby. Soon l felt my eyes roll at the back of my head. Resisting death wasn't possible and it was painful. He chuckled again at the pathetic squeaks and gasps coming from my tightened throat.It was deafenig in my ears and l knew it, l was going to die. There was no point in denying it now. "I do have to revenge", At the grim thought my lips pinched tightly together. I kicked my leg forwards kicking him in between his legs but he didn't seem affec
EMILYThat evening, I returned to work, going about my shift at the hospital as though nothing had happened the night before, answering my coworkers' questions about the time I'd spent with my sister but not mentioning to them that I had stolen her identity and ended up at a party that was more amazing than any- thing I had ever experienced before.I ran through my list of patients, taking care of each one as needed. Each person I took care of only served as a reminder of the path I had chosen in life. Sure, I was pleased with my career, and I found it incredibly fulfilling what I could do in the lives of others.But, when it came down to it, I was feeling incredibly envious of my sister. I wanted her life. I wanted to be invited to those parties and to meet those men. I wanted to be the one everyone knew from the cover of a magazine. I wanted to be wanted once again. Try as I may, there was no way I could get Kyle Cun- ningham out of my mind, and each time his face appeared in the ba
KYLEI left early that morning, letting Emily sleep in. I didn't know much about her, and I didn't want to break the spell of the night we'd spent together by talking about things that we didn't need to talk about. All too often, I would wake up next to a woman only to hear how she was getting back at her ex-boyfriend, or that she was doing something to bring drama into some relationship she was having.There were those who were lonely, and those who merely wanted to get a taste of what it would be like to be with a man like me. Sure, they were all intended to be one-night stands on my end, too, and I hadn't ever formed any real opinion about any one of them. But, at the same time, I didn't want the woman cur- rently in my bed to wake up and tell me something about herself that would change the way I felt about her.That thought filled me with confusion.I liked doing what I did and splitting the next day. It was the ego boost I needed; a modicum of fulfillment in a life that I wasn't
."Maddie please, don't do this." He sighed raising his hands in the air in a defence position taking another step forward.I opened my mouth and met out a piercing scream, it lasted for around twenty seconds. Long enough for Dylan to back away from me and the lady around the till to come rushing around.It felt as if the next few moments were played out in slow motion the women had barley reached me when I heard the door of the cafe slam open the impact a lot larger than mine that it caused the glass on the door to shatter.My eyes shot to the doorway which was being took up by Fours large stance who's whole body was clenched his chest heaving up and down his golden eyes set on me before flickering to Dylan.My eyes widened as he took no time before he stalked over his long legs carrying him to my side where he reached out grabbing ahold of my arm pulling my into his large chest blocking my view from the rest of the cafe.I felt heat radiating of his body as his chest huffed and puff
EMILY"Now, tell me absolutely everything. I'm shocked that you even went, and I want to hear how you held up with the rest of the crowd." Maddy said as she walked in through the door.I smiled and shook my head, also unsure of how I had managed to do so well with the situation I had put myself in. I wouldn't have said that I'd handled things perfectly, but I had certainly held my own in the club. "You're not mad at me, are you?" I asked as the two of us walked into the kitchen.Maddy laughed."I have to admit, I thought it was a little strange when you hopped into myride but when you didn't answer my call, I figured you knew what you were doing." She shook her head with a mischievous grin and I smiled, too. I still felt the ex-citement in my chest, and I was eager to relate to her what had happened.Maddy took a seat at the counter and I handed her a glass of iced tea beforegrabbing my own glass and settling in to begin."Well, as you know, we arrived at that mansion up on the hil
EMILYlopened my eyes, slowly blinking as I looked around the room. I had a headache from the champagne the night before, and it took me a moment to remember where I was exactly. Slowly, the events of the previous day came to mind, and I began to piece together what today would hold.I remembered having the disagreement with my sister, and began searching for my phone. I then remembered that I had dropped my clutch out in the living room, and figured my phone must be inside. Looking around the room, I could see that Kyle was already gone, having gotten dressed while I was still asleep.I hurried out to the living room in nothing but my underwear and, sure enough, found my phone inside my clutch. Kyle had been kind enough to pick it up off the floor and leave it sitting on the coffee table for me, and I ignored the feeling of embarrassment that threatened to swell up in me.I was a grown woman, and I was allowed to do anything I wanted-includinghaving a one-night stand with a person t
KYLEIhad to admit, I wasn't entirely sure what had come over me. I'd had many one- night stands in my life. In fact, it was my preferred way of doing things— get the girl in bed, have fun, then get away from her as fast as possible. Miss Shadows, on the other hand, had piqued my interest.I hadn't had any real expectations when I'd taken her up to the party upstairs, but seeing her reaction first to those who were enjoying each other, then seeing her in bed with me, sparked an interest in me that I had never experienced be- fore. I had no intention of committing to her or making any kind of promises that I would ever see her again, but I did wish to get to know her body a littlebetter and that wouldn't be possible if we stayed at the Gathering. There was a little voice inside my head that warned me to be careful taking any woman home, especially one like Emily. Not only did I feel a connection to her, but I could sense that she was feeling a connection to me.It had become easy for
EMILYIwalked quickly and silently next to Kyle as we made our way through the hall. I wasn't sure how he knew the rooms in the house, but I trusted he knew what he was doing, and he wasn't going to take me anywhere I wouldn't feel safe. The rooms were all dark, with some dim lights lining the hallway.It was clear that, though there were many people in the room behind us, it wasn't entirely encouraged for people to be in these back rooms. I didn't even know for sure who owned the house, nor what their connection was to my sis- ter. For a moment, I hoped I wasn't doing anything that was going to get her in trouble. The feeling was a brief one, however, as Kyle kept his hand on my back, guiding me past room after room.The sounds that came from inside several dark corners revealed that we weren't the only two people to have this idea, but it was clear that Kyle didn't have any intention of exploring my body in the shadows of a doorway like some high- schooler. He wanted to take me some
KYLEIkept my palm on the small of Emily's back as we headed for the staircase, fresh drinks in hand. There were a few men and women scattered along the way- some engrossed in conversation, some busy watching the events on the dance floor.As for me, I had come to the conclusion that if you've seen the dance floor once, you've seen it a thousand times, and I felt I wasn't missing out on anything tak- ing her away from itI knew this was her first time at the Gathering, but Emily seemed to be enjoyingherself, in spite of the nerves she must be feeling. I had to hand it to her, shedid manage to fit in with the rest of the guests, though it was evident she hadn't done anything of this sort before. I could feel a slight tremble in each step she took as we mounted the stairs, and I added gentle pressure to my palm on her back. There was no doubt in my mind that she was going to be fun in bed, but Ididn't want her to feel nervous taking this next step in her night. She was sobeautiful,
EMILY"Please, call me Kyle."The man they'd introduced as Mr. Cunningham sat at the bar next to me, sip- ping on his whiskey and smiling at me as though I were the only girl in the room. Every now and then, he would turn his attention to the other guests, but I never felt like he was focusing on anything but our conversation."But that really is enough about me. I'd love to hear about you; I don't recall see-ing you here—or in any other club around here for that matter," he said, look-ing down at me as he lifted his glass to his lips and took a drink.I immediately felt flustered and began stumbling over my words. I had kept upmy sister's identity throughout the entire evening, but now that I was with aman who not only found me attractive, but didn't recognize me as my sister, I felt I had the opportunity to drop the act and tell him the truth."My name is Emily Shadows. I'm a model." So much for telling him the truth.Kyle looked at me for a moment with raised eyebrows, as thoug