CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ZOEYI sat beside the Luna with two guards by my side, just like I had been doing for the past few days and honestly, I wasn’t seeing any difference or positive changes, and I was certain that if this continued, they’ll eventually figure out that I’m a dupe and lash out on me. I had to come up with a plan to leave before they’d find it out on their own.After sitting with the Luna, I decided to take a walk around the pack since I was lonely and had no one to talk to.While I was strolling, I noticed how the pack members reacted to me and as much as I tried to ignore them and keep a blind eye just like Ronald had told me, I couldn’t because they were staring at me with pure disgust and hatred.They didn’t even try to hide it and whenever I passed by a child, his mother would hide him behind her back and say something like, “Come here, before the bloodsucker will get to you.”I wasn’t even a vampire but the segregation and disgust hurt me so badly that I contemplated g
CHAPTER NINETEEN ZOEY“After all, she’s the Alpha’s girl,” Lily said and for some reason, that sentence echoed in my head like a broken record and no matter how hard I tried to brush it off, I kept thinking about it.“Why do you mean she's the Alpha’s girl? Is she his mate?” I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. If she was Graham’s mate, then she’d have made it clear, but instead, she said she’s his girl.“Uhm, not yet,” she said, further adding to my confusion.“I don’t understand what you mean.” I told her plainly.“Well, Alpha Graham doesn’t have a mate. He’s yet to find her, and to be honest, I don’t think he will due to some certain things,” she said, and I didn’t bother to interrupt her or ask any questions, I just let her continue.“Nicole is the closest she-wolf to him. They were childhood friends and they grew up together. Nicole is yet to find her mate, and so is he. So they’re together now, just like fated mates.” She explained and I began to put the pieces together.“So does
CHAPTER TWENTYZOEYMy room was the only place that made me feel at peace but now, I couldn’t brush off the feeling that someone was watching me. Even now, as I sat on my bed, the hairs on my skin rose and I shivered in fear.A knock on the door pulled me back to reality and then the door was slowly pushed open like the person on the other side was hesitating, but finally, it was pushed open and a maid stood there.I noticed how she wrapped her arms around her body and shivered in fear like I was going to eat her whole. Her behavior annoyed me so much that I couldn’t help but scoff and roll my eyes. “What do you want?” I asked with a frown and even the sound of my voice made her flinch.“A..Alpha G..Graham is calling for you.” She stuttered but thankfully, she was able to get the words out.I sighed and stood up, wondering why he was calling for me. What lie would I tell him now inorder for him to leave me alone? I honestly wasn’t in the mood for him.I was just about to tell the mai
CHAPTER TWENTY ONEZOEY“Scrub!”I furrowed my brows in confusion as I stared at him. What did he mean by scrub?“Uhm, I don’t think I understand what you meant, Alpha,” I said quietly.He was quiet for a while before he sighed loudly like my question irritated him and then he looked up at me. “The pack members are complaining to me that you’re useless.”I stared at him in disbelief as I thought of what to say. They were lying to him and he believed them. Now he was telling me to scrub?“That’s a lie. I’m not useless.” I raised my chin in defiance as I defended myself.“Then tell me…” he placed his elbow on his desk and rested his head on his hand, “…how are you useful in this pack?”I racked my brain as I thought of a good response, and fortunately it clicked. “Well, I’m helping with your mother’s recovery, am I not?”I could swear that I saw his lips curve up in a smile but it disappeared as quickly as it came. “That’s not for them to know.” He said calmly, “Now, you have to work ha
CHAPTER TWENTY TWOZOEY “How dare you?” He said as he slowly stood up. He slowly walked towards me like a predator hunting it’s prey, and I knew that I should have backed down and apologized for how I spoke to him, but I didn’t want to. He had provoked me and for some reason that I couldn’t understand, I didn’t want to let it slide.“How dare you?!” I threw his question back at him, yelling at the top of my voice all of my pent up frustration and anger, making way. “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you just let me do my job?! You said that your silly pack members are complaining to you and yet you won’t let me work!”“Your job is to scrub here clean, and that’s exactly what you will do. You have no right to complain. You have no right to talk back at me or even look me in the eyes.” He said calmly, like he wanted to test how far he could push me but I was already at my tipping point.“I have every right to speak, Alpha Graham, and there’s nothing you can do about that.” I countered.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREEZOEYAlpha Graham was quick to loosen his grip on me when the door opened and it made me so curious that I couldn’t stop myself and I turned to have a look at the person who just came in, and to my surprise, it was Nicole.She stood by the door and she looked between us. For some weird reason, my heart raced and I couldn’t help but feel like I was doing something wrong, and it made me instinctively take a step back.She shot me a hard glare, making me shrink back and then she walked to Graham who I just realized had moved away from me.“Graham,” she said in a child like voice and threw her arms around him, pulling him closer, “I miss you so much.” She pecked his cheek, leaving a trace of her bright red lipstick.I felt disgusted as I watched them. It was so bad that I had to roll my eyes because it felt so artificial. I didn’t care if I was being a hater, I was just being real.“Graham, what is she doing here?” She whined and then with her arms still wrapped aroun
CHAPTER TWENTY FOURGRAHAMI really didn’t understand why I called for Zoey or why I even asked her to clean my office. I lied to her that the pack members were complaining about her, but it wasn’t technically a lie. They weren’t happy with her presence, they just hadn’t said it out loud.I didn’t mean to tell her those words but she had provoked me and I couldn’t take it back. For some reason, I felt drawn to her and I instinctively gripped her chin, and something in her eyes captivated me and made it difficult for me to look away, but I tried to brush it aside, and thankfully, Nicole came in just in time.Nicole still clung to me after Zoey left and when the door shut, I shrugged my shoulders and gently untangled myself from her, then I went to sit behind my desk.I pulled my tie to loosen it as I felt like I was suffocating. I didn’t understand what was going on, biy my chest felt tight.“Graham,” Nicole said in her usual childlike voice she used whenever she was with me. “I’ve mis
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVEGRAHAM“A news has reached me that Zoey is causing problems in the pack.” I said to Ronald the second he walked into my office.“And who told you that?” He stopped in front of my desk and asked like he just heard something ridiculous.“Who told me isn’t what matters.” I told him seriously. I had no idea why he was so interested to know who told me, but it wasn’t necessary.“It does!” He shot back and I could tell that he wasn’t going to give up, and as much as I didn’t want to tell him who told me, I just felt like I had to.“It’s Nicole,” I finally said, and I watched him, waiting for his response.“That’s a lie,” he countered me, to my surprise.“What?” I stared at him with wide eyes.“Yes,” he nodded. “It isn’t true. Zoey has been anything but trouble. In fact, it’s the pack members that are attacking her unprovoked. They segregate her and treat her like shit.”I raised a brow in surprise and confusion. I didn’t know why he was supporting Zoey so seriously but i
GRAHAMShe told me to let her go.The words echoed through my mind like a broken record that I couldn’t fix. I stood in the empty space long after she had disappeared, the scent of her still lingering in the air and mocking me with everything I couldn’t have.Let her go?How the hell was I supposed to do that?I walked back to the packhouse in silence, not even noticing the people who passed me or the curious glances that they threw my way. I went straight to my room and locked the door behind me. The walls felt too tight, and the air felt too still. My wolf paced restlessly inside me, growling low and angry, but I couldn’t calm him. I couldn’t even calm myself.I dropped onto the edge of the bed and ran both hands through my hair in frustration and gripped it like it would bring me some kind of restraint or peace. My chest burned. My mind screamed and all I could see were her eyes, Frankie’s glowing and calm eyes as she shattered every piece of me.“It was a mistake.”She said that a
ZOEYI stormed out of the woods and into my room and I could feel my heart racing, and I clenched my fists so tightly that it felt numb. I didn’t care how calm Frankie looked or acted, all I knew was that I was done being quiet.“You had no right!” I yelled, feeling my anger boil underneath my skin. “You told him to let me go! Why would you do that? Are you okay?”I could feel Frankie standing straight, instead of backing down and explaining things to me. It felt like I was staring straight at her and she was openly challenging me. Her glowing eyes were calm, like always and it infuriated the shit out of me. “He needed to hear it.”“No, he didn’t,” I snapped. “He needed me, he needed us. And what did you do in return? you broke his heart and made me seem like the bad person. Like there’s something wrong with me!”“He was already breaking,” she said quietly. “Don’t put all the blame on me!”I paced around the room, trembling with anger. “I felt it. I felt his pain, Frankie. His anger.
GRAHAMThe fire in the fireplace had burned low, leaving the office in a soft atmosphere. I leaned back in my chair, fingers under my chin, staring at the dying fire. The taste of Zoey still lingered on my lips—sweet, warm, intoxicating. I shouldn’t have kissed her. No. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I wanted to do it again. A growl tore from my throat, raw and frustrated. My wolf snarled in my chest, restless, torn between two instincts—one that howled for my mate, Frankie, and another that burned for Zoey’s fire, her defiance, the way she looked at me like I was both the storm and the shelter. This is wrong. But it didn’t feel wrong. And that terrified me. I squeezed my eyes shut, dragging a hand down my face. The bond between mates was sacred. Unbreakable. So why did my pulse race for someone else? Why did my blood heat at the memory of Zoey’s fingers tangled in my shirt, pulling me closer like she never wanted to let go? A whisper of presence brush
GRAHAMThe Pack House was in its usual state of controlled chaos when we arrived. Warriors lounged in the common area, some sparring, others nursing drinks. A few pups darted between legs, yipping excitedly, while the elders watched from their usual spots near the fireplace, shaking their heads at the younger generation’s antics. And then there was Roland. Leaning against the doorway like he’d been waiting for us (which, knowing him, he had), my Beta raised a brow as Zoey stepped inside behind me. His gaze flicked to the bruise on her temple, the hospital bracelet still stubbornly clinging to her wrist. “Zoey,” he said, voice carefully neutral. “You okay?” Zoey’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, now you care?” Roland blinked. “What?” “Don’t play dumb,” she snapped, jabbing a finger at him. “You snitched.” I crossed my arms, watching the exchange with mild amusement. Roland had always been terrible at lying under pressure. “I didn’t—” “You told him,” Zoey accused, jerking a thumb
GRAHAMThe scent of pine and wildflowers still clung to the air inside my Jeep, even after she’d vanished into the trees. Frankie. My mate. My wolf had been restless for weeks, aching for even a glimpse of her, and today—today she’d been *close.* Not close enough to touch, not close enough to speak to, but close enough that my lungs burned with the memory of her. I exhaled, leaning back against the seat, my fingers tapping against the leather seat. The pack warriors were spread out nearby, waiting for my signal to move. But for now, I just wanted to savor this—the quiet, the lingering trace of her, the way my pulse had finally slowed for the first time in months. Then— Knock. Knock. Knock. I turned my head, and my breath caught. Zoey. Her hair was piled messily on top of her head, loose strands framing her face. A hospital bracelet dangled from her wrist, and there was a faint bruise blooming along her temple. She looked exhausted. She looked alive.I rolled down the window
ZOEYI stepped out of the café, the door swinging shut behind me with a satisfying click. The air outside was crisp, fresh—unlike the suffocating, latte-scented tension I’d just left behind. Charlie’s words still prickled under my skin, but for once, I didn’t care. I’d won that round. Hannah and Lily were waiting for me across the street, their faces etched with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness. Why were they nervous? Hannah waved enthusiastically, nearly smacking a passerby in the face. Classic. Time to go back to the pack, I thought, grinning. Back to Graham—BAM. Something hit me. Hard. One second, I was mid-step, feeling victorious. The next, the world spun, tilted, and then— Black.--- Beep. Beep. Beep.My eyelids felt like they’d been glued shut. I groaned, trying to lift my arm, but something tugged at my hand. What the—? I forced my eyes open, blinking against the blinding white light. Sterile walls. A weird plastic tube sticking out of my arm. A machine b
**GRAHAM**He nodded sagely. "Yep. Left a while ago." My grip on the pen tightened. "And where, exactly, did they go?" Rowand shrugged. "Human world, apparently. Something about Hannah’s friend having a baby." The pen snapped in my hand. Ink splattered across the desk. Rowand blinked. "Uh. You good?" I stood up so fast my chair nearly toppled over. "They what?" Rowand leaned back, holding his hands up. "Hey, don’t shoot the messenger! I just thought you’d want to know—" "Who let them leave?" My voice was dangerously low. Rowand swallowed. "Uh. Ronald?" I stormed out of the office, Rowand scrambling after me. "Graham, wait—" I didn’t wait. The packhouse was bustling as usual—warriors chatting, kids running around, the usual chaos. But right now, all I could focus on was the fact that my mate—well, technically my mate’s human form, who I was still trying to figure out how to handle—had waltzed into the human world without so much as a by your leave. I found Ron
**GRAHAM** The pack council chamber smelled like old leather and older wolves. The elders sat around the massive oak table, their faces carved from generations of bad decisions and worse tempers. And right in the middle of it all, like a peacock in a den of wolves, stood Kelvin Walker—Alpha of Moonstone, cheater of mates, and current pain in my ass. He’d stormed in unannounced, demanded an audience after accusing me of stealing his mate, and now here we were. "Alpha Graham," Kelvin began, his voice dripping with false diplomacy, "I come before your council to address a grave injustice." I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed. "Get to the point, Kelvin. Some of us have actual work to do." His eye twitched. "You stole my mate." The room went dead silent. Then Elder Fergus, who was roughly as old as dirt and twice as dusty, coughed into his fist. "That’s a serious accusation, Alpha Kelvin. Best tread carefully." Kelvin ignored him, jabbing a finger in my direction. "Zoey
CHAPTER EIGTHYZOEYThe moment I collided with Charlie in the supermarket, my blood ran cold. Her smile was all teeth—sharp, practiced, and utterly fake. “Zoey,” she cooed, like we were long-lost sisters instead of bitter enemies. “What a surprise.” I forced my fingers to unclench from the bag of chips I was holding. “Charlie.” She tilted her head, eyes flicking over me with that familiar, calculating gleam. “You look… different.” A pause. “Alive. I honestly thought Silvercrest would’ve killed you by now.” I matched her smile, just as hollow. “Disappointed?” She laughed, light and airy, like we were sharing a joke. “Oh, Zoey. Always so dramatic.” Then, without missing a beat, she looped her arm through mine like we were best friends. “Come on. Let’s catch up. There’s a café next door.” I wanted to rip my arm away. I wanted to scream. But Hannah and Lily were already watching us with wide eyes, and the last thing I needed was a scene. So I let her drag me out of the store