Garrett stood on the grand balcony of his luxurious villa, his emotions in tumult as he watched Kelly and Lily talking in the garden. Lily seemed so happy speaking with his mother. He was pleased that she was having a wonderful time with her as he had no doubt his mother would be kind to Lily. 'I told you we need to just challenge him,' Berric said, still agitated by the conversation. 'I do not want to lead his pack of unruly monsters. I don't want to live like that,' Garrett responded. His relationship with his father had always been strained, and the idea of being a part of the pack held little appeal for him now. Kelly's soft voice filled Garrett's mind which immediately caused the muscles in his body to relax. 'Garrett, my son. Are you spying?' Kelly spoke softly, her voice tinged with amusement. 'No, I'm just clearing my head,' Garrett responded. 'I am glad that your conversation with your father was mostly civil as your home hasn't been burned down,' Kelly respond
Brandy strolled through the high-end boutique, her two friends trailing behind her. They were laughing and browsing the racks of designer clothing, oblivious to the surprise that awaited them. As they turned a corner, Brandy's eyes widened, and she froze in her tracks. "Lily? That couldn't be you," Brandy said. Lily turned to face Brandy and her once pleasant expression dropped to a slight frown. There, amidst the luxurious display of designer dresses, stood Lily, her half-sister. Brandy's mind raced with confusion and disbelief. What was Lily doing here? She certainly didn't have the money to shop in such an expensive store. With a smug smile, Brandy approached Lily, flanked by her friends who were eagerly awaiting the drama about to unfold. "Hello Brandy," Lily said, struggling to fake a smile. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my dear big sister," Brandy sneered, her voice dripping with condescension. "What brings you to this exclusive boutique? Did you take a wrong turn?
"Brandy, I've run the tests," Dr. Bennett began, his voice laced with professional detachment. "I'm sorry to inform you that you're not pregnant." Brandy stared at Dr. Bennett in utter disbelief, her mind overwhelmed with a chaotic mix of panic and dismay. This couldn't be right. She felt the movement. "You are wrong. I know I am pregnant," Brandy protested, her voice trembling with a potent blend of anger and desperation. The sterile scent of the doctor's office permeated the air, threatening to make her sick. The pack doctor, a grizzled man named Dr. Lucas Bennett, hid his grin from behind his clipboard as he pretended to read her medical chart. He enjoyed witnessing Brandy's turmoil, believing that she deserved this after the troubles she and her mother had caused him and his daughter. "Brandy, I assure you the results are accurate," Dr. Bennett insisted, gently placing his clipboard aside. "Run the test again. I know what I felt," Brandy demanded, her anger intensifyin
"This is exactly why I was against the rejection ceremony!" Kelly exclaimed at Jake. "That woman and her daughter are awful!" Their gazes fixed on the television screen as the news anchor reported on a recent incident involving Brandy verbally assaulting Lily. The words that Brandy hurled at Lily were harsh and Kelly couldn't fathom why anyone would treat another person with such cruelty. "Before long our packs are going to look like trash tv." "It is normal for two eligible she-wolves to argue and bicker until one is established as Luna," Jake responded, unphased by the news segment. "This is nothing compared to what I have seen. I have seen sisters maim, poison each other just to ensure their place as Luna. Luckily, this just seems like childish bickering." "Words lead to actions," Kelly said as she and her sister never did any of this. Her sister was happy for her to be Luna. "Then, so be it. The Grey Blood pack needs a strong Luna," Jake said again, dismissing her. "But,
"This shouldn't be this hard!" Lily exclaimed, frustration lacing her voice as she sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor. Her brows furrowed in deep concentration as she searched the internet for the 'perfect gifts for your fiancé'. The articles were more click bait than anything else. She knew that Garrett would be giving her gifts, as there were so many under the tree currently. Everything she found was either too basic or something that Garrett already had. It was two days before Christmas, and Lily was running out of time and options. Dina, her mischievous and sarcastic wolf, couldn't resist chiming in. 'You could just sleep with him,' she teased, her voice filled with amusement. Lily rolled her eyes and huffed in irritation at Dina. 'Shut up. You're not helping,' she retorted, trying to suppress a smile. Dina chuckled. 'Hey, it's a valid option,' she insisted before going dormant again. Lily's mind drifted to Adam. He was Garrett's advisor and Beta. He had always been
"This is unacceptable! This can not happen again," Garrett growled as he rubbed his face wearily and stood up from his desk. Garrett and Adam had spent the entire Christmas Eve hunched over their desks, diligently working to fix the reports left behind by an incompetent employee. Garrett had noticed the errors by chance and spent hours trying to get the right figures. Adam only joined in when he came to his office after Garrett was not returning his calls or responding through the pack link. "You could have let me deal with this mess. You could've been at home with Lily," Adam yawned from his place on the loveseat in the corner of his office. "It wouldn't be fair to you either," Garrett said. "We need to fire whoever did these reports. This could've been disastrous." "You already fired him," "What?" "Ben, the accountant. You already fired him." Garrett reached for the edge of the desk but stopped himself. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Garrett wanted to thr
Lily wanted to gag once she heard her step mother's voice. She hadn't spoken to her since she threatened to lie about her to Garrett. Lily had hoped she would never have to speak to her. 'I told you to ignore it,' Dina said indignantly. 'I wanted to know who it was,' Lily responded. 'And look where that got us?' Dina said snarkily. 'No one else calls us. You should have known it was that harpy of a mother.' 'She is not my mother,' Lily snapped. 'That she is not, thank the Goddess,' Dina agreed. "Are you talking to your wolf again, Lily? What have I told you about that? You need to learn to get better at all. Did you forget your eyes change color? What would happen if a human saw you? And on top of that, it is just plain rude. There is a time and a place for Dina to speak and that is when you shift. Outside of that it is just rude. Tell her that I am flattered that she wanted to speak with me and Merry Christmas to her too," Mandy lightly scolded her. Lily refrained
"You organized all of this?" Garrett asked in awe, his eyes scanning the room filled with an elaborate spread of food. The aroma of delicious dishes wafted through the air, tantalizing his senses. "I wanted to do something special for you. You have done so much for me in such a little time. This was the least I could do," Lily replied with a warm smile, her eyes shimmering with affection. This was not what Garrett had expected to come home to. He had braced himself for Lily's fury, anticipating her anger at his prolonged absence of 48 hours. Instead, he was greeted with a feast fit for a king—an expression of love that left him speechless. 'For an Alpha," Berric, Garrett's wolf, corrected him in his mind. 'She is a proper she-wolf. She is worthy of us, worthy to be our Luna.'' Garrett couldn't help but be impressed by the effort Lily had put into preparing this magnificent feast. However, a flicker of doubt lingered in his mind. 'She couldn't have done all of this on her own,