MILA“You sneaky little bitch.”I unlocked the door, shaking my head at Camila’s stupid grin with Laura smiling behind her. They climbed into the back seat with Laura pulling out her laptop.“Laura, I told you…”“Let me explain,” she said. “I figured since we did so well last time, we can team up again and be out quicker.”“Especially with your reflexes so poor,” Camila laughed. “Can’t believe we were able to sneak up on you.”“I was a bit distracted,” I said, knowing it was a lousy excuse. “And Laura, you’re not going in. Camila can come with me. You stay in the car.”“I’m more than just this laptop, you know.”“Of course, but right now that’s all I need you to be. Your sister would be pissed if she knew you were here,” I reminded her. “But she’s not even here and she’ll never know,” Laura complained. “I’m bored!”“How about this,” I suggested. “While we peek inside, try to get in touch with our mystery guy and get me something on Julia and Randall. I’ve been stalling too long and i
ARITRIGGER: self harm ahead“What are you doing in here?”I froze mid-step, my voice trembling more than I wanted. My father didn’t even glance up. Instead, he continued flipping through my portfolio, each page tossed to the floor with deliberate disdain. His silence was louder than any insult, and I could feel the familiar lump rising in my throat.Francesca stood perfectly poised by the window, hands crossed in front of her, avoiding eye contact as if her presence here was merely incidental. And Amber lounged on the couch with a stupid smirk on her face.“Well,” I said, forcing my voice to be steady, “I didn’t ask for this little family reunion. So what can I do to get you all to leave?”My father finally looked up, his sharp eyes cutting into me. He didn’t respond right away but stood, holding several magazines. He dropped them one by one at my feet. I didn’t need to look to know what they were. The covers had become all too familiar—Mila’s glowing face and headlines touting her l
MILASuddenly, a crash could be heard from the front and Leo’s dad screamed to the back. “Leo! We’ve got a problem out here!”Leo stiffened, his hand freezing on the rack before turning around, placing the bags nearby and heading out to the front. I let out a slow breath, silently thanking Laura and her goofy antics. I didn’t have much time, so I moved quickly. I carefully unzipped one of the velvet bags again and pressed a small tracking.“Down with your communist agendas!” I hear Laura scream before slipping out the back door. This whole thing was turning into something bigger than I expected, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were deep in dangerous territory. My phone buzzed with a text.Laura: That was fun!Me: Communist agendas?Laura: I didn’t know what to say, but it worked. Told you I’m good.Me: I’m heading back to office. You both good?Camila: Yeah and by the way you have some sexy company.I looked up to see Zeke leaning on the front of the car, his arms crossed an
TYLERDammit! I couldn’t get her out of my head. Everytime I close my eyes, I think of her. Mila. Those sharp brown eyes cutting through me without a word, the way she moved around effortlessly like she owned the place, and the way she looked at me, even anger, like I was… nothing.Her silence after the debacle at her last fashion show was louder than anything she could have said to me. I had failed her, again, and she wasn’t letting me forget it. Not with her avoidance, her cold glances, and her deliberate absence from every meeting I’d arranged.Now, I was walking down the hall, heading towards her office to demand her attention, and froze. Voices carried from behind a partially open door.“...you thought you could keep this a secret, Troy,” said Alpha Gregory, his voice low, but seething with menace.I held my breath, moving closer to eavesdrop. My father’s response was even quieter. “I’ll say this one more time, Gregory,” my father said. “I didn’t tell anyone about your dealings.”
GABEAlpha Gregory rose from the table, flanked by his Beta on one side and Alpha Frank on the other, their movements calculated as though this meeting were a choreographed play. When Beta Brian and I approached, Gregory gestured for us to take our seats, his smile wide but hollow.“Alpha Gabe,” he said smoothly, “thank you for coming on such short notice. I know this little meeting was impromptu, but the matter requires immediate attention.” He paused, a practiced grin spreading across his face. “But before we get into it–let’s eat. My father always said, ‘Never make decisions on an empty stomach.’.”The feast materialized as the waitstaff set plates of roasted meats, steaming veggies, and desserts before us. Conversation flowed, but my focus wasn’t on the meal–or the company. I glanced at my watch for the third time, debating an excuse to leave. The truth? I didn’t want to be here, playing nice with Gregory or Brian. One man held Arianna’s career in the palm of his hand, while the o
GABEI froze mid-jab, my eyes locking with Mila’s smiling face. Sparring with Mila was… complicated, and far from stress-relieving. Trading blows, getting in close would stir something I’d rather keep buried. Though Spencer didn’t seem to mind the offer.“We could test if she feels the bond too,” Spencer suggested, a little too eager.I chuckled, taking a step back from her. “You sure you’re up for that?”Mila tilted her head, smirked. “I’m the one offering. Unless you’re worried I’ll knock you on your ass.”Challenge accepted. I stripped off my gloves, gesturing to the open mat. “You asked for it.”“Just remember, Gabe,” she teased, her stance loose but ready. ”I don't pull punches for anyone.”Mila moved first–a quick jab to test me. I deflected easily, stepping back to gauge her. Her eyes gleamed with the thrill of the fight.“Come on, Alpha Gabe,” she taunted, circling me. “You’re not just here to dance, are you?”“Dancing burns calories,” I shot back, feinting left and aiming for
MILAMy stomach twisted in knots as I stood at the foot of the bed, watching Jenna’s chest rising and falling in a shallow rhythm. I tried to heal her bruises, but they wouldn’t. Alex told me we had to wait until the blood transfusion pumps out all the Wolfsbane in her system before I could heal her.A whimpering sound caught my attention as I turned to see Laura fighting sleep. Poor thing was the first one to get to Jenna. Even I couldn’t forget the scene I came upon when I got that night from our mystery hacker.***Unknown: Jenna. Orphanage. Hurt.I raced back, dodging Gabe and the security tail. By the time I arrived, Laura and Camila were already there, holding an almost unconscious Jenna.“Mila, please,” Laura cried. “Heal her, please!”Blood was pooling beneath her from cuts too deep to be accidental. She blacked out with a ring falling from her hand. At the moment I didn’t know if it was important but I picked it up anyway. Maybe there was a reason she was safeguarding it. **
MILABack at the hideout, we poured over all the data we had on everyone.“I still don’t get why Gregory would have Arianna send someone to attack Jenna if he wanted to abortion from the start,” I wondered out loud.“Maybe he didn’t believe her,” Camila guessed. “Or he wanted to get rid of her too?”“This is all too frustrating,” Laura complained. “Can we just take them down already?!”Alex exited one of the rooms where Jenna was resting. We decided to move her here to keep her safe and keep any eye on her.“I’m with crazy eyes over here. What’s the move?” Camila asked, staring at the screen on the table.“I want to hit them from all sides,” I said, holding
MILAI walked down the stairs at the orphanage, impressed by the progress of the construction team. This place was finally coming together, feeling like the sanctuary I remembered. All except for the garden on the roof. I made a mental note to hire a professional to breathe some life into it.“Well, hot damn,” Camila said the moment I walked into the living room. “You and red are made for each other.”Laura glanced up from her laptop, her eyebrows shooting up. “Whoa, Mila. That’s… different. In a good way,” she quickly added, as if I’d take it the wrong way.I smoothed the fabric of my gown, glancing down at the deep crimson silk. The dress hugged my curves, the high slit exposing just enough leg to make me feel… powerful, daring anyone to challenge me. “Well, I wanted to be sure to wear something in case it gets bloody tonight,” I smiled. “You don’t think I’ll stand out too much, do you?”Camila snorted. “Girl, you’ll be the talk of the night. Not because of blood–hopefully–but beca
MILACamila was not lying about the line of people waiting to get their clothes. Some had already pushed past the receptionist area, arguing loudly with the store attendants, some glaring at the empty racks, while others had their phones out, no doubt taking pictures.I looked down at my phones at the numerous calls I made to Tyler and Gabe. Of course, now they didn’t pick up their phone.“There she is!” someone yelled as all eyes fell on me the moment I stepped out from the back room. A swarm of disgruntled customers rush toward me. Zeke and Tom immediately intercepted the mob.“Let’s keep it civil here, folks,” Zeke stated, raising his hands like a traffic cop. “No need to turn this into a Black Friday stampede.”“Or a mosh pit,” Tom muttered.“Civil?” A woman’s voice rose above the chaos. “I pre-ordered one of Emilia’s signature cocktail dresses weeks ago, and was told it will be here today.”Another customer waved her phone in the air. “Same here! I have an event tonight, and I’m
MILAI tried wrapping my head around what was happening, but the only thing I knew for sure was someone was blowing up my phone. Something bad was happening. Then I blinked, and the scene before me hit me like a freight train.My power flooded the room like a tidal wave, Alex was pinned beneath me, his face red and desperate. My clawed hand gripped his throat with an intensity I couldn’t remember summoning.“Rayne, let him go.” I watched as Alex fought to breathe. “Now!”Rayne growled before pulling her hand away. Alex rolled to his side, coughing and clutching his neck as he struggled to breathe. I touched the side of my neck, the burning sensation slowly dissipated as I touched the puncture wounds gingerly. My trembling hand came back with blood on the fingertips.“Mila… I didn’t mean to,” Alex rasped, his voice rough but pleading. “I’m…”The words felt like an insult. A feeble excuse for what he just did. Without a word, I bolted towards the bathroom. My reflection, in the mirror, s
GABETrigger: ViolenceI hung up the phone with Tyler, suppressing the doubt in my chest. Mila. Something was up, but I didn’t have time to deal with that just now. Hopefully, I made it easy enough for Tyler not to fuck things up. He had a knack of complicating even the simplest task.“Delivery is on its way,” Yesmen informed me.Her calm voice was a contrast to the frustration that was building up as our little group followed the manager down the lavender scented hallway of Arianna’s favorite spa. So at least that was good news for once. Now, I had to figure out what to do with Alpha Gregory.Ever since yesterday, I knew she was going to do something to sabotage Mila, but I didn’t think it would include an early morning hookup. After everything I’ve sacrificed for her to be in this position and this was how she repaid me. I’m such a fucking idiot! I clenched my fists, and Spencer stirred restlessly. His anger surpassed mine, but I forced him to stay calm, my gaze locked on the door
TYLERI closed the storage door making a trip to the front and paying the guy to keep quiet. I wasn’t sure what I was going to with the storage but I knew I had to keep it away from Gregory. No telling what he would do if he knew where my Dad’s stash was. It wasn’t the best plan, but at least it was one crisis down. Now on to Mila.Her phone went to voicemail again. I’ve been calling her since yesterday to figure out a plan b if we couldn’t get her clothes here on time, but she was ignoring me again. It was starting to piss me off. No one ignored me.“Maybe we could pay her a visit,” Declan suggested.Though I already knew what kind of visit he wanted. How the hell did that woman have us both up in arms was beyond me? Even if I wanted to visit, I wasn’t sure where the hell she was. I thought of the orphanage, but the only people there were the construction workers. I was thinking she probably took up my brother’s offer to stay at his packhouse, but one call proved that to be false.S
MILAWater cascaded down my body like icy needles, doing little to calm the raging fire within me. I wasn’t sure how long I was in this shower. Or how or when I got there. All I knew was that it wasn’t working. My body was riddled with heat the moment Gabe touched me yesterday–a spark that ignited like a train on fire, consuming every nerve and refusing to let up. I barely made it back here, shedding my clothes in the car and the rest on the way to the shower.No matter how much I scrubbed and cleaned, I couldn’t wash away Gabe’s scent–that woodsy, chocolate spice that had wrapped around me when he helped me through my panic attack. “Why the hell did he touch me like that?” I muttered to no one in particular.“Because deep down you want him to,” Rayne answered. “Rayne,” I warned, not in the mood for her commentary.“Mila, you know I’m down with whatever choice you make,” Rayne continued. “But girl you have to make up your mind. This affects me too, you know.”“I know!” I screamed, g
GABEThe door to my office swung open, hitting the stack of boxes I’d neatly lined up along the wall. A couple toppled over, spilling the contents onto the floor.“What’s with all these boxes?” Arianna complained as she stepped inside. She didn’t so much as glance at the mess she’d just created. “Are you moving to a bigger office or something?”“Why hello to you too, babe,” I said, not bothering to look up from the paperwork spread across my desk.Noah, sitting in his play area, looked up at the sound of her voice. His face lit up, and he scrambled to his feet, his toy truck clutched in his hand as he ran toward her.“Mommy!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide to hug her. But Arianna took a graceful step back, halting him mid-stride. Her perfectly manicured hands smoothed the front of her designer dress as if his touch would leave a permanent mark.“Noah, sweetie,” she cooed. “What did Mommy say about touching her clothes, huh?”“Don’t get Mommy’s clothes dirty,” Noah answered obedi
MILAI felt his presence before I could fully register Tyler standing next to Leo. He gripped the wrist that held the knife with an iron grip. The tension in his muscles was visible, flexing beneath the tight fabric of his black button-down shirt. The sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal forearms corded with strength, and the shirt hugged his broad chest. His black pants and suede shoes completed the ensemble, along with a suit jacket draped casually over the other arm.The look was casual, but there was something very dominant about it. His jawline was shadowed with a light stubble, and the sharp cut of his golden eyes sent a shiver down my spine as they flicked to me for just a moment before returning to Leo. My legs seemed to wobble from the weight of his commanding presence.“Hot, holy hell,” Rayne purred her approval. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from vocalizing a similar sentiment, but damn, she was right.“Control yourself, Rayne.”“You first,” she retorted.Tyler
MILABack at the hideout, we poured over all the data we had on everyone.“I still don’t get why Gregory would have Arianna send someone to attack Jenna if he wanted to abortion from the start,” I wondered out loud.“Maybe he didn’t believe her,” Camila guessed. “Or he wanted to get rid of her too?”“This is all too frustrating,” Laura complained. “Can we just take them down already?!”Alex exited one of the rooms where Jenna was resting. We decided to move her here to keep her safe and keep any eye on her.“I’m with crazy eyes over here. What’s the move?” Camila asked, staring at the screen on the table.“I want to hit them from all sides,” I said, holding