Hello Readers, So a few things. I won't be updating as much on this story as I would like, but I think this month we will be closing on the last part of this story. everything is going to come down to what happens after this dinner. Looking forward to putting our characters through the ringer and seeing how they react. Let's finally, finally get to revenging. As always I appreciate the comments and likes. You have truly been an important part to this journey. Thank you.
GABESeeing Mila tonight, looking as stunning and confident as ever, sent a jolt of pleasure through me. I couldn’t come to terms with why she made me feel this way. It wasn’t like I had ever gotten over my feelings for her, but surely being mated should’ve blocked the effect she had on me at this moment.“I don’t understand,” Spencer said in the back of my mind. “She smells just like mate.”“Don’t worry. We’re getting to the bottom of this,” I said, not feeling confident that Spencer wouldn’t act out. “I’m sure it might go away when we lay some things to rest.”At least that was what I was hoping for. Ever since she’d been back Mila’s been unpredictable, and tonight was no exception. Her timing, though, couldn’t have been worse. Gregory and my parents were just speaking about the collaboration with Mila and Arianna, with Gregory not being shy about his disdain for Mila’s involvement. I knew the real reason behind it, though–Mila had blown off his meeting when he tried to recruit her.
ARIThe noise immediately hit me as I walked into one of Julia’s father’s clubs, Heat. It felt fitting given the day I’d had. First, I’d had to swallow the news that I was going to be sharing the spotlight with someone like Mila. Then, the bitch had the nerve to blow off my meeting when I’d been trying to be cordial.The plan was to head home after that disaster, but I was too pissed. And if Gabe mentioned anything about Mila and the contract, I might just lose it. I couldn’t let that happen. Gabe still saw me as his angel, and I needed to keep it that way. For better or worse, he was my ticket out of the contract with my father, but as soon as I could, I’d break away from him too. I was going to build my own legacy. I’d prove to everyone that I wasn’t my father—I’d be better.I turned to make my way to the VIP room when I heard my name. Amber was waving me over with that annoying bright smile, knowing damn well I couldn’t ignore her without making it look like the bad guy. And she lov
GABE - Ten years agoIt was just after the New Year and I was laying in my room, staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts I couldn’t escape. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was Mila–her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she was excited, and the way she looked at me when she thought I was looking. Then the memory was darkened by the way she looked at me that day I broke up with her at school. The memory played on a loop in my head until it was impossible to think of anything else.We had just returned from the Mount Frita ski resort, a tradition I once enjoyed but now resented. Every year, the Moras joined us, and this year, I played my part–the perfect son, the ideal mate, the mask firmly in place. It was unbearable. The laughter, the family outings, the forced conversations, the constant pressure to look content when all I wanted to do was scream. I didn’t want to be there.A constant ache settled in my chest, a reminder of what I lost. I kept telling myself that ending thing
MILA“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”And there goes the tears. Gabe immediately moved to Noah’s side as I tried to comfort him as best as I could. “Hey, Noah, it’s okay,” I said gently, keeping my voice calm and reassuring. “It was just an accident.”Noah shook his head. “Mommy’s going to be mad. I’ll be in big trouble.”“I promise you won’t be,” Gabe said. “Everyone knows things can get a bit messy when eating spaghetti. Sometimes you can’t control where the sauce goes, right?”Noah blinked, tears falling down his face as he looked between all of us with uncertainty. “Your dad’s right,” I said, picking up the spaghetti on my lap, making a playful face when I let it plop onto my plate, sauce going everywhere. “See? Sometimes you can’t control where the sauce goes. No harm done, ok?”Noah’s lips twitched into a small, nervous smile before burying his face in Gabe’s shoulder. Gabe lifted Noah in his arms before turning to look at my dress.“I’m sorry about the dress,” Gabe started. “Please, let
MILAA loud noise from behind us caught our attention, breaking the charged moment between us. I was thankful, as I watched the workers apologize and move on to cleaning up the mess.“So, what do you say?” Gabe asked.“I… I can handle it,” I said aloud, trying to ignore Rayne’s constant remarks and focused on getting out of here. “It’s just a bit of sauce.” My voice didn’t sound nearly as convincing as I hoped, and Gabe’s amused smirk told me he knew it.“Mila,” he said, his voice low, almost teasing as he kept his hand firmly on the door, preventing me from opening it. His gaze locked on mine, sending a ripple of something down my spine. “It’s really no trouble. I insist.”"Let him insist," Rayne hummed again, not letting up for even a second. "Come on, Mila. Have some fun before you tear things apart. Listen to how he says your name. Imagine him whispering it when we—"Imagine it? Oh, I had already dreamed of many different ways to make him say my name and a few included bondage. But
MILAGabe immediately stepped in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking Arianna’s view, but I could still feel the weight of her glare. Though, Gabe’s attempt to shield me only seemed to pissed Arianna off even more.“Arianna, it’s not what you think,” Gabe said, his voice calm but edged with urgency.Arianna’s laugh was bitter, cutting through the air like glass. “Not what I think?” she hissed. “Don’t you dare try to spin this. I felt it!” She pointed an accusing finger at me, her voice shaking with pain and fury. “This… homewrecker planned all of this, didn’t you?”“Arianna, enough,” Gabe said, his voice a bit firmer than before. “You can talk to me, not herRayne stirred inside my mind, practically purring at the authoritative edge in Gabe’s voice. “Mmm, I like this side of him. Tell him to keep going,” she teased, her desire bubbling beneath my skin. I mentally pushed her aside, but it didn’t help much—her feelings bled into mine, making it harder to focus.“I am talking to you,
MILAThe sound of the fire alarm blared through the chaos, sending models, workers, and cameramen scrambling in every direction. I stood frozen in the middle of the madness, trying to make sense of it. People were rushing for cover, yelling, pushing–chaos all around me. None of this was supposed to be happening.Two weeks. That’s all I’d had to pull together a new location and a fresh concept after Tyler tipped me off about what Mirabella knew concerning Arianna’s “plan” to embarrass me. The classic–stealing someone else’s idea and showcasing it first–was basic and so Arianna. I expected that level of sabotage and was prepared for it. But this? This went beyond petty. How the hell did she know about this? My mind raced as I watched the scene unfold–fabrics were soaked, displays ruined, models in full panic mode as the sprinkler system continued to drown everything I’d worked on. The entire “Bring Me to Life” theme was perfectly ruined. “Well, this is… interesting,” a voice beside me
TYLERShe really needed another place to work. The thought hit me as I stepped into the cramped, suffocating space and bumped into a file cabinet. The air was thick with papers, books, and the faint scent of her perfume–something floral with a hint of warmth. But that wasn’t all. Beneath it, there was something else. A sweet, intoxicating undertone of… arousal. Declan stirred immediately, perking up with interest.I fought to ignore it, but it was hard not to notice how it clung to the air, wrapping around me like a magnetic pull I couldn’t shake. “She smells good,” Declan growled in my mind. “Shut up,” I snapped, trying to focus on why I was here.Mila sat behind a rickety desk, her sharp eyes flicking up to meet mine with irritation. Along with that frustration, her scent washed over me again, sweet and lingering, making Declan growl low. “This is not the time,” I said more to myself than him.“Welcome to my office,” she said with sarcasm, cutting off my thoughts. “Take another st
GABEJust ignore it. I thought to myself. This doesn’t have to be a thing.Or at least I didn’t want it to be, but the fact that Mila’s scent filled the small space of the elevator was proving it difficult to focus on anything else. Against Spencer’s wishes, I told myself to look straight ahead, to count the glowing floor numbers like they mattered. Lucky for me, the elevator doors weren’t reflective. But still my gaze kept betraying me.She leaned against the railing, arms crossed, gaze flicking to the numbers as we ascended toward the rooftop.“A rooftop party,” she mused, her red-painted lips curling into a smirk. “Nothing screams ‘we have too much money and not enough personality’ like drinking overpriced cocktails thirty stories in the air.”I huffed a short laugh, but my attention wasn’t on her words. It was on her.The soft glow in the elevator made her dark skin look even more radiant, casting warm highlights along the smooth lines of her collarbones. The red dress she wore was
TYLERI wasn’t sure what it was about Mila that got under my skin. She’d been avoiding me like the plague ever since I asked her to be my Luna. Maybe it was her legs, the way they seemed to wrap around me possessively when she had me tied down. Or her lips–the perfect curve when she smirked, watching me obey her every command. Then there were her hands, delicate but dangerous, capable of both seduction and destruction.I exhaled sharply, forcing my thoughts to halt before they drifted too far. This was not the time nor place. I wasn’t sure why I decided to come to this party or why Arianna invited me anyway. It wasn’t like we were on the same team. Maybe she was up to something. I ordered another drink, leaving the crowded space and headed outside to the rooftop. The low hum of conversation outside and the warm breeze did nothing to keep from thinking of Mila.Or at least I thought when I noticed Arianna approaching. Dressed to perfection, her presence commanded attention, though I kn
MILAI stared at the elegant gold printed acrylic invitation with a velvet black pocket adorned with a circular crest and thought how tacky. I walked towards the entrance where VIP guests stopped on the makeshift red carpet, cameras flashing. I bypassed it all, wanting to get this day over with. I had one goal and that was to get Amira back on my team. Deveaux fancied her and he loved her and I used it, I would be one step closer to being better than Arianna.I walked over to the bouncer when I noticed Randall and Leo having a very tense conversation.“Come on, Randall, just this once,” Leo said, gesturing towards the entrance. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I deserve to be in there.”Randall scoffed, adjusting the cufflinks of his designer jacket. “Deserve? You don’t get it, do you? That place isn’t for people like you. You don’t walk into a room like that unless you belong there–and you, Leo, don’t.”Leo gritted his teeth. “I’ve worked for this. I’ve done the dirty jobs, handle
GABEEarlier that dayI had finally caught up with Frederick, tracking his movement any time he got close to my pack. I needed to find him for Mila. Figure out why he thought she was dead and why he would run away.Hopefully, I could convince him to come back to the packhouse to clean up. Then I can arrange a meeting with Mila. Honestly, I just wanted to see her again. Anytime I had business at the Aliz building, which wasn’t a lot, I would catch glimpses of her and her scent would torment me. A torment I deserved no doubt. But maybe this could happen.I had just stepped inside a roadside diner not too far from the pack’s borderline, when I spotted them. Frederick was sitting in a booth, talking with my mother. In daylight he looked vastly different. His dark curly hair was littered with streaks of silver, his brown eyes–so much like Mila’s–were dull and distant. My mother stopped talking the moment she saw me and almost shot out of her seat.“Gabriel, what are you–what are you doing
MILAI leaned back in my chair, tapping a pen against my chin as I studied the sketches laid out before me. The designs were flawless, innovative–exactly what will impress Deveaux. Yet, none of it would matter if I didn’t have the right model to bring them to life. Good thing, I had the perfect person.“We have a problem.” Camila rushed into the room, tapping away on her tablet.“You say that like it’s something new.”Camila laid the tablet in front of me. The screen cycled through different news outlets of my past work with many models.“Why are you showing me pictures of my past work?”“Because of this, Amira backed out and now.”Camila tapped the screen and pictures of Amira and Arianna popped up everywhere. She was working with Arianna now.I dropped the pen onto my desk, looking at Camila. “What?”“The contract we sent failed through.” Camil crossed her arms, a mix of frustration and concern in her eyes. “Word got to her that you once chose Zuri over her a few years back. Amira
ARII could see everyone’s eyes on me. Once Tyler left, Emily moved us to the Alpha’s office. Troy sat in the chair with Emily standing behind him. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her arms crossed tightly across her chest as she looked between us.I sat in one of the chairs as Gabe stood by the door, his jaw set tight, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the window. I knew this moment would come, I was hoping for it. Maybe his parents could talk some sense into him.“Gabriel,” Emily finally broke the silence, her voice carefully controlled but trembling at the edges, “surely this is something we can talk through? Divorce is… drastic. Unnecessary.”My heart pounded in my chest. “Yes,” I added quickly, stepping closer to Gabe. One look from him made me stop. “We can fix this. I can fix this. Gabe, please.”His expression was blank. He didn’t flinch or soften. “No, Arianna. This isn’t something to fix. It’s over. My decision is final.”Final.The word echoed in my mind,
TYLERI played with the egg yolks on my plates, the fork scraping softly against the porcelain. My appetite had long since disappeared, replaced by a gnawing ache in my chest that had nothing to do with hunger. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Mila out of my head. The heat of her skin against mine, the way she compelled me to bid her every command, the way her touch trembled with a desperation neither of us could name–a fire that burned between us but never seemed to satisfy her. I knew it was because of her bond with Gabe. It was always him.Even with me, she was still tethered to him. But if she kept coming to me instead of him, didn’t that mean something? I clung to that shred of hope like a fool, convincing myself that maybe–just maybe–she was waiting for me to prove I was the better choice.Then her words came back, slicing through my fantasy.“If I ever become someone’s Luna… it will be with someone who doesn’t cover up other people’s messes.”My jaw tightened. The mem
MILAThe sweet scent of sweat and sex hung heavy in the air, mixing with the faint, lingering traces of pine and earth drifting through the open window. The warm breeze did nothing to cool the fire raging beneath my skin. If anything, it only stoked it.A muffled sound pulled me back to the moment. I glanced down to see Tyler shifting beneath me, his wrists tugging against the bindings securing him to the chair and the gag in his mouth. Right. I had come here, needing a release. How long have we’ve been at this? I wondered. I straddled him, my skin slick with perspiration, but the fire in my veins refused to die down. My heat clawed at my insides, demanding more. “It won’t stop until he accepts our rejection,” Rayne voiced inside my head, edged with frustration. “You know this.”I bit back a growl. I knew. Goddess, I knew. Fucking Gabe. Even thinking his name made my chest tighten with something that was equal parts anger and longing. My body burned for his touch, for his scent, for
MILAA sharp beep woke me up in the middle of the night. One of the many computers I’ve been watching lit up. The motion detector feed from the cemetery flickered to life. I watched the screen until a scrappy figure moved towards the tombstone. The shape was unmistakable.Him.“Got you.”I geared up before leaving, making sure I had everything to keep my presence concealed. Couldn’t have Zeke or Tom or any of the patrols knowing I was there. Then there was Gabe. I hadn’t seen him since that day. I shook my head. No time to think of him.Moments later, I found myself at the cemetery, moving towards my faux grave. Just as I hope there he was, blending with the shadows before settling on the two graves.Frederick.The man who cradled me as a child. Who once carried me on his shoulders, feeding me cotton candy. The man who mourned a fake daughter as I did a fake father. The necklace around his neck glowed as he placed more flowers on the grave.Flowers for his mate.Flowers for me.The ac