Cecilia POVWhen I woke up the next morning, I pulled open the curtains to find the sun shining bright outside. My phone had run out of battery, and as I plugged it in to charge, I noticed it was already 10.00AM. I had several missed calls—five from Pearly and two from Vahn.I quickly messaged Pearly and then rushed to freshen up and get dressed. As I was about to leave, I bumped into a maid."Good morning, miss. Mr. Grant asked me to prepare a set of clean clothes for you," she said."There's no need. Where is he now?" I asked, intending to let him know I was leaving. This was my first night away since getting married, and I had no idea what kind of mess awaited me when I returned."He left early this morning for work. He also asked to be notified once you woke up."I realized I didn't have his phone number, so I asked the maid for a pen and some paper. 'Thank you for your help yesterday. I need to head home. Take care! From, Cecilia.'I folded the note into a paper crane and
Cecilia POV"Dr. Pearce!" Pearly greeted with a bright smile, pulling Henry inside and guiding him to the patio. It was evening by now, and the patio had a beautiful view of the sunset. Henry's presence alone spoke volumes about why he was there."Henry, are you aware of Vahn's marriage to Freeda?" I asked tentatively."They've gone too far!" Henry's frustration was palpable as he slammed his hand on the table, causing the spoon in the teacup to leap into the air. "I'm treating Rosie only because you asked me to. If they can't show some gratitude, I won't be coming back.""Dr. Pearce, please, calm down for now. Try some of my rum chocolate cookies," Pearly suggested, knowing full well Henry's love for chocolate. She always made sure to have an assortment of treats ready for his visits to the Thorn Pack."What are your plans now? Does your mother know about the situation?" Henry sighed."For now, keep it from my mother. I'm her only daughter, and I don't want her to worry about
Cecilia POV"What?" Pearly gasped in shock. Realizing she had spoken too loudly, she quickly covered her mouth, as though afraid she would blurt out all the curse words flowing through her mind. I had never heard anything so absurd in my life."You would agree to let your lover father a cub with me?" I asked Freeda, who wore an awkward expression."You are still legally his mate. I can't strip you of the right to have cubs," she replied, turning her face away in clear anger."If you don't like it, Cecilia and I could arrange it through IVF. I promise I won't lay a hand on her," Vahn hastened to assure Freeda."I trust you. I'm not petty, either. You're still her mate, and even if you two were to be intimate, I have no right to stop you.""Wait! I never agreed to have kids with you." I rolled my eyes. Ever since I had seen Vahn and Freeda together, I felt nothing but revulsion whenever I looked at him. While mates are naturally drawn to each other, I had lost all interest in his
Cecilia POVVahn was seething, his anger stoked further by Pearly's taunts. Despite this, he maintained his composure and walked away with Freeda, unwilling to let his temper get the better of him again.As Pearly and I cleaned up the wreckage from the smashed chair, she grumbled, "At least the bed wasn't destroyed, or you'd have to squeeze in with me tonight. What's with you Alphas and your constant brawling?"'Even if they both ganged up on me, I wouldn't be scared,' Nana chimed in, her tone smug."Let me check your face," I said, leaning closer to Pearly and seeing her cheek swelling up. Vahn had clearly shown her no mercy.I grabbed some ice from the freezer, wrapped it in a cloth, and gently applied it to her cheek to help reduce the swelling."I can handle it," Pearly said with a reassuring smile. "It's not like I'll be scarred for life. After a good night's sleep, I'll be as good as new.""You really shouldn't stick your neck out for me," I said."It's all my fault for
Cecilia POVI handed the ledger back to Mindy and turned to leave."I didn't realize Mindy was coming to ask for your help with Vahn's wedding," Pearly said, catching up with me. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought her here.""It's fine. Mindy's in a tough spot, too," I replied.As soon as Pearly and I returned to my room, Rosie appeared with Mindy. It was clear they were here to ask for money to fund the wedding.I had no intention of inviting them in, but Rosie breezed past me, settling comfortably on the balcony. She poured herself a cup of tea and took a seat across from me."Cecilia, I heard you visited the palace a few days ago. Did you meet with the Alpha King?" she asked. When I didn't respond, she continued, "I also heard the Alpha King refused to cancel the wedding. Honestly, why go through all this trouble? The wedding between Vahn and Freeda is already set in stone. As they say, 'Don't air your dirty laundry in public.' If you're upset, you can talk to me. I still
Vahn POV"What? Borrow money from her and write an IOU? Not a chance!" I couldn't believe my ears when Rosie suggested I ask Cecilia for money to fund the wedding. "How much is this wedding going to cost? Let me see."Mindy handed me the account book.The figures were indeed extravagant, but considering Freeda is the only Alpha Female in the country, I figured she probably deserved such a wedding. "It's only 20 million. We'll cover it ourselves," I said, tossing the book onto the desk."Where are we supposed to find that kind of money?" Mindy complained. "I reviewed this year's profits, and we don't even have 2 million.""Isn't Cecilia managing the family farm? How can there be so little money? Has she been squandering it all?" I asked, astonished."She hasn't spent a dime of our money. You went off to battle as soon as you became Alpha, so you don't know our actual financial situation. In fact, we had no savings even before Cecilia moved in," Rosie defended Cecilia."So where d
Cecilia POVPearly and I were having dinner when Rosie's screams shattered the evening's calm. Her cries pierced the quiet, relentless and echoing through the manor."Don't feel sorry for her!" Pearly said, cutting into her grilled fish with determination. "She deserves it! They've all taken your hard work for granted this past year. Now, let's see how they manage without you."Since my return from the palace, I had stopped overseeing the meals at the manor. Pearly had hired a chef for us, and we enjoyed our dinners on the balcony of my room.But as night deepened, Rosie's unending screams made sleep impossible. Frustrated, I got out of bed, retrieved the handgun my father had left me, fitted it with a silencer, and slipped out the window.In the small woods outside the manor, I found a secluded spot to practice my shooting.Regular bullets wouldn't harm werewolves; even a shot to the heart would heal almost instantly. But a wolfsbane bullet was a different story—those wounds too
Vahn POVAfter leaving Cecilia's room, Rosie directed us to the study for a discussion."Vahn, do you know how much wealth Cecilia possesses?" Rosie asked me."How would I know? I wasn't with her for her money," I replied with disdain. As a man and an Alpha, the idea of claiming Cecilia's—or any woman's—wealth never crossed my mind."She owns a hospital in our pack, over 20 hotels, and more than a hundred chain restaurants worldwide. These are just the assets we know of. As for her hidden wealth, I've already had someone investigate. We should have the report by tomorrow.""We just need her to bring Dr. Pearce to us. Why do we need to look into her assets?" I questioned, finding Rosie's actions somewhat excessive."I had her investigated the moment you and Freeda returned. After all, no woman would tolerate her husband being with someone else," Rosie said, glancing at Freeda before adding, "Freeda, I'm not blaming you. I genuinely like you."Freeda nodded. "I understand. I don't