Chapter Fourteen: You're Coming HomePhera POV:You know the excitement a person gets when they get their first job, all on their own because of their hard work and talents, and nothing could ruin the first day at the job. You get up in the morning, have your shower singing session while wiggly your bum and then do your makeup and hair and top it off with a healthy breakfast and then arrive all bushy tail to the office. Well, with my luck, that all went down the drain when I was asked to go see the supervisor when I got to work. When I went to go meet my floor manager for the accounting division, I was given the shock of the decade, my bushy tail feeling turning into a soaked, wet angry poodle feeling when I saw who was in the office: my mates. Their pine, cedar, and grass scents mixed with musk were all over the office, making my body ripple in excitement and sending the shocks down south. The last couple of times I had met them, all my emotions were focused on rage and betrayal, b
Chapter Fifteen: Between Love and PridePhera POV:The silence left behind by their departure was nearly deafening, a suffocating vacuum of unspoken words and looming decisions. My heart was a tumultuous sea, waves of confusion crashing against the shores of reason. As the reality of the situation settled in, it seemed the room began to close around me, the walls inching ever so closer in an almost ominous fashion.I looked around the office—a representation of everything I had worked hard for. The sleek, ergonomic furniture, the state-of-the-art computer setup, the lingering scent of fresh paint—it was all supposed to be my new beginning. But now, this space felt like a cage, the very air heavy with my mates' presence and ultimatums.I shook my head and blinked away the moisture forming in my eyes. Now wasn't the time for tears. I paced around, attempting to ground my swirling thoughts. Every step was a battle against the pull of my mate bond, the very essence of my wolf urging me to
Chapter Sixteen: The Web We Weave Phera POV:After leaving the patch of serenity that was the park, I finally reached home—a modest two-story house not far from the heart of the city. The moment I stepped inside, the absence of noise felt like a void, drawing me into its emptiness. It was as if the walls themselves were closing in on me, like they, too, felt the gravity of the decisions that loomed large in my life.I went straight to my bedroom, tossing my purse on the dresser. The mirror reflected a visage of contradictions: eyes filled with courage but lined with weariness, lips that had known love but remained sealed with secrets. Without another thought, I changed into my pyjamas and plunged into the bed that had become a battlefield of emotions.The world around me dissolved into shadows as I closed my eyes, but sleep eluded me like a cruel tease. My mind played the day's events on a loop, each scene starring Axel, Damon, and Zane. Towering figures, they were—each one standing
Chapter Seventeen: The Universe And BeyondPhera POV:The tension in my hands gradually shifted to the car's steering wheel as I accelerated down the highway, the iconic skyscraper of ADZ Corp casting an imposing silhouette against the afternoon-morning sky. It was an architectural titan, a steel and glass colossus that seemed to scrape the heavens as if challenging the divine. Today, it wasn't just a workplace but a confrontation arena, a stage for reunions and reckonings.My phone buzzed yet again on the passenger seat, its screen illuminating with the third text message of the morning. Three messages, each from a different source, each a complicated cocktail of memories and emotions: Axel, Damon, Zane.'Good morning, beautiful,'Read Axel's text, adorned with a sun emoji. It was a simple message but drenched in implications, an easy greeting that was anything but easy.Damon had texted next,'Can't wait to see your smile,'Accompanied by a heart emoji. It was almost too ironic, lik
Chapter Eighteen: Answers Will Be GivenPhera POV:As I reached the end of the corridor, the double wooden doors that stood as the gateway to their office loomed larger with each step. Intricate carvings adorned the oak, forming a pattern of intertwined circles that seemed like a cosmic dance, representing our complicated connections. With a gentle push, the doors opened, revealing Axel, Damon, and Zane standing inside, their gazes locking onto me with a mixture of anticipation and relief.The air inside was a blend of their individual scents, so intoxicating that I had to remind myself to breathe. Axel moved first, closing the distance between us in just a few long strides, and before I knew what was happening, his hands were gently cradling my face. "You're here," he murmured, his voice tinged with disbelief and hope."I am," I managed to say, swallowing the knot of emotions that had lodged itself in my throat. His thumb lightly traced the outline of my lips, a simple touch that s
Chapter Nineteen: Answers Will Be Given Part TwoPhera POV:The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife, a tangible weight hanging heavily in the air between us. Axel, Damon, and Zane sat across from me, all equally formidable in their posture yet visibly different in their expressions. Their faces were etched with a mix of anticipation and trepidation as if each was bracing for an impending storm. The walls of the office, usually an epitome of clinical professionalism, seemed to close in on us, drawing the focus to the emotional vortex at its center—me.Damon was the first to break the silence. His jaw clenched as he took in a deep breath, and then he locked his gray eyes onto mine, as though trying to search for something only he knew."Phera, we've owed you an explanation for a long time, and today, here and now, you're going to get it. And I hope you'll allow us this moment to speak freely, without interruption."His words carried a tone of vulnerability I h
Chapter Twenty: Decisions! Decisions!Phera POV:I stood there, my gaze shifting between Axel, Damon, and Zane. The air in the room felt thick with tension, almost as if it were a tangible thing I could touch. The atmosphere was suffused with a sense of urgency, a need for resolution that seemed to pulsate from the walls of the ADZ Corp office. The solemnity in their eyes made my stomach churn, each set of gray eyes looking at me as if I held the keys to a future we were all uncertain about.Memories surged, pulling me into the depths of introspection. There I was, a little girl frolicking under the vast skies of the Red Moon Pack's territory. Then, a young woman burying herself in books, trying to escape the raw reality of unexplained abandonment. The late-night conversations with Betty and Reese filled with laughter and sometimes tears. The milestones I'd celebrated alone, the failures I'd kept to myself, and every tiny victory that felt monumental. So much had happened, yet it all
Chapter Twenty-One: Back Home Phera POV:The first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a golden glow over the room. I stirred, the weight of the previous day's revelations still pressing on my chest. But this was a new day, a blank canvas on which I could repaint my destiny. My wolf purred in agreement, impatient to move forward. No time for lengthy introspection; there was a whole world waiting.My phone buzzed on the bedside table, breaking my reverie. Three messages from Axel, Damon, and Zane displayed on the screen: good morning texts complete with heart emojis and the almost ritualistic "can't wait to see you." A low growl from my wolf reminded me of her longing for our mates while another, more cynical part of me metaphorically rolled its eyes. It was as if two versions of me were continuously at war, each pulling me in a different direction. Before I could plunge into that emotional quagmire, my phone buzzed again. Nate was calling."Hey, Phera. You good?"