Anna’s P.O.V“Momma! Daddy made us pancakes today!” Ivan screamed at the top of his lungs as soon as I stepped into their room. Their nurse was downstairs, getting milk to bring up to them and I wanted to spend time alone with my babies because I was gone all morning.“Really?” I smiled, surprised Alpha Asher could cook, even if were just pancakes. I moved to the edge of their bed. Seeing me, Ivan and Evan quickly moved into a single bed so they could sit next to me.“It was very delicious.” Evan quipped quietly and I pinched his cheek. My heart swelled a little as I did that. This was because my babies weren’t sick anymore. Yes, they still had to undergo a surgery, but they were healthy. There was a beautiful pink color in their cheeks and their eyes were bright. “But Ivan told daddy you can’t make pancakes and daddy said he also can’t make sandwiches! You both are even!”I chuckled lightly and held their hands. “What else did you do today?”Evan pulled his hand away, jumped back int
Anna’s P.O.VJust when I thought I made a progress with Asher, it all went to shit.With him, it was like a tango—two steps forward and seven steps backward.Anyway, the children made it very easy to avoid him. Now that they had started their home-schooling, I quitted my day job and spent all my time with them. If their teacher was around, I’d return to my room, read a book or just randomly scroll on YT. And when it was night, I’d drive away to the bar for work. Thank God, Alpha Asher didn’t come to Westside as he used to, so it was easier to work.This night was the same thing. As soon as my appearance changed, I changed into my work clothes—which comprises of a lot of leather. Then I found a way to distract the nurse and then slipped into the room to kiss my babies goodbye. These days, I allowed them to see me as Black Rose, more and more, and they loved my hair.They thought it was cool too. I chuckled on my out of the room. Donning a hoodie and my usual face-mask, I slipped out of
Anna’s P.O.V My jaw fell open in shock when Sen pulled the limousine to a stop in front of a glimmer hotel that shone like a beacon in the night sky. In front of the hotel was a long red carpet and the entrance was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of reporters. I could see some actual human celebrities alighting from their luxuries cars, as well as powerful Lycans and vampires who all masked their supernatural auras with magic. Though they exuded the Lycan’s natural confidence and dominance, they looked just like any other human, same went for the vampires too. I could only tell because well, I might not have a wolf but I wasn’t just a human. West-wide truly was a fucking paradise where everyone could co-exist. “Do you need water?” Asher’s smooth voice broke into my palpitating heart and I flinched. This was too much. Tony didn’t tell me it was something as intense at this. I didn’t belong in places like this. I belonged back in Asher’s pack, burying my face into the ground as
Anna's p.o.v"Today's a big deal for us and for everyone who goes out to eat," I started, making sure everyone could hear me. And they did as a soft chuckle rippled through the room. "We're mixing the cool vibe of our bars with the fancy feel of Asher Hotels, and that's going to be something special." A reporter from a famous food magazine asked, "Miss Rose, what's this partnership going to do for what we eat?" I grinned, thinking about our new menu. "Think of it like this: your favorite drinks from the bar, but with your dinner. And not just any drinks, but ones made by the best drink experts around." More questions came, and I answered each one. "What's going to be different now?" someone else asked. "It's going to be awesome," I said. "We're making sure everything – the place, the food, the whole feel – is about making great memories, not just great food." “Perfect. One last thing, Ms. Rose,” A reporter with the logo CCM said and I held my breath. “Yes?” “The highlight in yo
Anna’s P.O.V“Rose!” I drew in a large gulp of air as I snapped back to reality. Eyes wide with fear, I glanced down at my body, checking for blood, but not even a single scratch was on my skin. My eyes darted around my surroundings and my breathing slowed as I realized, I was still on the rooftop and the entire accident had been something like a vision. Oh goddess, I almost crumpled on the floor, clenching my fist to hold on tight. I had died in that hallucination. My babies…they would be without a mother. Tears stung my eyes and I let one roll down my cheek. There was no way I would survive something like that. But why did I think about death? Something in me told me there was more to it than meets the eye.There was one thing that happened to me two times in the past. Two different occasions where I’d zoned out of a conversation, gripped in the vision my mind was torturing me with. Only that after the vision, something bad always happens. It might not occur the exact way it did in
(Anna’s Pov) As I stared at Asher, I grew increasingly nauseated. Why was he so silent? Say something! Anything! Oh Goddess, just freaking---dammit!Like a fish out of water, in a bid to break the tension cranking high in the room, I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times and only a sigh just escaped.Finally, Asher took pity on me and cleared his throat. "I'd been shot yesterday and while it took me down for a couple hours, I didn't lose my brain, Anna Kendra." He stopped looking out the window and suddenly turned those piercing emeralds on me. "It was Black Rose with me yesterday, she and my beta brought me to the hospital. You had gone to a conference with your "boss" whom I'd never met, how and why are you here right now in the same dress she was in yesterday?A lump formed in my throat and I licked my lips over and over again, trying to find my wits that were fried from the burning intensity of his gaze. "Asher..." I trailed and somehow the sick feeling in my stomach twist
Asher’s P.O.VAs the door locked behind me, I took in a shuddering breath, and still, the tightness in my chest didn’t ease. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my fist into the wall next to me, causing the needle from the IV to sink in further. White-hot pain streaked behind my lids and I bit back a groan, gasping silently. The pain dug its roots deep into the barely healed bullet wound on my chest and down the entire length of my arm to my fingertips. Fuck. Crimson spilled from the back of my hand and I watched it with increasing rage.What the heck was I doing? I had tried to fight my desire but there was no denying that I felt something for Black Rose. My wolf tingled when she was near. Anna on one hand was the mother of my children and even though it was within my power, I couldn’t separate the boys from her. They loved her so much and her absence would badly impact their lives. Shit would hit the roof if in the future; they discovered that I was the one who stripped her of her maternal
Anna’s P.O.VIt’d been thirty-six hours, one hundred and twenty minutes, forty seconds since I saw Asher at the hospital. Not that I was keeping track of time. I was just…maybe concerned about his health as Sen had gone to pick him up from the hospital as soon as I’d returned home.He was an Alpha, yes, but it was a gunshot, not a knife wound! He needed to give himself time to recuperate at least.I let out a sigh and turned my attention back to my kids.“Why do we have to go back to school?” Ivan scowled at me. “Dad –”“I am not your dad, Ivan!” I snapped, suddenly exasperated. We had been at this for hours and he refused to understand. Evan just sat in a corner, round glasses framed eyes glued to his tab as his fingers flew over it. I could bet he didn’t hear a word of what his older brother and I were arguing about. He was my little nerdy genius while Ivan was my daredevil.I just wished he would take my words quietly without fighting me back at every turn. I needed them to resume
ASHER'S POV~“Let me go! Let me go, you stupid disgusting things! I'm going to ruin you! You're going to regret putting your disgusting hands on me!" The guards dragged Vira towards me as I say quietly in the dark room, my cold eyes on her. Her struggle against their hold was ferocious. Snarls ripped from her throat, her body writhing and twisting, her muscles tensed and coiled like a feral beast. But the guards were impassive, their faces stoic as they held her securely in their grasp.“Here you are. I've being wanting to meet you… step mother.” My lips curved upward, the corners of my mouth stretching into a sadistic grin. I watched as the guards hauled Vira towards me, a low, guttural chuckle rumbling in my chest.She gasped in shock before faking a broken expression. “Asher… what's the meaning of this? You asked these cruel assholes to hurl me like a criminal just for us to talk? Couldn't you send a text or something?” Her voice quivered. What a cunning bitch! Her eyes kept dar
ASHER'S POV~Finally, the day had arrived. Yet again, I didn't seem to sleep a wink. I kept turning on the bed, sending several messages to Anna who in turn returned all of them. She was anxious like I was. She was my perfect fit. I watched how the sun slowly began to rise in the sky and for the first time in my life, this was the first time I acknowledged the sun was indeed beautiful. It helped to light up my day.It didn't take me up to an hour to get dressed. I already gave an earlier instruction to Anna's stylists to dress her up quickly, I wouldn't want anything to delay my bride from coming on time. I was fucking dying to see her. I made sure every single thing in the venue was the best. Made from the very best.I wouldn't mind taking a drive to the hotel where she's been dressed up but Sen kicked against it and mentioned it to be a taboo for a groom to see a bride before their wedding day.Finally, I arrived at the venue. Sen made sure to scatter the guards at every station, m
ASHER'S POV~Last night I couldn't bring myself to sleep a wink. Tossing and turning in the bed, I fought against the grip of sleep. Anger, disappointment, and confusion mingled within me, keeping me wide awake.I couldn't think straight. No, I just couldn't. I thought about the several possibilities of me not appearing on time, what could have happened? Anna would have said yes, wouldn't she? My heart instantly clenched, I groaned while I pulled some strands of my hair in anger. Last night, I couldn't face Anna, not now, not while I was still struggling to make sense of it all. So I avoided sleeping in the same room as her. Someone suddenly knocked on the door. My eyes that were shadowed with dark circles lazily made their way to the door before I began to rise. My movements were sluggish and unfocused. “You look like shit, to be honest." I heard Sen mutter the very moment I let the door open for him. I rumbled under my breath, “So you came to taunt me about that?” I raised a br
ANNA'S POV~“For fuck's sake, Anna you're going to get me killed!" Tony groaned, pulling his hair as he turned around and refused to stare at me. I grinned, my cheeks widening and I went ahead to poke Tony's back which faced me but he softly slapped my hands away. “Heavens bear me a witness that I'm clearly the one chasing you away, Anna." The thought of seeing Asher storm into this place like a bull, his face set in a fierce scowl, his brows furrowed, his nostrils flaring, and his steps heavy to come ruin this playdate made adrenaline to curse through my veins. It made me so excited and I was looking forward to it. “Come on… Asher doesn't bite!” I brushed past him, only coming to stand right in front of him and I saw him turn around again from me, giving me his back and I barked out a laugh. “Jeez, Anna, go away. Asher would think you're dressed sexily for me when in reality this is just a prank. Go away! I don't want to lose a tooth.” He whined and I giggled more. I intentional
A year laterASHER'S POV~My mind was a swirl of thoughts, each one circling back to Anna. No matter how much I tried to make it stop, try to even focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to her—especially when she declared she was going for a vacation which was absolutely weird. I hated how suspicious it made me feel. I didn't sleep a wink last night and had spent the entire late hours of the day to search on several search engines on their search bars on ‘WHY WOULD A WOMAN SUDDENLY DECIDE TO GO ON A VACATION ALONE WITHOUT HER PARTNER.’My heart kept pounding in my chest as I waited for the results to load. As page after page revealed the same terrifying possibility, my face had gone pale and my fingers trembled. The realization that she might be losing interest in me, that she might have someone else, had filled me with dread and despair.The silence of our room was deafening, every tick of the clock in our room was a cruel reminder that my girl was about not to return to me anymore.
(Anna’s Pov) Darkness. Stifling, all-encompassing darkness. My lungs burned, a primal panic clawing at my throat. I was trapped. A metal cube, cold and unforgiving, held me prisoner, stealing my air bit by agonizing bit. This was it. This was how I'd die. They locked me in this cube that didn't have oxygen in it.As I tried to give up, my fist suddenly tightened around the object in my hand and I froze..A crazy idea, born of desperation, took root. My breath hitched, but not from lack of air. This time, it was anticipation.With trembling fingers, I flicked the lighter and the gas ignited in a blinding explosion, fire and debris hurling me through the air.Pain exploded in my limbs as I hit the ground and the force of the blast turned the room into a chaotic inferno, flames licking the walls.But I forced myself to move, crawling through the debris, my lungs burning with each gasps of smoke filled air. The acrid scent of burning metal and plastic filled my nostrils. Suddenly, a b
Asher’s P.O.VThe crisp white tux felt suffocating as I fumbled with the buttons, my reflection in the mirror absolutely mocking me. Was this really happening? Was I about to marrying a monster? How none-the wiser everyone would be, blind to the truth unfolding beneath their champagne flutes.Just then, a knock on the door startled me. “Alpha.” Came the voice through the heavy wood.“Come in, Sen.” I called in a rough voice.The door creaked open, revealing my Beta’s stoic face. He scanned the room, his gaze landing on the hidden remote nestled right under my sleeve. A flicker of understanding pasted between us and he gave me a curt nod.“Everything is in place, Alpha.” he reported. “The projector and screen are set up in the main hall, discreetly hidden behind the floral arrangements.”I nodded curtly and my stomach tightened in worry. This was the only way to do this. The door cracked open without an introduction this time and Vira appeared at the doorway. In a white silk lace dres
Anna’s P.O.VDrip, Drip, Drip.That’s the mix of sweat and blood running down my spine from where I was hung. Trying to move sent pain like a million darts ripping into my skin. So with gritted teeth, I stood on tiptoes, tears burning behind my lids.Vira was a crazy psychopath, no doubt, but what if her words had some truth to them? After all the million ways her team of doctors had tortured me to activate my phantom powers, I was starting to believe it.But why? Why won’t the so called fucking powers manifest so this torture could end? All my fucking life, I’d felt useless, hating myself for not having a wolf when my peers got theirs. I only had a useless shapeshifting ability. Now I was told I had such great powers at the tip of my fingers and I still couldn’t save myself, my babies and the others.The tear I’d been holding since I was locked in a tube without oxygen poured down my eyes and choked sobs seeped out of me. Goddess, please save my babies. I cried to myself as my sh
Asher’s P.O.V: My knuckles were white-hot around the steering wheel, the leather cool and slick beneath my clammy palms. Every muscle in my body felt coiled tight, a knot of churning anxiety that had taken root in my gut and refused to loosen it grip. It had been days since Anna’s kidnap, days that had stretched into an agoninzing eternity. To make matters worse, the wedding loomed ahead on my calender, a fucking deadline that mocked my helplessness. Marrying Vira. The very thought made my stomach churn. The woman was a viper, a fucking sicko and the last person I’d consider spending the rest of my life with. But what choice did I have? It was the only leverage I had, the only flimsy thread keeeping Anna and the kids alive. Tony had mentioned a possible lead but said I had to come to a hidden location to speak to him. It was a long shot, but fuck, it was all i had. The city soon gave way to sprawling surburbs as I droce, then slowly dissolved into a desolate landscape that h