Greetings, everyone! Anticipating numerous inquiries about Chelsea and the gentlemen, I want to clarify that there won't be any mate-sharing in this book. Let the competition begin, and may the best man win. 😄 A heartfelt thank you to each one of you for your unwavering support, encouragement, and kind words. Your engagement with the story is truly invaluable, and I am profoundly grateful for it. 🙏
~Sebastien~ Brandon left us after our late lunch and headed back to Hayland to set things in motion against our trip back to Lucland the next day. It wasn't long after Brandon left Ethan and Anthony returned to the office. The moment I saw the glint in Anthony's eyes, I knew we owed him a night out clubbing. I was hoping he wouldn't go to the orphanage at all, but he surprised me. "We went and met with Chelsea," he said, making himself comfortable on the single couch in the place. Ethan went to sit at my desk. I could tell he was troubled, and I planned to ask him what the issue was. "Food and other stuff was delivered. There were some new clothes donations, blah blah blah, and a request for the adoption of a five-year-old girl originally from Hayland. They haven't processed the papers yet. They are waiting for your mother or mates to come and process the papers," Anthony reported, and I wondered if blah blah blah counted, but there was no point stressing it with Anthony. Blah blah
~Adrian~ I would lie if I said I wasn't nervous about the impromptu call from my father-in-law, who was also the King. It was a weird thing for me, from a hated Alpha, cast aside by his people, to a prince loved by all. It was amazing how my life had changed. Harper loved me deeply regardless of the things that were being said about me, and even though I tried to let her go, she held on tight enough and long enough to make me want to fight for us. I have fought for her love every day and will keep fighting for it. She was everything to me: my heartbeat and my breath, and she knew it. So when her father called me and told me to meet him in Greenville, I was worried that something might have happened. I didn't want the paradise we were living in disrupted. The night out in the club with the Alberts and Anthony was needed. Jacob was just as worried as I was, and the silence in the van that was transporting us to Greenville said it all. I took a deep breath and relaxed, knowing that Kin
~Ethan~ I have never been captivated in my entire life. I was one who seemed unaffected by my surroundings except for my temper, which seemed to often get the best of me. But I was captivated at the orphanage. The right word would be enthralled. Locked in a cell of desire when I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever set my eyes on. Nothing took me by surprise, and nothing fascinated me, but this blonde-haired beauty fascinated me, knocking the breath out of my lungs without even lifting a finger. I found myself gawking, completely lost in her eyes. I wondered if she knew and, if she knew, did she care? Trying to dance Chelsea out of my mind was a disaster. Nothing was close enough to satisfy my longing, to touch, to get close enough to her to know her, to breathe her. How could someone have so much power over me in one glance, and it wasn't even the mate pull? I knew I was fucked. The fact that Anthony wanted her too made it worse. What if she picked him? What if they are fated
~Noah~ When Chelsea came to our office to deliver documents while we waited for Brandon's arrival, Sebastien and I had the great idea of sending her to the pack house to hand the adoption papers to Ethan. The blush on her face was telling. I didn't want to see dear Anthony heartbroken, but it seemed our brother had won this round. One could never tell still; it might just be a teenage crush thing, seeing Ethan is closer to her age than old Anthony. I knew he would hate that, but compared to Ethan, he was old, and Chelsea was just a few months younger than our little brother; there was no harm in aiding him secretly in the competition. I hoped for his sake he wasn't a gentleman and seized the money. The first contact always determines who wins, except for what happened in Jacob and Harper's case; it just didn't work. But in Ethan and Chelsea's case, I was sure it would work, and when Ethan returned looking unsettled, I knew he had seized the moment. Fingers crossed, it would work.
~Noah~Liam looked at us and sighed. We all knew it would be a hard thing to do."Going against the council and my father won't be easy. The lords aren't helping matters either," he said, running his finger through his hair out of the sheer frustration of the matter."It will be us against them, you know," he said, and I nodded."And we all have to be on board for this to work," he said, and I nodded, then he sighed."I will arrange a secret meeting tomorrow. Let's discuss this extensively and hear Brandon out. It won't be easy lifting the embargo because of the many families and territories that see their punishment as justice. We also have to consider the embargo of Kaizen and Braile for this to work because they suffer the same. I do not know how we will single out Hayland, and Kaizen and Braile will still remain under punishment. Not to think of the ongoing investigation against the Armstrong family," he said, laying out the problem.Liam looked at me and then at my brothers."You
~Summer~ The morning Sebastien told me he had to return to Mountain, I freaked out. I didn't want to be apart from him for one night. I know it is clingy, but I couldn't help it. I felt it was too early to be apart, and I knew my wolf would be restless. He was able to convince me to let him leave by promising that I would join him in Mountain if he did not return the next day. Although I said it was okay, I wasn't. I was quiet all through after he left. Winter had it worse, and no matter how hard the ladies tried to cheer us up, we would always slip into the lonely feeling, especially when they hugged or kissed their mates. The time apart felt like forever. When I heard during dinner that Anthony had left, I became nervous. We were supposed to join him to the East if they did not return, but now it seems we won't be able to join him at all. I wondered what was going on, but Lilly assured us that we had nothing to worry about and she would accompany us to the East if the need arose.
~Noah~ While Brandon and I walked past Sebastien's room to head to the garden, I could hear him and Summer in there, and I would bet my brother wasn't taking it easy on her. I knew I'd pretty much do the same to Winter, and the longer she made me wait, the more vicious I'd be. Brandon did not say anything, and for a second, I wanted to punch him. I didn't know why I had the feeling, but knowing he had been inside Winter, touched her and was her first got to me, I hoped a time would come when I'd stop being jealous. She was all mine, yet I wanted to erase him from her life, and here I was trying to help him. It was twisted, I was twisted, and I didn't know why. We arrived at the garden, and to my surprise, Oliver, Marvin, Miles, and Luis were there along with their mates, except for Luis, who, of course, was single. I could see Liam had told them about Brandon, and Oliver did not seem pleased, but he was going along with it. Luis did not want to be there either. It was all over his f
~Winter~ Having to spend time in the North without Noah was hard for me. I didn't want to come across as clingy, but letting go wasn't easy. A strong part of me wanted to tag along, and I might have done that. When I realised Anthony had left, I felt a bit stranded because the people we had followed to the North had left, and we were still here. We were new to the royal family circle, so Summer and I felt out of place. Our discomfort didn't linger because Princess Josephine and the other ladies ensured we were welcomed. We laughed, played, gossiped and played some Croquet. The game was slowly becoming my favourite, especially because we teased each other when we missed easy shots or didn't position well. I know Eleanor teased Summer about being unable to position herself well because of what Sebastien might have done before he left. She was pink instantly, and everyone laughed. We teased them, too, and it was all fun. The loneliness didn't set in until it was time to retire to b