Novels by Cleopatra

EMILYThe moment I saw Karen step out of the car,I lost every bit of composure in me. She looked exhausted, her clothes were wrinkled, her hair was a tangled mess—but she was alive. That was all that mattered.We had dinner later that evening and it was when we were gathered together that the Councilmen broke the news of their proposed plan to oust the Alpha. Lucas exhaled and stood, nodding once. “Very well, Councilman Greyson."He turned to us briefly. “Continue without me. I’ll return shortly.”But his tone made everyone at the table realize something serious was happening.Lucas left with the councilman and as I watched him disappear through the door, I felt a strange knot twist in my stomach.A few minutes passed before curiosity got the better of me. I stood, placing my napkin neatly on the table.“Where are you going?” Clarisse asked sharply.“To make sure he’s all right,” I said.Clarisse stood too, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Funny. I was just about to do t

Lucas’ POVI followed Clarisse out into the courtyard. “Clarisse!” I called out, my voice echoing across the dark path.She didn’t turn around. I had to jog to catch up to her, grabbing her wrist before she could take another step. She spun to face me, her eyes flashing with anger. “What, Lucas? Haven’t you said enough already? You’ve made your choice and I understand. You want her.”I heaved a deep sigh, forcing myself not to meet her anger with mine.“You don’t understand,” I said. “I need you here. I need both of you.”She stared hard at me for a long time. “Both of us?”“Yes.” I nodded. “You’ve been gone for years, Clarisse. Things changed here. I changed. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”Clarisse’s lips trembled slightly, her pride battling with hurt. “Then why does it feel like you’ve replaced me?”“Because you keep trying to fight her,” I said. “And that’s not what I want. I don’t want two people I care about constantly at war under the same roof.”She pulled h

LUCAS’ POVI couldn’t think straight.For the past ten minutes, I had been pacing the length of my room, my mind spinning with too many questions and not nearly enough answers.How had things gotten so bad so quickly?When I left earlier that morning with Chris, everything had seemed okay. Emily was still upset about Clarisse’s presence, but at least she was calm. I’d seen the way her eyes had softened when I kissed her goodbye. There was a look in them that told me she still trusted me.And I had promised myself I’d fix things proper when I returned with Karen. But now, everything was getting worse.I raked a hand through my hair and sighed as I tried to form a plan, some diplomatic way to end the tension between them. Clarisse had been unpredictable lately, but I’d known her long enough to understand that her manipulative behavior often stemmed from fear, the fear of being replaced and forgotten.I shook the thought away and sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor. I didn’t

EMILY’S POVFor the first time in what felt like ages, I felt something I had been longing for - reassurance.It was strange, really, how one kiss could do that. Just a simple touch of his lips on mine was enough to silence every doubt that had been screaming inside me since Clarisse showed up.As I stood by the window, watching Lucas’ car roll out of the compound and disappear down the long road leading out of the mansion, I let myself breathe for a moment.He had promised me that he would bring Karen back and Lucas wasn’t the kind of man to make promises he didn’t intend to keep.That single thought made my heart ache in the best possible way. For days, I’d been caught in this whirlwind of jealousy, confusion, and fear. Clarisse’s return had shaken my world a bit but that kiss reminded me that somewhere in the chaos, I still mattered to him.So I stood there by the window, basking in a warmth of the morning sun. However my peace didn’t last long because just as I turned away from th

Lucas' POV I stared at him, surprised."Who bloody cares about their timeline?" I snapped. "I'm the Alpha of the damn pack.""As the Alpha, you shouldn't forget that the auction school belongs to Alpha Kael of the Black water pack," He said with a shrug. "Its literally his biggest investment here and if you think he will let you mess with it, you're joking."I sighed upon the realization that my Beta was right. Kael was a menace, and we never saw eye to eye on anything. His pack, the Blackwater pack were notorious for wars - wars that were properly orchestrated in a bid to expand their territory. Letting him have an investment here in the form of an auction school many years ago had been a huge oversight and now I was coming to regret it, but by the terms of the contract I signed there was literally nothing I could do now.I turned my attention back to Chris."We'll have to find another way. I can't keep Clarisse waiting for two fucking months. I don't want any more problems."Chris

LUCAS’S POVHer voice froze me mid-step. Every muscle in my body locked in place and for a second, the air in the hallway went thin. My pulse thudded somewhere near my throat as I turned to face her. Emily stood just a few steps away, her eyes set with determination. Clarisse looked just as stunned as me. Her lips parted slightly, her expression caught between disbelief and suspicion.“You’ll… what?” Clarisse asked, her voice filled with disbelief.“I’ll let you have the room,” Emily repeated, “But on one condition.”That single phrase nearly made my heart stop.There was a condition, and knowing Emily, that could mean anything.My mind instantly started racing — maybe she wanted to leave, maybe she wanted freedom in exchange for this absurd request. My stomach twisted at the thought. After everything, after finally having her back under this roof, I couldn’t bear the idea of her walking away again.“Emily,” I began carefully, watching her every expression, “what do you mean, one con