Chapter: Chapter 14: She Handled It WellZake's POV Carson opened with the quarterly report."Revenue is down four percent from last quarter." He set the report down. His eyes hadn't left Kiera since she sat. "Which brings us to the current situation." A pause. "The uncertainty around leadership.""The leadership," Kiera said, "is sitting at the head of this table. What's the uncertainty?""You have no background in this industry." Carson's expression didn't change."I have no background in this specific company," she said. "That's different.""Is it?" Williams cut in from finance without looking up from his copy of the report. "No finance degree. No track record in anything connected to what we do here. No...""I have a six-year track record of building a company from nothing." She looked directly at Williams. "Revenue up forty percent year on year for the last three. Ninety-two percent client retention rate. Twelve-person team with a waiting list." She tilted her head slightly. "What are your retention numbers looking lik
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-25
Chapter: Chapter 13: Let's BeginZake's POV "Good morning!"The door burst open at six fifty-three AM. Jayden stood in the doorway in his pyjamas, hair completely chaotic, holding what appeared to be a toy car in one hand and looking at the room."Jayden." Kiera's voice came from the bed, muffled. "It's six AM.""I know." He walked straight in. "I decided to wake up.""That's not how it works." She said."It worked." He looked around the room saw me on the couch, and stopped. Those eyes went from me, to the couch, to the bed, and back to me. "Why did you sleep there?""I wanted to," I said."That doesn't make sense." He frowned. "The bed is bigger.""Jay..." Kiera started."You should've slept with Mommy." He said. "That's what the bed is for. Mama always says sharing is...""Jayden." Her voice was sharper now. "Come here."He went to her side of the bed and she pulled him into a hug that was mostly her face pressing into his hair. He tolerated it for four seconds before wiggling free."We need to get ready," he ann
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 12: You Didn't Correct HimKiera's POV Jayden hit Zake at full speed.He came flying down the hallway the second we walked through the door, bypassed me entirely, and wrapped both arms around Zake's waist like he'd been doing it his whole life."Daddy! You're here!"I closed my eyes briefly.Zake looked down at him, his hand came down and rested on top of Jayden's head."Hey." His voice was different, quieter. The same tone he'd used in the boardroom when Jayden was crying. "You good?""I waited forever." He said. "You said you'd be back soon but it wasn't soon, it was really long...""I know.""Are you staying?" Jayden looked up at him, those blue eyes wide and entirely without pretence. "Here? With us?""Jayden..." I started."Yes," Zake said.Jayden's face split into something so bright it was almost painful to look at. He tightened his grip around Zake's waist and pressed his face against his side.I stood there.Camila, the nanny, appeared at the end of the hallway and gave me an apologetic look. "Can we
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-17
Chapter: Chapter 11: Welcome HomeKiera's POV The doors opened and the cameras hit us immediately. The press, questions, bodies moving forward."Mrs. Langston can you confirm the reports about your son...""How long have you and Mr. Langston been involved...""Is he the father of your child..."I kept moving. My chin up, eyes forward, the face I wore for rooms that wanted to swallow me. Zake's hand came to the small of my back.Then I saw Denise.He was moving through the press line toward me, cutting through the crowd. He looked exactly the same as six years ago."Kiera." He reached for my arm. "I need to talk to you. About the boy...""Get your hand off my wife." Zake stepped forward, positioning himself between Denise and me."Your wife." He laughed short and ugly. "Since when?""Since about thirty minutes ago." Zake's expression didn't change. "Which makes this conversation finished.""I'm not talking to you." Denise voice was sharp."No, you're not." He held Denise's gaze. "Neither are you talking to her, not he
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-16
Chapter: Chapter 10: Welcome To The FamilyKiera's POV "You look really, really beautiful."I looked down at Jayden, who was sitting on the edge of the hotel bed in a small suit, looking up at me with those ice-blue eyes wide open."Thank you, baby." I smiled."Like a princess." He tilted his head. "But cooler than a princess.""My son is so sweet." I said."You're welcome," He swung his legs. "Can I come?""Baby, we talked about this." My voice was rough."I know, but...""Jayden...""I just want to see..." He stopped. "At least I get to see Daddy today, right? Because he'll be there and I can...""You're not coming to the ceremony." I said.His face fell. "Why not?""Because it's complicated," I said. "So you're going to stay here with the nanny and you're going to be perfect, yeah?""Will you come back after?" He asked."I'll come straight back." I said."Promise?" His face lit up slightly."I promise." I smiled."Mama. " He slid off the bed and walked toward me slowly, stoped in front of me, reached up and took both my ha
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-15
Chapter: Chapter 9: Getting Married In Two Days TimeKiera's POV "You have a son?"Zake asked again."I... I..." I couldn't find the words.Jayden looked up at Zake and his eyes lit up instantly. He let go of me, walked across the room and stopped directly in front of Zake and looked up at him for a long, serious moment.Then he threw both arms around his waist and held on."Daddy!" he said.My heart stopped. Zake went completely still."Jayden..." I crossed the room in three steps. "Baby, no...""He has my eyes, Mama." Jayden pulled back just enough to look up at Zake's face, pointing between their eyes with one finger, completely certain. "See? Same ones.""Jayt, sweetheart...""You said we might meet him here." He said."I said possibly..." My voice came out rough."Possibly means maybe yes." He turned back to Zake. "You're my daddy."The room was absolutely silent."Baby,listen to me." I crouched down and took Jayden's hands in mine. "This is Mr. Langston. He's not your..." I stopped.Because I didn't know how to finish that sent
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-13
Chapter: Chapter 17: You're Worth ThisRafael's POV She was tense under my hands when I started.Her body coiled like she was waiting for a trap. I didn’t rush, didn’t give her time to overthink. I just began at her collarbone, my palms sliding over her skin, learning the shape of her. She was softer than I expected, softer than she let herself be in front of others. The heat had stripped away the sharp edges, left her exposed and flushed, her usual sarcasm replaced by something raw and needy.“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, my thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts. She stiffened, a sound of protest forming, but I pressed a finger to her lips. “No arguing.”Her eyes flashed, but she didn’t pull away. She couldn’t, really. Her body was already leaning into my touch, her thighs parting just slightly as my hands moved lower. I traced the dip of her waist, the flare of her hips, the way her stomach trembled under my palms. She was sensitive here, her skin prickling with goosebumps, her breath coming faster.“Tickli
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-01
Chapter: Chapter 16: I'm YoursRafael's POV She was still asleep when I woke. The room was dark, the kind of early morning dark that hadn't decided yet whether it was night or something else. Iris was pressed against my side, her breath warm and even on my chest, her curls spread across my arm. My shoulder was numb beneath her weight. I didn't move. I looked at the ceiling and listened to her breathe and felt the full weight of what I'd done settle over me like something I'd been waiting years to carry. I should have felt worse about it than I did. I did feel guilty. That part was real, the part that knew she was twenty and Chloe's best friend and that this was going to cost things I couldn't fully calculate yet. That part was loud and clear and had been there since the moment she knocked on my study door and said I can't do this alone. But beneath it, deeper and more insistent, was the pride of having her here, in my bed, her body still marked by me. The sheet was tangled around her hips, exposing the brui
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-01
Chapter: Chapter 15: Until Your Heat BreaksIris's POV"The shirt on you," he said, hands already at the edge. "Take it off."I lifted my arms and let him pull it over my head.I stood there in nothing, my skin flushed, my breath coming in short gasps. His eyes raked over me, dark and hungry, his fingers tracing the curve of my waist, the flare of my hips."Beautiful,” he murmured, his voice rough.I shivered.He knelt in front of me, his hands sliding up my thighs, his mouth pressed to the inside of my thigh, his breath hot against my skin, his stubble scraping just enough to make me gasp.“Rafael..." I gasped.“Shh.” His tongue flicked out, tracing a slow, wet line up my thigh, closer, I whimpered, my fingers tangling in his hair.He chuckled, the sound vibrating against my skin. “Patience.”His hands slid higher. I was soaking, my body aching for his touch. "Please," I breathed. "Alpha...."He groaned against my skin. "I love it when you say that.""Alpha." My fingers curled deeper in his hair. "Please, I need...""I know
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-28
Chapter: Chapter 14: Let Me Take Care Of YouIris's POV I swallowed, my throat felt raw. The taste of him was still on my tongue, whiskey and something darker, something alpha. My own scent was everywhere, too: sweet, the unmistakable musk of an omega in heat. I was lying against his chest on the study sofa.Rafael's hair was a mess, his lips slightly swollen from kissing me, from biting me. The heat had eased, the sharpest edge of it, anyway, the unbearable burning that had driven me down those stairs I sat up slowly.He felt the movement and his hand came to my back. "Hey?""I need..." I stopped. I pressed my lips together and looked at the dark study and the closed door. "I'm going upstairs," He was quiet for a moment. "Iris...""I just need a minute." I stood up. His shirt fell to my mid-thigh and I pulled it tighter around me. "I'll be fine. I just... I need a minute to think."He let me go.I found my shorts on the floor, pulled them on, and slipped out of the study into the dark hallway.My legs were still unsteady.
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-27
Chapter: Chapter 13: You Taste Like SinIris's POV He pushed me against the desk. His body pinned mine, his thigh pressing between my legs. I moaned, my hands gripping his shirt, my hips rolling against him. He was hard, so hard, and I could feel it through his pants, the thick length of him pressing against me.His mouth crashed onto mine, not gentle, not asking. His tongue swept in, claiming, dominating, and I melted into it, my body arching into his. He tasted like whiskey and something darker, something him, and I wanted more. I wanted all of it.He bit my lower lip, soothed it with his tongue. "You taste like sin, Iris."His hands slid under my tank, palming my breasts. My nipples were hard, aching, and when he pinched one, I gasped, my back arching off the desk."You’re already wet, aren’t you?" His hand slipped into my short, his fingers finding my clit without hesitation. He circled it, once, twice, and I bucked against him, a broken sound tearing from my throat. "You've been like this all day.""Yes." There was n
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 12: Playing With FireIris's POV I woke up feeling warm.It was the kind of warmth that sat under the skin and pulsed, that had been building all night while I slept in short broken stretches and woke up each time feeling worse than before. My top was sticking to me, the sheets felt like too much. I pressed the back of my hand to my cheek and held it there. It was warmer than yesterday.I took my morning suppressant with a full glass of water, stood at the window and breathed the cool air coming through the gap, and waited for it to start working.It took the edge off. Not the edge I needed.I went downstairs.He was already at the counter when I came into the kitchen, coffee made, newspaper open, dressed like it was a regular Monday. He looked up when I appeared."Morning," he said."Morning." I went to the kettle.The kitchen settled into the particular quiet of two people being careful. I made my tea. He turned a page. Outside the window the garden was grey and still, Sunday-morning quiet."No classes
최신 업데이트: 2026-05-17
Chapter: Chapter 40: She's AvailableRoxanne's POV I found a table near the back of the library and sat down and opened my notes and stared at them.My wolf was still loud. The warmth from this morning was still there, sitting quietly between my shoulders, and Tyson's concerned face was sitting somewhere in my chest where I kept putting things I wasn't ready to look at directly.I'd been in the library for twenty minutes when my phone buzzed.Charlotte: have you heard about Skylar and Hayden Me: No what happenedCharlotte: They had a public argument last night apparently. people saw them and he left alone. word is they're done or close to it.I put the phone face down on the table and looked at my notes.So it was working.Six weeks of performing and Skylar was cracking and her relationship with Hayden was showing the fractures and the plan was doing exactly what it was built to do. This was the win. Tyson getting what he wanted.I picked up my pen and put it back down.My phone buzzed again, I looked at it.Charlotte:
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-22
Chapter: Chapter 39: I'll Be ThereRoxanne's POV I woke up hot.My body was warm in a way that didn't match the room temperature, like my body had decided to run at a different setting overnight without consulting me. I kicked the blanket off and lay there staring at the ceiling for a minute.My wolf was already awake.That was the first weird thing. She was usually quiet in the mornings, slow to surface, taking her time. This morning she was just, present. Alert and sitting forward like she'd been up for a while and had been waiting for me to catch up.What's wrong with you, I told her.She didn't answer, just stayed forward.I sat up and looked at the nightstand.The suppressant bottle only had two pills left. My appointment was in three days and I was already rationing and the bottle was nearly empty.The warmth probably nothing, stress did things to body temperature, last night had been a lot. The dinner, the walk back, everything Tyson said in the corridor.I got up."You look terrible," Charlotte said from her b
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-22
Chapter: Chapter 38: Good InfluenceTyson's POV Ryder was still up.I could see the light under his door from the corridor, which meant he'd either been waiting or he'd known I'd come here after. I knocked once and pushed it open without waiting.He was on his bed with his laptop, which he closed immediately when he saw my face."How did it go?" he asked."Worse than I expected." I dropped into the chair by his desk and sat back. "He called her an orphan who was trying to attach herself to use me."Reid stared at me. "He said that.""At the dinner table." I looked at the ceiling. "Your dad really has issues with his mouth." He said."He has issues with his personality." I said flatly. "I told him this was the reason why my mother left." I exhaled. "Then things got heated and I walked out."Ryder was quiet for a moment. "With Roxanne.""Yeah." I said. "She had to take me out or it was going to turn to a punching match."He looked at me carefully. "How is she?""She held up better than most people would." I pressed my k
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 37: I'm Glad It Was YouRoxanne's POV We were outside and the cold hit us and neither of us said anything for a full minute.Just walked. Side by side, the academy building falling away behind us, the campus quiet at this hour."I'm sorry," I said finally.He looked at me sideways. "For what.""You just had a screaming match with your father in a formal dining room." I pulled my jacket tighter. "Because of me.""That fight was twenty years in the making." He looked straight ahead. "You just happened to be in the room.""He's way crueler than I expected," I said."He really doesn't know how to control himself," His jaw was tight. "He's been doing it my whole life. He picks the word that lands the hardest and he delivers it nicely and then he waits." He shook his head. "Tonight you got orphan who attached herself. Last year I got disappointment disguised as potential. The year before that my mother would have wanted better.""He seems like someone who's never satisfied," I looked at him."Yeah he is," He kep
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-12
Chapter: Chapter 36: Dinner With His FatherRoxanne's POV The formal dining room was in the east wing of the main academy building. A room I had walked past a hundred times without ever going in, because rooms like that weren't for people like me. Tyson held the door and I went in. Cyrus Blackwood was already seated. I had seen him at pack events since I was twelve. Always at the front, always the largest presence in any room, always with the specific stillness of someone who had never needed to raise his voice to get what he wanted. His eyes moved to Tyson's hand at my back. Something shifted in his expression. "Roxanne." He said. "It's been some time." "Alpha Blackwood." I kept my voice steady. "Thank you for the invitation." He gestured at the chairs across from him. We sat. "Tyson." He looked between us. "You look well." "You look the same," Tyson said. The first course arrived and Cyrus picked up his fork and turned to me with the pleasant, precise expression I was already learning to be cautious of. "Te
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-10
Chapter: Chapter 35: It Wasn't A MistakeCharlotte's POV Roxanne looked at me, looked at Ryder, looked back at me. "I'll see you upstairs," she said. She walked past both of us without touching either of us and turned the corner and I listened to her footsteps fade and then it was just the corridor and Ryder standing at the end of it and four feet of floor between us that felt like significantly more. He waited until the footsteps were completely gone. "You left," he said. "It was early." I kept my voice level. "I had things to get back for." "It was seven in the morning, Charlotte." He held my stare, not moving from where he was standing. "You were gone before I woke up. I reached over and you weren't there and there was nothing. No note, no text, nothing." "I didn't want to wake you." I said. "So you thought disappearing was the kinder option." His voice wasn't harsh. I looked at the wall for a second, then back at him. "Okay." I exhaled. "The truth is I woke up and panicked. Your arm was over me and the room
최신 업데이트: 2026-06-09