Nobela ni Ann123

Emily’s POVThe mansion was quiet again.For the first time in years, truly quiet. No shouting. No gunfire. No threats in the shadows. Everywhere was peaceful. Sometimes I still woke up in the middle of the night expecting chaos with my heart racing and my ears straining for danger. But then I’d look beside me and see Carlos sleeping. His arm always reached for me even in his dreams. And I’d remember that we made it. We were safe.I stepped outside that morning. The warm sun kissed my skin, and I heard it, the loud sound of our daughters’ giggles.The sight before me made my heart swell.Carlos was in the garden, kneeling down in the grass. Both of our little girls climbed all over him. Our eldest, Isabella, was five now. She wss so smart, so full of energy, with Carlos’ mischievous smile and my eyes. And little Sofia, only two, was already stubborn and wild, refusing to let her big sister boss her around.“Papa! You can’t catch me!” Isabella squealed, running across the yard. Her

Emily’s POVThe gun fell to the marble floor during the struggle. It spun once before stopping near my feet.For a second, I just stared at it, frozen. My hands trembled. My body was stiff with terror. The screams and gunfire around me blurred into white noise. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart, the rush of blood in my ears.And then I saw him... Alexander.His cold smile. His gun aimed at Carlos.Something inside me snapped.I dropped to my knees. I grabbed the weapon. The metal felt cold, heavy, too heavy for my shaking hands. My breaths came in ragged gasps.“Emily!” Carlos’ mother’s voice shrieked from across the room. “No, don’t do it! Please, don’t!”But Alexander’s laughter cut through her cries. “Oh, how delicious,” he sneered. His voice was mocking. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing at me like I was a fascinating toy. “Go on. Do it. Prove you’re more than his fragile little doll.”His words stabbed into me. I wasn’t a fighter. I wasn’t a killer. But I was tired

Emily’s POVThe world stopped the moment Lina pulled the gun.Her hands trembled, but her eyes burned with pure hatred as she aimed the weapon directly at Carlos and me. Gasps broke out from the guests. I could hear the orchestra’s violins screech to a halt. The musicians stumble away from their instruments. Panic spread through the hall. Women clutch their pearls. Men cursed under their breath. Children cried as mothers dragged them toward the exits.And in the middle of it all, Carlos stepped in front of me.“Stay behind me,” he growled. His arm shot out to push me back. .“Carlos” my voice cracked. My heart slammed against my ribs as I stared at the barrel pointed at us.“Shut up, Emily. Don’t move,” he whispered without looking at me. Lina hissed “You ruined everything! Both of you! Do you think I’d let you walk into happily ever after while I’m left with nothing?!”Before she could squeeze the trigger, a gunshot exploded from the side hall.The sound was deafening, making my e

EMILY’S POVThe chandeliers sparkled like thousands of captured stars. The air was filled with the smell of roses. Music played.I gripped my grandmother’s hand tightly. Every step down the aisle felt both surreal and terrifying. I could feel hundreds of eyes on me. Everyone gasped in awe, but none of it mattered when I lifted my eyes and met his.Carlos.He stood at the altar, tall and impossibly handsome in his black suit. His broad shoulders were square. His chin was lifted with pride, but his eyes, those warm, dark eyes, were locked only on me. His eyes were filled with love.“Steady now,” my grandmother whispered beside me, squeezing my hand.I smiled through the veil in front of me. “I’m okay,” I murmured.As we reached the altar, my grandmother kissed my cheek and placed my hand in Carlos’.“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered softly, leaning close so only I could hear. “You look so beautiful.”Heat flooded my cheeks. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I teased back.Daniel, standing

EMILY’S POVThe first thing I notice is the sunlight kissing my face. By the time I wake up, my heart is racing.Today.Today I am getting married. Again!I laugh as I place my palm over my belly, where my little one shifts as if she can sense my excitement. Tears prick my eyes before I even speak.“We’re getting married today, little one,” I whisper. “Your daddy is waiting for us.”The baby doesn’t answer, of course, but the small movement inside me feels like she can hear me. I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. I feel so blessed.Just then, my door bursts open.“Emily!”“Bride-to-be!”Helen and Bridget rush in, squealing so loudly I can’t help but laugh. Before I can even sit up, they are at my sides, hugging me, kissing my cheeks, and laughing.“Careful!” I laugh, placing a protective hand over my belly. “I’m not porcelain, you know!”“Porcelain, no,” Helen says with a grin. “But you are glowing like glass. Look at you!”Bridget clasps her hands dramatically. “Oh my goodness, Emily! Yo

CARLOS’ POVThe morning starts like every other. I had my daily routine. But I should’ve known the day was going to take a turn the moment Sarah walked beside me with an urgent look on her face. Her eyes were fixed on the iPad in her hands.“Sir” she says, scrolling. “There’s a potential deal coming across our table that could open new distribution channels. I’ve scheduled the meeting in Conference Room Three. The terms look favorable on paper.”I frown. “Who’s the client?”“An investment firm. They’re keeping the lead negotiator’s identity quiet until the meeting,” she answers,.That already makes my skin crawl. Deals that hide too much up front never end well. Still, I nod. “Fine. Let’s see what they have to offer.”I push open the glass door of the meeting room minutes later with Sarah trailing behind me. The place feels… wrong. It’s too quiet. The air is heavy for some reason. I scan the long table, the clean rows of chairs, the untouched water glasses. Everything looks normal but

BRIE’S POV:“Hello.” Alpha Tyler snaps his fingers in front of my face, trying to get my attention, but I’m still lost in my own little dreamland.“Brie!” he calls again, louder this time, making me snap out of my thoughts.“Yes?” I answer quickly, my eyes darting between him and the glistening river ahead.“You seem lost in thought. What are you thinking about?” he asks, his tone calm but curious.I frown in confusion.Was that all just my imagination? Nothing more?Standing by the river, talking with Alpha Tyler, I had let my mind wander too far into places it shouldn’t have gone. It had felt so vivid, so real, that I could feel it deep in my core.I had imagined being naked with Alpha Tyler, both of us doing shameful things in the river. What was that thought? That was awful. Why would I even imagine something like that?I look down at myself—fully clothed, and so is Alpha Tyler. We’re both standing on the riverbank, and he has a confused look on his face, probably because of the b

BRIE'S POVHe looked at me, his eyes fixed on mine, not saying a word, not moving. I dared to keep the same eye contact, my heart beating softly in my chest as I swallowed hard.“You really have a way of amusing me,” he said as he gently pushed the strand of my wet hair clinging to my face aside, tucking it carefully behind my ear, his eyes never leaving mine.I almost forgot how to breathe, seeing how close we were, both naked in the river. The way his fingers brushed my face when he moved my hair back was nothing short of thrilling.“You haven’t answered my question, Brie,” he said, his voice dropping low, almost a whisper, as his face leaned closer. The finger that had tucked my hair behind my ear began trailing down, softly caressing my face, then my neck, and finally my shoulder.Maybe I should have pushed him away, told him not to touch me like this, but something kept me frozen, making it hard to move or even tell him off. I bit my lower lip, a thousand thoughts racing through

BRIE’S POVI took a bold step forward, knowing my nudity was fully visible in front of Alpha Tyler’s hungry gaze.His eyes moved slowly up and down my body, lazily, as if he was taking his time to study every inch of me. Every curve.At first, he had chosen to get naked in front of me, maybe hoping I would shy away like a little girl and hide. But that was never my thing. I always tried to be as brave as I could, no matter the challenge thrown directly at me.“Well, what are you waiting for?” Alpha Tyler asked, lifting his brow. “Aren’t you coming in?” he asked again.I gave no reply, just silence. I walked toward the water hesitantly, dipping one foot in first to test it.It was cold and oddly soothing, just perfect, unlike anything I had ever felt before. I took a deep breath and decided to bury my whole body into it, closing my eyes and letting myself sink to the bottom of the river for a few seconds before rising back up.“How does it feel?” Alpha Tyler asked.I wiped the water fr

BRIE POV“Where are you taking me?” I yelled, pulling my hand free from his grip as I shot him a sharp glare.I looked around and realized where we were — another part of the castle. It looked different, more beautiful than any other place I had seen so far.A small river flowed there, coming from outside the palace wall. The water was clear, sparkling like a thousand tiny diamonds hidden at the bottom. It looked fresh and clean, and little river sprites danced across its surface. Flower petals floated gently on the water, making the scene look almost magical.I smiled softly at the sight and said, “I thought river sprites didn’t exist anymore.” I looked at him, waiting for an answer, but his eyes stayed fixed on the river.“They do,” he said. “They’re drawn only to the purest rivers.” He stepped forward and added, “Since most rivers in the world are no longer pure, the sprites have no reason to appear. That’s why people think they don’t exist anymore.”I nodded at his words and stepp

TYER’S POV“Brie’s in trouble?” My brother and I exchanged looks the moment the royal messenger said that. What kind of trouble could she be in? She was under royal protection, so what was going on?We both stood up right away and glared at the royal messenger, waiting for him to explain clearly what he meant.“In the trainee center,” the messenger began, trying to catch his breath, “she challenged the commander.”“What commander?” I asked, raising a brow, already losing patience.The messenger took a deep breath and began to speak more calmly.“The one in charge of the trainees ,the one who teaches most of the swordsmen. She challenged him, and now they are fighting. Her maiden, Everette, told me to inform you, Alphas. She’s worried the lady might be too weak to win,” the messenger said.My brother and I didn’t waste a second. That commander wasn’t the best swordsman, but he was skilled and he had a temper. What might have started as a simple duel could easily turn into a fight to th

BRIE POVMy head still hurt, so much that it was hard to focus, but I had to keep my composure. I pushed away every other thought as I tried to focus on the problem at hand—the fact that I had just lost to this commander when I should have won, and now I was going to be forced to take off my clothes in front of all the hungry eyes of the men here.The commander lowered his sword and said, “What are you waiting for? You know what needs to be done.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Or have you perhaps forgotten you are our entertainment for today?”The whole place burst into laughter while the pain in my head slowly faded. This man still had the nerve to talk so confidently when he knew damn well I should have been the one to win, not him.“You know very well I should have been the one to win this,” I said. “I wasn’t using my wolf, I was at a disadvantage compared to you, and most of all I was hit by a migraine that made me go weak at the last moment when you know I would have won