LOGINThird person's POV
Forrest's eyes widened in sudden realization, his voice tense as he spoke, "Alpha Derek, you don't mean the ship's owner is..."
He cast a wary glance around, checking for any surveillance cameras.
Derek nonchalantly extinguished his cigarette, his tone affirmative. "Relax, I disabled all the cameras around us as soon as we boarded. Yes, it's him. He's determined to see me dead."
A salty sea breeze swept over them, raising goosebumps on Forrest's
Bonnie chimed in with a sweet smile. "Mrs. Rios, the only people who know about this are the few of us in the Holmes family and everyone in this room. I'm sure no one here would ever let a scandal like this leak, right?""She's right, Auntie," Misha added, suddenly acting remarkably poised and clear-headed."Bentley is a great guy, but I just don't have feelings for him. Forcing a wedding won't make either of us happy. It would only bring endless drama to both our families. What happened last night... was just a mistake we both made under the influence. It wasn't entirely one person's fault."Kneeling in his own blood, Bentley snapped his head up, his eyes darkening with malice.He never expected Misha—usually a brainless, arrogant brat—to be coached into playing it this cool so fast.The Holmes family was clearly willing to swallow their pride just to keep from being tied to the Rios.Seeing the mother-daughter duo turn the tables, the silent Rios patriarch, Alpha Spike, tightened hi
"Algernon, don't stop me!"Ulric's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked so worked up he practically had to be pinned down by the surrounding elders. "I am beating this piece of trash to death right here on Holmes ground! I'll kill you, you animal!"Meanwhile, Bentley's mother was a total wreck. Shaking and crying, she threw herself forward, grabbing a fistful of Bonnie's skirt. "We are so incredibly sorry... I'm a useless mother for not raising him right. But the boy has been secretly in love with Misha for too many years. He just lost his head last night, he couldn't control himself... I'm to blame for this too! Ma'am, if you're too angry to breathe, just beat me to death along with him!"Bonnie stood there, watching this Oscar-level performance from the Rios family, shaking with pure rage.Bentley crashing the party last night had completely blown up her entire plan.She loathed this slimy young Alpha with every fiber of her being, yet she had no choice but to stand before her elders
He whispered it into her ear over and over, his burning breath making her shrink back. "Tabitha, stop trying to push me out of your world. You're my everything."Tabitha felt a bit helpless. She reached up and unceremoniously flicked the smooth forehead of the Black Thorn Alpha."Derek, please control yourself. This is Holmes territory. If the guards on patrol catch you shamelessly hiding out in my room, how exactly do you plan to explain this to those old farts outside?""If you kick me out right now, wouldn't that just prove to everyone that the Black Thorn Alpha never left the Holmes estate last night?" Derek tightened his arms around her like a brat, looking completely unbothered.Tabitha's temples throbbed. "...Then what do you suggest we do?""Wait for dark." A sly glint flashed in his dark gold eyes. "I'll bypass all the infrared security and scale the wall.""The outside is crawling with Lycan-level sentries.""Compared to the
Derek let out a cold laugh, his tone completely dead. "If apologies actually worked, you wouldn't be crying to me right now like a stray dog, Misha. There's an old rule in this world: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When you and your mother were planning to trap me, did you ever stop to think about how incredibly unfair your cheap little stunt was to me?"Misha choked on her tears, her chest heaving violently. "I regret it... Derek, I swear I regret it so much! Please...""The rule of the pack has always been simple: you pay your own debts, Misha. Besides, do you think I'm crazy or stupid? Why would I waste Black Thorn resources to help a woman who tried to set me up?"Derek's freezing, brutal voice cut through the line like a judge's gavel, smashing Misha's last delusion to pieces. "As an old friend, I'll be sure to send a massive gift to the Rios on your mating day. Let me be the first to say congratulations on the wedding.""No&mdash
"Bentley and I... we had an incident last night."Misha ground her teeth so hard it hurt to speak, but the cold reality forced her to swallow the last of her pride. "Now he's got proof and he's forcing me to marry him. The Rios elders and their lawyers are already at our front gate!""Oh? And how exactly do you expect me to save you?" Derek asked casually, twirling a strand of Tabitha's hair around his long fingers."If you just show up... if you walk into the parlor right now and crash this, tell everyone you're marrying me, the Rios family wouldn't dare push it! I wouldn't have to marry that pig!"Misha sobbed, gripping her phone like a maniac. "Derek, I'm begging you, help me! I can't marry Bentley, I'd rather die!""Misha, do you hear yourself right now?"Derek let out a cold laugh, his deep voice cutting like a knife. "I don't love you, and you're not my mate. Why on earth would I play the knight in shining armor for some random girl? Besides, things between the Black Thorns and
"Ma'am, let's not make this uglier than it needs to be."Bentley took a step forward, a smug, menacing smile creeping onto his face.Even facing the high-status Lycan Luna, he didn't blink. "Misha's reputation is tied to the Rios family now. As an Alpha, I can't exactly sit back and watch my fiancée become the biggest joke in L.A., can I?"Bonnie ground her teeth, her nails digging so deep into her palms they almost drew blood.Never in her wildest dreams did she think that after running the L.A. social scene for decades, she would be outsmarted by a nobody Alpha from the Rios family.This time, she and Misha were backed into a corner with no way out.Bentley was clearly rubbing it in, playing the savior while reaping all the rewards.Meanwhile, Misha—the one who had started this entire disaster—showed none of the dignity expected of a high-ranking werewolf. She just curled into a ball under the duvet, bawling hysterically.Lycan Algernon sat in his wheelchair while Cyrus stood by the
Tabitha's POVOn the day when the first snowfall arrived, I went out.I thought pushing myself too hard would make my condition worse, but oddly enough, ever since I got pregnant, my abdominal wound had hardly bothered me at all.I didn't know if I had gotten rid of the wolfsbane i
Derek's POVMy mood was conflicted. I wanted to grant Tabitha freedom, but it had to be under my control.On the island, danger was unpredictable, and any unexpected event could haunt me for life."Yes, Alpha Derek. I will arrange for her elimination immediately."A few minute
Third person's POVDerek walked briskly out of the door, deliberately lowering his voice. "Hey.""Alpha Derek, has Tabitha come around? How is she now?" Kamp pressed on.Tabitha had been out cold for three whole days since she was injected with M-1, and she should have come around
Tabitha's POVThat comment instantly brought me to my senses.Indeed, all the information I'd gathered since I came around pointed to one thing: Derek and I were totally in love.Everything looked like a perfect gift box, flawless and incredibly beautiful on the outside.Even though Derek explained to m







