ARNOLD'S POV
"Do you know with whom you speak?"
I demanded harshly.
She wrinkled her nose.
"You would be more sensible if you were an important person."
She replied. She was quick with words and I felt myself drenched in humiliation.
"You don't follow a stripper out of her workplace. My job ends in the club!"
She snapped. I stepped back.
"I take it you do not recall who I am?"
"There are so many of you and you do not expect me to remember you. I will not even if I could!"
The words were enough to tell me that she saw me as one of the many men who visited the club to watch her, but I was determined to have a better reception from her. She was not even looking at me, I started to reach for her hand as a cab pulled to a stop before us. She stepped away, kicked me hard in the thigh, and jumped into the cab.
" Stay away From me, bastard. Don't ever come close or you will be beaten!"
She yelled from the cab as it took off. I stood nursing my thigh, finding it difficult to believe that I had just been humiliated the way she had done.
***
" Luke, I have to speak with someone at the club."
I told my beta the following day. I did not miss the look of surprise on his face.
"I thought you did not even like being there? What are you going there to do?"
He asked. There was no time to give lengthy explanations so I told him as briefly as I could,
"My mate, the girl I met at a club years ago and later rejected is a worker at the club and I have to find a way to reach her."
I said.
"She works there?"
He asked. I did not have to reply to that. I walked out of the hall he had been sitting alone, waiting for me to join him over a bottle of drink to discuss what we had both found out from our previous investigations.
"I reckon I have a job to tackle alone!"
He called after me as I reached the door. I nodded because I trusted him and I knew that while I was trying to get the woman whose body had never really left my mind, he would be working at getting down enemies of the Moonstruck pack.
It was revenge that I wanted to take on her first for treating me like crap, but there was no way I could do that if I could not reach her in the first place. And I needed to reach her. I needed to have peace.
I needed to sort out whatever unfinished business I had with her.
When I reached the club, no one seemed to know the woman I described. I did not even know her name. But when I finally met a blonde who was a stripper too, she got some bucks from me and offered a bit of information.
"She does not say much about herself."
She whispered as she glided over me erotically.
It was one hell of a time having to sit under that atmosphere and have a blonde I did not even like rub all over me over a bit of information.
But the moment I decided to chase after her and be certain that I was dealing with the same mate from four years back, my pride had begun to suffer.
"Tell what you know about her. Don't keep anything back."
I ordered the blonde.
"Well, she is Anna. You don't seem to know her name. But she uses a stage name here to protect her identity. She has a best friend named Ella."
"How can I reach her?"
"She will be at the dance studio down the Maryland Avenue tomorrow so you can go there and meet her."
She supplied.
I gave some more money to her.
"Get off me."
I ordered grimly as she started to glide down my thighs again.
She turned to look at me with eyes huge with surprise.
"You want me to leave you? You don't want to have some more fun?"
She asked.
"No. That's enough. Thank you for the information."
ANNA'S POV
"Hey Ella, mind opening the door for me? I don't want to knock and risk waking the kids," I said.
Ella mumbled a sleepy "yes" over the phone and hung up. It seemed like she was half asleep. I let out a sigh, wondering when I would ever come back home at a normal hour like other parents.
I vividly remember Cooper asking why I always came home when they were already asleep, while his friend Martin's parents came home earlier. I couldn't give him a satisfying answer then, and I still couldn't now.
The door creaked open, bringing me back from my daydream. I forced a smile as I saw my best friend.
"Ella," I greeted her.
"Bestie, you look like shit. Was today really that bad?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"Ahh! Don't even remind me. I hate this job," I sulked, feeling the weight of the day on my shoulders.
I kicked off my shoes and headed straight to the kitchen to put away the groceries I had picked up on my way home. Ella went to the freezer to get juice.
"Hey, could you pour me a glass of juice too, please? I could really use a refreshing drink right now," I requested.
"Sure thing," Ella replied, pouring the juice into a glass.
"So, spill the beans. What happened? You look like you encountered your arch-nemesis today," she said, chuckling.
"You betcha!" I exclaimed, relieved to have someone to share my frustrations with. "There was this loser who followed me after work. I don't know what it was, but something about him gave me a really bad feeling."
Ella giggled and said, "You always have bad feelings about those perverts who follow you after work."
I nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words. "Well, it's true, but hear me out. I usually feel disgusted by them but this guy felt different. I didn't see his face since it was dark, but he reminded me of someone."
Curiosity piqued, Ella asked, "Who?"
I hesitated for a moment, realizing how crazy it sounded. "You know what? Forget it. It's not important," I said, brushing off the thought.
I put the last onion on the pantry and turned to unpack another item.
I met Ella staring right at me.
“What?” I asked, trying to look in innocence.
“Who does he remind you of, Anna,” Ella pressed, her eyes fixed on me.
I stared at her for a while, feeling uneasy. It was like she could read my mind at that moment.
"Who?" she prodded further.
I nodded my head slowly, confirming her suspicion. "Arnold."
Ella's eyes widened, and she let out a gasp. "You mean Arnold, as in your mate, your baby daddy?"
I nodded again, my heart sinking. "Yeah, exactly."
Ella's face turned serious. "This is not good, Anna.
Anna’s PovIt's 8:00 am and I just remembered that Kylie will be going for her dance training. "Kylie, we have to prepare for the class. You don't have to be late"She was still on her bed, sleeping like a baby. I gently massaged her body and raised her up. Kylie made a slight sound like she wanted to cry."Sorry, my, dear.""Are you taking her to the dance class?" Ella asked me."Yes, and we are almost late. I can't imagine it's past eight""Don't worry, I will get the breakfast ready" Ella said but I wasn't sure I heard her.I quickly bathed my daughter and entered the kitchen to prepare our breakfast. I met Ella preparing a sandwich and hot coffee for us."I am almost done," she said."Thank you for all you are doing. I was thinking of what to prepare for breakfast" I smiled at Ella.Ella has been so helpful to me. She made everything so easy for me. I wonder what I could have done, especially having four kids growing at the same time.I have suffered while alone, talking more no
Anna's Pov "You have refused to talk since you and Kylie came back. What happened?" Did someone make a statement you didn't like?"I don't even know what to tell Ella. I feel it wasn't right to bug her with my problems. Maybe I should just tell her about our neighbor. Talking about Arnold brings back old memories."Anna, silence will not help you. Speak up""That reminds me, you have a letter from an unknown person" I became tense."Did you check the letter?""No, I didn't" Ella grabbed a brown paper from the table and handed it over to me. "Here is it"I was shocked to see that the content of the letter was an invitation to another club to strip for them. The pay was huge. "Wow!""What's that?""I was invited tonight to strip in another club. Look at this! The money is huge" I gave Ella the letter."Wow, that's perfect""Please, we need to celebrate this. Where are my kids?" I started calling out their names but there was no response. "Are they sleeping already?" I asked Ella."Let
Arnold's Pov "You haven't eaten anything since we came back. What could be troubling you?"I looked at my Beta, "I am not hungry""But at least try and taste something. I don't feel comfortable with this sudden change""And I said, I am not hungry!" I yelled.I expected him to turn around and leave but he stood still and unshaken."Do you know her?" He asked with so much worry on his face. I wondered why he was bothered."Why do you ask?""I asked because I haven't seen you acted so silent like this. What could be eating you up?"I bite my upper lips with my teeth. I contemplated on telling him what was going on in my mind but at the same time, it will warrant to some many questions. "Yes, I know her""What about the child? I saw the…""Hey! Know your boundaries. Out of my sight" I blurted. He wanted to talk but I signaled to him with my index finger. My eyes were already turning red because I was getting pissed. "Leave!"He saw the brisk of heat on my forehead and left without sayin
Anna's Pov It is barely one week since we packed into our new apartment and Demitri has been our regular visitor.My kids are so used to staying around him. I don't like his regular visits but what more can I do? When my kids are in love with him.It's past 3:00 and I have made up my mind that he is not going to come again so there is no need to prepare something for him.It seems I just heard my name but I continued to wash my dishes."Mom, Uncle Demitri is around?" I paused what I was doing and turned to my Kylie."Did you see him?""Yes, I saw him walk into the building" I was about to say something when a knock came through the door."Here is he," she said, jumping on one foot before the other.I watched her as she struggled to open the door but her hands couldn't reach the door bolt. She quickly got a small chair and climbed on it.I was amazed, with my hands clasped together as I watched him carry her up and peck her forehead. He put her down and hugged the rest.The joy on the
Anna's Pov "Please you can come in" I breathed in and out before I followed the doctor into the room. I got a call from a stranger through Ella's phone that she was involved in an accident. I don't know the impact of the injury. I made sure to lock up my kids at home before coming to the hospital. I followed the doctor inside immediately, "How are you feeling?" The doctor asked Ella, touching her neck to check her temperature. I didn't hear her voice. I tried to stretch my neck to look at her because the doctor was covering the view. "You can take care of your friend. She had a small impact on her leg but I assure you that she will be very fine by tomorrow" I nodded my head, "thank you, doctor" When he left the room, I sat down beside Ella and touched her forehead with my palm. "How are your children?" I was shocked to hear that from her. "They are fine. I heard what happened and ran to the hospital immediately" She struggled to sit upright but then, I quickly and gently hel
Arnold's Pov Where do I get to find her? I turned to ask the young man some questions but he had shut the door. This got me pissed."Are we to leave?"I looked at him angrily, he quickly turned his gaze away from me. I walked towards the car and thought of what to do next. Suddenly, my phone vibrated.The message I saw on my phone made me enter the car immediately, "Speed off quickly to the hospital!" I yelled.I walked briskly not minding the people that walked past me. I quickly went into the doctor's office, "How is she doing?"."Come with me please". I followed him as we walked into the private room. My hands were cold. I can't explain what was going through my head.As he opened the door, I saw a body lying on a bed covered with a white cloth, The doctor placed his left hands on my shoulder and breathed deeply, "Be comforted, she couldn't make it."I was still in a state of confusion when he opened the covering, the shock made me stand still, as I gradually folded my hand into a
Chapter 12 Arnold's Pov I was standing outside the pack with my hands crossed at my back. I was lost in thought but passers-by will think I am receiving some fresh air. A lady passed and greeted me to which I responded but it became something different when she asked me a question that no lady had ever summoned the courage to ask. "Alpha, hope you are alright? It is hard to see an Alpha standing outside the pack. In my pack, anybody that wants to see the Alpha must come into the pack" She caught my attention, "Young lady, you talk too much. The pack where you are coming from ain't the same as mine" I was a little bit stern but what surprised me was that she wasn't discouraged. "Am sorry, but whatever disturbs an Alpha needs immediate attention. I can be of help" I wanted to rebuke her but the smile on her face revealing the teeth calmed my nerves a little. I always love ladies with boldness. She must have come from a strong pack. "What's your name?" "I am Kathrine" I took her
KATHRINE'S POV I will have to go there myself instead of waiting for him. I kept rolling from one end of the bed to another. "I can't wait for the day to break" I didn't know when I slept off. "Kat, it's daybreak" I ignored my mom, pretending not to hear her. She walked up to the window and drew the curtain open, allowing the sunlight to shine on my face. I turned my face to the other side of the bed, "Mom," I mumbled. "Wake up and set your activity for the day" I gradually sat down on my bed. I looked at my wall clock, "Shit!" I jumped out of my bed and went to my bathroom. "What is it?" I didn't care to answer her, I locked the door of my bathroom and began to shower. I have a target of meeting the Alpha before he leaves the pack. As soon as I came down from my room, my mom invited me to the dining table. "I don't know where you are rushing this early, but you have to eat something" My stomach was tight. "I still don't have the appetite" "No, you can't leave the house like t