Maybe I should’ve been worried, but looking at that child, I didn’t feel threatened in the slightest. It was like I could feel the sincerity of her emotions radiating from her.“Yes, I’m Lisa,” I finally admitted. “But that’s our little secret, okay? Don’t let anyone find out.”“It feels like I’m dreaming,” she whispered, her voice barely holding together.Then she let go of me and nodded in agreement, smiling.“So, you still haven’t told me your name.”“Caroline,” she said so softly that, if it weren’t for my wolf’s enhanced hearing, I wouldn’t have caught it.“Nice to meet you, Caroline! Did you run away from all the noise too?”She nodded again.I took a deep breath as I silently wondered who had invited her and which family she came from.“Are you a friend of Annie’s?”She nodded once more without saying a word.We looked at each other for a moment, and then she started moving her hands in the air again. Since I had already studied her pattern before, I instantly understood the so
Before I knew it, I was wandering aimlessly through the streets, like I’d forgotten the way home. Soon, the cluster of houses had completely vanished, and I found myself entering an open field, drawn by the sound of running water.The sting from the slap grew sharper with every step, while a wave of loneliness flooded my soul. I stopped at the edge of a stream and crouched down, scooping up some cold water and splashing it on my face. Tears streamed from my eyes as I stared at my own reflection in the water.It wasn’t perfectly clear, but I could still make out the spot where William had hit me—it was already starting to bruise. How was I supposed to hide that from my grandma?“Are you okay?” I turned toward the voice. Liam was standing a few feet away, arms crossed.“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” I asked, confused. Of all people, he was the last one I expected to come after me.“I promised Annie I’d find you and bring you back to her party.”“Liam, I’m sorry, but I’m
I ended up waking in the middle of the night to go for a run with Lisa. Even though I felt calmer, she still needed to let out all the angst from the night before. By the time I got back to my room, the redness in my face had completely faded. I went back to sleep, and when I woke up, it was almost lunchtime. “Looks like the party last night was a good one,” my grandma said as we sat down to eat. “Yeah, I met the alpha’s daughter.” I watched her reaction closely. She let out a deep sigh, followed by a quiet lament. “Poor girl... She lost her mother so young and never really recovered. I hope the alpha finds a cure for her someday.” “Well, I talked to her a bit. Caroline’s quiet, but she’s really sweet.” “You what? You talked? Like, actually talked?” “Yeah. She even argued with her brother at the party.” My grandma’s surprised expression was kind of funny. Honestly, I really hoped Caroline wouldn’t go quiet again—that maybe now, she could finally start living a more normal life.
His words hit me harder than I expected. If it were up to Lisa, I’d already be wagging my tail for him, just hoping for a little more affection. You settle for so damn little, I snapped at her internally. "Alright. If that’s all you had to say, I’m outta here." I tried to end the conversation and walk past him again. This time, he stepped aside—but just as I passed, William grabbed my hand and held it tight. "Come with me. I want to talk some more." "I don’t want to talk to you!" I said, trying to yank my hand free as he pulled me toward his car. "It’s about my sister." Of all the things he could’ve said, that was the one that hit the mark. I really did want to know how Caroline was doing, so I stopped resisting and got into the car without a word. We sat in silence while he drove through the streets. Strangely enough, he ended up taking me to his own house. He parked in an underground garage and turned off the engine. There were other cars down there, but I couldn’t focus on the
As I gently stroked Caroline’s head, I noticed she had gone quiet, clearly deep in thought about what I’d said. That’s when William stepped in. “Eliza, explain yourself. Now!” Despite the harsh words, his tone was full of urgency and worry—and his eyes shimmered with hope. From the look on the Alpha’s face, I could tell he was waiting for the same answers. “Caroline has a lot of tangled emotions inside her, so she uses music as a way to cope. Through music, she manages to organize her thoughts—but instead of expressing them with her voice, she uses her hands, weaving melodies into a pattern she created for herself. I just read that pattern and gave her the understanding she needed.” “How can you be so sure?” the Alpha asked, clearly emotional. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. “Because she’s like me,” I answered simply. I didn’t want to get into my own story—this wasn’t about me. “Eliza, can you play some more for me?” Caroline asked sweetly. At that moment, William and his
Friday afternoons were basically reserved for club activities. Since I wasn’t part of any, I didn’t waste a second before rushing home the moment the lunch bell rang. Hoping to avoid William, I had packed my bag the night before and planned to skip lunch, grab a cab to the next town, and catch a bus from there. But my plan fell apart fast. A gray pickup truck was parked right in front of my house. William was leaning against the hood, and when he saw me, his eyes lifted like he’d been waiting. I didn’t even bother to hide how pissed I was as I walked up to him. "You could’ve at least warned me you were coming." I couldn’t help feeling frustrated that he had completely wrecked my plan. "And let you be on guard?" he replied with a smug grin. "I figured you’d try to ditch me, but I also figured you’re way too polite to leave without saying goodbye to your grandma." He wasn’t wrong—so I had no comeback. Since there was clearly no escaping him, I figured I might as well eat lunch first
His choice of words hit me hard. It sounded cocky—like he was claiming he had the upper hand over his rival, which wasn’t exactly true. As much as I hated the idea of being with Damian, he’d always been attentive and caring when we were together. William, on the other hand, mostly acted like I didn’t even exist—pretending the mate bond meant nothing. And when we did cross paths, he usually belittled me, humiliated me, and crushed Lisa’s heart again and again. I shoved him away, pushing him back. What the hell was I doing, letting him touch me like that after everything that had happened between us? “I still prefer Damian over you! At least he never hurt me or made me feel like shit!” I blurted out without thinking. Instantly, the air turned cold as William clenched his fists, staring at me with pure rage in his eyes. “Get out! Get the fuck out of my car—now!” he shouted, furious. Before he could change his mind, I grabbed my suitcase, yanked the door open, and stormed off. I knew m
I followed William back to the car, feeling a bit deflated. I thought I’d have my Precious in hand today, so it was frustrating to walk away empty-handed. Just as I was buckling my seatbelt, my phone started ringing. The hope that it might be my mom calling to say she’d found the code vanished the second I saw the contact name on the screen. “Answer it,” William ordered coldly when he saw me hesitate. I was afraid Marcos might say something revealing—and that William would hear it. “Marcos, do you need something?” I asked, skipping the pleasantries. “You already in town? Was the trip smooth?” Smooth wasn’t exactly the word I’d use. “Yeah, I’m here. Just get to the point.” “Straight to the point, as always!” His laugh was contagious on the other end. He always countered my cold attitude with humor, and that was one of the things I liked about him. “Well then—meeting at my place. Now.” “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” I asked, glancing at William’s icy, impatient face. “It’s reall
I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears, and walked over to the drink table. Even though I was underage, I felt an urgent need to keep myself from crying, and since people say alcohol is good for drowning your sorrows, I figured it might do the trick. I filled my cup with punch, and just as I was about to down it, someone grabbed it out of my hand. I looked to the side and met Nicolas’s eyes. He looked like he was trying just as hard not to cry.“Does it hurt?” I asked him. I wasn’t talking about our bond—I meant his arm, which was bandaged up. Without a word, he set the cup down on the table, turned around, and walked away. I stood there, unsure of what to do. Should I follow him or give him space? “Nicolas, wait!”He heard me, but he didn’t stop. It was clear he didn’t want to talk to me. So I gave up on the idea of drinking and tried to drown my sorrows in food instead while I waited for the performances to start. Every now and then, I found myself scanning the crowd fo
I passed by the hospital front desk and paid the entire bill in advance, leaving some credit for any unexpected needs. Then I slowly walked down the road as the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon.I wandered aimlessly for a while, completely lost. I couldn’t remember where the little house Veronica had taken me to was. I reached into the pocket of my jeans, looking for the key. I was planning to track the house by its scent.“You forgot the keys!” Lisa said in my head. I smiled softly, hearing her voice in my mind again. She was right—I suddenly remembered I’d left the key on the bed and had only grabbed my wallet. I hadn’t even closed the front door.“We’re going to be okay,” I promised myself. I needed to believe that—to believe I could fix everything.“I’m starving!” she said the moment we passed by a café that had just opened. The smell in the air was irresistible. I stepped inside and picked a table to sit at.“Whoa!” the girl at the counter exclaimed when she saw me.
I sat on the bed, completely lost. I tried calling my aunt to find out how my grandma was doing, but her phone was ringing in the room next door. In the rush to help Grandma, she’d left it behind.Next thing I knew, it was almost midnight. My mom got back to me with a message. It was short but straight to the point:Mom: My friend will be there soon. Grab your stuff and go with her!Sure enough, not even five minutes later, a blue van pulled up in front of the house. A medium-built woman with long, curly black hair and dark skin stepped out. She was wearing pajamas."You’re Eliza?" she asked. I nodded slightly."Girl, what kind of mess did you get yourself into? Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay. I’m Verônica, your mom’s friend."She held out her hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to shake it. Instead, I clutched the bag that held my Preciosa even tighter."Poor thing! I’ll help you carry your stuff, okay? Luckily, I had the perfect place lined up for you. Your mom already paid three mont
Everything in my head was just a high-pitched ringing, echoing persistently in the back of my mind. I started struggling to breathe and desperately searched for music. Lisa had abandoned me, and now Preciosa was destroyed. I was falling apart.By the time I started to get even a glimpse of what was happening around me, it was already dark.“How long have I been like this?” My head was spinning. I leaned against the bed and focused on listening for any sounds. The silence told me there was no one home. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket. The screen was cracked, but it still seemed to work. There was only one person who could make sense of everything that had happened.After trying over and over, I finally heard a familiar voice on the other end, and it made me want to break down and cry."Mom, it's me!" I said. "Mom, please help me!""Sweetheart, what happened?""I told Grandma about Dad, and she freaked out. I don’t know what to do. Mom..." I started crying again. The pain was j
William had dislocated Nicolas’s arm, and I couldn’t do anything about it because I couldn’t bring myself to fight against my mate. I felt awful. When I tried to help Nicolas, William grabbed my arm and dragged me along with him."William, he needs help. Please!" I begged again, but it was no use."Shut the hell up!" he shouted at me. He dragged me to his car, and as soon as he started the engine, he floored it, tires screeching."William, let me explain, please!""You bitch! Explain? What the fuck is there to explain that I didn’t see with my own eyes? You spend a week with him, and now you’re meeting up with him alone? You think you’re fooling me? You’re fucking worthless!""That’s not how it is, I—""I told you to shut the fuck up!"I couldn’t hold back the anguish and sadness in my chest. Even staying silent, I couldn’t stop myself from sobbing. William pulled over on a narrow street, out on the outskirts of the village. He was breathing heavily."William, your nose is bleeding. A
The day started off cloudy, with rain in the forecast for the weekend. I wondered if I’d still be able to watch the eclipse with Mr. Ghost. It had been over a week since I last saw him. After a full day of rest, it was time to get back to work. I grabbed Precious and started playing my songs, fine-tuning the arrangements. During my lunch break, I ended up thinking about Nicolas and sent him a short audio clip of a song’s chorus along with a message:Eliza: Congrats on your graduation, brother! Consider this audio a sneak peek of your gift!Nicolas: A sneak peek? Are you finally gonna show me the new songs? I should’ve graduated sooner!He replied just a few moments later. As I was typing out a response, my phone started ringing. It was him!“Lisa, we need to meet up,” he said as soon as I answered. I could hear the anxiety in his voice.“What’s going on?”“There’s no one home right now. Can you come over? I really need to tell you something. And while you’re here, you can show me the
The next day, wolf training got real. After getting sidelined with serious injuries from dueling with me, Nicolas and Arthur had to train with each other until John was finally satisfied. Meanwhile, I took a dip in the lake and sunbathed with Kate during two full days off.When they finally called me back to training, they looked confident. Arthur had that revenge spark in his eyes as he teamed up with Nicolas to take me on. It wasn’t a fair fight. Unable to intimidate me, the beta joined in, turning it into a three-against-one brawl. They snarled around me, circling, looking for any opening to strike. No matter how strong you are, when you're outnumbered, it takes more than skill to win. I started dodging defensively, avoiding hits while my mind raced to come up with a strategy. A few times, I had to shift into semi-human form to fully dodge the attacks and hit back. Eventually, I decided to cut down the numbers—starting with the weakest link.I aimed for Arthur, but mid-air I change
The real training was about to begin. A fight between two wolves was way more intense—and brutal. I felt awkward as I undressed and slipped on the robe they gave me.“No need to be shy, sweetheart. I’ll help you through it, okay?” said Kate, who was in the room with me, trying to reassure me.I walked barefoot out onto the backyard patio, with Kate right behind me. John and his sons were already there, standing at attention. The way they all stared as I approached made my face burn with embarrassment, and I ended up lowering my gaze.“Well, well… doesn’t look so tough now,” Arthur took the opportunity to tease me.“Since we know you’re a shy little wolf, we figured this was more appropriate,” John said, referring to the fact that his sons weren’t naked—they were wearing men’s robes.Wolves were used to running in packs, so nudity wasn’t a big deal for them. But for a lone wolf like me, it was a bit much. I was genuinely touched that they had considered how I’d feel.John went over a b
I took care of my hygiene before heading to my room and setting my alarm for the next morning. When I woke up, I felt completely refreshed and even helped Kate set the table for breakfast. When Nicolas and Arthur showed up, they looked like a pair of zombies."I'm dead. Do I really have to train today, Dad?" Arthur groaned."More than anyone," John replied. I could feel Arthur shooting daggers at me with his eyes, but I pretended not to notice. "Today and tomorrow, you’ll be doing hand-to-hand combat in human form. Eliza will be your opponent, and I’ll be supervising the whole thing."“I get to fight Eliza? Can’t wait,” Arthur said with a sly grin.“Should I tell him or do you want to?” Nicolas whispered, barely holding back a laugh.“Let the kid enjoy the moment,” I whispered back.“Just go easy on me, okay?” Arthur asked. I gave him a nod as I finished my breakfast.I stopped by my room to grab the training outfit they’d given me, then headed out to the garden. I started warming up