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
The last thing I expected when I decided to come to Heington was to end up stuck in the same apartment as William. Dinner had taken a relaxed, casual turn, with Marcos cracking dumb jokes nearly the whole time. Since I got in the car with William afterward, he hadn’t said a single word to me. Everything changed the moment we entered the housing complex owned by Siram. I went to check—again—which building and apartment I was supposed to stay in, and that’s when William snatched the authorization slip from my hand and tore it into tiny pieces right in front of me. “Why’d you do that?” I asked quietly. I didn’t have the energy to argue or yell at him anymore. “You’re with me. So you don’t need it.” I believed him for a second—but as soon as I stepped into the apartment he said I’d be staying in, he followed me inside and closed the door behind him. “Seriously?” I crossed my arms and gave him a look. He was standing between me and the door. “Please tell me you’re not seriously thinking
The team quickly mobilized around me until I got inside the studio. In the entrance hall, Marcos was pacing back and forth, clearly impatient. "Eliza, finally! Humberto’s been waiting for you! Let’s go!" I gave him a quick nod as I opened the door to my dressing room. Aside from Liliane, who was casually scrolling through her phone without a care in the world, Patrícia looked like a nervous wreck, checking—probably for the thousandth time—if everything was in place. "Thank God you’re okay!" Patrícia exclaimed the moment she saw me, giving me a quick visual scan. "Even I was getting worried. You’re never late!" said Humberto, guiding me to the chair and helping me sit down. "We called you a bunch of times, and when you didn’t answer, we thought something had happened." I frowned as I grabbed my phone and punched in my passcode. Dozens of missed calls from the past half hour. Even though William probably couldn’t unlock it since I never registered my fingerprint, he still manag
As soon as the limo reached its destination, the security team was dismissed. I stayed in the car until it pulled back into the courtyard of the security company’s headquarters. After changing clothes and wiping off my makeup, I respectfully said goodbye to the team: “Great work today, everyone! Thanks for everything!” “Miss, we’re always at your service. It’s always a pleasure working with you,” Mr. Vasquez replied with a smile as we exchanged a final handshake. There was something about this security company that I’d always found special. Besides the two official exits—one in the front and one in the back—there was also a hidden one: a wall that opened into a laundry facility next door. I’d used that route plenty of times before and had gotten used to slipping out through the laundry unnoticed. From there, I blended into the crowd—most people heading home from work. I walked through the streets until I reached one of my favorite spots to eat. Just thinking about the food made my
My eyes followed him eagerly as he got up to pay the bill. Now that I thought about it, this was our first date—and that simple thought made me smile like an idiot. I waved goodbye to Diana, and before we even stepped out of the place, William took my hand, and we walked to the car hand in hand. I was honestly stunned by how fast things were moving between us. He’s trying. Give him a chance! Lisa pleaded inside me, sensing my hesitation. I shouldn’t—but that’s exactly what I was doing: letting him get this close. "Any word from your mom?" he asked on the drive back to the condo. I picked up my phone to check. Until that moment, it felt like I’d completely forgotten about that whole situation. "Not yet. I’m gonna try calling her." I made a few attempts, but they all went straight to voicemail. Funny how the main reason I came to Heington had somehow dropped to the bottom of the list. And yeah, that was a little frustrating. "Don’t stress. If you can’t get your stuff this time, I’ll
“Auntie!” the girl shouted the moment she saw me walk through the door. She’d been reading a book and dropped it right away to run over to me. “I missed you!”“I missed you too!” I said warmly, wrapping her in a hug.“Why haven’t you come to see me these past few days?” she asked, eyes pleading.“I’ve just had a lot going on lately,” I explained. “Because of that, I’ll have to push back your piano lessons for a little while.”“What happened? Can I help you, Auntie?” I gently ran my hand through her hair. She was so innocent…“I should be asking you that. Why are you still in your pajamas? Do you know what time it is?” She was wearing light pink pajamas with little white teddy bears on them. Her hair was a total mess, like she’d just rolled out of bed.“Well, I’m not going anywhere, so why bother getting ready?” She shrugged, which made me laugh.“You’re the little princess of Siram—you can’t think like that! Whether you’re going out or not, you should always be dressed up and looking
I entered the Alpha’s house through the front door. Since I had permission to visit Caroline whenever I wanted, none of the guards dared to stop me. Obviously, I had a different goal this time.“Where’s the Alpha?” I asked a maid walking by.“Miss Eliza, if you’re here to see him, I’m afraid I can’t help you. He just went into a meeting, and I don’t know how long it’ll last.”“Where is it?” I asked her.“Miss, you can’t go in there.”“Don’t worry, I’ll just wait outside,” I said, trying to put her at ease. It seemed to work, because she led me down a hallway and pointed to a room with two guards posted outside. There was a bench in the corridor, so I sat down calmly. The guards looked at me, puzzled, but neither tried to make me leave.Drawing on Lisa’s energy, I heightened my senses to the max, identifying the scents in the room and listening closely to the conversation inside.“I don’t think what you’re doing is right! You should wait until my father gets back before discussing this
I began to wake up, a sense of peace and comfort settling in my heart. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the sleeping bag in the exact position I’d curled into the night before. I looked around, confused, realizing I was alone. A bit of daylight streamed into the cave, signaling that morning had arrived.“Was it all just a dream?” I asked myself as I sat up. I rubbed my eyes a couple of times, recalling the feeling of being in Phantom Lord’s arms, telling him about my pain and anguish. Could it really have just been an illusion?That scent is amazing, my wolf said calmly inside me. How could a simple dream have eased our pain like this?“Scent?” I drew on Lisa’s energy, sharpening my sense of smell, which immediately brought my attention to my own body. I wasn’t just wrapped in a towel—there was also a soft, white cloak covering me. I pulled it to my nose and inhaled deeply. It was his scent. “It wasn’t a dream…”My heart started racing, and I found myself smiling genuinely
There was a lot of commotion and whispering in the hall. I didn’t hesitate to bolt out of there before that whole mess somehow blew back on me. I was afraid they might try to pin something on me—besides, I already had way too much on my plate. Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t want to take the risk. It felt like I’d become a magnet for trouble, like everything had collapsed on me all at once. I kicked off my sandals and gathered up the skirt of my dress. I felt like I needed to run until I felt safe.Lisa, answer me! I pleaded. She didn’t want to run with me, and I didn’t push her. I was too much of a coward to shift into my wolf form, knowing that all of Lisa’s feelings and pain would come crashing down on me the moment I did. I could barely handle my own pain—how was I supposed to carry hers, too?I abandoned my sandals the second I entered the forest. The emptiness in my heart felt like it was turning into a black hole, slowly eating me alive. I just wanted to get rid of all that neg
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 for
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