LOGINAfter realizing that her new stepbrother was her one-night stand 'fish boy', a fantastic idea pooped up Isis Cepheus's brain. "Let's strike a deal, Sam" she demanded with a forced smile. Samuel Armani looked at her with an angry gaze, "What deal?" "Let's fake a date. If my mom and your dad sees we're in love, they'll get divorced" She opined. Samuel Armani wasn't foolish as to accept such ridiculous idea from the girl that made him lost the only gift his girlfriend gave him and almost made betray her . But since fate brought them together to meet as siblings again, after their first time chaotic meeting, he had no choice than to agree. However, as much as he wanted to hold himself back from assuming it was fake dating, the more he was drawning into his 'stepsister's' charm. First they had to hug tightly to oppress rivals. Second they had to kiss lightly in front of the parent. But nothing seems to be working not until they....
View MoreKEYWORDS: ICE - SHORT FORM OF THE FL'S NAME (ISIS) EPC - SHORT FORM FOR EMBER PACK COLLEGE SPC - SILVERMOON PACK COLLEGE HAPPY READING ****
Isis jotted down each point as Hale explained with keen attention. After a while, Hale dropped the textbook, signaling the end of class.
“So good luck, pups, don’t forget to make the mass communication department proud.”
Students rose to their feet until the professor walked out and the class dissipated. Isis got out and breathed in fresh air. She reached into her backpack and fetched her phone.
Giggling happily, she dialed her mum’s line and it rang several times before the latter picked up. “Mum! I finally got selected for Professor Hale’s class!!” Isis yelled happily.
On the other side, the woman was moaning, barely hearing what her happy daughter was saying. Isis frowned, “Mum? Are you listening? I said I took Professor Hale’s class today, which means I can now……”
“Fuck it, baby. Faster!” Isis heard. She froze, and all the ecstasy died down immediately. “M… mum?”
“Da.. Darling, can you…. Oh fuck it. Can you call me back?”
Isis’ brain sparked with anger, “Mum, did you even remember it’s my college’s inter-school sports competition today?”
“Baby, I’ll call you back. Be good at school, and enjoy yourself…. Oh, Max, you’re biting my nipples… You…” The line went dead afterwards.
Isis stood in trepidation. Sweat broke from her forehead as she realized what her mum was busy with.
‘She’s fuckin, as usual,’ Her wolf said as sorrow coursed through Isis’s veins.
From behind her, Isis heard happy voices yell. “Hello, journalist Ice!”
Isis turned slowly and saw her friendship circle; Alice and Fatima were standing there.
‘They must not know anything about my mum,’ She thought as she plastered a fake smile. “Guys,” she greeted.
They marched toward her. Alice poked her nose, “Look at you smiling happily. You’re now an EPC journalist.”
Fatima howled happily and helped her with the tripod stand. “Is your mum coming? I’m dying to see if you really look like her.”
Alice laughed in agreement. But Isis stopped. “My… my mum is not coming,” She announced slowly. “She was busy at work. Her boss won’t let her come.”
Fatima and Alice stopped. “Oh. Sorry that I asked.”
“It’s okay. We can have dinner at your home after the events today, right, Ice?” Alice blinked.
Another bang of shock hit Isis’ chest. How will she take her friends home to see her mum, whose basic source of income was prostitution?
Isis put on another smile again. Anything to make them stop talking, she thought. “Of course. Let’s get today over with first.”
The girls marched toward the stadium. As they mingled with other friends, Isis’s mind was calculating what lie she would give them at the end of the day.
As a third-year mass communication student at Ember Pack College, Isis Cepheus wanted her mum to be present on her special day, which is her first day as a professional College Journalist.
In the past years, Isis was used to carrying cameras and tripod stands around, while the seniors did the filming and interviewing. It was every junior’s dream to feature as a professional journalist on an event like this and just this once… Isis wanted her mum to be there at least.
However, since her mum is not here, Isis promised to take good pictures to show her later as she marched to the swimming arena, where the main event of the day will be happening.
“Alright, babes. I’m going for basketball,” Fatima bid after Isis took her seat amongst other Journalists from her class and other schools.
Alice pulled Fatima’s arms. “Why basketball? We should at least help Ice take some pictures.”
“No, Allie. Have you forgotten I hate swimming? I just…”
“Alright, enough with the arguments,” Isis said. “I can take care of myself. See ya later.”
“Record the hot guys with the highest quality,” Alice teased before leaving with Fatima, finally leaving Isis alone.
The competition commenced shortly after. As she was setting up her camera, she sighed at the thought of him — Alpha Dalton, her boyfriend, as well as her source of joy.
She waved eagerly at Dalton, who looked incredibly hot and breathtaking in his swimming trunks as he went toward the starting platform.
The whole school was hailing him. He could barely see Isis amongst the crowd, but she stole more pictures of him.
Dalton Lillard was the school’s hottest guy and the swim team captain. But lucky her, Isis thought. “He’s mine.”
Isis was happy to be controlling the camera herself for the first time and temporarily forgot about her slutty mum. She took proper caution as she filmed; her performance here will determine if she will be moving to Hale’s class permanently or not.
The whole of EPC was screaming, “Alpha Dalton!!”
As she filmed, her mind flashed back to when she first got entangled with Alpha Dalton. It was during a competition like this that she had fallen into the swimming pool.
He saved her, and even though they’re not mates, some unseen connection seemed to help them, and soon, they started dating—but this fact was only known to their friends.
“…..and yes, Alpha Dalton from EPC swam 10 seconds ahead of Alpha Alaric from SPC!!” The announcer yelled over the megaphone, and the scoreboard results appeared immediately.
Isis waved to Dalton, who barely noticed her, and again happily went to the interview shed waiting to make him her first interviewee.
However, as Dalton, who was beaming with smiles, got to the interview shed, he spared Isis, who was EPC’s journalist, no glance, as if she was never there.
Isis was confused; panic rose to her tongue immediately. She remembered that she could only attend Hale’s class if her first outing went well.
She pressed again when the others seemed to have kept quiet, “How did you feel about winning this Swimming Championship medal for Ember Pack College?”
For the first time, Dalton looked at her and smiled simply but coldly, “I’m good, thanks.”
Isis was confused. She wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction from him, especially as this was her first time, but she pressed on; eventually, all her questions were left unanswered!
“Why did you ignore me out there, Dal? I told you last week that for joining Professor Hale’s class, I have to give him good reports, right?” Isis yelled at Dalton after successfully getting him out of his friend’s circle.
They were now at the baseball arena since swimming had ended.
Dalton ran his hand through his hair carelessly, “Can I tell you something honestly, Ice?”
She blinked. “What?”
He scoffed shortly. “Have I ever told you, you’re very annoying?”
“What?” The words surprised her; Isis’s jaw dropped. “Dal, why are you suddenly….”
“I said that something is not right when you never let me or your friends meet your mum!” Dalton cut into her words. “If Fatima hadn’t told me, then all this while, I wouldn’t have known I was dating a whore’s daughter!”
Isis staggered back momentarily. A shocking gasp escaped her lips. “F…. Fatima told you this?”
“Can you deny it?” He shot back and pushed her head with a finger. “Better stay as quiet as you are, slut’s daughter, or else if the whole EPC knows of this, you’re cooked.”
Isis couldn’t say anything more; she only stared as he turned to leave, but he stopped again and dropped the banger she had never seen coming. “Let’s break up, Ice.”
“Wait, what?”
Dalton turned and pushed her head again, “Can’t you understand anything? I say let’s break the fuck up! I’m the swim team captain, I can’t date a slut’s daughter.”
"But Dal, that's my mum. I can tell her to stop....."
Dalton stopped. "That's your mum? Ohh. Have you forgotten that you're a stealer? What's the assurance that you won't be worse than your mum?"
The words broke her as she fell to her butt. He also knew she was a stealer? Another secret that Isis was keeping was that she was a stealer—a breed of the werewolf tribe that can mate with more than one person.
Basically, the breed of wolves that sleeps around just like... just like her mum, Isis thought as slow tears of agony rained down her face.
“It’s really over,” she thought.
Thanksgiving that year was different.Max had a heart attack in early November. Not massive, the doctors said, but significant enough to require surgery and lifestyle changes."He's going to be fine," Nora told Riley over the phone, her voice shaking despite the reassuring words. "But it was scary. Really scary."Riley and Samuel visited him in the hospital the next day. Max looked older somehow, diminished in the hospital bed in a way he'd never looked before."I'm fine," Max said when he saw their worried faces. "Stop looking at me like I'm dying.""You had a heart attack," Samuel said. "We're allowed to be worried.""It was a minor heart attack. Barely worth mentioning.""The doctors disagree," Nora said firmly. "You're on bed rest for two weeks, then cardiac rehab, then significant diet and exercise changes.""I'm an Alpha. I don't need bed rest.""You're a sixty-two-year-old man who just had a heart attack. You need bed rest."Max grumbled but didn't argue further.The incident s
Winter came early that year, bringing snow in late October. Riley stood at her office window, watching the flakes fall, thinking about how much had changed in the eight years since she'd first met Samuel. Eight years since that pool deck, that terrified moment when her world had shifted. Now she was thirty-five, mother of two, Alpha's mate, successful author and media entrepreneur. A life she'd never imagined possible. "You're being contemplative again," Diana said from the doorway. "Just thinking about time. How fast it moves." "That's very philosophical for a Tuesday morning." Riley smiled. "I'm allowed to be philosophical occasionally." "Occasionally, sure. But you've been staring out that window for twenty minutes. Everything okay?" "Everything's fine. Just... reflective." Diana left her alone, and Riley returned to her thoughts. She'd been feeling it more lately. The passage of time. Selene was nine now, growing independent and opinionated. Isaac was three and
Tiara's funeral was held on a gray Saturday in late November. Riley and Samuel attended together, along with Max and Nora. They sat near the back of the small chapel, not wanting to intrude on the grief of Tiara's sister and the few friends who'd stayed in touch over the years. The service was simple and beautiful. Layla, Tiara's younger sister, spoke about the vibrant woman Tiara had been before the accident. About her dreams of becoming a veterinarian, her love of old movies, her terrible singing voice that she used anyway. "My sister lost seven years of her life," Layla said, her voice breaking. "But in the time she had after waking up, she lived fully. She moved to Oregon, went back to school, made new friends. She didn't let what happened to her define her final chapter." Riley found herself crying. For Tiara, for the life cut short, for all the what-ifs and might-have-beens. Samuel held her hand through the entire service. Afterward, Layla approached them as they wer
The scandal broke on a Tuesday morning in October. Riley was feeding Stella when her phone started exploding with notifications. Messages, emails, calls, all coming in simultaneously. She opened the first message from Diana. "Have you seen the headlines? Call me ASAP." Riley pulled up the news with one hand while Stella nursed. Her heart stopped. "ALPHA SAMUEL ARMANI ACCUSED OF FAVORITISM AND CORRUPTION" read the headline from a major pack news outlet. The article detailed allegations that Samuel had been awarding pack contracts to friends and family members, specifically mentioning Riley's foundation and Pack Truth as beneficiaries of preferential treatment. "What the hell?" Riley muttered. She kept reading. The accusations came from a former pack council member, Douglas Chen, who claimed Samuel had pressured him to approve funding for the Tiara Moore Foundation despite concerns about financial oversight. "This is ridiculous," Riley said to Stella, who continued nursing, un
# Chapter 75Riley's wolf didn't want to let go.Samuel's scent wrapped around her like a drug, pine and chlorine and something uniquely him that made every nerve in her body sing. Her claws dug into his shoulders, not hard enough to break skin through his shirt, but enough to anchor herself to him
Spring brought an unexpected letter.Riley was sorting through mail while Luna "helped" by opening junk catalogs and declaring everything "mine!" when she noticed an official-looking envelope with a university seal.Stanford University.She opened it, confused. She hadn't applied for anything at St
Winter came early that year, bringing snow in late October. Riley stood at her office window, watching the flakes fall, thinking about how much had changed in the eight years since she'd first met Samuel. Eight years since that pool deck, that terrified moment when her world had shifted. Now she
The phone call came at two in the morning on a Tuesday in January.Riley fumbled for her phone, heart already racing. Nothing good ever came from calls at 2 AM."Hello?""Riley, it's Sarah." Her friend's voice was shaking. "I'm at the hospital. Lysander was in a car accident."Riley sat up instantl












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