Zoe's POVI sat in the car holding the first letter. I didn't know when I started crying but the tears just won't stop. I never knew how one could miss someone whom they did not even remember. But I missed my mother. I wished she was there. I wanted to hug her and tell her that even though I did not have memories of her, I loved her.Knowing a part of my mother's story made me feel a connection with her that I hadn't had in years. Aunt Julie had tried to take care of me to the best of her abilities but no one can replace a mother. I felt a pit in my stomach at the thought that Mom knew something was going to happen to her. That is why she wrote the letter. More importantly, she knew something could happen to Dad as well. I wracked my brain for any suppressed memory that I could think of about the way Mom died. But, I couldn't retrieve anything.How can someone erase a memory so important? 'Maybe it was too traumatic for you?' Dahlia offered softly."Maybe. But I would still like to
Narrator's POVDespite everything that Zoe made herself believe, she knew she didn't truly hate Xavier. And if the last few moments were any indication, she liked him more than she would admit.Having no answer for him and being stubborn anyway, she decided to act indignant, "It's none of your business," She said, and before he had a chance to joke or try flirting with her again, she got out of her car and got to her room.Xavier was worried about her but knew that following her would not do any good. He had already crossed a boundary that Zoe had set for them lately and she had given him enough to let him know that if he stayed persistent, she would forgive him.Instead, he waited for the dinner to be delivered and took that to her room.Zoe opened the door after two knocks and tilted her head, "How hard is it to take the hint that I want to be alone right now?""Not hard, but you don't have to be hungry and alone. I brought dinner." He held up the steaming package giving the most inn
I sat there, holding the second letter in my hands. Longer than I had with the first.I wondered how much I had lost by erasing everything with my mother from my memories. I wanted to remember every single thing."Dahlia," I asked, my voice shaky. "Why didn’t it work last night? Why couldn’t you find anything?"‘Do you want the soft answer, or the raw truth?’ Dahlia’s voice was unusually soft, and it made my stomach twist.I clenched my fists. "I want the raw truth. What’s going on?"‘There’s nothing wrong, really. But…’ Dahlia hesitated."Just say it. What’s the problem?" I snapped, trying to hold it together.‘You’ve built a barrier between your subconscious and those memories. They aren’t gone. They’re just locked away.’"So they’re still there?" I asked, desperate to find something positive.‘Yes, but I can’t just force my way through. Not without your help,’ Dahlia added.I sat there, silent. I wanted those memories, but if Dahlia couldn’t reach them, how was I supposed to? I did
I felt myself starting to break. Before I could fall apart, Xavier pulled me into his arms.I let go in his hold. I needed this, wanted this, ever since my father died. I had been angry with him, but I couldn’t deny how much I craved his touch.In that moment, I stopped blaming him. I let myself cry on his chest, his arms wrapped around me as I let all my frustration out.I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. I didn’t realize how much I needed this until I was in his arms. His scent wrapped around me like a safe cocoon. It was something I had been missing, even before my father passed away."I’m so tired," I muttered through my sobs. I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. My mom, even after death, had given me a task that felt too much."I’m here. Let it out," Xavier said quietly, holding me close and stroking my hair.We stayed like that for what felt like forever. We didn’t speak. It felt like we had been apart for so long, and now we were right where we belonged. Fi
We spent the whole day driving. The road stretched on endlessly, and we only stopped for dinner when it was too late to keep going. Both of us were supernatural, but we could still get tired.Xavier pulled into a small diner and gently woke me up. I'd dozed off most of the way. We freshened up, had a quiet dinner, and then decided to take a walk.By now, I was wide awake. My mind was racing, too much was going on in there. Xavier knew I usually cleared my head by running in the woods, but this tiny town didn’t have the same effect. Still, anything was better than staying in bed alone all night.We walked in silence for a while until we came to a closed amusement park."I remember going to amusement parks at Silver Moon with my dad and Aunt Julie," I said, stopping in front of the locked gates.Xavier paused beside me. "I never got to go to any parks.""Never?" I asked, surprised. You’d think someone from an Alpha bloodline would have everything they wanted, but I guess I was wrong.Xa
"I remember stargazing with my mother," Xavier’s voice was soft, careful not to break the delicate moment we had stolen from the mess of our life."You remember your mother? Lucky you," I replied."She was kind. Kinder than most people I've met. She was like that cool breeze on a hot summer day that makes you feel like everything would be okay," Xavier reminisced.He hadn’t talked about her in a long time, but being up here, so high above the rest of the world, he felt like he could tell me anything and be understood. He had a lot to say that he had been keeping inside for too long."You miss her," I added."Since her death, Father became a much harsher man. Once the only source of empathy and kindness was gone from my life, he made sure I never talked about her. Even to myself," Xavier confessed, his gaze still fixed on the sky.Without thinking, my hand found Xavier’s. In that moment, it felt right.He looked at me, surprised at the initiative I had taken. I looked at his eyes, "You
The next morning, I felt rejuvenated. My problems were still there, but something had changed. It was unexpected, but it felt welcome.Xavier woke up with a smile on his face for the first time in a long while. Most of his problems were still there, but there was one issue that had been weighing on his heart the most, and it was resolved last night. He understood that we still had a long way to go, and things might take a while before going the way he wanted them to, but he was glad for the great start.We had a light breakfast, and I took the steering wheel, deciding not to comment on his driving the previous day or what had happened between us the night before.Halfway through, I turned on the radio, surprising Xavier even more. By the time we crossed the Silver Moon border, Xavier and I were singing along to the songs, like we were returning from the best trip of our lives. Werewolves need a special kind of alcohol to get drunk because of their higher metabolism, but neither of us
[This chapter contains mentions of gore, torture, and loss of body parts. Reader discretion is advised.]I didn’t know what to believe anymore. Was Aunt Julie really dead? Was it really John standing in front of me, claiming to have killed her? I had so many questions. How was he even here? Why wasn’t he paying for his crimes in some dark dungeon?Xavier was ready to pounce on John at any moment. “Give me one good reason not to tear you to shreds right here, right now!”Anyone looking at Xavier would have fainted in fear. But John just stood there, head held high, hands in his pockets, acting like he wasn’t facing an Alpha with a wolf twice his size.“How about I give you three?” John smirked, lazily leaning against the kitchen island. “First, if you kill me now, you’ll be declared a murderer and wanted for werewolfcide on foreign territory by none other than your own father. Papa Shaw is very upset, Xavier.”Xavier knew better than anyone what a cruel man his father was, but was he r
Zoe's POVI sighed and sat down on the bench beside her. I went there for a reason, I was going to see it through."You say that when you know that not only we weren't aware of the Blood Contract, we were a little busy not knowing you even existed. Excuse us for wanting to accept our fated mates and
Zoe's POVI was braiding the hair on the edge of my shaved scalp when Olivia rang the intercom. Xavier walked out of the wardrobe with a spring in his step and let Olivia in, who rolled in a trolley of steaming breakfast.It was Xavier's idea to have breakfast in the bedroom. He said he wanted to sp
Zoe's POVWhen I woke up next, my head felt like I had been hit by a truck. Xavier's arm rested on my belly as he lay deeply asleep beside me. It was strange to wake up to him after spending weeks of him coming and going while I slept. I took the time to cherish his touch and light breath. He looke
Zoe's POVMy head was pounding. It was like someone had cracked open my skull and was performing brain surgery without anesthesia. It was torture. I wanted to yell,' Stop it,' and I think I said something, but different words were coming out.I tried to yell. I knew Xavier was holding me, but every
Xavier's POVMy head was fuzzy. I was trying so hard to focus on the conversations around me. It was like I had been underwater and just resurfaced. The light, the sounds, the colors, everything felt weird. I blinked as I tried to focus on the fork in my hand. I whispered to Zoe, "Please get ready
Zoe's POVThat night, I stayed up and waited for Xavier. He took his time coming to the bedroom. He must've thought that I was asleep, and that's exactly what I pretended. But, I had a theory and I was about to test it out.I stayed still, kept my heartbeat calm, and eyes closed. Until Xavier went t
Zoe's POVWhen Xavier and I walked in hand in hand, every jaw in the dining hall dropped, but no one was as shocked as Blondie, who entered after us. She must've been waiting for him when he was walking me to the dining hall. She swallowed her shock and forced herself to sit on the opposite end of t
Zoe's POVFinding friendship with Alyssa was one of the strangest things that happened to me that week. Since then, I saw less and less of Xavier. He came to the room when I was already asleep and often left before I had woken up. We missed that one meal we used to share before the coronation.He sp
Zoe's POVThe conversation with Xavier was the hardest I've ever had with anyone. He was acting like I was just another wolf in his pack that he was responsible for. The only emotion I got from him was regarding the baby but even that was fleeting. I was so bewildered that I ended up asking, "Are y