~Maverick~The car door slammed shut with more force than necessary as I gripped the steering wheel, cursing under my breath.“Damn it.”The morning had already started terribly, and it was only getting worse.Kazeem had woken me up at the crack of dawn with a call about the board meeting. I had barely processed his words before Isabella cornered me in the hallway, nagging about it too. I should change the keys, she couldn’t keep barging into my house without my consent and walking as if she owned the place.“You knew about this, didn’t you? You knew Jasmine would leave you just like she had left Logan after sucking his resources dry ” she had accused, arms crossed, and her tone sharp.I had barely spared her a glance as I buttoned my shirt, because the moment I give her even an ounce of attention, I would lose it completely. “I have more important things to deal with, Isabella.”She sco
~Jasmine~Across the room, Mav was staring at me, his dark eyes burning into mine. The air seemed to shift between us, thick with unspoken words, memories neither of us dared to acknowledge.He looked… tired. More than tired. Shadows clung beneath his eyes, and a rugged edge now sharpened his normally composed features. There was something different in the way he held himself, the usual weight of leadership on his shoulders now suffocating, pressing him down. And yet, even as exhaustion dulled his expression, his intensity remained—his entire focus locked on me.A strange feeling curled in my stomach. I forced myself to look away, but it was harder than I expected. My wolf stirred, reacting to his presence as if drawn to him despite everything. I hated that instinct, hated how even after everything, my body still recognized him.Beside me, Zephyr leaned in and muttered under his breath, “Is it just me, or does he look like he hasn&rsquo
~Jasmine~A very sharp, insistent beeping yanked me out of sleep. Groaning, I rolled over, pulling the covers over my head. The last thing I wanted was to face the day or even open my eyes. I just wanted to pause the entire world momentarily.But before I could sink back into the comfort of sleep, the bedroom door burst open.“Jas! Get up!” Rose’s voice rang through the room, accompanied by the relentless shaking of my shoulder.“Five more minutes,” I muttered, burying my face into my pillow.“You don’t have five minutes,” she huffed. “Check your phone.”My phone? I forced my eyes open and reached for it blindly. The moment my vision cleared, my stomach dropped. A message from the council.Board meeting today. All Alphas and high-ranking members required.I sat up so fast my head spun. “Shit.”“Yeah, shit,” Rose said, crossing her arms. &
~Alpha Maverick~The morning light streamed through the curtains, causing me to squint my eyes. Sleep had been restless, riddled with fragmented thoughts that refused to settle.All night, I had been haunted.By the wails of a child, and the eyes of Jasmine. The cries were different. This one was raw, desperate.Then suddenly, everything went dead silent.The shift from chaos to nothingness had jolted me awake more than once, leaving me with a strange, unsettled feeling in my chest.Damn it.Before I could reach for my phone, it buzzed on the nightstand.Kazeem.I grabbed it and answered. “What is it?”“You need to see this,” Kazeem said, his voice unusually serious. “I just sent it to your email.”I frowned. “What am I looking at?”Kazeem sighed. “A contract. And receipts tied to your father. Specifically, debts paid off to Nazy.”I
~Jasmine~“Stop beating yourself over it Jasmine. You are great.”The ride back home was quiet, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the tense space between us. Alpha Zephyr didn’t say much, nor did I. I was too lost in my own thoughts, still shaken by the realization of what I had almost done. It felt like I had just escaped a nightmare.The moment we arrived at Rose’s apartment, I climbed out of the car and rushed inside, barely waiting for Alpha Zephyr to leave. My heart was hammering against my ribs, emotions piling up like an avalanche, threatening to consume me.Rose was already waiting in the living room, standing near the couch with worry etched into her features. The second she saw me, her expression softened, and without hesitation, I threw myself into her arms.“I couldn’t do it,” I whispered, gripping her tightly. “I couldn’t go through with it.” The idea of erasing thi
~Maverick~“What do you want Isabella?” I snapped, barely sparing her a glance as I walked my way slowly toward her. My patience was razor-thin, my mind still tangled in the mess I had left behind.Isabella stood in the middle of my living room, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable. But I knew better, whenever she had that look, it meant there was trouble.She stepped forward, and placed a stack of documents on the table in front of me. “Really Mav?”Frowning, my gaze followed her actions, as if reading my expression, she spoke. “A query report,” she said coldly. “The elders are complaining.”I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. “Of course, they are.”Her eyes narrowed at me. “This isn’t something you can brush off easily, Mav. The pack is in chaos. They’re looking for leadership and not silence.”My pack was falling apart. Busi
~Maverick~"Find her! Get back!" my wolf snarled, and I heard it, a faint heartbeat. I couldn't understand why my wolf was acting this way. “Mate.”I clenched my jaw, forcing my hands to steady on the steering wheels and suppress the desire to turn right back and run into Jass’s arms, but the feeling only grew stronger, a pull so intense it was damn near unbearable. Jasmine had run from me, again. And this time, I felt the loss like a wound, a sharp tear straight through my chest.Why?Why the hell did she always do this?I slammed my foot on the brakes and pulled over, my tires screeching against the asphalt. Frustration burned through me, hot and suffocating. I slammed my fist against the steering wheel once, twice, until my knuckles ached.This is driving me insane.My breath came out in sharp, uneven bursts.This wasn’t normal. The bond, the pull, I had felt it before, but never like this. Never so r
~Jasmine~I inhaled a deep breath, now feeling like I could finally blurt out what had been pressing heavily on me. I stared at the water colliding before me, the waves crashing violently against the shore, mirroring the chaos inside me.I’m pregnant.”Silence.Alpha Zeph stood there, his entire body tensing as though the words had physically struck him. His eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might shatter.For the first time since I had known him, he looked speechless.I braced herself for whatever was coming next—anger, disappointment... But all he did was stare at me.And then, finally, he spoke.“What do you want?” His voice was steady, and unreadable.I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into my palms. I decided to lower my guards down, to let someone in, “honestly, I don’t know.”Alpha Zeph’s expression didn’t change.
~Jasmine~“Gosh, my head hurts.” I groaned, rubbing hard against my temples. I barely got a wink of sleep.The night had been endless, my mind spinning like a broken record, replaying everything over and over. No matter how many times I closed my eyes, sleep wouldn’t come. My body was exhausted, but my thoughts wouldn’t quit roaming. Every time I started drifting off, doubt crept in like a shadow, whispering what-ifs in my ear.By morning, I felt like I had been in a fight with myself. My heart ached, my limbs were sluggish, and my emotions were stretched thin. But one thing remained clear, I had made up my mind. And no one, not even Rose, was going to stop me.I sat up, rubbing my face. The apartment was quiet except for the occasional clinking of dishes from the kitchen. I knew who it was before I even stepped out of the bed.With a sigh, I threw on a hoodie and padded toward the kitchen. Rose stood by the stove, making co