THIRD PERSON’S POV“You brought us here?” Elder George inquired, regarding her with distaste.“Uh-huh,” Raina replied, nonchalantly, like she ruled the room. “As you are all aware of my opposition to getting a breeder for Valen…”“Don’t call my daughter that!” Connery scowled, like a beast poised to strike.“But that’s what she is,” Venus blurted with a shrug, steadying her eyes on him.“No. He’s right.” Raina corrected her, glancing at Venus with something snarky in her eyes. “I mean, after today, she won’t be.““What are you implying?” Connery asked, venom-laced, and his spine went stiff.Raina locked her eyes with his stare and stated firmly, “You’ve been speaking about Valen’s future without me and making decisions on his behalf. As his marked mate, and the one who speaks for both of us, I’m here to talk about a few things and set the record straight with Mercedes.”Livid, Connery glanced down at Alpha Vance, “Are you going to entertain this?”Vance angled his head to spare him a
THIRD PERSON’S POVVance pushed the large double doors of the conference room open. Of course, he’d be the last to arrive at the Council Building.Inside the brightly lit room, all the Elders sat around the long rectangular table, its white surface glaring under the fluorescent lights.Beyond the long rows of glass windows, delightful laughter echoed from the orphanage lawn across the street, where delightful children played in the sunlight, frolicking and blowing bubbles. But inside, mounting tension hung in the air as the chairs creaked under shifting weight, anxious glances darted at the Alpha, betraying their growing exasperation.“By all means, do take your time,” Elder Victor grumbled with ire in his tone.Vance glared at his father as he strode to a chair. “This is what happens when you call a meeting on the weekend. I do have things to do, you know. Now what’s the emergency?”“Why don’t you tell us? We’re here because you sanctioned us,” Elder George muttered, his voice edged
RAINA’S POVBefore the sun rose, I decided to run a few miles before hitting the gym later.When I got to the Training Center, I dropped my gym bag on a bench on the shaded patio and peeled my blouse off before heading into the yard to stretch.Knowing that the Elders didn’t work on the weekends sort of made this Saturday morning peaceful.As the sun gradually peeked up, its gentle rays started to spill over the hills that surrounded the building. I stopped stretching long enough to admire it. I could feel the mild heat that it offered, and I knew that there was more to come.Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, grounding myself. In that moment, I focused on the imagery of the light in the distance and the warmth against the chilly air.Never allow the cold darkness to convince you that the sun won’t rise. This shit will get better.It will.Jason had something important to do for me today. I was counting on him to come through. Until then, I had to wait, and it was frustrating.When I
THIRD PERSON’S POVRaina froze. Her eyes twitched, and her mouth dropped like Daffy Duck’s beak hitting the ground.“You’re what?!” With her blood hurtling against her eardrums, Raina crushed the paper as her hands coiled into fists. “Who?”“That conversation is not for you. Until my son wakes up and explains to me why you two should be together, I cannot and will not consider you his mate. Because mates who want to be together usually don’t try to kill each other,” Vance asserted with finality, using his alpha command. “This discussion is over.”“Ugh!” Raina groaned in frustration. She threw the crumpled paper on his desk and stormed out.-At the end of the day, Vance left his office wanting nothing and no one except his sweet Luna. He rubbed at the tension at the back of his neck as he approached his Bentayga in the parking lot and drove home.Raina was taken care of. He was glad that he wouldn’t be seeing her for a while. She better not try anything further.After a nice dinner, S
THIRD PERSON'S POVVance growled, fierce and visceral. “You don’t get to give up on him, not while he’s still breathing!”The Alpha's chest heaved, eyes blazing at Blayne, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.“Haah,” Duke sighed and tsked. “You had to do it.”“Are you preparing me for the worst? Who the hell do you think you are?” Vance raised slowly from his seat. His palms pressed hard on the desk as he tentatively leaned forward.The air around him thickened, charged with a fury they could feel in their bones.“That’s my son. My son. And as long as there's a damn pulse in his body, you will not talk about him like he’s...” Vance stopped himself and clenched his fists.There was a long, heavy silence.Vance stared at them for a long moment. The only sound was the harsh drag of the Alpha's uneven breathing.Blayne rubbed the back of his neck, his voice low and regretful. “You're right.” He tried to steer the conversation to safe territory. “I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, Alpha
THIRD PERSON’S POVUpon reaching the pack house the next morning, Vance parked his mahogany red Bentayga in the parking lot.When he got out of the vehicle, the first thing he saw was a large white cupid sign hanging over the entrance. The arrow was pulled back on the string with the tip pointing down at all who would enter.He climbed the steps very slowly, reading it:‘Everyone deserves a shot at love.’Perplexed, he furrowed his brows. What’s that about?He was not aware of any special events at the pack house. In fact, he had planned for a good, undisturbed day at the office. There was so much to do. Too many things lingered on his mind.He marched into the foyer, ignoring Matron Madeline as he passed her.She bowed quickly her gray head, whispering nervously, “Good morning.”Something felt…off.The air was too edgy.Continuing his wary gait, his stomach dropped the moment he reached the well-decorated lobby. His eyes twitched at the inflated confetti balls in all the corners.A l