LOGIN❤️🩹DORIAN❤️🩹 I watched Violet as she talked about how Lily had always wanted to come to the park. She had been smiling for the past few minutes, and I found myself paying more attention to her than to anything she was saying. Her eyes followed Lily as the little girl ran across the grass, occasionally stopping to examine something before hurrying off again. Every time Lily moved too far away, Violet would call her name, and the little girl would turn around with an innocent smile that made Violet shake her head. "She's been asking me to bring her here for ages," Violet said. "Every time she sees pictures of this place, she starts talking about how much fun she'd have." "Then why didn't you bring her before?" Violet gave me a look. "Have you met my life, Dorian?" I laughed, lowering my head briefly. "Fair enough." "I kept telling her we'd come when I had time, but something always came up. There was always somewhere I needed to be or something I needed to take care of." She
💞LYDIA💞 I had a problem. His face was becoming a little too familiar to me, considering the fact that I didn't even know his name. I knew where he liked to spend his free time, the park he visited, and what he looked like when he was distracted by something on his phone. I knew the way he walked, the way he sometimes ran a hand through his hair, and how my heart behaved like an idiot whenever I caught sight of him. What I didn't know was how to approach him without embarrassing myself. It was ridiculous. I knew that. I could spend hours talking to Marisol and Violet without running out of things to say, but the moment I imagined standing in front of him, my mind went blank. It had started at that party. Alpha Xavier had booked five strippers for the occasion, and I had been one of them. I had gone there expecting the usual night of smiling when I didn't feel like smiling, tolerating men who thought money gave them permission to treat women however they wanted, and coll
༄MARISOL༄ The first thing I did after collecting my new bike was admire it. I stood beside it for a while, running my fingers over the handlebar and checking the body even though I had already inspected everything before completing the payment. The man at the shop had given me the keys, explained a few things about its maintenance, and wished me a safe ride. I barely heard the last part. My bike was finally mine. I had spent weeks saving for it, and now I could hardly believe I was standing there with the keys in my hand. I climbed onto the seat, adjusted the mirrors, and looked at myself in them. My short hair was a little messy, but I liked it that way. I liked everything about the woman looking back at me. There was no long hair falling down her back, no carefully arranged smile meant to reassure somebody else, and no need to ask anyone whether she approved of the choices I made. I glanced at the colon tattoo on my wrist. Two small dots. I smiled, lifted my wrist, and ki
🌸VIOLET🌸 The following morning, I went to the arena. Only four people from my original squad remained, while the new recruits were still taking their training lessons. Nobody questioned my absence or asked why I had been missing for days. It seemed to be one of the perks of being related to the Knights. Nobody wanted to risk annoying the Alpha's soon-to-be stepdaughter. I wasn't sure whether I should be grateful for that or annoyed. Dorian was busy training the new recruits, shouting instructions whenever someone got their stance wrong. He looked completely at home in the arena, moving between the recruits and correcting their positions while they struggled to keep up with him. My remaining squad members were exercising on the other side of the arena. Bryce was working on his punches while the others took turns lifting weights. I joined them without announcing myself, grateful that nobody asked questions I didn't feel like answering. I spent the next hour working out, pushing
🌸VIOLET🌸 The applause followed me all the way out of the hall. I could still hear the guests congratulating my mother and Marcus, their voices rising over one another as they celebrated the announcement. Someone laughed loudly, and another person called for more champagne. The music grew louder as the doors swung shut behind me, but even that couldn't drown out the words that had sent me running. Five weeks. I stopped in the corridor and pressed my fingers against my stomach. Five weeks until my mother married Marcus Knight. Five weeks until Xavier and I officially became family. My stomach twisted so violently that I had to close my eyes. I had expected the wedding to happen at least four months from now. Four months would have given me time to figure out what I was supposed to do with the feelings I had developed for Xavier. It would have given me time to distance myself from him, to stop thinking about the way he looked at me, and to convince myself that the kiss we shared
🌸VIOLET🌸 So Xavier actually cracked beneath that cold Alpha exterior, he wasn’t born with a heart made of stone? I wondered as I made my way to my room. He had reacted unexpectedly when I asked about his mother, and the look in his eyes before he stepped on the accelerator had stayed with me all the way to the mansion. Whatever had happened to her, it was clearly something he didn't want to discuss. But what had happened to her? I pushed the question aside as I entered my room and closed the door behind me. The gift bag Xavier had given me sat on my bed, waiting for me to see what he had bought. I pulled it closer and started taking everything out. A brand-new phone, a charger, lip gloss, and practically everything that had been inside my old bag before the rain ruined it. The only thing missing was the bag itself. I picked up the phone box. It had already been opened, so I lifted the phone out and pressed the power button. The screen lit up. I took one look at the wallpap







