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Chapter Nineteen
Sebastian's POV
Sebastian wasn't quite sure what was happening. He had mentally prepared himself to be a stalworth shield for Giavanna against his father's less than modern opinions all through dinner, ready to deflect a snide comment or mocking gesture at a moment's notice. The current turn of events just solidified how much he had to learn about his mate.Jared and Grant had greeted Giavanna warmly when they entered the dining area, with smiles and tight hugs before his mother took Giavanna by the elbow to introduce her to his father.
"Orion, darling, allow me to introduce Giavanna Sperino of the Oak Valley pack," Calista explained as their guest bowed her head in reverence. "Giavanna, this is my husband, Alpha Orion."
Her eyes lowered and neck exposed, Giavanna greeted the leader formally. "Alpha Orion of the Blood Lake pack, I thank you for your permission to enter your lands. I agree to conduct myself in a manner that is worthy of this priv
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Giavanna POV Giavanna groaned, the firm knocking on the door to her suite waking her from a deep sleep. Grabbing onto a bedpost, she pulled herself up and trudged to the hallway door. Turning in early last night was a good idea in theory until she had crawled under the covers and tried to sleep. Then all the events from the day flooded her mind and kept her up until the wee hours of the morning. Yawning, she opened the door to find Sebastian dressed in black jeans and a black fishermen's sweater, his face lighting up as she squinted up at him groggily. "Good morning," he greeted happily. "May I come in?" Seeing him put together and functioning made Giavanna remember that she had bedhead, puffy eyes, and rank morning breath. Thanks to her lack of sleep, she cared even less than usual about her appearance and blinked at him blearily before responding. "Mmmmm hmmm," she grunted, stepping aside to allow him entry. Sebastian closed the
Of Love and Lies Chapter Twenty One
Sebastian's POV "What are you two doing here?" Sebastian hissed angrily, his scowl deepening as he looked from Jared to Grant. The brothers had been milling around outside Giavanna's suite when the kitchen staff had arrived with food, and she had insisted the pair join them for breakfast. Sebastian had pretended to welcome their presence until Giavanna had slipped away to get dressed for the day. "Whoa, Seb. You need to dial that attitude back," Jared said calmly, holding his hands up in a placating manner. "Something bad happen between you two?" "Sorry," Sebastian groaned. He roughly ran his fingers through his hair and sank back into the sofa cushions. "Things were going really well with Giavanna this morning, and breakfast interrupted us." "Ha! No wonder you're so crabby." Grant leaned forward in his chair to whisper. "The new potion holding up for you?" A soft smile played over Sebastian's lips as he g
Of Love and Lies Chapter Twenty Two
"Darling, that is quite a lot of worry you've been carrying around, and then to pile on your distrust of the Leadership Council. Well, that's a very heavy load to bear," Luna Calista consoled, concern etched on her face. Giavanna and Luna Calista had sequestered themselves up in the restricted access library with Sebastian loitering in the hallway, nervously pacing. Giavanna had told the Luna everything, from the events of the Mateship Ball until that morning's conversation regarding the Leadership Council. It had felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her chest with every sentence spoken. "You said to come to you if I had any concerns. My original intent was to just speak about the Leadership Council, and then everything else came pouring out," Giavanna sighed, looking at the wooden tabletop between them. "Something in my bones tells me I can fully trust you." "You can, Giavanna. I swear on the Moon Goddess you can trust me, but I need you to kn
Of Love and Lies Chapter One
The second she heard her mother bellow out, "Giavanna Rosalie Sperino, get your ass down here this instant!" she knew her outfit for the Mateship Ball had been delivered. Grinning to herself, Giavanna threw her bedroom door open and clambered down the stairs, nearly slamming into her sisters at the bottom of the steps.Anita Sperino smiled at her youngest daughter and ushered her older children aside so she could hand a heavy-duty black garment bag to Giavanna. Mia and Aria looked on eagerly, emitting high-pitched squeals of excitement as their little sister took the bag and hugged it to her chest."What's with all this noise?" a gruff voice called from the kitchen, followed by the scrape of chair legs moving across linoleum tiles. A beast of a man appeared in the doorway, frowning as he tugged the end of his chest-length salt and pepper be
Of Love and Lies Chapter Two
"I'm a smoke show every damn day, but tonight I'm finally gonna have major competition!" Elsbeth Lange squealed as she gave her best friend a tight hug, careful not to wrinkle either of their outfits."Stop it," Giavanna laughed, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to stop grateful tears from trickling out her eyes. "You are a miracle worker.""Pfffffft! Please. You gotta have good raw material to pull this off. Unmated folks are going to literally ask you to step on them," Elsbeth stated as she turned Giavanna towards the floor-length mirror.Giavanna knew she was far from ugly, but she had never really paid attention to her appearance. Functionality was much more important to her than fashion trends once she turned 14 and began her training for the Alpha Royal Guard program. Her wardrobe mainly consisted of leggings, fitted t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts with the occasional pair of sweatpants thrown in during winter. Twin french braids efficient
Of Love and Lies Chapter Three
Sitting at a table in the far back corner of the ballroom, Giavanna couldn't help the smile that brightened her face as she looked around the room. Several of her friends had met their mates this evening and seemed so besotted with their new partners that Giavanna couldn't help but be happy for them. She'd enjoyed many dances with men from different packs and even did a few turns around the room with friends, though the attention from the males had become stifling, leading her to seek out the quiet.Elsbeth was busy dancing with a tall man who had muscles so large he must have needed his navy blue suit jacket custom made. One minute Elsbeth had been headed to the bathroom, and the next Giavanna had found her giggling in a corner with Dwayne. Giavanna considered signaling to her friend that she was going to take a walk through the gardens, but she knew she'd never be able to tear Elsbeth eyes away from Dwayne's face. Chuckling, Giavanna walked towards the french doors at
Of Love and Lies Chapter Four
"If she doesn't wake up soon, I think we should call her parents," Elsbeth said softly, kneeling in the grass next to Giavanna's body. She reached out to tuck the suit jacket one of the men had laid over her best friend tighter and looked at the small circle of people surrounding them questioningly. One moment she had been making out with her mate in a dark corner; the next, Grant was dragging her and Dwayne through the back garden, babbling about some argument and Giavanna passing out. "How did this start again?" "Beta Jared here thought we were laughing at him and started calling her slut and several other insulting terms," Grant explained, pointing his thumb at his brother. "They ended up fighting, and when Sebastian distrupted them, Giavanna collapsed."Elsbeth's eyes widened in shock, her mind processing the fact that her friend had attacked the Blood Lake Beta. He could have Giavanna banished from their pack, declare a fight to the death, imprisoned - the only t
Of Love and Lies Chapter Five
Giavanna leaned back, sinking her hands into the warm sand lining the edges of the lake that lay before her. She had made the short hike through the woods that butted against her family's backyard and was happy to find the beach deserted. With the cool breeze whipping across the water and flurry of mateship move preparations throughout the pack, she shouldn't have been surprised. She needed this time to herself to untangle all the thoughts and worries that were rattling around her brain. It had been five days since the evening of the ball; five days since she had stayed up all night with Sebastian, flirting and laughing over donuts and coffee at a 24-hour diner. Five days since she met the love of her life. Supposedly. Her mind was in a constant battle with itself, swinging from lust, guilt, contentment, and anger in an endless loop. Giavanna thought she knew what to expect with the soulmate bond. A longing to be near your partner, feeling as if a part of yourself was missin
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- Of Love and Lies Chapter Twenty Two
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Twenty One
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Twenty
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Nineteen
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Eighteen
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Seventeen
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Sixteen
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Fifteen
- Of Love and Lies Chapter Fourteen
