~Liam~Sleep eluded me the entire night. My mind was consumed by nightmares, haunted by the terrifying possibilities of what might have befallen Sophia. Restlessness permeated the air, not just within me, but also evident in Alex. Eventually, I sat up in bed and gazed out at the moon through my window. Its radiant glow captivated me, and in my desperation, I found myself wondering if it held some wisdom. Could the moon speak to me? Could it somehow reveal the whereabouts of Sophia? Perhaps its luminous beams had touched her in some way tonight. I entertained these thoughts, hoping for a sign or inspiration on where to search and whom to reach out to. But deep down, I knew it was mere wishful thinking.The reality was that as each day passed, the chances of finding Sophia diminished. We were now entering the third day, and the weight of that grim possibility pressed heavily upon me. Dread filled my thoughts, refusing to be averted, as I confronted the unsettling notion that time was sl
~Liam~The weekend arrived, and as my father had promised, we set off for Lucland. Everyone else went to the city, except for our grandparents who chose to stay at the estate. We didn't go to our mansion because it wouldn't accommodate all of us. Instead, we went to the Stepanov estate, where Lord Newton and his wife were present, making it a suitable alternative.I found it difficult to concentrate. My desperate desire was to go East and implore Uncle Leo for his assistance. Since I hadn't received any further communication from Sophia, I could only hope that she was safe.In order not to dampen the mood, I made it my duty to conceal my feelings and fears throughout the weekend.Harper could see through my pretence, but she allowed me to keep up the charade. Meanwhile, Charlotte, Gemma, and Jewels were preoccupied with plotting ways to sneak off and explore the Islands when we reached Mountain. The triplets were daring and persistent, and I was grateful that they were taking on those
~Liam~The flight to Mountain proved to be uneventful, with our family occupying a private aircraft for the journey. True to form, Uncle Leo awaited our arrival at the airport, ready with five vans and security personnel to transport us to our destination.I eagerly anticipated reuniting with Noah and Sebastien. It had been months since we last saw each other, back when we gathered at Lord Alexei's residence in Gad. If there was anyone capable of helping us navigate through Mountain, it was those two, especially Noah, whom we affectionately referred to as the "accidental Alpha."Noah's unexpected alpha wolf came as a surprise since his mother was a Stepanov pure breed, and we didn't anticipate him inheriting alpha genes because of it. But to our astonishment, Noah wasn’t only an Alpha but also embodied the full traits and abilities of the Stepanov lineage.Sebastien also had the Stepanov abilities without their physical features. Their younger brother Ethan, on the other hand, stood a
~Liam~As I stared down at my plate, I made an effort to soothe Alex's agitation. Falling sick was a rare occurrence for me, so I doubted if that was the cause of my unease. I glanced over at Justin, who seemed engrossed in conversation with his wolf. Much to my dismay, Josephine occupied the seat across from me next to Justin. Without hesitation, Elaine settled beside Oliver, and their mutual gaze revealed a connection between them.I could only hope that when the ladies reached the age of eighteen, they wouldn't face heartbreak upon realising they were not destined for one another but rather for someone else entirely.Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard Josephine calling my name. I looked at her, my mouth dry and my heart racing. I couldn't comprehend why Alex was behaving this way. Clenching my napkin tightly on the table, I fought against an overwhelming wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. Only I understood the intensity of what I was feeling in that moment."Congr
~Josephine~I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about going to Mountain at first, until my father informed us that one of us would be assisting Justin in investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding Mike Maguire. I had briefly met the man during a visit to Lady Stephanie and her husband in Grizlo, but I hadn't paid much attention to him. Apart from his daughter's close relationship with Liam, he was just an ordinary person to me. However, upon discovering that he had committed familicide and disappeared, I wouldn't be honest if I said I wasn't intrigued.A few months had passed since our graduation, and we hadn't encountered any significant challenges. I was certain that this opportunity would be enjoyable. Moreover, I eagerly anticipated working alongside Justin on this case. He was a fun and cool person to be around. Unlike others, he didn't become uncomfortable in my presence, which made our interactions much smoother. He displayed a protective nature, akin to that of a br
~Liam~ I had never been so uncomfortable in my life. Normally, I should have been overjoyed that we were finally going to investigate the matter, and I should have been grateful for Uncle Leo's determination to explore the islands in the east. However, an unsettling thought lingered in my mind—I would be spending more time with Josephine than I had expected. Being away from her would certainly make dealing with the bond a lot easier. I couldn't trust myself to behave appropriately with her close by. As our parents assigned roles for the investigation, I stood there silently, unable to voice my concerns. I knew I should simply be thankful because they were all going above and beyond for my sake. When my father dismissed the rest of us and asked Justin to stay, I wanted to remain too, but it seemed I wasn't meant to be privy to their private conversation. Justin, being the oldest, would be responsible for all of us, and I assumed there would be additional instructions that we wouldn't
~Liam~As the time approached for our picnic on the mountain, Miles and Marvin had already gone ahead to help Noah and Sebastien with the preparations, leaving Oliver and me in our room. We were planning to catch up with them soon. I watched as Oliver meticulously tried on three different shirts, putting in a lot of effort to look good for Elaine. His fashion dilemma amused me, and he joined in on the laughter when he noticed me chuckling.Out of the blue, Oliver asked, "What's going on between you and Josephine? Did you guys have some kind of disagreement?" I was taken aback by the question."Not really; why do you ask?" I responded, trying to hide any unease in my tone."I've noticed that she usually keeps her distance now. She used to be friendly—giving a little hi or hello and laughing at our jokes. However, she's been rather cold this week," Oliver explained, expressing his observations.I couldn't hide the truth and told him, "She mentioned that we made fun of her two years ago
~Liam~Josephine appeared mildly taken aback by my gesture, and I could empathise with her reaction. Going from a nervous and somewhat distant demeanour to intertwining our fingers was a stark contrast. Even I would have questioned my own behaviour. However, I wanted her to understand that I was perfectly fine, just trying to sort out my thoughts.Gracefully, she withdrew her hand from mine, which brought a small chuckle to Alex. The way she did it was rather endearing, and it brought a smile to my face. Looking ahead, I noticed that Elaine and Oliver were giving me curious looks, as if sensing something was amiss.Oliver couldn't resist asking, "What's going on between you and Joe?" I was at a loss for words, unsure of how to explain the situation to him."Why do you want to know?" I replied, and he averted his gaze. Glancing over to where the triplets were seated, I caught Jewels smiling at me, as though she had some insight. I hoped she hadn't figured anything out, as she was the l