ログインIsabella POVJust like last Saturday night, I threw myself into helping around the Alpha House while Alpha Cameron and his family gathered for their family dinner, except that tonight, I steered clear of the dining area.Keeping busy was easier than sitting alone, wondering why my mate could flirt with me one minute and pretend nothing existed the next. Wesley had arrived earlier and gone straight to Grandma Cassidy, and after catching a glimpse of him, I'd made sure to stay as far away from them as possible.The backyard was busy enough. The grills were going, smoke drifted through the evening air, and the cooks still had meat roasting while they prepared a smaller batch for themselves after dinner."I've got it," I said, taking a stack of serving trays from one of the maids before she could carry them herself. I set the trays beside the washing station before counting what was left to clear.She smiled, letting me have them. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think Luna Lisa hi
Wesley POV The weekend usually followed the same routine. One of the two nights was always reserved for dinner at my parents' house, and no matter how busy life became, everyone somehow found their way back here.Even Charlie had made it, despite carrying the responsibilities of an Alpha while trying to oversee the construction of new oil rigs.Being my uncle despite being a year younger had inflated his ego, and the idiot never let me forget it, insisting I address him with the respect an uncle was owed. It had become our tradition over the years. He'd pull the "I'm your uncle" card whenever it suited him, I'd remind him I was older, and we'd spend the next few minutes roasting each other while everyone else laughed like they hadn't heard the same argument a hundred times before.From the corridor, I watched the dining room gradually fill.Mom moved around the table, making sure every glass was filled and every dish was exactly where she wanted it. Tonight wasn't just family anymore
Isabella POVGrandma Cassidy disappeared down the hallway that led to her bedroom, and it felt as though the air had been sucked out of the kitchen.I didn't turn around, because I knew Wesley was still there.The bottle of mango juice touched the counter with a quiet tap."So," he said after a moment, his voice carrying that same lazy amusement from earlier, "you don't do women?"I frowned and looked over my shoulder."What?"The corner of his mouth lifted. "Anita is a catch, you know. If you swing both ways, I don't see how this is a crime."My heart thrashed wildly inside me. There were so many emotions I wanted to let out, but the strongest one was the urge to scream at him and ask why he was so bent on torturing me. Instead, all I could manage was a dry laugh, if that even qualified as a laugh. It was more like a subdued way of bursting into tears."Last time I checked, I'm as straight as a ruler."He chuckled. I hated the sound because it settled somewhere under my skin, and the
Isabella's POV“Ah, there you are," Grandma Cassidy said, smiling.I had already taken half a step back, hoping I could leave as quietly as I'd come in, but it was too late as Wesley looked up, and our eyes met.The bond hit me so hard my breath caught. It crashed into me like a breeze. Every instinct inside me screamed to close the distance between us and breathe him in until the ache eased.Instead, I looked away."You're later than usual," Grandma Cassidy said, completely unaware of the battle unfolding inside me. "Not that I had anything to worry about. Maverick had already found company. He spent almost the whole afternoon playing with one of the workers' little girls. That woman has another baby every time I turn around."I forced a smile."I stopped by the staff lodge for a while. I apologize for coming in late," I said, waiting for her to hand me the key to my room, which had been given to her in case she needed something for Maverick."What are you apologizing for?" she said
Isabella POVI was packing my sketchbook and everything I'd need to work from home over the weekend when Iris leaned against my desk."You should come with me to the staff lodge," she said. "Most of us who live there usually hang out in the courtyard on Fridays after work. Even people who don't live there stop by sometimes."I wasn't ashamed of Maverick. If someone asked whether I had a child, I'd tell them. I just didn't see the need to bring it up when I wasn't looking for friendships that extended beyond the office. I'd come here to work. That was all. Especially now that Barbara had made it clear she could walk into my room whenever she pleased."I'll pass," I said, zipping up my bag. "Maybe next time.""Oh, come on." Iris folded her arms. "You can't keep disappearing the second work ends. People will think you're stuck-up.""I'm not stuck-up.""Then why do you run home every day?"I smiled without answering.How could I explain that some people could afford to treat work like wor
Wesley POVI stared at the opposite wall and my teeth chattered as Grandma Cassidy swabbed cold antiseptic across my lower back.Another treatment.Another reminder that something inside me was broken.Three women from the chapter house stood around the room. Joanna, their leader, held a syringe up to the light, turning it slightly as she checked the contents. Beside the bed sat the same leather strap Dad insisted on bringing every fortnight. On the metal trolley rested a basin, gauze, sealed vials, and neatly arranged instruments.I tried to slow my breathing, but every visit ended the same way. My body knew what was coming long before she touched me.Dad moved to my right shoulder. Uncle Franklin took hold of my legs. Mom stood close enough to wipe my face the moment it began.Grandma Cassidy remained beside Joanna, quietly preparing the next vial while Anita and Aunt Nadia waited near the wall.Emma wasn't here.She hadn't been able to make herself come back after the first time. S
LisaCameron walked in, and my thoughts scattered so hard I couldn’t even remember why I was standing there. He didn’t belong in this room with fluorescent lights and plastic chairs; he looked like something I had imagined too many nights in a row. I didn’t know where to put my eyes or what to do w
CameronI avoided Evangeline for the rest of the evening, not out of pettiness, but because I dreaded saying something that would make things worse.I shut myself in the study and opened my laptop, stacking files across the desk so I had something to focus on. My coffee had gone cold beside the key
CameronThe papers on my desk stopped looking like words; they were blocks of ink and signatures that still needed to exist by morning. My coffee sat untouched beside the files, a thin skin forming on top. Ink stained the side of my finger where the pen kept slipping.Franklin yawned and dragged hi
Lisa The safehouse looked locked down from the outside. It was a narrow duplex with sealed windows and thick curtains pulled shut, the air trapped inside.My mom and I stood in the living room, looking around at furniture that wasn’t ours. A keypad blinked beside the door. Franklin punched in a cod







