GIA O'LEARYI took slow calculated steps behind Redrine, my heart pulsating like it would rip off my chest soon.I couldn't contain the scary image of Alpha Levi's frame over me.What more constituted a honeymoon if not that? Sex. Never did I dream of having my first sex so soon, especially not with a man I barely got to know three days ago.“Greetings, Alpha.’’ Redrines' voice cut into my thoughts. Have we gotten to the dining area already yet?My heart stroked as I lifted my gaze to meet Alpha Levi seated at the head of the small table for four occupants.“I'll tak
LEVI EDELMAN I flipped through the pages, looking for the page I had ended my previous reading. I almost missed it when a knock came on the door, distracting my focus. I swatted my gaze to the door. It creaked, and Alan showed up behind it. His eyes regarded my gaze, seeking permission to step in before approaching me. Alan was my beta and best buddy. We lived like siblings from little when his father used to be my father's beta until now. He knew my insides and out, and oftentimes he provided the advice for the steps I took. ‘‘You good?’’ He asked as he approached my table. “Hm.’’ I simply responded.He grabbed himself a seat before me. Although I had my gaze fixed on my book I could still see him watching me intensely through my peripheral.“You don't look it through.’’ He remarked, running his hands through the stuff on the study table. One would think he was actually in search of something and not just messing around right now. Reluctance clung unto me like a coat as I forci
GIA O'LEARYI didn't realize a huge smile wrapped my face until I heard Redrine’s chuckles behind me.“You look beautiful, Luna. You've got the smile of a beauty.’’ She flattered.“Okay, let that be the end of your flattery for today.’’ I rolled my eyes, standing from the pretty violet flower I had bent to inhale.“I'm being serious, Luna.” She urged, following behind me as we walked further into the garden.“Is that rose flowers over there?’’ I pointed at the small section of red flowers a few steps away, excitement budding in my stomach at the thought o
GIA O'LEARY Keegan mentioned something about coming around today to hand the virgin herb for Alpha Levi's revival process to me. How could I have forgotten?“He insisted on seeing you, and left when he couldn't.’’ The man added. My eyes grew wide, turning over to regard him. “You were asleep, the maid couldn't have woken you up.’’ He twitched his shoulders, leaving another thrill of surprise over me. They were really being serious right now? Seems I underestimated the credibility of Luna's position, but Keegan wasn't going to take it that way. He must have gotten so mad at me. “I'm not saying you shouldn't have slept. I'm saying your father, the priest, could have handed whatever he wanted to give you to anyone else right?’’ It wasn't just me. There was a hint of sarcasm and something close to suspicion in his question and almost squinting gaze. Who the hell was this man?‘‘By any chance, are you aware of what he was going to give to me?’’ I asked, folding my arms across my che
GIA O'LEARYRedrine escorted me to the dining area. I breathed out silently in relief to see Alpha Levi already seated at the head of the table.I remained by the door and trailed my gaze around his face for any unusual feature, but his hair didn't allow me any access since he gazed downwards into his phone.“Is there a problem, my lady?’’ Redrine asked in a whisper. I had almost forgotten she still stood behind me.“No, it's fine. You may leave now, get out the meal.’’ I whispered back, watched her bow and leave, before returning my gaze to watch Alpha Levi.
LEVI EDELMAN I watched Gia pull into an abrupt halt. No, actually I'd had my eyes on her the whole time Keegan passed the instructions concerning my servings of the virgin herb. I left her to face Keegan. His eyes are plain cold and void of any emotions. At times I wondered if he always saw the spiritual beings before his eyes that had turned him so serious and never wearing a smile. Little wonders he managed to leave Gia in a tight position. ‘‘Did you hear me, Alpha?’’ He asked when I didn't give him any replies. “I need to speak to you as well, Keegan.’’ I relaxed back on my chair, stylishly disapproving of his request. Gia didn't seem pleased with the idea of sharing a private discussion with Keegan, but that wasn't why I declined him. We had just discussed Keegan possibly having an ulterior motive last night, Alan and I. That was the actual drive behind my decline and in fact my involvement in the whole meeting. ‘‘If that be the case, then who am I to question the Alpha’s p
LEVI EDELMAN A scoff flew its way through my lips. They didn't even notice my presence. That was how weak my Alpha ability had become. I didn't produce a single aura around me. “What the hell is going on here?’’ I voiced, my gaze fixed on Gia whose gaze met mine immediately. The maids went helter-skelter. Running around, picking what was and wasn't. “Good morning, Alpha.’’ A few managed to coordinate properly. But my care wasn't even about them.“We deserve to die. Please forgive us, Alpha. We did warn her but she refused to listen.” They went on ranting while Gia averted her gaze from me. “What do you think you're doing, I'm waiting for you.’’ I snapped, dishonored by her ignorance. “Please leave, Luna.’’ Some maids gathered to pull her up and towards me. I snatched her arm and pulled her out. I didn't care about my unmatchable pace and ignored her petty complaints until we arrived at my suite. Unlike every other room in the Marion which only had space for a bed, my chamber
GIA O'LEARY His gaze froze. A gust of unexplainable emotions flashed in his eyes in one moment. I sucked in my bottom lip, repeating the name, Madison while wondering who she could be. Alpha Levi stormed to the door without a word. I immediately followed suit. “What is she doing here?’’ I heard him ask as he pushed the door open and walked out. He didn't allow Alan the chance to respond and just bolted off, while Alan regarded me with a weird look. I almost asked him why the fuck he stared at me like that, but he dashed off after Alpha Levi too. I contemplated going after them or staying back. What does it matter? If the lady was here to stay then I'd have to deal with her eventually so why stress it. Alpha Levi didn't seem pleased to hear about her arrival, and that pricked my curiosity the most.In the end, I obliged to my inquisitiveness and pushed my legs downstairs. “Well, I'm here now.’’ A high-pitched feminine voice hit my ears. “You can't have me leave just like that.’’
GIA O’LEARYI stared at her for a long time, trying to understand what she was doing.Something was wrong. I could feel it deep in my gut.“Stand up,” I said firmly.She looked up at me with wide, nervous eyes, but she didn’t argue.She got up slowly, dusting her palms against her dress like it could hide her guilt.I turned sharply and started walking toward my room, not even checking if she was following, even though I already knew she would.Inside my room, I shut the door behind us and turned to face her.“Talk,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “What are you up to?”Mia bit her bottom lip hard, her hands twisting together in front of her like she was barely holding herself together.For a second, she didn’t say anything. She just looked at me, her eyes filling up with something that almost looked like regret.“I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” she said, her voice shaking. “I swear.” Her voice cracked. I stared at her, my heart beating harder. I refused to reply to her
GIA O’LEARY The way Alan reacted when the herbs fell… it didn’t match. He got so angry, like he couldn’t control it. But when my herbs went missing, he barely reacted. He was too calm.I wasn’t a fool. I could feel it; something was wrong.Maybe Alan wasn’t as clean as everyone thought.I didn’t know what exactly he was hiding yet, but one thing was clear to me now.I couldn’t let Levi hand over his position to Alan.No matter what, he seems suspicious, and something must be wrong somewhere. That thought stayed in my mind the whole night.Even when I lay down, pulled the blanket over myself, and tried to close my eyes, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.I turned on the bed again and again, my pillow feeling too hard under my head. My heart kept beating fast, almost painfully, like it was warning me.You have to stop it, I told myself. No matter what it takes.I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours.Sometimes I closed my eyes, hoping to fall asleep, but the moment I did, Al
ALAN WOODS I walked straight toward her and grabbed her arm, pulling her close before she could even think to run.She gasped and tried to pull back, but I didn’t let her. I tightened my grip, pulling her body harder against mine. I didn’t care how much she fought.I pressed her closer, grinding her soft ass against me.Her body stiffened right away, like she couldn’t believe what I was doing.“Let go,” she snapped, pushing against me with both hands, her voice sharp and angry.I loosened my hold just a little… but I didn’t really let go.I kept my hand wrapped around her wrist, feeling her pulse race under my fingers.She glared up at me, her chest rising and falling fast.I could see the fire in her eyes, the wildness that always drove me crazy.“You need to hear this,” I said, my voice low and rough. “Gia is up to something.” Her eyes narrowed, sharp like a blade.“You’re just noticing that now?” she said, almost laughing but with no humor in her voice. “That girl is a witch.” I
ALAN WOODSI could feel it. Gia was up to something.Either her sweet, innocent face, I could tell she was up to something. But I wasn’t going to confront her just yet. I needed to figure out what exactly she was planning.What really bothered me, though, was Levi, he was defending her, and that… pissed me off.“Are you really doing this?” I questioned, my eyes held his. “Just accept the fact that you’re wrong.” He replied coldly. I couldn’t recall the last time Levi pulled this cold attitude toward me. Was all this because of that Gia of a girl? My eyes darted to her, still crawling beside the broken cup, blinking eyes repeatedly. How I wish this little thing would not get on my tail? It won’t take more than a slip of a finger to get rid of her. But now, let's just go with the flow. “I need to speak with you,” I said, the words calm but firm, as I turned to face Levi. “Alone.”I could feel Gia's gaze on me, but I wasn’t ready to give her the satisfaction of what she wanted.
GIA O’LEARYAlan’s eyes flickered when I spoke. He didn’t expect me to say such, I could tell by the flicker in his eyes. But he quickly masked it up, clearing his throat. “The herbs are working,” he said. Calm. Too calm, which tells me something is wrong. “You’re just not paying attention.”I stared at him, so that was all he could come up with?I tilted my head slightly, watching him. He was avoiding eye contact now, his eyes darting to the back of me like he was looking for something. But I wasn’t fooled. My gut was screaming. Something wasn’t right. The herbs hadn’t changed a thing, and I wasn’t the one who was blind here.Still, I didn’t argue. I could’ve called him out, could’ve pushed, asked questions, demanded answers. But I didn’t. Because Alan was lying, and when someone lies, it means there’s something worth hiding. I just needed to wait. So instead of pressing, I gave a soft nod, playing along. “Maybe you’re right,” I said quietly, forcing a smile. “Maybe I just didn’t
GIA O'LEARY I was pacing the length of my room, my fists clenched, my jaw tight, the heat in my chest refusing to cool down, not even for a bit minutes. I wasn’t angry at Levi. Not really, it was Alan.How dare he? How dare he talk to me like that in front of everyone? How dare he talk to me like I was the one causing trouble?I let out a frustrated breath and threw the nearest pillow at the wall. It hit with a soft thud and dropped to the floor.The sound of it was followed by a gentle knock on the door. “Come in.” My voice was barely above a whisper. The door creaked open, and Maddison walked in like she owned the room, closing the door behind her as if that would trap me inside with her nonsense.“Not now,” I said sharply. “I’m not in the mood.”She didn’t move. She just stood with her arms folded, eyes fixed on me.“I won’t take long,” she said. “I just want to ask you something.”“Maddison, I said not now.” I rolled my eyes.“Respect yourself when I’m being respectful,” she
ALAN I didn’t understand it either.The ring… I saw Maddison wearing it just yesterday. It was on her finger the whole time. I remember because she kept fidgeting with it while we were talking. So how the hell did it end up inside the storeroom?I stood there for a moment, stunned. The pieces weren’t adding up. My heart was still pounding from everything. And Maddison? I turned slowly to her, already seeing the fire in her eyes.“You planned this?” she yelled, her voice shaking. “Did you plant it there? Did you do this to me on purpose?!”“What? No!” I said quickly, my hands up. “Maddison, I swear….I have no idea how that ring got there.”She was breathing hard now, her chest rising and falling like she was about to explode. “Don’t lie to me! Maybe this is your way of finally getting rid of me!”“For Goddess’ sake, listen to yourself….” “I am listening!” she shouted. “And everything sounds like a trap!”Her voice was too loud. Loud enough for anyone outside to hear.“Shut up,” I
MADDISONRedrine looked like she’d seen a ghost immediately she stepped inside. She hesitated before moving closer, like she was being dragged forward by some invisible force. She stood in the middle of the room, her eyes wide, hands clutched together. Her gaze flicked from Mia to Levi… then to me. And when her eyes finally met mine, I knew she was scared. Good. She should be. Because I was scared too.“Redrine,” Levi said, holding up the ring. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to grasp. “Have you ever seen this ring?” He questioned. Redrine shook her head quickly, like her life depended on it. “No, Alpha. I’ve never seen it before.”If Redrine hadn’t seen the ring, then who could’ve put it in the Storeroom? I know for sure I wasn’t the one. I didn’t go to the storeroom with the ring. Levi’s face darkened. He took one step closer to her and lowered his voice, but somehow made it feel even colder. “If you’re lying to me, Redrine… I will not hesitate to kill you. Is th
GIA O'LEARY“Why are you asking such a question? I just told you I clearly don’t know what you’re talking about!” Maddison denies again. “I’m asking because this ring… It’s yours?” Levi’s voice was calm, but I could feel the tension in his shoulders. He was trying not to jump to conclusions, but even he looked like he already had one.Maddison didn’t answer. She just stared at the ring in his hand, frozen like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.I stepped forward. “Don’t waste your breath, Levi,” I snapped, not even bothering to hide the heat in my voice. “She’s the one who stole the herbs. That ring is proof.”“Gia, calm down. Let her speak.” He frowned at me, his voice soft but firm. I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to breathe through the anger rising in my chest. Maddison had played us all for fools. I knew it in my gut. She stood there, pretending like she didn’t understand anything. Pretending like the ring wasn’t hers.“Let me see the ring clearly,” Maddison final