GIA O'LEARY
I paused abruptly as my gaze met Levi's eyes, wide open. Heat instantly rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment.
I was only wrapped in a towel, dripping wet from my hair after having a shower.
“You're up!’’ I stated, throwing my gaze to the floor as I shut the bathroom door.
He'd been asleep when I got up and prepared for a shower. Perhaps he had been pretending?
“Are you going somewhere?’’ He asked throatily.
“The bank. Camela called to remind me, she's at the bank already.’’ I explained in detail, heading to his closet to dress up.&nb
LEVI EDELMAN I ate her lips like this was the last I'd have a taste of them. I felt the same way every other time as well. No doubt the sensational feeling was attributed to the fear of my nobility in the pack and Keegan's sight. My resilience haunted me each time I undertook an indecorous action that defiled Keegan's rules. But what could I do when the little she-devil kept getting under my skin?She was sure about what she wanted, and she was ever ready for it. I cupped her ass on both palms, giving them a soft squeeze while she pressed herself hard against me. She'd melt into me if such science existed. I hauled her up with little difficulty, heading into the bedroom to lay her softly on the bed. I found it really sexy to realise she'd clipped her sexy little legs tightly around my waist. She totally wasn't going to let me go this time. I collected my lips from hers, tracing her skin down to her neck while my fingers worked on the buttons of her body suit. I hated myself fo
GIA O'LEARY An oddly weird noise forced my eyelids apart, but it seemed to suddenly disappear once I regained full consciousness. I rubbed my arms softly against the plush mattress, relishing in the satisfying feeling of Levi's scents piled up in the fluffy sheets. I made to move my legs as well, but a sharp stinging pain from my sore core caught me in an abrupt stop. Then it came again. Some strange noises, like someone coughing in the bathroom. The exact sound that ended up forcing me out of my sleep. It hit me instantly. Stretching my hand across the empty side of the bed where Levi's frame was supposed to have been occupied. Although it was empty and clearly void of him, it still felt a bit warm. Which meant it hadn't been a while since he stood up. I carefully though hurriedly, climbed down the bed, shoving my feet into Levi's oversized slides at the foot of the bed. I dragged my feet against the floor, guiding the throbbing discomfort between my thighs, towards the bathro
LEVI EDELMAN I swallowed nothing, clenching my fists against the bed as I heard her pull the exit door outside. I hated the sight of her hurting. I almost spilled my whole shits to her minutes ago, it'd taken my whole years of alpha training to stop the words. I was eating deep into her skin, and I knew it. It hurt the most, having the knowledge that I'd be completely gone from her in the next two months. I was only slightly sick right now and she was this affected. What would become of her after my death? I couldn't think about it. ‘‘You passed the night here?’’ Alan's voice caught my attention from outside. “Do you have a problem?’’ Gia replied rudely. “Fuck! He knows nothing about our argument.’’ I snapped quietly, as if she could hear me. “Of course not. I'm just surprised to see you here at this time of the day.’’ Alan responded coolly.Cheers to his cool personality, he didn't take Gia's approach to heart as expected. “And it's also kinda surprising that you're here at
GIA O'LEARYI dragged my feet to the bathroom, stripped myself naked, and hot under the cold shower. Goosebumps propped all over my skin in reaction to the cold streams of water running down my skin. My teeth clattered, my lips trembling in rhythm. I wrapped my arms over my frame, reflecting through the image of Levi against the bathroom washing sink with the scary spills of blood on the white aluminum. I shook it off immediately, scrubbing myself violently as if to wipe out the memory. Not just from my head but also from reality. Like it never happened. Satisfied after minutes of painful tears, I stepped out of the bathroom for some clothes. A sigh left my lips for an uncountable amount of time as I stood from my dressing mirror, heading to my closet to get the herbs.That damn herb! Just what was it doing? How is it that we followed all the measures for one whole month and yet there weren't any changes?Perhaps it was the consequences of the few days we missed? What's the use t
ALAN WOODS ~Some night ago....‘‘For how long do you plan to turn me down, huh?’’ Maddison whined, stifling a scoff. “I'm never giving in to your request to start with.’’ I scowled, hoping she saw the grudging truth behind my statement through my expression.I once asked her for a drink, but she'd bluntly declined my invite and even walked me out of her bedroom that night. What makes her think I couldn't do the same?“Of course you are.’’ She shushed. “If you have nothing more important to say, you should take your leave now.’’ I stood, heading to the door to lead her out, when she stopped me. “Why are you ignoring me now? I thought we were a team?’’ Her sexy eyes regarded mine in a crazily seductive squint. I forced my gaze up to meet the door, my fists clenched hard to stop every sick thought that tried to force its way into my head. “Not anymore.’’ I made to proceed, but she stopped me again. “Just a bottle. I promise never to ask you out again.’’ It must have been just me
GIA O'LEARY The door burst open so hard I almost fell off the bed. Maddison stormed inside, her face dark and angry. She didn’t even stop to breathe before shouting at me.“Where is it?” she snapped, her eyes sharp like knives. “The herb! Tell me you didn’t lose it, Gia. Tell me you’re not that stupid!”I expected this from her, but I don’t know why my chest hurt from the way her words hit me. I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but nothing came out. My throat felt dry. I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell her I had hidden the herb safely, I was careful, I really was, but I couldn’t even open my lips. “Don’t waste time lying!” she snapped at me again. “You know what you’ve done. Do you think Levi will save you this time around?”I shook my head, tears starting to sting the back of my eyes. “I didn’t lose it. I swear I didn’t…” My voice came out weak and shaky.Redrine stepped forward with a bowed head. “Maybe it’s just misplaced, Lady Maddison. Let us look for it. Maybe….” “Shut
LEVI EDELMAN“You should punish her, Levi! She was careless! How could she let this happen?”Alan’s voice was the first thing that pulled me out of my thoughts. His words came sharp, full of fire, louder than I cared to hear.I sat still, my hands resting on my lap, my eyes fixed on nothing in particular. My chest felt tight, but anger wasn’t what filled it. I let his words sink in, but not toward Gia; my concern resides on the person who could’ve tampered with the herbs. Alan was pacing the room, shaking his head, cursing under his breath. I knew Alan well enough; once he got started, it was hard to get him to stop. But still, I can’t just sit while he lashes out at Gia. “Calm down, Alan,” I muttered. He turned to look at me, his face twisted with disbelief, like I’d just said the dumbest thing in the world.“Calm down?” he repeated. “Levi, the herbs are missing. That herb is the only thing we had left. The only thing that could slow the sickness. And you want me to calm down?”
MADDISON SNOWThe moment the words left Levi’s mouth, I felt my whole chest tighten.I stood frozen, as his voice echoed in my head. I had thought for sure….no, I had expected that he would turn all of his anger on Gia. That was the plan. I had made sure of it. I wanted her to feel small, helpless, and humiliated in front of him. I wanted to see her break.But instead… he turned it all on me.The sharpness in his voice cut deeper than any knife. I wasn’t used to seeing Levi like this with me.“You should judge this matter properly,” I told him. “The maids… they are just innocent. Gia caused everything.” I forced my voice to stay steady, though the tightness in my throat made it hard for me to speak.I could feel my heart beating wildly against my chest as I said the words.I tried to sound calm, tried to sound like I was only speaking for their sake. I wanted to sound reasonable. I wanted to sound kind. I wanted to sound innocent. But Levi wasn’t buying it. His face remained cold, sha
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