LISA’S POV.
I attempted to move again, but my feet remained stubborn as if a magnetic force held me in place.I scanned the room, heart pounding, searching for a hiding spot, but none presented itself. The bed caught my eye, and despite the hassle, it seemed like a viable hiding place."Ronan," Kyle's voice boomed, too late. Kyle stood by the door, eyes shifting between Ronan and me. I took a few steps away from Ronan, trying to appear nonchalant despite the beads of sweat forming on my feet and my uncontrollably shaking legs.“You’re not ready?” Kyle's eyes travelled down Ronan’s bare torso.“What brings you here, Kyle” Ronan questioned.“I’m here to congratulate you, of course.” Kyle stuffed his hands in the pocket of his baggy shorts. Congratulate him! For what? Ronan’s birthday was two months ago.“You’re taking over today. Figured I should drop by before the ceremony,” Kyle explained. Take over? Ceremony? Big day. It clicked; it was Ronan’s succession ceremony. I had forgotten about it, assuming it was a rumour.Ronan chuckled, “Thanks man a text or mind link would have sufficed”.“Nah, what's the fun in that,” Kyle shrugged. “Besides, I wanted to go through the guest list with you one last time. I hope it's not a bad time?” His judgmental glare was on me again. “Seems you have company.”Ronan's gaze followed Kyle's, and he wrapped an arm around my waist. “I’m sure Lisa won’t mind, or do you?” he asked with a raised brow.“What? No, I don’t,” I let out a dry chuckle.“Just wait for me in the study. I’ll be down in five,”“Of course, alpha,” he said, giving Ronan a tight smile.“Don’t call me that,” Ronan laughed.“Not a chance. See you in five,” Kyle turned to leave.“Are you okay?” he asked, placing a hand under my chin.“I don’t know,” unease swirled in my stomach.“Lisa?”“What if Kyle tells your dad and we get in trouble?”“Trouble?” Ronan raised a brow. “We are adults, Lisa. We can decide what we want for ourselves.”He was right, but my adult status didn’t afford me the same liberties as his. I was scared I'd face punishment for making decisions.“No buts. What others think doesn’t matter. I want you, and I plan on telling my parents about us,” Ronan declared.“You’re joking, right?”“Does it look like I am?” He frowned. “Look, Lisa, this is serious. I care about you, and I want us to be more than just friends with a fuck history or friends with benefits. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, loving you”His words hit me like a brick wall, and I froze, overwhelmed by the sudden intensity.“Isn't it too soon? What if they don’t approve? We are not destined mates, you know?” I voiced my concerns about his parents not accepting me, they would prefer a strong mate for their son to bear a strong heir for them. Not some weak wolf that can’t even shift.Despite my parents being strong wolves, they gave birth to a weak child like me. Weak wolves mating with non-mates often resulted in weak offspring—an undesirable trait for an alpha heir.“I don't care about the fated bond thing. You're the only one I want.” He reached for my hands. “I know you're worried, but I’ll explain everything to my parents. They’ll understand.”“What about the pack members? Even if your parents accept me, the pack won't. They aren’t fond of me.” they despised me and wouldn't accept me as Ronan’s wife much less their Luna.“Do you want to be with me?”“Yes,” I answered without a second thought.“Then you shouldn’t think about what the pack will think. As long as we are happy, that's all that matters. They’ll always find something to talk about,” he reassured, cupping my face.“I'm never letting you go.” He gave me a little squeeze before placing a kiss on my forehead.“Thank you.” My eyes glistened with tears of relief as I wrapped my arms around him, realizing I had someone truly committed to me.“I have to go,” I broke the hug.“Where are you going?” He pulled me closer.“The pack houses have duties,” chores, I wanted to say but stay silent. “We’ll talk later.” It took everything in me to break away from him.“Stay here. Let’s go to the ceremony together.” He kissed my cheek, and I shivered at his touch.“I would love to, but duty calls, and I can’t go to your coronation dressed in your clothes.”“You look good in my clothes,” he smirked.“Ronan!” I playfully hit him on the chest. “But promise me, you’ll be there on time.”“No promises, but I'll be there,” I gave a quick hug before leaving.***Upon reaching the pack house, the usual chaotic noise greeted me. Taking a deep breath, I made a quick trip to my room, changing my clothes before going downstairs to do my chores, as always.Unlike other days, everyone seemed too busy to bother me. A smile played on my face as I went about the chores—from the dishes to the piled-up laundry that I despised. Time passed faster than expected; the commotion had died down, and the pack house was almost empty when I came out of the laundry room.Returning to my room, I prepared for the ceremony after a quick shower. I dressed in a simple black dress and comfortable flat shoes, twisting my brown hair into a low bun. I glanced at the mirror, satisfied with my appearance, and I made my way downstairs.A sharp whiff of air hit me when I found Ashley and her minions by the front door. Ashley sneered at my dress.“Look at her, thinking she’s something important,” Vale spat.“Nice dress,” Gemma flashed me a smile. I parted my lips to thank her when she added, “Did you steal it from the trash?” The four girls burst into a fit of laughter.“That was a good one, Gem,” Vale said between her laughs. Ignoring their jabs, I tried to walk past them with my head held high. This was the last time they’d get to insult me; I wanted to see their faces when Ronan and I make things official tonight.“Hold on, servant, before you even think of going to the ceremony, my bathroom needs a good scrubbing. Go and clean it for me,” Ashley barked, standing in front of me.“Okay,” I said, “but it will have to be after the ceremony.”“It can’t wait. Go and do it now,” she crossed her arms her famous frown plastered on her caked-up face.“It’s Ronan’s ceremony, missing this isn’t an option for me.”“You think just because Ronan is friends with you, you can defy us? And go to the succession ceremony?”It was more than friendship now I wanted to say, but I stayed silent. Curling my fingers into fists, I tried to calm the rage building up in my chest. I let out a sigh; this was the last time.“Let me guess he promised you a spot on his council?” Gemma asks.“Who even invited you?” Vale asks between her laughs.“Ronan himself invited me, and I'm not going to miss the ceremony for anything. Your bathroom can wait until after the ceremony,” I push past them.With zero care for what happens next, I had let them walk over me for so long, but not this time.LISA’S POVSuccession ceremonies had always been intimate events, usually held in the pack hall or by a bonfire on the beach. However, this time, it was taking place in the open garden close to the borders, which I find a little odd. But, judging by the auras I sensed, there were a lot of guests from other packs, so perhaps they picked this venue for security reasons.I take in a deep breath, turning to the mirror by the entrance. My dress is still in good shape, but my bun, on the other hand, wasn’t as neat as it was. Few strands had stuck out of the bun, making it look messy and a bit sweaty.Running here was a bad idea, but with no means of transport and no one willing to give me a lift, running down here was the only option left on my table, and with my slow short legs, it wasn’t easy.I released my hair from the bun and raked my fingers through it, attempting to make it appear neater before stepping into the garden.My jaw almost dropped to the floor when I took in the place. It
Lisa’s POV:"Everyone, this is my mate Gretchen," Ronan’s voice etched in my head.Mate?The same man I spread my legs for not less than twenty-four hours ago? I think I'm missing something here.He said he loved me, or did he?Did he say those words to get into my pants? Is that his way of torturing me? Using me and dumping me?No! That can’t be the case. We’ve been friends since childhood. Maybe his parents forced him.There must be a reason why he’s picking this beautiful girl with a sweet, unassuming smile and perfectly styled hair over me.She has big blue eyes that are prettier than my dull brown ones, her hair may not be as long as mine, but they were curled into perfection.She is everything I'm not—prettier, nicer, and definitely stronger, but he said he loved me. There must be a mistake.Maybe it’s all a nightmare, so I punched myself, hoping this scene unfolding before me disappears, and I find myself in the safety of my room.When the scene does disappear, I pinch myself a
LISA’S POVSEVEN YEARS LATER“Chrissy and the hot guy in room five are having an affair,” Jessica whispered into my ear, and I almost choked on the hot coffee.“Oh, come on, Jessica, can you not,” I complained, taking another sip of my coffee with a grimace. We're currently standing by the vending machine, aka Jessica’s favorite gossiping spot or tea-spilling spot, as she liked to call it.Jessica and I have been friends for seven years now. After the pack, I ran out of money faster than I thought because I got scammed and almost molested.Jessica’s father found me sleeping on the side of an alleyway and offered to take me home with him. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I didn't have much time to think due to my exhaustion, and following him was the best decision I've made.He treated me as if I were no different from his other children without asking me about my past or how I ended up in the alleyway. When I asked him why he hadn’t asked, he said I will tell him when I’m ready in
RONAN’S POV“I’m sorry, sir, but there's nothing I can do about this,” the short old man said taking off his glasses. He is the fifth healer we’ve invited to treat my dad this month alone, but like the other many doctors and healer his response is same as the rest.Everyone has told me to give up on him, but I can’t bring myself to do it I can’t let him go not now not ever he is the only family I have left. After a group of rebels attacked the pack three years ago, my mother was killed and my father got injured while trying to protect her.In the end, we were able to fight them off and kill the whole group, but nothing about it made me feel victorious. We were left with a few injured wolves, but I lost my mother and I'm slowly losing my father too.While fighting the rebels, my father got stabbed with a weird dagger to the chest, but the doctors here were able to save him, hoping his body will do the rest of the healing. The healing stopped, and he was slowly dying.A healer that ca
Ronan’s POV“That was fast,” Kyle spoke when I walked into my office. He is seated across from an old lady in an ancient-looking cloak, her full grey hair in two long plaits on each side of her shoulders. I figured she is the Marien who came to us with a solution to my dad’s illness.I took a seat across from them. “Hello, Marien. I heard you found a way to treat my father,” I ask, going straight to the point.“Well, after a few tests with a friend of mine, I think we have found a way to save him. I don’t know if it will work, but it will most probably work.”“And what is it?” I try my best to keep the eagerness at bay.“Well, after some pondering, I remembered I had a friend who had treated a case similar to your father’s-““And where can we find that friend?” I cut in.Marien smiles. “Patience, child.”“Well, my friend who treated this case is, well, no longer with us. I found out she passed away a long time ago.” The little hope I had before coming into this room slowly dies.“But,
LISA’S POVAt first, I thought Salvador might have been wrong, but I couldn't dismiss what he said. Looking back at the rearview mirror a few times, I noticed the black van following us.“Kids, hang on tight,” I said before swerving to the next lane, taking the nearest turn in hopes of losing them. But they were fast on my heels. Trying my best not to scare the kids by going very fast, but to my surprise, they were laughing and screaming, “Faster, go faster!”It should have alarmed me that my kids weren’t scared as I raced through the streets. However, it was a little comforting, knowing I wouldn't have a crying child while trying to shake off the van behind me.Glancing at the rearview mirror one more time, the car was far behind, with a motorbike intercepting between us. I managed to make it to the address Stella had sent me earlier.a part of me wanted to go home, but going home wouldn’t be a perfect option, I don't know why or for how long they have been tailing us. So a crowded s
LISA’S POV“Why are you here?” The figure from the shadows moved closer, giving me a better view of who he was.It was Jack, one of the guys from the pack that used to pick on me. His presence sent a little shiver down my spine, memories of the past torment flooding but I pushed them away. “This is no way to welcome a fellow pack member,” Jack smirked, taking slow steps toward the couch I was sitting on in an intimidating manner, but I stayed unfazed."I'm not part of the pack anymore, nor do I need the pack in my life."I slowly stuck my hand into the couch, looking for the little silver dagger I kept inside for security reasons. I never thought I would ever need to use it, but here I am, desperately clutching it, waiting for the right time to stab the two men in my apartment.“So, this is where you've been hiding, huh?” Jack smirked, strolling around the room.“I want you two out of my house in the next sixty seconds.”“Sixty seconds?” Jack cocked a brow, bemused.“Unless you’ve ma
LISA’S POV I woke up feeling like a broken staircase, each movement a struggle against the weight that pressed down on me. My eyelids were glued shut, and I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead. “Why isn't she awake?” a voice asked with urgency, It sounded distant. I strained against the heaviness, trying to piece together what had happened. The memory of a sharp pain in my neck, a needle piercing my skin before darkness consumed me. “How the heck am I supposed to know that—” a male voice snapped, his frustration evident in every word. “You messed up, man. If he comes back and she isn’t awake, it's probably over for us,” another voice, deep and ominous, added to the mounting tension in the room. “We didn't have any other choice,” Kyle grunted then the sound of footsteps and then the door s=bing swung open and closed. “She just needs some rest, she will sweat it out and wake up soon,” a softer voice, presumably belonging to a girl, offered. “We should give her some space t