Leon’s POV:TW: Non-consensual sex portrayed here.I have to admit, this Elise Evans is very useful.It was already nighttime, for the second time since I had run into Elise and her brother Hunter. The two of them were currently talking in low tones across where I was sat with Meera. Meera sat quietly, glaring at the pair over the table. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her silliness. Why was she even here?An he’s, I remembered the reason as quickly as the question had come to mind. She had been worried, or so she had said. And she wanted to make sure that the two weren’t going to do anything… malicious.It was just too frustrating, to see how far that she would go to ensure that she stuck by my side, no matter how much that I Cased her away or insulted her or taunted her until my last breath.Why this girl wouldn’t leave me alone, I still had no idea.Anyways, the four of us were enjoying our dinner, at least a little bit assured in ourselves. With Elise, I knew that there was a
Arielle’s POV:Despite not wanting to worry, it was difficult to stop myself from worrying. I had promised Richard I would relax, but as soon as he left the office after we had our admittedly satisfying lunch, I had gotten up from my chair to start pacing again.After all, that wasn’t like anything I had ever experienced before.I was still reeling from all of this when a knock on the door came. I turned my head, watching warily as the door opened to reveal… Lilian.She was beaming, her smile from ear to ear as she sauntered in.“Hey, Ari,” she said airily.I let out a squeal, which was so unlike me, and ran over to hug her.“Oh Lily! I haven’t seen you in days!” I replied to my friend’s greeting, and she returned my hug with gusto.We released each other and I led her to the couch for us both to sit down.“Well, I didn’t want to intrude on you and Richard. Especially after you two have just gotten bonded. I know how things were with Darren and I when we got bonded, and we needed time
Richard’s POV:The days flew past quickly and soon enough, a week had passed since Arielle and I had begun our new life together as Alpha and Luna, bonded partners and leaders of the Redding Pack.We had settled into an odd sort of routine that was both calming and new to me at the same time.I would wake up first, as my body clock wouldn’t let me stay up last a certain time. Usually, I would prepare to go for a morning run or if I wasn’t feeling up to it, would practice some stretches before jumping into the shower. By that time, Arielle would have gotten up by then. She told me at some point that she often forewent her morning run because she’s always have training with Lilian in the evenings these days.Except we were both incredibly busy, Arielle and I would have breakfast together and talk. That was the one thing that Aunt Esme emphasized to me, as well as Darren in some way - always having an open line of communication between me and my mate, even when we were both the busiest se
Richard’s POV:It took two more minutes before the three of us reached the post that the guard was stationed at.I walked in, my body tense and my eyes cold, ignoring all the greetings of “Alpha” all around me.There was a sniffling girl, and the guard that had led us there nodded to the other - female - guard that immediately began to explain what happened.“The girl was found a few minutes from the post, Alpha,” the female guard said in a no-nonsense tone. “There was a lot of blood around her but we couldn’t trace where it was from. Although we still have our men on it so there may be results later.”“Understood,” I replied shortly, turning to the girl who was still sniffling. My eyes scanned her face, her eyes that looked teary and downcast. She was wearing a black shirt / which likely was the female guards as it was a little oversized. I scanned her for any hint of recognition, but there was nothing. I didn’t know who this girl was.I relaxed a little, lowering my voice so as not
Arielle’s POV:Richard looked angry, which was incredibly surprising to me.But his glare was not aimed at me, and instead was aimed at Renee. She was my new assistant and had been one of the only people to answer the call for an interview on such short notice. While she wasn’t a doctor like myself, she had previously gotten some training as an auxiliary nurse, and as such, I knew that she could serve while I searched for someone to add onto our pack’s medical team.“Richard,” I called his name out loud, and it was like he jolted, looking away from me for a second and back to the girl who was clearly the cause of such conflict in him. My brows furrowed; what was it that he hated about her?Without so much as a word from him, he brushed past the two of us to enter into my office, shutting the door with a loud thud. I blinked slowly, still somewhat confused.Nevertheless, I nodded at Renee who had a knowing look on her face. I felt the urge to question her but I doubted that I would get
Arielle’s POV:I gasped, hearing Richard’s words.“Oh no,” I exclaimed. “Is she okay? Have you found a place for her to stay? What-“His arms tightened around me, pulling me down to his chest. I let out a squeal as my head laid back on his rumbling chest as he spoke.“By the goddess, angel, would you let me finish,” he breathed out.I fell silent then, listening to what else my mate, and Alpha of the Pack would say.“The girl’s name is Elizabeth, and she’s from a different pack. She was traveling to see her cousins. And she has family here, so Darren has placed her with them. Actually, they should have her settled in by now.”“Okay…” I drawled. “So what’s the problem then?”There was a pause, and Richard let out a big breath.“What do you mean?” I heard him ask me, and I refrained from rolling my eyes. This man was just too much sometimes.“I mean,” I emphasized the last word as I thought out my response. “That you sound like you don’t believe her story. Or something. You just sound o
Arielle’s POV:“Renee, we need to talk,” my voice betrayed nothing, as cool and calm as I could make it. “It’s about your friend, Elise.”She froze, and I didn’t see the look on her face but when she turned to look at me, she had a plaintive expression.“Oh,” was all that she said, and it made me raise an eyebrow. “That’s what this is about.”“You didn’t mention it during our interview that you knew her,” I tried to keep my tone as less accusatory as possible. “And you certainly didn’t tell me that you have had some issues with other pack members before.”She muttered something that my ears couldn’t pick up under her breath before she then lifted up her gaze to meet mine.“Yes, you’re right. I didn’t mention it,” she stated. “But that was because it’s in the last. It’s a long time ago in my past and I don’t want to rehash this topic every time. I made some mistakes, Luna. I did then. But I’m not the same person that I was then. I can’t be, not after the trouble it caused me.”I pursed
Richard’s POV:I still wasn’t settled about this new girl- this absolute stranger, being in our pack just like that. Her case was solid so far but we could find out something along the way, if we just investigated things a little bit.I couldn’t concentrate on the paperwork that I had in front of me. Why would I even be able to concentrate, if there was a lot on my mind?It had only been less than 24 hours since that girl - Elizabeth, she said her name was, but was she even telling the truth? - had been brought into my pack, into the Evans home by Darren. I now awaited my beta and best friend. He would have to report on how it went, on if the Evans family recognized the girl, or on if she was a liar, trying to infiltrate my pack.Using my hand to massage my forehead, I heard a knock on the door, two quick taps before it opened.As expected, Darren had arrived early this morning.Fro his expression, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he looked quite mild.Had there been nothing