Maya's POV Oliver had moved in last night, but he had left early this evening for a quick trip back to his coven. He was gone for about two hours and didn’t return to our house until a little past ten. I stayed up, waiting for him. I heard the door open and close when he came in, my mother had already added his biometrics ID to the security system, so he could enter freely. Only six of us had that privilege in the entire pack: my mother and me, Ashton and Lauren, and Oliver and Wade. That was it. My mother had only included Ashton and Wade out of respect, for the sake of unity and trust.We had dinner together tonight, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. As much as I love my sisters, tonight felt… different. Oliver had gone to speak with Darius and Luke at the coven but made it back by six. My mother, ever doting, had even made sure a raw steak was prepared just for him. The blood on the plate didn’t bother me as much as I expected. I knew he had brought back blood from his
Rita's POV This is exhausting. All this back and forth, with me stuck in the middle, is driving me insane. I hate every second of it. Maeve still terrifies me, and the thought of telling her what he said fills me with dread. But I know it’s final, he’s not giving them the money. I just pray she’ll accept it without flying off the handle.She’ll have to scramble to find someone else willing to help us now, and that’s what scares me most. Every new person she pulls in increases the risk of me being exposed. And if Ashton ever finds out what I’ve done… I shudder to imagine what he would do to me.I’m out here again, alone in the dark. It feels just as eerie as it did last night. I tried texting her, hoping we could avoid meeting like this, but she insisted on a face-to-face. Despite everything in me screaming not to, I came.I shivered. I wasn’t alone, I could feel it. Someone was watching me. I just wanted this over with so I could get back to the safety of my room. Honestly, calling f
Damien's POV “You’re late,” I growled into the phone. She might be helping us, but she needs to understand I don’t tolerate being kept waiting.“I’m sorry,” she replied quickly. “Training ran long, and I had a lot to take care of before I could slip away. But I have to tell you, I don’t have great news.”My stomach dropped. Had someone discovered her involvement? Had the plan been exposed?“I’m dropping the call,” I said coldly, lowering my voice. I wasn’t about to let her drag me into anything that could be traced back to me.“I’m alone,” Rita said firmly. “I can video call you right now if you need proof. Just listen.”I stayed silent, giving her space to speak.“The problem is the vampire,” she continued. “She tried to attack Maya yesterday, like I already told you, but there’s more. Oliver found out about the attack, and he’s furious. He’s trying to have her thrown out of the coven. Here’s the worst part: she told me that if we had come to her just a few days earlier, she would h
Damien's POV I texted Rita last night and asked her to call me sometime this morning, but she didn’t respond right away. Instead, she messaged back later, saying she had training and work to handle before she could leave the pack, she wanted to make sure no one overheard her. It pissed me off. We only have five days left to finalize the plan. On the sixth day, it goes into action, and right now, Rita is the holdup.It felt like a slap in the face. But as an Alpha, I had to remind myself that she had responsibilities to her pack. I forced myself to calm down. I would have to cut her loose already if she wasn’t the only way to get Maya and her sisters back. For now, I have to play nice.Truthfully, I knew my frustration wasn’t all about Rita, it started last night with Kayla. She wouldn’t back off. She kept bringing me drinks, practically crawling into my lap, trying to get me into bed. She pulled out all the stops, her best lingerie, her sweetest voice, everything. I gave in, but not
Rita's POV Maeve was quiet for another two minutes, her eyes calculating. Then she finally spoke. “I want compensation,” she said plainly. “Oliver is furious with me after what happened this morning. He’s trying to force me out of the coven, and I have nowhere else to go.”She crossed her arms. “So either those men offer me a home near their pack for protection, or I want three hundred thousand dollars. Oliver won’t want me even if Maya disappears. I know that now. This is my only chance to survive, and I’m not doing this for free.”“That’s not good,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m sorry. I really thought this would help with your problem. But I can’t promise anything without getting permission. I can’t call him this late, his mate would notice, and that’s the last thing we need.”I hesitated before offering, “I’ll reach out tomorrow and meet you again tomorrow night. Same place. Will that work?”I wanted this done. Desperately. But I couldn’t give her what she wanted w
Rita's POV It was a little past twelve am, and I was still waiting for Maeve. She was supposed to meet us here at eleven pm, but she had texted saying something had come up. I didn’t know what it was, only that Julius said she seemed upset when he spoke to her. That alone made me uneasy. Most people won’t lift a finger when they’re angry, and Maeve… well, she’s a vampire. I was already nervous about meeting her, and hearing she was in a mood didn’t help.Julius had to leave to rejoin his patrol. He had used one of his breaks just to walk me here and set up the meeting. Now I was completely alone, and absolutely terrified.Every sound made me flinch.Only Julius knew I was here. If Maeve decided to hurt me, no one would find out until it was too late. I had picked this spot because the armory was always locked up and empty at night. No one ever came here unless there was an emergency. I thought it would be private. Safe. But now I wasn’t so sure.The armory actually consisted of two b