Ethan Following the direction of Paisley’s pointing finger, I scan the crowded courtyard for my daughter’s look alike. Despite my best efforts, I don’t see anyone fitting her description. I believe Paisley saw a child who resembled her, but it seems like she’s gone now. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I don’t see her.” Paisley drags her expectant gaze from my face, looking back across the mall. Her little face scrunches up in disappointment when she too fails to find the child in question. “Daddy, I swear. She looked exactly like me! Maybe she’s my sister!” Chuckling warmly, I tug my pup towards the theater entrance. “I know you want a sister, my love, but your mommy only gave birth to you.” “No, daddy, that was my sister.” She insists stubbornly. “I decided!” This is not the first time my daughter has invented an imaginary sibling or invisible friend to play with, after all, don’t all children at this age? I know it’s no use arguing, and I don’t want to stifle her creativity. Instead I s

Jane This isn’t happening. Riley is grinning up at me and waving a magazine with Ethan’s handsome face plastered across the cover, and all I can do is stare down at her in horror. “Ma’am,” The coffee vendor prods my elbow, trying to catch my attention, “Ma’am, your latte?” Closing my gaping mouth, I blindly extend my hand towards the man, and he presses the warm cardboard cup into my palm. I can’t explain it, but tears are burning in my eyes. We should have never come here. This is all too much. My wolf is whining in my head, as if the mere sight of my former mate is too much to bear. When I saw him in the restaurant I’d been so focused on retrieving Riley and getting out of there unseen that I didn’t let myself truly process seeing Ethan again after so long. It’s almost like my body went into survival mode. Now that I’m staring at his picture, held aloft in my daughter’s tiny hands, it’s all coming back to me. He’d looked every bit as handsome and dashing as I remember, and the wo

Ethan Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t this. After I saw Jane’s ghost holding a child identical to Paisley at the restaurant, I immediately demanded the manager print out a copy of her credit card receipt. There in black and white I found her new name: Elise Carrington, founder and CEO of La Louve fragrances. I was almost positive the woman I saw was, in fact, my wife, but I couldn’t be sure until this moment. Now it’s painfully obvious my chosen mate did not die after all, but she certainly hasn’t stayed the same. This Jane is so unlike the woman I knew I can scarcely believe it. She’s every bit as beautiful, but infinitely more confident and powerful. She smells like an alpha, and she’s charming even as she argues with me. The stubborn thing even threatened me, which I have to admit I found nothing short of delightful. My wolf is roaring in my head, demanding that I claim her here and now. I want to do nothing more than shut her saucy little mouth with my own, but I have a fe

JaneShe squeaks, “I can’t do that. I’ve already lied to the Alpha once, I’m playing with fire here.”“You have to!” I insist. “Please?”“Alright fine.” She grumbles, “But I swear you owe me another perfume line for this.”“Deal.” I exclaim, softening my hold to something closer to affection. “Thank you. I love you.”“Yeah, yeah.” She mutters good-naturedly, glancing around us and frowning, “Where did the pups go anyway?”Of course at that moment I look across the room to find them only a handful of meters from their father, making my heart stop beating all together. __________________________EthanShe’s here, and she looks so beautiful I could claim her right here and now. Standing in the center of the room and wearing a tightly-fitted emerald dress, Jane sips a glass of red wine and whispers to her friend Linda. She’s pretending not to see me, but I know she’s sensed my presence. My wolf has locked in on her like a heat-seeking missile, and I’m so distracted watching her that I alm

Eve “You put something in her glass!” One of the boys cried, “We saw you!” “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I hiss. At the moment, I’m soaking wet, my head is splitting open with pain from my fall, and my plans for Paisley are in serious jeopardy. Not to mention these little devils can’t be here when Ethan returns. “Get out, right now!” I order. The boys exchange a glance, and cross their arms over their chests. “No.” Raising my hand in threat, I prepare to slap the shit out of the little monsters - first one, then the other. However before I can land a single blow they fall to the ground as one, wailing at the top of their lungs and clutching imaginary injuries. “Owwww!!!” They sob, “She hit me!” The sound sends nurses running, and the next thing I know I’ve been caught red handed, my palm still raised in threat, and two little fakers on the ground screaming their heads off with false accusations. The nurses look at me in horror. “What’s wrong with you?!” The head nurse e