DECLAN'S POVI continued to stare at the picture in awe when Tristan came inside. I turned my attention from the picture to him."Is this your son?" I asked, trying not to look suspicious for going through his things."Yes," he said with a sigh, his gaze fixed on the photo. "My wife's not ready to meet anyone yet. She is still mourning his death. I'm sorry you have to come all the way here."I nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to intrude.""No, I didn't mean it that way," Tristan corrected, but I waved him off.I gestured toward the picture. "He looks like a happy kid."Tristan's expression softened. "Yeah, he was…"I hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Tristan, I didn't just come here to intrude on your space. I came to invite you. For the ball that will be holding in my pack soon."He gave me a skeptical look before answering. "Why would you want me to be at your party?""Because you are a part of the alliance. Don't overthink it, I just wa

TRISTAN’S POV"Alpha, I have managed to secure a day to meet with those people. Fortunately for us, we don't have to go all the way to their pack." Bruce announced cheerfully."Where will the meeting be taking place if we won't be going there? What day did you pick for the meeting?""They are willing to send a representative over to inspect our pack and see how they can help us. If everything works out the way we want, then we won't have to be bothered about how to get things back together. This is good news!" Bruce exclaimed."Yeah, it is." I kept my gaze on Bruce but my mind was far away. He has been talking for over an hour now and the only thing I heard was the representative part. His voice sounds like an echo in the distance— I can hear it, but I can't make anything out of it."Tristan, is everything okay?" He snaps his finger in front of me, drawing my attention to himself. "I have been calling you, but it doesn't look like your mind is here. Should we postpone the meeting? Is

VANESSA’S POVFeeling excited about the vacation, I went into my room to pack a few things that I would be needing, as I hummed along with my favourite song.Tristan didn't mention how long we would be leaving for, so I contemplated between carrying a big bag to fit in all of my skincare and accessories or keeping it simple.I decided to do the latter. I tried to carry the bag from my closet, but my hands weren't long enough to reach it. While trying to stretch my hands, I ended up drawing a few other things with it and they scattered on the floor, making a loud sound.Ugh! I groaned from the annoying sound they were making when my eye landed on Dame's photo.I picked it up amid the other things lying on the floor as a smile spread across my face. It was a picture of him holding a whisker as he played with flour.I remembered how he said he was going to become a baker that period, after eating his third-year birthday."Mommy, I want to be a baker when I grow up. I will make yummy cake

VANESSA’S POVI was overwhelmed by fear upon realizing that we were at Declan's pack and the fact that Tristan forgot to tell me this of all things intensified my anger and nervousness at the same time.What if he decided to come here when he couldn't see me the last time? What if I run into someone familiar? The panic set in as various thoughts ran through my head, but I reminded myself that it was located on the outskirts of the pack, and there was a higher chance that no one would come there.Tristan stopped the car in front of a little cottage, and he helped me to carry my luggage. I remained quiet, not sure of how to feel when he broke the silence."Are you angry that I brought you here without informing you first?" Tristan asked."No, it's fine," I said with a fake smile. We are here to get away from our problems. I shouldn't ruin the entire trip when it hasn't even begun."This way," Tristan led the way, as he carried our bags. He unlocked the door with his free hand, and I mu

VANESSA’S POVThe room fell silent at the sound of his question. I was the one who started the whole honesty thing, but I wasn't expecting him to ask for something like this. He never did.His eyes pierced into mine as if he was digging a hole to see through the facades, and I knew I needed to be creative with whatever lie I was about to tell.Why don't you just tell him the truth? A voice said in my head, but I waved it off. He would never understand my situation. Even if he did, I have lied about other things so why can't I add one more to the list?I placed the fork I was holding on the plate, making a cracking noise, as I looked everywhere else but his face. "I came from a rogue pack, far away from this realm," I heaved out a sigh.He stared at me for a little while, and I panicked. Has he caught on to my lies? Omg! The look on his face says that he doesn't believe me.Different thoughts erupt in my mind when he breaks the silence. "It's okay, you don't get to decide where you are