The hospital's automatic door opened, and Ziah stepped aside to let me enter the hospital first. Our bodies touched briefly, and I felt a yearning in the deepest part of my soul.My heart began to beat faster. The brief contact sparked a physical response that I couldn't deny. Ziah was fucking handsome, captivating, yet also infuriating. I wanted him so badly, but at the same time, I wanted to grow some spine and independence to show him that I could stand on my own and stop acting like a love-sick puppy. "Come on, hurry,” he said while glancing at his watch. “I don't have all day.”His words and actions hurt, but what could I do?"Yeah," I said, pretending to be absent-minded. His face softened, and I felt his raking gaze but ignored him.Inside, I was struggling. It was hard to let go of the love I still had for him, but we needed to remain civil for the baby's sake.We would co-parent our child, because I would never, ever prevent him from seeing his child. But I needed to learn

"Oh my goodness, Olivia!" I cried out and rushed to hug my friend. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and seeing her made my insides vibrate, I was breathless with happiness. "Look at you," she hugged me back and planted a kiss on my cheek. "It's so good to see you, Cami. You look great!" Holding her hand, I led her outside because the women in the council were having a meeting, and I didn't want to suppress my excitement. "I can't believe you came all the way to visit me," I said to her when we settled on a wooden bench under a tree. "I've missed you so much." "Girl, work has been boring without you by my side. I didn't realize how much of an antisocial person I was until you left. Those bitches are boring and I don't even have anyone to talk to." I grabbed her bag because they were always my favorite snacks and pulled out a package of Twinkies. "Do you still love those? I thought your pregnancy hormones wouldn't let you enjoy them," she laughed, throwing her head back. "I got

The night was chaotic, as Ziah couldn't stop banging on his brother's door and also causing me a headache. Zeke wasn't home, so there was no one to back Ziah up because Grandma Zora was a very heavy sleeper, and I was not surprised that she had slept through the noise. As much as I didn't want to blame Vespa, she was so infuriating by stringing the poor brothers along and claiming she couldn't choose between them.She was just too scared to let go and thought she could eat her cake and have it.Zeke and Ziah deserved much more than her half-hearted attention because it was clear that she loved Kai more than them.My hand went to my flat tummy. I was carrying a piece of Ziah inside of me. If I were in Vespa's shoes, I would be kind enough and have the decency to release him from this love triangle hell, but no, she was so selfish that it blinded her.Every time I see her flirting with all three of them, my blood boils because it's so unfair that she was playing with their emotions, an

My mouth dropped open, and I was too startled to see Ziah standing in front of his car. I hadn't even noticed his presence; else, I wouldn't have kissed George. My eyes clung to him, analyzing his reaction. I could see the icy contempt that flashed in his eyes; he was angry and didn't fail to hide it.I looked away and noticed that George was wearing a twisted smile, like a cat who got the cream, and I didn't like the growing suspicion that George was enjoying this a little too much."You must have seen Ziah staring at us and kissed me," I said. "Now Ziah looked like he was about to explode. This wasn't what I needed. My life was already complicated, and I didn't want Ziah to think I was interested in George romantically."He was going to think I was some kind of cheap flirt who couldn't keep her feelings in check. George was enjoying this, and I didn't like that I put my guard down around him. I shouldn't be letting him kiss me randomly."I inhaled a stuttery breath, and my legs turn

Sitting outside with George after dinner, I had an intuitive feeling that I needed to be careful with my words and actions because I could tell he was upset. We sat together under the shade of the tree, and my mind wandered back to the chaotic dinner scene. Despite Kai and Ziah never getting along, Kai could have used George's analogy to score cheap points. But he instead rebuked George for meddling in their family matters. Beside me, George started gazing into the distance. Fidgeting with the hem of my dress, I contemplated how to approach the situation. George was both right and wrong; he was right because what he said was true—Vespa couldn't possibly marry all three brothers, and it would be weird for an alpha to beg for his wife's attention. But George was also wrong because it was a family matter, and he had no right to intrude into what didn't concern him.I glanced over at him, and his eyes were fixed on some points beyond the horizon. I wanted to reach out and apologize on