Lucas and I headed back to Grandma Jo's house after spending time with James and Victoria. I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment.It had been so nice catching up with our friends, laughing, reminiscing about the past, and sharing our thoughts of the future.Hearing them talk about their plans left me feeling a bit... out of place. On one hand, I could relate with them and on the other hand I couldn't.Their plans for the future were clear and purposeful, each step carefully mapped out. But for me, uncertainty loomed like a shadow, casting doubt on where my path would lead.I couldn't share my aspirations, my dreams, or the complexities of my life with them. They had no idea about the responsibilities I now held as the White Wolf, and as much as Lucas was there for me, he couldn't fully understand it either.I felt torn between two worlds, struggling to reconcile the ordinary with the extraordinary, the mundane with the extraordinary. My life was a delicate balancing act, a c

We tried our best to keep our backs turned from the reporters as we continued talking, trying to ignore the flashing cameras."You guys won't believe it," Victoria said, her eyes shining with excitement. "I received my parents' forgiveness right before the ceremony.""What? Really?" I asked, my eyes shifting to James who looked equally as excited."Yeah, after we all had that conversation I decided to go speak to my parents. We argued for a long time and my parent's were being super stubborn about the whole thing. When I reminded them that I would basically be dead if it weren't for James, they started to listen."That's amazing, Victoria!" I exclaimed, genuinely happy for her. "I'm so glad to hear that your parents finally came around."James gave Victoria a proud smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "See, I told you they'd come around eventually. They just needed some time to see things from our perspective."Victoria smiled, leaning into James's embrace. "Thank you, both of

With James leading the way, we managed to get out of the school safely and undetected.The four of us rushed to our parked car, trying to make it out before anyone spotted us.Lucas got in the driver's seat while I took the passenger. James and Victoria hopped in the back. Once Lucas made sure we were all inside safely, he took off.The tension in the air was palpable as Victoria and James immediately bombarded us with questions, their shock and disbelief evident in their expressions."Now that we're finally safe. Shana, Lucas, what the hell is going on?" James demanded, his voice laced with urgency. "How long have you been keeping this from us?"Victoria's eyes bore into us, her disbelief mirroring James's. "I can't believe you never told us about this, Shana... You're the White Wolf? And you've been visiting the palace... or you're going to be visiting the palace?"I tried to find the right words, to explain everything from my first shift on my 18th birthday to Kendrick's involvemen

"We should probably go," James said, glancing at Victoria. "You guys should deal with... whatever is going on."As James and Victoria ordered a ride from them to get home, Lucas and I exchanged a worried glance. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on us."I'm kind of nervous," Lucas admitted, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Edwin is unpredictable, and he wouldn't just say that to scare me. He's done something to my father."A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of what Edwin might have done. Despite all our efforts to be safe, it seemed that danger still lurked dangerously close.Although, I must admit that Kendrick was the last person on my mind."We should go check on Kendrick," I suggested, gently nudging Lucas toward the car. "We need to make sure he's okay."Lucas nodded, his expression grim as he climbed into the driver's seat. With a heavy heart, I settled into the passenger seat, the weight of the unknown pressing down on us was suffocating.As we drove in si

EDWIN POVThe past twenty four hours had been a whirlwind.Information was being thrown at me left and right, and it felt like I couldn't get a second to myself.Kendrick had hundreds of people working for him and it seemed like all of them required something from me.I couldn't take all of it. I was sick of answering a phone call or attending a random meeting that I knew nothing about.I escaped to Kendrick's office when nobody was looking and took a seat at his desk. It was much quieter here and I was only surrounded by the grandness of his office.Unease settled over me as I let my thoughts wander.This is it. This is what I had always wanted.I had finally taken control of the Busch empire. Obstacles like my cousin and uncle didn't stand in my way anymore.Yet, as I scanned through the endless stacks of paperwork and reports, I couldn't shake the feeling of overwhelming dread that washed over me.Taking over Kendrick's empire wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.The weight of