SCARLETT :"Pardon me," I cleared my throat using my fist as a microphone. "Welcome, oh your royal highness," I drawled with sarcasm."Save it," she shut me up."Your majesty, I am quite exhausted. Is it urgent?" I deadpanned."It is actually," she sat on my bed. "What's your relationship with the Alpha?" she asked me."I thought he told you that earlier.""I forgot. Remind me.""I thought princesses were meant to be smart. I'm his assistant.""Jax has never had a female assistant," she flipped her hair. "And I'm more intelligent than your lower-class ass would ever be.""Didn't know you were a stalker. Also, there's always time for firsts.""Our fathers were friends. I've known him since he was struggling to memorize the pack rules. You did something to get the job."Is there an award for that? I thought to myself."The point is," she continued. "If you're an assistant, let it remain that way. I hope you're not sleeping with him," she shot arrows into my eyes with her stare."Or are
JAX:When it comes to her, I don't think. I just do whatever comes to mind. I become irrational in ways that leave me in awe. I didn't plan to kiss her in my office. A part of me itched to, probably because our bond was still there, and I had always managed to keep my fickle desires at bay until then.I was partially grateful for her stomping on my foot so harshly; I would've gone all the way with her. The aftermath of that was something I wasn't ready to deal with. The only issue was how to get her out of my life and mine as soon as possible before she completely infiltrates my existence and I have no control over my actions.I usually don't like to use torture; hell, it wasn't like she was my enemy, the moon goddess was. She paired me with such a stubborn woman after all. I thought I had succeeded in making it clear to her, yet she seemed far from understanding.For the first time in a while, I thought about what to do with Scarlett De Luca, and it was clear that I had to make it ha
JAX:"Hide," Scarlett spoke in a hushed tone."Why should I?" I refused. "We're not doing anything wrong.""Can you just try to understand? It's bad enough that Rosie's accusing me of sleeping with you to get this job," she groaned."Don't mind anything that she says. She doesn't make sense most of the time.""Trying to get you to reason with me is useless," she hissed."Miss?" The maid knocked again."A minute, please," she raised her voice. "Sit," she instructed me, leaving me shocked. If commanding me was a surprise, then she might've succeeded.She got a file out and gave it to me."We shouldn't have taken too much time to open the door, but I suppose this would do since you're so eager to put me in jeopardy," she muttered."Do you have to care so much about what other people think?"She didn't reply to me. Instead, she proceeded to open the door.She must be upset. Truthfully, we were doing nothing incriminating; moreover, whatever we did was none of their business. If I wanted,
JAX:"I'd prefer to see your stylist myself, please. That would be more convenient," I replied."Alright," he smiled."My personal assistant and I would like to excuse ourselves," I announced."She's not done eating," Aaron spoke for her."I see," I narrowed my eyes, went to her side of the table, grabbed her plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and gestured for her to get up. "I'll sort that out with her. Isn't that right, Scarlett? We have a schedule to plan.""Yes, Alpha Jax," she stood up. "Thank you for the meal, your majesties." She bowed, following behind me."Next time, you don't have to bow to them. You're my person, you came with me-""As an assistant," she interrupted me."As my assistant," I corrected her. "And as your employer, I believe I have the right to make clarifications regarding the things you do wrong, but of course, you can treat yourself so little if you wish to.""Why do you care? I'm just your employee," she laid emphasis on the last words."Just because," I sim
JAX:"With this ointment, the marks will quickly fade," the nurse at the infirmary said."Thank you."She blushed. "Yes, Alpha Jax.""If you're okay, we can go now." I turned to Scarlett, who sat examining her semi-bruised wrist."I'm okay." She stood and followed me as I led her to the car. My guards and chauffeurs were waiting, but I dismissed them, much to Scarlett's dismay.I knew she was dying to know why we were going alone, but instead, she remained quiet throughout the ride. I was making her uncomfortable, and I hadn't even tried to. Yet.I stopped in front of the building that caught my attention on our way to the palace. A luxury store for jewelry, accessories, and clothing.YARA; FOR WOMEN. A well-known popular clothing brand.Scarlett looked at me bewildered."Get down," I told her."Why are we here?" She finally said something."Because I want to be here," I replied. "What color was the dress Aaron gave you to wear to the party?""Floral green," she replied."I want to ge
SCARLETT :Alpha Jax had been acting entirely weird towards me in the last forty-eight hours, as if he had multiple personalities. After trying to explain why it would look weird not to wear what I had already accepted, I gave in to the breeze and let it carry me into an unconscious state that was disrupted by the feeling of someone's hand on my face."What are you doing?" My voice was almost inaudible due to our proximity."I was waking you up," he lied. No one wakes another person by touching their lips and cheek."By touching my lips and face?" I was conflicted by my inability to seduce him, but maybe I didn't have to try so hard. This was another chance. I just had to see if it would work."Would you be okay with me shaking you awake like an object?" he asked."No, there are many other ways," I replied, still speaking softly. I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned towards him to match the closeness of his body to mine. The car windows were tinted, ensuring no one could see inside.I
SCARLETT :"Scarlett," he called after me. "Stop walking." I continued."I'm going to drive away and leave you here. Is that what you want?"My heart tugged harder as the tears kept rolling. Like he cares. I moved as fast as I was able to.He was behind me, the next minute he wasn't. He was really going to leave. Water from nowhere fell on my nose. I was still crying, but I was damn sure those weren't from the salty waters of my eyes.I looked up to the sky and saw it begin to darken, like my life was only the shades of grey in the skies had meaning, purpose, and usefulness. The darkness in mine didn't.Just when I was lost, swarming in my thoughts, did I realize I was in the middle of the road, a loud speeding truck honked in my direction.I needed to move, or I'd die, yet I stood there. I mean, I wanted to run to avoid meeting an inevitable doom, but that seemed hopeless, not when I had watched someone dear to me pass away due to something similar.My aunt Darla, my father's sister.
SCARLETT :His warmth, in contrast to the cold weather, usually unmatched, made me want to open up. I knew the probability of him actually caring only existed in my dreams. He must've pitied me so much that he had to pretend to be extraordinarily affectionate, and I truly didn't mind. I'd take it if it was all I could get.I had no understanding of what this feeling was. Chances were it wouldn't count after I broke our bond, yet I wanted to sink myself into it."I was only nine," I began. "My twin and I were out with our Aunt, her name was Darla." I shifted, recollecting the memories. "She was exactly like the female version of my father. She was a hard worker, so she didn't come around much, and when she did, we would go out to the park, get ice cream. She was like that big older sister, only eighteen years older. On that day..."Alpha Jax stayed silent, but his gentle stroking of my hair gave me all the encouragement I needed. "We went to the park like we had always done. Some time
SCARLETT :There was nothing uncool about what they wore, not that it wasn't supposed to be a criterion for leading us to impending doom.They were dressed differently from other rogues, both the ones that attacked and the ones we found dead on the way.The four villains stood in the space we were in, their presence heavy. The woman with long purple hair that fell past her waist, looking wild and untamed, had clothes that were dark, fitting her body like a second skin. She wore shiny metallic gloves, and her boots were tall, making no noise. Her golden eyes glowed with power. It felt as if she could snap my head in two without a worry.The tallest man that had purple hair that reached his shoulders had clothes that were tight and dark as well with no sleeves that allowed seeing his huge arm scar that said more than words. The man was no newbie when he came to fight; he had armor on his chest and shoulders. His pants were flexible, built for action. His golden eyes watched us, unamused
SCARLETT :"How dare you pretend?" Sophie kicked his leg."At least you said the L word twice," Zharn said with pride."Are you girls okay?" Sophie asked the quads."Yup.""Definitely.""A-okay.""My head hurts," they replied one after the other."What about your mom? And the man?" I turned to the back."We checked. They're still alive," one of them quipped."They'll be okay. We have bigger fish to fry," another butted in."Those girls seem so nonchalant about their mom, or is it just me?" Sophie muttered in my ear."Yeah, they seemed carefree earlier," I whispered back. "Maybe they're just super carefree. I mean, that's always better than living in fear. Let's not overthink it.""Hmm.""Come on, Cage. Let's go check if those bastards are dead. I shot their tires too," Zharn limped forward."Are you going to be okay? Your wounds seem bad," I asked, truly out of concern."Scarlett's right," Sophie chipped in."Hey," the Beta turned. "There's nothing I can't handle. Besides, this isn't
SCARLETT :And speed up we did even more so than earlier. The car kept bumping into things on the road that were scattered around. The journey to the pack house had never felt so far.Zharn didn't take the usual route in fear that we could encounter something or someone beyond our control.The girls screamed, squeezed, and gripped me tighter every time we had to bounce in our positions."Can you guys stop yelling? I think my ears are about to bleed out," Cage grunted."Sorry," the girls apologized."When are we going to get my mom?" Emma tugged at my shirt."Soon. Don't be too worried-"A loud bang against the closed ends of the truck reversed whatever comfort that was supposed to be in my last sentence."Duck, everyone!" Cage yelled as bullets shot holes through it."Sit tight, everyone!" Zharn warned from the front seat. "We've got more bastards on our watch!"Zharn sped up on the brakes, and Emma started crying. The quads remained surprisingly calm; they did not say a word or so mu
SCARLETT :"Are we going to stay in the dark?" Gina asked."It'll be fine, Georgia, we're here." Correction. That wasn't Gina."Yeah, and Gloria isn't scared of the dark," Gina pointed out. That had to be Gina."Thanks, Glenda.""I think Emma's afraid too," one of the quadruplets mentioned.They had only met minutes ago, but Emma seemed to like them already.I supposed they were unconsciously mother bonding. Only hers would never return to consciousness.Forget it.These girls look exactly the same. Everyone's the same height except for Gloria, who's an inch taller than the rest."You guys ready?" Zharn held the doors to the back of the truck."You guys wanna come to my side and hug?"With no response, they hurried and hugged me from both sides. I guess Gloria was scared of the dark too."We're ready," Cage replied, and the door was slammed shut."How old are the four of you?" I asked while they squeezed me to death."Twelve," they echoed, even though their voices sounded the exact sa
SCARLETT :"No, seriously. Why is everywhere so deserted?" I asked, peeking through the small hole at the back of the truck where we sat."Let me see." I scooted to the side so Cage could look.He turned to face me. "It really is empty.""I'm scared," Emma mumbled, loud enough for us to hear."It's okay, Emma. We're here," I encouraged her.The truck came to an abrupt stop that made my heart skip a beat."Everything okay?" Cage yelled."Yeah, hold on," Zharn replied. The back of the truck was soon open. "I found something."We got down from the back, and Emma scurried out of the vehicle before we could tell her to stay.Zharn led us to six men from the pack house, four of whom I was familiar with. Three warriors and three trainees.Not too far from them were rogues, beheaded and shot, about eight of them.Six of our men were dead, leaving only one warrior and another trainee severely injured.Sophie clasped her hands over her mouth to contain the shock."H-help u-us," the older man sp
SCARLETT :"This is bad, really fucking bad," Sophie exclaimed as she got out of the car."Everyone grab a weapon," Cage instructed. He handed me a sword, and Zharn took a gun and a sword."Is everything loaded?" The Beta asked."Fully," Cage confirmed."I want a gun," Sophie requested."Can you use one?" Cage inquired.My sister turned to the left and fired the gun."What?" She rolled her eyes at our bewildered faces. "I watch a lot of war movies.""You learned to shoot from war movies?" Zharn raised a brow."My aim might be shit, but I can pull a trigger," she said, tucking the shotgun into her jeans."Emma, have this dagger," Cage offered it to her."Be careful, it looks sharp," I cautioned."Your place looks really bad," Zharn remarked upon looking at it."Doesn't everywhere look ruined today?"The windows of our home had multiple holes in them."Be safe, Scarlett," the Alpha's voice reappeared in my head.I had to choose a moment to live in, between the Alpha saying my name where
SCARLETT :It all happened in a flash. Two of the rogues were soon bound in ropes with glass shards all over them.Cage was bleeding badly, and the little girl wouldn't stop crying."Are you okay?" Of course, he wasn't okay. He was bleeding badly, but the situation had me feeling almost numb. I didn't know what else to say.Sophie grabbed her bag and took her scarf, tore it, and wrapped it around his bleeding palms."What's going to happen to these two?" Soph asked Cage."They'll be held captive for questioning," Cage replied, panting heavily. "This is unusual; rogues have never neared this pack. We have the strongest men positioned at our borders; they never leave. Our security is the best. Someone planned this obviously; it could be someone within the pack. We'll need them to answer to us, I bet everyone has a question or two for them."Hot and cold air brushed my skin as I got goosebumps due to anxiety."You'll never get anything out of us no matter how hard you try," one of the ro
JAX:"Don't go anywhere," I told my wolf, Luca. "I'll be needing you throughout today.""I practically live in you. Just summon me," it told me before disappearing.I wore a full-proof body suit. All my men had them. It didn't keep the head safe, but the rest of the body would be. My men had spread out throughout the pack. My guards accompanied me as we stepped out of my chamber. Dead bodies were spread out on the floor."Your people are out there dying, and you chose to stay in your chamber and take your time like a pretty little princess." Six rogues appeared before me, and before I replied, my men were shot in the head from behind."Nice work," I commended. "Now let me show you how to shoot." My grandfather did not give me affection; he signified approval by giving me permission to learn his secret moves.One deep breath."Luca, I need you.""I'm here, Jax," he responded.Soon, I was behind the five of them, firing silver bullets with both my hands."Fascinating," one of the rogues
ZHARN MEYERS:"Over there," Amy pointed."Why? You're not gonna come any further?""No, we have to stay here just in case you drown or something. That way, we can get help on time," Amy told me. "Besides, look at Tina, she's shaking. That area is too spooky for her."I looked at Tina, who was not hiding very well behind Amy.I groaned. "Hey, Tina, I can get you a new-"She sobbed. "My dolly. Waaaaaaaaa."I grimaced."I'll get it.""Thank you," she said in the most childish voice ever. How can a six-year-old manipulate her way into getting a doll back?I strode to the lake where the full moon reflected directly on the blue water."We weren't just compatible. Zharn, I want you to stop drowning yourself. Move on, find some peace. Find a beautiful woman you love. Get married too," Cleo's voice rang in my head."You'll always have a place in my life, as a friend."Her wedding ring and pregnant belly flashed before my eyes.Tears poured down."Fuck, I'm a grown man. I can't cry," I told mys