LIANAExcitement bubbled within me as Jordan shared his plans, but a flicker of concern crossed Zaylen’s face, subtle yet undeniable. I leaned forward, eager to know more."When are you going to do it?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.Jordan chuckled nervously, glancing at Zaylen before answering. "Well, I was thinking sometime next week, maybe on her birthday."Zaylen remained thoughtful, his brow furrowing slightly. "Are you sure about this, Jordan?"Jordan nodded firmly. "Yeah, I am. It’s about time, Zaylen."I noticed the hesitation in Zaylen's response, and a pang of realization hit me. "Zaylen, is it because they are not mates?" I asked softly, knowing the complexities of werewolf traditions and their emphasis on the bond between mates.Zaylen sighed, his expression conflicted. "It's part of it. The elders are strict about these traditions. They believe in the sanctity of the mate bond, that it’s the foundation of our pack.""But times change," I insisted, frustration
LIANAAs we rose from the bed, I pulled Zaylen along playfully towards the kitchen, where boxes of utensils and pots awaited organization. "So, Mr. Alpha," I teased, nudging him with my elbow, "any secret tips for organizing the perfect kitchen?"Zaylen pretended to ponder for a moment, his brow furrowing in mock seriousness. "Hmm, well, start with putting the knives where I can't reach them."I laughed, knowing exactly why. "Fair point. And the spices?""Arrange them by how likely you are to use them," he replied without missing a beat. "And definitely keep the coffee beans within easy reach of both of us.""Got it, keep both of us caffeinated," I joked, unpacking the coffee grinder with a grin.Once I was done, I glanced at Zaylen again, enjoying the easy banter between us. After a while, Zaylen leaned against the kitchen counter, his smile softening. "How about we take a break now? We deserve it after this morning."I glanced over at Zaylen, appreciating the soft smile on his face
LIANA I sat at my desk in the bustling office, surrounded by the familiar sounds of typing, running coffee machines, phone calls, and coworkers chattering. My best friend, Lara, sat in the cubicle next to mine, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun as she focused on her computer screen. We had been friends since college, and I couldn't imagine working in this office without her. Her sweet, comforting words always made everything much easier. I glanced up from my work and caught a glimpse of my diligent boyfriend, James, walking toward me. He flashed me a quick smile before disappearing into his own cubicle across the room. James and I had been dating for over seven months now, and I was grateful that he also worked in the same office. I have heard people say it's a bad idea to date your colleague, but I, on the other hand, thought it was nice to have a beloved someone to share lunch breaks and vent about work with. There were so many topics we could relate to, and we just
ZAYLEN I watched three pairs of eyes on me, entirely shocked at my appearance, as if I had manifested out of a UFO with three heads on my shoulder. Judging by their astonished look, it totally slipped their minds that this was my office and I always worked overtime. But today, I wasn’t in the mood to work much overtime, so I decided to go home, only to find the guy named James getting sandwiched between two women. How can boys be so dumb? First of all, you shouldn't cheat. And even if you do, do it carefully. How can you get caught? It just ends up with everyone having bad blood. Anyway, it was not my business, but I had to step in because it was happening in my territory. I couldn't tolerate enmity among co-workers. It affected the work environment and work quality; besides, that James guy wasn't even making great reports either, despite having two women in his arms, which made me a little bit curious: what did either of them see in this dude to fight over him? “What’s going
LIANA “Where to now, Boss?” I inquired, not knowing his full address. He had just told me the area he lived in, not the exact location. “Which block do you live in?” “Well…” Zaylen twitched his lips as he thought. “Keep going straight for a bit.” I kept driving according to his instruction, and when we were passing by a park, Zaylen spoke up abruptly, “Stop here.” Immediately, I hit the brakes. “What happened?” He shrugged and opened the door. “I want to take a walk at the park for a while,” saying so, he stepped out of the car, leaving me alone and absolutely clueless. Should I leave him here? I was assigned to drop him home, which I had done already—technically. But surely, the park wasn't the place he called home, was it? So in other words, I still had to stick with him. Instead of waiting inside and getting bored, I decided to follow him. Looking up at the dark sky, I thought I would spend the entire night crying in my bed with a sad tub of ice cream in my lap. But here
ZAYLEN “So if you don't mind, I would like to ask you something again, Zaylen,” Liana started after I told her to start using my name from now on. She had a hesitant look on her face. “Yeah, sure. Ask me whatever you want,” I gave her permission. She looked into my eyes and asked skeptically, “Why do you really want to help me?” “I already told you my reason, didn't I?” I shrugged. “No, no, there has to be a legitimate reason. It's not charity that you don't need a reason for. You agreed to take revenge!” she pointed out, her voice slurred. “Plus, I'm pretty sure it's not just out of goodwill.” “What? I don't look like a person who has goodwill or does charity?” I teased, which seemed to have caught her off-guard. “No… that's not the case. I mean… you know what I mean!” she rambled. “Now tell me the real reason why you would help me.” Getting curious, I took a closer look at her face. Her eyes were a little unfocused due to the alcohol getting to her head, but they were red an
ZAYLEN My eyes widened in shock, my breath caught in my throat. Before I could react, she pulled away herself and slumped her head on my shoulder, lulling herself to sleep. I was left flabbergasted at her action. It took me a whole minute to come back to reality. I let out a sigh as I mumbled, “Drunk people really are the worst.” I looked down at the girl on my shoulder and ended up chuckling. “Pretty sure you won't remember this, will you?” I stood up with her in my arms. “I will let you off the hook for that peck because you are drunk and heartbroken. Anyway, let's get you back home.” It was after I reached her car that I realized I didn't know where she lived. “Guess I'm going to have to take you to my place,” I said to her knocked-out self. I put her in the car and called the maid to prepare a guest room for her. Once I got home, I laid down Liana on the prepared bed and took off her heels before covering her with the duvet. I was used to putting drunk girls to bed, thanks t
LIANA I knew nothing, but all I knew was, I had to run away from here now. I grabbed my phone and purse and put on my heels. Before leaving, I glanced at my messed-up self in the mirror and it didn't at least look like we did anything else last night, despite my haggard state. But now was not the time to be bothered with that. As I got out of the room, it just occurred to me how rich my boss actually was. His mansion was huge, and it had a vintage vibe as well. I had no idea he came from old money. I mean, of course, I knew Fournier has been a long-standing brand with a reputable history. Who could have guessed we had such a similarity in the type of place we grew up in? I told my dad to keep the mansion vintage, but no, he had to renovate it to become modern. Well, whatever, not like he ever listened to me. Shoot! Now is not the time to compare our mansions! On my way down the stairs, I noticed a big painting, which made me pause again. It was of a woman with long white hair st