LISA'S POV
The amount of sleep I'm getting feels nice, but for some reason, there isn't the usual pack commotion; that can't be possible.My eyes snap open, scanning my surroundings. This isn't my room. I'm in a dark-themed room with a few touches of white.Looking down, I notice I'm lying naked with nothing but a large duvet covering me. Recalling the events of last night, I feel my cheeks heat up. Instead of the typical pack house commotions, Ronan's arms envelop me in the quiet room, with only the sounds of his light breathing and his musky cedar-wood scent calming my nerves.Turning to face him, I find him looking even more charming in his sleep, lashes cascading down his face. My eyes linger on his bare chest adorned with tattoos. I knew he had a tattoo, but I've never seen it this close.A huge flower design on the left side of his chest catches my attention. It looks like a rare flower, yet it seems familiar. I don't know, but I've seen it somewhere.I bring my hand to his chest, placing a finger on the tattoo, but a surge of electricity at the little contact makes my stomach churn. We both feel the jolt because his body tenses, and I quickly remove my hand, glancing at the alarm clock reading five in the morning.The normal time for my chores to begin, but today I feel a little weak. After last night, I deserve a break. Leaving after what we did might send the wrong message to Ronan. I wouldn't want him thinking I regret what happened between us last night and ran away, not after he told me he loves me.I don't need a mirror to know my cheeks are redder than tomatoes. I wrap my arms tighter around his waist, and he pulls me closer. My head on his chest, I feel like the luckiest girl alive. I smile as the warmth of his body lulls me back to sleep, knowing that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here, in his arms.***
When I wake up later, Ronan isn't in bed with me, but the sounds of pots and pans clashing reach my ears, indicating he's in the kitchen.After a quick shower, I dress in one of Ronan's t-shirts and sweatpants because he ripped my clothes off me last night, and I don't have spare clothes. I looked around the bathroom for a dryer and when I didn't find any, I left my damp hair falling down my back.As I contemplate going downstairs, I don't know what to expect or how to act around him. I don't know if I should act like nothing happened and be normal, yes I should act normal I've never had sex with anyone so I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I don’t know if I should say anything to him or not and if I'm to say anything what should I say? God! This is all so stressful.I feel my heart racing as I walk around the room, beads of sweat running down my neck. It must be hot in here; maybe I should open the windows. When I pull the curtain, a beautiful ocean view greets me from the floor-length window, the sun casting sparkling reflections on the water as seagulls soar through the sky."Do you like the view?" a deep masculine voice asks, and my head snaps in the direction of it.Ronan, leaning against the door frame in nothing but shorts. If I thought his tattoos were impressive when he was lying on the bed then now that he’s standing, it's a whole other level.My eyes dart to his perfectly sculpted abs, and I have to fight the urge to run my fingers on them. "Like what you see?" he teases."What, no!" I quickly reply, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. I turn my gaze to the window."If you say so, but I could've sworn—""Something smells nice down there. Did you cook?" I ask, and he only grins at my weak attempt to change the subject.I feel stupid. Why did I even come up with such a terrible excuse? What do I do? I don't know what to do. Should I stay here, run to the balcony and jump, or walk out of the room? I think walking out of the room would be the most normal thing to do. I should probably go back to the pack house."Er, I have to go," I mumble as I make a beeline for the door."Not so fast," he smirks, blocking my way.I manoeuvre around him, but he smoothly matches my movements, a playful glint in his eyes. "Leaving so soon?" he teases, leaning in a bit closer.My heart stops when I feel the warmth of his proximity, and I fumble for words. "I, uh, just remembered something important. Duty calls," I stumble, my cheeks flushing. Ronan smirks, blocking my path with an amused expression.He leans in a bit closer, his gaze intense. "You're not getting away that easily," he murmurs, his tone sending a shiver down my spine.I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "I really should go," I mumble.He leans closer; his lips are a few inches away from mine. We hear the front door downstairs opening, and I freeze in place. The smell of mulberries hits my nose and the only person I think I know with such a familiar scent– it's Kyle. "Ronan!" he shouted, coming up the stairs, yep that is Kyle. "You're not still sleeping, are you?" The sound of his steps getting closer. "I can't believe you're still sleeping on your big day."He's probably a few steps away from the room, and now I'm freaking out. I can't get caught in Ronan's place, much less in his room and wearing his clothes. I'm so dead.If Kyle finds me here, he'll probably tell, and if words get to the alpha, it will be officially over for me. I try moving, but my feet are stuck in place.LISA’S POV. I attempted to move again, but my feet remained stubborn as if a magnetic force held me in place. I scanned the room, heart pounding, searching for a hiding spot, but none presented itself. The bed caught my eye, and despite the hassle, it seemed like a viable hiding place. "Ronan," Kyle's voice boomed, too late. Kyle stood by the door, eyes shifting between Ronan and me. I took a few steps away from Ronan, trying to appear nonchalant despite the beads of sweat forming on my feet and my uncontrollably shaking legs. “You’re not ready?” Kyle's eyes travelled down Ronan’s bare torso. “What brings you here, Kyle” Ronan questioned. “I’m here to congratulate you, of course.” Kyle stuffed his hands in the pocket of his baggy shorts. Congratulate him! For what? Ronan’s birthday was two months ago. “You’re taking over today. Figured I should drop by before the ceremony,” Kyle explained. Take over? Ceremony? Big day. It clicked; it was Ronan’s succession ceremony. I had fo
LISA’S POVSuccession ceremonies had always been intimate events, usually held in the pack hall or by a bonfire on the beach. However, this time, it was taking place in the open garden close to the borders, which I find a little odd. But, judging by the auras I sensed, there were a lot of guests from other packs, so perhaps they picked this venue for security reasons.I take in a deep breath, turning to the mirror by the entrance. My dress is still in good shape, but my bun, on the other hand, wasn’t as neat as it was. Few strands had stuck out of the bun, making it look messy and a bit sweaty.Running here was a bad idea, but with no means of transport and no one willing to give me a lift, running down here was the only option left on my table, and with my slow short legs, it wasn’t easy.I released my hair from the bun and raked my fingers through it, attempting to make it appear neater before stepping into the garden.My jaw almost dropped to the floor when I took in the place. It
Lisa’s POV:"Everyone, this is my mate Gretchen," Ronan’s voice etched in my head.Mate?The same man I spread my legs for not less than twenty-four hours ago? I think I'm missing something here.He said he loved me, or did he?Did he say those words to get into my pants? Is that his way of torturing me? Using me and dumping me?No! That can’t be the case. We’ve been friends since childhood. Maybe his parents forced him.There must be a reason why he’s picking this beautiful girl with a sweet, unassuming smile and perfectly styled hair over me.She has big blue eyes that are prettier than my dull brown ones, her hair may not be as long as mine, but they were curled into perfection.She is everything I'm not—prettier, nicer, and definitely stronger, but he said he loved me. There must be a mistake.Maybe it’s all a nightmare, so I punched myself, hoping this scene unfolding before me disappears, and I find myself in the safety of my room.When the scene does disappear, I pinch myself a
LISA’S POVSEVEN YEARS LATER“Chrissy and the hot guy in room five are having an affair,” Jessica whispered into my ear, and I almost choked on the hot coffee.“Oh, come on, Jessica, can you not,” I complained, taking another sip of my coffee with a grimace. We're currently standing by the vending machine, aka Jessica’s favorite gossiping spot or tea-spilling spot, as she liked to call it.Jessica and I have been friends for seven years now. After the pack, I ran out of money faster than I thought because I got scammed and almost molested.Jessica’s father found me sleeping on the side of an alleyway and offered to take me home with him. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I didn't have much time to think due to my exhaustion, and following him was the best decision I've made.He treated me as if I were no different from his other children without asking me about my past or how I ended up in the alleyway. When I asked him why he hadn’t asked, he said I will tell him when I’m ready in
RONAN’S POV“I’m sorry, sir, but there's nothing I can do about this,” the short old man said taking off his glasses. He is the fifth healer we’ve invited to treat my dad this month alone, but like the other many doctors and healer his response is same as the rest.Everyone has told me to give up on him, but I can’t bring myself to do it I can’t let him go not now not ever he is the only family I have left. After a group of rebels attacked the pack three years ago, my mother was killed and my father got injured while trying to protect her.In the end, we were able to fight them off and kill the whole group, but nothing about it made me feel victorious. We were left with a few injured wolves, but I lost my mother and I'm slowly losing my father too.While fighting the rebels, my father got stabbed with a weird dagger to the chest, but the doctors here were able to save him, hoping his body will do the rest of the healing. The healing stopped, and he was slowly dying.A healer that ca
Ronan’s POV“That was fast,” Kyle spoke when I walked into my office. He is seated across from an old lady in an ancient-looking cloak, her full grey hair in two long plaits on each side of her shoulders. I figured she is the Marien who came to us with a solution to my dad’s illness.I took a seat across from them. “Hello, Marien. I heard you found a way to treat my father,” I ask, going straight to the point.“Well, after a few tests with a friend of mine, I think we have found a way to save him. I don’t know if it will work, but it will most probably work.”“And what is it?” I try my best to keep the eagerness at bay.“Well, after some pondering, I remembered I had a friend who had treated a case similar to your father’s-““And where can we find that friend?” I cut in.Marien smiles. “Patience, child.”“Well, my friend who treated this case is, well, no longer with us. I found out she passed away a long time ago.” The little hope I had before coming into this room slowly dies.“But,
LISA’S POVAt first, I thought Salvador might have been wrong, but I couldn't dismiss what he said. Looking back at the rearview mirror a few times, I noticed the black van following us.“Kids, hang on tight,” I said before swerving to the next lane, taking the nearest turn in hopes of losing them. But they were fast on my heels. Trying my best not to scare the kids by going very fast, but to my surprise, they were laughing and screaming, “Faster, go faster!”It should have alarmed me that my kids weren’t scared as I raced through the streets. However, it was a little comforting, knowing I wouldn't have a crying child while trying to shake off the van behind me.Glancing at the rearview mirror one more time, the car was far behind, with a motorbike intercepting between us. I managed to make it to the address Stella had sent me earlier.a part of me wanted to go home, but going home wouldn’t be a perfect option, I don't know why or for how long they have been tailing us. So a crowded s
LISA’S POV“Why are you here?” The figure from the shadows moved closer, giving me a better view of who he was.It was Jack, one of the guys from the pack that used to pick on me. His presence sent a little shiver down my spine, memories of the past torment flooding but I pushed them away. “This is no way to welcome a fellow pack member,” Jack smirked, taking slow steps toward the couch I was sitting on in an intimidating manner, but I stayed unfazed."I'm not part of the pack anymore, nor do I need the pack in my life."I slowly stuck my hand into the couch, looking for the little silver dagger I kept inside for security reasons. I never thought I would ever need to use it, but here I am, desperately clutching it, waiting for the right time to stab the two men in my apartment.“So, this is where you've been hiding, huh?” Jack smirked, strolling around the room.“I want you two out of my house in the next sixty seconds.”“Sixty seconds?” Jack cocked a brow, bemused.“Unless you’ve ma