The small green-eyed lump ran straight into my arms from the brown-haired woman holding her as if she were baggage.“Uby!”Elle raises her hands in an ‘up’ motion; it's hard to say no to her, especially when her innocence is plastered on her face."Sally, I presume."I utter as I lift the warm bundle that immediately begins to play with my hair."Ruby?""Yes, I am the one you spoke to on the phone. I’d welcome you in for some tea, but your engine is still running.”She offers a sheepish smile to my statement, and as if that’s not bad enough, I can see luggage in the door she left open."Yes, I am in a bit of a hurry, but you did say I could still see her?"She asks.For all her crying, I never expected that she would try to skip town immediately after signing over her custody of Elle to me."For now, she will be in a boarding school for less than a year, at most ten months. But once everything settles down, then, yes, you can still see her."I answer humouredly.I will not see her aga

She had him.Or she would have, had the woman they met earlier not mentioned her mother."Little to lose...?"He repeated, again fumbling his steps in the dance number that...perhaps five days were not enough to master."I could tell your mother."A part of him readied himself for her reaction; he would hold her in place in case she tried to leave him dancing alone.There were a few times when she reacted strongly, and from what he noticed, most of those times had to do with the mention of her mother or parental responsibility. The first was when Elle’s caregiver hurled insults at the child. She froze, and after a while, her expression turned panicky. The second time was a few minutes ago when she interrupted the woman she introduced as her friend. He typically would have forgotten that, but...he wanted to know more about her.She robbed him of that.He spun her, and the softness of her hair brushed his cheek, leaving a trace of her scent on his skin; he almost shut his eyes to experi

The softness of fabric softener has never felt so soothing in my life.I am used to clothes doused in cologne from the men around me; to say Beta Leon feels refreshing would be an understatement.My arms wrap around his big and burly body, pressing myself deeper into him until he is all I can smell.I wasn't crying. At least not anymore.His shirt holds evidence of my existence in the tear stain shape, the smeared makeup and... well, my snot."I'm sorry."I offer."I don't think you should apologise for being sad."He responds, and I almost laugh; I should have said that to Elle."What in God's name do you think you are doing?"My heart’s race from my chest causes my hand to fly between my breasts; for a moment, I thought my heart had left my skin.I hadn't sensed him, I didn't smell the ocean, and there was no sign that the Alpha was close or-"Get your hands off my wife."Upset.Then again, still, oceans are more dangerous than rowdy ones.**Adrian M. Knox"Like the one in Central

"Leash?"I repeat, astounded by his gall."You would threaten to leash me as if I am a dog? A dog you would most likely abandon the second an attractive child so much as swoons before you."The fury in his expression is delicious.Is this why Alba asked me to react?If this is it, then I have been reacting.I have been tasting his regret, but...what if there are different layers to it? What if I can elicit more from him?"I'm sorry for that. I apologised!""Oh, come now, Alpha, if 'I'm sorry' worked, you wouldn't hate my entire family. We both know that word is just a b-"A smile crosses my lips as a bad idea pops into my head."I'm sorry."I utter, and his frown grows as his brows knit in understandable confusion."I'm sorry my father killed someone precious to you."A stillness follows my words, but the expression of more anger that I expected does not come instantly, only anguish that he then covers with a trembling sneer.His scoff follows, and for a second, I expect him to slap m

The meal was delicious; nothing tasted the least bit artificial, and every item was fresh. The setting for the meal was almost buffet-like, where the dining room in the manor held a various array of items, and there were numerous tables due to the number of people eating.On my table was the Alpha, his mother, Elaine’s mother (for whatever reason) and one of the women we undid bean pods with.I may have forgotten how it is to dine with others because, despite the delicious meal, I cannot seem to get anything past my lips.Aside from the questions on 'grandkids' that I try my best to navigate, the word 'mum' no longer leaves my lips.Each smile, each compliment, each forced polite laugh, and each posed question emphasises the feeling that I am not supposed to be here. I feel as if I am stealing moments that are not supposed to be mine.Is that what Elaine felt as she wore my gowns and paraded into my home—if you could even call the Alpha’s manor my ‘home’?Probably not.Everything prob