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311,659	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311633}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1866787983774137	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your whore's actions."<br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> I spat. "You should know, you didn't deprive me of Luna's title, but I didn't want it myself. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> "Oh, and Alpha, You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> ————————<br /> "Well Zel, I just wanted to let you know that I plan on being the Luna of this pack, and your days as Kosta's mate and luna are numbered. I have decided that I deserve to be luna of the third strongest pack in the nation. I mean why should you get everything and I get stuck with nothing?" Khalis says.<br /> <br /> Is this bimbo serious? I just sat there staring at her for a few seconds. Not much shocks me, but this is something else. I knew Khalis was selfish, but this is on a whole other level. There have been rumors about Khalis sleeping with mated males, but I always gave her the benefit of the doubt. I never thought we would be having this kind of conversation. We have been friends since elementary school. Her father and brothers are elite warriors in my father's pack. She was with me when Kosta declared we were mates. She even encouraged me to go with him when he begged me and my father to let me come to his pack with him before I turned 18. She moved to this pack with me, hoping to meet her own mate. She knows Kosta is my fated mate. The moon goddess chose for him me. We both have known Kosta for most of our lives. Kosta is one of my brother's best friends. I keep thinking about everything we have done together and now this bimbo is sitting in my office telling me she plans to take my mate. I'm really speechless. This is a new low, even for her.<br /> <br /> "Just so that I am clear, what exactly do you mean that you want my goddess-given mate and title," I asked.<br /> <br /> "I mean exactly what I said. I want Kosta. I want to be his luna and I am going to make that happen. I've already started the process. I deserve to be a luna."<br /> <br /> "So you just want to come in here and tell me that you want my mate? What about your own mate? Have you thought about that? If the goddess meant for you to be a luna, you would have been fated to an alpha."<br /> <br /> "I waited for my mate. I gave the goddess a chance to do right by me. She gave everyone around me an Alpha. My sister got one, my little ugly cousin got one and even you got one, but what did I get? I got a lowly elite warrior as a mate." She spat.<br /> <br /> "How can you speak like that about elite warriors? Your father and your brother are elite warriors."<br /> <br /> "I know, and I deserve better than that. I deserve to be a luna. I deserve to have people respect me and cater to me."<br /> <br /> "Well, obviously the goddess did not agree with you," I said. "Just to clarify, you're saying that even though you found your destined mate, the one that was made specifically for you by the goddess, you're still interested in my mate? You are unbelievable. What is wrong with you?"<br /> <br /> "It's simple. I'm not meant to be the mate of a warrior. I am meant to be a luna. The moon goddess got it wrong and I am correcting her mistake. As soon as I scented my fated mate and realized he was a warrior, I rejected him and he accepted my rejection. Good riddance."<br /> <br /> "So you think you know better than the goddess?" I asked.<br /> <br /> I am still somewhat shocked. I have a hard time reconciling this cold-blooded bimbo to the person that has been my best friend for over a decade.<br /> <br /> "Zell, I told you a long time ago not to trust her. She has always been this person. She just pretended with you." Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> "This isn't personal, Zell. It's simple since the moon goddess did not give me an alpha, I'm going to take one."<br /> <br /> This bimbo is sitting here calmly telling me she is going to take my mate from me like we are talking about going shopping. She actually thinks this is ok. How could I have been so blind for so long? Everyone tried to warn me about her, but she was my only friend and I just didn't want to believe that about her. I convinced myself that the others were just jealous of her.<br /> <br /> "Do you really think it is ok to try to break your best friend's mate bond?" I say.<br /> <br /> "Oh Honey, I'm not going to try. I'm going to do it. He will be mine. I'm just giving you the courtesy of walking away with your dignity. You might as well start making arrangements for yourself because once I am the luna, there is no way that I will let you remain in my pack. He may keep some tender feelings for you. After all, you are fated."<br /> <br /> "You got one thing right; Kosta and I are fated. You are not the first she-wolf to try to break our mate bond and since he is an alpha, I'm sure you won't be the last. I will tell you what I tell them all, If you can get Kosta to cheat on our bond, you can have him. If he can do that, then he is not the man I have believed him to be and wouldn't deserve me. You would be welcome to him. Just remember, it is because of me and my family that this pack is ranked third. All of that goes with me, but you would be more than welcome to whatever is left." I say.<br /> <br /> "It's not an if, it's a when it happens. And when you leave, Kosta will still be the alpha of this pack. You will just be the ex-luna of the pack. I will be the luna."<br /> <br /> "That's where you are wrong. I am alpha born; a pure-blooded alpha. If I leave, I will still be an alpha and you will still be that bimbo on the side. Some males may be dumb enough to sleep with you, but I have not seen any of the mate men you've been accused of leaving their mates for you. Even the ones who got rejected didn't choose to be with you. Now I suggest you leave my office while I am still being nice or else you will find out why I am feared by others. And if you are successful, don't think for a minute that my family will let either of you go."<br /> <br /> "I will leave for now. Enjoy this office while it is still yours. Your arrogance will be your downfall. Why should I fear you or your family? They have not even been around since your luna ceremony. I'll give you 1 week to make arrangements for yourself. In 7 days, all of this will be mine and you will be out. I will break you and completely disgrace you. I have to thank you for working so hard to build this pack up for me to take over. I will be sure to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I and my children will enjoy this. I am glad he listened to me early on when I told him to wait to have children so you could live your life first. I had to set the groundwork just in case. Now it's time for you to go before you give him an heir." Khalis says and walks out of my office like nothing happened.<br /> <br /> She has caused a lot of chaos since coming to this pack. I just didn't realize her character before now. I thought she was misunderstood. Now I know I was just naïve. It appears that I was the only person blind to her true nature.<br /> <br /> I spent the rest of the day working on pack security and setting up meetings. There are a few alphas wanting an alliance with us. Kosta and I have become quite the power couple in the werewolf society. Since we took over as alpha and luna, the pack and the businesses have grown tremendously. I put my heart and soul into making our pack the best. I got an early start. I graduated from high school when I was 16 and went to university. I graduated with a business degree at 20. Kosta has let me take the lead in our businesses. He knows that beast at negotiation and a whiz at growing businesses. I have acquired several new companies since working in the pack business. Kosta is still the CEO, but I am the COO of the company. I broker the deals and then call Kosta in to close the deal. Most alphas in our circle are jealous of Kosta because he has me at his side. Kosta used to be proud of me and what I did for the pack, but lately he has been resisting the changes I have been making and trying to take over more of the daily operations of the pack. He can't take it all because I am the sole financial backing of the pack and the businesses.<br /> <br /> I am known in werewolf society as a child prodigy, but don't get it twisted, I am not all brains. I can be very deadly when needed. I train every day. I am one of the strongest wolves alive, although I keep that hidden. I can be ruthless, but fair. I know that I am the total package. I am athletic, tall with curves in the right places. I've never been one to compete with other she-wolves. I thought I was happy and had a good life. I thought Khalis was happy. We used to talk about finding our fated mates. I just can't understand how or why Khalis would try to come between me and my mate. I wish I could believe that my bond was safe and solid, but Sapphire is right about Kosta acting suspiciously lately. Kosta has been questioning me a lot lately. It's like he woke up a different person one day. He suddenly lost trust in me, but I have never given him a reason to doubt me. I have found him outside of my door listening to business phone calls, which is crazy because he could just walk in at any time and join the conversation. I have never hidden anything I was doing from him. The worse thing is that our life is now nonexistent. Kosta is always too busy or too tired. His behavior has led me to believe that he is not attracted to me anymore. He had the nerve to ask me why I have been trying so hard to seduce him lately. Like he didn't just stop making love to me cold turkey all of a sudden. We went from making love every day, sometime multiple times a day, to nothing in over a month. Seems like he should have been worried if I didn't try to seduce him. I don't know any mated pair that has gone this long without being intimate with each other. I don't know what the issue is. If we were not marked, I would wonder if he was cheating, but I know he is not. I would have felt it. Why did all of this suddenly become so hard? Why do I even need to seduce my goddess-given mate? It was never supposed to be this way. At least not yet. I'm only 20 years old. Much too young to be going through a dry spell while mated.<br /> <br /> I got so desperate at one time I asked our friends what was going on with him. Kosta tells his beta and gamma everything. I figured if there was a problem, they would tell me and I could fix it, but they just said that he was under a lot of stress. What exactly does he have to stress about? The pack is doing better than it has been in years. In half a year, the pack will be self-sufficient again and won't need to depend on my finances to keep it afloat. I have everything set in motion for the pack to have more disposable cash and residual income. I have a feeling this has Khalis written all over it. Kosta appears to have fallen in line with her already. Maybe this was their plan all along. Kosta needed me to get his pack back on track and now that they are almost completely independent, they don't need me anymore. If that's the case, they are in for a rude awakening. My six-month plan depends on me closing several more deals. All of these deals are allies with my father, uncle, and grandfather. They will not work with Kosta if our bond falls apart. He would erase everything that I have done over the past three years. Well, that would be his problem.<br /> <br /> I got so caught up in working and thinking; I didn't realize I worked up to dinner time. No one called me for lunch. In fact, no one called me for dinner. That is strange. One of the omegas usually checks on me when I am working too much and makes sure I am eating. I guess everyone is following Kosta. Since he has not been showing me any care, they are not either. That really hurts. I sacrificed a lot for this pack. I thought they cared more than this for me. I should just go back to my room. I don't know if I want to be around this pack right now, especially if they could turn their backs on me this quickly. Were they all just using me for my family's wealth?<br /> <br /> "We need to eat Zell. Remember, we are eating for our pup as well. Don't let them win. We are better than this. If they show us they don't want us here, we will leave. Remember, we are alpha born. We will rise above this. We will go back to where we are celebrated. If they turn against us, they don't deserve us. We will sit back and let them destroy themselves."<br /> <br /> "You are right Sapphire. Let's go eat. Our pup needs sustenance."<br /> <br /> I went and cleaned myself up and walked to the dining room. As soon as I walked through the door, all the talking stopped. The whole place went silent. As I walked all the way in, I saw why everyone went silent. Khalis was sitting in my seat, putting food on Kosta's plate like she is the luna. When she saw me, she just smirked and kept doing what she was doing. Kosta just keep eating like I was not standing there. Sapphire stared, pushing forward. She wanted blood. I did too, but I have to think about our pup.<br /> <br /> "What is going on, Kosta? Why is she sitting in my seat feeding you?" I growled.<br /> <br /> "I meant no harm, Zell. You were busy, so I decided to take care of Kosta for you. Someone needs to care for him while you are caring for other things. "<br /> <br /> "I was speaking to my mate, not his bimbo on the side."<br /> <br /> "You were not here for your mate, so I have been taking care of his needs."<br /> <br /> Sapphire pushed forward and growled loudly. Everyone in the room bowed their neck to her.<br /> <br /> "I could kill you in less than 30 seconds, Khalis. I would advise you not to keep crossing my line and you will find yourself very dead. You obviously have forgotten who I am. Don't make me remind you what my family name is," Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> I regained control and looked at Kosta. He didn't even appear to be concerned. He didn't show an ounce of regret or remorse. That took a little of the fight out of me. Khalis can only do what Kosta allows her to do.<br /> <br /> "Kosta, I asked you a question. What is going on?"<br /> <br /> "As Khalis said, you were busy, so she came to do your job for you. If you spent more time catering to me, your mate, and less time working or whatever you are doing, Khalis wouldn't have to step in and take care of my needs." Kosta said.<br /> <br /> I and every pack member gasped. I could not believe he openly disrespected me like that after everything I have done for him and this pack. I did all of that for him. This ungrateful hip.<br /> <br /> "So now I'm working too much, making your pack financially secure? You were not complaining when the pack was bankrupted and I worked day and night just so you could feed the pack another day. I was working too hard then. It's only now that you think the pack is out of the woods that I am working too hard. Now that everyone is comfortable and not at risk of starving, you want to change. Ok, I see who you are now. So instead of appreciating the sacrifices I made for us and the pack, you are sitting here with your bimbo, enjoying the feast that my hard work made possible. I am glad I finally understand where your priorities lie. Trust me, I will never make the same mistake twice." I said and walked away.<br /> <br /> I need to get out of here before I wolf out and kill one of them. After tonight, Khalis can have him. He is not the male I thought he was. I refuse to fight for someone who can spit on all the effort I put into making him great.<br /> <br /> "Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> <br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your bimbo's actions."<br /> <br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> <br /> "Alpha, what are you doing?" Beta James asked<br /> <br /> "Mind your business Beta. This is my pack." Kosta says.<br /> <br /> "Yes, and as your beta and friend, it is my job to tell you when you are making a mistake. Alpha, you are dangerously close to crossing the line of no return. Let's all calm down and discuss this later." Beta James said.<br /> <br /> "Beta, my word stands. Zel, until you learn to respect me as your alpha, you can forget about representing this pack in any aspect. I will be instructing the security team to restrict all of your access. You are no longer the COO of our businesses. As of now, you are just a regular pact member with no power."<br /> <br /> "First of all Alpha." I spat. "Respect is earned. While you are trying to throw your weight around, you can have the luna title back. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I also provide 60% of the pack budget from my personal accounts. So while you can restrict my duties as Luna, you cannot touch the business, but I'll do you a solid. You can buy me out of the business and I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> <br /> I can see that he had forgotten how dependent his pack was on me, but oh well. He made his bed. Now he and his bimbo can lie in it.<br /> <br /> "Oh, and Alpha, if you try to strong-arm me, I will have to call in the full loan that I gave this pack when we mated. Remember, we signed a contract for the loan. You have only paid me a small portion of the loan and I have not pushed the issue, but the contract is legal and binding. Don't push me, Kosta. You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> <br /> I walked off again and made it as far as the stairs. I realized that I could not stay in my current room anymore. There is no way on this goddess-green earth that I want to be in a room with Kosta. Not that he has really shared it with me lately. Now I know why. Khalis has been feeding him and he has been eating it up. They both miscalculated. They thought I would be leaving here with nothing. The jokes on them. I may have been in love, but there is no love in business. I may have put my all into saving this pack and making it independently wealthy, but my parents did not raise a fool and I protected my finances. I invested millions in this company and pack. Did he really think I would protect my money? Does he not remember the prenup my father made him sign since I was a minor when he brought me to this pack? He never gained control over my finances.<br /> <br /> Khalis just showed her hand. After what I just saw, she has a right to be confident. Kosta has completely changed. He is not the man that I mated. He is not the boy that I followed around when I was younger. I don't know what happened or when he changed. Maybe this is who he really is and, like with Khalis, I just never saw his true self. He must have hidden it from my father and brother as well. There is no way they would have let me come here when I was 17 if they knew this was how he would end up treating me. I can see now that it is over between Kosta and me. I need to start planning my exit. I pulled up my computer and moved all of my finances from the pack accounts. I closed all the joint accounts I had with Kosta. It was mostly my money that financed them. I left the ones that he financed in his name. I don't want anything from him at all. After I handle business, I call my brother. I will need his help to leave here safely. Now that Kosta knows that all the money is still tied up with me, I doubt he will let me leave easily. I'm sure he and the bimbo are plotting up something.<br /> <br /> I called my brother and tall him waht happened.<br /> <br /> "So what's the plan, baby sis?" my brother answered.<br /> <br /> "Well, I have already moved all of my personal money from the pack accounts. They are now responsible for themselves. I'm not sure how that is going to go over. I was covering most of the pack's budget. Tomorrow, I will contact my attorneys to protect all of my other assets. I also plan to call our allies and let them know that I am no longer associated with the pack. I am erasing everything I've done over the past three years. They will need to start over from scratch and rebuild it all on their own. There is no way they will get to enjoy my hard work. No, sir."<br /> <br /> "Very smart Zell. What do you need me to do?"	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311,540	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311627}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	359482280203452	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	He rushed after me and grabbed my arm. “Wait a second, Layla. I’m sorry. I messed up. Just give me a second to explain.”<br /> I yanked my arm free and scowled at him. “Don’t touch me.”<br /> “Come on, Layla. Don’t be like this. Talk to me. I feel like bad.” He tried to take my hand again. “Please, baby.”<br /> I wasn’t going to let him see that I was upset. No way. He didn’t deserve that. Instead, I stepped away from him and snarled. “Touch me and I’ll break every one of your fingers, Matty. Go and finish your client. I believe she’s still waiting.”<br /> ————————<br /> “Oh, yeah! Eat me, Matty!” The woman screaming for my boyfriend was the lead singer of a moderately popular band called The Homewreckers. It was an aptly named band, apparently. Of course, she sounded amazing as she screamed. I always felt like a choking chimpanzee when I came out loud.<br /> I stood in the doorway of The Homewreckers’ dressing room and took a deep breath. Unfortunately, it was scented with weed. “Hey, Matthew?”<br /> Matthew, who’d always told me he hated being called Matty, yanked his head out of Miriam Dark’s private part and spun around to face me. It was almost comical how fast he spun and how wide his eyes were. He was white collar handsome. His hair was always perfectly cut, his eyebrows were never too long or bushy, and he shaved his face twice a day. He had nice blue eyes and a nice smile. Nice body, nice guy. Well, maybe not a nice guy. After all, his face was covered in another woman’s private part fluids.<br /> “Layla! What are you doing here?” He climbed to his feet and I watched in disgust as he shoved his flaccid shaft back into his nice dress pants. Then, as an afterthought, he wiped his face and stumbled closer to me. “This isn’t…”<br /> I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t what it looks like? God, Matthew, at least be original.”<br /> Miriam took her time closing her legs and gently patted Matthew’s shoulder. “Are we done here, Matty? Or do you think you’ll be finished soon and want to finish here?”<br /> Laughing, I rolled my shoulders and leveled a hard stare at Matty. “We’re done. Whatever we had is over, so feel free to finish playtime with whoever and whatever. I’m on vacation for a few days, so don’t call me.”<br /> He rushed after me and grabbed my arm. “Wait a second, Layla. I’m sorry. I messed up. Just give me a second to explain.”<br /> I yanked my arm free and scowled at him. “Don’t touch me.”<br /> “Come on, Layla. Don’t be like this. Talk to me.” He tried to take my hand again. “Please, baby.”<br /> I wasn’t going to let him see that I was upset. He didn’t deserve that. Instead, I stepped away from him and snarled. “Touch me and I’ll break every one of your fingers, Matty. Go and finish your client. I believe she’s still waiting.”<br /> “Jesus. You work for me, Layla! How do you think this is going to go?”<br /> I backed away from him. “I think it’s going to go just fine. Like I said, I’m on vacation. Don’t call me. Don’t message me. Don’t think about me. As my ex-boyfriend or my boss.”<br /> “People ! Maybe not you, the perfect Layla, but normal people. You have to accept that.” He followed me. “I know that. I shouldn’t have started anything with Miriam, but when I’m on the road with the band, it’s hard. I miss you and she’s there.”<br /> My heart hardened and I took a deep breath. “How long have you been her?”<br /> He swallowed so hard I saw his Adam’s apple bobble. “Come on, Layla. None of this will matter. I’ll stop. I’ll stop and we can get engaged. You want that, right?”<br /> I gagged. “Ew, Matthew. There’s not a chance that I’m getting engaged to you! I’d rather stick my papilla in a truck winch and turn it on.”<br /> Miriam sauntered out of her dressing room topless and looked me over. “We’ve been for a year. Matty eats private part like a champ.”<br /> A real smile stretched my lips. “ He might get an climax, but a champ? Hardly. Anyway, enjoy him. I hope him not having a girlfriend doesn’t ruin your lady boner.”<br /> “Miriam, go back inside! Layla, just stop and talk to me!”<br /> Miriam and I both answered Matthew in unison.<br /> I looked at her and shrugged. “Maybe you’re not all bad.”<br /> Without waiting for either of them to say anything else, I turned around and walked away, ignoring Matthew as he called my name. Eventually he stopped and I walked faster. I needed to get out of there before I cried. I wasn’t about to cry backstage at a music festival. Someone would probably jump out and tit punch me as some anti-crying ritual.<br /> As I walked faster, I couldn’t fight the way my eyes filled with tears. No matter how lackluster Matthew was, I’d devoted years of my life to him. I’d just wasted my vacation time on him, too. I thought sneaking out to meet him on the road would be fun and lend some much needed excitement to our relationship. Things hadn’t been good…ever…but I’d hoped that we could at least get back to a place where I didn’t dread seeing him at work every day.<br /> I wiped at my eyes and felt the mascara I’d coated my eyelashes with earlier. Stupid. I swore and stomped my way farther away from Matthew and the ugly end of our relationship.<br /> I couldn’t wait to get back home to my apartment and destroy everything of Matthew’s that he’d left behind. I needed to update my social media. I didn’t do much on it anymore, but I couldn’t stand the idea of people thinking I was still with the loser. I’d have to call Grandma. That thought made me want to sob. She hated Matthew, but she liked that I wasn’t alone in LA. Knowing I was single again was going to worry her. And if she told Jagger, my older brother, about me being single, Jagger would call and demand to know what’d happened. It was just a mess.<br /> Growling out a frustrated sound, I looked down to make sure I stepped over a big mess of cords. I couldn’t believe someone had left the stage like that. It was a hazard. Not to mention, it would be so easy tothe show if someone tripped over the wrong cord.<br /> I should’ve been paying attention because when the crowd’s wild cheering broke through my self-pitying stupor, I looked up to see how close I’d gotten to the main stage. Unfortunately, a man with a guitar was coming off the stage, looking back at another man behind him. I was moving too fast to stop in time and he wasn’t looking. It happened so fast that I didn’t even make a sound as I smacked right into the man and felt pain before bouncing off his hard body and going down hard. Those tangled cords.<br /> I heard a deep voice growl above me, but I reached up to feel my forehead and felt something wet. I knew my eyes went as wide as softballs and when I pulled my fingers down and saw red, I groaned. Blood was my kryptonite. My vision darkened and I gagged on my way down.<br /> ___<br /> “Well.” By the time I realized what was happening, the curvy brunette was flat on the ground. I dropped to my knees next to her and swore when I saw the blood on her forehead. “This is a new form of falling for me.”<br /> Xavier squatted on her other side and frowned. “Not really a great time for joking. You knocked her out.”<br /> Jones sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Where’d she come from? Also, maybe look where you’re going from now on. You ran the poor thing over. Big time.”<br /> I brushed her hair out of her face and had a completely ridiculous moment of feeling like I was staring down at Sleeping Beauty. She was gorgeous. I gently patted her soft cheek. “Ma’am? Hello?”<br /> “Great work. She’s jumping right to life.” Jones looked over his shoulder. “You’ve got about thirty seconds to get her on her feet and out of the way before the crowd beats back security and runs back here.”<br /> I forced my eyes to her forehead and frowned. The cut was definitely from my baby. It looked like either a cord or a corner of my guitar had hit her just perfectly to leave a small cut. The skin around the cut didn’t look too angry and overall, she looked okay. Besides being unconscious. I ran my hands under the back of her head and felt around to see if I found a lump from her hitting her head on the ground, but there was nothing.<br /> “The medics are tied up at another stage.” Xavier growled in frustration and stared down at the woman. “Cut looks fine. Anything along the back of her head?”<br /> I shook my head. “No. She seems fine, honestly.”<br /> “I don’t like that she passed out.” He sat down across from her and rested his elbows on his knees. “Go ahead and shower. I’ll watch over her until you’re back.”<br /> Xavier, Jones, and I had served in the military together. We’d each done enough time to know how to take care of basic medical emergencies and several other things we’d never need in civilian life. It’d been a long time since any of us had to do first-aid in the field, but we could still hold our own.<br /> “Sure. I’ll be fast.” I winced. “I’m the one who plowed her over. I should be the one that has to explain it.”<br /> I showered as fast as possible in the small bus bathroom but I still wasn’t fast enough. By the time I shut the water off, I could already hear a husky female voice I didn’t recognize ranting away. I wrapped a towel around myself and rushed out to apologize and get her to stop chewing out Jones and Xavier.<br /> What I found wasn’t her chewing them out, though. She was pacing back and forth in front of where they sat on their own couches with her hands on her hips and fury on her face. She wasn’t angry at us, though. Nope. It seemed another man had pissed in her cereal that morning.<br /> “This is just the cherry on the cake. Why not get a scar to memorialize the day I walked in on my boyfriend cheating on me? I’m so angry I could punch him in the shaft。<br /> I swear all three of us males cringed. I also had to rearrange my thinking. She was no Disney princess. She had spunk, to say the least.<br /> “She had the nerve to brag about his oral skills. Please. I literally have had better climax humping my hand. Either her needs are rock bottom, which is great for her if that’s the case, or she was just lying to try to hurt me. I’m embarrassed, sure! It’s not everyday you walk in on your boyfriend motorboating Miriam Dark’s private part lips, but whatever. I’m just pissed. I came all the way here. I shaved. I put lotion on every inch of my body. Even the backs of my knees. Did I care that they’re going to get sweaty faster now? Nope. I wanted to be smooth.”<br /> I leaned against the doorway and let myself really look at her. She was taller than I’d thought and had legs that stretched on for miles. The black jeans hugged she in a way that made my mouth water. Her waist clipped in just enough that my hands would fit in the notch perfectly if I was taking her from behind. Her shirt made her full chest look even more delicious while she was standing and I was at half-mast almost immediately.<br /> Her body, as stunning as it was, barely touched on the beauty that was her face. Her big blue eyes were surrounded by dark eyelashes and her pouty mouth was stained red. She had dark brown hair down to her shoulders that curled wildly. If she hadn’t been swearing, her creamy skin would’ve really made her look like a Disney princess. She could’ve probably gone down to Florida and got a job playing one of them right then. I’d never been attracted to a Disney princess before, though.<br /> “And you want to know the worst part? I work for the stupid prick. And no, before anyone has the jackass assumption that I’m sleeping my way into my position, I’m not. I’m better at his job than he is and I’ve been sticking around for even longer than I should’ve because he kept promising that he’d put in a good word with his boss for me. Because I deserve it. I do his work. I can’t remember the last time he’s had to do a single thing. At least he chose to Miriam himself. Although, I’m pretty sure I’d be better at that, too.”<br /> Jones snorted and held up his hands when the little firecracker spun on him. “I’m not disagreeing with you, honey. I’m just enjoying hearing you eviscerate this.”<br /> She stared at him and slowly her face darkened and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She looked absolutely distressed and I hated it.<br /> “What’s wrong?” I made myself known and was rewarded with watching her eyes trail down my chest. The way her eyes got all bedroom heavy and she licked her lips turned that almost solid excited into a full blown excited. I had to shift to hide it from her curious eyes.<br /> She glanced back at Jones and then at Xavier. <br /> Xavier stood up and inched towards her. “Are you okay? Your head… Is it hurting?”<br /> She looked up at him and I saw the way her body naturally swayed towards my giant of a best friend. Something about that made me want to hug her. Some women treated Xavier and his size like a threat and it hurt him. “ I can’t believe I didn’t realize before now. You’re JAX.”<br /> Jones sighed and nodded. “Yep.”<br /> She pushed her curls back from her face. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to fangirl. I’m just mortified. I work for your record label and this is now the most unprofessional vacation I’ve ever taken. I have to go. Can you just forget you ever saw me?”<br /> While I sat quietly on one of their couches, the guys took turns taking showers and getting ready. I canceled my hotel room for the night and tried to book another, but everything was full. I decided I’d just sleep in my rental car that night and leave for the airport as soon as I woke up. I could clean up there and catch an earlier flight back home without having to wait too long, if I was lucky.<br /> A knock on the door came a little while later and I got up to answer it without thinking. I was used to doing everything for Matthew and that attitude just extended to other parts of my life, it seemed. I was hanging out with the biggest band at the record label. No matter how many ways or times Mack suggested I look at them as regular guys, that wasn’t going to happen. They were all over the place in the Bingham office building. How I hadn’t immediately recognized them at first showed how angry I’d truly been.<br /> I almost had my hand on the door handle to open it when Jones’ fingers closed over my wrist and pulled me away. I stumbled from the surprise of him suddenly appearing out of nowhere and he righted me with his hands on my hips.<br /> “You don’t know who’s knocking. You don’t answer the door unless you know who it is.” He eased me back a few steps and opened the door himself. A few seconds passed before he closed it again and turned to me with my bag. “Are you sure this is all you need?”<br /> I took the bag but I couldn’t help myself. “You answered the door without knowing who it was.”<br /> He shrugged. “Yeah?”<br /> “But you just said I couldn’t.” I dropped my bag on the couch and crossed my arms over my chest.<br /> He inched closer to me and I was immediately aware that we were the only two people in the front of the bus. “You’re tiny. If someone had bad intentions, it would be a lot easier to hurt you than it would be to hurt me.”<br /> I scoffed. “I’m not tiny. I’m bigger than most of the women who were trying to climb up the stage at your concert tonight, I bet.”<br /> He stepped even closer. “You’re tiny compared to me.”<br /> “I can open doors, Jones.” I tipped my head back slightly to hold his gaze as he moved closer.<br /> His hand curled around my waist and I got another flash of his tongue ring when he licked his lips. “You can do a lot of things, I’m sure, Firecracker. That doesn’t mean you should. That ex of yours might’ve let you do all sorts of things by yourself, but just consider that maybe that’s because he isn’t a real man.”<br /> I flushed as his words sank in. My natural instinct to argue was there, but I swallowed it down and smiled instead. “Maybe you’re right.”<br /> He glanced over my shoulder and took a step back. “Bathroom’s open. Go, get changed.”<br /> I looked over my shoulder and saw Mack standing in the pathway that led to the rest of the bus. He was dressed, thankfully, but it didn’t exactly take away from his hotness. I grabbed my bag and walked towards him. “I got my bag. Thanks, again.”<br /> He nodded and moved sideways, but not out of the way. The three of them on the bus didn’t leave a lot of extra room to move around, especially towards the back half of the bus. When I moved past him, my chest brushed against his and I watched his eyes narrow on me. I held my breath and then bumped right into Xavier. He wrapped his arm around me to keep me steady and I found myself plastered against his chest.<br /> “Not a lot of space back here. Sorry.” Xavier gently moved away and smiled. “Let me get out of your way.”<br /> I shook my head and nodded back at Mack. “Mack didn’t. I’ll just squeeze by.”<br /> Squeezing past Xavier was an even tighter fit and it wasn’t just my chest that rubbed against him. I felt a bulge in his pants against my stomach and fought the need to look down and see if it looked as big as it felt.<br /> He grunted when my bag hit him after I made it through but when I turned to check on him, he held up his hand. “I’m good. Go on.”<br /> I was slipping into the bathroom when I heard Mack laughing. “Put that thing away before you poke someone’s eye out, X. Jesus.”<br /> I pressed my back against the door and covered my face with my hands. I was pretty sure I wasn’t living in reality anymore. Working in my job meant I’d seen several famous musicians, but whatever was happening with JAX felt different. I was sure they were just flirts, but I was picking up big energy.<br /> I opened my bag and looked at the things I’d brought and made a split second decision. My anger at Matthew directed my hands as I pulled out the outfit I’d planned to seduce him with. A corset top that made my boobs look out of this world and a skirt that flirted around my thighs with every move I made weren’t things I’d typically wear out in public, but I was going out for a drink with one of the biggest bands in the country. I wanted to look as good as they did. Or, at least try to.<br /> Both the top and skirt were black, as were most of my clothes. I nearly died trying to get on the corset, but with a little maneuvering and a papilla almost lost in the battle, I got it on. I slipped my feet into black strappy heels that I only wore on special occasions so Matthew didn’t complain about the way I towered over him. I spent a few minutes darkening my makeup for a night out and put a gloss over my red lips to make them pop.<br /> It was as I was working my hair into a cute half-back style that I realized I was primping like I was going out on a date and maybe doing too much. I was suddenly embarrassed and horrified that I would walk out of the bathroom, just to have the guys look awkward about how much effort I’d put into simple drinks. My heart hammered and I pulled my cell phone out to quickly send a picture to Jagger.<br /> Do I look like I’m a desperate groupie?<br /> He called immediately. “What are you wearing? Are you going out with that, wearing that?”<br /> To say that my brother hated my recent ex would be an understatement. “Just tell me that I look okay. I’m nervous. I’m not going out with Matthew. I found Matthew cheating on me a few hours ago and dumped him.”<br /> “I’ll murder him.” Jagger growled out the words and I heard the sound of his screen door slam shut.<br /> “Look, we can do the Matthew dance later, but I’m about to go out for drinks with JAX right now, Jag. JAX. Do I look desperate?” I stared at my reflection and frowned. “I think I look desperate.”<br /> “What did you say?”<br /> Groaning, I accidentally stomped my foot and then glared at the appendage like it’d wronged me. “You heard me, Jag.”<br /> “You look fine. You’re going out with JAX? As in my favorite band? I don’t believe you. Send me a picture.”<br /> “I’m not sending you a picture, Jag!” A knock on the bathroom door made me yelp. “Just a minute!”<br /> Mack’s low voice came from the other side of the door, clear as day. “Why don’t you come out here and let us tell you that you don’t look desperate?”<br /> “Was that one of them? Put them on the phone. Right now, Layla Rose Morgan!”<br /> I shoved the phone out of the door and pressed my forehead against the wall. It would’ve been good to know the bathroom wasn’t sound proof before I’d taken Jagger’s call.<br /> Mack reached into the bathroom and wrapped his arm around my waist, easily tugging me into his arms and towards the front of the bus while he spoke with Jagger. “So, Jagger, huh? Who are you to Layla?”<br /> I couldn’t hear Jagger’s reply but whatever it was made Mack grin. I swallowed my nerves and looked up to see Jones and Xavier’s eyes heat when they saw me. I barely resisted the urge to tug my skirt down and moved out of Mack’s arms instead. I put my hands on my hips and stared up at him. “He’s my brother.”<br /> “Layla Rose, huh?” He listened to Jagger and smiled wider. “She is a little prickly, now that you mention it.”<br /> I swore. “Do not listen to him.”<br /> Mack looked over my head at Jones and Xavier. “Layla was named after the Eric Clapton song and her middle name, Rose, is from the Poison song.”<br /> “Every Rose has its Thorn?” Jones let out a laugh. “Wow.”<br /> I shook my head. My entire childhood, every time I got angry, one of my parents would sing the song at me. They’d said they doomed themselves to a sassy kid when they named me Rose. It was something I’d pretended to hate but I secretly loved it. Grandma and Jagger were the only people in my life who still sang it at me when I acted spicy with them.<br /> “Well, Jagger, thank you for giving me that information, but I’m in desperate need of a drinks.” Mack looked back down at me and his smile was devious. “And don’t worry, Jagger. Your sister doesn’t look desperate.”<br /> I took the phone and turned away from them while pressing it to my ear. “Happy now?”<br /> “Are you hooking up with them? I swear to god, I recognize the sound of a boner and that man had one when he said that last bit.” Jagger didn’t sound angry, like he normally would’ve. He was the stereotypical big brother and loved threatening men who looked at me. “Wait. Let me talk to him again.”<br /> “No!” I lowered my voice and tried again. “No. Not a chance. Goodnight, Jagger. I love you. Talk to you later, okay?”<br /> He grumbled. “Take pictures. I love you, too. Even more now.”<br /> I hung up and turned back towards the guys. I took a big breath in and blew it out slowly. “One picture. Please, take one picture with me so he’ll shut up about it.”<br /> Mack grinned and nodded. “Let’s do it at the bar. We can have someone take it for us.”<br /> “Thank you. He’s a huge fan. I didn’t know he was going to word vomit, though.” I patted my hips and sides while I spoke, trying to find a pocket for my phone and credit card, but I quickly realized I had no pockets. I frowned until Xavier gently took my phone and card from my hand and slid it into his own pocket. Smiling up at him, I put my hand on his arm and squeezed. “Thanks, Xavier.”<br /> He nodded and shifted away again. “Our ride’s outside if you’re ready.”<br /> “I am. As long as this is okay to wear wherever we’re going.” I scanned their faces and saw so much masculine approval that my body heated. “Okay, I’ll take that as a sign that I’m good to go.”<br /> Their ride was a blacked out giant SUV. A driver held the back door open on the side parked closest to the bus and waited. He was a lot smaller than the guys, but I saw a bulge under his jacket that told me he was armed. Being from a small town in Tennessee, I easily recognized the shape of a pistol under a jacket. You couldn’t throw a rock back home without hitting someone holding a pistol. So, maybe don’t throw rocks in small town, Tennessee.<br /> “Gary, this is Layla Rose. She’s with us tonight.” Jones patted the driver on the arm and motioned for me to climb in. “Ladies first.”<br /> I looked at the step up from the ground to the backseat and then down at my skirt. Before I could work out how to get in the car without flashing my panties, Jones wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me in. I gasped and grabbed his hands, but then I was in the car. I twisted around to face him and he winked before motioning for me to scoot over.<br /> To be nice, I moved to the back row so they didn’t have to wedge themselves there. As I buckled myself in, though, I watched Jones wedge his large body into the seat next to me. I smiled as I looked away, flattered that he’d chosen to sit with me.<br /> Xavier and Mack got in and then Gary was behind the wheel, driving us to whatever bar we were going to. I was sure I was going to lose them when we got to the bar, after the bar patrons saw the members of JAX had just walked in.<br /> “Hey, in case we get split up at the bar, do you think you guys could just put my bag outside the bus when you get back tonight? I should’ve brought it, but I didn’t think about it.”<br /> They each turned to me with confused expressions on their faces but it was Jones who spoke first. “We’re not getting split up. You came with us, you’re leaving with us. Does that normally happen when you go out? Do your friends just split up and leave you behind?”<br /> I grinned and crossed my legs. “What friends? I work eighty hours a week, at least. This is the first vacation I’ve taken since I started working for Bingham. It’s been months since I’ve been to a bar. I just meant that I’m sure y’all are going to get swarmed by adoring fans, rightfully so. I’m not fighting anyone to stay close to y’all. Sorry, but it would be too easy for a boob to pop out and that’s one of my biggest fears. I watched it happen to a lady on Beale Street in Memphis one time and I’ve never been the same.”<br /> They all just stared at me.<br /> “What? You don’t understand. I would never recover.” I shuddered. “That poor woman. I think about her all the time. I hope she’s okay.”<br /> They erupted in laughter at the same time and it really showed how bonded they were. Their laughter almost harmonized. I loved the sound of it and knowing that I’d caused it.<br /> Mack recovered first. “You’re not going to have to fight anyone. We’re too old for the typical bar scene. This is just our chance to unwind, but do it someplace that doesn’t smell like the three of us when we haven’t showered in a few days. There won’t be anyone at the bar except us and the bartender.”<br /> I scoffed. “Did you just say you’re too old? Are you serious?”<br /> Jones grunted. “We’re in our forties.”<br /> I looked each of them over again and somehow, knowing they were older just made them even hotter. They were aging like fine drinks. Or George Clooney. I didn’t want to be obvious about my attraction to them, so I tried to compliment them in a different way. “Have the panties and bras thrown at you slowed down any now that you’re in your forties?”<br /> None of them said a thing.<br /> “That’s what I thought. You’re not too old for anything.” I looked out the window when the car stopped. There was a small crowd of people, but it wasn’t anything like I’d been dreading. “I really do appreciate not having to fight a mass of people to share a drink with y’all. Let me just say that.”<br /> Xavier had his hand on the door, ready to open it, but he hesitated and looked back at me. “How old are you?”<br /> I felt like there was a wrong answer. “I’m twenty-four.”<br /> All three of them groaned. Xavier cleared his throat and nodded. <br /> “Says who?” I didn’t know why I was arguing with him. It wasn’t like I could really hook up with one of them. I just got cheated on and dumped Matthew. I just didn’t like being excluded from their possibilities, I guessed. “Never mind. Let’s just go get our drink. It’s been a long day.”<br /> “At what point does this cross over into torture?” Mack threw back another shot and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. His eyes were glued to the same spot they’d been glued all night. “We should take her home and call one of the women we usually see here.”<br /> We each knew we weren’t doing that. There wasn’t a chance in we were sending Layla away before she wanted to go. He was right about it being torture, though. She was standing at the bar, leaning over it to talk to the bartender, and the bottom curve. I knew the color and style of her panties, which was a problem.<br /> “How’d like O’Brian get her?” Xavier stretched his legs out and rested his drinks on his thigh. “She’s too much woman for him.”<br /> “Truer words have never been spoken, brother.” I raised my own shot glass to him and then threw it back. The whiskey burned all the way down, but I welcomed the pain. Anything to distract my shaft from the sight of Layla’s undreesedlegs.<br /> “I swear to god, if she bends over any farther, I’m walking over there to spank her. She has to know she’s torturing us.” Mack growled when Layla looked back and sent us a finger wave before turning back to her best friend. “I thought she wanted to have a drink with us.”<br /> Xavier stood up. “I’m going to-”<br /> Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the speakers around the bar crackling on. Music that I didn’t recognize came on and I looked over at Layla to see her fist bump the bartender. The other woman grinned and said something before nodding at us. Layla turned around to face us and narrowed her eyes on Xavier.<br /> “GOD.” Xavier knew he was about to get pulled into something. He couldn’t take his eyes off Layla, though, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to deny her whatever she wanted.<br /> The music had a gritty beat that Layla’s hips swayed to naturally as she approached the table. She moved right up to Xavier and pressed her hand to his chest. “Dance with me?”<br /> Mack and I watched in amazement as our best friend, a man who neither of us had ever seen even attempt to dance, went to the middle of the dance floor. The music was slow and the lucky guy didn’t hesitate to pull Layla into his arms. In her heels, she wasn’t more than six inches shorter than Xavier.<br /> They moved together and I shot Mack a wide-eyed look. Xavier was dancing like he’d been doing it his whole life. I watched as Layla, the little minx, turned in his arms against him. She held his arms around her stomach and stretched one arm over her head to tangle her hand in X’s hair. The slow grind of her hips was pure love and my shaft was instantly hard.<br /> Mack gripped the edge of the table in both hands. “How the am I supposed to walk out of here with my shaft attempting to act as my third leg?”<br /> I watched as Xavier flattened his palm over her stomach and stroked it down over her hip and back up, almost to her chest. “My brain is going to catch on fire soon if she keeps this up.”<br /> As if she heard me, Layla focused her eyes on me and bit her lip. She motioned for Xavier to stay where he was and then she walked straight up to me and leaned down, eye to eye with me. Her chest were near spilling out into my hands as she smirked and then straightened, threw back my shot of whiskey, and strolled right back to Xavier.<br /> I let out a pained laugh as I looked over at Mack. “I would sign over my house to love her.”<br /> He pressed his fist to his mouth and nodded. “Why can’t we?”<br /> Layla was with Xavier again, rolling her hips and looking over her shoulder at him. Whatever she was saying to him made his jaw tighten and his mouth lift in his own pained smile.<br /> “She’s young.” I leaned back in my chair and poured myself another shot. “Too young for us.”<br /> “She doesn’t seem to think so.” Mack swore as Layla dipped her body down Xavier’s until she was head level with his shaft and then slowly swayed herself back up again. “I’m dying here.”<br /> “You? How do you think X feels right now?” I looked out at Xavier and whistled. “There’s no way he isn’t hard right now.”<br /> Mack snorted. “He was sporting major tent earlier when she brushed against him. That was just a second of touching. I’d be surprised if his shaft isn’t unzipping his pants by now.”<br /> I threw my shot back and let out a sigh of relief when the song ended and both Xavier and Layla came sauntering back to the table. X was as stiff as we expected, but Layla was liquid. She slid into her chair and crossed her legs before reaching forward to snag the bottle of whiskey from Mack’s hand. She took a pull straight from the bottle and then licked her lips.<br /> “This is great. Matthew only drank martinis. When I offered him a shot of Jack once, he blanched and acted like I’d insulted his mother. I should’ve known then and there that he was a loser.” She reached up and rearranged her hair so it was pinned up. Showing off that much more skin, she took a piece of ice out of her glass of sweet tea she’d insisted on ordering to go along with her whiskey and rolled it over her chest. “It’s hot in here. Are y’all not hot?”<br /> I might’ve whimpered like a puppy if I was a weaker man. As I watched a drop of melted ice run down her chest and disappear into her cleavage, my entire body melted and rearranged itself into a being solely focused on wanting and needing Layla.<br /> “Pretty hot, yep.” Mack cleared his throat and stood up. “I’ve gotta call about my guitar. I’ll be right back.”<br /> I laughed as he walked away. “Coward!”<br /> Layla shifted closer to me. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright. “It’s your turn to dance with me, Jones.”<br /> I shook my head. “I don’t dance.”<br /> “Neither does Xavier, according to him, but he did a fine job.” She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “If you don’t dance with me, I’ll be forced to dance alone. Do you want that?”<br /> I could picture it in my head and I was pretty sure I did want that. I smirked up at her and she leaned over to rest her hand on the back of my chair. The move put us close together and I had to look up to avoid staring straight into her private part. “Can I help you?”	LEARN_MORE	https://b.ficsworld.com/ad/Zmljd29ybGQvOTk1NDcvMjA	178740541994567	Fics101	https://facebook.com/61554382746013	82	1	1,106,016,017,257,752	2024-02-17 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Learn more	Fics101	120207616064810460	b.ficsworld.com	NONE	video		https://b.ficsworld.com/ad/Zmljd29ybGQvOTk1NDcvMjAyNDAyMDUxMDAzMDgvcGFnZQ==?adid={{ad.id}}	2024-02-04 20:06	https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425962377_720806033156953_5634352859981899998_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=pJDfTD4PQk8AX9tl7gG&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAcwHRAbTLC8WmBfAm_xP8PFFp7Pv5vx5YDRENZdxQzpA&oe=65D8191C	person_profile	Fics101	https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425630895_1427418344549838_3598958040210214117_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=PBXf8A8scFoAX9PkZuo&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCKygFRUDbk-2XBkNXlx84IPYxXLx-ZqIWoclc1l5vxvg&oe=65D74F89	3	Fics101	2024-02-16 02:00	View Edit Delete
311,535	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311541}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	350231004646357	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your whore's actions."<br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> I spat. "You should know, you didn't deprive me of Luna's title, but I didn't want it myself. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> "Oh, and Alpha, You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> ————————<br /> "Well Zel, I just wanted to let you know that I plan on being the Luna of this pack, and your days as Kosta's mate and luna are numbered. I have decided that I deserve to be luna of the third strongest pack in the nation. I mean why should you get everything and I get stuck with nothing?" Khalis says.<br /> <br /> Is this bimbo serious? I just sat there staring at her for a few seconds. Not much shocks me, but this is something else. I knew Khalis was selfish, but this is on a whole other level. There have been rumors about Khalis sleeping with mated males, but I always gave her the benefit of the doubt. I never thought we would be having this kind of conversation. We have been friends since elementary school. Her father and brothers are elite warriors in my father's pack. She was with me when Kosta declared we were mates. She even encouraged me to go with him when he begged me and my father to let me come to his pack with him before I turned 18. She moved to this pack with me, hoping to meet her own mate. She knows Kosta is my fated mate. The moon goddess chose for him me. We both have known Kosta for most of our lives. Kosta is one of my brother's best friends. I keep thinking about everything we have done together and now this bimbo is sitting in my office telling me she plans to take my mate. I'm really speechless. This is a new low, even for her.<br /> <br /> "Just so that I am clear, what exactly do you mean that you want my goddess-given mate and title," I asked.<br /> <br /> "I mean exactly what I said. I want Kosta. I want to be his luna and I am going to make that happen. I've already started the process. I deserve to be a luna."<br /> <br /> "So you just want to come in here and tell me that you want my mate? What about your own mate? Have you thought about that? If the goddess meant for you to be a luna, you would have been fated to an alpha."<br /> <br /> "I waited for my mate. I gave the goddess a chance to do right by me. She gave everyone around me an Alpha. My sister got one, my little ugly cousin got one and even you got one, but what did I get? I got a lowly elite warrior as a mate." She spat.<br /> <br /> "How can you speak like that about elite warriors? Your father and your brother are elite warriors."<br /> <br /> "I know, and I deserve better than that. I deserve to be a luna. I deserve to have people respect me and cater to me."<br /> <br /> "Well, obviously the goddess did not agree with you," I said. "Just to clarify, you're saying that even though you found your destined mate, the one that was made specifically for you by the goddess, you're still interested in my mate? You are unbelievable. What is wrong with you?"<br /> <br /> "It's simple. I'm not meant to be the mate of a warrior. I am meant to be a luna. The moon goddess got it wrong and I am correcting her mistake. As soon as I scented my fated mate and realized he was a warrior, I rejected him and he accepted my rejection. Good riddance."<br /> <br /> "So you think you know better than the goddess?" I asked.<br /> <br /> I am still somewhat shocked. I have a hard time reconciling this cold-blooded bimbo to the person that has been my best friend for over a decade.<br /> <br /> "Zell, I told you a long time ago not to trust her. She has always been this person. She just pretended with you." Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> "This isn't personal, Zell. It's simple since the moon goddess did not give me an alpha, I'm going to take one."<br /> <br /> This bimbo is sitting here calmly telling me she is going to take my mate from me like we are talking about going shopping. She actually thinks this is ok. How could I have been so blind for so long? Everyone tried to warn me about her, but she was my only friend and I just didn't want to believe that about her. I convinced myself that the others were just jealous of her.<br /> <br /> "Do you really think it is ok to try to break your best friend's mate bond?" I say.<br /> <br /> "Oh Honey, I'm not going to try. I'm going to do it. He will be mine. I'm just giving you the courtesy of walking away with your dignity. You might as well start making arrangements for yourself because once I am the luna, there is no way that I will let you remain in my pack. He may keep some tender feelings for you. After all, you are fated."<br /> <br /> "You got one thing right; Kosta and I are fated. You are not the first she-wolf to try to break our mate bond and since he is an alpha, I'm sure you won't be the last. I will tell you what I tell them all, If you can get Kosta to cheat on our bond, you can have him. If he can do that, then he is not the man I have believed him to be and wouldn't deserve me. You would be welcome to him. Just remember, it is because of me and my family that this pack is ranked third. All of that goes with me, but you would be more than welcome to whatever is left." I say.<br /> <br /> "It's not an if, it's a when it happens. And when you leave, Kosta will still be the alpha of this pack. You will just be the ex-luna of the pack. I will be the luna."<br /> <br /> "That's where you are wrong. I am alpha born; a pure-blooded alpha. If I leave, I will still be an alpha and you will still be that bimbo on the side. Some males may be dumb enough to sleep with you, but I have not seen any of the mate men you've been accused of leaving their mates for you. Even the ones who got rejected didn't choose to be with you. Now I suggest you leave my office while I am still being nice or else you will find out why I am feared by others. And if you are successful, don't think for a minute that my family will let either of you go."<br /> <br /> "I will leave for now. Enjoy this office while it is still yours. Your arrogance will be your downfall. Why should I fear you or your family? They have not even been around since your luna ceremony. I'll give you 1 week to make arrangements for yourself. In 7 days, all of this will be mine and you will be out. I will break you and completely disgrace you. I have to thank you for working so hard to build this pack up for me to take over. I will be sure to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I and my children will enjoy this. I am glad he listened to me early on when I told him to wait to have children so you could live your life first. I had to set the groundwork just in case. Now it's time for you to go before you give him an heir." Khalis says and walks out of my office like nothing happened.<br /> <br /> She has caused a lot of chaos since coming to this pack. I just didn't realize her character before now. I thought she was misunderstood. Now I know I was just naïve. It appears that I was the only person blind to her true nature.<br /> <br /> I spent the rest of the day working on pack security and setting up meetings. There are a few alphas wanting an alliance with us. Kosta and I have become quite the power couple in the werewolf society. Since we took over as alpha and luna, the pack and the businesses have grown tremendously. I put my heart and soul into making our pack the best. I got an early start. I graduated from high school when I was 16 and went to university. I graduated with a business degree at 20. Kosta has let me take the lead in our businesses. He knows that beast at negotiation and a whiz at growing businesses. I have acquired several new companies since working in the pack business. Kosta is still the CEO, but I am the COO of the company. I broker the deals and then call Kosta in to close the deal. Most alphas in our circle are jealous of Kosta because he has me at his side. Kosta used to be proud of me and what I did for the pack, but lately he has been resisting the changes I have been making and trying to take over more of the daily operations of the pack. He can't take it all because I am the sole financial backing of the pack and the businesses.<br /> <br /> I am known in werewolf society as a child prodigy, but don't get it twisted, I am not all brains. I can be very deadly when needed. I train every day. I am one of the strongest wolves alive, although I keep that hidden. I can be ruthless, but fair. I know that I am the total package. I am athletic, tall with curves in the right places. I've never been one to compete with other she-wolves. I thought I was happy and had a good life. I thought Khalis was happy. We used to talk about finding our fated mates. I just can't understand how or why Khalis would try to come between me and my mate. I wish I could believe that my bond was safe and solid, but Sapphire is right about Kosta acting suspiciously lately. Kosta has been questioning me a lot lately. It's like he woke up a different person one day. He suddenly lost trust in me, but I have never given him a reason to doubt me. I have found him outside of my door listening to business phone calls, which is crazy because he could just walk in at any time and join the conversation. I have never hidden anything I was doing from him. The worse thing is that our life is now nonexistent. Kosta is always too busy or too tired. His behavior has led me to believe that he is not attracted to me anymore. He had the nerve to ask me why I have been trying so hard to seduce him lately. Like he didn't just stop making love to me cold turkey all of a sudden. We went from making love every day, sometime multiple times a day, to nothing in over a month. Seems like he should have been worried if I didn't try to seduce him. I don't know any mated pair that has gone this long without being intimate with each other. I don't know what the issue is. If we were not marked, I would wonder if he was cheating, but I know he is not. I would have felt it. Why did all of this suddenly become so hard? Why do I even need to seduce my goddess-given mate? It was never supposed to be this way. At least not yet. I'm only 20 years old. Much too young to be going through a dry spell while mated.<br /> <br /> I got so desperate at one time I asked our friends what was going on with him. Kosta tells his beta and gamma everything. I figured if there was a problem, they would tell me and I could fix it, but they just said that he was under a lot of stress. What exactly does he have to stress about? The pack is doing better than it has been in years. In half a year, the pack will be self-sufficient again and won't need to depend on my finances to keep it afloat. I have everything set in motion for the pack to have more disposable cash and residual income. I have a feeling this has Khalis written all over it. Kosta appears to have fallen in line with her already. Maybe this was their plan all along. Kosta needed me to get his pack back on track and now that they are almost completely independent, they don't need me anymore. If that's the case, they are in for a rude awakening. My six-month plan depends on me closing several more deals. All of these deals are allies with my father, uncle, and grandfather. They will not work with Kosta if our bond falls apart. He would erase everything that I have done over the past three years. Well, that would be his problem.<br /> <br /> I got so caught up in working and thinking; I didn't realize I worked up to dinner time. No one called me for lunch. In fact, no one called me for dinner. That is strange. One of the omegas usually checks on me when I am working too much and makes sure I am eating. I guess everyone is following Kosta. Since he has not been showing me any care, they are not either. That really hurts. I sacrificed a lot for this pack. I thought they cared more than this for me. I should just go back to my room. I don't know if I want to be around this pack right now, especially if they could turn their backs on me this quickly. Were they all just using me for my family's wealth?<br /> <br /> "We need to eat Zell. Remember, we are eating for our pup as well. Don't let them win. We are better than this. If they show us they don't want us here, we will leave. Remember, we are alpha born. We will rise above this. We will go back to where we are celebrated. If they turn against us, they don't deserve us. We will sit back and let them destroy themselves."<br /> <br /> "You are right Sapphire. Let's go eat. Our pup needs sustenance."<br /> <br /> I went and cleaned myself up and walked to the dining room. As soon as I walked through the door, all the talking stopped. The whole place went silent. As I walked all the way in, I saw why everyone went silent. Khalis was sitting in my seat, putting food on Kosta's plate like she is the luna. When she saw me, she just smirked and kept doing what she was doing. Kosta just keep eating like I was not standing there. Sapphire stared, pushing forward. She wanted blood. I did too, but I have to think about our pup.<br /> <br /> "What is going on, Kosta? Why is she sitting in my seat feeding you?" I growled.<br /> <br /> "I meant no harm, Zell. You were busy, so I decided to take care of Kosta for you. Someone needs to care for him while you are caring for other things. "<br /> <br /> "I was speaking to my mate, not his bimbo on the side."<br /> <br /> "You were not here for your mate, so I have been taking care of his needs."<br /> <br /> Sapphire pushed forward and growled loudly. Everyone in the room bowed their neck to her.<br /> <br /> "I could kill you in less than 30 seconds, Khalis. I would advise you not to keep crossing my line and you will find yourself very dead. You obviously have forgotten who I am. Don't make me remind you what my family name is," Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> I regained control and looked at Kosta. He didn't even appear to be concerned. He didn't show an ounce of regret or remorse. That took a little of the fight out of me. Khalis can only do what Kosta allows her to do.<br /> <br /> "Kosta, I asked you a question. What is going on?"<br /> <br /> "As Khalis said, you were busy, so she came to do your job for you. If you spent more time catering to me, your mate, and less time working or whatever you are doing, Khalis wouldn't have to step in and take care of my needs." Kosta said.<br /> <br /> I and every pack member gasped. I could not believe he openly disrespected me like that after everything I have done for him and this pack. I did all of that for him. This ungrateful hip.<br /> <br /> "So now I'm working too much, making your pack financially secure? You were not complaining when the pack was bankrupted and I worked day and night just so you could feed the pack another day. I was working too hard then. It's only now that you think the pack is out of the woods that I am working too hard. Now that everyone is comfortable and not at risk of starving, you want to change. Ok, I see who you are now. So instead of appreciating the sacrifices I made for us and the pack, you are sitting here with your bimbo, enjoying the feast that my hard work made possible. I am glad I finally understand where your priorities lie. Trust me, I will never make the same mistake twice." I said and walked away.<br /> <br /> I need to get out of here before I wolf out and kill one of them. After tonight, Khalis can have him. He is not the male I thought he was. I refuse to fight for someone who can spit on all the effort I put into making him great.<br /> <br /> "Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> <br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your bimbo's actions."<br /> <br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> <br /> "Alpha, what are you doing?" Beta James asked<br /> <br /> "Mind your business Beta. This is my pack." Kosta says.<br /> <br /> "Yes, and as your beta and friend, it is my job to tell you when you are making a mistake. Alpha, you are dangerously close to crossing the line of no return. Let's all calm down and discuss this later." Beta James said.<br /> <br /> "Beta, my word stands. Zel, until you learn to respect me as your alpha, you can forget about representing this pack in any aspect. I will be instructing the security team to restrict all of your access. You are no longer the COO of our businesses. As of now, you are just a regular pact member with no power."<br /> <br /> "First of all Alpha." I spat. "Respect is earned. While you are trying to throw your weight around, you can have the luna title back. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I also provide 60% of the pack budget from my personal accounts. So while you can restrict my duties as Luna, you cannot touch the business, but I'll do you a solid. You can buy me out of the business and I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> <br /> I can see that he had forgotten how dependent his pack was on me, but oh well. He made his bed. Now he and his bimbo can lie in it.<br /> <br /> "Oh, and Alpha, if you try to strong-arm me, I will have to call in the full loan that I gave this pack when we mated. Remember, we signed a contract for the loan. You have only paid me a small portion of the loan and I have not pushed the issue, but the contract is legal and binding. Don't push me, Kosta. You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> <br /> I walked off again and made it as far as the stairs. I realized that I could not stay in my current room anymore. There is no way on this goddess-green earth that I want to be in a room with Kosta. Not that he has really shared it with me lately. Now I know why. Khalis has been feeding him and he has been eating it up. They both miscalculated. They thought I would be leaving here with nothing. The jokes on them. I may have been in love, but there is no love in business. I may have put my all into saving this pack and making it independently wealthy, but my parents did not raise a fool and I protected my finances. I invested millions in this company and pack. Did he really think I would protect my money? Does he not remember the prenup my father made him sign since I was a minor when he brought me to this pack? He never gained control over my finances.<br /> <br /> Khalis just showed her hand. After what I just saw, she has a right to be confident. Kosta has completely changed. He is not the man that I mated. He is not the boy that I followed around when I was younger. I don't know what happened or when he changed. Maybe this is who he really is and, like with Khalis, I just never saw his true self. He must have hidden it from my father and brother as well. There is no way they would have let me come here when I was 17 if they knew this was how he would end up treating me. I can see now that it is over between Kosta and me. I need to start planning my exit. I pulled up my computer and moved all of my finances from the pack accounts. I closed all the joint accounts I had with Kosta. It was mostly my money that financed them. I left the ones that he financed in his name. I don't want anything from him at all. After I handle business, I call my brother. I will need his help to leave here safely. Now that Kosta knows that all the money is still tied up with me, I doubt he will let me leave easily. I'm sure he and the bimbo are plotting up something.<br /> <br /> I called my brother and tall him waht happened.<br /> <br /> "So what's the plan, baby sis?" my brother answered.<br /> <br /> "Well, I have already moved all of my personal money from the pack accounts. They are now responsible for themselves. I'm not sure how that is going to go over. I was covering most of the pack's budget. Tomorrow, I will contact my attorneys to protect all of my other assets. I also plan to call our allies and let them know that I am no longer associated with the pack. I am erasing everything I've done over the past three years. They will need to start over from scratch and rebuild it all on their own. There is no way they will get to enjoy my hard work. No, sir."<br /> <br /> "Very smart Zell. What do you need me to do?"	LEARN_MORE	https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIv	212509105269007	Guin112	https://facebook.com/61554651037723	7	1	767,577,361,568,556	2024-02-16 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Learn more	Guin112	120205928685280529	b.penguinovels.com	NONE	video		https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIvMjAyNDAyMDUxMDM3MTcvcGFnZQ==?adid={{ad.id}}	2024-02-04 20:47	https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425644155_717412570173281_6865086037762505955_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=6q78Ii0WY_UAX97gkQ1&_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-2.fna&oh=00_AfBPhRi2hfYaT0WdMtCLSEcWSOQGVspCa1evHdwun45Ggw&oe=65D6FE30	person_profile	Guin112	https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425651046_289233980526402_2635838217549436886_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=9dRvgyPUApwAX9KUvQi&_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-2.fna&oh=00_AfD2MdR_9VnIW9VYmeYw0FxMeYtUymoLb305l3svwq0w8w&oe=65D6ADB3	3	Guin112	2024-02-16 02:00	View Edit Delete
310,986	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":310978}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1077310523532539	#1 (sciatic nerve) vitamin all adults over 60 MUST eat?	"𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧) 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭?" 👇	LEARN_MORE	https://healthyreportlive.com/fb/special-save3/	126169433910790	Healthy Living Tips	https://facebook.com/61550790796328	7,842	7	1,597,882,141,041,129	2024-02-17 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Learn more	Healthy Living Tips	120207733795580387	healthyreportlive.com	NONE	image	sold out at walmart, over 7 times!	https://healthyreportlive.com/fb/special-save3/	2024-02-16 13:38	https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/428096413_978207086972508_9033116322730162079_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=rOzKKZDIUscAX8x_uNd&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=00_AfC2cDuU_6oEwL89WDYHaB7EpKsLrjw9lXswDXUjFrq6Cg&oe=65D66292	person_profile	Healthy Living Tips	https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/428058030_1394359117864614_3603670901888647316_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=SLj7LJfArEwAX_7m0AM&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=00_AfBLn3vopD6ijuJTOQASmvUBxfokAnnD_270iq7ZqUpPQQ&oe=65D81DD9	3	Healthy Living Tips	2024-02-17 02:00	View Edit Delete
311,645	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311541}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1430309200889389	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your whore's actions."<br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> I spat. "You should know, you didn't deprive me of Luna's title, but I didn't want it myself. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> "Oh, and Alpha, You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> ————————<br /> "Well Zel, I just wanted to let you know that I plan on being the Luna of this pack, and your days as Kosta's mate and luna are numbered. I have decided that I deserve to be luna of the third strongest pack in the nation. I mean why should you get everything and I get stuck with nothing?" Khalis says.<br /> <br /> Is this bimbo serious? I just sat there staring at her for a few seconds. Not much shocks me, but this is something else. I knew Khalis was selfish, but this is on a whole other level. There have been rumors about Khalis sleeping with mated males, but I always gave her the benefit of the doubt. I never thought we would be having this kind of conversation. We have been friends since elementary school. Her father and brothers are elite warriors in my father's pack. She was with me when Kosta declared we were mates. She even encouraged me to go with him when he begged me and my father to let me come to his pack with him before I turned 18. She moved to this pack with me, hoping to meet her own mate. She knows Kosta is my fated mate. The moon goddess chose for him me. We both have known Kosta for most of our lives. Kosta is one of my brother's best friends. I keep thinking about everything we have done together and now this bimbo is sitting in my office telling me she plans to take my mate. I'm really speechless. This is a new low, even for her.<br /> <br /> "Just so that I am clear, what exactly do you mean that you want my goddess-given mate and title," I asked.<br /> <br /> "I mean exactly what I said. I want Kosta. I want to be his luna and I am going to make that happen. I've already started the process. I deserve to be a luna."<br /> <br /> "So you just want to come in here and tell me that you want my mate? What about your own mate? Have you thought about that? If the goddess meant for you to be a luna, you would have been fated to an alpha."<br /> <br /> "I waited for my mate. I gave the goddess a chance to do right by me. She gave everyone around me an Alpha. My sister got one, my little ugly cousin got one and even you got one, but what did I get? I got a lowly elite warrior as a mate." She spat.<br /> <br /> "How can you speak like that about elite warriors? Your father and your brother are elite warriors."<br /> <br /> "I know, and I deserve better than that. I deserve to be a luna. I deserve to have people respect me and cater to me."<br /> <br /> "Well, obviously the goddess did not agree with you," I said. "Just to clarify, you're saying that even though you found your destined mate, the one that was made specifically for you by the goddess, you're still interested in my mate? You are unbelievable. What is wrong with you?"<br /> <br /> "It's simple. I'm not meant to be the mate of a warrior. I am meant to be a luna. The moon goddess got it wrong and I am correcting her mistake. As soon as I scented my fated mate and realized he was a warrior, I rejected him and he accepted my rejection. Good riddance."<br /> <br /> "So you think you know better than the goddess?" I asked.<br /> <br /> I am still somewhat shocked. I have a hard time reconciling this cold-blooded bimbo to the person that has been my best friend for over a decade.<br /> <br /> "Zell, I told you a long time ago not to trust her. She has always been this person. She just pretended with you." Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> "This isn't personal, Zell. It's simple since the moon goddess did not give me an alpha, I'm going to take one."<br /> <br /> This bimbo is sitting here calmly telling me she is going to take my mate from me like we are talking about going shopping. She actually thinks this is ok. How could I have been so blind for so long? Everyone tried to warn me about her, but she was my only friend and I just didn't want to believe that about her. I convinced myself that the others were just jealous of her.<br /> <br /> "Do you really think it is ok to try to break your best friend's mate bond?" I say.<br /> <br /> "Oh Honey, I'm not going to try. I'm going to do it. He will be mine. I'm just giving you the courtesy of walking away with your dignity. You might as well start making arrangements for yourself because once I am the luna, there is no way that I will let you remain in my pack. He may keep some tender feelings for you. After all, you are fated."<br /> <br /> "You got one thing right; Kosta and I are fated. You are not the first she-wolf to try to break our mate bond and since he is an alpha, I'm sure you won't be the last. I will tell you what I tell them all, If you can get Kosta to cheat on our bond, you can have him. If he can do that, then he is not the man I have believed him to be and wouldn't deserve me. You would be welcome to him. Just remember, it is because of me and my family that this pack is ranked third. All of that goes with me, but you would be more than welcome to whatever is left." I say.<br /> <br /> "It's not an if, it's a when it happens. And when you leave, Kosta will still be the alpha of this pack. You will just be the ex-luna of the pack. I will be the luna."<br /> <br /> "That's where you are wrong. I am alpha born; a pure-blooded alpha. If I leave, I will still be an alpha and you will still be that bimbo on the side. Some males may be dumb enough to sleep with you, but I have not seen any of the mate men you've been accused of leaving their mates for you. Even the ones who got rejected didn't choose to be with you. Now I suggest you leave my office while I am still being nice or else you will find out why I am feared by others. And if you are successful, don't think for a minute that my family will let either of you go."<br /> <br /> "I will leave for now. Enjoy this office while it is still yours. Your arrogance will be your downfall. Why should I fear you or your family? They have not even been around since your luna ceremony. I'll give you 1 week to make arrangements for yourself. In 7 days, all of this will be mine and you will be out. I will break you and completely disgrace you. I have to thank you for working so hard to build this pack up for me to take over. I will be sure to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I and my children will enjoy this. I am glad he listened to me early on when I told him to wait to have children so you could live your life first. I had to set the groundwork just in case. Now it's time for you to go before you give him an heir." Khalis says and walks out of my office like nothing happened.<br /> <br /> She has caused a lot of chaos since coming to this pack. I just didn't realize her character before now. I thought she was misunderstood. Now I know I was just naïve. It appears that I was the only person blind to her true nature.<br /> <br /> I spent the rest of the day working on pack security and setting up meetings. There are a few alphas wanting an alliance with us. Kosta and I have become quite the power couple in the werewolf society. Since we took over as alpha and luna, the pack and the businesses have grown tremendously. I put my heart and soul into making our pack the best. I got an early start. I graduated from high school when I was 16 and went to university. I graduated with a business degree at 20. Kosta has let me take the lead in our businesses. He knows that beast at negotiation and a whiz at growing businesses. I have acquired several new companies since working in the pack business. Kosta is still the CEO, but I am the COO of the company. I broker the deals and then call Kosta in to close the deal. Most alphas in our circle are jealous of Kosta because he has me at his side. Kosta used to be proud of me and what I did for the pack, but lately he has been resisting the changes I have been making and trying to take over more of the daily operations of the pack. He can't take it all because I am the sole financial backing of the pack and the businesses.<br /> <br /> I am known in werewolf society as a child prodigy, but don't get it twisted, I am not all brains. I can be very deadly when needed. I train every day. I am one of the strongest wolves alive, although I keep that hidden. I can be ruthless, but fair. I know that I am the total package. I am athletic, tall with curves in the right places. I've never been one to compete with other she-wolves. I thought I was happy and had a good life. I thought Khalis was happy. We used to talk about finding our fated mates. I just can't understand how or why Khalis would try to come between me and my mate. I wish I could believe that my bond was safe and solid, but Sapphire is right about Kosta acting suspiciously lately. Kosta has been questioning me a lot lately. It's like he woke up a different person one day. He suddenly lost trust in me, but I have never given him a reason to doubt me. I have found him outside of my door listening to business phone calls, which is crazy because he could just walk in at any time and join the conversation. I have never hidden anything I was doing from him. The worse thing is that our life is now nonexistent. Kosta is always too busy or too tired. His behavior has led me to believe that he is not attracted to me anymore. He had the nerve to ask me why I have been trying so hard to seduce him lately. Like he didn't just stop making love to me cold turkey all of a sudden. We went from making love every day, sometime multiple times a day, to nothing in over a month. Seems like he should have been worried if I didn't try to seduce him. I don't know any mated pair that has gone this long without being intimate with each other. I don't know what the issue is. If we were not marked, I would wonder if he was cheating, but I know he is not. I would have felt it. Why did all of this suddenly become so hard? Why do I even need to seduce my goddess-given mate? It was never supposed to be this way. At least not yet. I'm only 20 years old. Much too young to be going through a dry spell while mated.<br /> <br /> I got so desperate at one time I asked our friends what was going on with him. Kosta tells his beta and gamma everything. I figured if there was a problem, they would tell me and I could fix it, but they just said that he was under a lot of stress. What exactly does he have to stress about? The pack is doing better than it has been in years. In half a year, the pack will be self-sufficient again and won't need to depend on my finances to keep it afloat. I have everything set in motion for the pack to have more disposable cash and residual income. I have a feeling this has Khalis written all over it. Kosta appears to have fallen in line with her already. Maybe this was their plan all along. Kosta needed me to get his pack back on track and now that they are almost completely independent, they don't need me anymore. If that's the case, they are in for a rude awakening. My six-month plan depends on me closing several more deals. All of these deals are allies with my father, uncle, and grandfather. They will not work with Kosta if our bond falls apart. He would erase everything that I have done over the past three years. Well, that would be his problem.<br /> <br /> I got so caught up in working and thinking; I didn't realize I worked up to dinner time. No one called me for lunch. In fact, no one called me for dinner. That is strange. One of the omegas usually checks on me when I am working too much and makes sure I am eating. I guess everyone is following Kosta. Since he has not been showing me any care, they are not either. That really hurts. I sacrificed a lot for this pack. I thought they cared more than this for me. I should just go back to my room. I don't know if I want to be around this pack right now, especially if they could turn their backs on me this quickly. Were they all just using me for my family's wealth?<br /> <br /> "We need to eat Zell. Remember, we are eating for our pup as well. Don't let them win. We are better than this. If they show us they don't want us here, we will leave. Remember, we are alpha born. We will rise above this. We will go back to where we are celebrated. If they turn against us, they don't deserve us. We will sit back and let them destroy themselves."<br /> <br /> "You are right Sapphire. Let's go eat. Our pup needs sustenance."<br /> <br /> I went and cleaned myself up and walked to the dining room. As soon as I walked through the door, all the talking stopped. The whole place went silent. As I walked all the way in, I saw why everyone went silent. Khalis was sitting in my seat, putting food on Kosta's plate like she is the luna. When she saw me, she just smirked and kept doing what she was doing. Kosta just keep eating like I was not standing there. Sapphire stared, pushing forward. She wanted blood. I did too, but I have to think about our pup.<br /> <br /> "What is going on, Kosta? Why is she sitting in my seat feeding you?" I growled.<br /> <br /> "I meant no harm, Zell. You were busy, so I decided to take care of Kosta for you. Someone needs to care for him while you are caring for other things. "<br /> <br /> "I was speaking to my mate, not his bimbo on the side."<br /> <br /> "You were not here for your mate, so I have been taking care of his needs."<br /> <br /> Sapphire pushed forward and growled loudly. Everyone in the room bowed their neck to her.<br /> <br /> "I could kill you in less than 30 seconds, Khalis. I would advise you not to keep crossing my line and you will find yourself very dead. You obviously have forgotten who I am. Don't make me remind you what my family name is," Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> I regained control and looked at Kosta. He didn't even appear to be concerned. He didn't show an ounce of regret or remorse. That took a little of the fight out of me. Khalis can only do what Kosta allows her to do.<br /> <br /> "Kosta, I asked you a question. What is going on?"<br /> <br /> "As Khalis said, you were busy, so she came to do your job for you. If you spent more time catering to me, your mate, and less time working or whatever you are doing, Khalis wouldn't have to step in and take care of my needs." Kosta said.<br /> <br /> I and every pack member gasped. I could not believe he openly disrespected me like that after everything I have done for him and this pack. I did all of that for him. This ungrateful hip.<br /> <br /> "So now I'm working too much, making your pack financially secure? You were not complaining when the pack was bankrupted and I worked day and night just so you could feed the pack another day. I was working too hard then. It's only now that you think the pack is out of the woods that I am working too hard. Now that everyone is comfortable and not at risk of starving, you want to change. Ok, I see who you are now. So instead of appreciating the sacrifices I made for us and the pack, you are sitting here with your bimbo, enjoying the feast that my hard work made possible. I am glad I finally understand where your priorities lie. Trust me, I will never make the same mistake twice." I said and walked away.<br /> <br /> I need to get out of here before I wolf out and kill one of them. After tonight, Khalis can have him. He is not the male I thought he was. I refuse to fight for someone who can spit on all the effort I put into making him great.<br /> <br /> "Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> <br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your bimbo's actions."<br /> <br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> <br /> "Alpha, what are you doing?" Beta James asked<br /> <br /> "Mind your business Beta. This is my pack." Kosta says.<br /> <br /> "Yes, and as your beta and friend, it is my job to tell you when you are making a mistake. Alpha, you are dangerously close to crossing the line of no return. Let's all calm down and discuss this later." Beta James said.<br /> <br /> "Beta, my word stands. Zel, until you learn to respect me as your alpha, you can forget about representing this pack in any aspect. I will be instructing the security team to restrict all of your access. You are no longer the COO of our businesses. As of now, you are just a regular pact member with no power."<br /> <br /> "First of all Alpha." I spat. "Respect is earned. While you are trying to throw your weight around, you can have the luna title back. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I also provide 60% of the pack budget from my personal accounts. So while you can restrict my duties as Luna, you cannot touch the business, but I'll do you a solid. You can buy me out of the business and I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> <br /> I can see that he had forgotten how dependent his pack was on me, but oh well. He made his bed. Now he and his bimbo can lie in it.<br /> <br /> "Oh, and Alpha, if you try to strong-arm me, I will have to call in the full loan that I gave this pack when we mated. Remember, we signed a contract for the loan. You have only paid me a small portion of the loan and I have not pushed the issue, but the contract is legal and binding. Don't push me, Kosta. You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> <br /> I walked off again and made it as far as the stairs. I realized that I could not stay in my current room anymore. There is no way on this goddess-green earth that I want to be in a room with Kosta. Not that he has really shared it with me lately. Now I know why. Khalis has been feeding him and he has been eating it up. They both miscalculated. They thought I would be leaving here with nothing. The jokes on them. I may have been in love, but there is no love in business. I may have put my all into saving this pack and making it independently wealthy, but my parents did not raise a fool and I protected my finances. I invested millions in this company and pack. Did he really think I would protect my money? Does he not remember the prenup my father made him sign since I was a minor when he brought me to this pack? He never gained control over my finances.<br /> <br /> Khalis just showed her hand. After what I just saw, she has a right to be confident. Kosta has completely changed. He is not the man that I mated. He is not the boy that I followed around when I was younger. I don't know what happened or when he changed. Maybe this is who he really is and, like with Khalis, I just never saw his true self. He must have hidden it from my father and brother as well. There is no way they would have let me come here when I was 17 if they knew this was how he would end up treating me. I can see now that it is over between Kosta and me. I need to start planning my exit. I pulled up my computer and moved all of my finances from the pack accounts. I closed all the joint accounts I had with Kosta. It was mostly my money that financed them. I left the ones that he financed in his name. I don't want anything from him at all. After I handle business, I call my brother. I will need his help to leave here safely. Now that Kosta knows that all the money is still tied up with me, I doubt he will let me leave easily. I'm sure he and the bimbo are plotting up something.<br /> <br /> I called my brother and tall him waht happened.<br /> <br /> "So what's the plan, baby sis?" my brother answered.<br /> <br /> "Well, I have already moved all of my personal money from the pack accounts. They are now responsible for themselves. I'm not sure how that is going to go over. I was covering most of the pack's budget. Tomorrow, I will contact my attorneys to protect all of my other assets. I also plan to call our allies and let them know that I am no longer associated with the pack. I am erasing everything I've done over the past three years. They will need to start over from scratch and rebuild it all on their own. There is no way they will get to enjoy my hard work. No, sir."<br /> <br /> "Very smart Zell. What do you need me to do?"	LEARN_MORE	https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIv	212509105269007	Guin112	https://facebook.com/61554651037723	7	1	1,081,320,523,138,394	2024-02-16 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Learn more	Guin112	120205928361330529	b.penguinovels.com	NONE	video		https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIvMjAyNDAyMDUxMDM3MTcvcGFnZQ==?adid={{ad.id}}	2024-02-04 20:45	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/426092364_355783397380413_3520701131709117111_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=TyD45TZ5DFYAX-6QqJn&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfAbZILCDag7OUQReN07cPLJ0SAsG4OsSwwmKeBDXFmu0A&oe=65D81E30	person_profile	Guin112	https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/426106877_2999146720222080_7234341909734962997_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=ywVoVsVa4fMAX9vHhOX&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AfB4MTwkgPo8jYxqTuqfvd-7yh1M1-bozXWybrEm6SzCzA&oe=65D738B5	3	Guin112	2024-02-16 02:00	View Edit Delete
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311,679	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311541}'	No	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	7948955075131051	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your whore's actions."<br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> I spat. "You should know, you didn't deprive me of Luna's title, but I didn't want it myself. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> "Oh, and Alpha, You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> ————————<br /> "Well Zel, I just wanted to let you know that I plan on being the Luna of this pack, and your days as Kosta's mate and luna are numbered. I have decided that I deserve to be luna of the third strongest pack in the nation. I mean why should you get everything and I get stuck with nothing?" Khalis says.<br /> <br /> Is this bimbo serious? I just sat there staring at her for a few seconds. Not much shocks me, but this is something else. I knew Khalis was selfish, but this is on a whole other level. There have been rumors about Khalis sleeping with mated males, but I always gave her the benefit of the doubt. I never thought we would be having this kind of conversation. We have been friends since elementary school. Her father and brothers are elite warriors in my father's pack. She was with me when Kosta declared we were mates. She even encouraged me to go with him when he begged me and my father to let me come to his pack with him before I turned 18. She moved to this pack with me, hoping to meet her own mate. She knows Kosta is my fated mate. The moon goddess chose for him me. We both have known Kosta for most of our lives. Kosta is one of my brother's best friends. I keep thinking about everything we have done together and now this bimbo is sitting in my office telling me she plans to take my mate. I'm really speechless. This is a new low, even for her.<br /> <br /> "Just so that I am clear, what exactly do you mean that you want my goddess-given mate and title," I asked.<br /> <br /> "I mean exactly what I said. I want Kosta. I want to be his luna and I am going to make that happen. I've already started the process. I deserve to be a luna."<br /> <br /> "So you just want to come in here and tell me that you want my mate? What about your own mate? Have you thought about that? If the goddess meant for you to be a luna, you would have been fated to an alpha."<br /> <br /> "I waited for my mate. I gave the goddess a chance to do right by me. She gave everyone around me an Alpha. My sister got one, my little ugly cousin got one and even you got one, but what did I get? I got a lowly elite warrior as a mate." She spat.<br /> <br /> "How can you speak like that about elite warriors? Your father and your brother are elite warriors."<br /> <br /> "I know, and I deserve better than that. I deserve to be a luna. I deserve to have people respect me and cater to me."<br /> <br /> "Well, obviously the goddess did not agree with you," I said. "Just to clarify, you're saying that even though you found your destined mate, the one that was made specifically for you by the goddess, you're still interested in my mate? You are unbelievable. What is wrong with you?"<br /> <br /> "It's simple. I'm not meant to be the mate of a warrior. I am meant to be a luna. The moon goddess got it wrong and I am correcting her mistake. As soon as I scented my fated mate and realized he was a warrior, I rejected him and he accepted my rejection. Good riddance."<br /> <br /> "So you think you know better than the goddess?" I asked.<br /> <br /> I am still somewhat shocked. I have a hard time reconciling this cold-blooded bimbo to the person that has been my best friend for over a decade.<br /> <br /> "Zell, I told you a long time ago not to trust her. She has always been this person. She just pretended with you." Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> "This isn't personal, Zell. It's simple since the moon goddess did not give me an alpha, I'm going to take one."<br /> <br /> This bimbo is sitting here calmly telling me she is going to take my mate from me like we are talking about going shopping. She actually thinks this is ok. How could I have been so blind for so long? Everyone tried to warn me about her, but she was my only friend and I just didn't want to believe that about her. I convinced myself that the others were just jealous of her.<br /> <br /> "Do you really think it is ok to try to break your best friend's mate bond?" I say.<br /> <br /> "Oh Honey, I'm not going to try. I'm going to do it. He will be mine. I'm just giving you the courtesy of walking away with your dignity. You might as well start making arrangements for yourself because once I am the luna, there is no way that I will let you remain in my pack. He may keep some tender feelings for you. After all, you are fated."<br /> <br /> "You got one thing right; Kosta and I are fated. You are not the first she-wolf to try to break our mate bond and since he is an alpha, I'm sure you won't be the last. I will tell you what I tell them all, If you can get Kosta to cheat on our bond, you can have him. If he can do that, then he is not the man I have believed him to be and wouldn't deserve me. You would be welcome to him. Just remember, it is because of me and my family that this pack is ranked third. All of that goes with me, but you would be more than welcome to whatever is left." I say.<br /> <br /> "It's not an if, it's a when it happens. And when you leave, Kosta will still be the alpha of this pack. You will just be the ex-luna of the pack. I will be the luna."<br /> <br /> "That's where you are wrong. I am alpha born; a pure-blooded alpha. If I leave, I will still be an alpha and you will still be that bimbo on the side. Some males may be dumb enough to sleep with you, but I have not seen any of the mate men you've been accused of leaving their mates for you. Even the ones who got rejected didn't choose to be with you. Now I suggest you leave my office while I am still being nice or else you will find out why I am feared by others. And if you are successful, don't think for a minute that my family will let either of you go."<br /> <br /> "I will leave for now. Enjoy this office while it is still yours. Your arrogance will be your downfall. Why should I fear you or your family? They have not even been around since your luna ceremony. I'll give you 1 week to make arrangements for yourself. In 7 days, all of this will be mine and you will be out. I will break you and completely disgrace you. I have to thank you for working so hard to build this pack up for me to take over. I will be sure to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I and my children will enjoy this. I am glad he listened to me early on when I told him to wait to have children so you could live your life first. I had to set the groundwork just in case. Now it's time for you to go before you give him an heir." Khalis says and walks out of my office like nothing happened.<br /> <br /> She has caused a lot of chaos since coming to this pack. I just didn't realize her character before now. I thought she was misunderstood. Now I know I was just naïve. It appears that I was the only person blind to her true nature.<br /> <br /> I spent the rest of the day working on pack security and setting up meetings. There are a few alphas wanting an alliance with us. Kosta and I have become quite the power couple in the werewolf society. Since we took over as alpha and luna, the pack and the businesses have grown tremendously. I put my heart and soul into making our pack the best. I got an early start. I graduated from high school when I was 16 and went to university. I graduated with a business degree at 20. Kosta has let me take the lead in our businesses. He knows that beast at negotiation and a whiz at growing businesses. I have acquired several new companies since working in the pack business. Kosta is still the CEO, but I am the COO of the company. I broker the deals and then call Kosta in to close the deal. Most alphas in our circle are jealous of Kosta because he has me at his side. Kosta used to be proud of me and what I did for the pack, but lately he has been resisting the changes I have been making and trying to take over more of the daily operations of the pack. He can't take it all because I am the sole financial backing of the pack and the businesses.<br /> <br /> I am known in werewolf society as a child prodigy, but don't get it twisted, I am not all brains. I can be very deadly when needed. I train every day. I am one of the strongest wolves alive, although I keep that hidden. I can be ruthless, but fair. I know that I am the total package. I am athletic, tall with curves in the right places. I've never been one to compete with other she-wolves. I thought I was happy and had a good life. I thought Khalis was happy. We used to talk about finding our fated mates. I just can't understand how or why Khalis would try to come between me and my mate. I wish I could believe that my bond was safe and solid, but Sapphire is right about Kosta acting suspiciously lately. Kosta has been questioning me a lot lately. It's like he woke up a different person one day. He suddenly lost trust in me, but I have never given him a reason to doubt me. I have found him outside of my door listening to business phone calls, which is crazy because he could just walk in at any time and join the conversation. I have never hidden anything I was doing from him. The worse thing is that our life is now nonexistent. Kosta is always too busy or too tired. His behavior has led me to believe that he is not attracted to me anymore. He had the nerve to ask me why I have been trying so hard to seduce him lately. Like he didn't just stop making love to me cold turkey all of a sudden. We went from making love every day, sometime multiple times a day, to nothing in over a month. Seems like he should have been worried if I didn't try to seduce him. I don't know any mated pair that has gone this long without being intimate with each other. I don't know what the issue is. If we were not marked, I would wonder if he was cheating, but I know he is not. I would have felt it. Why did all of this suddenly become so hard? Why do I even need to seduce my goddess-given mate? It was never supposed to be this way. At least not yet. I'm only 20 years old. Much too young to be going through a dry spell while mated.<br /> <br /> I got so desperate at one time I asked our friends what was going on with him. Kosta tells his beta and gamma everything. I figured if there was a problem, they would tell me and I could fix it, but they just said that he was under a lot of stress. What exactly does he have to stress about? The pack is doing better than it has been in years. In half a year, the pack will be self-sufficient again and won't need to depend on my finances to keep it afloat. I have everything set in motion for the pack to have more disposable cash and residual income. I have a feeling this has Khalis written all over it. Kosta appears to have fallen in line with her already. Maybe this was their plan all along. Kosta needed me to get his pack back on track and now that they are almost completely independent, they don't need me anymore. If that's the case, they are in for a rude awakening. My six-month plan depends on me closing several more deals. All of these deals are allies with my father, uncle, and grandfather. They will not work with Kosta if our bond falls apart. He would erase everything that I have done over the past three years. Well, that would be his problem.<br /> <br /> I got so caught up in working and thinking; I didn't realize I worked up to dinner time. No one called me for lunch. In fact, no one called me for dinner. That is strange. One of the omegas usually checks on me when I am working too much and makes sure I am eating. I guess everyone is following Kosta. Since he has not been showing me any care, they are not either. That really hurts. I sacrificed a lot for this pack. I thought they cared more than this for me. I should just go back to my room. I don't know if I want to be around this pack right now, especially if they could turn their backs on me this quickly. Were they all just using me for my family's wealth?<br /> <br /> "We need to eat Zell. Remember, we are eating for our pup as well. Don't let them win. We are better than this. If they show us they don't want us here, we will leave. Remember, we are alpha born. We will rise above this. We will go back to where we are celebrated. If they turn against us, they don't deserve us. We will sit back and let them destroy themselves."<br /> <br /> "You are right Sapphire. Let's go eat. Our pup needs sustenance."<br /> <br /> I went and cleaned myself up and walked to the dining room. As soon as I walked through the door, all the talking stopped. The whole place went silent. As I walked all the way in, I saw why everyone went silent. Khalis was sitting in my seat, putting food on Kosta's plate like she is the luna. When she saw me, she just smirked and kept doing what she was doing. Kosta just keep eating like I was not standing there. Sapphire stared, pushing forward. She wanted blood. I did too, but I have to think about our pup.<br /> <br /> "What is going on, Kosta? Why is she sitting in my seat feeding you?" I growled.<br /> <br /> "I meant no harm, Zell. You were busy, so I decided to take care of Kosta for you. Someone needs to care for him while you are caring for other things. "<br /> <br /> "I was speaking to my mate, not his bimbo on the side."<br /> <br /> "You were not here for your mate, so I have been taking care of his needs."<br /> <br /> Sapphire pushed forward and growled loudly. Everyone in the room bowed their neck to her.<br /> <br /> "I could kill you in less than 30 seconds, Khalis. I would advise you not to keep crossing my line and you will find yourself very dead. You obviously have forgotten who I am. Don't make me remind you what my family name is," Sapphire said.<br /> <br /> I regained control and looked at Kosta. He didn't even appear to be concerned. He didn't show an ounce of regret or remorse. That took a little of the fight out of me. Khalis can only do what Kosta allows her to do.<br /> <br /> "Kosta, I asked you a question. What is going on?"<br /> <br /> "As Khalis said, you were busy, so she came to do your job for you. If you spent more time catering to me, your mate, and less time working or whatever you are doing, Khalis wouldn't have to step in and take care of my needs." Kosta said.<br /> <br /> I and every pack member gasped. I could not believe he openly disrespected me like that after everything I have done for him and this pack. I did all of that for him. This ungrateful hip.<br /> <br /> "So now I'm working too much, making your pack financially secure? You were not complaining when the pack was bankrupted and I worked day and night just so you could feed the pack another day. I was working too hard then. It's only now that you think the pack is out of the woods that I am working too hard. Now that everyone is comfortable and not at risk of starving, you want to change. Ok, I see who you are now. So instead of appreciating the sacrifices I made for us and the pack, you are sitting here with your bimbo, enjoying the feast that my hard work made possible. I am glad I finally understand where your priorities lie. Trust me, I will never make the same mistake twice." I said and walked away.<br /> <br /> I need to get out of here before I wolf out and kill one of them. After tonight, Khalis can have him. He is not the male I thought he was. I refuse to fight for someone who can spit on all the effort I put into making him great.<br /> <br /> "Don't walk away from me, Zell," Kosta yelled.<br /> <br /> "Why not? You don't need me. You have Khalis here to take care of all your needs. She is welcome to you. I hope you all will be very happy together. As for me, I'm done. Good luck to you and this pack. I hope you can handle the fallout for you and your bimbo's actions."<br /> <br /> "Mind how you talk to me, Zell. I may be your mate, but I am still the alpha. As a matter of fact, as of right now, I am stripping you of all of your luna privileges."<br /> <br /> "Alpha, what are you doing?" Beta James asked<br /> <br /> "Mind your business Beta. This is my pack." Kosta says.<br /> <br /> "Yes, and as your beta and friend, it is my job to tell you when you are making a mistake. Alpha, you are dangerously close to crossing the line of no return. Let's all calm down and discuss this later." Beta James said.<br /> <br /> "Beta, my word stands. Zel, until you learn to respect me as your alpha, you can forget about representing this pack in any aspect. I will be instructing the security team to restrict all of your access. You are no longer the COO of our businesses. As of now, you are just a regular pact member with no power."<br /> <br /> "First of all Alpha." I spat. "Respect is earned. While you are trying to throw your weight around, you can have the luna title back. I no longer want it. As for the business, have you forgotten that I own 51% of every business we have? I also provide 60% of the pack budget from my personal accounts. So while you can restrict my duties as Luna, you cannot touch the business, but I'll do you a solid. You can buy me out of the business and I will withdraw all of my personal finances from the pack."<br /> <br /> I can see that he had forgotten how dependent his pack was on me, but oh well. He made his bed. Now he and his bimbo can lie in it.<br /> <br /> "Oh, and Alpha, if you try to strong-arm me, I will have to call in the full loan that I gave this pack when we mated. Remember, we signed a contract for the loan. You have only paid me a small portion of the loan and I have not pushed the issue, but the contract is legal and binding. Don't push me, Kosta. You, of all people, know how ruthless I can be if pushed."<br /> <br /> I walked off again and made it as far as the stairs. I realized that I could not stay in my current room anymore. There is no way on this goddess-green earth that I want to be in a room with Kosta. Not that he has really shared it with me lately. Now I know why. Khalis has been feeding him and he has been eating it up. They both miscalculated. They thought I would be leaving here with nothing. The jokes on them. I may have been in love, but there is no love in business. I may have put my all into saving this pack and making it independently wealthy, but my parents did not raise a fool and I protected my finances. I invested millions in this company and pack. Did he really think I would protect my money? Does he not remember the prenup my father made him sign since I was a minor when he brought me to this pack? He never gained control over my finances.<br /> <br /> Khalis just showed her hand. After what I just saw, she has a right to be confident. Kosta has completely changed. He is not the man that I mated. He is not the boy that I followed around when I was younger. I don't know what happened or when he changed. Maybe this is who he really is and, like with Khalis, I just never saw his true self. He must have hidden it from my father and brother as well. There is no way they would have let me come here when I was 17 if they knew this was how he would end up treating me. I can see now that it is over between Kosta and me. I need to start planning my exit. I pulled up my computer and moved all of my finances from the pack accounts. I closed all the joint accounts I had with Kosta. It was mostly my money that financed them. I left the ones that he financed in his name. I don't want anything from him at all. After I handle business, I call my brother. I will need his help to leave here safely. Now that Kosta knows that all the money is still tied up with me, I doubt he will let me leave easily. I'm sure he and the bimbo are plotting up something.<br /> <br /> I called my brother and tall him waht happened.<br /> <br /> "So what's the plan, baby sis?" my brother answered.<br /> <br /> "Well, I have already moved all of my personal money from the pack accounts. They are now responsible for themselves. I'm not sure how that is going to go over. I was covering most of the pack's budget. Tomorrow, I will contact my attorneys to protect all of my other assets. I also plan to call our allies and let them know that I am no longer associated with the pack. I am erasing everything I've done over the past three years. They will need to start over from scratch and rebuild it all on their own. There is no way they will get to enjoy my hard work. No, sir."<br /> <br /> "Very smart Zell. What do you need me to do?"	LEARN_MORE	https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIv	212509105269007	Guin112	https://facebook.com/61554651037723	7	1	1,446,728,516,273,229	2024-02-16 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Learn more	Guin112	120205928406060529	b.penguinovels.com	NONE	video		https://b.penguinovels.com/ad/cGVuZ3VpbnMvOTk3NjIvMjAyNDAyMDUxMDM3MTcvcGFnZQ==?adid={{ad.id}}	2024-02-04 20:45	https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425493436_700170268857922_3693659308813695774_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=WnR3YGfVNvMAX9SCBLt&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=00_AfCp2M8uttXxFYNxI58bLZwROXIXbLgvWLtjJDYBlUJx7w&oe=65D7E5BC	person_profile	Guin112	https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425501311_928750105436840_2040355639092526858_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=vrJdshjdrZMAX8MIE5G&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDoM9fc94qRsYzlyMRg9zfyKOg8CIa1gEiD-pDGG4tVUQ&oe=65D72158	3	Guin112	2024-02-16 02:00	View Edit Delete
311,651	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311600}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1677551225984526	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	"let's get this over. "I, Trevor Monroe, future alpha of Blue Moon pack, reject you as my mate and Luna."<br /> "Trevor, you don't deserve me, I Seleste True, Pure Born Gamma, Descendant of Fenroe accept your rejection."<br /> ******** <br /> As I'm lying here thinking about all of this, Tamaska starts jumping around in my mind. Like literally jumping around. She seems so excited all of a sudden. I look up and see Trevor standing over me, looking at me strangely. At first, he seems happy to see me, then his expression changes. I guess he remembers that we are no longer friends. Meanwhile, Tamaska is still going crazy in my head. Trevor and Tamaska say the one word I never wanted to hear in reference to Trevor. They both yell "mate". No, this can't be. I can't be his mate. This will never work. Now I'm panicking. I can see on his face that he is going to reject me. This is not the way my life is supposed to go. Oh, moon goddess, give me the strength to be strong and not break down.<br /> Trevor just stands there for a minute, then says, "let's get this over. "I, Trevor Monroe, future alpha of Blue Moon pack, reject you as my mate and Luna."<br /> As soon as he said those words, I felt a pain like I have never experienced before. It's like my heart has been ripped apart. Tamaska starts whimpering. Trevor made my wolf cry. Why would he do this?<br /> "Why?" I ask. As much as I hate him seeing me cry, tears are running down her eyes. "Why would you do this to us? Why would you take away our chance to be happy? Do you really hate me that much?"<br /> "It's not about me hating you, Seleste." He says, "The mate bond will not let me hate you. I just don't think you are the right person to be my Luna. You are a good Gamma. Fighting is what you do, but I need someone else lying beside me. Not someone who will undermine me or make me look bad in front of the pack warriors. I just can't have you as my mate. I don't want you as my mate."<br /> I can't believe my mate is saying this to me. It's like he really wants to hurt me. He is saying that he prefers someone else over me, his mate. Tamaska has not stopped whimpering. She is so hurt by what our mate is saying. Although I knew this was coming, the pain was unbearable.<br /> "Are you sure this is what you want, Trevor? Do you want to think about this before you make a final decision?" I ask in a whisper.<br /> "Don't beg Seleste, it's really not becoming. It should be no surprise that I rejected you. I made it known over this past year that I do not want you in my life. Yes, I am sure. I do not want you as my mate. My rejection stands!" <br /> Did he just say stop begging? The nerve of him. I would never beg anyone to be with me. He wishes I was begging him. How is he going to feel when he finds out that I get a second chance mate while he is stuck without a mate? I don't need to beg. <br /> "Begging, the last thing I'm doing is begging. I have never begged and trust me; you are the last person I would ever beg to be in my life. Out of respect to your father, I have kept my opinion to myself about you and the way you are acting, but truthfully, Trevor, you are a disappointment. I don't know what your parents or the pack will do when they find out what you have done, but since this is what you want and since frankly, you don't deserve me, I Seleste True, Pure Born Gamma, Descendant of Fenroe accept your rejection." I say and begin to walk away. I need to get away from him. It is taking everything in me to hold Tamaska back. She really wants to kick his butt right now.<br /> "Before you go, I order you not to tell anyone about us being mates," Trevor says in his alpha voice.<br /> Is he serious right now? Does he really not know that the alpha command does not work on our family? He really is not fit to lead our pack. He obviously did not pay attention in his alpha training, or he would know it is pointless to alpha command me. I will tell who I want to tell. I just look at him in disgust and walk away. As much as I want to break down and cry for hours, I refuse to let him see me cry more than he already has. I hold my head up high and walk away from him. The moon goddess granted me my request. I feel strong and I could keep myself together. At least until I get home. <br /> Once I make it to my house, I run to my mom and cry my eyes out. My mom keeps asking me what's wrong. My dad comes in and tries to talk to me, but I can't stop crying enough to talk to them. I can't say the words. At least not yet. My mom calls Mona to come to be with me and to help calm me down. After crying for about an hour, I'm finally ready to tell my family what happened. Wiping my eyes, I begin the story of my life right now.<br /> "I don't know where to start. I'll try to keep it simple. Tamaska was feeling restless, so I went to the clearing the grandmother used to take me to. As I was basking in the moon, Trevor walked into the clearing." I see my mom and dad stiffen when I mention Trevor's name. Mona just looks at me with concern. I think she knows what I'm about to tell them.<br /> "It turns out that I am Trevor's mate," I say with a sigh.<br /> "I don't understand," my dad says, "if you found your mate tonight, why are you crying? Did something happen to you or Trevor?"<br /> "Dad, Trevor rejected me." My family has the same shocked look I had.<br /> "Are you serious," my mom and Mona say at the same time.<br /> My dad is steaming mad right now. I'm afraid of what he will do. Trevor hurt his baby. This may not end well for Trevor. When my dad is angry, even the alpha stays out of his way. My mom and I are the only ones that can calm him down.<br /> "Yes, I'm serious. He said that I was not Luna material, and he did not want me as his mate or the right Luna for this pack." I explained to my family.<br /> "Trevor is an idiot," Mona says. "There is no one more suited to be our Luna. You have always put this pack first. You have always worked to make us better and stronger."<br /> "I know. Mona, it hurts so bad. My own mate does not want me. To make matters worse, he tried to alpha command me not to tell anyone that we are mates."<br /> "What!" my dad yells. "I need to go find this pup and teach him a lesson. No one hurts my baby and lives to talk about. Who does he think he is? He is obviously not fit to lead. He doesn't even know our pack's history. Every alpha knows that our family is not subject to any alpha. We serve out of choice, we submit out of respect, not out of compulsion. Our family has served this pack for generations, and I have never questioned that choice until now. This pack is not worth the pain it is causing my baby. First, I'm going to teach that brat a lesson, and then we are transferring to a different pack where they respect and appreciate us."<br /> "Baby calm down." My mom says to my dad. "Let's focus on our baby girl for now. What do you want to do, Seleste?"<br /> "I really don't know, momma. I don't want to run like a coward. He is not worth us turning our lives upside down. Besides, I will be traveling a lot after school anyway, so I will rarely see him. And dad, if you hurt Trevor, I may ruin your friendship with Alpha Connor. I'm sure he does not know what Trevor did. And No dad, I don't want you to tell him. I don't want anyone to know that Trevor was my mate. Grandmother told me that if one of us gets rejected by our mate, the moon goddess will bless us with a second chance mate. While I don't want another mate right now, there is still hope for me in the future. Right now, I just want to get through the end of the school year."<br /> "Ok baby girl, if this is what you want, your father and I will support your decision. But remember, you are my daughter. You will not sit around and mope about that pup. I will give you one full day to cry and be sad, then I want you to pick yourself up and start moving forward. It may still hurt, but it will not destroy you."<br /> "Thanks, mom," I say, hugging my parents. "You always know what to say.<br /> "You are my favorite daughter; I will always be there for you in this life and the next."<br /> "Mom, I'm your only daughter," I say with a smile.<br /> "And don't you forget it," my mom says.<br /> My family spent the rest of the night talking, listening, and wiping my tears. I am so glad I have them in my life. My mom is right. I will not wallow in sadness over Trevor. He has proven that he is not worthy of me. He made his choice and now I am free. I will be able to move on. He thought he would break me, but I won't break. I go to my room and grab my journal and begin to write. I just let all my hurt, anger, and disappointments release on paper. Writing poetry has always been my outlet. Speaking of poetry, I think I will ask the girls to go to Jazzy's tomorrow night.<br /> As I lie in bed, I start to feel this burning feeling in my stomach. I feel like someone is clawing my stomach from the inside. I have a high pain tolerance, but this is unbearable. I yell out in pain. My mom and dad run into my room when they hear me cry out. I tell my mom about the pain in my stomach. My dad gets mad all over again. They don't want to tell me what's going on. Mom says I'm better not knowing. Tamaska is howling in my head. She has been quiet since Trevor rejected us, but now she is balled up in a knot, howling and crying. I know this has to be about Trevor. He made my wolf cry twice. I will never forgive him for that. She does not deserve to be hurt like this.<br /> "T what's wrong? What's happening? Mom and dad will not tell me."<br /> "It's mate, he is being intimate with another she-wolf." Tamaska cries. "He really does not want us, and he is already with someone else. Seleste, I can't handle this right now. I'm going to take a break from this. I'll still be with you, but I'm going into a deep sleep, at least for now, don't worry, I'm not going away and I won't be down long. I just need a little time."<br /> "It's ok T. I love you and I will be here for you." I sent T a hug. I wish I could hold and pet her right now.<br /> "Mom, Dad, Trevor made my wolf cry twice. I will never forgive him for that. She did not deserve that. T told me what this pain is. There is no coming back from this. He has truly sealed our fates and our future. I am done with him. If I had it in me to hate anyone, I would definitely hate Trevor."<br /> "Like your mom said, baby girl, we will support you no matter what. You deserve better. I will stay out of it and let you handle it for now, but if he hurts you again, I will have to step in. There is no way I or my wolf can stand by and let someone hurt my pup. I don't care who it is."<br /> We all walked out of the house and headed to the venue for the party. <br /> "I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight to celebrate the 18th birthday of the circle of ten, our next generation of the leaders of the pack. I'm sure that together, the ten will continue to move our pack to greater things." The alpha says. He announces all the mate connections in our group of ten. The pack is so happy for the mates, the alpha can barely get a word in. Finally, the crowd calms down, and the alpha announces Trevor and his fake mate. I look at my dad and shake my head as the alpha speaks. I don't want my dad to lose it and tell the pack that Trevor rejected me. <br /> "And finally, I would like to announce that my son, your future alpha, has also found his mate, Shana. Show them all some love." <br /> The crowd goes wild again. Nobody knows that they are a fraud, so they are happy to have what they think is the next alpha and luna.<br /> The alpha goes on to tell the pack about the mating ceremony planned for all the mates that will happen next Saturday on a full moon. The alpha tells all the still unmated wolves to let Beta Vareen know if they find their mates before the ceremony, so they can be included.<br /> The alpha tells us he has one more announcement. Yep, He will be retiring, and Trevor will take over as alpha- There goes the pack. <br /> "As it is our tradition, I will turn it over to Trevor to officially announce the next Beta and Gamma of the pack; Trevor." Alpha Connor says and steps back to his spot next to the luna. <br /> "Hello everyone," Trevor says. From the time alpha announced that Trevor will take over, he has been smirking at me.<br /> "I hope you all had a good time tonight. I know I did. The Blue Moon pack knows how to throw a party. Let me start by introducing you all to my mate and your future Luna, Shana Stevens."<br /> Everyone cheers for their pretend Luna. Trevor is looking at me to see if I react, which I don't. <br /> "And your next Gamma, Mona True" <br /> I think everyone here is in complete shock. I froze in my spot. Alpha Connor tried to run interference and stop Trevor before he takes this too far, but of course, Trevor didn't listen. <br /> "Son, what are you doing?" Alpha Connor asked, "Seleste is the next Gamma."<br /> "No, Dad," Trevor answers him. "I don't think Seleste is the right one for the position. Seleste has done nothing but undermine my authority in the pack for the last year. As alpha, I can't have anyone under me who does not respect my position as head of the pack. I want Mona as my Gamma. I think that is best for the pack." <br /> "Dad, my mate, and I discussed this. Aside from the fact that Seleste does not respect me or my position, it is common knowledge that Seleste is in love with me. My mate does not feel that Seleste will have her best interest at heart. My mate does not feel safe with Seleste, being in charge of our safety and security. As her mate, I have to put her first and protect her peace of mind. Seleste being here affects her peace negatively and I can't have that."<br /> I notice my dad is about to lose control. I need to get to him before things go completely left. To defuse the situation and give Trevor what he wants and hopefully stop this drama, I agree that I don't need the Gamma title. <br /> "Fine," I tell Trevor. "Gamma is just a title. I don't need it. Not having the title does not change who I am. I will still train the warrior and fulfill my other obligations. As far as respecting you Trevor, respect is earned, and up until recently, I thought you deserved my respect. You have shown me over the last couple of days that I was mistaken about you. So, you can keep the Gamma position. I don't want it. As far as being in love with you. That is laughable. I don't even like you." <br /> He actually smirks at me. This fool thinks he has won. He is just sad.<br /> "Well, that is settled. Seleste will not be the next gamma. And since you mentioned training the pact, that's the other thing. I do not want you training my warriors anymore. Since you are mad that you are not the Luna of this pack, how do I know you won't influence the warriors against me or continue to undermine my authority?"<br /> So that is his game plan. He wants to withdraw me of all power. Does he really not realize who I am? Everything my family has done for this pack. Now I'm slightly pissed, but I need to try to stay in control so that my father doesn't kill this fool.<br /> "Are you serious right now, Trevor? I have done nothing but make this pack better. I have spent my life learning and training so that I can strengthen this pack, and you want to take that from me because of your pettiness." <br /> I let Trevor know that he really does not have the authority to take the training position from me. I train packs under the authority of the council. No Alpha's word is above that of the council. But since he wants to be petty, I can take my strength, skill, and protection to another pack.<br /> "Save it Seleste, I have made my decision. As of now, you are nothing to this pack. Why don't you find another pack to train, since you mentioned other packs? We don't want you here."<br /> "Gladly," I tell him. "And when I leave, you will take the full brunt of your decisions and the consequences of what you are doing tonight."<br /> I am so over these things now. This pack needs my family more than I need this. I can leave and be accepted into any pack in the kingdom, including the royal pack.<br /> Ben and the other warrior begin to speak up for me. That appears to make Trevor even more pissed. Right now, his own father and current alpha is looking at him like he has completely lost his mind and he is standing in front of the pack looking proud. I always thought Trevor was pretty intelligent. Now I think there is something wrong with him. He just will not stop digging himself into a hole. <br /> "See, that's why I need to restrict Seleste of her power," Trevor says in anger and frustration. <br /> "The warriors are more loyal to her than they are to me. You all need to respect me. I am the alpha. What I say goes. None of you have my permission to leave. If you choose to leave, you will be rogues. Will you throw everything away just for her?"<br /> I am so proud of my Elite 12 members. We always stand for what is right.<br /> "I don't know about the others," Tim said, "But I would rather go, rogue than stay in this pack with you as the alpha. As Gamma Seleste said, respect is earned, and I just lost all that of it I had for you. Sorry, Alpha Connor, I cannot serve your son. I will prepare to leave this pack in the next two hours." Tim said.	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311,445	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":311457}'	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	751863480379017	"❤️‍🔥Continue to read 📖<Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate>(Search ID:63） "	Chapter 1 - Betray<br /> Ella<br /> “I’m sorry Ella.” My physician says gently. “I’m afraid you have very few viable eggs remaining. Frankly, I normally see these numbers in women ten or fifteen years your senior.”<br /> “What?” I murmur, not believing my ears. I’ve been trying to get pregnant for years. I’m only 30, I should have plenty of eggs left.<br /> “In terms of fertility, you have very little time left.” She continues. “If you want to conceive, you need to do so before your next cycle begins.”<br /> “My next cycle?” I repeat, my mouth hanging open in shock. I love kids more than anything, and though it might not be everyone’s ambition, I want nothing more than to be a mother.<br /> I have to get home and tell my boyfriend this news, and there’s not a moment to waste.<br /> I make it home in record time, bursting through the door and opening my mouth to call for Mike, but stopping dead in my tracks. As soon as I walk inside I see a pair of high heels and a handbag by the door – neither of which belong to me.<br /> I cock my ears towards the bedroom, and my stomach churns when I hear the unmistakable sound of moaning, accompanied by a steady thump thump thump, as the bed collides with the wall. Worse even than realizing that Mike is clearly in there with another woman, is realizing who he’s with. I know that handbag, and I know those shoes – they belong to my best friend, Kate. <br /> “Fuck, Ella is so stupid.” Mike laughs, “can you believe she actually expects me to have a baby with her?”<br /> Kate snorts, “she’s delusional. I don’t know how you put up with her for so long in the first place.”<br /> “If she wasn’t so beautiful I never would have given her the time of day.” Mike scoffs. “Thankfully daily doses of plan B kept her from ever conceiving.”<br /> “The morning after pill?” Kate asks, “how did you manage to give it to her without her realizing?”<br /> “I put it in her morning coffee.” Mike chortles, sounding far too proud of himself. <br /> My vision goes completely red as everything finally falls into place. Suddenly it’s clear why I’ve never been able to get pregnant, despite having unprotected sex multiple times a week for years. It’s even clear how I could have the eggs of a 45-year-old, if my despicable partner has been secretly feeding me emergency contraceptives every day – there’s no telling what other damage that might have done to my reproductive system. <br /> Before I can think better of it, I pull the smoke alarm on the wall, wanting to frighten and punish the pair in the bedroom so fiercely that I fear I might attack them when they emerge. Water immediately sprays down from the sprinkler system mounted to the ceiling as a shrill siren fills the air, and I hear Mike and Kate cry out in surprise. <br /> A few moments later they come rushing out of the bedroom, stopping in their tracks when they see me looming in the doorway. Mike’s eyes go comically wide, “What are you doing home so early?” The snake has the nerve to sound affronted that I surprised him, when he’s the one who’s been sneaking around behind my back for God knows how long. He seems to realize how suspicious it looks that he and Kate are standing there in their underwear and quickly adds, “Kate came to see me so we could plan a surprise for your birthday, but then we spilled coffee all over our clothes so we had to change.”<br /> Fire blazes in my veins, he must truly believe I’m an idiot if he expects me to buy such a feeble excuse. <br /> It’s a testament to their horrifically low opinion of me that they buy my act, and I vow to get my revenge one way or another. I can’t believe I wasted so many years – my best years – on this scumbag. And now he may have cost me my future too. As soon as the thought enters my head, I know I can’t afford to waste another moment on Mike, I have more important things to take care of. <br /> I make my excuses and rush across town for the second time that afternoon, running to the comforting arms of my surrogate sister, Cora. Not only did we grow up together in the orphanage, but she became an OBGYN and now works for the most exclusive sperm bank in the city. I’ve never gone to her before because I always imagined Mike and I would eventually conceive the natural way, but that clearly isn’t an option anymore. <br /> Even if I could find a man willing to have a baby with me in time, I’m not eager to trust anyone after Mike’s betrayal. I’m going to have to do this on my own, and I know Cora can help me. I don’t have much money, but I have enough savings to pay for the insemination, especially since I basically have one shot and one shot only. <br /> When I arrive, all my plans to lay out my situation for Cora clearly and concisely go out the window, because the moment I see my sister I fall to pieces. She hugs and kisses me until my tears subside, slowly extracting the story from me piece by piece. When she hears about Mike and Kate she swears up a storm, but that’s nothing compared to her reaction when I explain about my fertility. <br /> “That little shit! I’ll kill him!” She fumes, studying me with a worried expression. “Ella, if your doctor was right this means you only have one chance to conceive.”<br /> “I know.” I sniffle. “And if this is going to be my only baby, I don’t want to take any chances. I want the best donor we can find.”<br /> “Don’t you worry about that.” Cora assures me, “We’ve got donations from actors, models, scientists – it’s only the creme de la creme here.” She glances at the door and lowers her voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but even Dominic Sinclair sent his samples here for testing.”<br /> “Dominic Sinclair? I repeat, “the billionaire?” I’ve seen the man around town, but we don’t exactly run in the same circles. He lives in the same neighborhood as my wealthy employer and often says hello to the children I nanny, but he’s always surrounded by bodyguards and is so intimidating I get goosebumps just thinking about him. <br /> “Oh my god!.” Cora slaps her hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that! I don’t know what I was thinking. Apparently he’s no stranger to fertility issues himself, and he trusted us to handle his swimmers over every other lab in the country. I’ve got his sperm in the other room at this very moment.” She frets, “But Ella you can’t tell anyone, you have to promise me.”<br /> “Of course!” I agree immediately. “I know how important confidentiality is here.”<br /> “Thank you,” Cora breathes. “Now, I’m going to give you a dossier of our clients so you can pick a donor, and once you’ve chosen we’ll get you knocked up before you can even blink.” <br /> It’s not an easy decision, but eventually I choose a handsome surgeon whose photo practically makes me swoon. Cora leaves the room only long enough to prepare the sample, and though she looks a bit flustered when she returns, she quickly and professionally completes the insemination, holding my hand when the procedure is finished. “It’s all take care of now, Ella.” She promises, “You can come back in ten days to see if it worked.”<br /> Ten days. I think dazedly. Ten days to decide my entire future.<br /> If only I’d known that by the time those ten days were up, my future would no longer belong to me – but to Dominic Sinclair himself. <br /> <br /> Chapter 2 - Be Fired<br /> Ella<br /> Six days to go. I think, staring at the date circled on my calendar. Six days until I find out if my dreams are finally going to come true… or if I have to figure out an entirely different plan for my life. <br /> I’ve thought about nothing else since Cora inseminated me last week, I’m so anxious to find out if I’m pregnant I haven’t even begun to process Mike’s betrayal. <br /> I’m trying to keep a level head, yet I can’t help but imagine my future with this new baby. Try as I might, I catch myself daydreaming about it constantly. I even find myself humming as I get ready for work in the morning. <br /> When I arrive at my employer’s estate in the most exclusive neighborhood in Moon Valley – which basically makes it the most exclusive neighborhood in the world, since Moon Valley is one of the most expensive cities on the planet – I’m immediately greeted by two little voices shouting my name in excitement. “Ella!”<br /> The next thing I know, 3-year-old Millie is hugging my legs while her older brother, Jake, wraps his arms around my middle. “Good morning love puddles!” I exclaim, returning their hugs. “Are you ready for the museum?”<br /> “Yeah!” They cheer, racing out the door without even stopping to put on coats. It takes a bit of wrangling to get them back inside and bundled up for the cold winter day, but before long we set out into the snow.<br /> Jake races ahead of Millie and I, impatient to get to the science museum and not seeming to notice that his sister’s tiny legs simply don’t move that fast. Chuckling, I lift Millie into my arms and settle her on my hip. “Goodness, you’re getting too big for this, munchkin.”<br /> “Nuh-uh,” Millie grins, “You’re justs too little.” <br /> She might have a point. At five foot one, I don’t exactly have the kind of build suited to heavy lifting. I’m in great shape, but I’ve never been particularly strong. “Smarty pants.” I tease, laughing with the little girl. <br /> When I look back towards Jake, I realize he’s stopped a few feet ahead of us. My heart skips a beat when I realize why. We’re in front of the Sinclair mansion, and its owner is currently standing in the middle of the sidewalk, his gaze searing me like a firebrand as I approach with Millie. Dominic Sinclair is just about the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, but he’s also one of the most terrifying. <br /> With dark hair and piercing green eyes, chiseled features and a body so muscular I could swoon, it doesn’t seem fair he gets to look so good and also be so rich. If I didn’t know better I might think it was his wealth or imposing height that makes him so intimidating, after all he’s at least six foot four, which means he towers over me and everyone else around him. However it’s neither of those things, there’s simply an indefinable quality about the man that I can’t put my finger on, one which screams danger. He gives off this energy that’s so raw and animalistic one forgets there’s anyone else in the room. <br /> Taking a steadying breath, I close the distance between us so Millie can say hello. When she greets him, Dominic drags his attention from me and offers her a smile so genuine that it tugs at my heartstrings. As I watch him talk to my two young charges, I remember what Cora told me about his infertility struggles. He clearly loves children, and I feel a wave of empathy for him. If anyone knows what it’s like to yearn for a family of their own, it’s me. <br /> Jake is currently showing Dominic his new toy airplane, pulling the matchbox model from his pocket and demonstrating how far it can fly. With a great heave, he sends the toy gliding through the air, only to land in the middle of the street. Before any of us can say a word, Jake races after it, right into the busy road.<br /> “Jake no, be careful!” I cry, watching him dart out into the path of an oncoming car but feeling frozen by my fear. Before I can contemplate putting Millie down to go after him, a blur of movement whirrs past my vision. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast in my life. Dominic became little more than a hazy outline of himself, chasing after Jake and pulling him out of the way just before the car slams into them. The vehicle’s tires are still screeching when Dominic sets Jake down beside me, his expression suddenly very stern. <br /> “That was very dangerous.” He scolds gently. “You should never go into the street without looking both ways first.”<br /> Jake hangs his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want my plane to get runned over.” <br /> “You are a million times more important than a toy.” Dominic tells him firmly, “and you scared your nanny half to death.”<br /> “I’m sorry, Ella.” Jake sniffles, looking up at me with wide eyes. <br /> “I know sweetheart, just don’t ever do that again.” I breathe, cuddling him against my side. “Thank you so much.” I say to Dominic, feeling more grateful than I can express. “I have no idea how you moved so fast! It was like something out of a superhero film.”<br /> “Must have been the adrenaline.” Dominic shrugs, giving Millie another smile before taking his leave. “Enjoy the rest of your day, and stay out of the road young man!”<br /> “Yes sir!” Jake calls after him, pocketing his airplane. “I really am sorry.” He adds to me. <br /> “It’s forgotten.” I tell him softly, though I take his hand so that he can’t run off again. <br /> “It all happened so fast.” I tell Cora later that night. “I mean the more I think about it, the more amazing it seems. One moment he was there, and the next he was gone. It was like magic.”<br /> “Thank goodness Jake is alright.” She replies, but rather than looking relieved, her face is twisted into a deep grimace.<br /> Studying my sister’s expression, I realize her grim demeanor is not just about Jake’s near miss. Something else is wrong, and I actually feel guilty for not noticing sooner. “Is everything okay?”<br /> Cora frowns, “Not really. But you’ve got so much going on right now, it’s not important.”<br /> “Cora, don’t be ridiculous.” I admonish. “What’s going on?”<br /> “Well, speaking of Dominic Sinclair,” She begins cryptically, “you know that sperm he sent to us for testing?”<br /> “Yeah,” I confirm, wondering where on earth this was going. <br /> “It’s gone missing… and I’m the last person who saw it, not to mention it was in my custody.” She explains, her voice becoming thick with emotion. “Ella, I think… I think I’m going to be fired. And if there’s an investigation I could lose my medical license.”<br /> “What?” I exclaim. “What do you mean it’s missing? A vial of sperm can’t just get up and walk away.”<br /> “I know, I think someone had to steal it, but there’s no way of knowing who’s responsible. And it looks like I’m going to have to take the blame.” She shares, her eyes shining with tears. <br /> “Cora, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this sooner!” I lament, “They can’t fire you, it isn’t fair.”<br /> “You don’t understand, Dominic is one of our biggest donors.” Cora explains. “And he’s furious, he basically wants my head on a platter.”<br /> A week ago I might have believed there was no hope for Cora, but seeing how kind and understanding Dominic was with the kids today makes me wonder if he could really be so heartless. Surely if he understood that Cora would never be so irresponsible he’d show some leniency? I have to try and help her, I would do anything for my sister – even begging a ruthless billionaire for mercy.<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 - Request<br /> Ella<br /> Three days to go.<br /> I repeat these words to myself as I walk down the street, still preoccupied with my possible pregnancy, even as I prepare to go to bat for my sister. In some ways it's a coping mechanism: I’m about to beg Dominic Sinclair to save Cora’s job, and I need a comforting thought to help me get through this. <br /> His bodyguards see me first, and I can see their mouths moving as they watch me move closer, no doubt notifying him of my presence. Approaching nervously behind Dominic, I wonder for the hundredth time if this is a mistake. Who am I to ask a favor from one of the most powerful men on the planet? Shaking myself, I tell the little voice in the back of my mind to shut up – this is for Cora. I might not be brave for myself, but I can be brave for her. <br /> “Mr. Sinclair?” I ask hesitantly, feeling my heart pound violently against my ribcage. <br /> He turns around and gazes imperiously down at me. “Yes?”<br /> “I’m Ella Reina, I nanny for Jake and Millie Graves.” I begin, gnawing on my lower lip. <br /> His dark eyes catch on my mouth, and suddenly I feel like a frightened rabbit in front of a hungry wolf. “I know who you are, Ella.” The sound of my name on his lips sends a shiver down my spine. He speaks the familiar syllables with so much purpose, as if they truly mean something to him.<br /> “Oh… well, I don’t mean to be impertinent, but I’m friends with Dr Cora Daniels…”As soon as I say her name, his expression closes off, and some unidentified emotion flashes in his eyes. <br /> “She told me she’s in trouble at work, and I know you’re one of the bank’s donors.” I improvise. “I don’t know what Cora is being accused of, but I’m sure she’s innocent. She takes her job incredibly seriously, and she would never do anything to risk her career.”<br /> “And what do you expect me to do about it?” Dominic asks ominously. I can tell he doesn’t believe my weak story, his body language has changed completely, and I can feel his rising anger vibrating in the air around us. <br /> “I just thought… I hoped that if you had any sway there, you might be able to put in a good word for her.” I finish, feeling color flood my cheeks. I’m both ashamed of myself for such a feeble attempt, but unsure how else to handle such a delicate topic. The last thing I want is to get Cora in even more trouble than before. <br /> Dominic’s jaw ticks as he watches me, and the voice in the back of my head urges me to run for it. “From what I’ve heard, your friend made a very serious mistake, and the consequences have been more than appropriate. The best thing she can do now is take responsibility for her mistakes, not sending you to do her dirty work for her.”<br /> “I – she didn’t, she doesn’t even know I’m here! I swear.” I plead. <br /> “I’ve said all I’m going to say on this matter.” Dominic declares, turning away from me and striding into his house. The door slams shut behind him, and I’m left with his various bodyguards. <br /> “You need to leave now, miss.” One of the men announces sharply. <br /> “I can’t.” I moan, “he has to understand, she’s going to lose everything!” <br /> “We’re not going to ask you again.” A second guard growls, a clear threat in his words. <br /> “Please, she’s innocent.” I beg, “you have to –” before I can say anything more, the men grab me by the arms and begin trying to lead me off the property. Feeling truly desperate, I dig in my heels, deciding that my dignity is worth Cora’s entire future. “I’m begging you, if I could just talk to Mr. Sinclair.” <br /> “You’ve already talked to him.” The first guard grumbles, “and frankly you’re lucky he was as generous to you as he was. Your friend clearly told you things she shouldn’t.”<br /> The next thing I know, they’ve thrown me off the property and onto the sidewalk so forcefully that I lose my balance, tumbling to the ground as tears spark in my eyes. The iron gates slam shut behind me, and I have no choice but to slink off before I can embarrass myself further. <br /> Of course, this was only the beginning of my misfortune. When I arrived at work the next day, I found that my keys no longer fit the locks on the front door. I knocked, overwhelmed with confusion, and a few minutes later the door swung open to reveal Jake and Millie’s furious mother. <br /> “My keys aren’t working.” I tell her, wondering why she’s glaring at me so fiercely.<br /> “They’re not meant to.” She answers coldly, “as of yesterday afternoon, your services were no longer required.”<br /> “I… you’re firing me?” I squeak, not believing my ears. “Why?”<br /> “We got a call from the neighbors.” She explains haughtily, “apparently you let Jake run into the road the other day where he was almost hit by a car! And then yesterday you were seen making a fool of yourself at Dominic Sinclair’s home – they said his bodyguards had to drag you off the grounds like a common criminal.”<br /> “That isn’t fair, that isn’t what happened!” I plead. “Jake through his toy into the road and ran after it, I didn’t let it happen, and what happened with Mr. Sinclair was a misunderstanding.”<br /> “I don’t want to hear it.” She hisses. “Now leave before I call the police.”<br /> “Please, can’t I at least say goodbye to the kids?” I request, praying she’ll grant me this one kindness.<br /> “I’m dialing.” She tells me simply, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. <br /> “No!” I raise my palms in supplication, “It’s okay, I’ll go.”<br /> For the second time this week, I find myself shamefully retreating through this opulent neighborhood with tears streaming down my face. What hurts even worse than losing my job is the fact I didn't get to explain the situation to Jake and Millie, or see them one last time. I’m sure their mother will tell them horrible things about me, despite the fact that I’ve been lovingly raising for them for the last two years.<br /> I know Dominic Sinclair is responsible for this. I don’t believe my ex-boss’s story about the neighbors for one moment. He clearly wanted to punish me, just like he’s having Cora punished. A rush of fury takes hold of me, and suddenly I wish I could punish him somehow. It’s not like me to be so vindictive, but right now it truly feels like my entire life is falling apart, and it’s partly his fault. <br /> I spent all my money on the insemination, and without a job I have almost nothing. How am I ever going to afford to have a baby now? I guarantee I’m not going to get a good reference from Jake and Millie’s mother. <br /> As if things weren’t already bad enough, when I return home I find a stack of bills in the mailbox and I don’t even recognize half the senders. I open them one by one, feeling my confusion and disbelief grow by the minute.<br /> As I look at the stores on the breakdown of charges, my suspicion grows: they’re all Mike’s favorite places. Is it possible he did this behind my back? That he’s been hiding the bills from me for months… or years? I know he’ll deny it if I confront him, which leaves me only one option. <br /> I have to call Kate. My former best friend might have betrayed me completely with her affair, but if anyone knows what Mike has been up to, it’s her. <br /> <br /> Chapter 4 - Desperation<br /> Ella<br /> My hands are shaking as I dial Kate’s number. Have I ever been this angry? If I have I certainly can’t remember it now.<br /> “Hello?” Kate answers almost immediately, using a sickly sweet tone that screams of fakeness. <br /> “Kate?” I state bluntly. “Are you with Mike right now?”<br /> There’s a pregnant pause on the other end of the line, before she weakly responds, “What? Of course not.” <br /> “Come off it Kate, do you really think I don't know about your shit?” I demand. “I’m not a complete idiot.”<br /> “Ella listen–” She begins, obviously gearing up to give me some sort of excuse. <br /> “No, I don’t even care about your little affair anymore – but I need to talk to him right now.” I declare fiercely. <br /> There’s another pause, and then Kate’s voice drops its innocent tone. “You don’t care?” She repeats, sounding truly shocked. “ You know I’m already pregnant?” <br /> I wasn’t prepared for that particular piece of news. I clench my hands into fists, feeling so furious I think I might actually break the phone with my tight grip, “And what, you think that’s some sort of victory?” I bite. <br /> “Does he know you’re pregnant?” I ask sharply, “because a man who’s so afraid of responsibility that he’d poison me for years is probably willing to do it to anyone.”<br /> “Well no, but he loves me, he would never –” She tried to explain. <br /> “He loved me too once.” I cut her off. “At least he said he did. It’s amazing how charming he can be, considering what a bastard he truly is. How do you think he’s going to support you and your child? He doesn’t even have a job.”<br /> “Of course he does!” She objects, “He just didn’t tell you about it because he didn’t want you to bleed him dry. He’s a stock broker.”<br /> “Oh Kate,” I sigh, “Poor, gullible, stupid Kate. He’s as much a stock broker as I am a wizard.”<br /> “Don’t talk to me like that! He’s got money, he lavishes it on me all the time!” She insists.<br /> “With fraudulent credit cards he took out in my name!” I shout, losing my temper completely.<br /> “What?” She squeaks. <br /> “That’s right. I’ve only just found out – he’s completely bankrupted me. I’m calling the police and if I were you, I’d check your own credit rating immediately, because I’d be willing to be you’re next.” I snap.<br /> “No,” she repeats weakly, “you’re wrong, it’s different with me.”<br /> My voice is getting thick with emotion now, but I can’t help it. “And frankly I don’t really care what happens to you Kate, but if you’re really pregnant then your baby deserves better than to be raised in a homeless shelter, and that’s exactly where Mike will land you.”<br /> I hang up before I start crying, not giving her a chance to respond. Why did I buy his lies about looking for work for so long? He crushed me little by little, all the while pretending to be so nice, and I let it happen. <br /> Never again. I decide. I won’t ever let myself be fooled that way again. <br /> I still want to get my revenge on Mike, but first I’ve got to try and salvage what’s left of my life. I have to go to the police and see if I can resolve these financial issues… I can’t have a baby if I’m bankrupt, and I can only pray the police will help. <br /> ________________________<br /> “I’m very sorry Miss. Reina, but if your ex-partner has left the area, there’s not much we can do about this.” The police officer breaks this news to me about as gently as he might smash an ant beneath his boot. “I’ll give you the police report to send to the credit card company, but that’s the most help you’re going to get from us.”<br /> Anger fills me to the brim. I guarantee he’d never treat my case with so little consideration or respect if I wasn’t an impoverished nanny. If I was a wealthy man like Dominic Sinclair, he’d be fawning at my feet, offering to go to any lengths to solve my problems. I storm out of the station before I can lose my temper and verbally assault the man, immediately calling the credit card companies. <br /> One by one they crush my hopes, telling me in no uncertain terms that unless a culprit is arrested in my case, I’ll be held responsible for the charges. <br /> As I hang up on the final call, I can feel the earth crumbling beneath my feet. How did it come to this? I literally have nothing. No one will hire me without a recommendation from my previous employer, which means I won’t be able to pay rent or keep food on the table. Normally I might turn to Cora in such a time, but I can’t burden her with this when she’s in the same boat. <br /> Tomorrow I’ll finally find out whether or not I’m pregnant, and up until now the strange sensation I’ve been experiencing the last few days has been a comfort and source of hope. I don’t know how to explain it: it’s as if I’m suddenly different somehow – even though I can’t see any changes, I just have this intense knowing that I’m no longer the same woman I was a week ago. <br /> I thought it was a sign the insemination worked, but now I’m praying that it’s my imagination going overboard. <br /> At first I try to distract myself, turning on the TV and freezing when I see Dominic Sinclair on the news talking about all his good will initiatives in the community. “When our work is finished, the Moon Valley children’s home will be a place of love and community, motivated to find the best homes for every child in need. Our initiative not only ensures that the permanent residents in the home have the best possible conditions, but that there is continuous follow up with children placed with adoptive families to ensure they thrive in their new homes.”<br /> So much for the supposed philanthropist, I think bitterly. Turning a blind eye to the lives he’s selfishly ruining all the while pretending to be a friend of the downtrodden. A week ago I might have been touched by such a broadcast. I grew up in an orphanage just like the one he’s describing, and I know just how terrible the conditions can be. Now however, I see nothing but his hypocrisy. Cora was an orphan too, she didn’t do anything wrong – where is his compassion for her? Clearly it’s only for the TV cameras. It’s a shame. He’s very convincing… then again, so was Mike. <br /> Of course Mike was never as handsome as Dominic Sinclair, nor did he ever have his charisma or imposing presence. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone like him. Even while he was refusing to help me, scolding me and having me thrown out the door, part of me was still taken in by his handsome features and pure magnetism. <br /> Shaking myself, I turn the TV off. What the hell is wrong with me? The man is a heartless billionaire and I’m still sitting here mooning over him like a silly schoolgirl. <br /> I end up going to bed early, trying not to think about tomorrow. Of course, I still lie awake late into the night – I know what it means to grow up an orphan, and I can’t countenance bringing a child into the world just to abandon it to that bleak existence. The more my life unravels, the more stark my options become. <br /> If I am pregnant… Am I going to abort the child? Even though it’s what I’ve wanted my entire life!<br /> <br /> Chapter 5 - Pregnancy test<br /> Ella<br /> “No, I understand.” I murmur into the phone. “Thanks for listening at least.”<br /> I wearily hang up the line, burying my head in my hands. I spent all morning calling in every favor and loan I possibly could, throwing my dignity right out the window to beg my friends and acquaintances in my time of need. <br /> I’ve never thought of myself as a proud woman, but begging this way was more of a challenge than I could have imagined. <br /> I only wish I could help Cora as well as myself. She’s still waiting to hear if she’ll be fired, and while she’s not supposed to be handling any samples, she got permission to do my tests this afternoon. After all, I’ve already been inseminated, so her supervisor didn’t see any risk of further negligence.<br /> Still, I’m far from excited when I walk through the front doors of the sperm bank. Ten days ago I was heartsore but optimistic for the future, yearning for a baby more than anything else in the world. Now I’m dreading the exam. <br /> However my trepidation soon gives way to surprise, because as soon as I enter the facility I have the strangest feeling that Dominic Sinclair is near. It takes me a while to actually find him, behind closed doors with Cora’s bosses in a luxurious, glass-walled conference room, but I don’t have the faintest idea how I knew he was present. I also don’t understand why I feel drawn to him: after all, he’s ruined both my sister’s and my own life. I shouldn’t be excited to see him. <br /> It was dumb luck that I stumbled across his path, the conference room is on the way to Cora’s office, but I find myself stopping to observe the meeting inside. I’m struck speechless when I lay eyes on him. Is it possible that he’s gotten more attractive since the last time I saw him? It was already unfair that somebody that powerful and intelligent could be so handsome, but now it truly just feels like being kicked while I’m down. The bastard has a heart of stone, and still the universe has rained endless gifts upon him while people like Cora and I have nothing. <br /> Shaking myself out of my trance, I continue down the hall, though I feel the weight of dark eyes on my back as I retreat. Cora has clearly been crying when I arrive. Her eyes are red and her cheeks splotchy, though she tries to hide it. <br /> “Hey.” I greet her gently, wrapping her up in a hug. She leans into me, squeezing tight and lingering far longer than she usually would. “Is there any news?”<br /> “Sinclair is in there finalizing it all now. I’m going to be given formal termination notice this afternoon.” She shares, sniffling slightly. <br /> “I’m so sorry, honey.” I croon, rubbing her back. <br /> “It’s okay.” She lies, pulling away. “How are you hanging in there?”<br /> “Not very well.” I confess. “I’m sort of dreading this, to be honest.”<br /> “It’s amazing how fast things can change, huh?” She asks, looking as though she might burst into tears. “I mean, what are we going to do, Elle?” <br /> “Well figure it out.” I promise. “We’ve been in tight spots before.” I remind her, “remember the summer we slept in boxes on the street after we ran away from the orphanage?”<br /> “Yeah,” She nods with a sad smile. “But it’s winter now, I don’t think we’ll last long in the elements. And you weren’t pregnant then.”<br /> “Yeah well, if I’m pregnant now….” I can’t look her in the eyes as I say this, “I don’t think I’m going to stay that way.”<br /> “What?” Cora exclaims, looking horrified. “But this is your only chance! And we aren’t completely hopeless, you’ve got time to try to figure out a plan B.”<br /> That phrase alone reminds me of Mike, and I realize I haven’t shared my latest news with Cora. “I can’t afford a baby even if I do find a job. I’m going to be paying off my debts for years to come.” I share, filling her in on the details of Mike and Kate’s latest betrayal. <br /> “I can’t believe this!” She bursts out when I’m finished. “It just isn’t fair, Ella! I mean, I thought we paid our dues, I thought we were done with suffering. After everything we’ve been through, we deserve a better future than this! You deserve to be a mom – no one loves children more than you do.”<br /> “And you deserve to be a doctor.” I reply. “You worked so hard.”<br /> “I still don’t think you should give up yet.” She frowns. “You can terminate the pregnancy up until the end of the first trimester. It would be a tragedy if you aborted it, then pulled off a miracle and it turned out you could have kept it. Don’t take that risk. Keep the baby until the very last moment.”<br /> “I don’t think miracles happen to people like me.” I remark softly. “Besides that seems kind of like it’s own form of torture – the longer I carry the baby the more attached I’m going to get. I don’t want this to hurt any worse than it has to.”<br /> “It’s going to hurt no matter what.” Cora reasons, “You ought to give yourself a chance – keep the door open. Don’t give up hope completely.”<br /> “Let’s just find out if I have to make that decision in the first place.” I state, changing the subject. “I may not even be pregnant.” Yet even as I say it, I can feel in my heart that I am. <br /> “Okay.” Cora agrees, pulling a sterile cup wrapped in plastic from one of her cabinets. “You know what to do.”<br /> I take the cup and quickly duck into the bathroom to provide a urine sample, returning it to her almost immediately. I pace back and forth across the office as Cora runs the tests. “Well?” I press, seeing the results pop up on her computer screen. <br /> She offers me a sad smile. “Congratulations little sister, you’re going to have a baby.”<br /> I told myself that I wouldn’t fall to pieces no matter the results, but as soon as the words are out of her mouth I’m crying. I’ve been waiting to hear those words for years and was beginning to think I never would. It’s both unimaginable joy, and unimaginable pain. I never knew my heart could hold such conflicting emotions at the same time, let alone in such extremes. “Really?”<br /> “Really.” Cora confirms, hugging me. “Come on, let’s do an ultrasound. You can hear the heartbeat.”<br /> “Isn’t it too early?” I squeak. <br /> “Just one of the benefits of being at the finest lab in the country.” Cora quips, the words bittersweet on her tongue. “Our technology is years ahead of what’s available in public hospitals.”<br /> Climbing onto the raised exam table, I lay back and lift my top, not bothering to change into a gown or cover my clothes with a sheet, I simply expose my flat belly as Cora wheels in an ultrasound on a cart. Within minutes the machine is emitting a strange whoosh woosh woosh, and Cora squirts a dollop of jelly on my tummy. She pressed the wand to my skin, and before long a tiny heartbeat sounds – making me cry all over again.<br /> However Cora is frowning deeply. “This is so strange, the baby seems awfully large, but we tested you at your last visit to be sure you weren’t already pregnant.”<br /> “What does that mean?” I ask anxiously. “Is the father just a big guy?”<br /> “I don’t just mean size – I mean development.” Cora purses her lips and furrows her brows as she studies the images, suddenly looking very worried. She’s whispering now, speaking to herself more than to me. “It doesn’t look human… but that can’t be… it’s not possible.”<br /> “What are you talking about?” I inquire, “How can you tell? Isn’t it just a tiny blob?”<br /> “As I said, our tech is state of the art. It doesn’t just highlight shapes - it analyzes the molecular structure.” Before she can say another word, the door bursts open, startling us both. To my shock and horror, Dominic Sinclair is standing in the doorframe, glaring at us as if we’ve done something terrible. “What’s the meaning of this?” He demands.<br /> “What’s the meaning of this? I repeat in shock, “what’s the meaning of you barging into a private exam?!”<br /> “Because,” He declares fiercely, and I swear his eyes are almost glowing with rage. “I can smell my pup.”<br /> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <br /> Due to the word limit, it can only be updated here! 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310,903	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) null	Yes	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	940303243705870	Free reading with Title "Love at the Wrong Table"	“I know, Mom. I'm in front of the café. Call you later!” Emmanuel Lowe hung up on his mother impatiently.<br /> The twenty-eight-year-old man had never been in a relationship.<br /> <br /> After spending seven years in the army, he retired from the military and worked at a hospital in Yeringham for three years.<br /> <br /> He was a gynecologist at the hospital and made eighty thousand a year.<br /> <br /> Worried he would end up old and alone, Emmanuel's mother urged him to settle down. Since he had no idea where to begin when it came to dating, his mother took matters into her own hands and set him up on multiple blind dates.<br /> <br /> Thanks to her efforts, he had gone on seventeen blind dates so far.<br /> <br /> Alas, wedding bells were clearly not on the horizon for Emmanuel. It was frustrating. He knew he was just going through the motions at that point.<br /> <br /> “Help! Someone help me!”<br /> <br /> Right before Emmanuel entered the café, he heard someone calling out weakly for help.<br /> <br /> The cries came from an old man who had fallen on the roadside. Many pedestrians walked past him, but no one dared to stop and help him to his feet.<br /> <br /> After all, helping the old man could be more trouble than it was worth if one ended up with an expensive lawsuit for injuring him further. No one would do something that risky and foolish.<br /> <br /> It did not deter Emmanuel from stepping forward and helping the man to his feet. He asked, “Are you all right, sir?”<br /> <br /> “I'm fine! Thank you so much, young man! It's so hard to find people as kind as you these days. I must repay you for your kindness!” replied the old man with a smile.<br /> <br /> Emmanuel realized then that the old man's attire was at odds with his airs. Despite his tattered clothes, the old man's clean hands looked like those of a man accustomed to wealth.<br /> <br /> Still, he had no time to satisfy his curiosity. After confirming that the old man was unharmed, Emmanuel rushed into the café for his blind date. He never once considered being repaid for his kind act earlier.<br /> <br /> The café was massive and practically structured like a maze.<br /> <br /> Emmanuel's mother mentioned that his blind date was seated at table number eight. He wandered through the confusing café, but before he could locate the correct table, he stumbled into a special area.<br /> <br /> The lighting was softer there, and the floor was scattered with fresh petals.<br /> <br /> The sweet scent of flowers wafted through the air. He wondered if he had set foot in heaven.<br /> <br /> Emmanuel raised his eyes and immediately froze.<br /> <br /> A beautiful, elegant woman sat before a table in the room.<br /> <br /> It was no exaggeration to say she embodied perfection itself.<br /> <br /> The heavens clearly decided to shower all their favors on her.<br /> <br /> The woman quietly sipped her coffee with her legs crossed neatly to the side. On the table was a non-translated copy of The Power Broker.<br /> <br /> When she noticed Emmanuel barging into the room, she looked up at him in confusion and displeasure.<br /> <br /> Thump! Thump! Thump!<br /> <br /> When Emmanuel recovered from the shock of stumbling upon the beautiful stranger, he realized his heart was about to beat its way out of his chest.<br /> <br /> Never once had he ever felt so attracted to a woman in his twenty-eight years of life.<br /> <br /> The countless female bodies he had seen in his work as a gynecologist hardly appealed to him. At some point, he even wondered if he was attracted to women at all.<br /> <br /> Against all odds, it seemed, the young woman before him made his heart race like a runaway horse.<br /> <br /> Am I simply nervous, or am I already attracted to her?<br /> <br /> More surprisingly, Emmanuel noticed a large number eight sign on the woman's table.<br /> <br /> She's my blind date?<br /> <br /> He took a deep breath to calm himself before approaching her table and taking a seat opposite her.<br /> <br /> The young woman's expression grew increasingly flabbergasted. There was even a hint of hostility in her pretty eyes.<br /> <br /> The audacity of this man! Barging into my private room is bad enough, but he's going to sit opposite me like it's nobody's business?<br /> <br /> Emmanuel ignored her expression. It was not the first time a woman had scoffed at him.<br /> <br /> They were free to go their separate ways after getting the blind date done and over with.<br /> <br /> He introduced himself, declaring, “Hi! My name is Emmanuel Lowe. I'm twenty-eight years old, and I work as a gynecologist. I make eighty thousand a year and don't own a car or a house.”<br /> <br /> Any man would need an incredible amount of courage to say such things to a woman, but Emmanuel appeared unusually calm and unfazed.<br /> <br /> The young woman stared at him in shock. A moment later, her lips curved into a smirk, and she replied with an introduction of her own.<br /> <br /> “Nice to meet you. I'm Mackenzie Quillen. I'm twenty-seven years old with dual doctorates in finance and business administration from Harvard University. I made three billion last year, and I have a car and a house.”<br /> <br /> Emmanuel was stunned.<br /> <br /> What is happening?<br /> <br /> He always thought women on blind dates came with red flags.<br /> <br /> Mackenzie, however, was arguably flawless.<br /> <br /> Where's the catch?<br /> <br /> All sorts of fantastical theories filled Emmanuel's mind.<br /> <br /> Mackenzie smirked at his perplexed expression. The pride in her cool gaze was evident.<br /> <br /> She deliberately introduced herself to put the stranger in a difficult spot and intimidate him into retreating.<br /> <br /> As expected, awkward silence lingered in the air after her words.<br /> <br /> Urgh, forget it!<br /> <br /> Whether Mackenzie was telling the truth was beside the point. Emmanuel decided to go through all the motions so he could at least mollify his mother, even if the date did not result in a trip to the altar.<br /> <br /> He declared, “I don't make much, but if you decide to date me, I promise I'll always protect and cherish you. I'll take over all the household chores so you can be a queen at home. Of course, I hope you'll allow me to preserve my masculine pride in front of my family. If we do get married, I can give you about five to six thousand every month.”<br /> <br /> It was a well-worn script that Emmanuel recited in a single breath.<br /> <br /> Mackenzie was dumbfounded at his earnest expression and apparent lack of shame at his much lower salary.<br /> <br /> A long while later, she burst into a chuckle.<br /> <br /> She had never met a man who could humor her so.<br /> <br /> “What are you laughing about?” Unimpressed by her reaction, Emmanuel continued, “I know I don't check all the boxes, but I promise I'll be a good and responsible husband if we're married!”<br /> <br /> Pfft!<br /> <br /> Mackenzie failed to keep in her snigger.<br /> <br /> An annoyed Emmanuel demanded, “Why are you laughing, Ms. Quillen? Don't you think you're being rather rude?”<br /> <br /> “Sir, you're a very good man!” Mackenzie stopped smiling and retorted coldly, “But I think you're the confused one here. I'm not here for a blind date!”<br /> <br /> Huh? What is going on?<br /> <br /> Emmanuel's eyes widened in horror as he sputtered, “Isn't this table number eight?”<br /> <br /> “Yes, but this is the VIP area. You must be looking for table number eight in the common dining area. Please go out and turn right!” She pointed a slender finger at the exit.<br /> <br /> “Oh... Sorry! I'm so sorry! I mixed things up!”<br /> <br /> Emmanuel wished he could sink into the floor in embarrassment. He jumped to his feet, ready to make a hasty escape.<br /> <br /> That was so embarrassing! How could I sit at the wrong table for a blind date? No wonder she was laughing so much. She must have thought I was shooting above my weight!<br /> <br /> Shortly after Emmanuel's departure, an old man entered Mackenzie's private room, escorted by four black-clad bodyguards.<br /> <br /> Emmanuel would have been astonished if he was still around. The old man was none other than the stranger he had helped earlier in front of the café!<br /> <br /> He implored, “Perhaps this is fate, Mackenzie. You're twenty-seven, but you've never been in a relationship because of your misandry. No man would dare come near you! But that young man succeeded! He's also a kind and just person. A while ago, he helped me outside the café and didn't expect a reward for his actions!”<br /> <br /> The old man's true identity was Terence Quillen, chairman of Yeringham's premier financial corporation.<br /> <br /> While his wealth could trump that of entire nations, he had a major regret in life.<br /> <br /> Terence had had three sons who tragically passed away before him. They either had no children of their own or only left daughters behind.<br /> <br /> Mackenzie was Terence's favorite granddaughter and next-in-line to helm Terence Group.<br /> <br /> Her intelligence and charisma did not change the fact that she was a woman.<br /> <br /> Before Terence met his maker, he wished his favorite granddaughter could give him a great-grandchild.<br /> <br /> That spurred him to fake his fall in front of the café and scout a decent man for his granddaughter. To his surprise, the young man who helped him earlier made a blunder of his own blind date and ended up meeting Mackenzie instead.<br /> <br /> Isn't that fate?<br /> <br /> Mackenzie remained stoically unmoved by her grandfather's words. “Grandpa, he may have passed your test, but he hasn't passed mine. I'll marry him if he aces my test.”<br /> <br /> She wanted to fulfill her grandfather's wish, but she naturally wished to promise herself to a good man.<br /> <br /> Marrying a man after one blind date was simply too hasty and careless.<br /> <br /> Terence's gaze lit up expectantly, and he replied, “All right! I'm sure he will pass your test!”<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Failure<br /> <br /> After turning right at the door, Emmanuel finally found table number eight in the common dining area.<br /> <br /> Sure enough, a woman was seated at the table, looking like she was running out of patience.<br /> <br /> Dressed in professional attire that accentuated her beautiful curves, she was, by all means, a sight to behold.<br /> <br /> Even though she didn't exude the same air of elegance that Mackenzie had, there was no denying she had the power to make men fall at her feet.<br /> <br /> Thankfully, Emmanuel wasn't disappointed in the slightest. After all, he was well aware of his own qualities.<br /> <br /> Without further ado, he straightened himself up and approached the woman with a smile.<br /> <br /> “Sorry I'm late! My name's Emmanuel Lowe. I'm twenty-eight years old, and I work as a gynecologist with an annual salary of eighty thousand—”<br /> <br /> “Stop!” the woman coldly interrupted before he could finish his introduction. “What's the meaning of this? With what little you have to offer; do you seriously think women would want to marry you? I can't believe you even had the nerve to be late! What right do you have to keep a woman waiting? This has been an utter waste of my time. Hmph!”<br /> <br /> After firing off a barrage of questions, the red-faced woman angrily splashed a glass of water on Emmanuel's face.<br /> <br /> The latter, who was caught off guard, instantly became soaking wet.<br /> <br /> Nevertheless, Emmanuel didn't lose his temper. After all, he was indeed late because he went to the wrong place, so he could understand why the woman was upset.<br /> <br /> “Hmph. You're twenty-eight and still only earning eighty-thousand a year. No wonder you're doing so poorly! Not only do you lack punctuality, but you also don't seem to take life seriously. You're doomed to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy your entire life! I'm shocked you even have the guts to go on a blind date with me... Stop being delusional!” the woman scolded as she shot Emmanuel a look of contempt.<br /> <br /> The next second, she grabbed her bag and stormed off, not once bothering to leave her name.<br /> <br /> To add insult to injury, she even waved a wad of cash in front of Emmanuel's face, then slapped it hard on the table as payment for the bill.<br /> <br /> The latter's gaze darkened instantly as rage began pulsing through his veins.<br /> <br /> This woman is humiliating me! I may not have high expectations for marriage, but that doesn't mean I don't have a temper! Argh! As much as I want to make her regret her actions, I know I don't have that capability...<br /> <br /> Since the woman was gone, Emmanuel, too, left the café glumly.<br /> <br /> To his surprise, he had only just stepped out the door when he saw a long-haired man deliberately colliding into a BMW and screaming in pain.<br /> <br /> Emmanuel couldn't help but furrow his brows. Oh, gosh. That man is clearly staging a car accident. Why is there so much trouble in this café today?<br /> <br /> “Ah! Someone's been hit!”<br /> <br /> “Argh! My leg's broken! Murderer!”<br /> <br /> Four men immediately rushed out to join the commotion when the long-haired man fell on the ground.<br /> <br /> Thankfully, Emmanuel saw right through their ploy. Ha! Those guys must be the co-conspirators!<br /> <br /> Just then, a young lady hastily exited the BMW, clad in a maroon sleeveless dress that revealed a large expanse of tender, fair skin.<br /> <br /> “What's the matter? How could I have injured your leg when I was driving so slowly?” she asked anxiously.<br /> <br /> Seconds later, the long-haired man's buddies surrounded the woman, demanding compensation. “Cut the crap! Pay up! Pay up now!”<br /> <br /> Several people in the café had witnessed the staged accident, but unfortunately, they were so afraid of the big, burly men that no one dared to confront them.<br /> <br /> “How much do you guys want?” the woman muttered helplessly, having resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to settle the matter with money.<br /> <br /> The group of thugs, however, began leering at and drooling over her.<br /> <br /> “Haha. Hey, why don't you have some fun with us?” one of the men suggested.<br /> <br /> Just like that, what had started as a staged accident quickly turned into public harassment.<br /> <br /> The pretty woman was so scared out of her wits that she staggered backward until she bumped into Emmanuel.<br /> <br /> Instead of taking advantage of her like the other thugs, Emmanuel stepped in front of her and glared at the long-haired man.<br /> <br /> “Your leg's broken, and you're asking for compensation, huh?”<br /> <br /> Upon seeing Emmanuel's menacing expression, the thugs felt chills down their spines.<br /> <br /> At the same time, Mackenzie was sitting in the café and watching the entire scene unfold.<br /> <br /> Well, well, well. Who knew that man would be so brave? I'm sure no one else would have the guts to go up against five thugs.<br /> <br /> The next second, Emmanuel stunned everyone by viciously kicking the long-haired man's leg.<br /> <br /> “Argh!” the latter shouted in pain as he began hopping on the leg that was supposedly broken.<br /> <br /> The onlookers instantly let out a collective gasp.<br /> <br /> Goodness gracious! That man is daring!<br /> <br /> Mackenzie, too, had curled her lips into a smile.<br /> <br /> The café was one of her properties, so naturally, she had also seen how Emmanuel's blind date went.<br /> <br /> I thought he was a timid man when he didn't flare up despite being splashed with water. Who knew he was just a gentleman who doesn't lose his temper with women? I must admit, he looks rather charming when he shows his tough side!<br /> <br /> “What's this? Didn't you say your leg's broken? I'm impressed you can still jump on it!” Emmanuel mocked.<br /> <br /> When the onlookers realized that the long-haired man had lied about his injury, they wasted no time scolding and criticizing him.<br /> <br /> By then, the other thugs had also lost their bravado and fell silent. After all, they knew the tables had turned on them.<br /> <br /> “Hmph. I'll let you off this time. You'd better watch your back!” the long-haired man warned before running away with his tail between his legs.<br /> <br /> With that, the pretty woman gave Emmanuel a warm smile and coyly gestured for him to get into her car. “Hey, handsome, thank you so much for your help. Would you like to go to my house for a drink?”<br /> <br /> Emmanuel, however, brushed her off without a second thought. “No, thank you. I have other things to do!”<br /> <br /> Seeing how unmoved he was by her advances, the woman couldn't help but stomp her feet in frustration.<br /> <br /> Back in the café, Mackenzie heard her grandfather burst into loud guffaws.<br /> <br /> “Haha! I told you so, Mackenzie! Didn't I say that man has an excellent character? Your assistant, Lexi, is such a beautiful woman, yet he refuses to give her the time of day! Once you guys are married, you won't have to worry about him betraying you!”<br /> <br /> The more Mackenzie ruminated about Terence's words, the more her impression of Emmanuel improved.<br /> <br /> “Don't be too happy yet, Grandpa! Men are either after looks or money,” Mackenzie uttered coldly before getting up.<br /> <br /> Ha! I doubt Emmanuel can pass my second secret test of character!<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Emmanuel had gotten home after his matchmaking session failed spectacularly.<br /> <br /> Needless to say, his sister, Roselynn Lowe, was frustrated beyond belief. “What? Another unsuccessful blind date?”<br /> <br /> This is the eighteenth time, for goodness' sake! My brother's a six-foot tall, fit, and upstanding young man. Why won't any woman take a fancy to him? He may be thick-skulled at times, but surely, someone will still appreciate him for his good looks, won't they?<br /> <br /> Emmanuel's mother, Alessandra Cadigan, seemed even more anxious as she hurriedly dragged him out of the house.<br /> <br /> “Mom, what are you doing?” Emmanuel asked, startled by how panic-stricken Alessandra was.<br /> <br /> “What am I doing? I'm worried sick about you!” the woman scolded without breaking her stride. “I don't understand it, either. Our neighbor's an unkempt twenty-eight-year-old novelist who's always cooped up at home, yet he's already planning for his second child! Why can't my son get a girlfriend? That woman didn't even stay for the blind date, did she? I paid good money to set this up for you! Let's go see her at her house right now!”<br /> <br /> “What?” Emmanuel choked out.<br /> <br /> Did I hear that right? I can't believe Mom has gotten this desperate! The matchmaking session was an utter failure, so why must she still insist on dragging me to the woman's place? Wouldn't I just be embarrassing myself again?<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Rags to Riches<br /> <br /> In any relationship, the party taking the initiative was often seen as lowlier and more desperate.<br /> <br /> Therefore, upon seeing Emmanuel and his family at her house, Milani Zimmerman wore an even haughtier expression than when she was at the café.<br /> <br /> Ha! I knew he wouldn't be able to get over my looks, so he's come to badger me again!<br /> <br /> Milani's mother, Melody Claus, was just as smug when she learned of the Lowe family's intention.<br /> <br /> “If your son wishes to marry my daughter, you'll have to give us a betrothal gift of five hundred thousand,” she said as she raised her palm. “We won't accept anything less!”<br /> <br /> Emmanuel's heart instantly sank.<br /> <br /> Oh, my goodness! Five hundred thousand? Is she trying to sell her daughter?<br /> <br /> Alessandra, however, gritted her teeth and nodded. “T-That's fine!”<br /> <br /> As long as my son can get married, I'll do anything to make up for the betrothal gift, even if it means selling the house!<br /> <br /> “Your family must also provide a car and matrimonial home!” Milani's father chimed in. “More importantly, you're not going to let my daughter pay for any installments or maintenance fees!”<br /> <br /> By then, Emmanuel was on the verge of losing his patience.<br /> <br /> Shouldn't marriages be consensual? I don't expect both parties to be forking out the wedding expenses equally, but why does it feel like my family's here to surrender and be fleeced?<br /> <br /> Alessandra, too, found herself in a tight spot.<br /> <br /> She could sell the house to afford the betrothal gift, but how would she pay for the couple's car and home?<br /> <br /> “Sure. That's no problem!” Roselynn piped up, even going so far as to pull her brother back when she realized he wanted to object.<br /> <br /> She was just as eager for Emmanuel to start a family, and at thirty years old, she had worked and saved up enough to make the necessary down payments for him.<br /> <br /> Since Mom is settling the betrothal gift, I shall help Emmanuel with the car and home!<br /> <br /> “Lastly, he will bear all household expenses after the wedding!” Milani suddenly said.<br /> <br /> That, however, was the last straw for Emmanuel. “I don't mind paying this much if she's coming to work for us as a housekeeper, but if she expects to be treated like a princess or queen, you can forget it! I don't need that!”<br /> <br /> “Look at your son! What's with that attitude?” Milani yelled. “We aren't even married yet, and he's already so domineering. Wouldn't it be worse down the road?”<br /> <br /> “No, no, no... The marriage will work out. It'd work out just fine!” Alessandra pleaded, desperate to finalize the wedding.<br /> <br /> I can't wait any longer... I must fulfill my husband's last wish by the end of the year!<br /> <br /> Having seen how things were going, even Roselynn knew she had to step in to persuade her mother. “Mom! Stop forcing it!”<br /> <br /> Manny's right. There's nothing wrong with giving a betrothal gift, car, and house. However, asking him to be the sole supporter of his family after the wedding is too much! What about his wife, then? Why can't she chip in? Will she be sending her own money back to her parents?<br /> <br /> Just then, Milani's younger brother, Jacob Zimmerman, suddenly appeared with a cocky grin plastered on his face. “Haha! Don't forget about me, Milani! When it's my turn to get married, I'd be counting on you guys to buy me my car and house too!”<br /> <br /> Upon hearing that, Emmanuel instantly exploded with rage.<br /> <br /> “What? Am I marrying your sister or your entire family? I may as well support all of you!”<br /> <br /> Even though Emmanuel had only meant that as an angry remark, Milani decided to hold him to his word. “Hah! You'd better remember what you just said! In that case, I'll leave you to plan and pay for the wedding banquet and honeymoon. Don't tell me you can't afford that...”<br /> <br /> “Get lost! I'd rather marry anybody than you!” Emmanuel retorted as the rage and ferocity he used to experience on the battlefield came flooding back.<br /> <br /> He didn't know what the Zimmermans were playing at, but there was no doubt they were monsters.<br /> <br /> “Look at yourself! How dare you ask me for my hand in marriage! I'd rather marry anybody than you too!” Milani snapped back.<br /> <br /> Given my qualities, I have no problem marrying a rich man, so why should I settle for a man like Emmanuel? I'm only too happy that he wants to fall out with me!<br /> <br /> After giving an exasperated laugh, Emmanuel stood up and stormed off, leaving Alessandra and Roselynn with no choice but to follow suit.<br /> <br /> To their surprise, they had only just stepped out of the Zimmerman residence when three luxury cars pulled up in front of them.<br /> <br /> The Zimmermans quickly popped out to see the commotion and almost dropped their jaws when they saw the car lineup.<br /> <br /> Oh! Those cars are worth tens of millions! What's going on? Since when were the Lowes that fancy?<br /> <br /> Emmanuel, on the other contrary, seemed to recognize one of the cars. Hmm... Didn't I see that car outside the café?<br /> <br /> The next second, Terence stepped out of the car, surrounded by his convoy of suited bodyguards.<br /> <br /> He smiled as he approached Emmanuel and said politely, “I'm here to return the favor, Mr. Lowe, after you helped me outside the café!”<br /> <br /> Needless to say, everyone was stunned.<br /> <br /> Roselynn couldn't hide her excitement and gripped her brother's arm tightly.<br /> <br /> Ah! Isn't this like those rags-to-riches stories?<br /> <br /> The more Emmanuel thought about it, the more he frowned. Wow... Who knew this old man was a millionaire? Could he have intentionally fallen at the café?<br /> <br /> Terence waved his hand, and within seconds, his subordinates had unloaded several boxes of gifts.<br /> <br /> Not only were there precious stones and jewelry, but there were also famous paintings, antiques, and even a Porsche key.<br /> <br /> The total value of the items had to be at least ten million.<br /> <br /> For someone who earned a mere eighty thousand a year, ten million was an eye-watering amount of money that Emmanuel could only dream of!<br /> <br /> Upon witnessing the scene, the Zimmerman family almost collapsed in shock.<br /> <br /> Milani might be a well-dressed woman, but the truth was, her family was just like any other average family. To them, ten million was undoubtedly an astronomical sum!<br /> <br /> If I had known Emmanuel would become a multi-millionaire, I'd have married him straightaway!<br /> <br /> After snapping out of her daze, she smiled and hastily clutched Emmanuel's arm.<br /> <br /> “What's the matter, darling? Oh, wow... You're so kind to help the elderly! I love that about you!”<br /> <br /> “Who's your darling?” Emmanuel asked, embarrassing Milani so much that she wanted to crawl into a hole.<br /> <br /> As though that wasn't enough, he brusquely pushed her away and added, “Didn't you just reject me? Why are you still calling me that?”<br /> <br /> “Uh... I—” Milani muttered, clearly at a loss for words.<br /> <br /> Her family, too, was incredibly frustrated.<br /> <br /> After all, they had just missed out on getting a wealthy son-in-law!<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Alessandra was about to say something when Roselynn tugged at her.<br /> <br /> As much as I want Manny to start a family, I can't let him settle for the horrible Zimmermans! Besides, he's rich now! I'm sure he can find a better woman!<br /> <br /> “Mom, Roselynn, let's go!” Emmanuel said before ushering both women into the car.<br /> <br /> He didn't want to accept the gifts, especially since he knew he hadn't done anything to deserve them. However, it wasn't the time and place to discuss the matter, so he decided to leave instead.<br /> <br /> Once the Lowe family had left, a gust of cold wind swept over the Zimmermans as they seethed silently.<br /> <br /> “How could you have made such remarks earlier, Milani? Do you think it's easy to find a millionaire these days?” Melody berated.<br /> <br /> “W-What should I do now, then?”<br /> <br /> In all honesty, Milani was at a complete loss. She had gone on several blind dates to find a rich husband who could give her a life of luxury.<br /> <br /> Alas, who knew she'd let a multi-millionaire slip right through her fingers?<br /> <br /> “What else can we do? They've already come to our place to ask for your hand in marriage. Can't we do the same?” Melody suggested.<br /> <br /> Jacob, who was just as anxious, instantly exclaimed, “I don't care, Milani! You have to marry that multi-millionaire! When my girlfriend and I get married, you must give us a house and a luxury car! Otherwise, I'll disown you!”<br /> <br /> “Okay, okay. I got it!” Milani replied with a long sigh.<br /> <br /> Argh! Emmanuel and I left on such bad terms... Would he still care about me?<br /> <br /> 👉To continue reading the story for free, download the app and search📚"Love at the Wrong Table". Enjoy Romance Now🥰	LEARN_MORE	https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4	102114825976458	The novels	https://facebook.com/100085012467697	25,543	2	662,432,366,039,829	2024-02-17 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	1	1	1	Learn more	The novels	120205357470480429	page.joyreadings.com	NONE	image		https://page.joyreadings.com/h5-book-share-custom4.html?lang=en&id=4685&brand=2&app=0&ppid=1635&pid=FBW2A&campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.id%7D%7D&adset_id=%7B%7Badset.id%7D%7D&ad_id=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D&utm_source=FBW2A&utm_medium=%7B%7Bplacement%7D%7D&utm_campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.id%7D%7D&utm_term=%7B%7Badset.id%7D%7D&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.id%7D%7D	2024-02-16 10:07	https://scontent-den2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/424613818_363507689821726_5886375733357852105_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=la7PCfNlEOoAX99HyY2&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.xx&oh=00_AfDXHCx8wxVBqF3TZyZaGG0pQwJiQo1OT-H4cvUXUodJBA&oe=65D8218F	person_profile	The novels	https://scontent-den2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/425313237_422389700452200_8904838390447874461_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=xTCeV1opn7YAX-DNFYq&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.xx&oh=00_AfC4P4cydUPhGOoOIA_WGvqAC7QMNW9JAfGsfB0wyt1FrQ&oe=65D80EA7	3	The novels	2024-02-17 02:00	View Edit Delete
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310,856	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":310761}'	No	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1487406685170838	🔥🔥 Click to Read 👉🏻👉🏻	I then open our door to see. MY mate in bed with my 'best friend'?<br /> "Baby, it's not what you think! I slipped!"<br /> "You slipped? While undressed? And what her body miraculously caught you? Do I look like an idiot? How long has this been going on?" I asked.<br /> "Two years. And yes, this is why I wouldn't mark you. And, besides, I did it for the thrill." He said. <br /> She looked kind of smug at me. Well, he admitted that part, too bad he couldn't tell me that 2 years ago. <br /> I mean really? Boy played me like a fool.<br /> "You know what? I don't care. I wish you both the best. And thanks for my gift too. Now, I, Aaryana Stevens, ex Luna of the Morning Star pack reject you, Alpha Brentin Hamilton. I reject all bonds and ties to you and this pack." I said.<br /> ————————<br /> Aaryana's POV<br /> I walked into the pack house; I just got back from the pack doctor's house. With the news I got, I was happy and completely oblivious to what was going on. The beta and his mate were looking at me in shock, guilt and pity. Ok what? "Aaryana, what are you doing home so early?" Rachel, the beta female asked.<br /> "Well one, I live here. Two, I have some news for Brentin." I said. What is up with them? I didn't have time to worry about that right now. I have news to tell Brentin. Then we have to decide when to tell the pack. "By the way, where is he?"<br /> "Um.he had an uh.um.an alpha meeting." She stuttered. That's not like her. She is normally always calm and collected, now she is just plain nervous.<br /> "Rachel, why are you so nervous? It's like you're hiding something from me." I said. It was really out of character for her, and annoying to me.<br /> "I can't say." She says looking guilty. I look to her and her mate, Bill, to see him looking the same way.<br /> "Ok. Well, when you want to tell me you know where to find me. Anyways, when Brentin gets here, tell him I need to speak to him. I'll be in our room." I said as I walked away.<br /> I walked upstairs towards our room. Our room was on the second floor, it was one of 2 rooms on the second floor. The other room was the beta's rooms. Once I am standing outside our room, I hear moaning. WTH??? Who is in our room? I listen closer, I know the woman's voice, I also know the man's voice. What are Brentin and Julie doing in our room? And why are they moaning? I then open our door to see.MY mate in bed with my 'best friend'?<br /> "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" I shout letting my alpha and Luna tone out. Brentin looks up guilty. And guess what Julie is doing. Come on guess. Wanna know?? She's smirking at me! This bimbo has some nerve, I thought to myself. My wolf just growled. 'I told you'. My wolf said. 'Told me what?' I asked. 'You'll find out soon enough.' She replied.<br /> "Baby, it's not what you think! I slipped!" Brentin said. Really, that's the best he can come up with? He slipped? Ha, it must have been a inferno of a fall. And they just happened to be undressed when he 'slipped'? I doubt that.<br /> "You slipped? While undressed? And what her body miraculously caught you? Did it cushion your fall too? Do I look like an idiot? How long has this been going on?" I asked. I was seeing red, I was so mad. But I didn't want to lash out, yet. I was trying to stay calm and collected so I could hear everything they said. Like my wolf was. 'Why are you so calm?' I asked my wolf. 'Because, I feel nothing for him. Well, maybe for his wolf, but his wolf is a part of him and I can't forgive them. I'll tell you why after everything is over.' She said. Then she turned around and told me, 'Think happy thoughts to calm down so you don't fight.' The only happy thought I could think about was what the doctor told me not even 30 minutes ago.<br /> "No you don't look like an idiot, well to be honest, you kind of do, but that's beside the point. And it's been going on since the day I found out you were my mate." He said.<br /> "Two years? Two years? This is why you wouldn't mark me? Why Brentin? Why did you do it?" I asked. Now I was pissed. He has been cheating on me for 2 years? Yet, he still had the audacity to sleep with me after sleeping with that bimbo?<br /> "Yes. Two years. And yes, this is why I wouldn't mark you. You see, I love you but I'm not in love with you. My wolf is in love with you. Other than that, I feel nothing for you. And, besides, I did it for the thrill. What thrill? The thrill of not being caught. And because I'm in love with her." He said. She looked kind of smug at me. Well, he admitted that part, too bad he couldn't tell me that 2 years ago. I mean really? Boy played me like a fool.<br /> "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I snarl. He better think carefully before he speaks. I am ready to kill them both. 'You can't do that. Remember what the doctor said?' My wolf said. Yeah, yeah, the doctor just notified me of some surprising news, so I can't fight. Well there goes that thought. But I can make them regret ever doing this.<br /> "She's pregnant." He said. He then started smiling. He's happy that this bimbo is pregnant. I wonder if it's his or someone else's.<br /> "Congratufuckinglations!" I said sarcastically. What else was I supposed to say? It's not like he would believe me if I told him what I know about Julie. But, he will find out on his own, one day. Hopefully she doesn't ruin this pack. "Is it yours or someone else's?"<br /> "It's his, you're just jealous because he loves me and not you." Julie, aka the bimbo said. She really thinks I'm jealous? I'm not jealous, I'm hurt but not jealous. He betrayed me, if he didn't want to be with me all he had to do was say so. But no, he has to cheat on me.<br /> "I wasn't talking to you, bimbo. And you forget Julie, I got more on you than you think. If I were you, I would shut up. You used to tell me everything, especially when we first met. So I know all your secrets, even the ones you don't want anyone knowing about. Now, Brentin, is the child yours or not?" I asked, but then I couldn't bring myself to care, so instead I said, "You know what? I don't care. I wish you both the best. And thanks for my gift too. Now, I, Aaryana Stevens, ex Luna of the Morning Star pack reject you, Alpha Brentin Hamilton. I reject all bonds and ties to you and this pack." I said.<br /> "You can't do that! You're the Luna!" Brentin shouted at me. Looks like his wolf is fighting for control. Oh, now he worries for the pack? He is going to be the reason this pack crumbles. But, I won't be here to see it, so I don't have to worry about it. But, my consciousness was telling me, you'll always worry about this pack. That may be true, but it's out of my hands now.<br /> "You should've thought about that before you cheated on me." I said, angrily. What am I gonna do? I know I'm going to leave, but where will I go? I could always go to dad's, but that would be too obvious, that would also be the first place Brentin looks when he finds out I'm gone. So where can I go? Oh, I got it. I'll go to the place where dad took me, my brother and mom for vacation. After figuring it all out, I looked around and Brentin, along with Julie, were gone. So, I got a suitcase and I packed some clothes and stuff I would need for my move. I packed 5 outfits, bras, panties, shoes, credit/bank cards, electronics and some money. Then I drove to the airport and caught a last minute flight to Paris.<br /> ...<br /> Sitting on the plane, I thought back over the past 2 years. I can't believe I was that blind. I should have been able to see the signs. Like how late at night, Brentin would just disappear from bed. How I always felt a burning in my chest, but I just put it off as heartburn. How my wolf slowly slipped away and started becoming angry with Brentin. Then there was today, when I found him cheating, my wolf didn't howl in pain or anything. Why didn't I know about it? As I finished that thought, my wolf spoke, 'You didn't know because I tried to keep all the pain from you. I knew how devastated we would be if you found out the same time I did. So I just slowly broke my bond with him. That's why you stopped feeling the sparks between you and him.' I couldn't help but remember the last time I felt the sparks with him. It was a year ago. I just thought it was in my head. Then I remembered how happy she was when we found Brentin.<br /> Flashback<br /> It's my 16th birthday. Finally, the day I get to meet my mate. I was hoping it was my best friend's brother, but sadly it wasn't. My dad, Alpha Allen of the Night Star pack was meeting with the Morning Star alpha to sign a treaty. As soon as we got to the Morning Star pack house, my dad knocked. The door was answered by a devilishly handsome guy, about my age. At the time I wouldn't look in his eyes because I was too shy, even with being an Alpha's daughter. So I just kept my head down.<br /> "Dad, alpha Allen is here." He shouted. His voice sent shivers down my spine, in a good way. But, even then, I was still too shy to look into his eyes.<br /> "Show him to the office." The alpha yelled back.<br /> The guy moved to the side to let my father and me in. As I was walking past him, my arm brushed his. I felt tingles spread through my whole body. 'Mate!' My wolf shouted. "Mate." I whispered.<br /> He grabbed me and started pecking me. "You're mine." He said. My wolf and I both liked his possessiveness.<br /> "I'm yours." I said back. My wolf and I was so happy. We were on cloud nine. We talked until my dad was done with his alpha meeting, then he asked something I never expected him to. But, at the same time, I wanted him to ask me.<br /> "Will you move in with me? I mean, live here in this pack house with me." He said. At first I was shocked. I didn't know how to answer, but my wolf was yelling 'Yes!' in my mind. So I said what she was thinking.<br /> "Yes, I will move in with you." I told him. The next day I was moved in with him.<br /> End flashback.<br /> It's funny how he kept me in the dark for 2 years. He slept with me then turned around and slept with Julie. I hope he's happy with her and their child, but what about mine? That's where I was before I got home. I had just found out I was pregnant right before I caught him cheating.<br /> Flashback<br /> "Brentin, I'll be back in a couple of hours. I'm gonna go visit some friends." I told him, even though I hate lying to him. But I need to figure out what's wrong with me. He's been oblivious to it. Lately he's been oblivious to everything that has been going on with me.<br /> "Ok. See you when you get back. Love you." He said then pecked my forehead.<br /> I walked out of the house and straight to the pack doctor. She had a few patients ahead of me so I let her treat them first and then had her check me out. "Dr. Lottie, I need you to see what's wrong with me, if anything." I said.<br /> "Ok. What are your symptoms?" She asked.<br /> "Nausea, fatigue, eating more, stomach pains, and mood swings." I answered.<br /> "Before anything else, I need to take some blood. And I want you to take this pregnancy test too." She said.<br /> "Ok." I went and took the pregnancy test. While waiting for the results, she took my blood. She tested the blood while I checked the pregnancy test. Positive. OMG! I'm pregnant! How will Brentin react? Will he be happy? Mad? Surprised? Shocked? All of the above?<br /> "Luna?" The Dr. said. She was looking at me questioningly.<br /> "Yes." I replied.<br /> "You are about 5 weeks pregnant." She said. Well more like squealed. She was always excited about a pack member having pups.<br /> "Ok. Thanks. I need to go see Brentin." I said excited. I can't believe that I'm pregnant. But, seeing how there haven't been any rogue or hunter attacks, now would be the best time to be pregnant. Now hopefully there will be no attacks until after the baby is born, which should be in another 5 months. Seeing as I have alpha blood in me and he is an alpha.<br /> End flashback<br /> I left the pack doctor's house. I was in a happy mood. One that nothing could destroy. Well, that's what I thought until I got home and caught him cheating on me. So now that I am out of the pack, and away from my mate or rather ex-mate, how am I going to raise the pup(s) on my own? I will undoubtedly need a werewolf doctor. The thing is, I don't know any in Paris. I can search for the closest pack, or werewolf hospital. Every country has one, so France isn't any different. That was my last thought before falling into a peaceful slumber.<br /> ...<br /> Brentin's POV<br /> I decided that Aaryana needed some time to think, so Julie and I left the room. I came down and noticed my beta's sitting there looking heartbroken and miserable. After 2 hours, I figured, well ok she's had ample amount of time to calm down, now we can talk rationally. I get upstairs to see her gone. I checked for her electronics, extra money that I knew she saved and the bank cards in her dads name. They were for emergencies, and they were gone. Where could she be? Then when I looked on her dresser I found a note, wanting to know what it said, I opened it and read it.<br /> Brentin,<br /> You have cheated on me for 2 years. You have betrayed me and destroyed my trust. But that's ok. I will overcome this. I will become stronger. But I just wanted to let you know that I am gone. I can't stay where I am not respected. You actually had the nerve to alpha command the beta's and whoever else knew, not to tell me you were cheating. Well, it didn't work, cause I still found out. <br /> Don't try calling me or anything, I already changed my number. Don't try looking for me either. Be with your bimbo and your 'child'. The baby probably ain't even yours. But, that is not my concern. <br /> My concern is to tell you, that I loathe you. And I hope my daddy kicks you. Even though, I know he won't. He is too mature to do that. But I can bet he has a plan for you, once he finds out anyways. <br /> And I will be sitting back laughing. I hope you have fun watching this pack fall apart, with you ruling it, there's no doubt in my mind that it will. So bye and I hope I never see you again. If I do, I will make sure you rue the day you met me and every time you cheated on me.<br /> With absolutely no love at all,<br /> Aaryana<br /> So that's it? She's gone? I can't believe she left me. My mate. She is what keeps me sane. But she finds out I cheated, and I got my mistress pregnant. And she leaves? Isn't a mate supposed to forgive and forget??<br /> I keep thinking back to our final conversation. I admitted to everything. The cheating for 2 years. The pregnancy. And all she can say is she rejects me? That she rejects any ties to this pack? That she resigns as the Luna? And what does she mean by 'Thanks for the gift'?<br /> I need to find her. I don't care what the note says, I have got to find her. The only way to do that is a search party. So I need to call a pack meeting. Pack meeting in 10 minutes. I say through the pack mind link.	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310,894	/src/Template/Ads/index.ctp (line 281) '{"alias":310905}'	No	2024-02-18 11:59	active	189	1089123788796951	Family First Chiropractic Wellness Center	Speech and language development are complex processes that rely on the coordination of various brain regions and the nervous system. The brain sends signals to control the muscles involved in speech, including those for articulation, breathing, and vocalization. Any disruption in the nervous system's ability to transmit these signals can lead to speech delays.<br /> <br /> While chiropractic care is not a direct treatment for speech delays, it may play a role in improving speech development, especially when delays are linked to nervous system dysfunction. 🧠<br /> <br /> At FFCWC, our neurologically focused chiropractors focus removing interference between the brain and body called a subluxation. These subluxations can interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system by impeding the flow of nerve signals. When subluxations affect the nerves responsible for speech-related muscle control, it can contribute to speech delays.<br /> <br /> Chiropractic adjustments aim to correct subluxations, thus restoring proper nervous system function. This allows for enhanced speech development and overall vitality!<br /> <br /> #speech #development #speechdelays #nervoussystem #coordination #milestones #dubuquechiropractors #function #ffcwckiddos #function #neurospinal #gonstead	CALL_NOW		180806122003	Family First Chiropractic Wellness Center	https://facebook.com/familyfirstchiro	1,970	1	366,949,502,800,811	2024-02-17 02:00	person_profile	eligible	NONE	0	1	1	Call now	Family First Chiropractic Wellness Center	6561011584278		NONE	image	Doctors Jack Hinderman & Jenny Leist are chiropractors at Family First Chiropractic Wellness Center		2024-02-17 08:33	https://scontent-den2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/417424517_395198159767206_4454463928955300649_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s60x60&_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=MOrMcpXcC-QAX9b_scn&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.xx&oh=00_AfABWlqeUpsTWstoa4jIcdHXdhl0AjABzt4gLoBA9tiMVA&oe=65D7E498	person_profile	Family First Chiropractic DBQ	https://scontent-den2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/417444331_376311702019385_1055933721996224498_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=c53f8f&_nc_ohc=8YV1b3GG5ZgAX8RQK4z&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.xx&oh=00_AfBCdZmLgb04ASx5iESGryB4myTMETSE74Mpj2jXfcfYmA&oe=65D7B4C2	3	Family First Chiropractic Wellness Center	2024-02-17 02:00	View Edit Delete

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