Erica’s POV
The next morning came and Lorenzo and I were still not talking to each other. He didn’t even
sleep in our bedroom and chose to sleep in the guest room on the ground floor.
I was up early and was about to make breakfast for the kids when Lorenzo stepped out of his
room, fully dressed in a t-shirt and dark blue jeans.
He didn’t even breathe a word of good morning and simply stepped out, slamming the door
behind him, making the whole house tremble.
I sighed and said nothing and the kids looked at me with shock on their faces and a dozen
questions in their eyes.
“Ethan, could you please set the table and get the bacon out of the fridge.”
I tried my best to redirect my kids’ attention and began to give them all jobs towards getting
breakfast ready.
While Ethan got the bacon, Elsa got the eggs and Elma set the table.
There was a thick silence in the air and I was quite absent-minded while I mixed the batter for the
pancakes.
I still couldn’t understand why Lorenzo acted the way he did last night when I told him that I left
the kids at home and gave Clarissa a week off. Was he really that concerned about the kids?
Maybe he was right. Maybe I was being careless.
I thought about everything that he said and what was going on. Leaving the kids home alone was
certainly not the best idea. It was even more glaring now. It had been knocking on the door of my
mind ever since yesterday.
The bombing incident seemed to point to Hazan. He wanted Lorenzo dead but I couldn’t
understand why. Was it to get me?
From what Dante had told me, he already knew that I came to Blue Hades Pack for the gem. If
Lorenzo was a target already, he could choose to make a move on my kids. It was something that
I couldn’t risk. I couldn’t let it happen.
The more I thought about it, the more justified Lorenzo’s anger became. He was a good man and
was simply looking out for my children. They weren’t even his kids and he cared about them so
much to the point that he was mad at me for leaving them alone.
Caring about them should have been more of my responsibility but I’ve been neglecting it for so
long and it was all because of…
No.
I silenced the voice in my head. Was it really Dante’s fault? I was the one that always went to see
him and I was the one that was always falling for his traps.
I sighed and guilt began to eat at my heart. What sort of mother was I?
Buzz! Buzz!!
My phone vibrated on the table and I picked it up and glanced at the name on the screen. As
soon as I did, anger rode inside of me and I gripped my phone so hard that I thought that I would
crush it.
My kids saw the angry expression on my face and I knew that I had to dial back a bit.
“You kids wait here, while I go and attend to this business call. It is very important.”
The kids nodded and waited in the kitchen while I dashed up to my room. I slammed the door
shut behind me and immediately picked up the call.
“Why the fuck are you calling me, Dante?!”
My anger exploded like a nuclear bomb as I drowned his voice on the other end of the line. He
had barely gotten a word out and I was already screaming at him at the top of my lungs.
“If this is not for something important, then I guess you say it now and end this call or else…”
“Erica, calm down. It is something important but I need you to calm down.”
I was silenced immediately. Dante’s voice was calm and composed. He didn’t sound irritated or
angry despite how I lashed out at him. I bit my lower lip gently as a hint of guilt crept up on me.
No. I wasn’t going to fall for it again. I took a deep breath and resolved to take a firm stance.
“You have two minutes to say what you need to say.”
Dante didn’t hesitate and immediately dove into the conversation.
“Erica, I am not happy that you advocated for Lorenzo’s freedom. He is an enemy. Erica, he was
carrying a bomb and it was possible that he was trying to hurt you and you know that I will not
allow that.”
I suddenly began to regret feeling guilty as his words further fanned the flames of my anger.
“Lorenzo is a good man, Dante! He would never try to hurt me or your pack. He came to see me
and I believe him. Someone wants him dead and I think the both of us know who it is. Hazan
knows I came to see you for the gem and I’m certain he’s looking for a way to end my life. He
could have been the one that planted the bomb inside Lorenzo’s suitcase.”
“Erica, we don’t have any evidence to support that…”
“What’s evidence do you need, Dante?! We are in a time of turmoil. My pack is being destroyed
as we speak because of Hazan. What else do you need to know?…”
“Your address.”
“What?”
Dante’s request came like a bolt from the blue. Why did he want my address?
“Erica, did you hear me? I want your house address.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes angrily.
“And why would I give you my house address? x
“Erica, you seem not to be taking this seriously. If it is true that Hazan is after your life, we need
to make sure that you are safe. I will have security operators monitoring your house 24/7 and
they will report any suspicious activity to me. I still don’t trust Lorenzo and if Hazan does want to
kill you, he’ll have to go through me first.”
I was instantly flung into a rage.
“You are crazy, Dante if you think that I’m ever going to give you my house address! I want you to
stay away from me! Stay out of my life and out of Lorenzo’s. And if I dare see any of your men
following me or tracking my movements, I will end our deal and Hazan can burn our packs to the
ground.”
“Erica, you can’t be…”
“I am dead serious, Dante.”
My voice was filled with venom. I never imagined that I would sound like that.
“Enjoy your day and don’t call me again unless it’s important.”
I ended the call and put my phone on airplane mode. I sat on my bed and held my head in my
hands. There was so much happening and I couldn’t keep track of it all. Lorenzo was mad at me
and now, Dante was threatening to find out where I live.
“Moon goddess, I only ask that you protect me and my kids…”
Chapter 72
Clarissa’s POV
“Thank you so much, Miss Clarissa. We really hope that you enjoy your new home. Feel free to
call us for any questions or complaints.”
I was given the contract and I scrawled my signature across the dotted lines. The property was
now mine.
The real estate agent left and I was alone in the large house, walking through the corridors and
admiring the architecture for the umpteenth time.
It was sad that the family that previously lived here were killed by my kind. They seemed to have
exquisite taste in furniture and I had already budgeted for refurbishing.
Today was the last day of my week break. I wasn’t happy about returning to Erica’s home but I
had to. Day after day, my hate for her continued to grow. I still couldn’t understand or accept the
fact that Lorenzo had chosen her over me.
However, my plans were slowly coming together. My investments had been a great decision and I
had been meticulously watching the stocks of the four companies I invested in. Their profit was
rising steadily and I could only imagine how many times richer I would be in thirty days.
I headed back to my living room and decided to do a bit of cleaning. I didn’t intend to stay with
Erica for too long. I was yet to figure out what to tell her so that I could be working from my new
home.
I picked up the vacuum cleaner and began to vacuum the carpets. My mind was working
overtime, searching for the best and most convincing lie to tell Erica so that I wouldn’t have to
stay with her.
The entire time I was away, I felt closer and closer to Lorenzo. Only yesterday, my wolf felt overly
agitated and I had a feeling that he was closer than I thought. He was probably in Blue Hades
Pack right now. But I couldn’t be too certain.
Many times all week, I had fought the urge to call him. Though I was dying to hear his voice, I
wasn’t ready to hear him dismiss me as nothing but a slut to him. It was the only thing that kept
my impulsive desires under control.
I was still going to take him back from Erica but it was going to take time, patience, and careful
planning. I couldn’t afford to make the wrong move, especially not now.
“Maybe I could tell her that… No. She wouldn’t believe that. She’s smarter than that. How about I
tell her…No, no, no. That isn’t going to work either.”
If I was going to pull this off, I had to find the perfect line to tell Erica. It had to be believable. I
couldn’t afford drawing suspicious attention to myself.
My contemplating made the time fly by so fast that I didn’t even realize that it was almost
evening and I had nearly vacuumed the entire house.
I cleaned the last room and decided to stop for the day. It was getting late and I needed to head
back to the hotel. I still had my bags there and had not properly moved out into my new home.
I changed my clothes into something a little nicer and left, locking the doors of my new home
with pride.
The streets were quiet and lonely and I walked briskly, keeping an eye open for a taxi that I could
flag down.
“Taxi!”
I was just in time to stop one from zooming right past me.
He stopped right in front of me and rolled down the windows.
“Where to, ma’am?”
“Hotel Hawaii.”
He gave a nod and I got into the back seat.
We zoomed down the streets and I took my time to admire the brightly lit roads and the new life
that bubbled as the night drew closer.
I grabbed my phone and fiddled with it for a while. I was still fighting the urge to call Lorenzo.
I had sent him some pictures of me in lingerie but he still hadn’t replied to them.
Our blank texts created a sinking feeling in my heart and I still doubted if all the effort that I was
putting in was worth it.
“Hotel Hawaii, ma’am.”
He pulled up in front of the hotel and I got out and paid taxi fare.
“Your change, Miss.”
Keep it,” I said politely and walked away without turning back to him.
Over the past week, I had noticed a significant change in my appearance. My body looked fuller
and I looked prettier. I often left my hotel room multiple times in the day just so that I could walk
by the front desk and get another look at the bewildered expression on the receptionist’s face.
I braced myself, did my hair, and tried my best to manage a catwalk.
I walked in and the receptionist caught a glance at me.
I walked up to her confidently and the young man that stood in front of the desk looked at me
with shock and admiration.
“Good evening, I would like the key to my room.”
Without hesitation, she handed it to me and I gave a flirty wink to the man before walking away.
I was slowly getting a hang of the confidence thing and I only hoped that Lorenzo would
acknowledge it when we finally met again.
I got to my room and closed the door behind me. I sighed wearily and proceeded to take off my
clothes, in preparation for a refreshing evening shower.
I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my chest.
Ring! Ring!!
My phone rang loudly and I was startled. No one had called me. My heart was beating rapidly in
my chest. It was probably Erica reminding me that I was supposed to be back at work tomorrow.
I sighed and walked up to my phone. As soon as I saw the name on the screen, my heart jumped
into my throat.
I picked the phone up with fearful and shaky hands.
I was contemplating whether or not I should answer the call but I finally gave in and pressed the
green button.
I placed the phone on my ear, almost hesitant to speak for a few seconds.
“Hello…”