86\u2013Running Away Once Again\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t let the kids know. They\u2019ll freak out,\u201d Nina said as we sat together at the table, both worried about\u00a0<\/p>\n
the news.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The article was everywhere now. Even if they deleted it, it didn\u2019t matter anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Enough people had seen it for the council to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And even if only two people had read it, that was still too much information out in the open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all happened because of Baxter. I should\u2019ve never let him back into my life. I knew he was trouble,\u201d I told Nina, slapping my forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to be your best friend. What kind of friend does this to someone they care about?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chuckled lightly, almost laughing. \u201cThat\u2019s because he was never my friend to begin with. You\u2019re right, a friend would never do this to their friend,\u201d I said, though complaining didn\u2019t change anything.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
The damage was already done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know why? Because you\u2019re not fighting back,\u201d Nina said firmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tilted my head at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that you want to stay away from the drama, but when you\u2019re dragged into it, you need to respond. Your sister made herself look like some gentle princess. Why not show these messages to another news outlet? The drama is already out there,\u201d she said, trying to convince me to expose my sister\u2019s lies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She mentioned the threatening texts Yuvonne had been sending me for the past few minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of them was insane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In her exact words, she told me to read the article and watch how she\u2019d ruin my chance of ever returning to the human land or to my supposed husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I hesitated, but Nina was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even in that interview, Yuvonne had hinted that I ruined her perfect night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was the point of keeping quiet anymore?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was already trapped in the werewolf land.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I might as well tell the world what I\u2019d gone through so they\u2019d stop expecting me to act like part of that family,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t let them play the victims.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this guy,\u201d Nina said, pointing to another news reporter on her screen. \u201cHis name\u2019s Amir. He doesn\u2019t get along with Sherry, they\u2019re from rival channels. You should reach out to him. They\u2019ve been emailing us for an interview about the sickness. I think this is the right time to speak up, not just about Sherry but your half\u2013sister\u00a0<\/p>\n
too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tapped my fingers on the table, thinking. I\u2019d played fair for years, and it never worked in my favor. Maybe it was time to play dirty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
86\u2013Running Away Once Again\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my laptop and turned the screen toward Nina.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead. You have my permission to email him and finalize the interview.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nina smiled and started typing quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, I received more texts and calls from all my mates, but I didn\u2019t respond to anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A sudden knock on the door made me realize someone was right outside the suite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep doing the work. I\u2019ll go check who\u2019s at the door,\u201d I said to Nina as I got up and walked over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I opened it, thinking maybe room service had brought breakfast, the sight in front of me froze my entire body for a minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was always the same, every time this man appeared, I reacted the same way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standing outside with a proud smile on his lips and a dark aura surrounding him, Mr. Eldon was smirking at me. Lord Eldon, what are you doing here?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door was still half open, my hand resting on the door and frame, making sure I blocked the entrance, because it looked like he had come ready to barge in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here to speak with you. May I come inside?\u201d he asked, a strange and unsettling smile lingering on his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure why you\u2019ve come so early in the morning,\u201d I replied softly. \u201cMy kids haven\u2019t eaten yet, and they get really fussy when they\u2019re hungry. How about we talk after breakfast?\u201d Even though I spoke gently, deep down I wasn\u2019t comfortable with him standing at my door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, then you\u2019ll be surprised to know I want to talk about the children only,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as those words left his mouth, my world felt like it had shifted beneath me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked with a smile. \u201cDon\u2019t see me as your ex\u2013best friend\u2019s father. See me as a council head right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His way of reintroducing himself as a council member was just his attempt to assert power and make me listen instead of treating him lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped aside, partly because I wanted to hear what he meant by coming for the kids only.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That couldn\u2019t be a good thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as we stepped inside, he walked straight toward the kids, making them lift their heads from the TV but not even getting up to greet him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My children knew how to greet people; they were always well\u2013mannered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But ever since they had come home after last night\u2019s argument, Elara had been telling Bodhi and Gina not to react to everyone or everything the way they used to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was as if she was trying to build a small team with her siblings against our bullies, and I honestly didn\u2019t like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t like involving my children in these kinds of things.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t she have my son\u2019s eyes?\u201d Lord Eldon pointed at Gina and spoke about his son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
86\u2013Rumming Avoy Once Again\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world around me began to shrink because I already knew where this was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really. They look just like their father,\u201d I said, trying to stay calm even though my body was shaking under\u00a0<\/p>\n
the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? Well, I haven\u2019t seen your husband, and we haven\u2019t heard from him either,\u201d Lord Eldon said carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just like everyone else, he refused to believe that I had a husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I got a call from your stepmother earlier this morning,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as he mentioned my stepmother, I knew exactly where this was heading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? Now she\u2019s calling you?\u201d I asked. \u201cGo ahead, talk to her if you want. I\u2019m not her gatekeeper.\u201d I tried to sound casual but also aimed a jab at his character because I knew what kind of man he was, the kind who had cheated on his mate and driven her to end her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought that would make him storm off after arguing with me, but instead, he laughed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only did she call me, she told me something amazing,\u201d he said. \u201cSomething about the fact that when you ran away from the werewolf world, you were pregnant. And I remember at that time, you were friends with my son.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was all he said, and my body began to shake terribly. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
86\u2013Running Away Once Again\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t let the kids know. They\u2019ll freak out,\u201d Nina said as we sat together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19082"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19287,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19082\/revisions\/19287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}