“I’ll… think about it,” Elaine had said carefully, though in her heart, guilt pressed heavily.
It was during one of those quiet moments of thought that a knock suddenly sounded on her door. Elaine looked up quickly.
“Knock, knock,” came a cheerful voice,
The door cracked open, and a young woman stepped inside. She was striking-her beauty not intimidating but vibrant, her smile so wide it almost seemed to light up the room. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and life, and she carried herself with an energy that instantly filled the otherwise calm space.
Elaine blinked in surprise.
“Huh… do I know you?” She asked uncertainly.
The woman let out a small laugh.
More Forwards >
“Not yet. And that is completely my brother’s fault.” She placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head with mock exasperation. “I’ve been dying to meet you, but he kept saying you needed rest. A whole week of rest!
I’ve been very, very patient, but today I just couldn’t take it anymore. So here I am. And thank the Goddess you’re awake, because if you weren’t, I’d probably just keep barging in until I caught you.”
She spoke quickly, words tumbling out in a rush that left Elaine momentarily stunned.
“I… I only asked who you were,” Elaine thought to herself, slightly overwhelmed by the woman’s flood of words.
The woman must have noticed her confusion because she stopped mid-sentence and gave a sheepish smile. “Oh, sorry. What did you ask again?”
“Do I… know you?” Elaine repeated, wondering if she was mistaken.
The woman’s face softened instantly, her smile turning warmer. “Oh! Right. I’m Roselyn-Darius’s sister.”
Elaine’s eyes widened a little. That explained the familiar energy in her aura.
Roselyn sighed dramatically and threw her hands in the air. “I’ve been asking my brother to let me meet you since the day you arrived. But noooo, he kept saying no. Always ‘not yet, not today. I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn about it.
I finally had to sneak past Dr. Grey to come here today. That man takes ‘no visitors without Alpha’s approval’ way too seriously.”
Her playful grumble made Elaine’s lips twitch into a small smile. She could already guess why Darius had been keeping them apart, though. He probably wanted her to rest without the whirlwind that was his younger sister. Still, there was something refreshing about Roselyn’s presence. She was a burst of sunshine compared to the heavy shadows Elaine had been carrying.
“I… like her,” Elaine admitted silently to herself, surprising even her own heart.
“You can always visit me,” she found herself saying aloud, offering Roselyn a soft smile.
Roselyn’s entire face lit up, as though Elaine had just given her the greatest gift.
“Tell that to my brother, will you? Because he doesn’t listen to me. And once you’re discharged and strong enough, we are having a ladies’ day. No excuses. I’ve been waiting forever for someone to do that with.
Finally, I have a friend here!”
The joy in her voice was contagious. Elaine couldn’t help but feel a little lighter, her chest easing in a way it hadn’t since arriving at Crescent Moon.
For the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel so alone.
Elaine was still smiling faintly at Roselyn’s chatter when a low, familiar voice rumbled from the doorway.
“Roselyn.”
The single word carried both authority and warning.
More Rewards
Elaine’s head snapped toward the door, and sure enough, Darius stood there, broad-shouldered and imposing in the frame. His sharp gaze flicked immediately to his sister, who froze mid-sentence like a pup caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Oh no,” Roselyn muttered under her breath before pasting on a bright smile. “Brother! What a surprise. Fancy seeing you here.”
“Don’t ‘brother’ me,” Darius said, stepping into the room. His presence filled the space instantly, and Elaine felt the subtle shift in the air-his Alpha aura brushing against her wolf. His expression was calm, but his eyes… his eyes told another story. Controlled irritation. Protective concern.
And beneath that, a heat he couldn’t quite mask when his gaze lingered on Elaine.
Roselyn, however, seemed unfazed. She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin as if daring him to scold her.
“Before you start, let me explain. I’ve been extremely patient. A whole week! Do you know how many times I’ve come here only for Dr. Grey to turn me away because of you? It’s not fair.
She’s practically family already, and you’ve been keeping us apart.”
Darius pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. “Roselyn-“
“No,” she interrupted, wagging a finger at him. “You don’t get to keep her locked away from everyone like some hidden treasure. She needs people. She needs friends. She needs-me!”
She turned toward Elaine with a dazzling grin, as though her argument was now officially won.
Elaine didn’t know whether to laugh or shrink into the pillows. She glanced uncertainly between the two siblings.
Darius’s jaw was tight, but there was also a glimmer of something softer in his expression when his gaze fell back on her.
“Roselyn,” he said again, firmer this time.
His sister crossed her arms. “What? She likes me. Don’t you?”
The directness of the question made Elaine’s cheeks warm. Still, she found herself nodding.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.