Chapter 9

Third Person POV

Susanna, beautiful, talented, and noble, was called the wrong name in bed! That has never happened to her before, and she wasn’t liking it.

She got out of bed and immediately got dressed.

“I didn’t mean to call you by her name,” Gavin tried to explain. “The embarrassment of thinking I saw her earlier was fresh in my mind. It was an honest mistake.”

“Is this Erin someone of significance to you?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“No. She was just someone I used to know.”

“Do I need to be worried?”

“Of course not,” he breathed. “I think I’m just tired. Perhaps we can try this again another night?”

“That’s fine with me,” she said, feeling a wave of annoyance. She turned away from him without another word and left his room.

Whomever this Erin person was, she was getting in the way of her relationship and Susanna was not going to stand for it.

As soon as she returned to her car outside of Gavin’s home, she dialed her assistant, Caterina’s, phone number.

“I want Gavin Pierce followed. I want to know where he’s going and whom he’s going to see. I want eyes on him at all times. Am I understood?”

“Yes, mam.”

…

Erin’s POV

I sat on the bleachers, watching as Gavin, young, strong, and incredibly handsome skated with the other hockey players during their practice.

I winced as Gavin was shoved into the wall by another hockey player, but he would soon retaliate. He was the captain of the hockey team, so even though it could be violent at times, everyone respected and adored him.

All the women wanted him, and all the men wanted to be him.

I was lucky to be able to call him my own.

I always got the eyes of jealous she-wolves in my path; however, despite their jealousy, I knew they secretly wanted to be me. I was also very beautiful, so I would get the adoring eyes of men as well.

We were the ‘it’ couple.

I wore my designer jeans and a blouse that hugged my figure perfectly. My hair was long and neatly flowed down my back, being kept out of my face by a pink headband. My best friend, Jessie, who sat on the bleachers beside me, also wore designer jeans, but instead of a blouse, she wore a sweatshirt.

She tried to steer clear of tight clothing because she was subconscious about her weight. She was a little heavier than some other she-wolves, but that didn’t mean she was any less beautiful. She had a large, curly, mane of hair. It was the kind of hair that everyone was jealous of. Her skin was fair, but it brought out her big and bright features. Her eyes were the color of emeralds with long and dark lashes.

Jessie loved watching the men’s hockey team with me.

“They are so hot,” she breathed from beside me.

I laughed at her words, shaking my head.

“You are ridiculous,” I laughed. “You’ll never get anywhere with any of them if you don’t talk to them.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Easy for you to say miss gorgeous and perfect,” she said, shoving me playfully. “You can talk to anyone and get them to fall to their knees.”

“Well, lucky for you, I don’t want just ‘anyone’,” I said in return, glancing down at Gavin who had just scored. His teammates were all cheering for him, and he was laughing. I could tell he was having so much fun.

He beamed up at me, giving me a bright smile. I blew him a kiss in return, and he pretended to catch it, making me laugh.

“You two are too cute,” Jessie breathed. “I hope I find a love like that one day.”

“I wrapped my arm through hers, placing my head on her shoulder.

“And someday you will, Jessie,” I breathed. “I can’t wait for that day. Just as we always planned, I’ll be your maid of honor at your wedding.”

She chuckled.

“And I’ll be yours, Erin,” she said in return.

This was a moment, I never wanted to end. I never thought it would end.

The scene would soon turn black.

My eyes opened and I was back in my room; the same room that I shared with my husband Henry.

Tears had escaped my eyes and fell down my features.

I couldn’t let these memories break my heart, I had to get ready for work. I finished dressing in my uniform, throwing my hair up in its usual bun.

Henry was in the kitchen, eating breakfast.

I sat with him, eating silently, trying to not think about that dream, but I couldn’t help it. My heart ached so badly.

“Where’s your ring?” Henry asked, breaking the silence that sat between us.

I glanced at my hand.

“I take it off when I do dishes at work,” I tell him. “I left it in my locker.”

“Are you well? You seem down.”

“I just didn’t sleep that well,” I tell him, which wasn’t a complete lie.

“Let me drive you to work. I don’t have to be in the office till later.”

“That’s okay,” I tell him. “I’d rather just go in myself.”

He placed his fork down and peered over at me with a timid frown on his face.

“Erin, I’m your husband – at least in name. I don’t understand why you always reject my concerns. It’s my duty to help you.”

“I’ve already told you; I want to live a life of absolute peace. I don’t want anyone to notice me. This is why I keep myself unkempt. I just want to be invisible… that’s been my plan from the beginning, and you knew this.”

“When will you stop punishing yourself?” Henry asked in return. “It’s not your fault for having special abilities.”

“I never said it was.”

“It’s also not your fault that Jessie died. Her death wasn’t your fault…”

I stared at him, shocked. His eyes fell to his plate, and he sighed.

“You talk in your sleep,” he finally admitted. “You said her name. I know the incident still bothers you even when you pretend it doesn’t.”

“Did I say anything else?” I asked; praying to the moon goddess that I didn’t speak Gavin’s name in my sleep.

He met my eyes.

“No.”

“I should get to work. I don’t want to be late,” I say, standing to my feet.

“I’ll clean up,” he offered.

I kissed his cheek gently.

“I’m sorry for being impossible sometimes. But I love you, and everything you do for me. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you,” I told him softly.

“I do it because I love you,” he says in return.

I left without another word.

…

The restaurant wasn’t due to open for another 30 minutes. There were a couple of other waitresses working this morning and we were all doing our own tasks before we opened for the day.

One of the waitresses had switched on the large TV on the far side of the dining room. Immediately I heard the news station booming across the restaurant and I couldn’t help but glance at the screen.

I saw Gavin standing beside that gorgeous she-wolf he was with when I saw them in the city. She was holding a very overpriced necklace from the auction the media was covering.

“Oh, my goddess… look how beautiful Susanna is,” one of the waitresses breathed.

“I can’t believe he spent that much on a necklace for her. He must really love her.”

“Of course, he loves her. I mean, look at her. She’s incredible!”

My coworkers, at that point, spotted me watching the TV as well and their gossiping turned in my direction.

“Why do you look so down, Erin?” One of them asked mockingly. “You didn’t honestly think Gavin Pierce liked you, did you?”

The others began laughing.

“I heard that you rejected him back in high school. But how is that possible? I mean, look at you,” another pointed at me. “You look pathetic in comparison to the beautiful Susanna.”

I turned back to my task of mopping the floors and tried my best to ignore them.

“What’s his dick like? I bet it’s huge!” They chuckled.

“I’m married. I have no interest in Alpha Gavin,” I say to them. “Anyone who wants to know his dick size can go and seduce him themselves.”

“You are such a stupid bitch,” one of the waitresses muttered as she turned away.

I pressed my lips firmly together, staring down at the wet floor. I watched as the floor grew, even more, wet and mixed with the soap. The water expanded across the restaurant and toward the small gathering of gossiping waitresses.

I watched as my confused coworkers, one by one, slipped into the water and fell to the ground with a THUD!