Talia's POV

'Who are you even?" He asked me.


I wished I had an answer to that question.

I was as confused as anybody else. My story stopped making sense to me a long time ago.

I was just a victim of fate and circumstances and I had made peace with that.


There were very few things I could have changed, and I didn't even bother since there was no point.

I've had to depend on men all my life, and if Moon Goddess saw it fit, who was I to fight it?


All bloody, ruthless men on their own rights.

'How about you go first?" I replied to him. 'I'll go after you. You seem to be in the mood now. I can't vouch for the next couple of hours when I'd be done with mine." I continued.

'Damn. You're tha complicated?" He asked.

'Far more complicated than that." I said, and I meant every word of it.

He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. I could predict his every move, and that sent a huge wave of nostalgia down my spine.

'Are you still here?" He asked.

'Where else?" I replied.

'Sassy." He said. 'Just how I like them."

'How do they like you?" I asked him.

'I don't know. Rich,manly, an alpha?" He replied.

'You think so?" I asked.

'I know so. Come on, girl, with all your damn questions." He said. 'Are you ready to hear me out now?"

'Sure. Sure. Sorry I talk too much." I apologized.

'No you don't. I have trouble being around people with opinions these days." He replied

'That's demeaning, don't you think?" I asked him. 'Well you said she was pretty…" I said, laying the foundation for what he was about to say.

'I suddenly don't have much to say." He started. 'She was… perfect."

'I doubt you ever told her that." I replied. I was trying to hold myself back from being too offensive or defensive. If I said more than that, he probably would have stopped the story altogether.

'I hate to admit, I didn't." He said. 'I wanted to own her for as long as she lived. I wanted her to be mine, always. My perfect little property." He continued.

'Is it weird that I really want to meet her?" I asked.

'No, it is not. Not at all. I'd give up anything right now to be with her once again. If we are going to be mates in the afterlife, I'd much rather I was on my way there now." He confessed.

'I'm sorry about that." I replied, giving him condolences.

I wished he would just talk at length, but he kept stopping and wanting a response.

The Vance I left thought very little of any other person's opinion.

'I wanted a child so bad, I let it cloud my sense of judgment. I started hanging out with my now Luna. Till date, I'm not certain if she knew the reason for the pains that seared through her whenever I left the palace." He confessed.

The tears have started to roll down my face. I had trouble keeping them in.

I wished he knew who he was really talking to.

I wished he realized this early enough so we could have fixed things, before all that happened, happened.

'I'm sorry if it makes you tear up." Vance said. 'But I like to talk about her, with my wolf at least. And now that I've found someone who wants to listen, I'm sorry, it's going to be hard to stop."

'It's alright." I reassured him. 'I'm a woman too. I had already begun to put myself in her shoes." I said.

'I wished every one of you was like that." He shot back.

'What do you mean?" I asked him. His statement was so pregnant, I could sense that he was expecting that question.

'It was her friend, a mutual friend, who told me of her plan to poison me." Vance said. 'It was a very rough day that day. I lost my child, and lost my queen. Now I don't feel like I could have either, ever again." He was laying himself bare to a stranger, a whore!

As much as it was my history, it felt different to hear him say it.

It's also the first confirmation I had gotten, that it was indeed Nadia, who told Vance that I intended to, or in actual fact, planted the poison. That could only mean one thing. She was definitely the brain behind it.

I had always known that there was something foul to her.

With her and Landon split, I could only imagine what had become of their plans.

'How long has it been?" I asked Vance.

'Almost two years now." He answered. 'Every single day, I wished the time went backwards. I need to redo a lot of things."

'Things like what?" I asked Vance, stroking his beard.

He sighed and shut his eyes.

Unexpectedly, he took my hand and kissed it. Vance kept kissing my hand till I got really really uncomfortable.

I was trying not to overthink as Vance could sense the slightest change in heart rate.

'They don't matter either way. I can't." He dropped my hands and sat up.

'I'm not sure I get you anymore." I said to him,

He looked like he was regaining his strength. That also meant storytime was over, sadly.

'Do I look frail?" He asked.

'No you don't. Just wipe the blood stain off that corner." I replied, demonstrating what corner I was referring to,

'I'd be heading out now. I want you to remain here." He said, authoritatively.

'How long am I going to?" I asked, immediately. 'It's a little too inhumane, don't you think?" Internally, I was shuddering at the idea of being shut there, all alone.

I also had stuff to do. Stuff that I couldn't do from Vance's basement.

'I need you safe. Moreso, I need you checked." He blurted.

I didn't want to believe what I heard.

'What the fuck do you mean?!" I asked him, standing up and running towards the door that he was about to jam close.

'Watch your tone. I am the Alpha of Moonstone, and I won't take that crap from you." He replied.

I felt like I was losing my mind. Vance had to be kidding me. It had to be a prank. He couldn't be for real.

'I hate you." I shouted after him..