by Ava Walsh
Lois looked shocked. Her eyes flicked between Selina and the wolf at her side.
“How,” she said to the wolf. “How is it doing that?”
“He protects me,” Selina said. “He always will. If you ever think of harming me or anyone in our family again, I’ll send the wolf after you. He can find you anywhere. He’s very good at finding people.”
She buried her hands in the wolf’s fur and glared at Lois. “Go and get your phone, and don’t try and run. Remember, the wolf will find you.”
Lois sniffled and looked at the wolf and then, her head hanging, she reached for her bag in the corner of the room and picked up her cellphone before handing it to Selina.
“Don’t worry, Lois,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll do great in prison. A beautiful girl like yourself should have no trouble making friends.”
Epilogue
She felt beyond tired. She was drained and exhausted and yet this was the happiest moment of her life. The doctors and nurses had left, giving the new mom and dad a moment alone with their new daughter.
The pregnancy had been normal. There had been no transformations, nothing strange. Just the ordinary, extraordinary act of bringing a child to life. Things might change, she might transform; they would have to wait and see. But honestly, Selina wasn’t worried. After everything that had happened with Lois, she knew she could handle whatever life threw at her.
Luna they named her. Luna Selina Fort. She was perfect and beautiful, and so very tiny. She looked even tinier in Michael’s massive arms. He couldn’t put her down. He couldn’t let her out of his sight. Selina yawned, and watched through sleepy eyes as Michael moved about the room with the baby in his arms.
They married six months ago. It was a quiet, private ceremony in Paris. They married on the banks of the Seine and honeymooned in Venice and Rome, then took a trip to the Black Forest.
Lois was in jail. She took a plea deal for aggravated kidnapping and got ten years. Michael saw to it that she was imprisoned on the other side of the country. She was far away, and Selina had slept peacefully ever since she had seen the other woman led into a prison van. The story had been all over the newspapers. Any kidnapping that ended in a wolf attack was bound to invite the media.
No one guessed the wolf was Michael. No one was insane enough to claim that the heir to the Fort family fortune was a werewolf. Lois’ claims that Selina controlled the wolf were laughed off. It was just a wild animal that had happened upon a human kidnapping. It was a strange twist of fate, nothing more.
“Come and sit by me,” Selina called to her husband, holding out her hand. He smiled and came over to her hospital bed, climbing in next to her, the baby still in his arms. She leaned against his shoulder and stared down at the baby.
“She’s perfect,” she whispered.
“Just like her mother,” he answered, kissing her on the crown of her head.
Her eyes grew heavy and she felt tiredness falling heavily down on her. It had been a busy day, what with all the childbirth. But she wasn’t worried about her own safety, or Luna’s. Michael was there. He would protect them. Being a werewolf wasn’t a curse, it was a blessing. It had saved both Selina and her daughter. The wolf was part of the family too.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 36: The Rock Star's Baby
By: Ava Walsh
Description
He rocks like a bad boy. She’s there to save his reputation.
“You look comfortable,” he said, as she stood at the end of the bed. Heidi was continually tucking her loose curls behind her ears out of nervousness. What was she supposed to do next? Just get into bed with him? She had never done this before.
Declan Xavier is the new rock sensation. He makes his audience scream, the girls swoon and the paparazzi go nuts. The blue-eyed, blonde haired bad boy is not only the latest musical craze, but the media love him because he gives them something new to write about every day.
His manager and friend, David Scott, knows this can only mean trouble. The only solution for Declan Xavier is to get a fake girlfriend to save his reputation.
Heidi Scott has big plans to open a bakery. If she works hard enough and long enough, she’ll have the money she needs to invest in the bakery in a few years. But then, an unlikely incident causes a major setback for her plan. That is, until her brother, David, introduces her to Declan Xavier.
Declan offers her a deal: being his fake girlfriend in exchange for all the money she needs for her bakery.
It all makes sense, until it doesn’t.
Chapter One
Heidi couldn’t stop staring at the clock on the wall. Fifteen more minutes and her shift would end. Finally. These eight-hour shifts were grueling, especially because keeping a smile pasted on her face was a necessity. She felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her apron and pulled it out. It was a text from her brother David. She didn’t know he was in town! He wanted her to come over and meet him backstage at the Spire. Declan Xavier had a concert there that evening. Heidi sighed and remembered to smile again.
There were still a few tables she needed to clear out before her shift ended, but the people sitting at them looked like they had no intention of leaving any time soon. She looked at the clock again. Thirteen minutes more.
“Was everything alright? Can I get you guys anything else?” Heidi walked up to one of the tables and stood in front of them with a wide smile on her face.
“No thanks. Just the bill, please,” one of the men said. He was looking at her with large, leery eyes, but Heidi tried to keep smiling. She was used to the creeps by now. Just as long as he didn’t touch her, she could deal with it. It was what she needed to do to get an extra tip.
“Sure thing,” she said, collecting the empty plates from the table. The man winked at her as she walked away, and she was dying to roll her eyes, but she didn’t; as long as she maintained that smile on her face, she could be assured an extra tip.
“Off soon?” Barry, another member of the waiting staff and her only friend at the cafe, asked as she walked over to place the plates on the collection table.
“Can’t wait. I have to go meet my brother after this.” Heidi sighed, dusting off her hands. Barry followed her over to the cash register, where she entered the table number.
“Your brother? You mean the guy who manages Declan Xavier?” Barry was excited. Heidi smiled, concentrating on printing out the bill for the table.
“That’s him. My big brother David, a rock star’s manager.” She said in an exaggerated sing-song voice. Everyone she knew had the same reaction when they found out her brother was David Scott, Declan Xavier’s manager and best friend. By association, it should have also made Heidi successful and “cool”, but Heidi knew she was far from it. It was two years since she had graduated from college with a Hotel Management degree and she was still working for other people, and no closer to owning the bakery she dreamed of opening.
“Why are you still working here, Heidi? Can’t your brother get you a swanky job in the music industry?” Barry was still following her and Heidi stopped in her tracks to look at him.
“The last thing I want to do is work in the music industry. All they do is snort coke, fuck each other and waste their lives away,” she said, placing a hand on her hip. She’d heard it before, this was nothing new. She was tired of explaining why she didn’t make use of her brother’s position.
“And they also make music,” Barry said with a smile. She knew he was only trying to help.
“Lets just say that lifestyle doesn’t suit me,” Heidi said, and walked away from him, back to the table. She placed the bill between the men, each of whom eyed it for a few seconds, before the guy who hadn’t winked at her reached for it and paid it in cash.
“Thank you very much. Hope we see you again.” Heidi tried to maintain an even voice, even though she was seething with rage; she had noticed the lack of a tip.
“Hope I see you again,” the guy said, and this time
he had more than just a wink to offer her. He touched her waist lightly as he stood up and Heidi collected the change off the table.
She could feel her neck reddening and her hands itching to slap him. She didn’t look at him, but bit down on her lip.
“How about I give you a tip and you give me your number?” the man continued, his hand still lingering on her waist. Heidi straightened up, trying politely to make his hand fall away, but his grip increased in strength and she could feel his fingers moving downward, towards her ass.
“Thank you for your visit,” she managed to say, now staring directly into his eyes. She was trying to embarrass him into removing his hand, but he only smiled a toothy grin. She could see the hair sticking out from his nostrils. Heidi wanted to scream.
And then he did it. He lightly slapped her ass and Heidi lost it. Before she could stop herself she had slapped the man across his left cheek. His face had twisted awkwardly to the right side and an immediate silence had descended upon the cafe. Heidi could feel her heart thumping fast, beating out of her chest, as she stood staring at him.
“I’m so sorry, sir. We apologize for this. Heidi, my office, now.” Steven, the Manager had rushed over.
“This is preposterous. Watch yourself, young lady. How dare you!” The man was screaming at her as she turned around and started to walk away. She caught Barry’s eye. He was stood over one of his tables, in the middle of taking an order. He had a look of horror in his eyes. The customer is always right! He was trying to communicate with his eyes. Heidi looked away.
In Steven’s office, she sat with her legs crossed and her hands placed on her lap, her fingers intertwined. She couldn't afford to lose this job, but it looked like she was going to.
Steven was sweating, angry and pacing the floor.
“How could you do something like that?” he thundered. Heidi had calmed down by now, and knew there was no point screaming back at him. It would only make her seem more insane.
“He touched me inappropriately. It was a natural, instinctive reaction,” she said, biting down on her lip.
“You could have walked away. To slap a customer!” Steven continued pacing the floor. Heidi looked away from him. She knew what Steven had to do.
“He’s demanded that you be fired, Heidi. There’s nothing else I can do. It will cast a very dark shadow on the cafe and its management if you’re allowed to continue. Especially if the local newspapers get a hold of this.” Steven was blabbering on. He was talking more to himself than to her.
“I can’t lose this job, Steven,” Heidi said, in an even voice. That was about as far as she was willing to go in terms of begging to keep her position. She had to give it a shot.
“I can’t help you, Heidi. You dug your own grave,” Steven said and sighed, coming to a stop in front of her.
Heidi glared back at him, collected her purse off the floor and stood up.
“Thank you for the opportunity. Take care,” she said, and turned around and walked out of the room.
“Heidi,” Steven called out to her, and she turned to face him in the doorway. “Good luck with your bakery. I sincerely hope you’re able to have it up and running soon.” Heidi rolled her eyes.
She didn’t bother to respond. Barry was waiting outside, looking nervous, and she smiled at him as she walked by him. The people in the cafe fell silent again, watching her walk past the tables. It seemed like a lot of customers had remained to see how the drama played out. Heidi maintained the smile on her face. She wasn’t going to give in to her tears, not yet.
All eyes were on her, but she didn’t exchange tearful goodbyes with any of her coworkers. She couldn’t be bothered. They were all judging her anyway.
The door shut behind her, and Heidi walked past the cafe towards the main road. At least there she’d be surrounded by people, traffic sounds, barking dogs and cars whizzing past. It would give her an opportunity to shed a tear in peace if she needed to.
But the tears didn’t come. Heidi continued walking past the traffic, and yet she couldn’t cry. She was one step behind now in her plan of opening up the bakery. Her three year plan had taken a step back, and she would have to look for a new job, minus a recommendation. She’d be further back in being able to put down a deposit for a bank loan. Heidi knew all that, she was working it out in her brain, but the tears were just refusing to come.
She was angry instead. She was pissed off at the world, the absurdity of the situation, the behavior of disgusting men and the lack of honor in the hospitality industry. Nobody stood up for you.
When she finally snapped out of her thoughts, she realized she had walked herself back to her apartment on pure instinct.
Heidi took the stairs two at a time and rummaged through her purse for the key. The apartment was as messy as always. She never had time to clean up, especially since she was working seven days a week. Well, now there would be plenty of time, she thought, as she flung her purse over the couch.
She needed to calm herself down, before all this rage came boiling out of her system. She looked around nervously, knowing what she needed to do. It was the only thing she could do to balance her senses.
She hurried over to the fridge, kicking off her heels in the process. Butter, eggs, bars of cooking chocolate. Sugar and flour from the cabinets. The mixing bowl and rubber spatula were already on the kitchen counter, she hadn’t put them away the last time.
Cream the butter and the sugar together. Whip the eggs and add them. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Mix it all up. Chop up some hazelnuts. Grate some orange zest in. Pour it all in the cupcake tray, then push it into the oven.
Heidi finally heaved a sigh of relief. The cupcakes were in the oven and she stood in front of it, wiping her forehead. She felt magically more relaxed now that she could see the cupcakes rising inside the oven. Baking had an intense therapeutic effect on her, ever since she was fifteen years old and her grandmother taught her how to bake the perfect banana bread.
She could smell it now, her apartment was filled with the scent of gooey chocolate, orange and forest nuts.
Time for the frosting. Icing sugar, boil water, melt some more chocolate. Dribble the hot chocolate and water into the icing sugar until it starts to coagulate. Stir it so it becomes creamy and frosty, pour it into the icing bag, then fit the right sized nozzle.
The cupcakes were ready. Heidi put on her oven mitts and pulled out the tray of perfectly-formed treats. Then she iced them.
She bit down on her lip as she pulled apart the cupcake paper from one of them and then took one large bite. It was delicious and melted in her mouth. Her body nearly shuddered in pleasure. Nothing could give her as much joy as sampling her own baking. Bundt Cake, Monkey Bread, Rainbow birthday cake, strawberry blondie…the list went on and on. Heidi never shied away from a baking challenge and if there was one thing she knew, it was that her bakery would be a huge success. If only she could afford to open it.
The beeping sound on her cell phone snapped Heidi out of the moment she was having. It was David again. She had forgotten about his invitation. He was wondering where she was, and she sent a quick text to tell him she’d be there in thirty minutes. It was a good thing she had baked cupcakes.
Chapter Two
David met her at the door, which was swarmed with people and bouncers trying to keep the crowds back. Heidi hadn’t had much time to change. She’d slipped out of her work clothes into a pair of jeans and the only clean blouse she had. She’d managed to smooth her frizz slightly, and her blonde curls tumbled down around her shoulders. David hugged her tightly, kissed her on the cheeks and then led her to the back towards Declan Xavier’s changing room.
“What’s this?” he asked, pointing to the plastic box in her hands.
“Cupcakes. As an apology for turning up this late.” Heidi smiled at her brother, who snatched the box out of her hands.
“I’ve been dying for some of your cupcakes. It’s been too long. You’re forgiven for the latene
ss.” David opened the box and picked out a cupcake to eat. The frosting smeared his lips as he wolfed it down, leading her through dark corridors at the same time.
Heidi could hear Declan on stage. His voice was unmistakable. She’d never met him in person, but his songs were everywhere nowadays, on the radio, on TV, on the internet. She couldn’t avoid them, even though she wasn’t much into music herself.
David shook hands with some people he crossed paths with, patted some on their backs and introduced Heidi to a few of them, until eventually they arrived at Declan’s door.
He pushed it open and then held it for Heidi to go in.
“I didn’t even know you were in town,” Heidi said, as she walked into the changing room. The outside noise died down when the door closed. It was just as she had imagined it, messy, luxurious and smelling of cigarette smoke.
“Sorry. I didn’t have time earlier to get in touch. Declan manages to keep me on my toes.” David opened up the cupcake box again. Heidi stood, a little awkward now, and looked around the room. There were three guitars leaning against the wall, all of them looked brand new and complicated.
“Have you ever watched Declan perform?” David asked, when he noticed Heidi looking at the guitars. She shook her head and smiled.
“He’s magic on stage. He has mad guitar skills and his voice is brilliant at the same time,” David said, polishing off another cupcake.
“So I hear,” Heidi agreed, and looked around the room some more.
“If you’d arrived sooner, we could have watched from the front row. Front row seats, sis! Now the show’s nearly over, unless Declan decides to do an encore.” David still had frosting around his mouth and Heidi laughed at the sight.
