"HARLOW?"
"Nan, I'm getting changed. Can you give me a second?" Mentally, Harlow patted herself on the quick reply she seemed to come up with, but the guilty feeling for lying to the people she loved left a bitter taste in her mouth. It seemed that Michael was rubbing off on her, influencing her lying self, and the funny thing about it is, she hadn't even spent that much time with him.
She groaned, "Okay, but hurry up. I want to talk to you about something."
Harlow couldn't help but mentally stop, as the 'something' must've had been severe enough if her nan was so hung up on talking to her about it now rather than leave it for later. She brought her fingers to her lips, motioning for Michael to be quiet. Straight after, she pushed him- or at least she tried to push him near her closet, but he was heavy and reluctant. He wouldn't budge.
"Michael," she hissed. "Get in."
<THAT NIGHT HARLOW COULDN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT MICHAEL HAD SAID; his words kept replaying inside the barriers of her mind. 'Fine, I'll teach you.'As if it were that simple, and maybe for him it was, it was that simple. But for her, it didn't seem all that simple inside her head. Harlow couldn't help but think about it logically; Michael was asking her to betray the people that protected her, her mom and nan. The thought of spending more time with the world's most wanted criminal didn't help with the guilt that fluttered inside of her. Michael hadn't stayed for too long after she'd unconsciously agreed to something that she didn't know whether or not it was a good idea in the first place. However, besides everything else that seems negative towards the situation, he was her mate, and Harlow would do anything to spend a little bit more time; in fact, both she and her wolf craved to be closer to him even if he was the worse person known
"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WITH HIM?" Michael spat the words out harshly, all while letting go of her arm, and took two steps away from her. "I thought he was just your friend, not your fucking boyfriend.""I-"He pulled at his hair in frustration, "You lied to me, didn't you?""No, Mich-" Harlow tried again, but Michael kept interrupting her."You know what. Just go back; I'm going too."The moment those words left his mouth, her heart sunk. She didn't want him to leave, "Michael, it's not what you think!" She shouted in anger, "Stop assuming things that aren't true."Behind his cold eyes, she saw the visible anger in the depths of those dark obsidian eyes of his, but she didn't understand what she had done wrong? "He's not my boyfriend, and I know what it looks like, but a group of us came here together as friends."She lied. 
"MICHAEL?" Harlow walked further into the woods. She had no idea where she was heading, but all Harlow could focus on was finding him, or she was going to be so furious and completely and utterly lost. "Michael?" She called out again. Her voice wasn't booming, but if he was near, he should be able to hear her call out for him. It was stupid of her to think that calling out his name would help; Michael was the kind of person to make everything harder for every human on this earth, especially her. It got on her every nerve. Why did she have to be Mated to this idiot again? Out of nowhere, she felt someone push her against the bark of a neighbouring tree. They clutched both of her hands securely above her head and had Harlow's face pressed against the tree unwillingly. It all happened so quickly, and she didn't have enough time to react. Her hands were in an awkward position, and all she wanted was to b
"WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO LAST NIGHT?" Mia whispered in her ear. They sat beside each other as the headmistress when over the latest events, which wasn't much considering recent events. Michael was busy teaching her how to fight rather than conduct another plan to attack packs, which Harlow couldn't figure out whether or not it was a good thing. "I couldn't find you at the party anywhere." Maybe it was; it meant that fewer people would be hurt. If Michael remained busy with her, then the rest of the world wouldn't be in so much terror over her Mate's cruel actions. God...is this what my life has come to? Harlow couldn't help the sudden realization that she has been blessed with. "I went home." Despite the detorts she took on her way there. Nonetheless, Harlow didn't say anything further other than that; it was better that way. "Home? But your mom and nan were still
"HARLOW, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Her head snapped out of her trance and focused on the person who Harlow sat in front of her on the opposite side. Mia had a concerned look on her face, like always, and all Harlow wanted to do was wipe it off her face. She nodded her head, not wanting to speak because if she was scared that she might say anything to reveal why she felt so down. It has been a day, and Harlow still couldn't shake the words of her Alpha out of her mind. His voice had been haunting her like nobody's business, some might pin this feeling down as guilt, but she felt worse by the minute. Harlow was sitting with Mia in a small Café, munching on some biscuits that the shop gave out for free. Her mom had taken her nan somewhere she didn't know much about, probably to another doctors appointment; she was beginning to become a litter worse than she had ever been before and it was concerning. The
"YOU LACK STAMINA FOR A WOLF. We're not supposed to stop. Ever. You're not supposed to get tired after a day of running; running is enjoyable, never painful, it's a hobby for your wolf- Are you even listening to me, Ace?" Michael growled out, and she snapped back to attention.It was hard for her to do that when she felt a new degree of embarrassment. Being this close to her Mate was thrilling to a point, and completely lacking strength made her feel more insecure in front of him. All her mind could concentrate was on that...how weak she was, and she hated it, especially since she wanted to prove herself to her Mate. These emotions were enough for anyone self-conscious, even if they were standing in front of their Mate that's supposed to be training them."Ace, are you listening to me?" He asked, but she only watched as his lips moved while he spoke. They were compelling in that way, and they distract
THE FRONT SHUT CLOSED BEHIND HER; it was the afternoon already, and all her mind could think about was Michael even after she had just parted from him. However, Harlow noticed he didn't look too pleased with her rushed departure; like always, Michael showed his disapproval through his angered exterior, but she couldn't miss her curfew. She had to be back by six P.M. Otherwise; her mom would have a mental flip at her disappearance; not only that, but Harlow didn't want to break her mom's trust; they had agreed to be completely honest with each other. The promise meant everything to the women; it was the foundation of their relationship, and if that no longer remained, what were they? Although the heavy guilt inside her was becoming seemingly unbearable as she hid the fact that Michael Collins is her Mate, maybe it was out of fear of her mom's reaction, or maybe it was her mom's perception of her daughter after a piece of tragic news. Harlow didn't know which on
WOLVES AREN'T SCARED OF THE DARK. Fear of the dark is not fear of darkness itself but fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. There was only one person why it was illogical and spurious for a wolf to be scared of the dark; because wolves were the thing in the dark. They were the creatures who roamed the night, occupying the shadows and scrutinizing their prey, awaiting the mistake that would soon end its life. Wolves were killers who basked in the blood of their enemies and enjoyed hunting an animal they knew would fail in its attempt to escape. They were primal animals that stuck with what they knew. Harlow knew she was nothing like a wolf; she feared the dark more than anything; maybe that had to do with her recent experience of not being able to escape it. This Hospital room is a chrysalis in the worst of ways, for here she was melted down to liquid
FOR A SECOND, Harlow couldn't understand why Michael looked so panicked. She felt fine, so why was he so worried? "I'm so sorry," He continued to say for the fifth time, "I didn't mean to." What was he talking about? "Michael, it's fine." She spoke. She leaned slightly up, feeling so aware of her body being bare. "Look," she grasped his shoulder, "I'm fine." His head shook, looking disorientated and shocked. "Michael, I'm fine." But he wasn't listening; he stepped away from her, seeming to be in a bizarre state of mind. Wherever his mind was, she knew Michael wasn't mentally there. As soon as she blicked, he disappeared and vanished into thin air. She was used to his disappearing acts, which he always did whenever things would get real; as soon as they became close, she couldn't figure out why and why he constantly pushed her away. A heavy sigh left her, feeling tired. Tired of life, this time, no matter how much it hurt her, Michael leaving was the last thing she was worried abou
"What did you do to him?!" Harlow couldn't understand or get her mind around what she was seeing. The instinct to run to him and help me was strong, and that's was she intended to do, but Sabin stopped her. "You need to keep your distance, Mate or not; if you get too close, he will shred you to pieces in this state," Sabin told her firmly. His eyes were dark; shadows lingered in them. "Let him wake up first, and then you can talk to him." 'Michael, what the hell did he do to you?' Harlow's thoughts run wild with theories, but Sabin doesn't waste time answering them. "Maybe it's not my place to inform you, but I know damn well Michael won't do it. My brother has a habit of running away from his problems." "Yeah, no kidding." Harlow couldn't help but say, but the look that Sabin gave didn't leave room for anything more than those three words to escape. "I'm pretty sure Michael told you that we are cursed. Him more than us, if you don't know." Yeah, she'd figured that part out. "
HARLOW KNEW SHE'D FAINT WHEN HER STOMACH GAVE OUT. Micheal's teeth sank deeper into her skin, engraving her flesh with his essence. It felt like her insides were being replaced by some black hole, and then nausea crept from her abdomen to her head; that's when the world went black. She didn't know what happened after she fainted; it didn't seem necessary to her because everything was better than what awaited her when she woke up, but just like every time she had fainted in the past, she woke up.However, there was no Michael's insight. The person who had claimed her for the rest of her life, who had stolen that choice away from her, was nowhere to be seen. The only comfort was the unfamiliar white walls surrounding her; they weren't hers. Harlow was no longer in her room; the sheets on top of her body were silky soft, and dark in their appearance. They were much better quality than the plain white covers her mother had gotten her, but the luxury covers did nothing to ease the pain sh
"I'M SORRY...?" Harlow remained confused; had she heard him correctly. Did he say what she thought he said? If so, then...it was much weirder than what she had imagined him to say. "That's not possible."Michael released a strained chuckle, "Why is it impossible for you?""Because it is." That inkling of craziness within Micheal's voice rang in her head, that slight possibility that he'd known him before; maybe that's why her mother wasn't so pleased about him. Still, then again, that could also have been the fact that he was a crazed murderer that destroyed people's lives for absolutely no reason. It didn't change the fact that it sounded beyond crazy...and not to mention weird. To think that even when she was daydreaming about the time when she would meet him, it turns out she had known him since the day she was born.Surely she couldn't have missed the most significant part of her life. The thing she had always dreamt of had already happened, and
"GET OUT." With no hesitation, the words flew out of her mouth, and there was nothing Michael could have done to persuade her otherwise. That sickening feeling settled inside her, that feeling of deja vu, knowing precisely what he was doing here. It always was the same. The game Michael played with her head was never-ending; if only she could flip it around and play with his instead, too bad, she didn't have that power over someone like Michael. Michael's eyes were as dark as she had ever seen them, and there was a multitude of emotions swirling in them. His eyes watched her with a pang of sadness, a destress, and they scanned every inch of her body; the action had her a little uncomfortable. For someone who enjoyed hurting her, his emotions sure were fickle. The feeling felt so foreign on his face like it didn't belong there. Michael sat on her bed with the silence surrounding them. However, his eyes bored through her; they stared without ever wavering
HARLOW STOOD THERE NUMB, with shock, as she watched the last vestiges of life leave the small body. Seconds passed flew by, Harlow knew that her Wolf was howling at her, urging her to snap out of her trance, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the grotesque sight. As a werewolf, she had seen plenty of violence in her life, even heard about it. However, she has never witnessed something like this; the brutal slaying of a boy that was but a child. Death was something she was familiar with, but she had never experienced it; she had never seen what it was like to watch another person's soul leave their body. Judging by the size of the hole in his chest, his heart had been ripped clean from his body; that was one of the only ways to kill a werewolf. The more Harlow stared at the boy, the more her mother's face appeared in the forefront of her mind. Was this how she died? Was this how her heart was ripped out of her chest? Had Michael done this too? She didn't s
"Right, right. Yes, yes, we need to get home." The alarmed look on Mia's face didn't go unnoticed; both of them were startled. Hearing about another death wasn't something to take lightly. However, Harlow couldn't help her brain from questioning whether or not it was Michael's doing. He killed her mother; what's stopping him from Killing anyone else within this Pack? "And, quickly," Mia said. Harlow didn't waste any time; she stood up fast. Mia did the same, dusting herself off. "Let's go." Her mind didn't question the fact that it might have been Michael, she knew he had no heart, and it took her mother's death to realise it properly. Everything tragic that happened around here, Michael was the cause. At the corner of her eye, Harlow saw mia slowing her pace to match hers. It was no secret that she couldn't shift, and probably that's why everyone gave her those looks all the time, a look of curiosity but also a look that coul
"WHEN DID THE PAIN START?" Mia asked as she listened attentively. Her eyes at times would widen, and her eyebrows would scrunch up into anger whenever she heard what Harlow told her, and Harlow made sure to inform her of every detail, making sure she didn't leave any points out. Why would she? Mia Knew the most important secret she had tried to hide, so what else did she have to lose. "A few days after meeting him."Her eyes lowered, whispering cruse after curse words before her eyes met Harlow's. "He seems like a real joy." Sarcasm laced every single word.Harlow let out an uneasy laugh; she had to agree, he was the most harmful person she'd ever met, but it wasn't like Harlow could do anything about it, at least she had thought that until now. "Yeah, a real keeper. Don't you think?" Harlow replied."Oh, most certainly." With her own form of sarcasm, Mia said, "When did the dreams start?"Harlow wrinkled her eyebrows in co
THAT MORNING SHE ENTERED THE SCHOOL, it was different, and everything felt foreign. Harlow's gut couldn't help but think of what her Nan had said, 'I don't need history to repeat itself once again.' Harlow wondered what it meant, what did that have to do with her? "Hey." Mia's cheery voice made her jump. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Breathlessly, Harlow greeted her. "Hey." "You seem on edge today; you okay?" Mia asked genuinely, but Harlow didn't know what was genuine or what wasn't. So she chose to ignore her question, maybe because she didn't know what to say. What would she say? When she looked at Mia curiously, it suddenly clicked; Mia had been in this Pack her whole life. She must know something; Mia was the most knowledgeable and the nosiest person here, Harlow had come to realise. Her father was close with the Alpha and Beta, and she must've heard something about what was going on. So Harlow couldn't help herself; she needed t