Seeing my friends today had been wonderful, and made me realize just how much I missed them when I was away. I could not wait to see the rest of them, and then I had the celebration for my birthday and coming of age to look forward to with them all. Although hearing of the loss of Uncle Trent, Cleo, Kai and Kaleb’s Grandpa was likely going to delay any real celebrations, but that was the least of my concerns. I was more concerned for my friends. They must be in so much pain at the loss of their Grandpa. As werewolves, our families are beyond important to us, they mean the world to you, and you come to depend on them. And I knew how incredibly close they all were as a family, so this must be breaking them right now.Arriving back had not gone as I had expected, I cannot lie. Walking into the familiar art store, and the cutesy little coffee shop they had attached just as I had so many times previously. I was excited to see everyone, but that had changed the moment I had opened the door.
Seeing Aria today was so nice. It had felt like a lifetime since she had headed to work at the summer camp, when in reality it was a matter of weeks. I guess I just missed her company. The connection we shared. It was different with her than my other friends...But, the time with her had been cut short as she had rushed out of the store with her Dad and had not been answering her messages since. This didn't seem like Aria at all, but we were busy doing the usual cleaning duties at the end of the day within the store, and we helped Aunt Lola in the coffee store closing up too, before heading home, so I didn’t really get much chance to think about things until I reached my room.And then as I dropped to my bed, I looked at my phone hoping to see a reply but there was none. Maybe something was wrong at home? I knew her Mum and brother had gone to River Ash to be there for Aunt Lilah and her family. Maybe something had happened that we didn't know about? Maybe I should check in with her a
Luca had helped me cook, and had cheered me up as we chatted. His company was always so carefree and easygoing. He wanted to know about the camp, and I loved sharing all the things I had done. He sounded so interested, and it felt nice to chill out and chat as we cooked. Time passed so quickly without me even noticing.Daxton had come to join us part way through, the three of us laughing and joking, as I served up food. My brother found it somewhat hilarious that my Dad’s plan to get me to come home and cook had work. The crazy thing was, my Dad was more than capable of cooking. He was just getting lazy.Soon, we were all sitting around the table eating the chili, and Dad came to join us. “Thanks princess.” He winked, as he began shoveling the food into his mouth.“Didn’t really give me a choice, did you Dad?” I teased, and he feigned shock, while Luca and Daxton grinned. My Dad knew he had been caught out.“Aww come on, what if it was because I had missed you so terribly while you ha
My head felt like it was spinning. Had I heard her right? Aria had said she was going to kiss me, that in itself was mind-blowing... and then she mentioned about kissing her mate? Did that make me her mate? No, surely not...I didn’t have time to even try to process my swirling thoughts before her lips were upon mine, and my whole body felt like it wanted to explode with excitement… desire… feelings I cannot even begin to explain, as the feel of her soft lips caressed mine and the taste of her blueberry lip gloss tingled at my senses.Her kisses were gentle at first, her lips finding mine over and over again, as her hand gently ran through my hair. I kissed her back, with a hunger that surprised even me. I had been thinking of this moment for so long and couldn't quite believe it was here... I was kissing Aria! Her tongue teased at mine, causing butterflies to erupt in my belly and sending my whole body into meltdown. As much as I
Having to go to Landon’s room was not my idea of a good time, I knew that much. There were so many more things I could be doing. Talking to my mate was one. But, everything Landon had said was right. If I wanted a chance to speak to my fated mate, then I had to stay here until tomorrow at the earliest. Turning up at her door demanding to talk at this hour would require an explanation I was not prepared to give the Alpha just yet. But, I needed to speak to her. I knew that. And in order for that to happen, I needed Landon to help me. The thing was, he didn’t seem to be seeing this from my point of view…“Are you able to be a little quieter?” Landon’s voice sounded as irritated as I felt. I simply wanted to smack the fool right now. Everything he said or did seemed to irritate me. Neither one of us wanted to be here. “I don’t want us to disturb anybody.”I was sure I wasn't walking that loudly, and it was just him be
I awoke with a serious crick in my neck. The sofa was most definitely not designed for sleeping on. And not to mention the fact that Kai had been pacing the room in the early hours, only added to the difficulty of sleeping. I knew he was struggling. Even I could sense that in him and we weren’t particularly close. I may not like the guy, but I felt bad for him. He clearly wanted his mate, as you should, but I knew there was next to no chance of that.The Alpha here was not one to mess with. And he now saw Bella as his. He had got into a fit of rage over his fated mate catching up with a few college friends for coffee, including a few guys, from what I understood. The argument got out of control and he lashed out. I don’t think for a moment he meant to kill her, but falling the way she had down the stairs had broken her neck, I believed, and she had died almost instantly. I hadn’t been here when it happened, I had been on one of my many visits back to see my
Unfortunately, I had to crash at Aunty T’s, sleeping on her tiny little sofa. Or it sure as hell felt tiny to me. I would rather have taken the room in the packhouse that Alpha Grayson had offered me, but Mum was adamant we stayed with her Aunty. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Aunty, but I did not love her lumpy sofa and neither did my back…“Oh, Finn… sunshine…” Aunty T’s voice was bright and cheerful from the kitchen, and as I forced open my eyes, the strong smell of coffee hit my nose. Along with the smell of cooking. “Breakfast is ready.” she called, sounding far too bright and breezy for a morning.I felt almost guilty now for saying I hadn't wanted to stay with her. I mean, how could I think badly of her after she has made me food? I chuckled, throwing back the crocheted blanket that had been covering me, as I plodded my way into the kitchen. “Morning Aunty T.” I greeted her, bending down
My Mum was busy at an appointment having flowers finalized for the funeral, with Aunt Indie. Dad had said he would stay at the house with me and Grandma, so at least I had him here to help, because I found it difficult to know what to say to her. It had never been like that with Grandma before, but she wasn't herself right now. She seemed to be in almost a trance, bless her. Staring off into the distance more often than not, and when she was talking it was so often about memories of Grandpa.Dad reassured me this was normal and just because her and her wolf were struggling with the loss of their mate. It was hard for someone to lose their mate, especially when they had been together so long. But I hated seeing my Grandma like this. She was usually so strong. So confident. Right now she was nothing but a shell of her former self.Having sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity in the lounge, I wandered through to the kitchen. “You want a cup of tea