I awoke to the feeling of Kieran’s finger lightly tracing a pattern on my back.It was delicate, and yet I could feel the sparks follow wherever he touched, leaving a trail of warmth behind as he moved. It felt so nice that I could have easily fallen back to sleep again right then and there.“Good morning,” he said quietly behind me. My change in breathing must have given me away.But it was certainly a good morning, indeed. A very, very good morning. My body ached in all the right ways, the night’s exercise being a workout that scratched every itch imaginable. I was exhausted… yet so energised at the same time.“…’Morning,” I mumbled.I took a deep breath in and stretched my body out, feeling the full extent of my aches. However, unbeknownst to me, this was apparently an unspoken cue… because Kieran immediately moved in closer to encircle my body, holding me as we laid on our sides. And I turned my head to look up at him, meeting those hazel eyes.At some point last night, we had mad
“What about this one?” Allison asked, holding up a floor-length red gown.It was a little more elaborate than I normally wore. Typically, I leaned more towards subtle coloured dresses, ones that showed off my body without needing to be the brightest in the room. But this… this one was definitely a statement.…Not that it really mattered here, I guess. Maybe the new me could like brighter colours.“That’s fine. Just add it to the pile,” I said, nodding to where I’d thrown a few others.They were all laying on the cash register’s bench, ready for when I quickly checked out. I didn’t want to drag this out for any longer than I had to.But she gave me a strange look at that and hesitated instead.“…You’re not going to try it on first? I’d hate for you to buy something so expensive only for it to not fit. Or… we also have a few other stores that you might like. There’s no need to rush.”Oh, but I did.I was learning to suppress that feeling inside, the discomfort I felt from being around h
Over two weeks had gone by since I first came to the Ashwood pack.And things were going… pretty good, to be honest.There hadn’t been any major incidents since my arrival and, though there were certainly still a lot of adjustments yet to be made, I was settling in quite nicely. I was learning more every day and even had a routine now. Sort of.Most of my mornings were spent reading or exploring; though the latter entailed an escort after what happened in the town square. I’d also found a library inside the packhouse that helped educate me a little more, albeit there were still a lot of gaps in my knowledge. But I was getting better. Slowly. And I was getting healthier too. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d felt a wave of real nausea. My head was finally starting to feel… clear.And as for Kieran…? Well… things between us couldn’t be better. Every day we had grown closer, discovering new things about the other. And when we weren’t shacked up in bed, we were usually o
…I couldn’t believe I was actually thinking of doing this. Again. I should have already learnt my lesson by now… no, I really shouldn’t be trying to make it stronger. I already knew how dangerous that side of me was. And yet Kieran looked at me with those puppy dog eyes, making it feel impossible to deny him. …So here I was. Contemplating doing the very thing I was sure would make him happier than it would make me. I knew he wanted me to be completely healthy again, to be able to do the things he could do, to try and… fix me. Which wasn’t a bad thing, per se. It was great. It’s just… I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that yet. This wasn’t like asking me something trivial. He was asking me to connect with a beast who had terrorised me for years. A shiver went through me as I recalled every time it had happened, remembering the blood and bodies. Remembering… the pain. Not even Kieran had been safe last time, it having lashed out at him as well. “I’ll be right here with you, I promi
“…Never mind. I’ve got to go,” I said quietly into the phone.“Rae, wait. What’s—.”But I hung up before Zac could finish his sentence.Sterling’s eyes looked from my face… to where I held the phone in my hands, and slowly clicked his tongue in disapproval.“That would be a cellular device, I assume?” he asked, gradually approaching. “Are you aware that it’s quite a serious offence to use that here? A crime punishable by permanent banishment from the pack… or worse.”I swallowed back the bile in my throat, feeling sick from just looking at Sterling. And yet he had the audacity to threaten me. I wasn’t the one who’d been selling illegal drugs for years.“I know it was you,” I said. “I know you were the one selling the suppressors to my father.”And his approach then came to a stop, his head nodding in understanding.“Ah… I see,” he said. “Then I suppose you’ll be wanting an explanation? A reason for why I did what I did? Maybe then you’ll be able to see this from my perspective. How… I
*CRACK* …Another finger joint. The third now in under five minutes, him still refusing to answer me. Truthfully, I was a little surprised he was holding out for as long as he was. He was still determined to resist my questioning and refused to cooperate. Was this really the hill he wanted to die on? After everything he’d been working so hard on for at least a decade? “You know… I’ve been doing a lot of research lately,” I said. “Thanks to you, my health has become a point of focus for me and I’ve actually learnt a lot about our kind’s anatomy.” And I grabbed another finger, pressing it tightly in a way that conveyed the threat. Just hard enough for a pathetic whimper to leave him. “Like for example… did you know that our joints heal faster than all other injuries?” I asked. “Faster than cuts, gashes… faster than even bones breaking? It’s something to do with how our joints relate to our ability to shift. They naturally have to heal quicker in order to compensate for that.” *CRACK
The time that elapsed after Sterling’s death was intense. Both internally and externally. Because the longer that went by, the more I began to wonder what the full implications of my actions would be. Already, my reputation in town had been dubious, being attacked once before for being a ‘Rogue Luna’. So just what would happen this time when word got out that I’d killed the Alpha’s brother? I could hear Kieran saying something in a hushed voice from outside the room, leaving me to stare at the motionless corpse that may very well be my undoing. It seemed almost poetic that Sterling would find another way to potentially ruin my life, now from beyond the grave. Though I couldn’t blame him for dying. That had been entirely my doing. In that moment, it had felt as if everything overwhelmed me all at once, vividly imagining what he would be capable of doing should he have been allowed to live. And though morally that wasn’t my decision to make, I couldn’t help but wonder what my life wo
“Two packs aligned under her rule,” Allison continued. “An accumulation of two Alphas, the Saintess and a Luna. Each one more monstrous than the last. A collection that broke our sacred traditions, and dealt with those who would not join them via irrefutable orders… and death.” She then pointed to another painting of four people; the Saintess with her silver hair and violet eyes, and a fearsome-looking male next to her with black hair and green eyes. Then a male with dark brown hair and molten gold eyes… and a girl who seemed depicted as an angel with shadow-like wings. Her brunette hair willowed in the wind as her eyes shone like sapphires. “Their spawn continued their legacy, but it wasn’t until the Saintess’ death that a revolution was finally able to begin. A revolt against their rule and one to reinstate the ways of old. A war that lasted nearly fifty years. The Great Silver War.” “…Was this the same war that the suppressors were designed for?” I asked. She looked at me in sur