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28. Ignorance is Bliss
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56-Jian-
The months since Labor Day pass quickly thanks to the intense work training to prepare me for the Florida trip in ten days. This along with my heavy college course load, and I can barely remember October, as November fades into memory. The training is more strenuous than anyone expected, but it's fun and I'm making new friends all up and down the West Coast.
Before I know it, it is early December. A spate of smash and grab robberies greets downtown San Francisco’s tentative return to retail sales. The pack volunteers with Chinatown’s community safety patrols. Aline’s mom buys us dumplings and char sui baos to thank us for taking extra care to check on her at the boutique. The most intrepid store owners stock all the trimmings to make Christmas especially happy and bright. I know this because Lance just dragged me into the nearest tuxedo shop to get fitted in a penguin suit for his wedding next month.
I snort at the memory of h
Laela MorenoThank you again for reading Aline's Choice. Your review and feedback are always welcome! Happy Reading!
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Aline's Choice 30. Lions And Tigers and Bears... Oh My!
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Aline's Choice 31. Others
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Aline's Choice 32. Unexpected Heat
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Aline's Choice 33. Secrets
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Aline's Choice 34. Meanwhile...
-Felicia (Stefan's twin)- I'm pacing. I hate pacing. It's so human. And I am not human. The compulsion to walk back and forth in a confined space emphasizes my lack of control over the situation my idiot brother just placed us in. I despise being out of control. I force myself to a standstill. Clasping my hands, I shut my eyes and attempt to take deep, cleansing breaths. My skepticism of the practice fades with the return of my sanity. My jaw clenches when I, at last turn toward my brother and send him an infuriated glare. The words tripping out of my mouth are ancient, angry, and cutting, reminding Stefan that he does not have the luxury to indulge in such lewd human desires. Inability to satisfy his sexual urges is central to the curse under which we exist. Attempting to satisfy his masculine needs results in the worst mental and physical punishments. And he is not alone in his suffering. I refuse to be punished along with him, not again. Curse the gods! Rather curse that vengefu
Aline's Choice 35. Telling Lance
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Aline's Choice 36. Alpha Command
-Talu- The summoning Alpha Command I knew would come since Aline and Mei’s return reaches me when I least expect it. Mei and her dad left an hour ago to go pick up their Christmas tree. My Ba is dozing in front of the T.V. I sit cross-legged on the floor, trying to wrap some recently purchased gifts. It’s not going well. Even though I'm failing spectacularly, I simply don't want to meet the pack. I know Lance will make me pay for failing to warn him about Aline's situation — if he discovers I already know about it. Damn, Aline! Crap. I should have broken my promise to her about keeping the guy a secret. I also don't want to shift. The internal alpha command turns into an insistent howl in my head and I can no longer pretend to ignore it. Fine. Damn it! Fine! I toss the colorful Christmas ribbons aside, tug off my shirt, hang it on the back of my chair, kick off my shoes and socks, and run out the door. Lance calls us to gather in the darkest wooded area of the park next to Lanc
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Aline's Choice 52. Chocolates Do Not Suck
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Aline's Choice 51. No Backing Down
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Aline's Choice 50. Of Curses and Legends
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Aline's Choice 49. Werewolf Puberty
Author’s note: There are a lot of point-of-view switches between Jian and Aline in this chapter. Thank you for understanding!__________________-Jian-(in San Francisco, at Talu’s house)Talu’s warning pounds in my head. I've been wallowing in self-pity for two weeks. He's right. I'm not proving myself much of a man here. And he is now allowing me to show myself worthy of Aline. I sigh and stare pointedly at the sheaf of papers he removed from the manila envelope. "So, what did the leech find out?"My gaze shifts warily between the papers and Talu. "First, let me tell you what Mei’s ex- told me." And so he tells me how the bloodsucker was hunting in the woods during a stopover to Europe at the same time the terrible twins paid Mei a visit. That was also the same night Talu was with Aline on a jet plane bound for Syracuse.####-Aline- (in Syracuse at her place)We're still on the porch and I'm mulling over Felicia's suggestion.“So, why not both?”Her words bounce aroun
Aline's Choice 48. Lessons On Love
-Jian- "What do you know about the archaeologist?" my voice is a low growl, frightening even to me. I've just stormed into Talu’s room, having left Lance, who proved himself a worthless fool, spouting on and on about how an imprint is never wrong and imploring me to leave Aline alone so she can get on with her life and find happiness. "Hell if I will!" I cursed his useless hide as I slammed out of his house an hour earlier. Stupid Lance! Using this Stefan guy to assuage the guilt he feels for breaking up with Aline the way he did. A little voice in my head suggested I'd recently done the same. Maybe hurt her even worse. But as I made my way to Talu’s place, I roared at the tiny, nagging voice to just shut the hell up. Now, I glare at my best friend. Talu’s expression is impassive at the onslaught of my tumultuous, emotional verbal assault. My eyes track him as he moves to the desk in his room. He pulls out a manila file folder that reeks of bloodsucker. My n
Aline's Choice 47. Something to Consider
-Aline- I'm wrapped up in an oversized cashmere sweater, legs curled beneath me on the wicker loveseat on the back porch in Syracuse. Even my werewolf's body heat can't quite keep me warm against this cold, empty feeling inside. The night of Lance’s wedding keeps replaying inside my head as I stare, unseeing, out into the upstate New York winter. The mid-winter chill is so much more here than in the temperate winters in California. My hands cradle a cup of now tepid tea. I hear a door open and turn to greet Bella, only to grimace at the crazy, blonde bitch who steps out onto the porch. In my peripheral vision, I watch Felicia gracefully fold herself into the wicker rocker kitty-corner to my seat... too near. For two weeks, I've avoided her. Now, I am too tired and melancholy to bother getting up and leaving. Besides, I got here first. I huff out a cloud of hot air against the freezing morning, showing my unhappiness at her undesired company. There is no sound other than our combin
Aline's Choice 46. The Other Guy
Aline left for Syracuse without a goodbye from me. I knew I couldn't see her again without groveling and I refused to do that to myself. After all, a man has to preserve some dignity. I haven't spoken to anyone since Lance’s wedding and it's been a couple of weeks. So, now it’s February, and I am still so pissed I can't see straight. In the weeks since the wedding, I didn’t hang out with my pack brothers or hit the clubs with friends from work. Instead, I torture myself with my new, self-imposed daily task of overseeing the actions of this man, Aline’s imprint. The guy I’m convinced will not only take away the woman I love, but who also wishes to rape our land. So, maybe I'm being a touch too melodramatic. But I am miserable, and therefore, I'm entitled to my feelings. I kick the dirt at my feet. Through slit eyes, I take measure of Stefan and decide he is my my unofficial love rival. On looks alone, he could claim Aline as his own. He could do so just as soon
Aline's Choice 45. Mother Knows Best
-Asena Cai- (Jian’s Mom) I find my boy sitting in the darkness out in the backyard. From the kitchen window, I take in the sight of him. He's still wearing his tuxedo, his tie undone, the wine colored swath of color hangs around his neck against the white-white of his shirt. His dark hair is in wild disarray around his so familiar, handsome face. There is heartbreak in his expression, so happy only hours ago. My heart cries out for him. I rush upstairs to change and make my way to sit quietly beside Jian. I say nothing as he hangs his head. I watch the steady drip of silent tears fall onto the back of his large, strong hands. In the moonlight, the drops glimmer against his naturally tanned skin before sliding into the dark green grass beneath our feet. I wait for him, offering him my strength simply by staying beside him. I know my son. He does not want me to witness this weakness. He never did as a boy and I know it pains him more as a young man to know I am watching. "It hurt
Aline's Choice 44. Unexpected Comfort
-Aline- I crumple to my knees, not caring in the least that I am muddying this damn $300 dress. Sobs wrack my body as I grieve for a love I’ve only just realized I can't live without. I wail against an imprint I can not make myself refuse. I feel the sudden heat of two hands cradling my wracking shoulders. The warmth is not human. I silence myself, drop my hands to my lap, and turn to look up, eager to discover who's standing behind me. "So now you understand the force of an imprint." I stare at Jian's mother as though she's sprouted another head. She is the last person I expect to see, the very last. How can she know about my terrible secret? "I know what you are, Aline Kam. I know because I have been you." I shake my head. She can't possibly know because she can't possibly be a werewolf. She stares at me and answers aloud the unspoken question relayed by my head shaking. "But I am, Aline. I know what you are going through." She
