It was then my legs allowed me to move, but instead of walking deeper into the forest like I planned, I stepped into Atlas's backyard. I figured it was the least I could do to give him a good chase, to lead him in circles for half the night before finally retiring back to bed, but my legs had other plans. I hoped the lingering darkness would shield the horrendous blush that stained my face.
Atlas was down the stairs before I could blink, standing in front of me with those unwavering crystal-clear eyes of his. I couldn't name another time I had seen those eyes, had seen eyes so blue and so light. They were completely unique to him, an oddity that no one else seemed to possess.
"Eavesdropping doesn't seem like your style." Atlas smirked, his full lips lifting at the corners.
"It's not, and I wasn't eavesdropping." I found my voice, and nearly growled at the lack of hostility in it. My head knew how I felt about Atlas, but my heart seemed slow on the update. "It's
I stood inside of my old house, years before we had ever decided to leave. It was a year after my Dad had died, making me nine years old. The deep navy sofa was still old and lumpy, but newer than I remembered seeing it. There were no lipstick stains from Alyssa and I, or small tears from the time I brought a stray kitten home. My nine-year-old self sat on the couch, bare toes almost reaching the floor. I had a bowl of popcorn in my hands, smiling at the television as some colorful movie played. Dim light from the moon peered through the sheer curtains in the living room. While I recognized this as one of mine and Mom's frequent movie nights, I had no recollection of this particular memory.Mom came downstairs, and my breath hitched as I ran my eyes over her smiling face. She was so close, close enough to touch and yet I couldn't bring myself to move. I traced every line and curve with my eyes, committing her face to memory. Her kind eyes and wide smile, the way she'd always
"Good morning, kitten." Atlas spoke from where he stood across the room. Leaning against the wall with his muscular arms crossed, Atlas stared at me with those unwavering crystal eyes. "Now, would you like to tell me what the hell happened to you?"I had just a few seconds to decide if I wanted to say anything. I wasn't exactly sure what happened to me. All I knew was I was being haunted by memories I had somehow forgotten. None of it made sense. Not the memories, nor the snippets of information I learned from them.I ran my eyes over Atlas's form, and noticed the dark circles that lined his eyes. His hair was a mess, platinum blonde strands sticking up around his head. His clothes were crumpled and messy. Judging from the light pouring in through the window, I had missed another day of training. Atlas's scent, thick and alluring, lingered in every corner of the room. I stiffened on sight as I realized whose bed, I had slept in. Atlas had brought me inside his house, p
"So, seems like you and a certain Alpha are on speaking terms." Nicki cooed; a manicured eyebrow raised in my direction.“Working together would be impossible if we didn’t speak.” I snorted, ignoring her teasing tone.I had too much on my mind to even begin sorting through my messed-up situation with Atlas. As for accepting his rejection, I no longer knew what to do. He'd continue to pursue me no matter what, he’d continue to torment me and test my limits. The last thing I wanted to do was think over my conflicted and somewhat nonexistent feelings for Atlas. I still needed to make some sense of those memories, using the small snippets of conversation I managed to hear. Clearly my Mom hid something from me, something huge. Part of me was somewhat angry, but my Mom didn't have a cruel bone in her body. If she hid something like this from me, it was because she thought it best. Now that the memories were flooding back, I couldn't ignore them. No ma
"You smell good, kitten." Atlas murmured, "Maybe you should shower here more often."“Please, I’m perfectly happy with my own shampoo and conditioner.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him.“Mm, I don’t know. Theres something appealing about having you smell like me.” Atlas chuckled, against my ear.I whipped around to face him and gasped when his rough fingers grabbed the hem of my skirt. I had felt the rough pads of his fingers scrape against my thigh. Judging from the heat in Atlas’s eyes, he had noticed the same thing.“Nice skirt.” He said huskily, giving the hem a gentle tug before letting go. “Looks like my money was well spent.”My heart thundered in my chest and I felt my face heat from his words. As Liam and Dustin narrowed their eyes in Atlas's direction, I managed to step off to the side. I sent Atlas an exasperated glare of my own, though my face had yet to cool down.
Before I was born, Mom and Dad lived in a different pack. I vaguely remembered the jagged mountains in the distance, and the sticky humid air. We hadn't lived here long, not nearly long enough for me to gain any substantial memories.The house I stood in looked familiar yet completely foreign. It was a small house, but the inside was pristine and new. A large navy sofa sat against the far wall, cluttered with old dolls and toys. Coloring books were scattered along the floor, broken crayons tossed throughout the house. A small kitchen sat to the left, and a narrow staircase sat to the right. The sound of enthusiastic giggling drew my attention outside. I pulled open the front door and was met by a small concrete patio.Just out front of the small house was the younger version of myself. I wasn't sure how old I had been at the time. This was the youngest I've seen myself yet. Years before my Dad had died, years before we moved to Atlas's pack. I sat in the ankle length g
Dad lifted my shaking, sobbing form into his arms and hugged me closely. His grip never slackened, even when we stepped back through the portal and into the human realm. The sun was vacant from the sky, leaving behind the moon. Hours had passed since we walked through the portal, that much was clear. What I couldn't understand, was how the portal had stayed open for so long and how the three men who took me seemed to create one on command.I was back inside the house, watching as the child version of myself eavesdropped on a conversation between Mom and Dad. They were sitting in the master bathroom. Dad sat on the edge of the tub; his shirt removed as Mom fretted over the shoulder wound he had. I could make out each jagged cut from the creature's teeth. Dad's skin was pale and clammy, his knuckles white as Mom cleaned out the wound."I don't know what kind of creature it was. I've never seen anything like it." Dad groaned, wincing in pain as Mom dabbed a wet cloth agai
Irritation flashed in Atlas's eyes as Liam's rough knock sounded. He must've seen the relief on my face and stiffly turned to open the door. I wasn't sure how much Liam had heard, or if he knew what he interrupted but his hard face gave nothing away.“I wanted to make sure you were alright.” Liam frowned, his eyes flickering to Atlas for just a split second. That quick gaze lasted long enough for me to read the suspicion in his eyes, along with begrudging disapproval.“I’m fine. Better than last time.” I grimaced, stepping away from the two of them.Atlas’s scent danced in circles around my head, and I found myself desperately needing a breath of fresh air. His scent, his presence—it all distracted me from my thoughts.“Nicki and Dustin are going to take over training tomorrow.” Liam replied, “I think it might be good for you to take it easy tomorrow.”I didn’t argue with him a
A few minutes later, we all parted ways. Liam was staying at a local Inn with Lydia, who insisted on tagging along to Atlas’s pack. Even now, I felt no animosity towards her. She was timid in a way that reminded me of myself. I had once been shy and afraid of the world. Losing Atlas and my Mom had ripped the fear from me, leaving me with only anger. That anger seemed to come in waves lately. Ever since I lashed out at Atlas and told him how I felt, I couldn’t muster up that same red-hot rage.My mind fought against the mate-bond relentlessly, but my body had a mind of its own. My heart seemed to sense Atlas’s presence, and would speed up anytime he was near. My fingers would tremble when he stood too close to me, the heat from his body washing up my spine. I gave myself those few moments to think on our bond, and what I might do once this was all over. I couldn’t see myself forgiving him—nor did I want to, but he made it hard.‘Give