Keeping my human legs moving as fast as I could, which was faster than most humans by a wide margin. As though death was knocking on my door, my heart pounded. The thought of him coming out of another room with another she-wolf, with what I am sure was sexual pleasure, made me feel sick to my stomach. At the moment, I hate him, but I also find myself extremely attracted to him. The thing about me I hate right now is that I am drawn to a light like a moth to a flame that zaps it to death.
My internship would have been crucial to my graduation requirements from the university next year, which is why it sucks. Unfortunately, I will have to beg my father for an internship, which means I'll have to move back home and travel with him to work. I hate doing this; however, Brock Simmons is a threat to my way of life, and I must do what I can to avoid him.
I am the daughter of an entrepreneur with an international and statewide chain of hotels that are usually only accessible to the very elite. The first two floors of our building will have a monthly weekend sale once a month, allowing those who do not belong to the socially elite crowd to enjoy the elegance and personalized service. During this weekend, many wedding couples reserve their venues. The upper echelons wouldn't be allowed to take advantage of these cheap prices. The word commoner was just another term I used to describe myself as superior. Those attitudes or the attitudes of those who held them irritated me.
To say that my father solely owned the hotel chain is actually inaccurate. Packs are more of a socialist type of society than normal human societies. We run in packs, live closely together. That is the life I grew up with. The money earned from the various businesses is actually what helps the pack to run and to pay for business within the pack. Since our pack is small and we own lots of wealth. We are actually, per wolf, the wealthiest pack in the state.
Since the earlier interviewees had taken up all the parking spaces, I had to get into my car two blocks away. While my car was parked further from the building, my wolf senses sensed a wolf following me. Looking to the back, I thought I saw the beta of the Alpha, from which I had just fled. There's no way I'm taking a chance that the beta I saw ducking into that alley is this one. It seemed easier to hail a cab. If it was Alpha Simmons Beta, he could note my license plate and find me. The idea of letting that happen was not acceptable to me.
It will take me some time to lose the beta, so I plan to take a taxi to the metro, then take the metro back to my car. My hope is that I will be able to ditch him.
In CarolAnn's opinion, wolves like to chase and be chased, and she laughs wholeheartedly. Sometimes she could be a real pain in the neck.
I hail the first cab that pulls up in front of one of my father's many hotels, and push a man out of the way as well. I apologize profusely, “Sorry, so sorry this is an emergency!”
Slamming the taxi door behind me, “Drive!” yelled towards the taxi driver. "Take me to the metro’s main station please. There is a stalker following me."
In fact, he saw the beta following me and looked at me with alarm. His hair was a silver-grey color, and he wore a uniform taxi ball cap, the driver’s face was like a map of lines which I am sure were weathered from his years of stress.
In an empathetic tone, he says, “Hold on miss, I'll get you far away from here, no worries, you're safe with me!” Using an old Irish brogue.
I smiled at him, “Thank you so much sir!”
“No bother to me, miss, I have daughters myself.”
“What is your name sir, if I might ask?”
“Patrick O’Malley mam, that is my name.” Your brogue is heavy, but your diction is superb. I like that.
Patrick O’Malley laughed a deep, hearty guttural laugh. “Yes, indeed mam. Thank you”
I wasn’t going to give a stranger my whole name, no matter how kind he was. However, I did give him my first name.
“Well, Patrick O’Malley, my name is Stephanie, thank you for being my hero.” I smiled then watched the tall buildings whiz by in relief that I had probably ditched the beta, as he would either have to hail a cab to follow us or get his own personal vehicle to continue the chase, and with the way this cab driver weaves in and out of traffic, and taking multiple turns, I doubt many taxi drivers have his skills.
Upon getting out of the taxi, having made it to the metro station. I handed an envelope full of cash to the driver. I originally pulled the cash out of the bank to give to a friend of mine for her birthday so she could go out to a party. There was a thousand dollars in that envelope, and I was now awarding my hero.
Patrick looked into the envelope to be stunned at the ten (one-hundred-dollar bills).
“No, miss Stephanie, I cannot take this! It is too much money!”
I'm not doing this for charity, Mr. O'Malley. It's thanks to you that I'm still alive! The reward is the payment attached to my taxi fee. In case you don't take the money, I'll personally deliver it to the taxi company listed next to your name on that plaque.” I knew myself my life wasn’t in danger. Yes, I was being over dramatic, but with that threat Mr. O’Malley conceded and accepted the money I had offered. Besides, my life would have been negatively affected if I had stayed and let the mate bond control my actions.
“Thank you miss. Well, if you ever need a taxi again, here is my card, miss. Thank-you.”
Poor Mr. O’Malley truly did not know what to say. I leaned in his window after closing the car door and kissed him on the cheek, taking his card for another day. Turning, I headed to the customer service desk to find out what bus I needed to board and left on a very long bus ride back to my car.
Fumbling with my keys, digging them out of my purse, which is more like a suitcase, black leather, with ties and back straps to carry on my back around campus. The only reason it was still classified as a purse, is that this purse was a designer brand my mother purchased, and you could change the back straps to an elegant handle.
It was my mom's habit to shop at weird, expensive shops. If the item was odd, it was a gift. In particular for her kids, and she already has one grandchild. It's possible that my mom read the human bible and took being fruitful and multiply seriously. At the pack hospital birthing facilities, I always wondered if my father kept a special floor for my mom. Of course, I'm just kidding, but she had pupped every year. When my uncle told my dad to stay off of my mom, my dad pinched her rear-end and said he couldn't resist such a beautiful woman. Arghhh, that's not what anyone wants to hear from their parents. As soon as my friends ask how they met, I try to stop them right there. My parents aren't afraid to talk about their sexual feelings. I have been scarred for life by not wanting to see that visually.
Tonight, begrudgingly with my tail between my legs, I am going to beg my father for an internship, and he will have conditions. Those conditions are what I fear. They are never to my liking.
Upon walking into the room, I found a table that seats twenty, and what looked like a conference table was actually our dinner table, with friends, family, a grandchild, and, of course, my father and mother standing next to one another.
Both of my parents, well, everyone looked shocked to see me. This was not my once-a-month visit. My shoulders shrug, I smile and ask "Well, what will there be for dinner? I missed you all." I know I was laying the niceness on thick. A girl has to do what a girl has to do when she needs an internship.
There is something wonderful about this internship: it will be 75 miles away from Alpha Brock. My heart is bursting with joy.
Alpha Brock –Greyson, were you able to follow the crazy lady that recently left my office?”Looking at me like I was crazy, he laughed, “Alpha, why would you want to find a crazy person? Do we not have enough of those already?”“Yeah, I know that crazy people follow us every day, but my wolf wants this crazy woman. Don't ever ask me if she's my mate. I didn't smell the wonderful scent we learned about when we first started learning about the effects of mate bonds. There was no scent at all on that woman. My gut tells me there's more to her, and for some reason she's hiding it.""It's possible you're right, Alpha. She suddenly turned as I was following her, and I could swear she was sniffing after me. Her fingers were fumbling for her keys when she suddenly stopped and flagged down a taxi, pushing a man almost on his behind away from the cab. As I was following her, I got a cab, but her driver was much more experienced with losing people. Before we had barely begun to follow her taxi,
I woke up early. I was one of those anal type of people that could go to bed at one a.m. and still wake up when the alarm rings at four a.m. I stayed the night in my old bedroom. I wanted to participate in pack training while I was on pack grounds.Sadly, my mother only had one item on my list that I needed to make it through this meeting with Alpha Brock today. She only had long white gloves. Why I thought she would have a brown-haired wig is beyond me. Nor did she ever buy sunglasses. Wolves don’thave issues with the sun’s glare that humans do. Therefore, there is no need to purchase sunglasses. When I asked my mother for these items, she stared at me like I was crazy and seriously needed a lobotomy.After training, I ran back up to my room and showered. I was in a hurry to get to the mall when they opened at nine a.m. I still needed to make an appearance at the packhouse for the six-a.m. breakfast with the pack, catch up with some old friends. Gossip about who is now mated and not
My brother and I ran deep into the woods in human form. In this way, we would not be able to be seen by prying eyes, including human eyes.Having gotten far enough away from human life, we stripped off our clothes and started running again, leaping into the air as we shifted. The way our father taught us to do this is something he instilled in us as children. It is very critical if we ever have to defend ourselves.Running and shifting in the same instance are not abilities most wolves possess. While they must shift standing in place, those few minutes can mean the difference between life and death in a war.Both my brother's and my wolves are gold and white, and they share a lot of similarities. When I was a child, my siblings used to tease me about my wolf because her white fur showed where her paws were. As they teased her, they referred to her as socks.One night on a family run, we hid several cans of washable white paint spray behind trees. This is in the area where the family n
The smell of sewer permeated the air, choking the very life out of the wildlife around us, as deer and bears would flee, sensing the danger that was approaching. Rogues weren’t just unhappy wolves that left their pack for human pastures, usually they are like a rabid dog that needs to be put down.It isn’t a virus that is easily caught by touch, sex, or even by the air. Usually, some sort of drama happens in the werewolf’s life. Death of a mate, mental illness, letting one’s wolf take over for months and years at a time, losing one’s humanness. Whatever the rogues’ story is, once they hit feral there isn’t really a cure except death.Being fearful that the rogue could smell my brother, I took the spray out of the pouch that I wore around my neck like a necklace.My brother was caught off guard when I started to spray mist all around him.In a mind-link he sounds startled and annoyed. “Hey, this is no time to be misting me with some strange liquid. What is that anyway, Stephi? I will s
After my brother and I parted, I called my human friend Bethany.“Hey girl, I got my internship. Did you find one too?”Sighing, Bethany replied, “Yes, but it is for my dad’s company.”Laughing, “Me too, but hey, at least this will be one more tick for us to graduate next year. Lighten up, let's go party! Get dressed. I will be coming over around 8:30 P.M. I will even let you be a passenger in my baby.”Bethany replied a little more excited this time, “Woohoo, I am so ready to dance! Are we going to pick up Charmayne? The guys as well?”“Sure, we will pick up Charmayne, but the guys can get their own transportation to Lupo Mannaro. Give them all a call and let’s go to a party!”Bethany helped me come out of my shell during my days at the university. I quit hiding behind a hoody and started going out with friends. Of course, this was only one night a week I would do this, as I needed to make certain my grades, even now, remained exemplary.Excited, I was browsing through my closet pull
Beta Greyson’s Point of View: In spite of repeated requests, my alpha and best friend could not explain why I was babysitting the daughter of Alpha Silverton. *Sidenote the last name of the Alpha and his family are the same as the packs, many generations ago, the first Silverton created this pack* I followed Stephanie to her apartment, watched her leave once she took off the brown-haired wig, gloves, and glasses. She is hot, really hot! She was wearing a wrap around gold dress that fit her curves perfectly, with a v-cut neckline, that showed the tops of her well-endowed cleavage. I was in love.
StephanieI have the strongest sense that I need to open my eyes, but I find it so hard to do so due to my brain feeling so fuzzy. In the midst of this darkness, it seems so overwhelming. As I try to open my eyes, I'm letting my other senses take over until I am able to focus on them again. It is already obvious that my writs are on fire, and I can smell some sort of putrid odor coming from them. As I breathe in the smell, I almost feel sick to my stomach.
Chapter One-Hundred Sixty-Six: Ezra, Enzo, and Esme's Fate Stephanie's Perspective: Time has passed swiftly, and the triplets have become a source of both worry and profound anguish. Aware that the moon goddess foretold the darkness in one of my children, I also clung to her assurance that we could save this child. She warned me of the numerous trials Esme would face, yet I was unprepared for the extent of her frailty and deformity. Parenting in such conditions leaves me at a loss. Each night, I plead with the moon goddess for guidance, as it is I who feels covered in darkness. Yet I heard nothing from her. It almost feels like punishment. I am a fierce Alpha female of the pack, I had made it through giving birth to triplets - Ezra, Enzo, and Esme. I remembered how much when the boys were born, how much Ezra and Enzo, were identical in every way, with their light blonde hair to me. But it was Esme, the runt of the litter, who stood out with her black hair that mirrored her father,
Brock's perspective: I crouched by Stephanie's side, stroking her pale cheek, willing her to fight through. Dr. Mildred was a blur of motion, her hands swift and sure as she worked to stop the bleeding, her brow furrowed with concentration, her lips moving in silent prayer or perhaps a list of medical steps. The clock on the wall ticked in mockery of my racing heart, its hands moving too slowly for my liking. It seemed time itself had conspired to increase the torture, drawing out each moment into an unbearable eternity. Minutes - or was it hours? - passed and finally, Dr. Mildred straightened with a tired sigh, peeling off her gloves. "We've managed to stop the bleeding," she announced, her eyes meeting mine. It was the first hope I'd clung to since it had all begun.With that small reassurance, I allowed myself to draw a breath, my grip on Stephanie's hand loosening just slightly. Then the heart monitor screamed out with a shrill tone showing Stephanie's heart had stoppe
Third-Party Perspective:As the Suburban sped down the back road, the trees blurred past in a green and golden haze, a stark contrast to the tension coiled within the vehicle. Stephanie's grip on Brock's hand tightened with each wave of pain that wracked her body, her forehead beaded with sweat despite the cool autumn air seeping through the cracked window.Brock's heart raced as he watched his mate, Stephanie, contort in agony on his lap. He couldn't bear to see her in such pain, but he knew that they were running out of time. The driver's voice cut through the air, a note of urgency lacing his words as he asked if they needed to pull over.Stephanie knew time was not on their side, and she felt a growing urgency to act. Accustomed to living without powers, she had forgotten that she could simply wish herself and Brock directly into the safety of the pack hospital. "No, keep going," I gasped, clutching at Brock with one hand while the other grasped at the shards of my fading humanit
Stephanie’s Perspective:As the driver for I and Brock navigated the winding road towards the Silverton pack territory, my mind was a whirlwind of emotions. The truth about my parentage had shaken me to the core, leaving me feeling as if I was floating in a sea of lies and deceit. I clutched my swollen belly, feeling the reassuring kicks of her unborn twin boys, a reminder of the new life I was about to bring into this world.The cool autumn air whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth. My mate, Alpha Brock, sat beside me, his hand resting on my thigh in a silent show of support. I glanced at him, grateful for his unwavering presence in my life, especially in this tough time for me.As we arrived at the Silverton pack territory, I felt a mix of apprehension and determination swirling within me. I knew I needed to confront my parents, to demand answers and closure, no matter how painful the t
Stephanie’s Perspective:I was aware of my issues with emotional control, which is why I couldn't face visiting my parents just yet. The guilt weighed on me, especially since my mother had just given birth and my father was now in intensive care. I had received word that my father and his men had been ambushed by rogues while returning to my former pack.Everyone anticipated that my mother would give birth to another boy; however, she had a girl instead. The sonogram had misleadingly suggested the presence of a penis, but it turned out to be merely the umbilical cord.I called Crystal, now back in the packhouse and in her own room thanks to Linda. I asked her to tell our parents that I don't hate them. Rather, I am a danger to be around until I can control my emotions and my magic.I had never deeply appreciated how blessed I was to have Linda as a friend. She provided the tough love I needed. Without her physically pulling me out of that bed, I don’t know how much longer I would have
Stephanie's Perspective:A rank odor filled the air. As I glanced around, nothing appeared wrong, which led me to realize the unpleasant smell was coming from me; okay, maybe I hadn't showered in a few days.I rummaged through my closet and picked out a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. After that, I opened my dresser and chose some underwear. Embracing a gradual approach, I completed my outfit with fuzzy socks, opting for comfort above all today. Laying my chosen outfit on the bed, I grabbed a towel and made my way to the shower. The water hissed and sputtered as I turned on the tap. The steam curled up around the room, wrapping me in a comforting embrace.As I stepped into the shower, the hot water was a sharp contrast to the coldness that had settled into my bones over the past few days. Water cascaded over me, its soothing rhythm a backdrop to my troubled thoughts.I admit I had let my depression take over me, crippling me mentally for the past week? I am not even ce
Brock’s perspective:Darkness had encircled the pack since Stephanie brought chaos to an end with the war. A persistent shadow of dark gray clouds, with occasional thunderstorms, lingered over our pack, each storm an echo to Stephanie's tears.I had to reach her, to break through the pain that confined her to her room. Only Crystal and I could occasionally console her through her sobs; it was hardly a conversation.I asked Sapphire and Selena about her powers' origins, but they refused to reveal them. Stephanie stayed quiet, not even confiding in her best friend Linda.I juggled pack responsibilities and calls about Stephanie's well-being. It all became too much, as Stephanie had excelled as both co-alpha and was an outstanding Luna. I missed having her here to help run the pack.Sapphire had to resume her duties overseeing the secret, cursed pack, a curse her mother insisted on maintain
From Stephanie's Perspective:Selena and Sapphire rushed to my side, encircling me with a protective shield to safeguard those around me from the bursts of anger I seemed powerless to restrain. It was as though I was a living embodiment of the Fourth of July, with outbursts erupting repeatedly and without control.I saw the wolf-wizard rushing toward me, his face contorted with anger and bewilderment. Sapphire stepped in front of him, placing her hands on his chest to halt his advance. Despite being enclosed in my protective bubble, where I shouldn't have been able to hear them. I could catch snippets of their conversation.I watched Brock argue with the witches and the warlock; Linda joined the fray as well.Brock questioned Selena and Sapphire about what had transpired with me. Meanwhile, Linda shared my confusion. For some inexplicable reason, the warlock was under the impression that he was my biological fathe
Stephanie’s Perspective:I positioned myself to see both astral Brock and Vincent. It became clear Vincent didn't want to harm me; he was torn because he simply aimed to rescue his mate from Adrian. I empathized if Adrian had taken Brock, I'd go to great lengths to reclaim my mate."Vincent!" I shouted, struck by a plan to retrieve his mate without jeopardizing myself or upsetting Brock by using me as bait."Listen, I have an idea. We'll need Sapphire's assistance. Without another viable plan, we can't break through the barrier.Additionally, I've concealed a special gift from most. I don't want people to feel uncomfortable around me, thinking I am reading their mind twenty-four seven. Truthfully, the ability is sometimes annoying. I really don't want to know what people think. What I can do is establish a telepathic connection with almost anyone, except for pure humans. I'll use this ability to mentally inform Adrian tha