XERAPHINA “Thank you so much for this, Xeraphina. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to feel wanted, to have fun of any kind. I’ve been in a rut for ten years now. You have brought back my youth.”“Oh, come on. You’re only twenty-eight. You are not that old Tilly.”“Actually, I’m nearing twenty-seven.”Halting, I glance at her, my face scrunching up in confusion. “What did you just say?”“I’m twenty-six. My birthday is in two months.”“But you’ve been here ten years?”“My brother and I both got our wolves at sixteen instead of eighteen.”“Wolves shifting that early is extremely rare.”“I don’t know what to tell ya. But yes. I had just turned sixteen when I connected with my wolf and shifted for the first time.”“WOW! Well, let’s get down there and find you a mate. You deserve greatness Tilly. Let’s both put the past behind us and have fun tonight.”“I’m really looking forward to it! Let’s go!”Once we’ve gotten halfway down the stairs, I mind link mom to start the song and ‘Uptown Funk’ b
XERAPHINAAs Tilly and I descend the stairs, our hands intertwined, we sing and dance, taking in the awe-inspiring scene before us. While I knew that my mother and father had invited several packs from the surrounding area, I am astounded by the sheer number of people present. The place is bursting at the seams with individuals from wall to wall. Amongst the crowd, I notice some mates have already found each other, but there remains a multitude of proud and towering men who have yet to connect with a mate. They gaze up at Tilly and me, in hopes one of us may be their mate. In this sea of unmated males, we are bound to find our perfect match.Cassius’s eyes meet my own from across the room, penetrating deep into my soul. ‘MINE,’ he says through the mind link. ‘MY MATE.’‘Not yet,’ I replied and wink at him. It’s mean, but I can’t bring myself to give into his charm right now. I need to stay focused on the task at hand.‘You’ve got to admit, our mate looks mighty handsome in that get up
XERAPHINA Tilly and I step up to the vast steaming hot buffet adorned with many types of seafood and other meats like steak, chicken, and pork. Each section remains warm to prevent contamination with salmonella, and my stomach rumbles.“I’m gonna gain a hundred pounds tonight. Look at all this food, Xeraphina,” Tilly yells over the music with a huge grin on her face, as she reaches out and clutches a plate and silverware. “This is freaking fantastic!” she says, clutching a pair of tongs and placing a whole cooked king crab onto her plate. Her eyes widen in delight as she notices a bin down the way of oysters on the Half Shell, being kept cool in a bin full of ice. “Oh goodness, I’ve got to have some of those,” she says, scurrying off.Taking matters into my own hands, I reach for the tongs that Tilly left behind. With a swift motion, I transfer a succulent lobster onto my plate. Not stopping there, I make my way to the next station and grab a mouthwatering 16 oz Ribeye, placing it be
XERAPHINAFather chuckles and tightens his grip on my hand. “Okay, I won’t mention that again. Like you, a vast majority of the men downstairs have recently transformed into wolves, and they are all single. More than half of them are in their late twenties, above the age of twenty-five. That’s why they’re here, to find a potential mate. They come from alpha, beta, and gamma bloodlines, and I did my research on each pack and the males before inviting them. They come from different parts of the country and even from around the world.”“Thank you, daddy, for everything you’ve done for me. It really means the world to me you’ve gone to such great lengths. It was disappointing on Cassius’ part not to let anyone know that he already knew I was his mate,” I say, a frown appearing on my face. He pulls me into a hug, trying to comfort me. “If I find a chosen mate, I hope they live closer to home,” I say, a smile crossing my face. “I don’t want to be too far away.”“That’s good to hear, princes
XERAPHINA Then out of nowhere, ‘Feels Like Teen Spirit’ sung by Nirvana blares on the speakers and everyone scurry’s towards the bar to replenish their drinks. I see couples who have found their fated mates, huddled close together, the males growling at any other male shifters who touch their female. ‘Where in the world is Tilly?’ I ponder, as I search the crowd. ‘How could I have left her out to the wolves? Shit! I’m a horrible friend!’At last after searching a bit longer I spot Tilly, over in a corner, far away from the chaos, with a handsome guy. I make my way towards them, with a wide grin on my face. She has either found a second chance mate, or has found someone deserving of being her chosen mate. My luck hasn't been all that great, but I'm ecstatic for Tilly and could not be happier than I am right now.I’m all smiles as I approach them and poke her shoulder with my finger. Tilly turns towards me and smiles. “How are things going?” I ask, my eyebrows rising suggestively.Till
XERAPHINAI’ve been feeling suffocated since the start of the night. I convinced myself that this party would be a disaster. My original intention was to find a chosen mate, but I’m confused about my feelings for Cassius. He’s my closest friend, but there are things he’s done that are hard for me to overlook. Whenever the chance to leave the room tonight came up, I took it without hesitation.Cassius had shattered my dreams of finding my fated mate at my coming of age ball. I yearned for the surprise and excitement that those who had found their mates had experienced. My dreams, however, have come true after four years of longing. I am now experiencing the deep connection of finding my mate. Cassius hasn’t ruined this night for me, after all.As I watch the man of my dreams approach, I mentally express my gratitude to the moon goddess. He smiles, revealing dimples to die for and a perfect set of porcelain teeth. That creepy guy from earlier that had dimples and was missing my knuckle
XERAPHINACassius can kiss my ass for all I care. He can cower in a corner pissed off all he wants. But why is everyone else in here so concerned with what’s going on between Vaegon and I. That claustrophobic feeling I’ve been having all night washes over me and all I want to do is get out of here. But I don’t think my parents would be ecstatic with me leaving this party. Especially since they worked so hard to prepare it for me.Putting my hand on Vaegon’s shoulder, I get up on tiptoe and whisper in his ear. “Sure. We could go up to the main lounge area,” I say, pointing up at the stairs. “But would you mind dancing for a little while before we go upstairs? This is my party and other than dinner, I don’t think I’ve spent over thirty minutes down here. My parents put so much effort into this party. I would feel bad if we were to leave right now,” I say, and put my feet back to the ground and step back a little.“That sounds like a great idea, Xeraphina. I don’t think your parents woul
XERAPHINA I pound at Cassius’s chest with my free fist not occupied by the beer I’m holding and try to kick myself free from him, but he’s stronger now than ever because of his anger towards Vaegon. The ignorant jerk doesn’t realize Vaegon is also my mate, but he’s about to figure it all out.“Put me down this instance, Cassius! You are not my mate! I rejected you! That guy right there is my mate! Vaegon has stayed true and waited for me, which is more than I could ever say about you! Put me down now!” I scream in irritation, because nothing I’m saying is getting through to Cassius. He still doesn’t release his hold on me, so I slap him as hard as I can across the face, knocking some sense into him.Cassius’s eyes flutter open and closed a few times, and he shakes his head to shake off the surprise from me slapping him. Looking down at me, Cassius’s eyes well up with tears, threatening to fall. “You promised to give me a chance to redeem myself,” he murmurs.“I’ll keep my word to yo
XERAPHINA“Don’t worry, Angel of Mine. We won’t kill each other. We’re just gonna rough each other up some,” Vaegon says, glancing over at Cassius. “Right, asshole?”“You’re still lucky I’m behind bars, fucker,” Cassius warns, ramming himself against the bars and reaching his arms out to grab Vaegon, but he steps out of reach.“Quit y’all’s shit already. You are two grown men. I’m not in the mood for this. Sleep. I need sleep,” I say, strolling away from them and walking towards Xachariah.Getting on tiptoe, I whisper into Xachariah’s ear, so Vaegon and Cassius can’t hear us with their heightened wolves’ senses. “Those two are going to kill us all. We’re all doomed.”Xachariah chuckles and shakes his head. Then does the same, whispering into my ear. “They know if they kill each other, they’ll kill you. If what your wolves are saying is true. Vaegon and Cassius would do nothing to jeopardize your life, Xeraphina,” Zachariah explains, a snarl coming from his lips when Cassius comes into
XERAPHINA Cassius’s gaze met my own, gold swirling in his irises and confusion washes over me. Then I look over at Vaegon to see gold swirling around in his irises as well. What the hell is going on here? Talon left Cassius, but he’s back now, out of nowhere; for what reason? Talon reconnecting with Cassius will make rejecting him so much more difficult now. A fresh wave of tears collect in my eyes and I reach up to swipe them away when they slip down my cheeks.Glancing at Vaegon, my voice hitches as I whisper, “Vaegon, I’m sorry, but I need you to leave, please. Cassius and I need to have a private chat.”“You can’t reject him, Xeraphina,” Vaegon states, as he glares at Cassius, growling and crossing his arms in anger.My brows furrowed, I turn to see Cassius coming closer. “What the hell are you talking about, Vaegon? I thought you of all people would be the happiest about me rejecting Cassius.”“Has Xariah not reached out to you about anything regarding the three of us?” Cassius
XERAPHINAWhen Xariah rushes into the forest, I decide to end our shared consciousness. I don’t care what Xariah does during this time. Thanks to Cassius, I’m a ball of anger, pain, and sadness. Looking back, I see if I had just kept my rejection of Cassius from the start; things would be fine. I gotta spend more quality time with Vaegon. This is something that Cassius promised me I could have, but went against his word, which isn’t fair to Vaegon.Why do I still have such powerful feelings for Cassius, despite all the harm he has caused me, my family, and our pack? Well, I guess it’s because Cassius is family, and I have always loved him. However, I can’t continue this way any longer. The recent events, like him starting a war with Charity and losing his wolf Talon, have pushed me to my breaking point. I need to let go of Cassius and move on, just as he needs to let go of me. Our relationship has become toxic.As of now, I need to focus on Vaegon. It’s not fair to him. I’ve been in a
CASSIUSMy senses come rushing back to me when Vaegon informs me about Xeraphina’s panic attack. In addition, he reveals Alpha Joseph’s plan for both Xeraphina and me to reject each other, ultimately leading to my expulsion from the pack. These words hit me with a force that I can no longer ignore. This manipulative asshole is on the verge of accomplishing everything he has desired since entering our pack, and it pisses me off.“I bet you’re fucking happy, aren’t you, asshole? You’ll have her all to yourself now.”It’s not until he calls me a fucking spoiled teenage brat that I can’t hold off my anger anymore. In my drunken catatonic state I lunge at the fucker, forgetting about the fucking jails bars between us. My head collides with the steel bars, almost knocking me out, but I shake my head, ridding the stars shooting out in my vision away.“You better be glad I’m behind bars or I would fucking kill you, fucker! She is my fucking fated mate! Mine! I’ve known her my whole fucking li
CASSIUSXachariah drives my truck as we head back to the pack house. He vents his anger, yelling and cursing about what happened with Xeraphina this morning and the incident involving Charity. With each outburst, he slams his fist down on the steering wheel, distorting it to where it seems unusable. When he realizes he can’t hit the steering wheel anymore because of its fragile state, he bangs on the dashboard. I’m relieved Xachariah isn’t directing his anger towards me this time, or else he would kill me. However, I know once we reach the pack house, I will face the consequences.At some point, he stops the truck, and we step out. I receive several blows to the ribs, some causing fractures, and a strike to the head, all while he continues to curse at me. After venting his anger, he forces me to drive the remainder of the journey.As Xachariah settles into the passenger seat, a sense of foreboding washes over me as I see his glazed eyes. I know he is reaching out to Alpha Joseph to di
VAEGON It took us forever going down several twisted tunnels and stairs before we made it to a massive door that leads to the dungeons. We must be several levels underground, at least eight from the amount of stairs we went down.Xachariah unlocks the massive door and pushes it open. Then he ushers me inside and growls when Cassius’s scent wafts towards us.“We don’t use the dungeons that often. Cassius is the only one down here right now. So it shouldn’t be hard for you to find him. He’s towards the end, is all I know,” Xachariah says, pointing in the direction I needed to go.“I’ll lead you to our bunker afterwards, so you’ll know where it is for future reference. Instead of taking a left like we did to get here, you take a right. Good luck, man. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”Glancing around, I see several jail cells akin to that of the human jail cells. Where there are cots and toilets, and that’s about it. The only difference is that they welded the cells into giganti
VAEGONSkinning and chopping, the moose brought Xeraphina and me together, and we could bond a bit. We were just kidding around and having a blast. Xeraphina was good once she stopped thinking about Cassius.During our conversation, we discussed various topics, including my background and alpha training. I shared my passion for vintage cars and my talent for fixing engines with her. In fact, my dad and I have a hobby of buying old cars, fixing them up, and then deciding whether to keep them or sell them. Interestingly, Xeraphina suggested I might get along well with her youngest brother, who is a year older than me. It turns out that he shares the same enthusiasm for classic cars as I do.We discussed various topics like the lodge, her love for horses and cattle roping, and our family backgrounds. Cassius’s name never came up. Xeraphina mentioned a friend who passed away a few months ago. She got lost in thought and Cassius crossed her mind. I changed the subject to learning horse rid
VAEGON“It’s Charity who has caused all this. You shouldn’t be so angry with Cassius. He’s just having a hard time, coming to terms with everything,” Xeraphina says. The fact she's putting the blame onto someone else other than Cassius makes my blood boil. I can't take this anymore.That’s when I pause my actions, clutching a massive chunk of intestines in my hands as I glance over at Xeraphina. “Don’t sit there and tell me I shouldn’t be angry, Xeraphina. He’s a man, holding a high rank within the pack as a beta male. It is not fair to blame his ex-wife for everything he has done. He made the choice to marry her and allowed all this chaos to unfold within the pack, all while knowing you were his true mate. He needs to face the consequences of his actions.”Xeraphina winces, affected by my harsh words. She glances out the window closest to her, squirming in her chair. “I apologize, Vaegon. You are right. I’m overwhelmed by everything that has transpired in the past few days. It’s beco
VAEGONVane sprinted through the forest with lightning speed, him unleashing all the built-up anger and desire to kill Cassius. However, the faster he ran, the more enraged we both became. Our shared consciousness echoed with shouts, urging us to turn back and track down that bastard.Who knows how long we’ve been sprinting through the dense forest, the towering trees casting dancing shadows on the ground? Vane halts at the glistening stream, its gentle babbling filling the air, calming our hatred. He bends down to drink from the stream, the water refreshing and cool against his parched tongue. Feeling a desperate need to cool off the searing heat radiating from his enraged body, he plunges into the crystal clear waters. As the coolness envelops him, he realizes the depths are greater than expected, and the sensation of weightlessness calms our turbulent emotions.After thrashing around in the cool water for a while, he trudges out of the stream, refreshed and wanting to hunt.‘We sho