~Thea
I swing the dog's leash back and forth as I walk, watching the fake leather gleam in the dull light. Above my head, vicious clouds swoop in, looming over me with threatening shadows in it's wake. It makes me sigh irritably.
The Devotion Pack is situated centrally within the Pack Quarter. It can get warm here, but the weather remains typically gloomy and dull. It doesn't put you in the best mood when you look up and see a darkening cloud overhead that never results to anything.
I've decided to return June's stupid dog today. Might as well do it today and walk home in the daylight. After last night, June made me walk home with the small dog she thinks is protective. I decided to take the long work through the town, rather than delve into that forest. I nearly lost Squiggles...or whatever she calls it.
The village is pretty small. There are other townships within the Pack, but they are all miles away and desolate like our own. It's so tightknit, no one leaves, and no one comes in. At least, not since people started believing in Phantom's again.
Too scared to step foot out of the village, most people have accepted a simple life away from any other civilisation. Many people, including myself have also accepted the idea of never finding our mates. It sucks, but in some people's eyes, it is safer to stay away from where Phantom Wolves are said to lurk.
I just won't leave because my dad won't. And as a nineteen year old living with her father, who works part time at the local diner, I don't see myself doing anything else anyway...
The little Jack Russell June calls her guard dog skips ahead on its little legs. I'm not sure if dogs are allowed on streets this close to stores, but no one is really around to question it. It's a Monday, so the little amount of children in the area are at school, and everyone else is working.
"Maybe it will actually rain one day," I muse, not sure if the dog really listened to my mindless words. It cocked an ear, but that was it. I just listened to its claws click against the concrete, wishing my life was as simple as his.
Maybe it is as simple. I don't go anywhere. My boyfriend will probably have to mark me on the grounds that neither of us are likely to find our own mates. My dad works most days. My friend is a crazy lunatic sometimes. And I don't have enough money to move out...Okay maybe it isn't that simple.
I stare into the store windows as I pass by, wishing I could afford some of the nice clothing and what not. Instead, I am left looking at my own hazel eyes, and frumpy clothes.
I need a miracle...
Suddenly, my eyes catch on something taped to the store window of a second hand clothing shop. It has my sneakered feet finding a stop, my eyebrows raising past the line of mussed brown hair that swoops over my forehead.
A piece of paper, newly printed with bold text, with a photo vibrant that's surprisingly eye catching. But not as eye catching as the title it is.
"Missing Person"
My heart rises in my throat, as I assess the name under the familiar photo. "Jessica Holmes."
I went to school with her. She was the epitome of an introvert-kept to herself, always drawing in her notepad or reading some high fantasy novel. I think she was better friends with the town librarian than anyone in our year.
I stare at the long mass of curly auburn hair that tumbles down her shoulders. She was quite pretty, if you look past her thick rimmed glasses, and her eyes as cold as chunks of ice. The traits she has, she shares with most of us in this Pack. Dark hair, hazel eyes. Average.
But she had gone missing. Missing? No one ever leaves this town.
I am a very curious person. I can't ignore it. I used to read thriller novels before I got a job, and ever since the slightest sign of a mystery has my heart racing. And since nothing ever happens here, I am instantly intrigued.
With a jingle of the bell atop the door, I stroll into the store, the poster in hand, having left the dog tied to a pole outside.
The clerk at the desk glances up as I walk in, probably not expecting someone to visit at this time of the day. Since everyone knows everyone here, I don't have any trouble identifying her as Ms Morris. Elderly, cheerful, but the worst gossip in town.
And her partner in crime shifts clothes around on a nearby rack. That is Ms Slater. Both mateless. Both probably the biggest entertainment in this town.
"Thea dear! What a lovely surprise!" Ms Morris chirps, clapping her hands together at the sight of me. I force a toothy smile onto my face, wishing I was as optimistic about life as these two. I can't imagine how they lived so long all on their own...
"I saw this in the window," I tell her, getting straight to the point so that I don't have to be stuck talking about how boring my life is with them.
I slide the piece of paper across the countertop, giving Ms Morris a perfect view of the missing person poster. The moment her gaze touches the paper, her face pales, and her mouth form a tight line. I have never seen her without a smile..
"Ah yes. Poor Jessica," she says solemnly. I feel Ms Slater stroll up behind me, thick heels clicking against the linoleum floor. She leans over the counter as well, drinking in the sight of the young girl.
"The poor family," Ms Slater muses, smacking her pink tinted lips together. "I can't believe she would do that to herself."
My heart stops. "Do what?"
The two ladies exchange glances. They look so similar, I realise, as they contemplate whether or not to tell me about Jessica. Both have the same fluffy white hair and sun damaged eyes. They dress the same, and even put on the same makeup everyday. I don't judge though, because it's familiar. I grew up thinking they were sisters.
"She killed herself. She walked straight into the Phantom Forest and those wolves killed her," Ms Morris exclaimed. My jaw clenched.
Just like the rest of this town, these women are one drumstick short of a picnic basket. No one has ever seen a Phantom Wolf, and here they are convincing themselves that they do actually exist.
"Did they find the body?" I ask, wondering why there would be a poster up otherwise. The women shrug at the same time.
"No...But she was a little bit strange, so we don't doubt it was a suicide-"
I want to roll my eyes.
"And we think the wolves are getting closer to town. Maybe she got scared and gave up," Ms Slater assumed. This isn't the first time I have heard their ridiculous assumptions.
"Do the police know about this?" I ask, my index finger tapping impatiently against the countertop.
Glances are passed again. I mean, our police force consists of two men. A father and a son. There job is hardly necessary in this town...Well, until now I suppose. The son, my boyfriend.
"No...But we can't think of any other way," Ms Morris informs me. It takes my entire being not to sigh at the batty old women.
I could have gone anywhere in town and found reliable evidence, but instead I made the mistake of coming on here.
"She might have just left home. She was old enough," I muse.
"Can't be. The librarian saw her leave, and her parents never saw her come back. She was either taken, or she killed herself," Ms Slater stated, trying to confirm the lack of information.
I take a few steps backward, leaving the poster. This is stupid...
People don't leave. Ever. And if people don't leave, then people don't mysteriously go missing. In assumption is that she left home, simple as that.
Leaving the shop, I grabbing the dog and started on my way again. My detective work for the day is over, and I decide as I walk, I'll keep it to myself.
Because I know exactly what June would think, if she found out about the missing girl, and the idea of it maybe being a Phantom.
~Thea"We are going to die..."I nestle my head between the cushions of June's beaten up old couch, wishing it would completely drown out the sound of her insistent voice.I had shown up here believing fully that she wouldn't find out about Jessica going missing. She never leaves the damn house-I even have to buy her groceries for her-and I assumed her parents wouldn't tell her either."Missing? No one ever goes missing here," she says, sounding so distressed I almost felt sorry for her. Too bad she thinks it is a fictional character that is the cause of the disappearance..."She hated everyone here," I try to convince her. "It wouldn't surprise me if she just up and left."June doesn't look convinced. Her fingers fiddle with the bottom of her shirt, which she does when she is nervous.
~TheaI lay under my covers, listening intently to the sound of heavy rain pattering against the roof. It's an addictive, lulling sound that has me wanting to stuff my head into my pillow and sleep for a few more hours.But I had promised to meet Luca at the diner for lunch before my shift. I glance over at my bedside table to see I have to be there in an hour...I'm out of bed in a second, and into the shower. Luca hates it when I am late, and personally I do to. Unfortunately, I am not the most organised person in the world. So when I am finally dressed and towel drying my hair, I guess the knock at the door is Luca hurrying me along.And I keep thinking that, until I open the door.My towel slips from my fingers, pooling at my feet. Eyes wide, I am stuck staring at the most attractive man I have ever seen. No one got close to contesting that thought. Not Luca...No one."Good morn
~TheaThe diner has been a special place to me since I was a little girl. Having milkshakes after school with June was a ritual, and I always told the ladies at the counter I would work here when I was older. Fast forward ten years, I am living the dream.Except the dream is hardly what I thought it would be. Sometimes, it's more of a nightmare."Four hours late..." My boss, Janet Dupree muses, arms folded over her chest. "Four hours I had to spend doing you work."I sat meekly behind her desk, head hung low. I'm no stranger to embarrassment, but the looks the other two waitresses gave me as I walked in was enough to have me hold up a white flag.Janet's office is a tiny room tucked into the back of the diner. We always refer to it as The Cave, because sometimes our boss hibernates in it. In the unlikely event you did something foolish, or against one of her rules, we would have to sit beneath the p
~TheaHis hair slips through my fingers, that tangle around the light brown strands.Luca is mad. Furious actually. So irked by Casper's comments, he had taken it upon himself to prove that he could make me climax. I think he was proving it to himself more than anything.But as I lay there, feeling the assault of his tongue against the most sensitive part of my body, I didn't feel anything but uncomfortable. Fuelled by anger, not love, Luca had decided to go down on me, and I wasn't enjoying it in the slightest.For a start, I couldn't get Casper out of my mind. How he knew about me faking orgasms was chilling. People shouldn't just be able to look at others and tell that from one glance.
~TheaDad was sitting at the dinner table when I walked back inside.Despite the fact that he is slightly balding, and the scuff of dark hair on his chin suggests something like a beard, we look alike. Everyone says we have the same nose, and our eyes have the same dark tint around the outside.He smiles, setting his newspaper down on the table, letting me get a glimpse of the front page. Jessica's face was printed large scale, with a daunting title and most likely a degrading passage on how she was depressed and how it was suicide. If the town believed that, then no propaganda would surface, and everything would be okay."Hey honey," he greets, peering at me from behind his reading glasses. I smile at him warmly, dumping my backpack on one of the dining room chairs as I go to sit in the seat opposite him."I was just at June's," I
I woke again, and this time, it's morning.I sit up, mind awake in an instant. I'm not sure where I thought I would wake up, to be honest, but back in my own bed wasn't an option I had considered. Lifting my bed sheets, I see I am even dressed in my pajamas.I have never gotten out of bed so quickly.Pushing open my door, emerging into the lounge room, my best friend June sits on my couch, reading from a book as big as the bible. I stare at her in disbelief, as he glances up at me."About time you woke up," she says. Warily, I wander further into the room."What are you doing here?" I question, narrowing my eyes.For a moment, she looks offended. "I came to show you something."I sit beside her on the couch. I trust June...She is my friend, and would never do anything bad to me. Despite her
~Thea For a good second, I was stunned.I could have not believed him. I could have told him he was crazy, and that walked away. But not only did I see the truth in his eyes, he relayed what had happened to me with not a single falter in his voice, in his expression."What...What do you mean?" I ask, my voice breathy. "These people that you trust are planning something, Thea. Something terrible, and I need to get you out of here before they can-"Suddenly a hand clamps on my shoulder, tight. I jump, but don't bothering to turn around to see who is behind me, because I know it is my boyfriend. His touch is one I know, especially when he is angry."Thea, it is time to take you home."The look on Casper's face, in his eyes is something that is almost impossible to put adequate words to. It could almost be compared to utter malice brewing under his skin, and by the way his fists clench by his side, I can tell he is considering letting Luca get a taste."Don't go with him Thea," Casper s
I stare blankly at him. Whoever he is.He glances back at the road, paying attention to where he was driving for a second. But I couldn't help looking at him, letting the words process in my brain."Jasper is dead," I say clearly, more to myself then him. I wanted to hear the words so I could understand them, believe them. He shakes his head slowly. "I was dead, but not anymore."Out of everything that has happened today-with my boyfriend trying to kill me and my father disappearing-this just passes through me with ease. Perhaps I am just numb to everything right now with all the stress..."Many years ago, my father cursed me," he tells me, his words pronounced as he tries to get me to understand. "He turned me into a Phantom Wolf out of jealously. My own father did not want me to become Alpha, and as a way to not arise suspicion, he told everyone I had committed suicide, when really I was sent to be a Phantom with many others in the Pack."I just sat their, patiently listening."I a
~Jasper's "How the hell did you manage to get yourself in this situation?"Sighing deeply, I brace my hands against the table, trying to hold myself back from doing something irrational. Thea has been missing for over eight hour now, and we have no leads as to where Luca may have taken her. At this point, he could have taken her to any Pack, and we are still here in the Love Pack,.My jaw clenched. The internal battle I've committed to is weakening, but I won't stop for a second, until I'm with Thea again. I won't eat. I won't sleep."I was trying to be a good mate," I mutter, raising my gaze to his own. "How was I supposed to know this would happen?"The Alpha of Vengeance stood in front of me. Aside from me, he one of the oldest Alpha's that lives today. Kaden and I never used to hold the best relationship, but our disagreements have recently been resolved, and I now find him a valuable friend. With what has just happened, I believe he may be the only one who can assist me."So wha
~TheaLuckily for me, it wasn't snowing when I ventured outside. Already, from the moment I stepped out of Malik's home, I felt better. Just breathing in the crisp air, letting it filter all my thoughts thoroughly was a relief, and for the first time in awhile, my muscles began to relax, despite the difficulty of pushing through the snow on Malik's lawn. If I can just spend a few minutes walking around, then I can go back and hear Jasper out.Quite frankly, my mind had found it hard to fathom the fact that Jasper is my mate. An Alpha? My rational mind passes many things off as coincidence, but I know for a fact, that this is Fate.And now I know the true reason why he wanted me to escape so badly.By the time I reach the streets of the Love Pack, snow has seeped into my shoes, and realisation has hit that maybe the coat I grabbed isn't enough. At least the struggles through the snow had warmed me up enough to actually make my legs work. Everybody else that I walk past seem unfazed by
~TheaThere is no doubting, that everything has changed. That I am no longer how I was yesterday.Jasper stood behind me, staring into the mirror as I did. Something was so common between us, there is no mistaking it. Our eyes. Just looking at it made me want to claw my eyes out. That deep-set violet shade had taken over my once hazel eyes, infecting me with the colour I had admired about Jasper. Now it belongs to me too, although, it hardly amounts to what I see in Jasper's eyes. His are alight and dazzling, vivid with colour. Mine are still bland and rather lifeless.Still, there is an uncanny resemblance, which suggests that I'm not actually alive still. I'm not dead either. I'm just a walking body without beating heart."I'm a Phantom," I breath, running my fingertips down my cheek, that is an awful transparent colour. Perhaps if I had ever seen a dead person, I could relate myself to them, but Jasper is the closest I have gotten, and he is like a walking masterpiece.Jasper move
~TheaMy eyes closed at the same time the water closed around my face.The warmth of the water and the feel of Jasper's hands on my shoulders did nothing to quell the fright the instantly consumed me. My body wanted to retaliate, as my last gulp of air bubbles out of my mouth. The feeling was nothing like I had felt before, as I felt water slip between my lips, the water like a hand on my neck, slowly strangling the life out of me.Forcing my eyes open, I could see the shadow of Jasper looming over me, as he held my shoulders back against the bottom of the tub. I trust him...I have no choice.Involuntarily, as a sudden surge of fright for the lack of breath I was getting hit, my legs jerked up, my body convulsing in protest. The water stung my eyes, as I tried to see Jasper, to try to beg him to stop. Doubts ran through my mind, hurdling all the logic easily. This isn't comfortable...This isn't like falling asleep.Blinking through the water, I notice what is probably Malik, coming fo
~Thea I had always told myself that I wouldn't find my mate. There was an entire part of me that had accepted the fact that I would never feel those sparks, or be able to spend the rest of my life with someone I was made for. And there was no way I thought that my mate would ever be an Alpha. Let alone the Alpha of Devotion.However, there was no denying what was going on, with Jasper's hands cradling my face, his lips on mine...There were sparks there, and the undeniable voice in my head screaming, he's your mate!Stunned, I was still, trying to fathom the feeling. Sparks were a feeling I couldn't put words to. They spread from his hands, through his lips, right across my body, weakening my limbs, so I was completely open to the feeling. The tiny electric like jolts were almost relaxing, but at the exact same time, they enlightened a foreign feeling inside me.It was second nature, as I began kissing back, taking a part of me that controlled my conscious by surprise, but I shunned
~TheaInside the cabin was just as inviting as the outside. It was the small, the furnishings were subtle, and the entire place almost seemed to bundle you up in the fireplace-which Jasper's magic lit-warm embrace.The moment Jasper ushered me inside, I was awed by the entire thing. With wooden interior beams on the ceiling, that match what might suffice as wallpaper, the small space seemed warm, friendly, and inviting. Despite my wariness of what Jasper called faux, the rug on the floor looked softer than silk.Jasper took my jacket, as I shrugged it off. "And Malik, of all people created this?"The Alpha chuckled. He knew what Malik was like, and if I told him about the girl-Vanessa, or whatever her name is-then I'm sure he wouldn't be surprised. I just found it ironic that the Alpha of Love decided to spend his time with beautiful women warming his bed, rather than actually looking for his mate.I expected him, of all people, to hunt the entire land for her. "He did. There is a ro
~TheaJasper gave me some space, which I spent in the bathroom trying to make myself look nice. He promised me, that we would be going out, to make my last day alive good for me. I combed my hair through with my fingers, patting down the strands that stuck out in places. If I had a tie, I maybe would have braided my hair. Instead, I pushed it over my shoulders, and hoped it looked somewhat decent. My clothes were rumpled, but I didn't have Jasper's magic to conjure up clothes, and I wasn't about to ask him for a pretty dress or something.This will do. I can still wear clothes when I'm a Phantom.I refused to think about what was going to happen tomorrow. Today was all I could think about, as well as Jasper's enticing promise about something special tonight. I had no idea what it was, but he told me that it had to do with a secret he's been keeping.My insistent curiosity is going to keep me on edge about it all day, I know it.Rinsing my face, I wash the dried tears from my cheeks.
~TheaJasper paced in front of me.I sat on the edge of the bed, my leg stretched out in front of me. The blanket was still wrapped around my waist, but honestly, I don't care anymore. Too many things swim in my mind, trying to fit somewhere, but it was failing, leaving me feeling empty, and numb."I don't want to die," I say softly, watching Jasper as he thinks.Malik had given us some space to talk things through, to discuss how Jasper was going to end my life. However, the moment we were left alone, Jasper was starting to realise he was actually going to stop my heart from beating, and I realised this is really happening."I'm sorry to have dragged you into this mess," Jasper murmurs, finally coming to a stop. I've never seen him look so lost, so distraught in a situation. He isn't holding himself together as well as I have seen him do, and it doesn't help my jittering nerves.I sigh deeply, trying to get some breath into my lungs. "It's not your fault. It didn't, I would be dead b
~Thea"I-I...Me?"My hardly coherent stuttering didn't go unnoticed, in the way Malik smiled knowingly, and my cheeks reddened in response. Where has my brain gone? It seems to have melted under the heated gaze Malik assaults me with. The first flicker of salvation was like a knock on the back of my head with a very insistent fist. I've spent a lot of my life being intimidated by Luca, and I'm not about to show weakness like that in front of anyone again. Malik may be an Alpha, but I'm a woman who knows how to hold a gaze, and cover my emotions with an impassive cloth."Sorry you had to see that," he said coolly, standing back straight again. Clearly he was referring to Vanessa. "I'm sure you've been waiting for quite some time."My eyes narrow, as I respond a little too abruptly. "Not really."Malik watches me carefully, openly searching my face curiously. He was probably wondering what was behind the sudden change of tact, but I wasn't about to mention it. I knew what he was insinu