At 6 am I woke still on the sofa to the sound of the front door opening. Besides me and with his arm around my shoulder Connor still lay.
"There are fifteen beds in this house and you choose to sleep on the same sofa," Leo said.
"Leo," I said, breathing a sigh of relief as I got up to hug him.
He kissed me on the lips before looking over to
November 27thA week later and Leo and I hadn't had another argument. We listened to each other, refrained from shouting and stopped the snide comments and the pointless disagreements.And it was all traced back to the forest escapade.Before, our personalities had been incompatible, constantly clashing as we battled one ano
November 27thInitially, I only saw Luca hugging Allison as she wept into his shoulder. Then my eyes cast down to Amber lying lifelessly on the floor. I brought my hand to my mouth in shock as Leo held my other tighter."Her heart isn't beating, is it?" I asked Leo, my eyes welling up with tears."Where's Blair?" Leo questio
November 27thLater in the day, Leo took me to his parent's house so he could go to straighten things out with Blair, who still stricken with grief was struggling to understand why what happened happened and why he knew nothing about it. Blair was loyal to his Alpha but Leo still had a lot of explaining and admitting his mistakes to do."I need to speak to you in Dad's office, Mateo," Leo said to his eldest brother, the only one in the house when we arrived.
He put on the shorts so he wasn't so naked before I followed him out into the hall and down the stairs before waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him to answer the door."Leo..." a sobbing Lia whispered. "I have to tell you something...""What?" Leo asked.She mumbled for a few seconds before bursting into more tears.
November 28thThe next morning I awoke with the bed to myself. It was only 7 am but I ventured down to Leo's office in search of my mate."Hey," I said softly.He had been sat leant back on the swivel chair staring into space until he saw me and a smile crept onto his lips.
December 2ndFour days later Haden and Lia had spent three nights in their new home with no trouble. She said he was frustrated by the situation and constant surveillance and continually in a bad mood but she was optimistic everything was going to be alright.Amber's funeral had happened on the last day of November which was the first time either Leo or I had seen Blair since she died. He could hardly look at his Alpha and Leo left before the wake, feeling like he was only making the day
December 2nd"Luca!" I called as we entered the back yard, where the party had spilt out.Luca turned around from where he was picking the sprinkles off a chocolate doughnut on the food table. As he saw me, he smiled widely and bounded over."Am I allowed to talk to my best friend, Alpha, or...?" he asked.
December 2ndAs I searched all the guests for Rosa, I spotted two people I wasn't expecting to see anytime soon. Stood in the corner, his eyes tired and his face paled and sat was Blair. He had Abi on his arm, holding his hand tightly and resting her head on his shoulder but he hardly spoke to her as she tried to comfort him. All he could do was stand quietly, looking overwhelmed by it all."Hey," I said softly as I approached them.
December 23rdCato’s point of viewI stood by my office window in the base, my Dad beside me. In the street below, a nurse walked Adelaide out of the hospital. When she flew in from Vermont two days ago, she couldn’t walk, her skin sickly white and her body frail and weak.Now we watched as she sprinted across the street to where her father was standing. She leapt into his arms as he squeezed her tight and swung her around, kissing her head repeatedly.“You may come to regret letting him walk free, Cato,” Dad said, “But must say, I’ve never seen him love anyone, let alone that much.”I’d spent all morning speaking to Adelaide. Everything she and Luciano said matched perfectly, giving me no reason to suspect any malicious intent.“Maybe he had no one to love until Adelaide came along,” I said, “With no parents and you as his only friend, it must have been lonely.&rdq
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Dad and I came home, I was greeted by Jess striding down the hall. She grabbed my face in my cheeks and kissed me, clutching my shirt in her fist.“Thank you,” she said as I pressed my forehead against hers, “I’m so glad we’re all safe.”I glanced over her shoulder. Her parents sat in the living room, wrapped in blankets, watching us.“Have you told them about us?”She nodded as she took my hand to lead me into the living room. My Mom and Grandad sat with them, steaming cups of coffee in their hands.“Alpha,” Jess’s father said, getting to his feet, “Thank you again.”I nodded, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile. The last time I looked into those eyes, he was punishing Jess and me for loving each other.“... I also owe you an apology. I sho
December 20thCato’s point of viewLuciano sat on the opposite of the table, his wrists shackled and four guards in the room. My Dad sat next to me, staring at Luciano, not saying a word.“Why didn’t you just ask?” I said.Dad scoffed, “Because he knew the answer he’d get.”“I would never refuse to help a nine-year-old with terminal leukaemia,” I said.“Then your father failed to raise you well,” Luciano said, his eyes shifting from Dad to me, “You don’t help your enemies.”“He has his mother’s heart,” Dad said, “She helped you even after you gave Andrea Martinez the coordinates of the bunker all our children hid in.”“And if she hadn’t, you would be drinking champagne with your Lunas tonight. But here you are in a dark prison cell with me.”I res
December 20th- at duskCato’s point of viewI walked through the forest with Elias and Milly, only our heartbeats pounding in our ribcages to fill the silence. After crossing the border, we soon reached the designated meeting point.“Are you ready, Milly?” I asked.“I haven’t used my powers for anything other than healing in years,” she said, looking at her hands, “Let’s hope it’s a force of memory.”Two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees, the fading light falling on their faces.“Good evening, Alpha,” one said.He looked as Elias had described. An unsettling smile and dark boring eyes. A couple of feet behind him stood Nicolos Jones.“Grandfather?”With his face stony and cold, he didn’t utter a word.“Your Grandfather has decided I can offer him more than y
December 20th Leo’s point of viewElla and I were in the kitchen opening a bottle of champagne, awaiting all our family and friends for a party.“Is that the one we’ve been saving?” she asked.I drew behind her and rested my hand on her hip.“Yes. We have a lot to celebrate. I have finally retired, our son is successfully Alpha, and has found his Luna. Elias is also remarkably alive and maybe won’t be an entirely useless Beta.”She grinned as I leant in to kiss her.“I also have a beautiful mate and a reason to celebrate every day.”Through her sheer cotton dress, my fingers pressed against her curves. I had to drag my lips away and take a deep breath.“If I touch you any more, I won’t stop.”She turned and rested her hands on my chest.Her lips were millimetres from mine as her fingers
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Elias, Jess and I escaped the crowd to a quiet part of the forest, I lifted Jess and spun around. She giggled and grabbed my face, pressing her lips against mine.“My handsome Alpha,” she said, running her hands down my chest, “And Elias, you never told me you were going to be Beta!”Elias’s lips twitched, “Well, we were busy running for our lives.”I put Jess on the ground as Elias held his shoulders tense, worry etched on his face.“What?”“I found Jess in Vermont,” he said.Vermont...“Alongside men with dark markings on their skin like those who attacked-”“Lili,” I whispered, “The ones after something from Stella.”Jess nodded, “We didn’t know until it was too late. When the Alpha learnt of my relati
December 20th - forty-five minutes before Cato becomes AlphaCato’s point of viewAfter a lot of hugging, crying from Granny, and congratulations from my Grandads, my Dad looked at his watch.“Shit, we don’t have long,” he said.My Mom glanced at Jess and Elias, her eyes wide. The forest entwined with their hair, rips left their clothes in ruins, and mud and dirt covered them head to toe. She took Jess’s hand.“I have a dress that will fit you,” she said, pulling her toward the stairs. “Cato, sort your Beta out with a suit.”Elias and I ran upstairs. He just had time to wash the mud off his face, comb his hair and slip into one of my old suits.“Very dapper,” I said as he came out of the bathroom, buttoning his sleeves.He gave me a twirl, a grin on his face, “Do I look like a Beta?”I cocked my head and examined him.“M
December 20th - the day Cato becomes AlphaElla’s point of viewCato stood in front of the mirror, dressed in his finest suit as I tied his tie. I wound the silk fabric around and tucked it underneath, finishing with a perfect knot. After smoothing his collar and straightening his jacket, I looked up.“How are you feeling?” I asked.His cheeks were taut, a mechanical expression holding his lips, and his eyes glazed.“Like this is going to be the worst birthday of my life,” he said, not taking his eyes off the reflection in the mirror.It was 11 am. The ceremony was just after midday at the time of the solar noon, but still no sign of Elias.“He’s not going to be here, is he?”I shook my head as he took a shaky breath.“But everyone else is. They’re all waiting downstairs.”I walked with Cato to the top of the stairs. In the ha
Ten days ago...Elias’s point of viewThe bus left me in the middle of Vermont’s most remote forest.I’d been travelling for eleven days, avoiding towns and main roads so Alpha Loren couldn’t track me. I only turned my phone on to text home when I could get a fast ride away from where the signal would trace to, and every time I rode the bus or train, I covered my face with my hoody.My plan was against Cato’s wishes. The Alpha and Luna would never allow it either. But this is what Cato needed, and I couldn’t let them stop me.I glanced around. That was the final bus I needed to take, meaning my destination was a short walk away, yet there was nothing except a rusty bus stop sign and trees for miles. But the coordinates led me here. This had to be it. So taking a deep breath, I stepped off the single-track road and headed West.The trees loomed over me, casting distorted, shadowy shapes on the ground