I stand at the end of the aisle in front of a room full of hundreds of people, the majority of whom I know. I know most of my pack and most of the Alphas and Betas who accepted today's invitation. Dad made a point of inviting nearly everyone to Ash’s Luna ceremony. Guess he was finally over all of the grudges and is ready for a new beginning. Jace is bouncing around in my head, anticipation to finally see her. Danni is next to me, buzzing with excitement. This kid, it feels like he’s always a ball of happiness. He and Eric adore Ash, and I couldn’t have chosen anyone better to help protect her and be by our side in leadership. Her family are here except for her uncle and aunt. I’m glad her mother and father were able to come today. I could feel how happy she was through our bond. She was fucking ecstatic when they arrived this morning. Oliver and Brent are sitting next to Kylie in the front. Brent looks a little uneasy, but Oliver doesn’t seem to mind anymore. He's been back he
**Grace** I lay on the hotel's disgusting bed, looking up at the cracked pink paint, watching every scrap as it peels off, falling from the ceiling. The dimly lit light flickers through the room as I try to focus on the walls around me. “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,” I softly sing as tears stream down my face. How did everything get so fucked up? I had a foolproof plan that would have worked if he didn’t find his fucking mate. Who would have guessed Ashleigh Steward was my boyfriend's mate? I honestly thought it would be me. I’m an Alpha's daughter; I had a higher possibility. We had a magnetic attraction from the start, and everyone back home said we were perfect together. Dad is obsessed with Zander. But then, all he ever wants is power and money. Charwood, being the biggest pack in the country, has both. ‘We should go out. I saw a bar when we walked past here,’ my wolf Talia says encouragingly, pushing forward hopefully. ‘We need to stay hidden, Talia,’ I
“Ash, Ash come on! We’re gonna be late for school,” my best friend and soon-to-be Alpha, Oliver bangs on my bedroom door hurrying me up. “I’m ready, just give me a few minutes to finish my assignment,” I call back. “Ugh! Stop being such a nerd, Ash. We all know you finished it last week,” my younger brother Brent calls out. I hear a growl come from Ollie followed by a slap. “Ouch! Hey, what was that for?” Brent responds. “Don’t be disrespectful to your sister,” Ollie snaps. “Pfft, if you weren’t our cousin, I’d swear you were in love with her,” Brent grumbles before making his way down the stairs. “Come on Ash, we’re gonna be late for school,” Ollie bangs on the door once more before heading down to breakfast. I sighed. It’s no use trying to finish anything now, both were up and ready to go. I look around my room admiring the different shades of light pink, silver, and white. In the middle of the room is my king-sized bed with a mountain of pink and cream pillows I love to snug
“Do you guys mind if we stop by Victoria’s house? I told her I’d pick her up this morning,” Ollie asks, looking at Brent and me through the front mirror. He didn’t have to ask; he knows what we think of Victoria. In a nutshell, she’s a total psycho bitch. At one point she was so bad I had to tell him about her bullying other pack members and flirting and flaunting with other men. Obviously, she denied everything later. They stopped seeing each other for a couple of months but then we caught them sneaking around again the other week. He finally came clean and confessed that he and Victoria were dating again. Being the future Alpha and all, he really doesn’t owe us any explanation. But he is our cousin, and it hurts that he would take her word against ours. However, if she doesn’t change then sooner or later, she will out herself and he will find out on his own. “Sure,” I respond with a shrug. To be honest, I don’t really care anymore. As his Beta I can give him advice. Beyond that,
The start of this week has been hell so far, and it's only 12.30pm on a Monday!! I don’t know how much more I can take, I’m not usually this wound up, I suppose maybe because I got up earlier this morning to finish some work and maybe because Kia has been so restless today … it all just added up. I just finished two exams and hopefully, I aced them both as I’m aiming to be dux of the school this year. Thank goodness it's lunchtime and I can finally get some food. I’m hungry! I make my way over to the cafeteria to see that Chloe and Skyla are already lined up. Chloe has her phone out and is tapping away furiously. She looks up as I approach them and smile. “There you are, I was just texting to see what you wanted for lunch,” she says and frowns as she feels my annoyance and frustration. I may be a Beta but Ollie’s dad and mine are brothers which means Alpha blood also runs through my veins. When I get upset, which is rare, I can’t hide it. My aura just pushes out and affects the pe
I am going back to my old school today, Summer Vale College, one of the most prestigious high schools in our area. Both males and females attended since this is a coed school. It is also progressive and accepts both human and non-human students. Although mostly it’s humans and wolves. Vampires and witches aren’t really into mixing cultures. I argued with my old man for about a week about why I had to go back to school, especially one with Oliver Steward and his little gang in it. Oliver is from Liverpool pack and they’re not actually bad folk. It’s just that our packs have been in a feud for three generations now. It got so bad at one point that it triggered a war which made humans aware of the existence of the supernatural. My pack, Charwood, blamed Oliver’s pack, Liverpool, because of some witchy voodoo shit his great great grandmother did. At the same time, Oliver’s pack blamed us because apparently the witches were on our lands. Our pack gave the most evidence against theirs and
After an eventful lunch hour, the rest of the day went by slowly. I relaxed with my friends and figured out what I was going to do on the weekend. I love a good night out and am no stranger to the night life. Rumour has it that there is a party at the club on Friday night. The guys and I intend to go and check it out. As I walk into the packhouse after finishing classes I call out, “I’m home!” and wait around for a response. No one’s around. Dad is too busy nowadays to just be hanging around the house and Jake, dad’s beta, is surely with him. The packhouse is a huge mansion with an open floor plan. As you walk in the door you are invited into a wide-open living dining area. A massive 100-inch plasma TV up on the wall with a 20 seat sunk in lounge, the dining table is behind, fitting about another 25-30 people. The kitchen is at the back with two massive fridges and two industrial ovens and an island bench with bar stools. We used to hang out here a lot when we were kids. Since growi
After the lunchtime drama I kept my head down and kept to myself. I didn’t enjoy being front and centre like that. I didn’t enjoy being questioned by Zander Blackwood of all people. I didn’t enjoy the rumours that went around the school after. In the car ride home, the boys mostly talked about the upcoming dance and football games. Every year the school holds a Valedictorian dinner dance where we can receive our diploma and also have a chance to say goodbye to everyone. Once we reached the packhouse I head to my room and start on some homework and assignments. Not long after mum comes up and knocks on my door. “Hi, sweetie, How are you doing today?” I look up from the work I am completing. “Hmm I’m good, just finishing up a few things.” “Okay, dinner’s nearly ready if you want to wash up beforehand. Are you sure you’re, okay? Oliver said there was an incident at lunch time, and you’ve been avoiding him since.” I look back in surprise, “Oh, no it was okay. I was able to sort it al
**Grace** I lay on the hotel's disgusting bed, looking up at the cracked pink paint, watching every scrap as it peels off, falling from the ceiling. The dimly lit light flickers through the room as I try to focus on the walls around me. “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me,” I softly sing as tears stream down my face. How did everything get so fucked up? I had a foolproof plan that would have worked if he didn’t find his fucking mate. Who would have guessed Ashleigh Steward was my boyfriend's mate? I honestly thought it would be me. I’m an Alpha's daughter; I had a higher possibility. We had a magnetic attraction from the start, and everyone back home said we were perfect together. Dad is obsessed with Zander. But then, all he ever wants is power and money. Charwood, being the biggest pack in the country, has both. ‘We should go out. I saw a bar when we walked past here,’ my wolf Talia says encouragingly, pushing forward hopefully. ‘We need to stay hidden, Talia,’ I
I stand at the end of the aisle in front of a room full of hundreds of people, the majority of whom I know. I know most of my pack and most of the Alphas and Betas who accepted today's invitation. Dad made a point of inviting nearly everyone to Ash’s Luna ceremony. Guess he was finally over all of the grudges and is ready for a new beginning. Jace is bouncing around in my head, anticipation to finally see her. Danni is next to me, buzzing with excitement. This kid, it feels like he’s always a ball of happiness. He and Eric adore Ash, and I couldn’t have chosen anyone better to help protect her and be by our side in leadership. Her family are here except for her uncle and aunt. I’m glad her mother and father were able to come today. I could feel how happy she was through our bond. She was fucking ecstatic when they arrived this morning. Oliver and Brent are sitting next to Kylie in the front. Brent looks a little uneasy, but Oliver doesn’t seem to mind anymore. He's been back he
After everything that life has thrown at me this year, I was so proud and excited to finish school and go to one of the best universities in the country to study psychology. Graduation went beautifully; I was so happy mum and dad both came and saw me give my valedictorian speech, and despite everything I was glad they supported me. It was a huge honour to be the school's valedictorian this year. it put a little bit of pressure on me, having to write a speech, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. The dinner was beautiful, something they held yearly to send off the seniors after stressful exams. I appreciated saying thank you and goodbye to everyone, I hoped I would still see them in the future, but no one can make any promises. I had one more fabulous night with my girls, Chloe and Skyla and I was filled with laughter and love. Our friendship won’t ever change, no matter what pack we are in. Thankfully, Zander has accepted that. I’m glad I chose psychology. I wanted to choose
The last few weeks have been crazy. With Ashleigh’s recovery, our exams finally ending, and graduation just around the corner … It has just been a whirlwind of activities. I was so fucking proud of my girl when she announced that she got accepted into all the universities she applied to. Now she just has to choose her major and decide which one to go to. Personally, I admit that I am running pretty low on energy just dealing with Ashley’s anxiety and dad showing me the ropes of running the pack. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girl, but sometimes, feeling her anxiety through our bond can hit me like a tidal wave and completely throw me off for the entire day. As Danni has learnt, whatever she is feeling, I feel it tenfold. Today we finally had a meeting with the council. We tried to have one immediately, but they kept changing it and blocking us. It was their fifth time adjusting the schedule, and even then, they called everyone this morning and said today was open only for an hour
The pain that radiated throughout my body is now gone. I can’t feel anything ... I can't see anything. Instead, I find myself alone in this pitch-black void. ‘Kia, Kia’, I try to call out to her, hoping she will help me pull out of this. Once again, I’m left with emptiness. My mind spirals, thinking of all the possibilities, the “what ifs”, and trying to figure out what just happened. I’m numb; it feels like nothing exists anymore. If this is death, it is a horrible place to be … a black void with nothing by me and my hazy, uncertain thoughts. I miss them … Zander, my family, my friends. The idea of never seeing them again scares me. I feel like I’ve been floating around in this void for hours when suddenly I smell this odd yet familiar scent. It is a sweet, floral scent making my mind spin, trying to remember what it reminded me of. I try to move in the void to get closer to the scent. I need to get closer. A strong pull snaps me out of the darkness as the scent becomes overwhel
The putrid scent of antiseptic assaults my nose as I pace in the hospital's emergency room, waiting for the doctor to tell me why my Luna, Beta, and Gamma are in the state they are in. I burst through the doors earlier to find Ashleigh, only to be kicked out, so the hospital staff had space to work on her. I hoped they were helping her. I can’t lose her. Her bloodstains on my skin from holding her close have now dried as I didn’t want to wash away her scent. It was the only thing keeping me sane right now. Oliver comes flying down the hall with Brent hot on his heels. I sent him and her parents a message as soon as I arrived, and Danni was checked in. He looked so pale when we got to the hospital, and it fucking killed me the state they were all in. I hate the smell of hospitals … The smell of disinfectant stings my nose, making my eyes water. I fight Jace for control, trying not to let him take over and go on a rampage. Hospitals always bring back bad memories so the smell al
I felt a sense of loss when Zander wasn’t by my side. I suppose that’s why they allow mates to be in the same classes, so our wolves don’t go crazy on us. I had a crappy feeling for the rest of the day after this morning's conversation with Brent. I was already feeling bad that I was upset with him only a few weeks ago about hiding the same thing from Ollie and me, and yet here I am doing the exact same thing to him. No wonder he's so upset. At least Ollie and mum already had time to accept Zander and me being mates. Some girls at lunchtime came up and congratulated us, but all I could see was jealousy and frustration in most of them. It hurt that they weren't actually happy. They probably just wanted him because of his title or maybe because they were ex-lovers or a number of other reasons. I don’t have the courage to ask Zander how many he’s been with at school. I’m sure it's a lot. I won’t dwell on that fact because he is my present and future. So after everything that happene
Ashleigh's emotions are heightened by a thousand after marking her. I feel everything - happiness, frustration, sadness … It was a rollercoaster of a night, trying to navigate everything. Out of all of her emotions, happiness and joy were what I felt the most. I was so fucking grateful that she is happy to be with us. After the incident this morning with her brother, Jace was more aware of what was happening. He is unsettled that her family's drama saddens our mate, and I promise I will get to the bottom of it for her. I only want what is best for her and, at the same time, to have a relationship with her family. I want to work together and fix it. Oliver seems to be on board with an alliance. We just have to convince everyone else. Thankfully, the day is easygoing; I have a few classes without her, but that was in the afternoon. Lunchtime rolled around quickly, and everyone gushed around her, trying to get information on what happened and how we found out we were mates. I know
It was a challenging weekend. I barely went home, I had about 20 missed calls from mum, frantic messages from Kylie to know where Ashleigh was, and neither Robert nor Kylie got to say goodbye to their daughter. Now they couldn’t reach her via the pack link or family link. It was a fucked up situation just because Blackwood was her mate. I didn’t even know how to begin to explain things to Brent when he got home. He walked into a house of chaos after his patrol run that night. As much as those two niggle and bicker, they were siblings. He looked up to Ashleigh as his sister and the pack’s Beta. He respected her and appreciated her guidance. Now, I don’t even know what their relationship will be like. After seeing Ashleigh the other night with Blackwood, I knew she made the right choice. She had to be with her mate. She was his Luna, and rejecting him wasn’t an option for either of them. It was nice to see that they loved each other. However, I made a promise to myself and our family