{ Jae }"What?! And what did you do when she said that?" Rogan asks in the phone, sounding as shocked as I was when I heard the words. I groan and cringe when I remember the moment. "Nothing, bro. I pretended to be asleep," I admit, feeling a tiny drop of guilt... but mostly confusion as to why in the fucking hell was she thinking, "But what could I say? I don't feel the same way. Thank god I had to leave early in the morning, I don't think I could handle that level of awkwardness."I could not believe what was happening, the way Anya just torpedoed the easiness in our new relationship. Why in the fuck would she drop that bomb on me like that? We've only known each other for a couple of months and we've only liked each other for one of those. There is absolutely no way anyone can 'love' someone that fast. It's impossible.But of course, what could I expect? She's a girl. And not only a girl, but a teenage girl. She probably started falling in love with me the second we had sex for
The good thing about spending this week with Klein is realizing that he really is just a stupid, overly confident pup. He is very strong, for sure, but from what I've seen, he lacks finesse and technique, especially in the human form fights. Everyone is confident I'll win, especially myself, but this guy is still a wild card. So, I drive back home at the end of the week feeling just as weary as when I came here. I've missed Anya's little body against me these past few days, but when I remember what she said the last time we were together, I groan in stress. We've talked on the phone every day since, but we haven't mentioned anything about it.I'm sure she'll want to pick up the subject as soon as she has me in front of her, though. I've been practicing what to say so I can come across like not-an-asshole, but I still haven't perfected the speech. I guess I just have to be fully and brutally honest.But as soon as I get home I realize the conversation might not come soon because I c
"Anya?" someone asks. Jae has to nudge me this time."Oh, yeah?""I asked what do you prefer? A boy or a girl?" one of Jae's aunt asks me. I blink and just shrug, "Come on, we all have a preference about our first child.""I guess I would love a boy first and then a girl, that way he can take care of his sister," I say and everyone likes my answer because, duh. But when I look at Jae, he's frowning and looking at the floor as if in deep thought. Whatever.Jae's family leaves first and as soon as they leave, Jae literally leaves without saying goodbye, straight to our room. I feel my mouth starting to drop open, but I stop it and I smile."He's very tired, but I wanted to stay with you guys for a little bit longer," I say, saving the moment from being extremely fucking awkward, "Tell me about your trip, mom."Just like that, she forgets about Jae's rudeness and she starts telling me a thousand stories about the things she did, while me and my aunt are cuddled in the couch listening to
The next morning, Jae is horribly anxious. So much that he doesn't even want to eat breakfast, so we get ready and drive one hour early to the place where the challenge will take place. The day of the Alpha Challenge is a holiday. There's no work or school, nothing that could distract people from finding out firsthand who their next Alpha is going to be. Coming here one hour later was really smart because only a few very punctual people are already gathering their seats in the open arena meant specifically for Alpha Challenges or big events like concerts or Alpha announcements. It's huge. There's about twenty thousand seats and a lot of open space in the back for people to stand and watch. Jae takes me backstage and we meet Alpha Riku and Luna Vivian in there. As soon as they see their big baby, both of them smother him with big hugs.Seeing that makes me think: where did they go wrong with him? All I've seen is them giving him love, but he's still unable to feel it somehow. I don'
"Don't worry, Anya. That's a tie, so they'll have to go again. He hasn't lost yet," Jae's uncle lets me know. I know that's true, but it's still not very promising because this time when Jae shifts back to human, he looks tired and hurt. Klein does too, but his confidence is giving him an adrenaline boost or something because he looks ready to go again and win it all this time.They get no chance to rest or drink water, absolutely nothing, they just put their shorts back on and they have to fight again. Thankfully, Jae stops looking so tired when it's game time. I recognize his angry face and I start to feel a little more confident because he goes all out from the very beginning this time, beating the fuck of out Klein so much and moving so fast that Klein gets completely overwhelmed and just tries to punch back, unsuccessfully. Jae angles his fist to punch directly on Klein's jaw in a way that makes everyone gasp and freak out. Even I wince and cover my eyes. The referee stops t
"Hello everyone," Jae says to the microphone, "It's a great honor to me, being able to stand here as your Alpha... but me being here is not really a surprise, is it?"Fucking arrogant jerk. But his people laugh and clap for him. I’ve heard a lot of this people shit-talk him, but I guess his violent ways, asshole behavior and womanizing qualities don’t matter too much when he’s such a clear born leader. "I promise I'll follow my fathers footsteps and always make sure to do right by the Ellington pack. I will work every single day to keep this pack safe and always evolving," he promises, his voice deep and way stronger than mine would be if I tried to talk to over twenty thousand people, "I want to say a quick thank you to Luna Anya, who has been the biggest support to me through all of this. Thank you, love, for always believing in me. I love you and I can't wait for our pup to be here already."He lifts my hand to his lips to kiss it and everyone goes ‘awww’ clearly buying this whole
"Fuck, Wendy," I snap when I realize and I get up and push her away from me. She almost falls to the side, but manages to save herself while I stand up, "I can't fuck you bare, what the fuck?!”"I'm still on birth control," she complains and rolls her eyes, "Or what? Is that the rule with your stupid, cuck wife? To fuck other girls but only with condoms?""No. The problem here is that I don't know where the fuck you have been, Wendy, that's why I don't want to fuck you bare," I let her know. She gasps as if she’s offended, "Now I have to go wash my dick in bleach and get tested. Thanks for whatever disease you just gave me.""You fucking asshole, I’m clean!" she yells, "Fuck you."I roll my eyes and walk inside back to my friends. I hug Sophie's shoulders from the back."Hey, guys, I'm going home," I let them know, "Wendy just sat on my dick, no condom or nothing. I need a shower. I feel gross."Sophie turns around to hit me and everyone else just laughs, except for Rogan. He frowns a
Anya got up at some point without me realizing and she was standing right there, in the direction I threw that heavy box. I freeze when it makes contact and then I feel the drunkness disappear in just a second because I know that's not good. Not at all. Anya didn’t even cry in pain. Everything happened so fast, she didn't have time to. The jewelry box connected with her face and the sound it made will probably keep me up at night forever. Something cracked and I know damn well it wasn’t the box. She drops to the floor right after the jewelry box, instantly unconscious. "Anya?" I let out in shock and I walk to her very slowly, scared. I gulp and crunch down to check on her. I carefully move her hair away from her face and my hands start to shake when I see the blood running down from her face. I can't even really see the extent of what happened to her because it's all bloody, but the left side of her face is fucked up. It's... this is not good. This could be extremely bad, actual
{ Epílogue }Six Years Later The day I hate the most is finally over. The third Alpha Challenge is done and, unsurprisingly, my man won. He fought for almost two hours against five very brave but very dumb competitors. He's once again, the Alpha of Ellington. And now we're back home, all safe and sound, so I can finally breathe. I guess you could say I am a little traumatized about what happened at the Challenge when Jae almost dies and lost his memory. Things are so, so different now."My daddy is the strongest," Iseul says, looking up at Jae with sparkling eyes because she loves her dad. She looks at him like he's the fucking sun."And you're the sweetest daughter alive," he says, finally picking her up even though I know he must be tired as hell. He kisses her chubby cheeks over and over, making her laugh in pure joy. Jae walks a few steps until he can sit his ass on the couch and he groans, "Where's your brother, huh?”"Still outside," Iseul says. And that's true, Tate never
I remember being told Anya sent me a 'good luck' little pastry and I thought, ‘damn she knows I don't like sweet treats, but I'll eat it anyway because I don't want her to get mad at me for not doing it’.Next thing I know, I can't even move my body correctly and my mind is all slow and slurry. I couldn't even move my mouth enough to fucking talk. "What happened after I went down?" I ask my father when I'm back in their house after being discharged. My memories are back into place, so now we're allowed to talk normally. My dad growls in anger."Anya ran to you," he starts, making me lift my eyebrows in complete shock, "She ran and shifted to attack Klein in wolf form, she got him real good actually. His arm got the worst of it, but she managed to bite his head, too. The council was going to let the Challenge continue, but Anya and Rogan figured out you ate that pastry thing, which you never fucking do. Also, Anya never sent anything. The fact that they figured it out so early was the
I shake my head. I don't know much about myself, but I do know I wouldn't do something like that."No," I say, the girl frowns and looks at me, then nods, "Nu-uh.""Yes.""No," I repeat, "There is no way.""Jae, I'm the only one in this room that remembers anything," she spits out at me, "I remember what happened, you don't.""But I'm me," I say and I point a finger to my head, "And I don't think I would do that.""You did," she says, clasping her hands into fists, "And I want you to say you’re sorry again.""Why? I don't even remember. I think you're lying to get my attention and get me horny for you again," I joke, making her eyes get red, so I relent. I take a deep breath, "I'm just joking.""I know you are fucking joking because I know you and your stupid jokes," she yells, "I know you! I remember everything. And you don't."She starts full blown crying then, so I force myself to take this seriously. And consider the fact that I... hurt her on purpose? For what reason? The only wa
{ Jae }It's been almost twenty four hours since I woke up after my fight and fortunately, some things are starting to make more sense, but I'm still struggling to remember 80% of things. I don't even remember my best friend, but it helps that he's here, forcing me to remember."Rogan," I close my eyes with stress, "I believe you, dude. I just don't remember.""Well, shut up and let me continue," he spits with a furrowed brow and opens his mouth as if he really wants to keep telling me our entire friendship story, from the very very beginning, when we were ten years old. This bastard really has a good memory, "We've only had one fight, back when we were in sophomore year, it was over a girl. I didn't actually like her that much but I..."The door opens slowly and I sigh in relief because someone is finally saving me from this storyteller. A head peeks in and I recognize her as the crying girl from yesterday, the one with long red hair."Anya," Rogan says, and he suddenly tenses up, lo
{ Anya }I leave Jae's room even though Vivian is telling me it's not necessary. I close the door behind me and cover my mouth to control my sobs, but I can't.No. No. No.I refuse to believe this is really happening to me. Jae has been in intensive care for two days while the swelling in his brain goes down from the fracture that idiot Klein gave him. I've been here with him, holding his hand and wishing with all my might that he'll be okay.I know he's going to be okay now. And I also know, logically, that it's completely normal to have trouble stringing thoughts together after such trauma. I know Jae could be back to normal in a few hours or a few days, once he gets better.But logic doesn't fix how I feel right this second. Jae looked at me and ignored me like I was nobody, then implied he didn't remember me. And then he talked to me that way... like he used to when I first met him.I can't do it again, I can't deal with Jae treating me like crap again. I won't, I refuse. I've l
"What's going on?!" I grumble once we're backstage, completely disoriented. When I see Jae being brought in on a damn portable stretcher, I run towards him."Luna Anya, please stay away," a paramedic tells me, holding me back. I'm about to tell him I'm a doctor and I have a right to see what the hell is happening with my mate, but Rogan grabs me from behind and pulls me away."This isn't normal. Jae didn't do anything to fight, that’s not him!" I say, but Rogan keeps restraining me and trying to quiet me down, "You can't let this happen, Ro. Something was wrong with him.”"Anya, Anya, please," Ro continues, "I know it's not normal, but you need to calm down first. I can't take care of you and find answers at the same time."That makes me calm down because he's right. I can't be another problem right now, I have to help."Okay, okay... what do you know?""Nothing. I was here with him when he arrived, while he was getting ready and before the fight began. Everything was perfectly normal
Before I realize it, the day finally arrives. The day of the Alpha Challenge.Jae has been more focused than ever on his training, so we haven’t had any more time to explore our relationship, but I’m not worried because I know it’s necessary and important… maybe not as much as our bond, but close. Because this is not just about his position and his future. It’s the future of our family, a future where the pack will bear our name.When I arrive with Tate and my aunt and uncle at the arena, Jae’s family is already in the family booth, so I greet everyone and then I have to go through the worst anxiety ever again, just like five years ago, except this time it’s even worse because Klein is not just another True Alpha who came to Ellington to try to fight Jae. Now it’s personal.Klein is my ex-boyfriend and he wants revenge for being ‘humiliated’ at the last Alpha Challenge. I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. Or maybe it’s just worry because this time what I feel for J
"And because you're mine to use whenever I feel like it,” I continue, sucking on his bottom lip and making him let out a low growl from his chest. "We can't do this here," he whines, trying to take a step back, but I don't care. I follow him, "Baby, I mean it. I can't fuck you here with my parents and my son downstairs.""Why not?" I ask, running a hand down his chest until I reach his hard dick. I grab it through his pants tightly and pull, making him moan, "I know you want it.""Of course I fucking want it," he grunts, thrusting his hips against my hand for just a second before ripping my grip off his erection and flipping me over until my back is to him. Jae takes my hands and in just a second crosses them across my chest until he has me completely unable to move...at least my upper body, "Damn it, Anya. You don’t change. Don't you ever think with something other than your clit? We can't do this here. You can wait until we get home.""I can't," I moan, wiggling my ass against him,
When we all arrive at Vivian and Riku Kyung’s house together, I can see the surprise on both of their faces. I don’t think Jae told them I would be joining them for Sunday brunch.“Anya, darling, hi!” Vivian exclaims, coming over to give me a tight hug, which I return. I haven’t seen them since the news about our bond started circulating in the pack, so I’m not surprised when she holds onto me for longer than would seem normal, “I heard the news. About your bond… whatever decision you make regarding that, I want you to know that I am SO grateful to the Moon Goddess for choosing you as my son’s mate. You are such a wonderful girl, and I will never stop considering you part of my family.”I blink several times when my eyes start to sting, returning her hug with equal intensity.“Thank you for your words. I consider you part of my family too,” I let her know. When I let her go, Riku takes me into his arms.“There is no woman more perfect for my son. I hope he knows how to treat you as yo