AQUAHannah wanted to...meet with me?After parting ways with Kianna, I took a taxi to the café where Kianna told me she would be waiting. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears when the vehicle finally stopped in front of the café.But it was just a meeting. So why were my legs trembling?I paid the taxi driver and faced the café. I felt like I had run a marathon to get here, yet there was a cold chill running down my back. I wondered if I should make up some excuse and return but I knew from experience that it wasn't the best solution.I took a deep breath, mustering every ounce of courage I had, and pushed open the door to the bustling café. The warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee surrounded me, mingling with the chatter of lively conversations. Despite the vibrant atmosphere, I found it difficult to spot Hannah among the customers.Just as I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, a familiar voice called out to me from above, cutting through the noise. "Hey, Aqua! Over here!" she wave
AQUAI returned to Gunnar's house in the evening, completely exhausted by the day's activities. My feet were sore, and my brain was screaming for rest, as I stepped into the house barefoot. The cab driver refused to take me to the forest once he heard my destination, claiming that no one was allowed to venture there without Gunnar's permission, so I had to walk through the forest all alone.Once I was in, I went straight to the stairs, eager to lay on my bed when I heard a pair of voices arguing with each other.It was Gunnar and his daughter, Fawn.I should have probably minded my business and walked away. After all, they made it very clear that I was simply a guest living in their house so I didn't want to get into trouble by butting into their private affairs.But then, Fawn screamed, her voice piercing through the air."I'm not the one at fault! All I did was say the truth!" she cried, half-defiant, half-pained. "Aqua is not my mother, and she can never replace her!"I froze at th
GUNNARAfter convincing Fawn to keep my secret about Aqua, I realized it was time to address the issue with River once and for all. At this rate, she was going to get all of us in trouble, so I needed to stop her before she did something stupid like getting cozy with my pack healer. My wolf had been on edge since we arrived in the pack, largely because we hadn't initiated any physical contact with our mate. Deep down, I almost wished we hadn't left that damn forest because everything between us had felt good back there. Now, it felt like we were back to square one. In fact, we were even worse than strangers, and I hated it. She had her issues, and I had mine. In the past, I hadn't been willing to work on our relationship, but now I was ready to try if it meant getting my life back in order.I didn't notice she had returned to the house until I reached the stairs with Fawn. Her scent lingered there, suggesting she had been there for quite some time, and that made me panic for some un
AQUAI woke up feeling refreshed, but the memories that lingered in my mind left me feeling depressed and sad. My wolf kept scolding me for rejecting Gunnar the night before, but I refused to listen until morning.She was right. What was I thinking, rejecting the Alpha King in such a crude manner? What if he got angry and decided to kill me?With that thought in mind, I locked the door and stayed indoors, knowing that no one would check on me anyway. By noon, I decided to sneak out of the house and visit the pack healer.When River saw me, his face lit up with pleasant surprise. "Aqua, what are you doing here?" He scanned me from head to toe, as if making sure I was okay, then removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash can."I just wanted to see you for a bit," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. This had seemed like a good idea when I formulated my plan, but now that I was here, I felt uncertain. I came here because of the comforting aura he possessed to calm
AQUAWhen River offered to take me somewhere, the last place I expected him to go was to the forest behind my mate's house. My feet refused to move the moment we reached the tree line, refusing to move any farther. River stopped a few steps ahead, turning back to me, a flicker of concern softening his features.“Is something wrong?” he asked, concern glazing over his features. I gulped nervously, wondering what I should say. Gunnar had repeatedly warned me not to expose Fawn's identity, and the last thing I wanted was to get on his bad side today. I didn't know if his daughter left the house often, but I could only imagine that she would sneak out at least once in a while to avoid suffocating in there.I lowered my gaze, focusing on the steady ground underneath my feet. “C-Can I ask what we’re doing here?” I stammered. “T-This is the Alpha King’s property… y-you know that, right?”River nodded casually. “Yeah, I know.” His soft chuckle faded when he noticed how tense I was. His expr
AQUA I quickly sprang to my feet when I saw Fawn and chased after her quickly disappearing figure, leaving River behind. He called out to me, his voice laced with confusion, but I paid him no attention as I pursued my mate's daughter.For a blind kid, she was remarkably swift and agile, maneuvering through the forest with ease. It was clear that she had the advantage of knowing the landscape, but her speed was still inferior to mine. I eventually caught up to her and blocked her path. Fawn instantly skidded to a stop when she sensed my sudden arrival. "We need to talk," I panted, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Looking at Fawn, I quickly straightened my back upon noticing how composed she appeared after such a long run. I guessed she was right about calling me weak because my lungs felt like they were on fire, despite the short chase.Fawn folded her arms defiantly and replied, "We have nothing to talk about." "What you saw is nothing," I explained, desperation creeping into m
GUNNARThe following days passed, each one worse than the previous, according to my wolf. He was in a terrible mood after Aqua's rejection, which also affected my mood too. To cope, I focused all my attention on the affairs of the pack. On the first day, I concentrated on strengthening security by conducting intensive training for the sentries guarding our territory. On the second day, I decided to watch over the young wolves in the pack and supervise their activities. On the third day, the elders summoned me. "I think you should go on a retreat," Nathaniel, my head elder, suggested after a morning pack run. "It will do you and your wolf good to spend some time alone. Just leave the work to your Beta for now." I struggled not to smile at his crafty suggestion, probably out of a desire to spare him some embarrassment. Leaning back in my seat, I replied, "I take it that your son has not yet told you the truth." "What do you mean?" Nathaniel questioned, his brow furrowing in confus
AQUA A week later...I walked to the full-length mirror with two dresses, each one in my hand. I compared each one against my skin, contemplating what I should wear this evening. Because tonight was finally the night River would be taking me out to the movies. A swirl of anxiety and anticipation churned in my stomach. I sighed, letting both dresses fall onto the bed in a soft heap. My eyes drifted toward the other outfit I had laid out. Although I had Gunnar's card to cover all my expenses, it didn't feel right for me to use when I was going out with another man. Fortunately, I still had some savings I kept before I left the Wind Ridge Pack. The door creaked open without warning.Fawn stepped inside, her small hand gripping the doorknob while the other leaned heavily on her walking cane. She paused at the doorway, and an uneasy flicker crossed my face as I moved toward her."Fawn," I murmured gently, announcing myself before reaching out to her. "What are you doing here? I though
AQUAWhen we finally reached the theater, River asked me to go to the entrance first before he steered the car towards the parking lot. After his failed attempt to kiss me, River became more subdued and quiet, only responding to my questions when asked. Eventually, his stunted silence also affected my mood, causing me to fall silent. As I stood at the large entrance of the theater, my mind wandered to Gunnar once again. I wondered what he was doing and where he had suddenly gone, but obviously, he didn't deem it important to share any information with me. My wolf yearned to be her stubborn mate, but after hearing that his desire was to get rid of me, I suppressed myself so I wouldn't be a burden. Gunnar was someone with great responsibilities, so I didn't dare delude myself about him caring about me. Still, it would have been nice if he had told me about where he was going. As I was engrossed with my thoughts, I didn't notice when River appeared by my side. He bumped his shoulders
AQUA A week later...I walked to the full-length mirror with two dresses, each one in my hand. I compared each one against my skin, contemplating what I should wear this evening. Because tonight was finally the night River would be taking me out to the movies. A swirl of anxiety and anticipation churned in my stomach. I sighed, letting both dresses fall onto the bed in a soft heap. My eyes drifted toward the other outfit I had laid out. Although I had Gunnar's card to cover all my expenses, it didn't feel right for me to use when I was going out with another man. Fortunately, I still had some savings I kept before I left the Wind Ridge Pack. The door creaked open without warning.Fawn stepped inside, her small hand gripping the doorknob while the other leaned heavily on her walking cane. She paused at the doorway, and an uneasy flicker crossed my face as I moved toward her."Fawn," I murmured gently, announcing myself before reaching out to her. "What are you doing here? I though
GUNNARThe following days passed, each one worse than the previous, according to my wolf. He was in a terrible mood after Aqua's rejection, which also affected my mood too. To cope, I focused all my attention on the affairs of the pack. On the first day, I concentrated on strengthening security by conducting intensive training for the sentries guarding our territory. On the second day, I decided to watch over the young wolves in the pack and supervise their activities. On the third day, the elders summoned me. "I think you should go on a retreat," Nathaniel, my head elder, suggested after a morning pack run. "It will do you and your wolf good to spend some time alone. Just leave the work to your Beta for now." I struggled not to smile at his crafty suggestion, probably out of a desire to spare him some embarrassment. Leaning back in my seat, I replied, "I take it that your son has not yet told you the truth." "What do you mean?" Nathaniel questioned, his brow furrowing in confus
AQUA I quickly sprang to my feet when I saw Fawn and chased after her quickly disappearing figure, leaving River behind. He called out to me, his voice laced with confusion, but I paid him no attention as I pursued my mate's daughter.For a blind kid, she was remarkably swift and agile, maneuvering through the forest with ease. It was clear that she had the advantage of knowing the landscape, but her speed was still inferior to mine. I eventually caught up to her and blocked her path. Fawn instantly skidded to a stop when she sensed my sudden arrival. "We need to talk," I panted, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Looking at Fawn, I quickly straightened my back upon noticing how composed she appeared after such a long run. I guessed she was right about calling me weak because my lungs felt like they were on fire, despite the short chase.Fawn folded her arms defiantly and replied, "We have nothing to talk about." "What you saw is nothing," I explained, desperation creeping into m
AQUAWhen River offered to take me somewhere, the last place I expected him to go was to the forest behind my mate's house. My feet refused to move the moment we reached the tree line, refusing to move any farther. River stopped a few steps ahead, turning back to me, a flicker of concern softening his features.“Is something wrong?” he asked, concern glazing over his features. I gulped nervously, wondering what I should say. Gunnar had repeatedly warned me not to expose Fawn's identity, and the last thing I wanted was to get on his bad side today. I didn't know if his daughter left the house often, but I could only imagine that she would sneak out at least once in a while to avoid suffocating in there.I lowered my gaze, focusing on the steady ground underneath my feet. “C-Can I ask what we’re doing here?” I stammered. “T-This is the Alpha King’s property… y-you know that, right?”River nodded casually. “Yeah, I know.” His soft chuckle faded when he noticed how tense I was. His expr
AQUAI woke up feeling refreshed, but the memories that lingered in my mind left me feeling depressed and sad. My wolf kept scolding me for rejecting Gunnar the night before, but I refused to listen until morning.She was right. What was I thinking, rejecting the Alpha King in such a crude manner? What if he got angry and decided to kill me?With that thought in mind, I locked the door and stayed indoors, knowing that no one would check on me anyway. By noon, I decided to sneak out of the house and visit the pack healer.When River saw me, his face lit up with pleasant surprise. "Aqua, what are you doing here?" He scanned me from head to toe, as if making sure I was okay, then removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash can."I just wanted to see you for a bit," I admitted, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. This had seemed like a good idea when I formulated my plan, but now that I was here, I felt uncertain. I came here because of the comforting aura he possessed to calm
GUNNARAfter convincing Fawn to keep my secret about Aqua, I realized it was time to address the issue with River once and for all. At this rate, she was going to get all of us in trouble, so I needed to stop her before she did something stupid like getting cozy with my pack healer. My wolf had been on edge since we arrived in the pack, largely because we hadn't initiated any physical contact with our mate. Deep down, I almost wished we hadn't left that damn forest because everything between us had felt good back there. Now, it felt like we were back to square one. In fact, we were even worse than strangers, and I hated it. She had her issues, and I had mine. In the past, I hadn't been willing to work on our relationship, but now I was ready to try if it meant getting my life back in order.I didn't notice she had returned to the house until I reached the stairs with Fawn. Her scent lingered there, suggesting she had been there for quite some time, and that made me panic for some un
AQUAI returned to Gunnar's house in the evening, completely exhausted by the day's activities. My feet were sore, and my brain was screaming for rest, as I stepped into the house barefoot. The cab driver refused to take me to the forest once he heard my destination, claiming that no one was allowed to venture there without Gunnar's permission, so I had to walk through the forest all alone.Once I was in, I went straight to the stairs, eager to lay on my bed when I heard a pair of voices arguing with each other.It was Gunnar and his daughter, Fawn.I should have probably minded my business and walked away. After all, they made it very clear that I was simply a guest living in their house so I didn't want to get into trouble by butting into their private affairs.But then, Fawn screamed, her voice piercing through the air."I'm not the one at fault! All I did was say the truth!" she cried, half-defiant, half-pained. "Aqua is not my mother, and she can never replace her!"I froze at th
AQUAHannah wanted to...meet with me?After parting ways with Kianna, I took a taxi to the café where Kianna told me she would be waiting. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears when the vehicle finally stopped in front of the café.But it was just a meeting. So why were my legs trembling?I paid the taxi driver and faced the café. I felt like I had run a marathon to get here, yet there was a cold chill running down my back. I wondered if I should make up some excuse and return but I knew from experience that it wasn't the best solution.I took a deep breath, mustering every ounce of courage I had, and pushed open the door to the bustling café. The warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee surrounded me, mingling with the chatter of lively conversations. Despite the vibrant atmosphere, I found it difficult to spot Hannah among the customers.Just as I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, a familiar voice called out to me from above, cutting through the noise. "Hey, Aqua! Over here!" she wave