VespaEtta's colorful magazine billboard came into view as Ria, Kai, and I sat in my car in the parking lot of the five-story building.Clutching my portfolio, my stomach knotted with nerves at seeing people heading in for the final competition. Kai was sure Donovan and Nebula were in the hall.The bastard was there to take the glory for my sweat. I wanted nothing but justice and revenge. My gaze rested on the large picture of an eagle on the billboard. Ria squeezed my hand to get my attention and gave me a reassuring smile."You got this, Ves.""What if they don't believe me?” "Relax," Kai said confidently. "Watch how everything will play out." Ria nodded in agreement. I couldn't deny that it helped. The pressure of having their support was a great feeling."We have to get in now," Kai announced. We climbed out of the car and headed towards the door marked 'Hall', and met with applause from the audience."Vespa! Wait."I turned around to face the voice that called me out. Zeke and Z
VespaAt seven am Saturday morning, sunlight spilled through a window above me, disrupting my sleep. Curled up on my side with one arm draped over my eye, I eyed Ria, wondering why she was always bubbly in the morning."Turn that off," I grumbled, burying myself under the duvet and hating the Barbie-themed song playing softly from her laptop."Can't you let me sleep a bit longer?" "Lazy bones, rise and shine," Ria laughed, her gap tooth making her words seem more jagged than usual when she spoke. "It's Saturday, not a hibernation day."An hour later, I was wide awake but still reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed. Fiddling through my phone, Zeke's messages popped up, but my supervisor's text caught my eye, demanding my presence at noon."Holy shit," I jerked upright as if electrocuted. "I've not made the corrections he asked for.""Then tell him," Ria suggested between bites of breakfast. "You've got a sensible supervisor, unlike mine, who has been MIA for weeks, leaving us like she
Zeke Swallowing my laughter, I observed Vespa from my seat. Her lips formed a gape which she covered up immediately, trying and failing to hide her feelings with a forced smile. The green-eyed monster called Envy hid behind her artificial happiness. She didn't like that Ziah and Ria were dancing in each other's arms. Clearing my throat, I removed the cap from the tequila bottle, carefully pouring two small glasses, one for me and one for her. An image of Ria and Ziah dating danced in my thoughts. Perfect combo. The only hindrance was the powerful effect of the mating bond, but a part of me wished for a miracle, hoping that Kai and Ziah would eventually leave Vespa alone. "Ziah's a chronic flirt," I said softly, mockingly. She looked up, her gaze locking on mine."Don't be surprised if he bangs your roommate tonight." Rolling her eyes, she corked her head to the side. "They're having a harmless dance, nothing wrong with that," she stated in defense. In the corner, Kai slouche
VespaAt seven am Saturday morning, sunlight spilled through a window above me, disrupting my sleep. Curled up on my side with one arm draped over my eye, I eyed Ria, wondering why she was always bubbly in the morning."Turn that off," I grumbled, burying myself under the duvet and hating the Barbie-themed song playing softly from her laptop."Can't you let me sleep a bit longer?" "Lazy bones, rise and shine," Ria laughed, her gap tooth making her words seem more jagged than usual when she spoke. "It's Saturday, not a hibernation day."An hour later, I was wide awake but still reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed. Fiddling through my phone, Zeke's messages popped up, but my supervisor's text caught my eye, demanding my presence at noon."Holy shit," I jerked upright as if electrocuted. "I've not made the corrections he asked for.""Then tell him," Ria suggested between bites of breakfast. "You've got a sensible supervisor, unlike mine, who has been MIA for weeks, leaving us like she
VespaZiah and I strolled hand in hand past the graffiti-adorned lounge area as we made our way outside the radio station.His hand was surprisingly soft for someone so muscular, with no bony knuckle or strong callus anywhere to be seen. "Are you seriously going on that date?" He asked me for the umpteenth time after the show. "I hope the guy is old, wrinkly, and smells like a garbage dump.”I laughed in sheer joy because Ziah was so resentful and envious of a man I'd never set my eyes on.“Ziah, you're such a child," I laughed, heading towards the intersection leading to the main road. "I need to go pick out a hot dress for my date."He shot me a threatening look and grabbed my arm, making my laughter intensify. "That's unfair. You don't say such things in my presence."“But you're not my boyfriend or my husband, so why does it bother you so much?"He attempted to cup my butt, but I slapped his hand away and told him to meet me at seven in Riley's cafeteria, one of the most popular ha
ZiahAfter the radio show, Kai gathered the Lycans and werewolves for an urgent meeting in one of the empty classes, informing us that he had an important announcement to make.The class was packed when I arrived. I had no plans to spend so much time in any way since I had to be with Vespa and hit the karaoke bar with her after her questionable date.I was here because my grandmother practically forced me to always support my brothers. Taking a seat closest to the door and straining to the limit, I attempted to distract myself by playing an online chess game.Kai began with pack news, his eyes scanning everyone until they stopped on me. I set a time limit. Ten minutes, and I'd bounce."First of all, I've been informed that we don't have to return to the pack for the new month festival since we'll be writing lots of tests.""Just get to the point," I mumbled, hating that he was wasting my precious time. "Secondly, Selena's been having alarming visions about the witches. Our enemies are
Vespa Ziah's hug was comforting, soothing as a snug blanket on a chilly day. His arm encircled me, and I buried my face against his chest. "Let me make it up to you," he said, caressing the curve of my cheek with his fingers. Sighing with pleasure, I shut my eyes, enjoying his body against mine.This foolishness of mine was steering me towards trouble because I was tangled with not one or two boys, but three! If anyone had told me a month ago that I'd be caught up in a reverse harem web, lusting after three smoking-hot Lycans, I would have thought they were crazy and maybe laughed in their faces.Aware of our public setting and my need to maintain a respectable image, I pulled away from him. But I felt the absence of his warmth even though I pretended to be unaffected. "Where should we go?" he winked, with a charm and sultry drawl that could put most girls right off balance."Can you ride a horse?""Nope. Not my thing.""Great! I'll teach you. I know the perfect place."We headed o
VespaThe silence faded into a hushed stillness, and I created space between myself and Ziah. He looked guilty, like a kid who had done something wrong."Please you have to believe me. She works in the pack brothel and has lots of sexual partners. It's sickening to think that she wants to rope her pregnancy on me."His eyes pleaded with me to understand him, but how could I? My gaze drifted away from him, and I focused on a horse chewing a stalk of hay."To be honest, my opinion doesn't matter. And denying the girl makes you look bad. Nobody forced you to have sex with her? I have strong opinions about men who don't take responsibility for their actions.”"Haven't you been listening to me?" He burst out in frustration, making him look crazy. “Sure I have. You were exclusive with her at some point and have no right to erase the possibility of being the father of her unborn baby.""Oh God…"I raised a hand, halting him. "Hear me out. I'm not judging or concluding the matter. As a woman,
Chapter FiftyAthenaFour months had passed, and the academy graduation day had finally arrived. It was a bright and beautiful morning, and students, parents, and teachers gathered to celebrate this milestone. My dad and mom were there with my sister. Uncle Zika and their wives were also present. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my dress. I had settled for a simple blue gown that had a long slit. Mia helped me with my hair and makeup, ensuring perfect detail. Oh, and did I mention that Cameron was still alive, and Mia was engaged to her boyfriend Sean? She wore an off-the-shoulder dress to flaunt her mark with pride. I tried not to look at it because I always became jealous whenever I did. Mom and Dad beamed with pride, taking photos of me and Caleb. Cameron's dad, King Marcos, had also arrived, and when I curtsied respectfully, he smiled warmly at me and hugged me. His mom still had not been found, and some people speculated that she might have killed herself. Cameron ofte
AthenaSex with Cameron was beautiful. I never knew it could get so addicting, and I always thought the act was overhyped until I experienced it. The more the weeks passed, the more I couldn’t get enough of him. He had complained about condoms, saying that it wasn’t like the real thing, but I would always scream at him to stop being stupid and that I wouldn’t be responsible for his death. We kept the news from our parents. Cameron’s mom had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Cameron pretended to be calm the time we bumped into King Thor, but when he was closing off, he landed a punch on the king's jaw that I heard crack. He got a few bruises from the king’s bodyguards, but I was proud of him. The bastard deserved to be manhandled.Despite everything, I needed validation that I was doing the right thing. I couldn’t tell my mom because she would tell my dad, so the only person I could confide in was my grandmother. One of the weekends, I took a train to her house, which was close
Cameron's POVI'd never been on the verge of tears in years. It was taboo for boys to show emotion. Lately, life has been unfair to me, and realizing that nothing could ever be okay again has made me feel like a failure. I had always thought my life was great and better than most. Now, it was clear that that was just a delusion. The fact that my parents were on the brink of divorce because my mom fucked that bastard, Thor, made my blood boil.This roller coaster left my body drained. I didn't care how stupid I looked in tears; the feelings overwhelmed me. When the first wave of grief subsided, I finally looked at Athena, who was also in tears. She cupped my chin and kissed my forehead. “Why? Athena. Why does it have to be me? First, it's our bond and the pain of knowing you and I can never be together. Now, this?”“I'm sorry,” her mouth trembled as tears streamed down her face. “It isn't right. I wish I could fix it.”She wrapped her arms around me tightly, and I held her back whil
AthenaA crease appeared on Cameron's forehead, and he looked pinched and unhappy from my rejection. I moved my hand frequently, trying to distract myself, and thought he would understand as usual, but he seemed too defensive."It's just a dance, Athena. Even strangers dance. Things aren't that bad; please don't push it," I said, remaining calm. Cameron grinned at me, and I didn't understand why he was so stubborn."Fine then, I'm not going to ruin the fun. I hope you wouldn't mind if I danced with another girl.""Break a leg."He looked like I had just slapped him in the face, surprised by my response, but I needed to protect him from myself, even if it hurt. He turned around and left, and soon, he was dancing with a popular girl from school. Watching them felt too painful. I skipped to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of juice to distract myself.I noticed someone at the door and thought it was Cameron, but it was my cousin Alex. He smiled a little too broadly, and there was an
AthenaI bit the inside of my cheek, feeling trapped and unsure of my options to return to school. It was easy to second-guess myself because teenagers and young adults my age were mean, and no matter how I pretended that words didn’t get to me, I knew that wasn’t true. Stepping off the plane, I hoped I had made the right decision. I flagged a taxi from the airport parking lot, wondered why they were so expensive and hiked their prices compared to regular taxis, but I had no choice because Mom had gotten me a truckload of edibles and even more for Caleb. The driver dropped me off at the school gates, and I didn’t know if it was the hopeful expectation that there was going to be a strange twist between Cameron and me or the fear that things could get worse and that I was shooting myself in the foot. My heart pounded as I dragged my suitcase behind me. I stopped when I spotted Cameron standing and smiling at me at the gate; my heart melted.Our love brought us back to each other in wa
Cameron My gaze never left Athena. She was too startled by my bold declaration, and even though I was more uncertain than ever about what I was doing, and my dad was caught off guard by my words, I couldn’t help it. A part of me knew I was digging my grave, and I liked life too much to lose it. But at the same time, seeing Athena roused my deep affection and attachment for her. It wasn’t just about lust; there was more to my feelings. I wanted to move closer, to touch her. My pulse raced, and I felt a hyper-awareness of being close to her. Only she could cause me this mental fuzziness and the feeling of possessing her and keeping her safe.Her father looked confused. I heard his quick intake of breath. Athena stood tongue-tied, and shock flew through her mother’s eyes. I could tell my father was irritated.“What is wrong with you?” he whispered harshly, but I was too far gone. Athena looked different, skinnier than when I last saw her. She looked like someone who had been through a
Athena The next day dragged on without much happening. Everyone soon returned to their lives, with Dad busy with alpha duties and Mom busy with work and the home front. I knew this was how it would be—that everyone would forget my predicament or soon see me as a sore loser who couldn’t overcome the fact that Cameron and I could never be together. But I was wrong. My mom had invited my grandma to come over, which was a real surprise, as my grandma was a pure witch, and it was risky for her to be in our pack. Having her over made me feel a certain type of way. I had inherited her bloodline, and with it came a legacy of pain and heartache. I didn’t know if I wanted to see her.I drifted to sleep but could hear my grandma’s voice in my dreams. When I woke up, I realized she was indeed downstairs. My parents and sister were welcoming her warmly. I remained in bed; a part of me wanted to rush downstairs and fling myself into her arms. Instead, I made my way to the window and peered down
AthenaThe next few days were a blur of sorrow and nothingness. I struggled to remain alive and succumbed to the sadness that consumed me. I hated myself. I wished my life was over. There was nothing positive to look out for in this bleakness. My parents were concerned, but I chose isolation, finding people's words and concerns irritating. My eyes were swollen from crying, and my bed was bearing the brunt of this depression. I didn't leave it; if the poor bed could speak, it would be screaming n. I knew I would be expelled from school; that was a no-brainer. My dad and mom tried to reach out to me. Even my uncles, Zeke and Ziah, came over with their wives, but I didn't want to see anyone.Caleb had sacrificed to travel back with me, but he shouldn't have bothered because his presence didn't lift my spirits. The whole family was angry with Alex for exposing my secret, but I knew it was for the best. Cameron would be free now, and it was useless holding him back. I heard my mom knoc
CameronIf anyone had ever told me that this revelation would break the bond I shared with Athena, I would have never believed them because Athena seemed like everything good in my world, all in one package. I devoted myself to her and desired to share everything with her—my body, mind, and soul. I gave my heart to her to treasure with trust. We matched perfectly and had never fallen in love so quickly or completely.A wedding seemed the next logical step. I thought I would feel happy with her and that even if we encountered issues, they would be minor things with solutions.But now, my heart was shattered beyond repair. I was furious, I was afraid, and the thought of bonding with Athena leading to my death frightened me beyond measure. The hurt was raw, and the terror came gasping up my throat in a cold, panting fear. Ever since that night at the ballroom, surrounded by the elite who gathered to watch the commotion occur, my life went downhill. That night, a hush fell over the cr