Caleb’s P.O.VHalfway across the parking lot, I felt Caroline stop suddenly, her entire body freezing in place.“Care? What is it?” I asked with a frown, wondering what could be wrong when I turned to find her eyes wide and her jaw clenched tight.“Caleb…I forgot my notebook in class,” Caroline looked up at me through her long dark lashed, an unknown emotion crossing her eyes that I couldn’t quite understand. “Can you please go back and get it for me?”I narrowed my eyes at her. “What are you trying to do? You can get that notebook yourself. Why did you look so shocked about it?”We were at the almost empty school’s parking lot and Jade and the rest of the group were already inside Jade’s jeep, waiting to head home. Caroline usually went to and from school with me, in my car, but this was the first time that she had ever asked me to go back and ‘get’ something for her, especially since she had an amazing memory and never really forgot anything behind…unless it was on purpose.“Me? Why
Caleb’s P.O.VFor a split second, the shock of what I just witnessed had me frozen on the spot…until my wolf came to roaring life.“You son of a bitch!” A growl tore through me, my voice sounding raspier than it would in my human form and then I ran towards the two of them and ripped the leech off of Aurora with my fingers around his neck.Aurora scrambled away immediately and I used that opportunity to haul that leech up off the floor with my fingers tightening around his neck.Mr. Hemming tried to pry my hand off of his neck, but I tossed him aside onto the floor the very next moment, the satisfying thud followed by the sound of bones rattling had me wanting to grin at his misery.However, the leech was resilient for his own good. The instant he hit the ground, he scrambled on to his hands and knees and crawled out of the classroom, before breaking into a run as soon as he was back on his feet.I grit my teeth, wanting to follow him, to bash in his skull…but then I remembered that A
Caleb’s P.O.VWhen I returned back to the school building, I headed straight for the girl’s locker room, with the extra set of clothing that Caroline always kept inside my car in case of unexpected emergencies.‘How is she holding up?’ I had asked Caroline via our mental link.‘Bring the change of clothes I keep in your car…’ Caroline had spoken almost hesitantly. ‘Aurora’s clothes…they’re ripped.’I let out an involuntary growl as I clutched the bag with Caroline’s clothes in it, my claws ready to slice through. ‘I know.’ I told her through the link. ‘I’ve got the clothes.’‘Cal, please be calm,’ Caroline reminded me gently. ‘She’s scared as it is. We don’t need to terrify her anymore.’Knocking on the locker room door, I handed Caroline the bag of clothes and waited outside patiently while Aurora got dressed. I tried not to eavesdrop, because that would’ve been the polite thing to do; but every now and then, a sob or a stutter escaped Aurora’s lips and my ears would inevitably pick
Aurora’s P.O.VThat night, after another gruelling day at work and receiving yet another scolding from Jeremy about bringing my brother to work, I scrubbed myself clean in the bathroom, over and over again.But no matter how many times I cleaned myself, I could still feel that man’s touch…it felt like thousands of bugs were crawling all over my skin, making me want to cry out in pain.How did I not see this coming? After the way he had cornered me the first time last week? I may not have known the reason behind his actions but his intensions had been clean even then. Why had I thought that ducking my head and just leaving it as it was would help me find a solution?Maybe I had expected him to simply give up and start minding his own business, but clearly, that had been a mistake as well. Because staying quiet and ducking down hadn’t been a solution. If anything, Mr. Hemming had thought of it as an encouragement that he could go further. I had encouraged him…hadn’t I?Had I brought thi
Aurora’s P.O.VI shivered in the cold as I threw the fishing rod into the pond, watching the water rippling and hoping with all my heart that I would be able to find something here today.It was five thirty in the morning and the sun had yet to rise, but there was still light in the horizon and it was enough to help me see my way around the broken pieces of wood and other debris lying on the muddy area.The pond was located in the middle of the woods right behind my house, and usually, it wasn’t safe to come out here for fishing since this was a risk-prone zone and recently, there had been an increase in wild animals in the area.However, when I had woken up this morning at five, after a fitful night’s sleep, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go to school today and face everyone. I needed some time off to process what had happened to me.Usually, I wasn’t one to skip school, but today, I wanted to spend the whole day with Riley, just so I could get my mind off of things. That’s why I had e
Aurora’s P.O.VThe next day, when I arrived at school, everything seemed to be abuzz.Everyone seemed to be gossiping about something that I had no idea about, but whatever the topic, it must have been very interesting to keep the whole school on their feet even during lunch time.Generally, I would get wind of the gossip one way or the other, usually by overhearing someone talking about it. But today, it seemed like the whispers were quieter when I walked by, almost like everyone was trying to avoid letting me know exactly what was going on.For a few moments, I was fine with it, but with the incident with Mr. Hemming still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t help but worry if someone had been there at school that afternoon, who had perhaps witnessed the incident, and maybe they had spread some kind of rumors about me.Still, I tried to stay optimistic and ignore the whispers. However, when I saw Mrs. Harrison, the Principal’s Secretary, walking into the cafeteria and head straight towards
Caleb’s P.O.V“She didn’t show up to school today either.” Caroline reminded me for the hundredth time, her voice sounding a bit worried. “Do you want to check up on her?”I sighed before turning to face her. “Why are you being so persistent?”“Because I’m worried!” She frowned like it was the most obvious thing in this world. “Aren’t you?”“Worried? Me?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Why would I be worried about her?”Hadn’t Aurora herself told me she didn’t want unwanted charity? She had taken my kindness as bloody charity for fuck’s sake! And Care thought I would be worried about her?Caroline raised her eyebrows at me, her bangs sliding across her forehead as she tilted her head to the side. “Isn’t it obvious? You’ll regret this decision the second you turn eighteen next week and find out she’s your mate.”I let out a frustrated sigh before turning to her once again. “You’re so sure about all this, aren’t you?”Caroline scoffed at me. “Trust me, you’ll know just how big of a fool y
Caleb’s P.O.VI watched Aurora approach the table while taking out her notepad, a small smile on her face.When I had first entered, she hadn’t been in the dining area, the place being nearly empty, and I had almost turned and left, before I had heard one of the employees call her name to take orders and I had sighed in relief.However, when she came to stand in front of the table, I could tell that she was in for a shock because she hadn’t looked up from her notebook yet, so her smile was still present.She looked pretty when she smiled, I couldn’t help but think to myself as I stared at her.“Hi, I’m Aurora, your server today. What can I get…” Her voice faded as she looked up from her notepad and into my eyes. The smile vanished from her face as her brows furrowed and she bit her lower lip, as if debating what to do next.I hated to see her smile fade away. Even though I could tell that her smile had been forced before, but she had looked pretty. Her dark hair was cut too short for
Damien’s P.O.V“Baby…” Salone leaned against my bike, her green eyes narrowed at me as she studied me from head to toe. “You’ve been very distant lately. Is something wrong?”“No.” I gave her an almost half-hearted answer as I drank from my coffee cup. Truth be told, I had been extremely distracted since last month.I had finally turned eighteen, the age at which a wolf was supposed to find their mate. And yet, I haven’t been able to find that one person who had been chosen for me by the Moon Goddess.Salone was an amazing girl and we had been dating for the past year now, but the second I had turned eighteen and found out that she wasn’t my mate, everything between us had changed in an instant. I had been trying to figure out a way to break it off with her, without looking like a complete douche, but I was failing miserably in that department. So I went ahead and started being as elusive as possible. Maybe if I’m paying less attention to her, then she would break up with me first and
Riley’s P.O.V‘Dear Big Sis…I met a girl recently…and I think she’s a witch.’“Shit!” I deleted the entire text and stared grudgingly at my screen. “Who the fuck writes ‘Dear’ in their emails anymore?”Letting out a sigh, I closed my eyes and thought about what to write to my sister or how to place the pressing issue at hand. My ginormus crush on Dixie Vaughn, the ‘goth’ girl that had stolen my heart at first sight.The first day of college had been the most uneventful day of my life; completely different from what I had imagined the day to be like. But when I had entered my first class of the day, thinking that this would be just as eventful as a middle-aged professor with glasses entered with a pile of books and began introducing the subject and himself to the class…in had come Dixie, wearing all black, her hair in braids and metal hoops and a dragon tattoo on one hand, that covered the entire length of her arm.Her crop top had grabbed just as much attention as her belly button pi
Aurora’s P.O.VThe moonlight painted a silver sheen over the restless waves, their endless dance meeting the shore with soft whispers. I walked along the damp sand, the cool grains pressing between my toes as I followed the trail of footprints ahead of me. Large wolf paws, their weight sinking deep into the earth, followed by much smaller ones—tiny, hesitant steps pressing into the sand right beside them. My heart clenched at the sight, warmth spreading through me as I lifted my gaze, scanning the dimly lit beach. And then, I saw them. Caleb emerged from the shadows of a large tree, his toned body gleaming under the faint glow of the moon, dressed only in his swim trunks. His hair was damp, clinging to his forehead, evidence of his earlier run through the waves. But it wasn’t just him—right beside him, waddling as fast as his tiny legs could manage, was Cameron. Our son. Only two years old, but already fascinated by everything his father did. His brunette curls bounced as he giggled,
Caroline’s P.O.VThe wedding reception buzzed with laughter and music, the air thick with the scent of roses and wine. I sat beside Damien, the warmth of his body just within reach, yet it felt like there was an ocean between us. Five years. Five years of love, passion, fights, and making up. Five years of knowing—deep in my soul—that this man was mine, my mate, my forever. But lately, something has shifted.The once unshakable bond between us felt... strained. I didn't know when it started, but I knew I could feel it. The way he held me less, the way he spoke in careful, measured tones, the way his eyes sometimes seemed far away even when I was right in front of him. And it was killing me. I swallowed hard, gripping my champagne flute as I turned to him. He was staring ahead, his jaw tense, his eyes unreadable. Damien had always been composed, always guarded with his emotions, but this was different. This was distance. And I couldn't stand it any longer. "Damien," I said softly, my
Aurora’s P.O.VFive years later…I stand in front of the mirror, my fingers grazing the intricate lace of my wedding dress, feeling the delicate embroidery beneath my touch. The reflection staring back at me is almost unrecognizable—the girl I once was has transformed into this woman, this bride, glowing with anticipation. My heart is steady, my breath even, a stark contrast to the usual nervous energy brides are supposed to have. But how could I be nervous when this is everything I’ve ever wanted? "Aurora, I swear you’re the calmest bride I’ve ever seen," Caroline teases, her fingers fussing over the tiny buttons at the back of my gown. "Are you sure you’re not secretly panicking?" I turn slightly, meeting her playful gaze through the mirror. "I’m sure," I say with a soft laugh. "I don’t need to be nervous when I know exactly what I want. My family is here. Caleb is waiting for me at the end of that aisle. There’s nothing to be afraid of." Caroline's expression softens, and before
The ground trembled beneath the ruins of the old house, the earth groaning as though awakening from a restless slumber. Crumbled stone and splintered wood shifted, dust rising in thick clouds. Then, with a slow, eerie movement, the debris parted, forced aside by an unseen power.From beneath the wreckage, a woman emerged—no, something that had once been a woman. Her silver hair, now dull and matted with grime and dried blood, clung to her gaunt face. Her skin, once smooth and luminous, stretched tight over her bones, her cheeks sunken, her lips cracked.She took a ragged breath, a sound more like the whisper of dead leaves scraping against stone. In her frail arms, she cradled a child, no older than twelve, her small form limp and unmoving. The girl’s face was peaceful in unconsciousness, her dark lashes resting against pale cheeks, stark against the filth and dried blood staining her skin. The skeletal woman’s hollow eyes fixated on her, but there was no warmth, no tenderness in her
Aurora’s P.O.VThe next few days were a whirlwind of events, from college applications to making sure the progress of the new house, the one that was currently being built in the land where my previous house stood, was going as smoothly as I had anticipated.Finally, after days of hard work and sending out applications, Caleb and I found some quiet time for ourselves and we couldn’t help but sneak out of the packhouse, so we could spend some quiet time together.“Phew!” Caleb sighed as we headed to the beach, our fingers intertwined and him swaying our hands lights as we walked through the thick foliage. “It’s been a rough few days.”I nodded, my smile faltering for a minute as I thought about all the applications that Caleb had rejected…all because of me.He thought that I hadn't seen them, that he had managed to hide them efficiently. But he hadn't. And even though we had both now perfected the art of hiding things from each other through the mating bond, there were still a few gli
Aurora’s P.O.VI felt my stomach tighten with surprise as I step out of the car as Caleb holds the door open for me.Of all the places in the world, why here? My eyes darted to him, searching for some kind of explanation, but he simply smirked, his hand going to the small of my back as he propels me forward.“You’ll find out soon,” he said, his voice laced with a mystery that only made my curiosity grow.I let out a small breath, shaking my head as I glanced towards the diner again. That’s when I saw them—Jade and Caroline stepping out of their cars, their faces glowing under the warm evening lights. But what truly caught my attention was Damien, standing in the distance, his posture relaxed yet unmistakably expectant as he waited for Caroline.My heart gave a strange, unsteady thump at the sight of the diner. It had been so long since I had seen them, Jeremy or any of the staff, since I had felt the warmth of their presence.As they headed inside together, Caleb reached over and plac
Aurora’s P.O.VThe auditorium buzzes with energy, a mix of hushed conversations, excited whispers, and the occasional burst of applause as another name is called. I sit between Caroline and Jade, my hands clasped together with Caroline, and Caleb sits beside Jade, his knee bouncing slightly. The four of us have spent years dreaming of this moment—of walking across the stage, receiving our certificates, and stepping into a world far beyond the walls of this school. But now that it’s here, I feel an odd heaviness in my chest, like the weight of the past pressing down on me, a reminder of everything it took to get here.The class president is giving his speech, something about perseverance and ambition, but my mind drifts. I swallow hard, fingers tightening around the fabric of my gown as I stare at the stage. Almost a year ago, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to this moment. The obstacles, the losses, the nights I thought about giving up—they all come rushing back in a blur. But I’m here. I m