Caleb’s P.O.VShane took one look at me and his eyes widened in surprise.“You know…” he whispered through swollen lips.I nodded, debating on how to handle the situation. Even if he had acted out of anger and resentment for Aurora hitting a nerve close to home, he had crossed several boundaries and he had to face punishment for them accordingly. If going to this camp in New York helped him become a better person, so be it.He was pretty beat up. Now that it was broad daylight, I could see that his entire face was pretty badly messed up. I had gone too far as well. In my anger, I hadn’t acted very rationally as a future Alpha should.“I’m sorry, for hitting you like this.” I told him, because I didn’t want him to leave on a bad note either. Shane had been my friend since we were little and he had already gotten his punishment. What was the point of me adding salt to his injuries?“I deserved it.” He said now, lowering his head. “I shouldn’t have acted like a jerk all this time. I shou
Aurora’s P.O.VWhen I opened my eyes to a room filled with sunlight and pretty things that I could never afford in my life…I knew that what had happened last night hadn’t been a dream at all.My mind tried to cope with the reality, but somehow, the nagging feeling at the back of my consciousness that kept telling me that this was all a dream, it was still there. Maybe it was some kind of a coping mechanism that I was holding on to? Wouldn’t anyone in my situation do the same?Sitting up in bed, I looked around at my surroundings once again, taking in the beauty of the luxuries. Surprisingly, it hurt a lot less than what I had expected it would be like. My arm was still in a plaster, but it wasn’t hurting thanks to the painkillers I was given. Even the stitches on my back were nothing more than an ache that itched a bit, but otherwise felt fine.Wolf medication was stronger than human medication, that much Caroline had already filled me in about. But now that I was able to think past t
Aurora’s P.O.VRight after Caleb had left, after showing Riley his new room and handing me a bag of clothes that he said were donated items, which I was highly suspicious of, a woman came into my room and placed a large box on my bed, which was tied up with a pretty pink ribbon.“Mrs. Blackburn had requested you to dress in this. She has prepared a special luncheon for you.” The woman gave me a kind smile before she left.A bit hesitant, I went to my bed where she had placed the box, not really sure if I should accept this gift or not. But soon enough, my curiosity got the best of me and I ended up unable to hold myself back from inspecting what was inside the box.Upon opening the box, I came face to face with a beautiful white dress that reached my knees and had large pink flowers printed all over them. The fabric was unbelievably soft and no doubt, hella expensive.I wanted to turn down the dress, too afraid to spoil it, but I also didn’t want to insult Caleb’s mother and their gen
Aurora’s P.O.V“Here,” Maya held a spoonful of saffron rice to my lips. “Taste this. I made it especially for you today.”Giving her a smile, I graciously accepted the bite and it felt like an explosion of flavours as soon as the rice hit my taste buds. It was buttery, sweet and savoury at the same time. “This is so good!” I told her, covering my mouth so I don’t seem unladylike.“I’m glad you like it!” Malay beamed at me before turning to her husband/mate with a frown. “See? She appreciated my cooking. The two of you ungrateful brats just sit and stuff your faces without saying a word!”“Hey!” Caleb protested. “That’s not fair! I tell you all the time that you’re an amazing cook!”“Do you, now? When? In your dreams?” Maya turned to glare at her son, who simply huffed and went back to eating his lunch.Camden only shook his head with a smile on his face, but didn’t protest.There was all kinds of dishes at the table that I could’ve never dreamt of having before, especially because the
Aurora’s P.O.V“You don’t have to show me around.” I told Caleb, as we walked side by side down the main hallway. “I mean…we could just go back to my room and you can catch a break?”As per his parent’s ‘suggestion’, Caleb was taking me around on a tour of the pack house, but if I was being honest, I just wanted to lie down and rest. My mind was full of the new information that I had received during the lunch conversation with Caleb’s parents and I needed time to digest all of that.It wasn’t easy to just wake up one day and be told that not only were the creatures of the dark a reality, but that I was now ‘bound’ to one by a Goddess herself.It should’ve been like the fairytale that I had always wanted…but it wasn’t. Because I was afraid that once I opened my eyes, all this would have been a dream and my life would just go back to being a never-ending nightmare.“Not yet, I have a place to show you,” Caleb spoke softly, guiding me towards the back of the house and into the elevator t
Aurora’s P.O.VA knock sounded at my door around nine o’ clock at night. Hoping that it might be Caleb coming to take me to dinner, I got up from my bed to open the door, a skip to my steps as I made my way across the room. It felt like I finally had something to look forward to after so many years of living in fear. But that tiny hope inside my chest vanished as soon as I saw who was on the other side of the door.Trisha, Laura, Cindy…and Mia. The devil squad were standing outside with a big bouquet of roses and wide grins on their faces. Even before I moved aside to let them in…I knew this wasn’t going to end well.“How are you, love?” Cindy asked with fake sweetness as she handed me the bouquet of white roses. “Don’t worry, we come in peace.”I kept the door open as I took the bouquet and placed it on a nearby table. Forcing a smile, I looked up at them, who were currently a foot taller than me because of their heels. “Thank you.”“Of course!” Laura giggled. “We want to make up fo
Aurora’s P.O.V“I want to leave.” I told everyone at the dinner table, forcing the words past the lump forming in my throat.Caleb and Caroline exchanged concerned glances for a second before turning to Jade. “Ask the front desk about Aurora’s visitors for today.” Caleb asked, making my heart thrash against my ribcage.“Cindy, Trisha, Laura and Mia.” Jade answered almost immediately, and it once again struck me just how big of a difference we had. Human and the supernatural. It was a bridge that I couldn’t cross easily. They could just reach out with their minds and find out exactly what was happening…a gift I would die to have.Any gift actually…a gift that could help Caleb get stronger. But instead, all I’ve been doing was dragging him down with me.“What did they say to you?” Caroline placed a hand on my shoulder gently. “Did they try to threaten yo-”“No.” I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “It wasn’t a threat…what they said made perfect sense.”“What made sense?
Caleb’s P.O.VI didn’t get it. I didn’t understand what could’ve happened to make Aurora think that I wasn’t capable enough to handle my own pack.What Mia had told her hadn’t been wrong, but her words had been coloured with her own insecurities about losing Shane and her loss of faith in me. She hadn’t had the strength to ask me directly, so she had gone to Aurora instead, to try to poison her mind against me. And it had worked.But what I found surprising was the fact that I was disappointed in her just as I was disappointed in myself. Did she truly think I wasn’t capable of handing my pack? The question had haunted me again and again. It had been on my mind ever since I stormed out of the dining room, trying to find an outlet for my anger.It hadn’t helped when I had gone out into the woods for a run in my wolf form; it hadn’t helped when I had taken an ice-cold shower and it bloody hell wasn’t helping now that I was trying to get some rest. I thought we had been making progress…th
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