Lenora Fueled by anger, my dad clenched his fists, aggressively swerving through the mild, afternoon traffic. "Get the fuck out of the road, you coffin dodger!" He pounded his hands on the steering wheel and honked aggressively at an old man behind the wheels of a Ford Mustang who merged into our lane without care. He was so furious in an alarming manner that made me shrink into my seat without daring to meet his gaze and hoped we didn't end up in the hospital."I can't believe what you've done," he kept repeating. "I'm so ashamed and disappointed. Where are the values I instilled in you?"My shoulder slumped and I bit my lower lip to stop myself from bursting into tears. All my life, I've never given him reasons to be ashamed of me. His hurtful condemnation hurt more than a thousand slaps across the face. I felt like a failure for causing this reaction from him."You know what's fucked up? I thought that bastard, CJ, was a good man. I opened my home to a screwup, a backstabber, an
CJIn a crappy hotel room, I paced back and forth, my troubled mind consumed with hopelessness. I'd never felt such bouts of emptiness in a long time. Among werewolves, it was taboo for a male, much less an Alpha, to say he was heartbroken. But there was no other word to describe how I felt right now. I was more than heartbroken; I was devastated.I hated myself right now and everything I represented. For the second time in my life, I let myself get carried away by the same enemy, the same bastard that was responsible for all my problems.Stupid, stupid, stupid! I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands Because of me, Lenora was in excruciating agony. Because of me, her reputation was tarnished. I stared at the video again, groaning in frustration and that familiar feeling of being stripped of my power. My pulse rushed in my ears and I got caught in a mental loop of second-guessing myself. Maybe I wasn't so smart after all. Maybe I overestimated myself. That nig
Lenora A flash of wild grief ripped through me as I collapsed on my bed after drawing the heavy curtains and looking away from the untouched plate of fish and chips on the nightstand. The misery of CJ being a werewolf shocked me to the core, haunting me. The only sound was the occasional sniffle that escaped my trembling lips. My dad wasn't angry as much, instead, he had a sincere concern for me, desiring to help me get over CJ and pleading with me to get over him. A slight shiver made me tremble when he suggested earlier that CJ may have infected me with werewolf blood. I became scared shitless and even Googled the consequences of having sex with a werewolf to get an accurate prediction about what it would lead up to, and how fast I could die. There were no records available and so here I was, laying in this empty bedroom in this empty house with a sickening sense of terror eating away at my insides. Raindrops tapped gently against the window pane, and I pulled the thick co
LenoraStanding in front of my bedroom mirror, my hands trembled as I adjusted my skirt. Anxiety coded my thoughts as I prepared to face the unknown. I didn't know what to expect upon returning to school and wondered who else had seen the damn video.My intestines tangled with several thoughts flying in and out of my head. I wanted to stay back for a bit, but my dad insisted that I go back to school and that the sooner I got over this trauma, the better for me. He had hired forensic experts and investigators to trace the phone number behind the video, wanting justice to be served.Dad and I flew to Eldridge after Esme dropped us at the airport. She hugged me, reminding me to call her and tell her whenever I had a problem. At least something good had come out of all of this, and now, my sister and I were back to being friends and confidants. She was glowing now, and it was scary how falling in love changed people's lives. She never used to be so optimistic and I could see Alex's inf
CJA low groan escaped my lips as I faced the bare walls which had faint outlines of where picture frames used to hang. Lenora's call disturbed my thoughts. I had to conquer my natural reaction of rushing to Eldridge to kill that bastard, Killian.But before her call came in, Mariselle and I were painstakingly selecting the items to pack and deciding which to leave behind, gathering boxes and wrapping them up with tape and bubble wrap because I felt staying here was a mistake. After the call, I stood behind my daughter, thinking through a haze of confusion. Mariselle, who was taking down the photographs from the wall and wrapping them in protective materials, stopped when she noticed I wasn't dismantling our furniture."Dad, what tragedy has befallen you?" she pursed her lips, her gray eyes boring into mine. My mouth twisted in a sad half-smile and I turned away. "It's nothing." She sighed with exaggeration, watching me with a critical squint. "Wow, the master of pretense has arr
LenoraThe brooding danger and panic eating at my heart made my chest feel as if it would burst. Kevin, Linda, and I shivered under Kilian's rough maltreatment. The bastard was so brutal he had to force us down in front of his minions, making us beg like filthy animals with our hands tied behind our backs. My stomach twisted into knots as my teeth rattled. It was the first time in my life I'd ever been beaten or subjected to this torture. Never would I have imagined Killian to be a terrible person. He masked his cruelty and his ruthless personality well and deceived everyone into believing we knew him. We were so blinded by his good-boy persona. After the phone call with CJ, I was on edge, having no choice but to open up to Linda about everything.I met her outside the faculty and drew her aside to avoid anyone interrupting us. She took a seat in the nearby grassy field and waited patiently for me to speak."Girl, what's eating you up?""Don't freak out," I looked around cautiousl
LenoraAt the sight of CJ's wolf, Killian immediately shifted into a wolf. Panic consumed me but because CJ was here, I verbalized the pros and not the cons, feeling a strong awareness of CJ's presence and a biting cliffhanger effect. It felt strange, yet at the same time, right, as if CJ was meant to be my savior. His pupils dilated to reveal his red irises.Good timing, dudeSnapping his jaws open, fear, stark and vivid, made my body tremble. I had never seen something like this before.In a maddening rage, CJ's wolf lunged at Killian's wolf, who swiftly dodged his attack and charged at him again. They tumbled back and forth across the hall like wrestling dogs, snarling and snapping at each other, neither giving the impression of ever winning.CJ down on Killian's hindquarters and ripped out a chunk of meat from the bone with ease. Killian roared in pain, and I knew CJ must have injured some bones because blood sprayed everywhere. Killian twisted in midair and managed to kick CJ
CJMy muddled heart raced with so many thoughts at once. Lenora had asked to flee with me. As tempting as that sounded, the thought was vaguely disturbing and I couldn't bring myself to agree to her wishes. Left to me, I’d seize the chance and take her with me. She meant the whole world to me, but I knew better. It wasn't right to force her to make such a huge decision in her life. She was young and had a full life ahead which I wasn't planning on stealing from her. Yet I couldn't imagine living without her. I loved her with all my being, and the thought of being with her forever filled me with joy. But her dad had been through so much these past few weeks, and I couldn't bear to add to his difficulties.There was no easy answer to this. Whatever choice I made would have aftermaths. Leaving her here was going to break me because I would miss her every day of my life. Taking her with me was going to break her dad and cause more dilemmas.There was nothing here for me anymore. I had