Lenora I stood at the edge of the clearing, feeling left out and a pang of loneliness. I was the odd one out and a huge part of my brain registered that things weren't going to change anytime soon. Despite how I pretended that this wasn't affecting me, I felt hollow inside. I missed home and my dad, but I couldn't go back without CJ. My selfish side wished he'd stayed in Eldridge. I wanted that part of our lives where all that mattered was giving and receiving love. This place was complicating things and making my energy level dangerously low. Watching them, I admired their communal synergy. The young ones were playing with sand, and girls my age were throwing subtle winks at the men to get their attention.I craned my neck, scanning the clearing in search of CJ. I spotted him walking past with his usual confident swagger. Our eyes met, and a warm smile spread across his face, instantly turning me into a mess.He stopped in his tracks and blew me a kiss, causing me to flush. I fe
LenoraThank you so much, Magda. My heart is full," I spoke with eagerness to the healer hours later. We had such a great time today and spent the whole time talking like we had known each other forever. The woman was old and lonely, needing someone to listen to her. I wasn't a nosey person but from the snippets I gathered, her husband died a long time ago, leaving her with a daughter who had died ten years ago. Her grandkids didn't belong to CJ's pack, so they stayed with their dad. The gold in her eyes flickered with excitement. "You're welcome, dear. I'm glad you enjoyed our time together. Remember, you don't have to be a stranger. If you have any issues or need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.""Of course I do, but it's getting late. I should head back home now so CJ doesn't worry too much about me." She smiled with a beautiful candor. Despite her age, she looked good. It made me wonder how beautiful she must have been in her yesteryears. "Of course. Let me walk
CJ⚠️Warning! This scene contains graphic details and violence. I felt nothing but unexplainable joy in the gnashing of teeth and tearing of flesh. Roaring with primal fury, a mad giggle escaped my lips as I watched life drain through one of Giovannie's most powerful warriors who lay on the floor with reeking guts. The idiot was strong and tall – almost as tall as me, but he never knew tonight would be his last. My heart pounded with delight at my victory. I would have been lying if I said that I had not enjoyed killing these men.The war grew intense as bloodied warriors fought for each other’s lives. The air was heavy with the scent of sweat, blood, and silver bullets; and my nostrils got clogged with the smoke of burning torches. It felt so good to be in a battle. This was my home. This was where I belonged, where I needed to be, unlike the lecture hall in Eldridge. Only this world mattered. I was in my human form, but most of my men were fighting in their wolf form. Their cl
Lenora Many hours had passed, yet there was no sign of CJ and his men. Worry seeped into my veins like a fog. Although I knew CJ was strong and would defeat Giovanni and his men, I couldn't stop pacing back and forth in the bedroom or sitting still. I had no idea of how werewolves fought their wars, but from the flashbacks I had of CJ and Kilian's fight, they fought dirty, so brutal that the image haunted me whenever I remembered, leaving behind a horrible taste in my mouth and heart. I became antsy, afraid that something bad had happened to CJ. Mariselle leaned against the door frame, her facial expression also mirroring mine."Any updates?" She shook her head, sipping a cup of hot cocoa and staring at the wall behind me. "He'll be fine," I said, trying to ease some of my anxiousness and convince myself as much as Mariselle. "They are six hours late, and we're not allowed to leave the damn house. The war between our pack and Killian's is far from over because his dad is a blood
Lenora While I waited for CJ, the pack house buzzed with activity and kitchen operations. India organized the maids and worked relentlessly. The aroma of frying meat wafted through the air and the sound of knives chopping vegetables. I had to admit that despite India's disapproval of me, I enjoyed her cooking. She was a culinary wizard. I could feel the pack house’s energy growing around me. Several leaders and the council gathered in the hall downstairs, waiting for CJ. In my mind’s eye, I imagined him walking in while I threw my arms around him and kissed him until I couldn't breatheWeary of waiting, I fiddled around with my cell phone and occasionally looked up from it and scanned the gate in search of CJ. Then I headed upstairs and sat on an armchair overlooking the veranda to wait for him. The soft breeze rustled my hair making me shiver a little, and brought back memories of me, my dad, and his chimp, buddy. I'd sit at the front porch behind my dad, braiding his long hair a
CJ"What am I going to do, Harrison?" I asked my brother for the umpteenth time, anxiously fidgeting with my hand.My heart refused to work for a minute after Kia appeared in front of me, and my thoughts scampered vaguely around. I was puzzled, and a shiver of panic swept through me just thinking of the consequences of this. It shattered me.Harrison placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, and the only sounds from my study were the hum of the air conditioner."You are torn, and I know that this is an incredibly difficult situation. But there's no easy way out, and you have to consider the bigger picture here. Kia is your legitimate wife, your first mate, and the mother of your child. She is Luna. Lenora, on the other hand, is more or less a stranger.""You're not helping matters, Harrison," I snapped. "Lenora isn't a stranger to me. I am in love with her. I wasn't expecting Kia to come back. She's been gone for ten fucking years.""She has a history with you, and that counts for some
Lenora I was watching a crime thriller about a woman who murdered someone and buried her body in the middle of nowhere when I heard the noise. It sounded like a scream and a strangled sob from downstairs. When I recognized Mariselle's voice, my body jolted upright and my heart began pounding like an anvil. I quickly turned off the TV and without a second thought, sprinted down the stairs, eager to find out what was going on.They were in one of the mini living rooms, Mariselle with her face in her hands while her hair hung loose on her face. Bursting into the living room, my eyes darted around, and the trio immediately stopped talking. I frowned, wondering why there was such a sudden hush."What's going on?" I asked, rooted to the spot, my gaze fixed on CJ, who blinked rapidly and forced a watery smile on his face. The tension in the air felt thick and suffocating as the silence stretched longer and thinner. My stomach tightened, and my breathing hitched. Something bad had happene
Lenora The cold, early morning mist was intense, and I snuggled against CJ. With my eyes closed, my fingers stroked his arm, but I stopped when I realized that it was not an arm but a pillow. My eyes flew open, and I turned my head to the side, expecting to see CJ sleeping peacefully beside me. I searched around for him, but there was no sign of him and his side of the bed was cold, which meant that he had been up for a while.I fought through the cobwebs of confusion, wondering what was going on. It was still early, and the sun hadn't even risen. I'd gotten accustomed to the routines of the pack and knew that today was not for morning runs. Intuitively, I suspected that something was really wrong, and my heart began beating faster. Mentally, I ran through everything that happened yesterday, from Mariselle's shouting to CJ's lies and the desperate attempt to make up for it. Then worry started to creep in as I wondered whether CJ was being affected by his packmates' dislike towards
LenoraI was busy making sure that the party was going in full swing and tried as much as possible to avoid Titan. Unfortunately, his charming smile and seductive voice had gotten some females in the house, including the married ones. He flirted with anyone, not caring whether they were married or not, and I was annoyed. I couldn't wait for him to get the hell out of my house.I hated him so much because he was a very good pretender and hated myself for falling for his cheap ploy. The party was over. CJ asked me to show the entourage their rooms. I was about to walk past a room but gasped in shock when he drew me inside and shut the door."What are you doing, Titan?" I yelled, giving him a dirty look. I never knew I was capable of being this angry. I felt like using a knife to stab him.My nasty look didn't stop him. Instead, he was adamant and had an amused smile. "You know you turn me on when I see you mad. I missed your lips, darling. And this is between you and me, but I came here
RubyI couldn't believe that that wicked boy and his father were here. It hurt more that he was sitting at the dining table chatting with my dad, looking so smug and confident as if he had done nothing wrong and was fooling my dad, who didn't know how terrible the boy was.He didn't even glance at me and was acting like I was invisible. I felt a surge of pain. How could people be so cruel and heartless? I wanted to scream at him, to tell my dad and everyone how much he hurt me. But I couldn't do that because the Lycans were very important and powerful, and they were my dad's guests. My dad beamed with pride, and I could tell that he was so happy.I was glad that my sister spiked Enzo's food, and I wished she had done more. I couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore, so I excused myself to get some fresh air. My mom gave me a worried look but didn't say anything. She was also battling with her demons.It didn't help that Jade and Luca were also around. I didn't want to se
Ruby My niece, Jade, hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around my neck, almost lifting me off the ground."Can you believe it, Rubs? We're in senior year! This is going to be the best year ever, especially now that I have a boyfriend," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.Pretending to share her enthusiasm, I returned the smile. There were familiar faces here and there, all chatting, laughing, and reminiscing about their summer. I wished I could escape from it all and go back to my quiet room where I could lay in bed all day. I didn't care about senior year or any of the things that Jade was babbling about. I just wanted to be left alone.I was in the bathroom doing my thing when I heard Tammy and the other queen bees of the school walking to the bathroom. They were putting the finishing touches on their makeup and also talking about who was dating whom. My stomach tightened when they mentioned Luca and Jade."Oh my God,
Lenora After the craziness the previous night, I woke up at five-thirty with a splitting headache. Luckily, there were painkillers in the drawer. After taking them, I decided to go for a run to clear my head and escape from the nightmare that had happened last night.I put on my running shoes, grabbed my phone, and checked the flight app again, hoping to find a way out of this hell, but the next available flight was at seven PM, which meant that we had to wait for another fourteen hours before we could leave Bali.Muttering to myself, I tiptoed out of the room without wanting to wake Ruby, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. She looked so innocent, like an angel, and I felt like a failed mother, for exposing her to strangers who had tried to hurt her.I began running along the beach, feeling the sand under my feet and the breeze on my face. The rising sun painted the sky with orange and pink hues but I couldn't enjoy the beautiful scenery and, despite trying not to focus on what
RubyI sobbed uncontrollably, bitter with myself and that pretender, Enzo, who ended up being everything I never thought he'd be. He seemed harmless, but little did I know that he was up to no good.My mom led me out of the nightclub, her eyes wide with fright. Although I suspected she was a bit tipsy from her stumbling movements, she still managed to hail a taxi and shove me inside.I hated her. I hated her for making me come to Bali with her. I hated her for encouraging me to explore and have fun. I hated her for being a hypocrite and a liar.But I couldn't tell her these things, so I kept quiet.We arrived at the hotel, and she locked the door behind us and turned on the lights. She looked at me with concern in her cornflower-blue eyes."Baby, what happened?" She asked softly. "Did that boy hurt you?"I glared at her through my tears. "And how's that any of your business?"A gasp escaped as if I'd struck her, and her face paled with tears gathering in her eyes."Don't raise your vo
Lenora The first thing that hit me when I stepped into the nightclub with Titan by my side was regret. Unable to fill my lungs, my thoughts turned inwards. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like Titan was controlling my mind, taking control of every cell in my body and keeping a tight grip on my consciousness.When I got to the door, I realized just how stupid I was acting. After CJ called me earlier, I decided to stay away from Titan, knowing that I was growing an attraction for him, but here I was in the club with him, ready to dance the night away. He took my hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze before releasing it.The music was too loud, and the lights were flashing everywhere, making it impossible to see past the crowd, but Titan's eyes were glued to me as if he wanted to see what was under my clothes.I didn't belong here. Maybe if Ruby hadn't gone out for the karaoke night with Enzo and I had someone to talk to, I wouldn't have agreed to come out with Titan.But when
Lenora An adorable smile appeared on Ruby's face, and Enzo grabbed her hand as they ran off, laughing. My daughter looked so happy and carefree, and I could tell she was into the boy. I couldn't blame her. The young man was dashingly handsome, with eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. His hair was parted neatly on one side of his head, with a few tendrils that had escaped, falling onto his forehead. He had a well-built body and strong arms.Standing beside his father, I stole a glance at him. His eyes lit up with a warm smile as he watched the children."It seems our kids are really into each other," he smiled, thrusting his hands in his pockets."It seems so," I cleared my throat and smiled back. But when Titan leaned closer to me, my body froze with paranoia, my blood started beating rapidly, and my heart skipped a beat as though it wanted to escape from my chest."You know, there's something very unique about your girl. Something I can't quite place my finger on," he reac
Ruby I was as high as a kite. The vape was so powerful, and it made me feel dizzy and lightheaded. Enzo was high too, and he was smiling, talking, and even touching me."Enzo, please. Let's go," I tried to push him away, but he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. Then he planted a kiss on my neck."Come on, don't be a sourpuss. We're having fun, sweetie."My body shivered, and I pushed myself away from him. "I really have to go to my mom."Adding enough strength, I stumbled away from him and towards the hotel, hoping my mom wouldn't be in the room. But when I opened my door with my key card, she was on the couch watching a movie on the TV.My heart skipped, and I hoped she wouldn't notice. She merely looked in my direction and waved at me. I sighed in relief when I snuck into the bathroom to wash my face with cold water.After failing miserably to sober up, I snuck into the bedroom and hit the bed, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes.I woke up hours late
Ruby I ran into my mum at the hotel lobby, just as I was coming back from the beach. She looked surprised to see me and flustered, like someone running away from something."Darling Where have you been?" she asked. "You need your sunscreen so you don't get sunburned," she said in a motherly voice."I was at the beach. What about you? Where are you coming from?" I asked, staring at her flushed cheeks.She smiled sheepishly and glanced around. "Oh, I was just... sightseeing. You know, enjoying the beauty of Bali."I raised my eyebrows and smirked. "Sightseeing, huh? With whom? That man?"She blushed and shook her head. "No one, just by myself."I didn't believe her for a second. I knew she was lying but decided not to confront her about it. I didn't want to ruin our vacation. Besides, it was none of my business. She was a grown woman, and she could do whatever she wanted except cheat on my dad."Come on, let's go to our room," she grabbed my hand..We entered our room and locked the do