CHARLENE'S POV "Where do you think you're going?" Xavier called from behind me, his hands folded behind his back, as he surveyed the village with an almost bored look in his eye. His eyes flicked down, searching for something. He sighed and turned away from me, starting to walk towards his hut. I ran after him. "Xavier, where are we going?" I asked, catching up with him and walking beside him. The ground felt cool against my bare feet. It helped soothe the burn from yesterday's incident. Maybe it would help today as well. My thoughts kept racing, and even the simple act of walking helped ground me. I took some deep breaths and closed my eyes. When the village fell silent around us, I opened one eye and watched him take another few steps forward. His stride was confident and unhurried, his pace slow and measured. If there was anything strange about this village, I couldn't tell what it was. It seemed normal enough. No sign of any recent fighting, no scorch marks on the cobblestone
CHARLENE'S POVNot ever. They couldn't. No matter how much they hurt me. No one spoke. The silence hung in the air between us as my friend tried to figure out an answer. Finally, Xavier pulled another cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a match. Then he handed it over to me, saying, "You smoke too much." When I hesitated, he sighed and leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially, "Just pretend I'm your dad." It made me laugh. He loved telling jokes, which he said helped him relax. But he also joked about stuff that was serious sometimes. Stuff that really hurts. I felt sad for him. Because it seemed like no matter how many times I told him it was okay, no matter how often I told him that I understood, he'd never listen. I took a long drag off the cigarette and blew out a long stream of smoke. After a minute, I realized he wasn't going to say anything else. I shrugged. "Thanks. For listening. I guess." He shook his head at me and rolled his eyes. "Of course, I listened. You kn
CHARLENE'S POV"Before someone catches us." "Yeah. But not tonight. Not yet. I need to spend more time with you before I go back home. I want us to be together for longer than two weeks. Is that okay with you?" "Of course, that's okay. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded and turned to leave. I followed after him, smiling and feeling so happy and alive that I could've cried. As soon as we walked outside, a few of the other humans and wolves who were walking on the street looked over to us curiously. The people around us gave a lot of snide comments and whispers when they saw how close the boys were holding hands. Xavier didn't seem to notice though. He just kept leading me further away from the center of town and further and further away from my family. We ended up at a deserted part of the town where there were trees and grasses surrounding a large field. There weren't many people here except us now. All around us were only a few houses scattered around the countryside. Xavier let
CHARLENE'S POV"Are you homeless, or something? No! Oh, God, Charlene, how can I be such an a*shole? I am sorry! Are you alright? Where did you go? Why aren't you with your family anymore?" She began rambling anxiously, and I tried to calm her down. The thought that she was upset with me over leaving scared me. "Hey, I'm fine, don't worry. I just needed a change of scenery, so I moved. I live with my parents, but they're gone right now. I've been staying there for two months or so–" "Two months? You haven't told us anything about it." "It's nothing, really. They've just been traveling a lot, so they don't tell us what they're doing, which sucks because I missed them a lot…" I lied easily, knowing that she wouldn't press further. My family wasn't exactly the most secretive bunch, anyway. Besides, she'd already asked about my house, and I doubted she would bring up Xavier again any time soon, which would make my situation easier. She nodded, clearly relieved, but still seemed hesit
CHARLENE'S POVA few months later...His voice is warm against my skin. He holds my arm firmly with one hand, while he fumbles for the doorbell with the other, holding me close so he won't accidentally bump into anything in the hallway. The door finally opens. "Hello, I'm–" It's not him. A tall guy wearing a leather jacket stands there, staring at me. He looks around the hallway. No one else seems to be home. "Charlene, what are you doing here? Are you alone? Where is your friend?" He doesn't seem surprised, though it makes sense. Why wouldn't he know my name or the fact that I live here alone? Unless– Wait. He must have seen me before, and recognized my face instantly. What would he think now that he knows I live here alone? What could I do about it? I don't want to fight, but if I have to defend myself then I might as well start now. Besides... This is the only house I've got right now, and the rent isn't bad at all. The stranger takes a step back and blanches slightly as if ju
CHARLENE'S POVXavier grabs my wrist and drags me towards the stairs. The grip on my arm tightens as he runs faster than me, so I'm forced to keep up. It takes some time, but eventually I reach the staircase. It's a big one, almost the biggest one in this house. At least half of the house is made up of stairs. We walk all the way through downstairs, and then go up another flight. There are windows along the walls, with a few small spaces between the slats that give way to dark corners. Xavier pulls open a window and throws me inside, after which he goes to close it again. "The window's too high to jump from. You better come into my room." "What do you mean?" I ask as I cautiously get closer to where he is standing. This part of the house isn't quite finished yet, with a lot more unfinished wood than the rest. A couple of boards still stick out from under the floor. "The ceiling has a very thin plank that separates our rooms, but it doesn't seem like anyone will notice you if you
CHARLENE'S POVI woke up to the loud noise coming from the other unit of the condo. I just moaned and buried my face in the soft pillow. Groggily, I stood up and stumbled towards the bathroom. The carpet was soft against my feet and the surroundings of my room were cool. I entered the bathroom, turned on the light and then washed my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. "Charlene, is that really you?" I asked myself. I just shook my head and went straight to the shower. After showering, I went to the walk-in-closet and grabbed something to wear. After a while I screamed as I came out of the walk-in-closet, I saw a familiar face sitting comfortably on the couch in my room. I immediately recoiled and almost plastered myself to the wall in fear. He looked like a wild animal himself as he lounged on a white couch, his powerful legs encased in dark pants stretched out in front of him, his sculpted lips curving in a mocking grin as he took in her petrified expression. "Relax, Charle
CHARLENE'S POVThe poor thing probably hadn't been looking where she was walking. As I walked to our office, all I wanted to do was go home and hide. If only I could just disappear somewhere, nobody would ever look for me. Maybe a mental hospital, or an asylum. I knew they had people running away from them all the time. That would give me a good hiding spot, wouldn't it? I could hide out until… Or until I died. Or whatever happened after death. I wasn't even sure if I'd survive my thirties. It would certainly take a while for me to become a mother, too. When I arrived at our unit, I found a note pinned to the door that read, 'Work late. Be back tomorrow. Love X.' I smiled. His love meant a lot to me, and it meant he couldn't abandon me. I was safe. For tonight. We'd talk when I got back. When I got inside, I saw Xavier, sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and looking at something on his laptop. He didn't look happy. He glanced up at me and nodded, then pointed to a seat on t
CHARLENE'S POVA few years later...I am now the Luna of the Vicious Shadow Pack, who destroyed the curse of their pack."So," Jaxton grinned beside me. "Why are you looking at me like that, huh?""Nothing. It's been a year since we met again, Charlene," Jaxton drawled, tracing the line of my jaw with his fingertips. "Can we be like–""Like what, Jaxton?""Like... official now?"I laughed at Jaxton's question and hugged him tightly. People pass around us and they can't stop glancing at us. I let my gaze wander over the rugged lines of his face, his sculpted lips, his eyes which had gone silver when he started talking about our relationship. I smiled widely and pressed a kiss on him. He groaned and kissed me back hard, his tongue tangling with mine. I tasted like mint from the chocolate mousse he had insisted I try today, and it made him smirk. We break the kiss after a while, both panting for breath, but neither of us has said anything. The people walking around us have stopped to w
CHARLENE'S POVSoon after the war finished, Selena declared her defeat in front of Alpha Jaxton, along with a genuine apology of what she did as she merely got blinded by the idea of revenge. She wished to be killed in the hands of the alpha. He didn't know that his parents were the cause of Selena's misery, so he took her in. She had to serve Alpha Jaxton for the rest of her life in exchange for being forgiven. So far, they haven't found the right way to kill her yet. But it won't be long before that changes. The war is still going on and Alpha Jaxton will take advantage if he sees any opportunity to get rid of her once and for all. She was still alive, but Selena has seen what kind of a man Alpha Jaxton truly is. There were no other words to describe him than brutal. In fact, I believe that he's only human. A person capable of loving someone so much, yet having such little care and patience for the same person. I wouldn't expect more from an alpha than that. It would never last fo
CHARLENE'S POVA few months later, Alpha Jaxton couldn't possibly leave me. During the commencement of the war, I was already on the verge of giving birth. My life would be at risk if Jaxton joined the battle. He was left with no choice other than to rely on Beta Xavier when he heard that my parents were about to get killed. Alpha Jaxton and Beta Xavier have been on good terms ever since the alpha knew that Xavier did nothing wrong. Jaxton owes a lot to him, considering how he was the only one who stayed by my side, protected, defended, and fought for my sake. Jaxton and Xavier had become close allies in order to survive. Beta Xavier has completely surrendered, he accepted the fact that no matter how many times the person he loves gets reborn, his love would never be reciprocated. ***"Hey, Charlene, are you okay? What's bothering you?" Jaxton asked. As he held onto my hand, he rubbed small circles into it to soothe away any pain I might've been feeling from my labor. The pain was
CHARLENE'S POVHis arms came around me tightly and his tongue swept past my lips. I moaned. We kissed for what felt like hours before he suddenly pulled away, leaving me gasping for breath. I blinked rapidly at him, trying to figure out exactly what happened between us just now. He still looked nervous and uncertain but also happy. My heart thumped heavily and my face felt flushed hot. He chuckled softly, brushing my bangs from my face. "Well?" "Yes, I..." My voice faltered. I had no idea what to say next. It was all very confusing. Finally, I managed to get the words out. "Thank you, Jaxton. Thank you for showing me your dreams." He frowned. "What are you talking about?" "I... I haven't really experienced anything like that before. The butterflies. And everything. You've been giving me a lot of good experiences lately, without telling me where they come from or when they're going to happen. And I'm just… overwhelmed by it," I finally admitted. I wasn't exactly sure how else to
CHARLENE'S POV"I'm sorry…" There were tears running down his face, and there was no mistaking it this time. His eyes showed it clearly. He was trying to hold back tears, but they just kept coming, streaming down his cheeks in tiny rivers. His shoulders started shaking, as if he wanted to break out sobbing but couldn't allow himself to. And just when I thought he wasn't going to say anything else. "I–I love you, Charlene." The words were barely audible, but they sent a wave of warmth through me regardless. And I couldn't suppress a small laugh. I took his hand. "What's funny?" he sniffled. My expression softened. "That is funny. What you said." But he only looked confused. "What do you mean 'what did I say?' "When you asked what happened in the dream last night, you sounded so sad, Jaxton." I continued to tease him with light humor, trying to distract him from the fact that I was crying too. It worked. A small smile appeared on his lips as he wiped away one last tear that ran
CHARLENE'S POVHis right eye was swollen shut and half of his lower lip was cut through, revealing the bone underneath. His whole body felt like it was in shock. Was he okay? Jaxton slowly moved his eyelid upward. A single tear rolled down his cheek. "Char…" He breathed heavily. Relief and joy rushed over me. Thank goodness he's alright. I pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly against me, trying to absorb all of the heat and energy radiating off his body. I buried my nose into the curve of his neck as I inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of him. It was intoxicating! He smelled like fresh rain and pine trees. As my head started to spin, I realized there were other people nearby. They must be watching us or more specifically. And they're probably wondering how we knew each other or if I even remembered him at all. But this didn't matter. All that mattered now was Jaxton. The moment he wrapped his arms around me I felt safe and protected. So safe and happy. It almost made every
CHARLENE'S POVI couldn't force myself to push him off or push him to continue, even though that was what I desperately wanted. I needed him. I needed to be in control. No one else but him had ever made me feel like this. And I never would again if I didn't do something about this mess we were in. The sound of footsteps interrupted our moment just when I was considering whether or not it would be wise to ask him to stop. A voice from above us snapped. "Is this how you treat the lady you claim to love?" We both looked up with matching sheepish grins, my face redder than a tomato, Jaxtonton's cheeks darker than a ripe tomato, and our clothes crumpled and torn beyond repair. "Who are you?" Jaxton asked, trying to pull himself out from underneath me. I tried to sit up as well but it seemed that my arms still belonged to someone else. "Who did you say you were?" Jaxton asked again, ignoring my questions for now. "I don't know who you think you're messing with, but we are going to have
CHARLENE'S POV"You'll come back eventually, Jaxton. It may take years, but eventually you'll find someone who understands, even if she doesn't love you like you deserve. That's what you want, right?" It seemed so simple when I said it out loud, but it would never be simple with him. I know that now. It was a hopeless relationship. Even more hopeless than the one with Xavier. No matter where we went or what we did, there was always something holding us back from really being together. We stared at each other in silence. Finally he gave a half smile and shook his head slightly before pulling himself up off the couch. We stood for a moment gazing at each other before he leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the cheek. I felt my eyes burn suddenly with unshed tears as I turned my head slightly and pressed my mouth against his shoulder. He smelled of the laundry detergent he used. A strong masculine scent that mixed pleasantly with some sweet, flowery scent he liked to wear. I wrappe
CHARLENE'S POVHe thinks we're incompatible. I had thought he wanted me! But the way he said it, it sounded as though he didn't want anything more than friendship and maybe s*x. I felt disappointed, hurt even, and humiliated. "It just occurred to me that your bloodline isn't completely pure," he explained, "or at least, not entirely. There's a chance, if we're compatible enough..." I couldn't help feeling hopeful. "Yes. If we are compatible, then when our souls touch." He trailed off. His eyes were sparkling. I could feel how badly he wanted me. How much he really liked me. I could see how much he was enjoying our time together. So much so that he would willingly change himself for better. I felt tears welling up inside me. I hadn't expected anything more than being friends. Not that I wouldn't be grateful and happy, of course. But still, this was so unexpected for both of us. I nodded in response to his question, not trusting my voice. "That's perfect, Charlene," he grinned. "We