Mac“Well, if it isn’t Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee,” Lucy quipped as Blake and I walked into her office. Brice, her assistant, who happened to be in the room, choked back a laugh, disguising it with a cough. I scowled at him and the cheeky bugger mumbled an excuse under his breath and hurried out, shutting the door behind him.“Please tell your mate to mind the way she speaks to her boss.” I complained to Blake in exasperation. “It’s bloody disrespectful.”Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee was the nickname Lucy had adopted for Blake and I back in boarding school, because in her opinion, both of us were practically one and the same person, just split into two separate bodies. It was a nickname I didn’t find particularly amusing and Lucy took full advantage of it, using it when she wanted to rile me up.“Just admit that you like it, dude.” Blake chuckled, clapping me on the back before crossing to place a welcome kiss on his mate’s cheek. He pulled her into his arms and she went willingly. “H
Blair“Please have a seat, Blair.” Dr. Strand spoke in the same gentle tone he’d used with me out on the main floor. I shook my head to decline his offer and moved instead to stand close to the door. I could feel him watching me intently and it made me even more uncomfortable.“I prefer to stand.” I replied, careful to not meet his gaze. My heart was frantically pounding in my chest, and I could feel goosebumps prickle my skin as fresh panic seized me.What kind of bad luck was this? Of all the people to run into, it had to be the doctor who’d treated my injuries, and even unfortunate, he remembered me out of all the dozens of patients he must have attended to in the two months since our encounter.Strand…I silently cursed myself for not making the connection sooner. Lucy’s last name was Strand and so was this doctor. He had called her ‘babe’ back there, so did that mean they were a couple? Probably.Another memory popped up in my head, confirming my earlier suspicions. He had litera
Mac“I just want to get the general idea of what you two talked about.” I told Blake for what felt like the hundredth time. I could literally hear his eyeballs move as he rolled his eyes, fully fed up with my bullshit, but I didn’t let it deter me. “She’s my employee - if there’s something to know, you should tell me.”Blake snorted and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Key word being ‘employee’. That doesn’t mean you have the right to nose into her private business. An employee is not an indentured servant, no matter what you may think of yours.”“I’m aware of that, but still, c'mon dude, at least give me a hint.” I urged, tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it unceremoniously to the side, which earned me a scowl from the fastidious Lucy. I shot her an apologetic smile and picked the offending fabric back up, folded it neatly then placed it among the pile.“I’m not telling you shit. Leave it alone” Blake declared. He shucked off his jeans and underwear and stood there arms on waist
BlairI’d intended to get off work early today, it was a Friday after all, which usually meant everyone was in a hurry to start the weekend and fucked off as soon as they could. By 2pm, almost everyone had already left, including Mac and I’d been prepared to lock up, but a phone call from the logistics company that handled our deliveries had kept me back. By the time Ben, the driver, pulled into the loading bay, it was already close to 3:30pm.I watched him place the last box containing lab supplies at the top of the stack, shifting impatiently from foot to foot, silently urging him to hurry up so I could close up for the day.I glanced once more at my watch. It was already 4:14pm which just left me a little over half an hour to get to the shelter closest to the office. If I was lucky, there would still be available beds and a warm place to pass the night and if I wasn't lucky…I didn't want to think of the consequences just yet.It would certainly be unpleasant. That much I knew. A co
One Hour EarlierMac“The witch’s in the cabin.” Blake fell into step beside me. We were heading towards the cabin, the farthest from the main house. I cast out my senses over the area, wrinkling my nose as I picked out a scent that did not belong.It was a human scent, but tainted with strong hints of the Lore. Which made sense since witches, unlike other Lorekind, were actually human. Lore had it that the first witch had been blessed by Hermia with powers which had then passed to her descendants.As we neared, I spotted three of my strongest wolves standing guard. I nodded in silent approval as they stepped aside to let me into the cabin.A young woman rose as I entered, turning towards me. I took a moment to study her - long raven colored hair, high cheekbones, porcelain skin and a killer body. She was beautiful in a way that was meant to stun and seduce, but I was willing to bet an arm that that wasn’t what she really looked like. Underneath that glamour spell, she could be a seve
BlairThere was something about the enormous wolf that I found oddly comforting. Maybe it was the relief that it had just saved me from death, or the fact that it was one of my kind, I couldn’t really tell.Or, maybe it was the look in its eyes. In those golden depths, I could see concern, curiosity as it watched me as though it knew me. Either way, as it turned to leave, I knew I couldn’t just let it walk away without expressing my gratitude.“Wait.” The words were out before I could even think. It carried an edge of desperation too - I didn’t want to be left alone again. The wolf stopped and turned its large head in my direction.I took a deep breath and forced my feet to move. If I was going to say thanks, the least I could do was show that I wasn’t terrified. Well, I was, but that’s beside the point. As I approached, it turned fully and sat on its hind legs, waiting, head cocked to one side. It was truly a magnificent creature, its pure black fur gleaming under the lights, looking
BlairI took my time drinking a sip of the steaming hot coffee Lucy had made, doing my best to delay the moment when I had to look up into the three pairs of eyes watching me. I especially wanted to avoid a pair of black eyes that were currently glaring daggers at the top of my head.My head still felt fuzzy, but I could still recall what had taken place in that alley. A shiver ripped through me at my too close brush with death andI couldn't really remember how I'd gotten to Mac's office or even being held in the shower. Or how he'd even found me in the first place. The last thing I remember was talking to the shifter in wolf form who had saved me from the vampire. The next thing was waking up in a bathroom, with these three. Lucy had filled me in on how Mac had found me passed out in the alley, and how he'd helped me beat the cold, but I couldn't really recall any of it.I brought my fingers to my neck, wincing at the tenderness. There would be some ugly bruises later on for sure. T
BlairWhat had I done?I yanked my hands away, my cheeks bright red with mortification and stumbled back a few steps, my mind still reeling from the scenes that burned through my mind like a bad movie.What the hell had possessed me to act like that? I didn’t even want to begin imagining what had been going through Mac’s mind while he’d tried to fend off my unwanted advances. Wasn’t that that sexual harrassment?Now I understood why Mac was so irritated with me, nearly chewing my head off. It wasn’t just because of my reckless behavior, but the fact that I’d basically thrown myself at him while he was trying to help me. It was a miracle I still had a job at this point.“I’m sorry.” I mumbled, wishing I could somehow spontaneously combust. I continued backing away, eager to put a lot of distance between us. He just stood there, watching me, his gaze now unreadable. I wished I could tell what he was thinking, then was glad I couldn’t because I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle it. “
SkylarBy the time I got over my shock to hear Mac's furious voice and struggled to my feet, he and Holly were already engaged in a heated argument.Holly's face contorted with anger as she glared at Mac. "Are you kidding me? You think I'd intentionally hurt her? We were just practising Taekwondo, which, by the way, she asked me to teach her. This was just an accident!"A flare of surprise crossed Mac's face and he looked at me, searching for confirmation. "It's true." I said, my words still coming out in a stutter since I was still out of breath. "She was just showing me some basic self defence moves but then I tripped and took us both down."Mac looked like he'd been kicked in the gut. He passed a hand over his face and I heard him mutter a curse under his breath. "I didn't know what was happening. It looked like you two were fighting and she was -"Holly scoffed and rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to kick her ass, I would do it some other way.Mac broke off mid-curse to glare at Hol
SkylarA week passed with me doing nothing more than sleeping, waking up, eating the enormous portions of food that Mac insisted I consume, then spending the rest of the day lazing around either watching TV, playing games or reading novels on the brand new cellphone Mac had bought for me.I had offered to take over the cooking or cleaning or whatever chores that needed to be done, including shopping for groceries, but Mac had expressly forbidden me from doing any such thing saying I still needed to rest and get my strength up. So I obeyed. However, I was starting to feel restless, the result of now having so much pent up energy in need of an outlet. Sitting still became a challenge, so I would occasionally explore the huge house. I found a pool at the back and spent quite a bit of time sitting on the edge, dangling my feet in the heated water, wishing I had learned how to swim. I was alone in the house. Mac had decided to drop by the office today after extracting a promise from me th
MACShe smelled of vanilla and wildflowers, a combination that up until now, I'd had no idea was capable of driving me wild. And it had just topped the list of my all time favorite smells in the entire universe. And it was even wilder because up until a few seconds ago, I didn't know I had such a list. But I did now. And Sky's scent, fresh from a bath and looking deliciously content, was the number one.I adjusted my normally comfortable jeans, the material now felt very constricting with how hard I was. It had taken a great deal of self control to keep myself from reaching out to touch her soft, supple skin, I'd barely stopped myself from finding out if she tasted as good as she smelled and as sweet and heady as I remembered.It hadn't helped to know that she probably wore nothing underneath tha
Skylar I was beginning to think that the streets would have been a less stressful option. By the time dinner was over, I really wasn’t sure I could take much more tension. Holly, who had made her dislike known from the very beginning, now positively despised the very sight of me. When I had finally fully calmed down from my panic episode, Mac had ordered Liam to go home and despite my protests and Holly’s objections, he had refused to budge on his decision. So Liam, after another round of profuse apologies for scaring me, had left. Holly had glared at the two of us, spun around on her heels and stormed upstairs to her room, making sure to slam the door so hard the frames rattled. Which had left me and Mac. I was in near tears from mortification at this point and all I wanted to do was slink away and find somewhere to hide. I forced my
Mac Despite all her assurances to the contrary, I still couldn't quite shake the feeling that Sky did not like the room. First, there had been that fleeting look of dismay that crossed her expression the moment she'd stepped into the room, though she'd quickly covered it with compliments. Even though those compliments somehow fell flat. The most enthusiastic she had been was when I showed her the walk in closet. She'd perked up, and had given more than a cursory look around the small, dark space, seemingly more impressed by the tiny, windowless closet than the extravagant room attached to it. I'd been on the verge of offering her a different bedroom, even though I'd chosen that one because I'd figured she'd appreciate the view and the natural light streaming into the space, arguably the best in the house, save for the main bedroom - mine. And yet, Sky had merely glanced at the window wall, in fact, she seemed to actively avoid it. Still, since she'd assured me it was fine, I'd swal
CW: Mentions of violence and bloodSKYLAR****Flashback*****The darkness seemed to close in around me, amplifying my fear and making it difficult to navigate through the dense forest. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig sent shivers down my spine, as I imagined Resse and his loyal pack members closing in on me.I pushed myself to go faster, ignoring the searing pain in my body. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, fueling my desperate escape. But as I ran, a nagging thought crept into my mind - how long could I keep this up? How long until exhaustion overtook me and I became an easy target for my pursuers?Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees, freezing me in my tracks. My heart pounded in my chest as I strained to locate the source of the sound. Panic welled up inside me as I realized I was not alone. Another werewolf, a member of my own pack, had picked up my scent.I had no choice but to keep moving, hoping to outrun them. But my injured body protested, threatening to
SKYLAR“Hey Holly,” Mac said. Still holding onto me, he moved towards the steps to the girl in the doorway, pulling me along. I followed reluctantly, still wary and barely recovered from the nasty shock. We came to a stop in front of Holly, his height easily dwarfing hers as he looked down at her, his expression stern and assessing. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”Holly merely shrugged off his question, her gaze pinned on me. Once more, I forced myself to meet her gaze head on, while wondering if her mother - Mac’s partner was inside the house. I also wondered about the identity of the shifter - though I was certain it wasn’t the as yet to be known partner since that wolf had been male.Female shifter’s wolf forms were usually smaller and more delicate looking than their male counterparts, even the alpha presenting females. So, it was safe to assume there was somebody else in the house. And that made me very, very nervous.“Who’s this?” Holly asked,
SkylarTears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks at Mac's open and easy acceptance of the truth and whatever last reservations I had melted away as I sobbed, feeling like a heavy weight had just been lifted off my chest.It felt…freeing to finally have someone who knew a bit more about me, who understood, who accepted me without question."Hey," Mac leaned forward, a tissue in his hand that he'd produced from goddess knows where, which he used to gently wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks. "Please, don't cry, okay? I didn't mean to upset you."I shook my head and smiled. “No, no, I’m not upset. I’m just…” I searched for the right words and settled on, “relieved that I can finally tell someone the truth.”Mac smiled in understanding and looked so boyishly abashed I couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah…well. I’m happy to have your trust.” His expression turned serious and he sobered. “I promise you, Skylar. You’ll be safe with me and I won’t break your trust.”“I know.” His words re
BlairI froze at the question, something slamming against my heart. A small sound slipped through my lips and I shut my eyes for a second, wishing I was anywhere but here, pinned by that all too knowing gaze. But of course, I was all out of wishes because when I opened my eyes, Mac was still staring at me, arms crossed and his jaw set stubbornly and I knew there was no avoiding the humiliating conversation we were about to have.“Of course I do,” I avoided his gaze and shoved the last of my stuff into the bag and zipped it up. “I wouldn’t be leaving here if I didn't have somewhere else to go, would I?”“I dunno,” He rubbed at the scruff of beard on his chin and raised an eyebrow. “You tell me.”I flushed at the implication of his words and cleared my throat. “I do have somewhere to go.”He cocked his head at me and regarded me in silence while my fidgeting simply got worse. Then with a determined grunt, he hooked a large hand under one of