AstridThere were dozens of people gathering in the garden. It was hard to see what was going on ahead of us, but I knew from the sickly sweet smell of perfume that Victoria was here. I hadn’t realized how strange it was that she wore perfume until Tristan had pointed it out. He said that he smelled it during his kidnapping and it was the thing that tipped him off to his kidnapper's identity. “It took a while to figure out where I’d smelled it before, but almost no one in the pack wears perfume. The artificial smell is too abrasive,” he explained. It hadn’t struck me as strange because perfume is so common in the human world. I was used to it. But Tristan was right—wolves often didn’t wear perfumes or colognes. The smell was too overpowering.I cursed internally. If I had realized it was strange earlier, I might have figured out that something was going on with Victoria before it got this far. She must be using the scent to cover up something, probably the toxic herbs she w
AstridVictoria was handcuffed to a wooden chair in dad’s office. There were guards outside of the window and the door and a patrol was rotating outside of the building in case any more of her creepy friends showed up. The house had been cleared room by room, so we knew no one was hiding inside and waiting for a signal to attack. We were all standing in the office in tense silence. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was confused and scared. That attack was aimed at me. I had no idea why she would go to such lengths to try to hurt me. I had cleaned the blood off of myself, but I could still smell it and it made me nauseous. Tristan had his arm firmly around me, but he didn’t say a word. I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for him to face Victoria right now after everything that she did to him. Dad stood awkwardly In the middle of the room. He hadn't made eye contact with anyone since we entered and I wasn't sure what to make of that. The only person who seemed le
AstridThe festival had continued the next morning just as Solomon promised, but it was obvious by the increased guard that something was going on. The visiting Alphas and Lunas had arrived that morning at the packhouse demanding answers, and Solomon was the one to give them. He explained that the threat had been neutralized and that he gave his personal guarantee that there wouldn’t be any other issues. He offered to arrange a guarded escort for anyone who wanted to leave early. After a private conversation with Slade, it was decided that everyone was staying. I didn’t ask Solomon about what else was said, I was just glad that he was able to handle it. That night, while the party raged in town, I met with Solomon and dad alone. I wanted Tristan to be with me, but I understood why he couldn’t be there. Having Solomon there was going to have to be enough. I sat alone in the chair across from dad’s desk. Solomon was standing near me with his arms folded tightly across his ches
AstridI never intended to return to my hometown, and if it weren’t for my mother’s unexpected death, I never would have. I watched through the car window as the scenery around me became more familiar. I was ten years old the last time I was here—that was 17 years ago. I sighed and turned away from the window. The closer we got, the more I regretted my choice. “Doing alright back there?” the driver asked. “I’m fine,” I said softly. I felt bad. Victoria drove for hours to pick me up early this morning and bring me home, but I was having a hard time carrying on a conversation with her, despite our relationship. My dad was the Alpha of the Bridgewater pack, and Victoria was the Gamma. She was close to my mother—almost like her right hand rather than my dad’s. My dad convinced me to come home to take over the duties of my mother until someone else could be chosen to take on the role of Luna. I didn’t want to, but he insisted that he needed me. I agreed eventually, and he
AstridI felt like a fool staring at Tristan so blatantly, but I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Back in the hallway, I was so flustered that I hadn’t really looked at him. I was too shocked that he was there. I didn’t think that I would see him again, and I never thought that I would see him here. Somehow, he grew up to be even more attractive than I remembered. His soft, boyish features were sharpened into a strong jaw and defined cheekbones. He looked like he could be a model rather than a college professor. I understood now why most of the students in the room were female. While he was focusing on getting the projector set up, a girl with long dark hair scurried from her table and sat next to me. “Hi,” she said softly. “You looked lonely sitting back here alone.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I was really hoping that I would be left alone, but that wasn’t going to happen. Before I could respond, Tristan started to talk. “I’m Dr. Tristan Ward, and I’m going
Astrid The room was quickly descending into chaos. People had turned in their chairs to stare at me and their voices were steadily increasing in volume. I glanced towards the door. I could be out of the room before anyone registered that I was moving. If I left now and never came back, maybe I could avoid the rumors and the judgment. My heart rate was increasing rapidly. I had to make a choice. Tristan cleared his throat and the whispering of the students around me quieted, but didn’t stop. He slammed his hand down on the podium and the resounding thud that it created was enough to cause everyone to snap their heads forward, including me. There was a warning in his eyes as he glared at each of the students one by one. A few mumbled apologies, but most just fell silent. “Can I finish?” he asked with irritation clear in his voice. “Yes, sir,” a few students said in unison. Their immediate reactions and deference spoke volumes about the reputation Tristan had on campus. No
TristanI normally didn’t lock my office door, but I really didn’t want anyone bothering me right now. I was uncharacteristically flustered, and I wouldn’t allow my students or coworkers to see me in this state. Once Lillian left, I moved quickly from the classroom to my office.I let out a long suffering sigh and shook my head. I dropped my bag onto my desk and collapsed into my chair. I had tried so hard to keep my composure during the lecture—even more, my authority. But I could feel it crumbling under her gaze. Her wide-eyed gaze…What the hell just happened? I leaned back and glared up at the ceiling. I must have angered the goddess in some way for her to do this to me now. I couldn’t think of anything specific I had done, but there was no other explanation for the painful tension in my chest. I had found my mate, and it was...my student. Astrid Fleisher. The last time I had seen her, she was a stick thin and freckle faced kid. I never imagined her growing up to be so
Astrid My heart was racing, but I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or the pull. Either way, I didn’t like it. I hurried out of the building and directly to the parking lot. Victoria was waiting for me just like she promised. I got into the car and slammed the door behind me. “I need to talk to my dad,” I said breathlessly. “Are you alright?” she asked with concern. “Did something happen?” I saw the worry in her eyes through the rearview mirror, and forced myself to look away.“No, just get me to the packhouse, please,” I replied. I wanted more than anything now to go home. It was a huge mistake to come back here. I couldn’t deal with this. Just seeing Tristan again made me feel like I was losing control. If I stayed in Bridgewater, I ran the risk of losing everything that I worked so hard to achieve for myself. I wouldn’t do that. “Sure,” Victoria answered, knowing better than to press. She pulled away from the curb and headed towards the packhouse. It was going