"Enough." Felise cut the tension between us in the car. "Enough of this blaming thing. It's not Isandora's fault. It's not Ezra's fault either but mine. If I only make things clear with Razel, this could have been avoided." "But it all started with Isadora. If she and her hard-headed wolf listened to us that those humans will only make things worse, the incident could have been avoided." Hearing my venomous declaration, Isadora looked down, composing herself, and nodded, "I know and I'm sorry," was all she managed to utter. When the sun beamed down on us, the car continued its journey, carrying the silent tension along. Every one of us is lost in our thoughts and fears, mentally bracing ourselves for the confrontation with the rogue wolf, Dexter. And the echo of our intense discourse finally disappeared, replaced by the hum of eternally whispering trees, we approached the cusp of the first forest on our list. Isadora's emerald eyes held a quiet apprehension, w
"Brother Ezra, please, say something." he added. It was at that moment my wolf just realized my stepbrother reeks in alcohol. "Just this once. Please? Can you break up with Felise?" The school's bell had long since tolled, reverberating off the lifeless, silent corridors, signaling the end to yet another day of academics. Children dispersed, leaving an eerily cold aura behind. As everyone left, two individuals remained, their figures outlined against the door; a tableau of uncertainty and apprehension. Razel, his face etched with pain, stood motionless, looking less like the jovial friend I knew, and more like a man burdened by an unspeakable grief. His eyes were tainted with unshed tears, hinting at the silent battle raging within him. Razel had always been an open book. That he tried to conceal his emotions this time was an unprecedented sign of his deep turmoil. "Please," to my surprise, he dropped his knees to the ground, his voice just above a whisper and heavy with emotio
"So, you choose her over me then?" Razel clarified before he scoffed. "Okay," he nodded. "I get it now. But remember this day and for the rest of your life, Brother Ezra. 'Cause this is going to be the last time I call and accept you as my brother. Go to hell!" His words were a bit harsh, unreasonable, and backstabbing, but he was still my stepbrother. Nothing can change that fact no matter how many times he misunderstood me. No matter how many hurtful words he is going to throw at me. If not because our professor went into the room, our awkward conversation could have extended further. Razel was a bit drunk. And I believe he will not stop nagging me unless he gets what he wants. Sad to say, enough is enough. I have been a good brother to him since then. And I am done understanding and giving everyone their chances. Later that night, I mustered my courage and trekked my uncertainty toward our pack village. I did not bring Felise with me, not because we are still
"What are you doing here?" Razel asked in a furious tone. His eyes were even blazing in flame upon seeing me in front of their house. Mom and his new mate already welcomed me every time I visit them so I did not find it hard to get into their village. I met a few werewolf guardians wandering the streets but they already recognized my wolf. So they let me in without growling at me. But mom and her mate were not in the house at the moment. And it's a good thing because I don't want her to worry about us having intense misunderstandings. "I want to talk to you about something, Razel. Can we, please?" I smiled at him, ignoring the growing tension between us. "I already found a part-time job. And sooner or later, I can move out of Felise's apartment." "Do you think I care?" Razel growled. "Get out of my sight before I ask the werewolf guardians to drag you out of the village, Ezra. Go to hell." Razel was about to shut the door but I blocked it using my bare hand. It was
The unexpected revelation hung between us. She let go of my hand and hugged her arms about herself. Felise and her wolf were always strong, always resilient - but right now I could see the flame of fortitude flickering in her eyes. She was searching for a counter-argument, but I had left no room for debate. "I'm so sorry, Felise," I murmured, my breath hitching. She swallowed hard, nodding in silence. Understanding had swept through, but acceptance still lingered on the boundaries. After a few moments, she whispered, "I see…" Her voice held a pain that told me the conversation was over. In a bustling world of minute sounds, the sonorous ring of the school bell echoed through the vast corridors, reverberating against the brick walls, marking the igniting fuse of the beginning of the first morning class. The once tranquil morning was now alive with a mixture of vitality and chaos, as hundreds of lively young students, like atoms in a state of constant mo
Glester could tell my mind was troubled, and he gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, genuine concern evident in his voice. Before saying a word, I faked a smile, feeling relieved to have someone to confide in. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. My stepbrother... He was just mad at me about something. But he will be fine soon." Glester nodded, understanding the weight behind my words. "People say things in the heat of the moment, but that doesn't mean we should let it define us," he reassured me. "You're stronger than that, my friend." His words struck a chord within me, and I felt a glimmer of hope. Glester had always been the voice of reason, and I knew he spoke from his heart. "You're right," I admitted, a small smile forming. "We are a family, and we'll overcome this." With his comforting presence by my side, I felt encouraged as we approached the parking lot. Just as we were about to reach the parking lot, Isadora and Felise are a
"Say something, Isadora," Felise said on my behalf. "Ask them something. Anything." I was about to say something but upon sensing the twenty wolves that vibrated the surface of the ground approaching in our direction, my lips were nailed all of a sudden. No. There were more than twenty werewolves if I have to count them one by one. The tension in the air was palpable as we stood our ground, ready to defend ourselves against any sudden attack. Isadora stepped forward and addressed the rogue wolf who stood at the forefront of the pack. "Does your pack leader, by any chance, know Alpha Alexander, our pack alpha?" she asked, her voice steady despite the underlying tension. The rogue wolf hesitated, his eyes darting between us. His indecision spoke louder than words, signaling that our instincts were right—we had stumbled upon the right place and the right pack. Isadora saw an opportunity in the rogue wolf's hesitation and decided to negotiate. "We seek an audience with your pack lea
Those were the last incident that my eyes managed to witness before my body finally gave up. I don't know what was going on with me when my entire body felt completely numbed but my brain still functions. I felt somone's hands reached out to my head and arms. They gently lifted my body and feels likean eternity, I could feel a hard but flat surface that touched the back part. of my body. Their conversation was loud and clear to me at first, but as time passes by, my brain began to give up as well. Perhaps it has something to do with the large amount of blood that was excreted of by body. A few hours later, Aric and I exchanged sharp glances for a few seconds, his eyes locked onto mine with a mischievous smile playing on his lips. I couldn't quite decipher his intentions, and confusion furrowed my brow. Rolling my eyes in response, I glanced around the room, taking in my surroundings. It was then that I realized I was lying on a mattress, half-naked. Panic surged t
"You are the ones who killed me in the first place, Mom, Dad. My happiness. My rights. And on top of that, my future. What kind of parents do that to their daughter? I'm so sorry if I disrupted your peaceful dinner." Before I could lose my love and respect for my parents, I evacuated the house with a heavy heart and endless tears. There are no more words or courage left in me that could convince them. So I decided to focus on building my second family which is the pack the way Ezra and I wanted it to be. Piece by piece, we achieve a few things on our bucket list. Our numbers increased to a hundred. Three days later, our fifty became a hundred, and a hundred became a thousand in a matter of days with the help of Razel's pack and Ezra's endless effort to solve every problem every time we encountered one. On top of that, we haven't heard anything from the rest of the packs around us either, giving us enough time to become strong. For me to become the best version of
"No," Ezra blurted, "Let's stick with the plan. Baptism and the Mating Night. Rust will help you guys with the flow of the events. I'll be patrolling the perimeter to make sure the plan succeeds tonight." Right after insisting, Ezra shifted into a wolf and ran away. Yes. Running away would be the perfect definition of what he thinks he's doing right now. He wants to hide his feelings - that he was hurting by the fact that I am going to mate his stepbrother. I know Ezra more than anyone in the world. His pain was excruciatingly unbearable that was why he could not bear to see me getting mated to Razel. All though it was his plan in the first place, he didn't want to turn back on his words even if his stepbrother already confessed to us the possibility of not getting anything from their pack. As soon as Ezra was gone out of my sight, Rust ordered us to begin the baptism. Right after the successful baptism of the Crescent moon pack, I found myself in the middle o
"How about let's prove that your alpha is useless? Kill them all!" Alexander ordered his wolves before he shifted into one. His boisterous growls produced mild movements of the ground, scaring the hell out of everyone, including Ezra and Razel. Before anyone could lay their claws and fangs on my pack members, I jumped on top of Alexander and landed alongside Ezra and Razel. My desire to kill washed over me while shifting the color of my eyes. We already lost two of our pack members. Those numbers all end there. Alexander and his wolves were taken aback when I growled louder than him. My growls did not just produce continuous movements on the ground and shoo all the wild animals around us but shook off everyone's nerves. There was this strange energy that surged in every fiber of my muscle, reverberating through me like a bolt of lightning. I could even feel my claws and fangs increase in size. Sharpened by the seconds. The brown hair attached to my body refl
"No, I highly doubt that," Ezra replied, compared to me and Razel, his voice still filled with hope. "There is another group of wolves a few meters away from the house. They have Mom and your father in that car." That makes sense. My senses were focused only on those werewolves above us. Diverting my heightened senses away from them did not even come to mind. Indeed, there, not far away from the house, stood ten more of Alexander's pack, surrounding the car where Razel's parents are held captives. Ezra's werewolf instincts about Rustom holding them alive were precisely right. Rustom had his motive for letting them stay alive. That also makes me wonder why Alexander agreed to help us save Razel's parents in exchange for Lance. Does that mean he also had his motive for keeping Lance? If there was one, what could it be? But no matter what that is, I must be prepared. "There were thirty werewolves in total surrounding us right now," one of our new members conf
"What will happen to them?" I asked those security guards who dragged me to the parking lot and hopped me into someone's black BMW car by force. Then we took off. "Don't give me that kind of glance, old man." I continued, this time, with a demanding tone, "You knew something. What does Aric wants from them?" "We don't know what Alpha Aric wants from them exactly, but I heard it will not do good to both of them..." As the old man kept on talking, I kept my eyes glancing in and out of the car, especially the direction we were heading. Based on my quick observation, we are not heading to my apartment, my parents' place, or Aric's den, but to the airport. Behind me, if I am not mistaken, were two large luggage bags. What's going on? I know what I did was unforgivable. But are they planning to separate me from Ezra? No. Aric is going to kill them. We still have an unfinished business with Alexander. And we just built our own pack. I must do something because my
Ezra nodded, "Simply because I closed my eyes back then. What if they notice and attack us all of a sudden?" he replied. I don't know if he was simply teasing me or not with his response. His overflowing rage toward me twenty seconds ago, but our ten long seconds kiss, melted and turned into a fine blushing. However, it does not change the fact that he wanted me to mate with his stepbrother. "Sorry," I uttered softly, "But I'm afraid my wolf cannot mate Razel right now, Ezra." "May I know the reason?" he insisted, his voice started to calm down as well. Perhaps he already confirmed that those wolves just passed by were already gone. There was no other way they could have sensed anyone's presence underneath the abandoned house because Ezra and Razel securely surrounded the place with human poop and other disgusting smells to distract a werewolf's heightened sense of smell. Even if we were outside sitting inside the car, they could bearly trace us either because
Ezra's serious expression cut deeper into my heart. However, my instinct senses something more than meets the eye. It seems to me that he had something in mind that he was afraid for me to know. A part of me wanted to ask him about it but I know today is not the best time to push it through. Ezra still has something in his mind. He had to save his Mom to be able to make peace with his stepbrother. Let alone we still need to negotiate with Alexander which I still found not an assurance that their parents are still alive a the moment. That one concern alone could turn everything upside down. The best thing I can do for myself right now is to support Ezra's plan. In order to help Ezra build the pack, my wolf must address the mess I made at the wedding first. I don't want to pour fuel into Ezra's blazing fire so I must make sure he or Razel do not get involved with it. So I proposed to Ezra to explain to us about the Crescent pack. Part of his job being my advisor is
As soon as I reached the middle part of the red carpet, my feet lost their will to move forward. My throat dried all of a sudden accompanied by the tears in my eyes flooding my cheeks. "Ezra, please, save me. I can't do this anymore." I uttered to myself. Everyone in the wedding venue, most especially the groom, furrowed when I simply looked him in the eye. Doubts were apparently displayed all over my face. The moon goddess seemed to have heard my impossible prayer when everyone's attention was shifted onto someone else - to the person who just slammed the door of the church open. I slowly turned around and found a familiar face. Though his entire face was covered in sweat and dirt, my instinct can never get mistaken. My knight in shining armor just arrived a bit late but it was the thought that counts. "Razel," I softly mumbled his name. Even though he was not my true knight in shining armor, it was the thought that counted for me. I don't what exactly happene
"Right," Razel nodded his head, "Aric and his men will be out the entire day to attend the wedding. It will be our only chance to achieve the plan. Ezra and I must take the opportunity of them being gone to search for Lance in his den. Is that what you mean by it, Brother Ezra?" "It is the only way I could think of we could save our parents, Felise." Ezra agreed. "We hope you understand that. Please, do me a favor. I need you to get married to Aric tomorrow." My heart feels like I was left all alone and got sunk into the bottom of the wide blue ocean that the two could do such a thing to me as though none of them considered how I might feel about it. I want to save their parents as much as they do, but I did not expect it to be this way - hurting me badly. Selling me to the wolf whom I hated the most. On top of that, my love and care for Ezra was unconditional. I may have promised him that my wolf would do everything to make him happy, but no matter how hard I try