HUNTERI was angry. No, anger was an understatement compared to what I was feeling. I felt a mixture of rage, frustration and something much darker. I sat in my room, the coldness of the floor doing nothing to calm my anger. I knew someone had been in my room and I did not think it would have been Justin. The scent was faint but undeniable. It was Justin. That bastard. It all made sense now. How Justin had been so chill about Astrid hanging around me at first. How he had not protested when I said I wanted to show her something. I should have known he was up to no good. And now, Astrid knew the truth. She knew I had been Audrey’s mate. The thought of it made me laugh, but it was not the truth or her realization that stung. Me being Audrey’s mate did not matter anymore. Not like it once did. I only wanted Astrid- just her. Audrey was dead and gone, the feelings I had for her was nothing compared to my feelings and obsession with Astrid. At first I thought I only liked her, but now
ASTRIDMy mind felt heavy and weighed down with everything that had happened. I was tired- so tired. I was officially done with trusting anyone that was not Justin, it did not get me anywhere anyways, all it brought was heartbreak and betrayal. I was seated on the bleachers, my knees pulled up to my chest, not far from where Justin could see me as he went to practice. A few time when my thoughts wanted to spiral out of control and my head wanted to remind me of what had happened, I would hear him in my mind, his voice and words thereby calming me down.“Don't think about thay asshole, baby. Think about me instead,” his voice echoed softly in my mind. The second I thought about him, a blush made its way to my face as I remembered what had happened last night in the shower. However, when practice started, Hunter sauntered into the field and my heart dropped the second I saw him. His eyes met mine and I felt like my breathe was knocked out of me. And once again I heard Justin’s voice
JUSTINAfter I made sure Astrid was fine, I excused myself from the room and I headed to my father’s office. The moment I walked into the office, Astrid’s father was already seated there. My father was seated behind his desk, sorting through files, his expression unreadable. The atmosphere was tense, thick with the kind of weight only bad news could bring. “Dad, I want to know everything Hunter. What is his deal, his father and his pack and if Astrid is in danger,” I let out not wanting to waste any time, I needed to know everything about Hunter and his father. More than anything, I needed to know if Astrid was in danger. “Sit,” my father said as he gestured to the chair, his voice calm but firm and I sat down across from Astrid’s father. He brought a file from his drawer and gave it to me, its edges was worn out as if it had been handled many times before. I opened it, my eyes scanning the documents and filling in details I didn’t yet know. As I flipped through the file my father
ASTRIDI thought I knew what pain was. I thought I had seen everything there was to see except death. But, maybe death would be a mercy compared to this, maybe it was the only way to stop all these from happening. Maybe Hunter was right to want to kill me. Maybe that would stop the endless spiral of pain and confusion and hurt I was drowning in. How could they have hidden this from me all these years? The people I trusted the most, the people who were supposed to love me unconditionally had built my life on a lie. No wonder they had been so quick to throw me aside the second I was locked up and left to it without a second thought. But the biggest question gnawing at me now was- did Justin know? Was he aware? Was he part of the deception? Could he have kept something this important from me, just like everyone else? I was sure his parents knew. The thought of him knowing tore through my chest as I stared at the picture on my phone, my vision blurring from the tears that were streaming
JUSTIN“Justin, slow down,” my father called out as I yanked open the driver’s side door. I looked over the roof of the car at him, but I could not stop moving, could not stop the rapid beating of my heart or the surge of adrenaline pulsing through me. She was out there, and I had no idea where.“I’m not slowing down,” I muttered, the engine roaring to life as I threw the car into gear. My father barely had time to get in before I hit the gas, driving out of the house and making for Hunter’s house.For her, I would do anything, even if it meant killing Hunter. I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that Astrid was somewhere, hurting because of this one guy. Here I was, thinking we had made progress- real progress. She didn’t flinch anymore when I touched her, she didn’t hate me anymore, and sometimes, I even got to see her smile. That was my sole mission, to see that the only tears that came from her eyes were from happiness and not pain. But tonight, the walls she had built so hig
ASTRIDAs soon as I stepped into the house, I began to panic and looked about for any sign of life. Everywhere I looked, there were people I knew and others I had never seen before. As they hurried to me, their faces blended together and they started asking me endless questions about where I had been. But the blood was all I could think about, and that was all in my head. And that one person that I didn’t see. “Where is he?" With my voice hardly audible, I asked. I was filled with fear as I realized that I had no idea where he was or whether he was okay. I pushed past everyone and headed up the stairs, following the trail of blood as my heart raced and knot formed in my stomach. When the blood stopped, I threw open the door. I paused in the doorway, the sight in front of me bringing my whole world to a halt. In addition to having bandages all over his body and a pale, sweat covered face, Justin was unconscious as he laid in bed. His mother was beside him, her eyes swollen and re
RAINAMy mother’s voice cut like a knife through the tension filled air. “You let her leave, Raina! How could you have let that girl slip away? Do you know what you have done?”I tried to maintain a neutral, blank expression as I stood in the corner of the room, my fingers tugging at the hem of my sweater. But my stomach churned inside. “I didn’t let her leave, mom. She’s not stupid. If we killed her off just like that, everyone would be suspicious. She needs to trust me first and let her guard down. Then it’ll hurt more when it happens. “Trust?” My mother scoffed, eyes narrowing as she moved closer to me. “That’s a stupid suggestion and you think she’ll trust you now, after running away like that? She didn’t even leave through the front door, Raina. She went through the window. She must have known something was off.”I gritted my teeth and pretended not to feel anything. Astrid would have noticed something, of course. She was too aware, too cautious, always looking over her shoulder
ASTRIDBest news of the year. Hell, best news of my life. She loves me.Astrid, the girl who always made my heart race, who kept me awake at night, and haunted my thoughts whether she was around or not, had finally confessed to loving me back. I felt a raw, powerful feeling go through my veins as soon as she finished speaking. A high I hadn't felt in years. It was taking up all of my mental space, making the physical anguish I was experiencing seem unreal and distant. I forced myself up, scowling at the way the stitches were pulling at my flesh, ignoring the pulsating pain in my ribs. Astrid, always the worrier, immediately moved to get me to lay back down. She attempted to gently lead me back to the bed by saying, "Justin, you're still hurt." But I would have none of it. Grabbing her wrist, I pulled her in until she was inches from my face. I could smell her skin, that subtle aroma that always made me crazy, and I could feel the warmth of her breath. She made an effort to make me