My heart is beating like a drum in my chest. So fast and so loud it's the only thing I hear while my legs hit the ground. I told Damon not to follow me as that would rise questions, but now, the closer I get to the fight, the more I regret not having him near me. I don't know how to fight, how to protect myself in wolf form. The quick bloodshed of an attack. The cracking of bones. The screams of the dying ones. I've only seen it once and I died for it.Just as I pass the last tree that separates me from the river, Nala whispers something and my body suddenly freezes. She took control over it and my breathing slows down, the muscles relax and contract while she gets used to them. That gives me time to look at the massacre in front of me. Not even the worst attacks from before compare to this. The blood is flowing into the river, giving the blue waters a terrifying shade of red. Bodies that seem half broken are gathered around the wolves that are still standing to fight, with claws and
The adrenaline of the fight still runs through my veins by the time we finish the meeting with the Alpha and I'm about to just walk to the city and take a taxi home when Axel stops me. I feel the electrifying power of the bond when he touches me, but I push it away."I know it feels like you're fine now, but if you don't rest, you'll regret it tomorrow.""Really, I'm fine." I say, but he just laughs."As a favor to me, just an hour. And if you feel good after, I'll drive you home or I'll walk with you." He pleads and I give in, more to just show him how invincible of a badass I am.Once in his room, he starts running a bath, dropping essential oils in like a witch brewing potions. He laughs when I point that out, but swears that he knows what he's doing."Take this before you get in. I'll bring some food from downstairs." He hands me an aspirin and then leaves the room. I can't help but stay frozen for a minute, looking at the closed door with a void inside my chest. I hate him. I don
"I won't have you training her, Axel. Mates go easy on each other, but rogues won't. Taking in consideration Rose's history with Caroline, she's the closest we can get to an actual enemy." The Alpha dismisses Axel's protests pretty fast and looks at me waiting for me to say something too. But I am as silent as a grave. I won't like training with Caroline, but the more I spend around her, the more I can keep an eye out for her family."You haven't trained until now. So we have to move fast. Since you're mates, people from other packs will take interest in you. You need to be prepared." Caroline seems annoyed as hell so I assume this entire thing wasn't her idea."I remember fighting pretty well yesterday. I certainly have less scratches than some of your warriors." A smile lingers on my lips as I wait for her reply."Don't be cocky! You got lucky, once.""I'm not cocky. I'm telling you I trained. Alone, since I couldn't do it with the pack. And sure, I may need to improve, but don't lo
"Not a chance!" Diana shakes her head. "Do you know how rare it is that I like a girl this asshole brings home? Very! So no way I'll let you kill yourself so soon!""It's a few drinks, Diana, not playing with a guillotine..." I laugh, looking at Damon, who took great offense in her comment about his romantic conquests."It's playing with fire, that's what it is."I didn't expect to start hanging out with Caroline either, but we also agreed that I should keep my friends close and my enemies even closer."Do you have a better idea?" I ask her, even though I take a quick glance at Damon too. He has been awfully quiet since I came over, which is unusual from him. I don't think he even noticed me looking as he just stares in the distance."Give me the Beta's number. I'll have an affair with him!" Diana huffs and puffs as she circles around the room."He's married, Di. And twice your age.""You'd be surprised how many pack members try to hit on rogues in the city. Especially the married one
#Caroline's perspective#After the training is over, I look over at Axel. He didn't have to say anything or act any differently. As always, I knew he had something on his mind. I always know. Before, it was his father being an asshole, but ever since his mother's death, it became deeper, more painful. Like a void in his chest.Sometimes, when the forest is quiet and we are on patrol, our eyes lock and for a brief second I can feel it too."Before you start ranting, I want to say something. You have the worst possible taste in women! What on earth were you thinking allowing Tania to pull you into the janitor closet?"Despite the sadness surrounding him, he laughs."I was bored and I wanted sex, my darling. And since my girlfriend won't do it with me, I will take it from someplace else."Girlfriend... My heart skips a beat when he says it now. And I hate it. When we agreed on this charade, I told myself a kiss or two for show won't mean anything. Sitting on his lap during the history cl
"You play dirty!" Caroline complains after I throw her off my back, right into a tree. She took her human form before I could even turn around, so I look away in an instant. "For the love of the Moon Goddess, you need to stop that! There's nothing here that you didn't see before! Now take your human form!"I have a few choice words at the idea, but unfortunately she is right and I just have to get used to seeing naked people all the time. It's either this or... her other idea. Apparently, if you don't grow out of this shyness by the time you are eighteen, you are ordered to walk around the pack grounds watching bad porn at full volume for an entire week. Hard to be embarrassed around people that have seen you like that..."You know, I've never seen people actually do it.""Oh, Goddess! No one does. Can you imagine the horror?" Caroline shakes her head and inspects the tree that she just hit. A few branches are broken and there's a deep scratch on her back that's healing quite fast. "Y
"I need you!" Axel whispers in between sharp breaths. "I want you!"My back hits the bed, bare as the shirt I was wearing was lost in the hallway, torn to pieces by the fire that was burning between us. Axel jumps on top of me, struggling to escape the prison of his clothes without taking his eyes off of me."Fuck it!" He shouts before ripping his shirt off with the claws that are now shinning in the dimly lit room. The pants get shreded too, falling in small pieces all around the floor. His eyes darken as he allows the animal inside to take control and his heartbeat gets calmer. He freezes for a second, a hunter holding his breath, waiting for me to make one move before he could devour."Axel!" I whisper, not wanting to stop even for a second.Because if I stopped, then the regret, the doubts, the cold harsh logic would was over me and the fire that is burning my chest would turn to ashes. And maybe that would be for the better. Maybe if I do that, I won't feel like shit tomorrow mor
"No!" The Alpha doesn't wait for me to finish my sentence. I am quite certain he was preparing to reject whatever my request was going to be from the moment I entered his office. And as I point that out, he laughs."You have a certain look on your face when you're about to ask something outrageous, Rose. It's like you get excited at the prospect of outraging me.""And yet, every request I made proved to be advantageous to the pack. Don't think I haven't heard that the Alphas are fighting for audiences with you. I don't even ask to come with you. Yet. I just want to make a semi-official visit to two packs. Two. It's not that bad.""You're asking me to send someone who wasn't even entirely part of the pack a year ago on a diplomatic visit to our closest allies. Without an explanation."Ah, yes... The explanations. Everyone wants one ever since I got Nala and started to screw with the rogues more than three generations of packs before ever could. And the more time passes, the more relent