His answer seems simple, but it confuses me even more. His eyes meet mine and there is a sincere look in his eyes. I keep his gaze and we stay like that for a few minutes. I notice that he has green spots in his brown eyes. I would cast him as the alpha. He is way more attractive than Tyler. And nicer. Jake gives me a smirk and I avert my eyes. I feel a blush making its way up my cheeks and I stand up, retrieving the first aid kit.Seriously, Emily? You cannot start liking this guy. You're going to die in any way."I should replace those bandages. I don't want those wounds to get infected." I sit on my knees on the bed, inching closer to see which distance Jake feels comfortable with. He is more conscious than before, so I doubt that I will get away with being as close as before.I stop when Jake is within arm’s reach. This is not too close and Jake does not seem to be bothered.I remove the bandages from his forehead and cheek. I need to put them somewhere and the nightstand is the c
"Kate, wait up," Allison calls from behind me. I pivot to her with my sports bag over my shoulder. She hurries over to me with parts of cardboard boxes in her arms. What is she going to do with that?"Yeah?" I take a subtle look at my watch. I still have volleyball practice. I turn my eyes to her while I cross my arms.She invited me to sit with them when lunch arrived, asking like it was just another day. She never apologized for throwing me away or for believing Tyler instead of me. She assumes we are best buds again, forgetting what had happened."A few of us are making signs for the game tonight. You are welcome to join us tonight." She sounds excited. I was not aware of the game tonight. I'm also guessing that the "us" refers to the other girls from the pack."I'll see." I turn and start to the back of the school where the volleyball court is. She grabs my arm and pulls me back to her. I look at her with an arched brow."Why are you like this? You didn't talk to me during lunch. Y
I sit next to Allison and her friends who have made signs with cardboard pieces. They can barely contain their excitement. This is the first game and it's a home game. The atmosphere is filled with excitement and liveliness.The other school chants when their cheerleaders make their way onto the field. Our side of the bleachers erupts into cheering when our cheerleaders run out. I smile and give Cora a thumbs-up. She grins and returns her focus to the cheerleaders."Mind if I sit here?" I look to my side and see Wesley. I nod and motion for him to sit. "Thanks." He sits next to me and leans back, sighing."Are you all right?" He groans as he folds his arms over his chest."No. Jake's playing tonight," he says with irritation."What? He's in no shape to play." I snap my eyes to the field to look for Jake. I cannot believe he is going to play. That wanker!"I know," Wesley exclaims. I squint my eyes, trying to find Jake. I know he has his werewolf healing, but there is no way he is fully
As I wander through the school halls, Dad's casual reminder that it's Friday echoes in my mind. A sigh escapes me when I round the corner, the weight of the day pressing heavily on my shoulders. There’s so much to do.The cheerleading tryouts are at the top of my list. If I want to join the squad, I need to prove myself just like everyone else. I understand why Miss T said to do tryouts since it would be unfair to the girls who did not make the squad if I just joined without any tryouts.First, I need to find Cora to arrange everything. But she’s nowhere to be found. Where on earth is she? I’ve checked her classes and the restroom. No luck.I know she was at school earlier—I saw her talking to Oliver this morning. Something is going on with the two of them.Those two are going through it lately, fighting over the pettiest things. I think Oliver might like some other bird. Bianca or someone.Only one place left to check.I hurry down the hall, out of the building, and toward the cheerlea
Anna lent me her tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt. I didn’t have time to go home and change, so this will have to do for now.I stretch while waiting for Cora. She is the captain of the squad, so she will be the judge today. Some of the other cheerleaders came to support me after they heard I would be trying out this afternoon."Kate?" I turn my head to the girl who called me. I turn toward the girl who addressed me. I’ve seen her before. She helped with the routine before Tuesday’s game."Yes," I answer, walking towards her. "You ready for this? Cora is running late so I will be the judge. You're going to do the routine we did Tuesday but on a different song. Easy." She gestures behind her, and a guy wheels a massive speaker onto the basketball court.The girl connects her phone to the speaker and tilts her head, waiting for me."I'm ready," I say with confidence. Hopefully, Kate’s muscle memory kicks in because I barely know this routine.I nod my head to indicate I am ready."Panda"
My father sits on the couch in the living room. He takes a sip from his tea while he reads a book. The cover bears a strange, intricate symbol—the kind you might expect to see in a werewolf lore book. My curiosity flickers. Does my dad know something about werewolves?"Well, someone looks quite handsome," I joke when I fall next to my dad. He lets out a warm laugh and puts the book down."I tried my best. You think your mother will like it?" He stands up and does a little spin to show off his outfit. It’s a crisp navy suit paired with polished shoes that gleam in the dim light.I can't help but laugh, nodding my head. I stretch my legs out in front of me, grunting when they cramp. I am starting to doubt that I will be able to make it through a whole night parading around the fair."Mum is going to love the new suit." He grins, picking up the book again and tracing the pages to find his spot."Where are you going tonight?" He asks without looking up. I rest my head against the couch and
The brightness of the fair blinds me for a moment. I blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the glow of the lights and the vibrant chaos of the crowd. The air buzzes with the hum of conversations, laughter, and the occasional shriek from a nearby ride. It’s far more crowded than I anticipated and the sheer volume of people adds an overwhelming energy to the scene.We pass one of the speakers and the music blasts through the speakers. Jake clamps his hands over his ears, wincing. I can feel the bass vibrating within me. The poor thing with his werewolf hearing. I guess all good things have their pros and cons."Let's go over there," I scream as I point to an empty table next to a few stalls. Jake nods and follows me to the empty table. He barely removes his hands from his ears, listening for a while, and then he drops his arms to his side. He groans and leans back on the table, supporting himself with his hands. "I don't want to be here," he says and I hum in agreement."Where is Wes?" I
The guy hands me the gun. I grip it firmly, my palms a little damp. I know how to shoot things that stand still, but moving targets.That’s a whole different game.Focus on one at a time and wait for it to get to the middle. Pull the trigger one second before the target comes in.That can only be Kate or the author. Both? I roll my shoulders and stand firmly, gun pointing to the mini versions of those targets at a shooting range.I nod my head to signal that I'm ready. A whirring sound erupts from the machines and the targets start to swing from side to side. I focus on my breathing and aim, waiting for the target to come into my line of vision. I exhale.Okay, and one. I pull the trigger and hit the target. It falls to the ground and I cheer."First question." I'm not the best at multi-tasking, so I have to concentrate harder. I aim again and Jake speaks up."Do you really, truly hate Tyler?" I shoot and hit another target, not the one I was aiming for, but I hit something at least.
Jake has never loved anything the way he loves her.From the moment he first saw her, mouth set in a scowl, calling Tyler an asshole for being a dick to Allison, he knew she was different. She wasn’t afraid of them. Of him. And when she nearly tripped in Art class, he caught her. His hands steadying her waist. That was when it hit him.Mate.He ignored it. Pushed it down. But he felt it, deep in his bones, something undeniable and terrifying all at once. He tried to stay away, tried not to look at her, but Kate was Kate. She was impossible to ignore. He remembers her at that party, wearing something that made his chest feel tight, the way she swung at Max without hesitation. He helped her clean up afterward.He remembers giving her his black leather jacket, the way she wore it like she was meant to, like it belonged to her more than it ever did to him. The way she clutched it around herself when she was cold, breathing in his scent like it was her favorite thing in the world. He rem
Emily jolted awake.Her heart was pounding. Her breath coming too fast as her hands clenched so tight in the sheets that her knuckles ached. Her chest heaved, lungs dragging in air like she’d been drowning in her sleep. Her alarm was blaring. For a moment, she couldn’t move. It took her a moment to register where she wasThe room was still dark, the faint glow of London’s streetlights seeping through the curtains.Her dorm. London. The familiar walls, the soft hum of city traffic outside her window, the faint scent of her vanilla candle still lingering from the night before.Not the cold ground soaked in blood. Not Jake screaming for help.She was finally home.Kate. Emily sat up so fast she almost knocked over the half-empty tea cup on her nightstand. Her fingers fumbled as she grabbed her phone, unlocking it with shaking hands.Did she die?Did Kate die?Her thumb tapped the Wattpad app, breath caught somewhere in her throat. The screen loaded slowly, the WiFi deciding now of all
The ground is cold beneath me. I feel it pressing against my back, the rough bite of dirt and leaves. But it doesn’t hurt. Nothing does. There’s just a strange and heavy sensation in my chest, like someone has reached inside and stolen the air from my lungs.I hear Jake before I see him.Not his voice. His snarl.It doesn’t sound human. It doesn’t even sound werewolf. It’s something deeper, darker, like the embodiment of every nightmare, every fear, every unholy thing clawing its way to the surface.And then. Blaire’s screams.This is different. This is fear. Raw. Terrified. Begging.“Jake. Jake, please! Wait—”The sound that follows is wet. A sickening crack. A choked gurgle.Then silence.I stare up at the sky, feeling the edges of my vision flicker. The stars look sharper than usual, like someone took a knife to the sky and carved them out. I wonder if that means I’m dying.Jake is there.I don’t even register him moving. One second, he was ripping Blaire apart. The next, he’s abo
The battle rages on around me, the scent of blood thick in the air and it mixes with the damp earth beneath my boots. My breath is ragged and my arms aching, but I keep moving. I have to find Jake.Gunfire cracks in the distance, each shot sending a sharp jolt through my body. The screams, the growls, the clash of metal against flesh. It all forms a deafening, chaotic symphony that threatens to drown me. I shove through the dense trees as my eyes dart between the shifting shadows. I squint my eyes when I see a figure on the ground.Bianca.My stomach drops. Blood pools beneath her, seeping into the dirt. I rush forward and fall to my knees beside her. Her breathing is shallow, her hands weakly pressing against the wound in her abdomen."Shit," I mutter, tearing at my gear, my fingers fumbling for the small vial of antidote Wes gave me.The forest blurs. The air thickens, the sound of battle dulls into something distant, something unimportant. In its place, I hear another voice. A me
The explosion tears through the forest, a burst of heat and fire erupting in the darkness. The shockwave slams into me like a physical force and knocks the air from my lungs. The ground trembles beneath my feet as flames roar to life, licking up the trees.The blast illuminates the night in an instant, casting flickering shadows. The pack scatters, dodging falling embers and diving for cover as smoke curls into the air.For a split second, there’s nothing but ringing in my ears. Muffled shouts. The distant snap of branches. The crackling of fire eating through the dry leaves.The sharp crack of bullets pierces the chaos, but the pack is ready. They move like shadows, weaving between trees and bushes. A hunter barely has time to react before Tyler slams into him and takes him to the ground with a growl.Jake’s hand slips from mine as he launches himself forward. I watch him transform as he runs to the nearest hunters. I stay low, keeping myself hidden behind the undergrowth. My heart
The pack house is buzzing with quiet, focused energy when Jake and I step inside. Every single person is here. Some are standing in tense groups while others are sitting with protective gear. The air is thick with anticipation.Across the room, Allison and Tyler are deep in conversation with a small group. Among them, Oliver and Bianca stand slightly apart, listening intently.Oliver notices me first. His gaze flickers in my direction and I give him a small smile, lifting my fingers in a wave. He hesitates before nodding back with a slight smile.Jake keeps walking, guiding me toward the far end of the room, where Wes is hunched over a makeshift lab setup. His hands move quickly, mixing liquids, analyzing samples. He is so focused he barely registers us approaching.“How close are you?” Jake asks.Wes exhales sharply. “Very.” He doesn’t look up, instead pointing to a row of vials in front of him. “I’ve narrowed it down, but I need fresh human blood to test the final component.”“Take
The drive to the pack’s hideout is quiet, the hum of the engine blending with the distant sounds of the night. The road twists through dense forest, barely visible from the main highway. It’s a place only a few know about, tucked away behind thick trees and old, winding paths. I do not think I would be able to find it again on my own. Jake drives with one hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily on my hand which is on his thigh. My thumb moves in slow circles and he has a soft smile on his lips. By the time we pull up to the hidden pack house, my heart feels heavier. Jake parks in a concealed spot near the pack house. I unzip the bag on my lap and take out Jake’s clothes before getting my own. I place the bag back on the ground, careful not to wrinkle my dress. It’s ridiculous, really/ Considering everything we’ve just done, you’d think I wouldn’t care so much about keeping it pristine. But I do.Jake just watches, his lips twitching in that quiet but amused way of his.“What?”
I sigh in content as I press my forehead to Jake, still catching my breath. His hands are steady on my hips. He is holding me like he’s in no rush to let me go.“All right,” I mumble, shifting slightly. “I should probably get off now.” Jake just hums, but he makes no move to help.I try again and pushes lightly against his chest, but my legs feel like jelly. Plus, the position is… not ideal for an easy exit. I let out a soft huff. “Jake.”He lets out a quiet laugh as his hands move from my waist and place them under my thighs. Then, with zero effort, he picks me up and moves me onto the passenger seat like I weigh nothing.“Show off,” I mutter, adjusting my dress.He smirks and runs a hand through his hair. “You were taking too long.”I just shake my head, but there’s a grin tugging at my lips. I glance down at my thigh before I grab a tissue from my purse.“Lovely,” I say flatly. “Thanks for that.”Jake leans his head back against the seat, watching me with that quiet amusement. “Y
We move quickly but quietly toward Jake’s truck, my heart pounding in my chest. The night air is cool against my skin, but it does nothing to calm the heat inside me. We hurry into the truck and Jake starts the engine before he maneuvers the truck toward the farthest corner of the parking lot.The moment he shifts into park, his lips are on mine again. I sigh into the kiss as my hand moves over his chest to settle on his neck. His hands roam my waist before he pulls me onto his lap, making me gasp.“Jake,” I scold between kisses, pressing my hands to his chest. “Be careful with the dress.”He chuckles, low and deep, his breath warm against my neck. “I’ve got you,” he murmurs, fingers tracing the fabric slowly before he lifts it just enough.A giggle escapes me as he shifts my underwear aside. His touch sends shivers up my spine. “I’ve never done this in a car before,” I admit, breathless. The space feels both thrilling and awkward, the newness of it making me giddy.“I’ll take care o