-Corrine-The first thing that crossed my mind when I heard my mother’s scream was to shift and run towards Wesgrove. My hand gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned red and hot. My mind went blank. This was all my fault. Now I had to go and save my mother or—The phone rang again, pulling me out of the dark thoughts that had momentarily misled me. Andrew’s name appeared on the screen.“Andrew.” My voice cracked when I said his name. “Andrew, my mom—”“I know. Eva told me. That’s why I called you.”“I have to go back to Wesgrove and—”“Don’t.”“But, my mom—”“Corrine, listen to me,” Andrew called my name, but I kept talking. He then called my name several times again. He sounded firm yet calm, and I found myself swayed by the mood he created. “Breathe, baby. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”I did as he instructed. I closed my eyes and focused on each breath I took. “Now, will you listen to me?” he asked after we were silent for a few moments.“Yes.”“Good.” I hear
-Trevor-I recognized madness when I saw it. And now I saw it in my mother’s eyes.“Mom?” Hesitantly, I called her.And when she turned her head towards me, and a smile crept onto her lips, I knew she was planning something… and it was not a good one.It was Jerome who answered my question.“Your mother came to me with a great plan,” he said. He glanced at my dad’s hand on his shoulder, and reluctantly, my father retreated.“What plan?” My dad asked, and then he shifted his gaze to my mom. “What plan, Miriam?”Dad only called Mom by her first name when he was demanding an explanation or when they were in a serious conversation. And I never liked hearing it because it always meant something bad.Mom’s earlier courage seemed to dissipate the moment she made eye contact with Dad.Her voice trembled slightly, and she repeatedly looked away as she said, “I want our daughter back.”Blood rushed to Dad’s face, making it flush with anger. “She chose to leave us for that worthless boy, and you
-Andrew-I didn’t wait for them to attack me first. As soon as my transformation was complete, I jumped up and pounced on the werewolf that was closest to me.I sank my sharp teeth into his neck and tore it apart.Blood gushed out, soaking my mouth and face.Instantly, the werewolf collapsed.I wasn’t sure if he would die right away, but at least I have one less opponent.“Kill him!” I heard Jerome exclaim before he shifted and, along with the other werewolves, attacked me.I didn’t know how they knew this secret passage after all the years I’d passed through it without a problem.Maybe they deliberately made me think that this was a safe, secret route.I couldn’t possibly fight them all at once, but I could still immobilize them and then escaped from here.Too bad I couldn’t fulfill my promise to Corrine.My hands and feet moved swiftly, ripping and punching, kicking and dodging.These werewolves were good at fighting, but they couldn’t be as flexible as lycans because they had to mo
-Corrine-I had a bad feeling, and my wolf had been restless for a while. I couldn’t reach Andrew, either by phone or by mind link. Something must have happened to him, and I was nearly going crazy because there was nothing I could do except wait for news from him. I really wanted to shift and run to Wesgrove, but I remembered Andrew’s message warning me not to act rashly. What now? What should I do? “Corrine.” I jolted and turned around, finding Bent standing there. I wasn’t sure how long he had been there, but he had likely been watching me pace the hallway for some time. “Yes?” I asked. I put the phone I had been holding into my pocket and walked over to him. “Do you know where Andrew went? He hasn’t returned, even though the interrogation ended hours ago.” “I—” I was about to say that I didn’t know, but that would have been a big lie. After considering a few things, including the fact that I needed someone right now, I told Bent about my problem. Just the basics to make
-Corrine-“I can only take you this far,” said Bent, pulling the car over on the road that cut through the forest outside Moon Dust territory.I had passed this road thousands of times, but for some reason tonight it felt unfamiliar, just like my feelings now.Fear gripped me like a wolf’s claws digging into my stomach. I was coming to my pack’s territory, to meet people I had known my whole life, but there was no happiness as there should have been every time I met them.This time, my instincts were telling me to run as far away from this place as possible. But I couldn’t do that before I knew Andrew was okay.“Thank you, Bent.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and was about to open the door, but Bent stopped me with a question.“You sure you’ll be okay? I can ask the lycans for help—““No,” I refused. “My pack might hate me, but they won’t kill me.”Actually, I wasn’t sure. Even Trevor no longer considered me his sister. What hope did I have from the other pack members?But I didn’t want to
-Corrine-I took the path that cut through the forest. This path would take me to a deserted territory, so my arrival wouldn’t attract any attention and I could quietly search for Andrew.If I’m lucky, I might be able to see my house in the distance.Although I didn’t want to admit it, I missed my family. They had always supported me and now I was alone.This wasn’t the only time I questioned my decision to leave them, but the damage was done. Hopefully, someday, if the Moon Goddess gives me a chance, my family will accept me and Andrew.My train of thought was interrupted when my nose smelled something in the air. The smell of werewolves.I recognized this smell as belonging to a member of my pack, but I didn’t want to stay around just to find out who they were.I hurriedly hid behind a large tree and waited. I held my breath and didn’t move at all when I heard people talking.“I hope tonight isn’t our patrol duty. I want to go party with the others at the bar,” someone grumbled.“Ri
-Andrew-I screamed with all my might, letting the rage become power. I freed myself from the shackles and tried to charge at Jerome, but those damned warriors held me down and threw me back to the ground. Jerome quickly pulled away and took Corrine with him out of my reach.“Did you forget what I said earlier, Andrew? Do you want her to die?” Jerome placed his hand on Corrine’s chest again, digging his fingers in. A pained whimper escaped Corrine’s lips, and Jerome laughed in satisfaction.“Oh, I wish I could make her whimper in another way.” Then he ran his hand across Corrine’s chest, in a way that made Trevor roar in fury, before placing his hand on Corrine’s waist and holding her tighter.“You will pay for this, you bastard!” Trevor roared. “I swear to the Moon Goddess I will kill you!”Too late to be angry, I thought. You should have sided with Corrine from the start. What a foolish brother.That threat didn’t faze Jerome. His laughter echoed even louder. “Look who’s threatening
-Corrine-Jerome tore my clothes and skin, making me scream in pain, but I turned back his attack by delivering a forceful kick toward his groin before he could reach further into my chest and pull my heart out.A painful howl echoed from his lips. I took advantage of that moment to break free from him and ran to Andrew. Andrew welcomed me with a brief hug and a peck before he said, “Get away from here. I will handle him.”I shook my head. “No way will I leave you! We should face him together and defeat him for good!”Andrew’s gaze quickly shifted past me, and he widened his eyes. The next second, he hugged me and jumped to the side. We fell to the ground, and from within his embrace, I saw Jerome, who had shifted and was attacking us.“There’s no time to argue, Corrine! Just go!”Jerome leaped at us, and the attack made Andrew and me jump in opposite directions.Jerome growled and turned towards me. I braced myself and shifted, but he didn’t have a chance to attack me because Andrew
-Andrew-Bent dropped me back at Trevor’s house before noon, and honestly, I was a bit disappointed that no one was waiting for my arrival there. I expected Corrine to greet me and cry in my arms, worrying about me. What a stupid thought. After making sure there was nothing suspicious, no sign of an attack or anything dangerous, I walked to Golden Valley. Maybe Corrine was on campus, going to classes as usual, and she’d probably nag me when we met later. At first, I thought about contacting her through the mind link, but I decided against it. I would wait for her at Houghton Commons while having brunch. I reached into my pocket, glanced at my phone, which was dead because the battery had run out, and then put it back. For some reason, the weather today felt unbearably scorched, and it made me annoyed. My frustration grew when I found Houghton Commons crowded, and I could feel curious stares from the students there. Some of them whispered while glancing at me. Girls I didn’t know
-Andrew-The rogue attack forced all the werewolves out of their homes. I had no choice but to join the chaos. Along with the Moon Dust pack, I attacked and tried to drive the rogues away.“There are so fucking many of them!” Bent shouted amidst our fierce battle with several rogues. We were trying to stop them from destroying the houses in the territory.Bent was right. The waves of rogue attacks seemed endless, and I was almost certain this fight would never end.Then, just as I finished thinking that, suddenly all the rogues ran away as if someone had commanded them to retreat and disappear into the darkness.“What the fuck?” I muttered as I shifted back to my human form.I kept observing the forest behind the settlement, trying to spot any sign of them. But they had vanished, swallowed by the night.Not long after, Harry came up to me. His hands and face were stained with blood, but I couldn’t tell if it was his or the enemy’s.“You better go,” he said.Instead of obeying his comma
-Andrew-I saw Harry’s Adam’s apple move nervously as he swallowed. His eyes flickered, assessing the situation for a few seconds before he said, “Please arrest them.”My grin grew wider.I walked across the front yard of the Alpha’s house, my eyes locked on the three teenage girls still trying to run from me. They shifted midway, and that’s when I was sure they were the werewolves responsible for the attack and terrorizing Corrine.I recognized their wolves and remembered their scents. Rotten, like garbage.My steps quickened until I broke into a run and shifted. With one big leap, I soared through the air, jumping over the three wolves and landing right in front of them.The sound of their frightened and shocked howl was music to my ears as they realized I had caught up to them.I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. “Going somewhere?”They stood their ground and growled, then, one by one, crouched on their hind legs and leaped at me. Honestly, when I knew the culprits behind the at
-Andrew-Bent arrived just as I reached the end of the street. He pulled over and greeted me as I got in, and the car smoothly glided back into the night.“Where to?” he asked.“Moon Dust,” I replied. “They need a little reminder not to mess with my girl.”Bent had known me long enough to understand when to ask further questions and when to stay silent. Though he often acted tough towards me, he still respected me and knew his boundaries.The empty streets made the drive to Wesgrove faster than usual. The car turned into Moon Dust territory. There were two warriors standing guard at the entrance. Now that the war between us was over, they didn’t need to be overly vigilant. Our threat was now the same: the rogues. But compared to the lycans, the werewolves were more vulnerable to rogue attacks.The two warriors stood still as they saw me and Bent. They didn’t greet us, but they didn’t block our way either.I told Bent to stop the car beside them, then I rolled down the window.“Who’s i
-Corrine-No way.I almost screamed out Eva’s name, but I realized I was in the middle of a sorority house complex. Even the slightest commotion would draw people out, and they would see two giant werewolves, a young woman who might be dead, and me.My heart was pounding so hard it made my ears ringing.One of the werewolves growled at me and started to walk closer. Under the streetlight, I saw the flash of its fur. Reddish-brown. The same color as the fur of the werewolf that killed Daniel.I was too stunned to know what to do. In this situation, I remembered Andrew’s words about me not being able to take care of myself. It seemed he was right.This wasn’t because I was incapable, but the image of Jerome’s death—his blood on my hands—was still haunting me in my subconscious.The werewolf was now charging at me with its jaws wide open. It moved so fast that at that moment; I was sure I would be torn apart by its sharp teeth.“Corrine!”Trevor’s shout startled me, and only then did I c
-Corrine-“Hotel room, my ass!”My argument with Andrew made me forget about Trevor’s presence. Apparently, he had finished talking to the tow truck driver and was now listening to our conversation.Trevor put his arm around me while glaring at Andrew. “If she doesn’t want to stay with you, then she stays with me. Period.”“No can do,” Andrew shook his head. “She’s with me.”“She’s my sister!”“And she’s my mate.”“Fu—” Andrew then turned to me. “Tell me, my sweet, pretty little sister. Who do you want to stay with? I bet you’d choose me—”“I want to stay in the dorm.”I took this middle ground because if I chose one of them, the other wouldn’t stop complaining and pressuring me to change my choice.“I’m a werewolf, in case you forgot. I can protect myself and—”“No, you can’t,” Andrew cut in. “You didn’t even shift until I reminded you earlier.”“For fuck’s sake, Andrew! I was panicked, okay?! It won’t happen again.” I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed. “And stop making decisi
-Corrine-I opened the door just as the car’s windshield shattered. The attack separated me from Andrew because we jumped out in different directions.Right after destroying the car, the werewolf turned its attention to me. It bared its sharp teeth and fangs, growling before leaping at me, not giving me a chance to shift.I jumped to the side and rolled on the cold asphalt. As I stopped, lying on my back, the werewolf was already close, opening its jaw wide, ready to bite me.That’s when Andrew arrived—in his lycan form—and struck the werewolf so hard that it was thrown several meters from its original position.Shift,’ he said through our mind link.“I’m fucking trying to,” I grumbled. “It’s not that I don’t want to shift or—”‘Watch out.’My grumbling wasn’t finished when the werewolf got up and charged at us. This time, I successfully shifted. Standing on four legs, I held my ground as the werewolf attacked me, though Andrew didn’t allow it to touch me. He delivered a solid punch t
-Corrine-I left the box on the bench, but I put the letter in my jacket pocket as evidence. After that, I went back into the convenience store.The clerk inside looked at me, probably wondering why I returned, and I just glanced at her briefly before walking to the refrigerator to grab a cold drink.My hands were shaking as I reached for a drink, and I nearly dropped it. I stood there in front of the fridge, staring blankly.Who was it? Could it be—my mom—oh, by the moon goddess, I couldn’t imagine if it really was my mother.I swallowed, feeling something stuck in my throat, and my breath was heavy as if the air was no longer as light as it should be.“Are you okay?”I jumped and screamed. The bottle slipped from my hand and rolled to the feet of the convenience store clerk. She frowned as she looked at me before bending down to pick up the bottle.As she handed it to me, she repeated her question. “Did something happen? You look pale. Are you sick? Do you need to call someone?”Rig
-Trevor-Although Corrine had told me that Andrew was loaded, I was still shocked when I arrived at his house—it wasn’t a house; it was a fucking mansion—and even more astounded when I entered his garage.“Fuck you,” I muttered to Andrew, staring at the rows of expensive cars he owned.“Thanks,” Andrew replied casually. It seemed like he was used to getting this kind of reaction.We descended the stairs and headed towards a black sports car near the steps. “What’s the point of having so many cars?” I asked as Andrew opened the hood.Andrew glanced at me and then chuckled.“What?” I asked, frowning. “Something’s wrong with me asking?”“No. It’s just… you sound a lot like Corrine.”“What can I say? We’re siblings.” I shrugged.“Yeah. And I know she cares about you a lot.”A moment of silence. “Was that the reason why you didn’t attack me when my pack captured you that night?”Andrew gave me a glimpse of a meaningful look. “If I hurt you, I’d hurt Corrine. And I don’t want to hurt her.”