-Corrine-My lips were still parted when Andrew pulled away. He looked at me and ran a finger down the side of my face, then slid down to the corner of my lips. After that, he pressed his thumb to my lower lip and I couldn’t avoid the sigh that voiced how I felt right now.“You’re late,” I whispered. My eyes couldn’t escape looking at him. Everyone around us seemed to sink into darkness and it was just the two of us here. I almost jumped up to lunge at him and rip off his T-shirt had he not lowered his hand from my lips.“I’m sorry,” he replied. A small smile played on his lips. “I have important things to take care of.”Then Andrew turned my body around, and I was now standing with my back to him. I gasped as he hugged me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. His eyes stared straight ahead, as did mine, and that’s when the world around us came back into my vision.People were staring at us with all sorts of feelings drawn on their faces.Envy. Awe. Curious. Shame.Whatever
-Corrine-Andrew grabbed the door handle. He was about to leave me, but I’m not a girl who would let someone walk out of my sight without giving an explanation.I pulled his hand and pushed him away from the door. Then I stood in front of the door and spread my arms, blocking his way.“Explain.” My teeth clashed so hard that my jaw ached. “Don’t try to leave me in the dark. I hate it the most when someone just runs off and leaves me without an explanation.”“Then I did the right thing,” he retorted. He looked no less tense than I did. “I need you to hate me. It makes things easier.”I poked his chest with my forefinger. “I’m not a girl who likes ease. And I decided to be with you, not because things would be easy.”I boldly shot him a glare. Although I knew he was more than capable of crushing my body with his perfect muscles, in my heart, I was sure he wouldn’t hurt me. At least his wolf wouldn’t allow him to do so.His gaze moved from my face to my finger on his chest, then back to
-Corrine-Andrew laid me down on the table by the window and from there I could see the moon hanging in the sky. So round and high, and it was as if she was staring back at me, knowing the secret between me and Andrew.His canines dug into the crook of my neck and I felt something flow into my blood. He was infusing his scent into me and after this, all the werewolves would know that I had belonged to someone.I was so immersed in this strange and pleasant feeling that I couldn’t bear to think about how my family would react when they smelled Andrew’s scent on my body.It lasted for a full half minute. Afterward, Andrew withdrew, and then his lips crept down my breasts, making my back arch up and my sighs grow louder.“Andrew.”“Yes, baby?” He lifted his body and stared at me. Even in the darkness, his gaze penetrated me, leaving me stunned.“Tell me what happened to you.” I glanced at his half-naked body—he’d left his T-shirt in the bathroom—to the scars on his newly healed chest and
-Corrine-It was Trevor.I was pretty sure Trevor recognized who Andrew was. Because of the way he was looking at Andrew right now, it was clear he wanted to kill him. The only thing holding Trevor back was the people around us.Trevor approached me in three long strides. Eva followed him, skimming the situation and realizing something was wrong, though she didn’t know what it was.Roughly, Trevor pulled me away from Andrew until our grip on hands broke.“What are you doing?!” He hissed and glared. I’ve never seen Trevor this angry at me.“I—“I didn’t have time to say anything when Trevor pointed his finger at Andrew. “You—“ As if pointing at him was not enough, he grabbed Andrew by the collar of his T-shirt and gave him a firm grip. “Stay away from my sister.”Everyone around us stopped to look at us. This was the second time I was a spectacle at Emily’s birthday party, and this time it wasn’t for the good. Some of them even openly brandished their cell phones to record this inciden
-Andrew-I shouldn’t have gotten carried away and marked Corrine just like that. I should have stuck to my original plan of staying away from her and keeping her safe in her own world. I should have—“Andrew? You okay?”My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. My eyes darted to Eva. Her voice pulled me out of my raging thoughts. We were on our way to the dorm and I had been drowning in regret and worry for Corrine’s safety.Corrine’s pack hated me so much as I hated them that I was almost certain they would kill Corrine for betraying the pack. Yeah, that was very possible.But I knew it didn’t happen because I could sense Corrine’s presence, her existence, now that we were mates.She was still alive, but I didn’t know if she was okay.“I’m not,” I answered, honestly. There was no need to lie to Eva about how I felt right now.She sighed. “I don’t understand why Trevor got so upset when he saw you guys together. I think Corrine was just exaggerating when she said not to let you and
-Andrew-‘Corrine? Where are you? What happened to you?’Our bond as mates allowed us to communicate through the mind link at any distance. It was something I had only heard of once and had forgotten about because I thought I would never have a mate.Now I was grateful for this ability.‘My family locked me up.’I could almost hear the tears in her voice, and anger once again overcame me.What kind of family locked up their own daughter?‘Did they hurt you?’‘No, no. I’m fine.’‘I’ll come get you.’I heard the panic in her voice as she said, ‘Don’t! They’ll definitely kill you if you come here!’‘I’m not coming alone, Corrine. And they will never catch me.’There was no answer. ‘Corrine? Are you still there?’‘Please, don’t come, Andrew. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m sure my family will release me soon and send me back to Golden Valley. They’re a good family. They’ve never hurt me.’I imagined her face when I heard her begging me like that. Oh, fuck, I missed her already
-Corrine-Before my mom could shift, I jumped in front of her and spread my arms. “Mom, please!” My tears welled up without me asking, and I knew my mom could never see me cry.Her anger died out and was replaced by compassion. “Oh, Corrine—“ She sobbed. “What kind of abyss have you fallen into?”“Mom, he’s my mate.” My hands fell to my sides and clenched into fists. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid. Afraid that she would suddenly change her mind and pull me away, separating me once again from Andrew.This was a tough situation, and my heart was torn in two. For my mom and for Andrew.“Please, don’t hurt him.” I was very careful when I said that. My hand reached out, about to rub her arm, but stopped midway before I dropped it to my side again.This was the first time I hesitated to touch my own mother.“Are you sure he’s your mate?” My mom’s face was wet with tears, but she was no longer crying. Her hands wiped away the streams of water on her cheeks. There was no smile there, b
-Corrine-I screamed and jumped back, trying to avoid the sudden attack. But the woman’s movements were so fast. She clawed at my arm, tearing at my clothes and skin.Blood rushed onto the carpet, and I winced at the pain.“How dare a werewolf enter this house?!” the woman bellowed. Then she glared at the maid. “How could you let her in?!”The maid seemed to have expected this situation to happen. She looked surprised but kept her calm demeanor. “She’s Mr. Ashbridge’s guest.”The maid’s reply made the woman’s eyes grow wider. She jerked her gaze to me. “You?” The tone of her voice showed disgust that she made no effort to conceal. “What’s your relationship with Andrew?”“I—““She’s my mate.”All three of us were stunned to hear Andrew’s voice. My heart poured relief into my tense body when I saw him appear in the doorway. He looked at me, then his expression hardened at the blood on my arm.In two wide strides, he came over to me, pushed the woman and the maid out of his way, then tou
-Corrine-The scream froze everyone in place, and together they looked back and forth between me and Andrew.“You cheated!” accused the teenage girl. “You deliberately distracted us by accepting this fight, and then you had your friends create chaos, didn’t you?!”“No!” I yelled. “I would never use such a cheap trick!”“You are cheap!” the girl shrieked.Rage boiled in my chest. I had been holding back, tolerating her insolent attitude, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I dashed to her and slapped her cheek as hard as I could, making her stagger and nearly fall.“Did your parents not teach you any manners?!”I still wanted to hit her again, but a few people ran toward us and separated us before the fight escalated.“That’s enough, Abby!” shouted Harry, who held the teenage girl back. I remembered her now. Abby. She had always disliked me because Jerome paid more attention to me.“We should have killed her!” screamed Abby as she struggled in Harry’s grip. “She only brings trouble to this
-Corrine-Believe it or not, the first fight was won by me.I had just defeated one of the strongest warriors in Moon Dust. And it wasn’t just me who was surprised; all the pack’s members who were present there were stunned, watching as Sam was thrown to the ground after I landed a fatal blow to his chest.Harry counted to ten, but he didn’t get up.“The first fight is won by Corrine!” he announced, and only Andrew clapped and cheered.“Five minutes break for you, Corrine. After that, you’ll face another candidate,” Harry said then.Sam had returned to his human form—he was still breathing, thank the Moon Goddess—and some people pulled him out of the arena.I walked over to Andrew at the edge of the arena. He unfolded a robe for me, and quickly wrapped it around me the moment I turned back into my human form.“That was awesome, babe,” he praised, grinning.I returned his grin weakly. He told me to sit down, then handed me a bottle of water, which I chugged in one go.“He was a tough o
-Corrine-Even though I didn’t want it to, the day I dreaded the most finally came.My heart raced faster as the car carrying me entered Moon Dust territory. Harry and the pack members were waiting for me in the front yard of the Alpha’s house. Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a welcoming party, since no one smiled when they saw me step out of the car. Even Harry looked more tense than I was.“Dad,” I greeted softly, nodding my head. My eyes instinctively darted to his side, and my heart sank with disappointment when I didn’t see my mother there.“Your mom is not feeling well,” my father said. He knew who I was looking for.I pursed my lips and exhaled. I didn’t ask further about her condition because I didn’t want to hear the reason why she was unwell. I’d bet my life it was because of me.“So… who are the challengers?” I asked, scanning the warriors and pack members surrounding me.My father shifted awkwardly. “Most of them wanted to challenge you, but—”I swallowed hard. *Most of t
-Trevor-“Shit,” was the first word that escaped my lips. The next thing I did after cursing was to push Leana off my body. I got up as quickly as I could and ran out of the arena to chase after Eva.My eyes stayed focused ahead, searching for Eva. I could see her back in the distance. She was half-running down the corridor, heading toward the main mansion building. I quickened my pace and caught up to her.“Ev—” I said after grabbing her wrist and pulling her, forcing her to turn toward me. “Ev, wait. Listen—”Eva yanked her hand away and grasped her wrist with her other hand. Her gaze was vacant as she looked at me, and her lips curved into a bitter smile. “Congratulations, Trevor,” she said, her voice trembling.I spread my arms in confusion, frowning. “Congratulations for what?”“For dating the hottest girl in the alliance.”“We’re not dating,” I denied, my tone too insistent, making it sound like I was hiding something.Eva crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. “Oh, so you
-Andrew-Seeing and hearing Eva say those words to me made me briefly think of Gary. But this wasn’t about some horrible obsession; it was pure desperation.“No,” was the first word I said, a firm rejection that made Eva flinch.“B—but, Andrew… I’d be able to protect myself if I became a lycan like you all.”I shook my head. “That’s not how it works, Ev.”“Andrew—”I pointed sharply at the door, my eyes wide. A flash of guilt hit me as my action startled Eva, but I continued anyway.“You’ve seen how Corrine struggles to live her life as a werewolf, haven’t you, Ev? She was born a shapeshifter, yet that doesn’t automatically mean she’s great at fighting or can protect herself all the time. Becoming like me—like Corrine—won’t magically solve all your problems. You’ll only fall deeper into the dark side of this world.”Eva’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes trembling. She was probably trying to craft a solid argument to counter what I said, but I knew she couldn’t find one.I stood up f
-Corrine-I had never imagined there would come a day when Leana said something like this that she was proud of me.“It’s… kind of weird,” I said, half laughing. “You, out of all people, said you are proud of me.”“I know, right,” Leana laughed along with me. “But that’s the truth. I wouldn’t say such a thing just to please you. So, go out there, meet your pack, and kick their asses.” And then she added, “If you want, we can do two more training sessions, tonight and tomorrow morning.”My brows shot up. “Really? But… how about your condition?”Leana rolled her shoulders one by one and snapped her head to the left and right. “It’s not like I am paralyzed, Corrine. I just cannot shift for a moment. I still can fight.”I grinned. I didn’t know when, but I gradually loved her spirit and her personality. She was a true badass. “Alright, then. Thanks.”Leana returned my grin. “No problem.”*After we finished talking, we walked back into the mansion and straight to the treatment room. Leana
-Corrine-Tomorrow night? Had my father lost his mind? Or was he trying to get me killed?“That’s impossible,” I said, feeling anxiety surge within me. “I—I can’t even beat Leana! How could I possibly defeat those fucking warriors from my pack?”“Corrine—”“I—I think it’s better if I just surrender, Andrew.”“Corrine, listen to me—”Andrew tried to reach for me, but I swatted his hand away before he could touch me. Then I walked out of the treatment room.I didn’t know where I was going, and eventually, I ended up sitting in the backyard of the mansion, on the bench I always sat on whenever I felt restless.I buried my face in my hands.What was I even thinking all this time? Trying to show them I was strong? Who was I kidding?I was born a werewolf, sure, but I wasn’t that strong. Defeating Leana and killing Jerome was nothing but pure luck.“Hey.”I jumped and looked up. “You. What are you doing here? Are you feeling better?Leana gave me a brief, lazy smile. “This is nothing,” she
-Corrine-The deeper we went into this, the more complicated it became.I followed Andrew and Bria down the hallway, to a part of the mansion I had never been to before. There, in a large white room that almost resembled a laboratory, I met several other lycans whose faces I’d only glimpsed in passing before.“Andrew,” greeted a man—he looked to be about Bria’s age—while motioning for Andrew to come closer.Even though Andrew had told me he didn’t want anyone else to know about his family or what we were investigating, that no longer seemed to apply. Not after we had to ask the lycans for help to save Trevor and Leana.I followed Andrew as he approached the man. On the table in front of him were several blue flower petals glowing faintly.“Wolfsbane,” Andrew murmured, studying the petals.“Yeah.” The man nodded.“Larry found something interesting,” Bria said. She joined us, standing near the table and examining the flowers.“What do you get?” Andrew asked.“So, apparently, this flower
-Andrew-A small door beneath the desk swung open when I pulled the knob. Dust flew out, some clinging to my nose, and I wiped it off.There were books inside. I reached in and took them out, frowning as I examined their brown leather covers. These books looked ancient, with pages yellowed and browned, exuding a strong musty smell.“What do you find?” asked Corrine. She bent slightly from where she stood but didn’t force herself to squeeze under the desk with me.“Books,” I muttered, still inspecting them.I crawled out and placed the books on the desk. Standing up, I put my hands on my hips. Beside me, Corrine leaned in to examine the books as well.She reached out as if to touch one, but then hesitated. Instead, she looked at me and asked, “May I—?”I paused before answering, “Yes.”Only then did Corrine pick up one of the books—the largest of the three—and carefully open it. On the very first page, we saw elegant, looping handwriting, as though written with great care.Personal Not