-Corrine-“Is he picking up?”“No.” Eva lowered the phone from her ear and stared at the screen. “This is weird. Usually, he always answers my calls.”I tried calling him a few hours ago, then I thought maybe Andrew didn’t answer my call because he didn’t recognize my phone number. That’s why I asked Eva to call him. And the result was the same.“Did something happen to him?” I asked, worried.Did he get into a fight or have an accident during the race?“I’ll try to call him back later,” Eva said. “You can try texting him. He’ll definitely reply, and probably call you, after reading your message.”I did what Eva told me to do.But a day passed and there was no reply from him.Was it like Melanie said? That he dumped me after getting what he wanted?The suspicion couldn’t escape my mind, far outweighing my anxiety about his safety. It didn’t rule out the possibility that he was going through something, but I almost eliminated that possibility in favor of the former.And I hated myself
-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-When I said that almost all of my problems were solved, this was the one that remained unresolved. I didn’t know why my mother suddenly wanted to meet me and Andrew after everything she had said and done to us, but I hoped this was a good sign.For everyone’s safety and comfort, we didn’t meet at Moon Dust or Andrew’s mansion, but instead in Golden Valley.Andrew and I arrived first and headed straight to Houghton Commons. We chose a quiet spot outside, near a large shady tree. The weather was quite windy today, so most people preferred to sit indoors.I pulled my jacket tighter around me and waited, occasionally glancing toward the entrance.“You seem nervous,” Andrew said. I turned to him and frowned, trying to see his eyes behind the sunglasses he was wearing.“Are you not?”“Why should I be? She’s your mother, not mine.”“Right. But she’s going to talk to us, not just me. You still remember how much she hated you—so much that she even worked with Jerome to—”The distant
-Corrine-The next morning, when I opened the window and looked at the clear blue sky, I still couldn’t believe that it was all over.All of my problems were solved—well, most of them—but the danger had passed, and I could finally live in peace.I stretched out my hands and inhaled the fresh scent of the trees, closing my eyes and letting my body soak in the warm sunlight.I smiled, and my smile turned into a wide grin when I felt Andrew behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the crook of my neck.“Morning,” he whispered in my ear before giving it a soft bite.I rested my head against him. “Morning.” My voice was hoarse. I closed my eyes and took in the scent of his shampoo lingering in his messy hair. “Did you finish your business yesterday?”Last night, after dropping me off at the mansion, Andrew had left to return to the forest. He wanted to make sure everything was truly settled, including mobilizing the lycans to search for Gary’s body. Andrew wanted to see wit
-Corrine-Something held my foot. My body jerked, suddenly stopping mid-fall before swinging in the air.“Corrine! Hang on!”I tried to look up and saw Andrew. As much as I was relieved that he had found me, we were still in danger.Andrew’s hand gripped my ankle tightly. He was using all his strength to pull me up. There was nothing I could do except stay still and let him try to save me.Relief washed over me like cold water, bringing down my adrenaline as Andrew successfully pulled me to safety. He immediately hugged me, repeatedly calling my name.“I’m sorry, Corrine. I’m sorry, baby, I’m late.” His face was buried in my hair, and his lips pressed kisses against my ear and cheek.With trembling hands, I cupped his face and looked into his eyes. “You’re not late.” I smiled weakly. “You saved me.”We stared at each other in silence for a few moments before both of us burst into laughter. Laughter that born from the lingering fear of facing death and the joy of having survived it.“I
-Corrine-Something happened.Suddenly, the moon shone so brightly that its light blinded both of us. I squeezed my eyes shut, and I heard Gary scream in pain.The next thing I knew, he was no longer on top of me, and I was able to move my body. It was as if the potion’s effect had completely worn off.I opened my eyes and scanned my surroundings, and then, from the corner of my eye, I saw something—a glowing white wolf across the ravine. Even though we were separated by darkness and distance, I could feel its gaze on me.Use your power.I was stunned to hear an unfamiliar yet soothing voice in my head—a female voice.Was she—?I blinked, and the wolf was gone.“Shit! Shit!”My attention snapped back to Gary. He was rolling on the grass as if he was attacked by some invisible creatures.For a moment, I just stood there, watching him writhe in agony. Faintly, I heard that voice again, and I immediately shifted. This was the power she meant—my wolf. I would fight until the last drop of
-Corrine-As soon as the liquid spilled into my mouth, my body burned in agony. A white-hot pain shot through my throat, and my vision temporarily went blind. I could feel my body shaking violently as Gary’s sinister voice whispered in my ear.“How does it feel, Corrine? I hope you can bear the pain because I need you alive.”I could feel the liquid flowing down into my stomach, and an unbearable pain surged through me, forcing a pained groan from my lips. Then I felt it… and it seemed Gary knew it, too.“It works.” He flashed me his wicked grin. “The mark Andrew gave you. The scent he left on you… it’s all gone.”“No.”“Yes!” Gary pressed my shoulders into the ground while sitting upright on top of me. “I will mark you now, Corrine. You will be mine, and nothing can separate us.”My body weakened again, and I teetered on the edge of despair as I struggled against Gary. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he bent down, pressing his lips to the crook of my neck. He was going to
-Andrew-I didn’t know what had happened, but not long after the rogue attack that disrupted the Alpha Moon Dust’s decisive battle, the rogues suddenly withdrew as if they had been defeated.The Moon Dust warriors lined up at the border of the territory, waiting and watching the darkness with ragged breaths and bodies covered in wounds.“It looks like they’re not coming back,” said Harry, who was standing beside me.I nodded. “They only came to create chaos.”“Let’s continue the fight.” Harry then signaled to some warriors who hadn’t been involved in the Alpha battle to patrol the borders.That was when I realized something was wrong.“Where’s Corrine?”I turned in all directions, scanning the unfamiliar faces around me—faces that looked back at me with confusion and fear.“Corrine!” I shouted.A bad feeling crept up on me. Something wasn’t right. If Corrine were here, she would have come straight to me the moment the battle ended.Or was she helping someone who was injured?“Corrine!
-Corrine-As soon as Gary got me, he blindfolded me and dragged me away from the Moon Dust territory. I knew from the deepening silence that we were getting farther away as I felt my body sway in Gary’s embrace.Thank the Moon Goddess, he didn’t harm me or do anything nasty to me. But I was pretty sure he would—sooner or later. He was just waiting for the right place and the right time.“We’re here, Corrine.” His breath tickled my ear, and I desperately wanted to push him away, but somehow, he made my body go limp. The only thing I could do now was breathe.Slowly, Gary removed the blindfold from my eyes. I blinked a few times, adjusting my vision so I could see my surroundings more clearly.We were now in the middle of a forest. That forest. The one where that stupid glowing plant grew.“Soon, I will change you so we can be together forever. You will become like me.”My eyes darted to Gary, and our gazes locked. He seemed to recognize the question in my head as he said, “Before we ge
-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