-Corrine-A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. I still heard the roar of the car engine and my body remained in the passenger seat with a sensation of speed that made my skin feel like it was being pulled back with strings.I peeked and found the car still speeding down the road… and we hadn’t hit anything.“Open your eyes.”Andrew rubbed my thigh, and my eyes snapped open.“We’re alive,” I sighed. My breath was scant. We had just passed through death. “We’re alive,” I repeated.He chuckled at my reaction. His hand returned to the gearshift, and he quickly downshifted and made a sharp left turn. I screamed again, but this time my eyes opened wide and I saw how skillfully Andrew drove the car.It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t scared at all. But eventually, I adjusted and felt a little calmer. Just a little.“Where’s your scream?!” teased Andrew amidst the engine’s roar as the car sped down the straight.I leered at him and gave him an annoyed grin instead. He snorted a lau
-Corrine-The embers of passion ignited inside me, grabbing all my senses as quickly as Andrew lifted my body and carried me onto the hood of the car.It’s all a blurry scene of fog and sighs, and the warmth of his breath and lips on my skin.I closed my eyes and jerked my head back, giving my neck and chest completely to him as he tore off my clothes and kissed my body as if the kiss would keep him breathing.The cool night breeze brushed against my nearly naked upper body, but the kisses and light nibbles he placed on my breasts made the heat wash away the cold.“Andrew...” I chanted his name, worshiping him like I worshiped The Moon Goddess.My elbows supported my almost supine body, while Andrew’s arms stretched out, trapping me. His face was now buried in my lower abdomen.This blinding pleasure made my head spin and my lips cried out short moans that grew more and more intense as his lips continued to descend and his hands deftly unbuttoned and zipped my pants.Just as I was pre
-Corrine-I smiled at his words and accepted the gift. “Thank you.” My voice was gravelly with emotion. I looked at him and thanked him again.“I don’t want to go back,” I said later as we both looked towards the dormitory.“Neither do I,” he agreed. “I would have taken you back to my house if your brother hadn’t been around.”“Yeah,” I muttered. I nodded slowly as I stared at the jewelry box on my lap.We kissed once more before I finally pulled away and got out of the car.When I sneaked into my room, Eva was already asleep on her bed. I changed my clothes and went to the bathroom to clean myself up.As I lay on the bed, I clutched the jewelry box Andrew had given me as I smiled at it.That night, I felt like the happiest girl in the world.*“Get off.”“Corrine, listen to me.”Daniel grabbed my arm, stopping me from getting away from him.I was surprised to see him this afternoon in the hallway in front of my class. I didn’t want to know how he found me or how he knew what my class
-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
-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