After a day with the witches, minus Jade, our bellies rumbled and we decided to go to a restaurant. It probably wasn’t the best idea to go under the influence but we had Nyx watching over us. It didn’t matter how many drinks she had she remained unfazed. Eventually we found ourselves sitting at a place called Mirak. It was a simple place with booths set up all over the restaurant. It was a Korean self-serve barbecue place. They gave free sides and placed our meat onto the hot grill built into the middle of the table. We were then given tongs to flip our meat. I wanted chicken and beef but Clara demanded pork belly and Nyx wanted octopus. I was not looking forward to grilling that up. I told her we could cook it after the other meat was ready. Inhaling deeply, the mouthwatering smell of grilled meat had drool dripping down the side of my mouth. When the waitress walked up to our table she dropped a couple bottles of fruit bottles on the table. When I looked up at her with a puzzling l
KacieBAM!I jumped at the sound of it slamming shut harder than I meant to. The element of surprise was no longer on my side after that. If anyone was home they would know that I was here now. I stood still, holding my breath as I listened for movement. Nothing. There wasn’t any movement. I don’t know what I was expecting but I didn’t think I’d come home to an empty house. I lifted my phone, the screen lit up, and confirmed my suspicion. It was late, really late. The sound of the shower alerted me to someone being home. I don’t know if I wanted it to be.Viktor?Jake?The two of them?I had a lot to talk to Jake about but found myself angry. I don’t know why I just was. I walked into the room, huffing as I pulled my outfit off, and threw it to the floor. I was completely nude and wobbled forward. I headed toward the bathroom door. It wasn’t until I tripped that I kicked off my shoes. Reaching for the door I turned it left and right before it opened. Pulling it open, I walked in and f
I held my chin high and didn’t blink. I wasn’t going to back down. He was the one who showed up where he wasn’t supposed to be. I didn’t do anything wrong and I wasn’t going to be made a fool for it. I wasn’t going to lower myself for him when I hadn’t even done anything. If I was wrong I would have admitted that I was wrong, but I wasn’t, so I wouldn’t.“You kissed, are you not going to make up?” Viktor asked.I looked at him to find him leaning back against the shower wall. My eyes darted down to his hand that squeezed his balls. His tip was rod straight and flat against his abs. His chest rose and fell as he looked between the two of us.“We don’t need to make up to fuck, do we, Jake?” I asked. It was meant to come out fierce but came out weak, as if I were winded. Jake smirked as he stared at me.“No, I guess we don’t,” Jake answered.In one swift movement, his hand gripped my thigh and brought it up around his waist. My hands flew to his chest in an attempt to keep myself steady.
Kacie The three of us sat on the bed. None of us had said anything after. We dried off and got ready for bed in silence. Jake was still upset and I was upset that he had followed me and the girls. I was frustrated that he was upset. Viktor sat crossed legged in gray sweats and a tank. His hair was still wet but wasn’t drenched. He lifted a towel and proceeded to dry his hair. My mouth watered as I stared at his biceps. Jake sat at the edge of the bed, his back was to me as he stared off into space. I know we needed to talk but I didn’t know how to start. The space between us kept growing and he kept getting far away. I wanted to reach out and wrap my legs around him but I didn’t want to apologize. I hadn’t done anything wrong and I couldn’t figure out what was going on in his head. I watched as Viktor threw his legs over the edge and stood up. He walked over to the hamper and threw the towel in it. When he turned back to the two of us on the bed he crossed his arms. “Are we going to
Kacie I hear what he’s saying but somehow since the sex in the bathroom. to this moment right now, my hardened heart built a wall around itself. I can’t bring myself to tell him I know that he doesn’t hate me. The words won’t form to tell him that I know he doesn’t look at me any differently now that we know I’m a witch. Is it my own self loathing that’s holding me back? Is it because I can’t accept this change about myself? There has been so many changes, Jake and Viktor have been my rock. They’ve been my one constant in this storm called life. My insecurities and Jake’s insecurities are holding us back and pulling us in the opposite direction of the other. Why can’t I just tell him that he isn’t just my Beta? Shouldn’t he already know that he’s more than a ranked member by now? Shouldn’t he already feel secured in his spot in this relationship? It only makes me angrier. “You’re a good fuck, Jake, but if I have to console you 24/7 and reassure you of your position in my life, will y
KacieYou are overthinking all of this, Kacie.I don’t want to hear it.You are. You’re letting your anger rule you. You know you’re in the wrong here. You could have fixed this, you could have stopped it before it escalated, but you didn’t!Shut up, Athena.Why are you being SO stubborn? You wouldn’t budge the entire time you were talking to Jake. You said some really mean things to him. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on, Kacie?I don’t know what you’re talking about. I stood my ground, Ath.Is that what you did? Because from where I’m standing, you were bullying him. Was it something Clara said? Was it…What?Was it because of what we saw?What did we see, Ath?Whatever it was we saw between Clara and Jake at the club.…Are you jealous?No!You’re jealous.I’m not jealous. Jake is… Jake is mine.Are you sure?Yes.Are you? Because the way you just treated him wasn’t like someone you think of as yours. You treated him like a… what do they call it these days? A side piece. …So I
Kacie This is not what I was expecting. I woke up in a cold bed and got ready this morning. When I came down to the field to train, Clara was nowhere to be found. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to find Jade. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight low bun and her violet eyes were eery as she walked towards me. She was wearing cargo pants and a black tank top that she paired with black combat boots. The bangles on her wrists and arms glinted brightly under the sun. She came to a stop five feet away from me. Jade crossed her arms and her gaze trailed down my body before resting on my face. “Good morning, Jade. Where’s Clara?” I asked looking past her hoping to find Clara somewhere. Anywhere. Jade roller her eyes, like actually rolled her eyes. I could already feel my patience being tested. Luckily, I had something to eat otherwise I would have snapped at her. Her violet eyes return from their visit to the back of her head. The sass came off of this girl in waves and I am o
Kacie Before I could say anything to Jade the ground beneath me started to separate even more. I grabbed a handful of grass with my right hand and pulled myself up. I reached forward with my left hand and dug my nails into the ground. I hardened my core as I tried to pull myself onto solid ground before I fell into an abyss I didn’t want to look down at. The last thing I wanted to do was look down at what lay at the bottom of the split earth. Even though my brain kept screaming for me to look I focused on pulling myself up. When I was sure I wouldn’t fall to my death I got to my feet and moved as far away from the cracks as possible. I stared at Jade incredulously. She was muttering under her breath but I wasn’t paying attention to that. The words didn’t make sense anyway. I couldn’t believe that this was her gift. She was like Toph from The Last Air bender. Not only was I surprised but I was in awe of her. “Can you make rocks fly?” I asked. The chanting stopped as she looked at me.
My heat aches as the thoughts flit through my mind one after the other. Tears prick the corners of my eyes before filling them. My chest pangs with the need to be wrapped up in his arms. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jake would do all of those things. He would care for me as he had before. He would look after me as my Beta, my partner, and the father of our child.My soul wept for him, my heart broke for him, and my mind went mad for him. I curled into a ball on the bed and grasped at the sheets as the pain poured from my body. I screamed as it became unbearable and my vision went white. I cried out, my cry turning into a scream, as the door burst open. It slammed against the wall, but still my vision remained impaired.I couldn’t see anyone, but I heard voices. I felt the rush of people around me and hands checking me and prodding my belly. I froze when I felt the warmth of a hand on my shoulder and a familiar scent I didn’t think I would ever smell again. I threw my head ba
Kacie I want to bury my head into his chest but I can’t. I can’t bring myself to look away. I continue staring at him as Viktor lays down by his side. He props himself up and stares down at him. The love and sadness in his eyes blend into one. His gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. A sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “I love you,” I whisper. “I love you,” Viktor says quietly. We shared stories, we cried, we laughed. I told him about one of the mornings after my Luna Ceremony when I woke up and found Jake naked across from me. He flexed and tried to show off. Viktor chuckled and shared a precious memory from when they first kissed. It was sweet and I wished I could have seen the look in Jake’s eyes if he had heard Viktor tell the story. The next memory Viktor shared with me was the look on Jake’s face when I walked out that first day in Ken’s house. When he smelled me and knew I was his mate, he only trusted Jake to be alone with me. That’s why he let him
Kacie“I have one request,” I said.“Anything my love,” Viktor said.“I don’t want him in the lobby. I want him in our room. Can we do that?” I asked.“We can do whatever we want Kacie,” Viktor answered.In the olden days, it was common for our kind to spend the dead’s last night with them. It was like a ritual, we clean their bodies with a cloth, wash their hair, and clothe them in something loose. After the ritual the body is placed in the living room or the pack lobby if the dead was an alpha. The family would then bring their blankets and pillows to sleep in the front on the couch or the floor. It’s the last night you get with the dead. It’s a form of closure and was done away with one hundred years ago, or at least that’s what Viktor told me. When he told me about it I clung to the knowledge and asked him if we could do it too. He admitted that he mentioned it to gouge my reaction. We looked into each others eyes and knew without a doubt that we needed to do it.It may have been
Kacie “I’ve failed. I failed and lost him,” Viktor said. The weight on his shoulders was large enough to make anyone crumble beneath it. Still, my mate stood firm. My heart broke for the mate we’d lost, but it soared knowing that he was safe. Instead of keeping my thoughts to myself I would make sure he knew. I would make sure he knew every day how much I loved him, how much I needed him in my life. I would make sure he knew how loved he was, but first, he needed to face Jake. He needed to come to grips with it as I have. He needs to make peace with it, so he can move forward. We both needed this. “Come here,” I said. I watched as he mentally drew back, away from me as if he would hurt me. As if he thought he’d lose me too if he touched me. I reached for him, my outstretched hand open in offering for him to take it. He had to take it. Viktor stared at my hand for a moment before his eyes darted to Jake on the ground between us. Desperation clear in his eyes when he looked back at m
Kacie In an attempt to feel whatever warmth Jake had left I pushed my body as close as I could to his. I ignored the unevenness of his body, the difference between it now and what I remembered. Everything in me came flowing out as my hair flowed out all around me. My hands grasped at his muddy shirt and my heart broke for the second time today. Jake’s body was hard and the finality of it pulled the sheet from beneath my feet. I was no longer able to deny the crushing reality. The warmth was seeping out of him as quickly as the clouds had formed above us. Footsteps squelched behind me announcing Viktor’s presence. My pain vibrated in his chest as he stopped behind me. It was enough to pull him away from mourning his sister. The curiosity outweighing the fear led him to me. I could feel his pain as he felt mine. I knew when he saw who lay beneath me because he made an unintelligible sound behind me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head. I couldn’t look back at him. I couldn’
KacieI’ll hurt you.I don’t want to hurt you.I don’t want to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him. The urge, no, the need to make sure I don’t hurt him runs through my veins as the idea of burning him strikes me hard in the chest. It’s like an ice cold bucket of water and I feel like I’ve jolted awake from a dream. The flames protest against my will as my mind refuses to hurt the man in front of me. For the first time since becoming aware I look at him. My eyes wander over black hair, a sharp jaw, and full lips. Dark tired eyes filled with worry stared down at me. My mate reaches for me a second time and this time I extinguish the flames with the flick of my wrist as realization dawned on me.My mate.He’s okay.He’s alive.If my mate is here than why am I so hurt?My does my heart bleed?I lean in toward him and his hand gently grazes over my cheek, his shoulders relaxed, and relief stared back at me. I was safe. I was in one piece. I had survived. If he hadn’t gotten my attention things
Kacie My father’s breathing is haggard and strained beneath me. At my words he roars angrily. He’s weak, useless below me, unable to get away. When I straighten my back, lift myself up, and stare down at him. I take a moment to look over the expression of fear and regret in his eyes. I don’t bother with emotion because right now, I feel nothing. There’s only a high, a haze of bliss from his acceptance. It’s settled over me as I hover over him. The power of taking what I want, getting the revenge I sent out for. I’m hurting him, torturing him, killing him. I focus on this as he stares up at me. “All of this will do nothing. You may have killed my friends and you may have won the fight between you and I, but there’s one you haven’t and can’t win. You can’t win against death,” Charles chokes. I don’t want to hear anymore. I don’t want to hear the truth drip from his lips like poisoned honey. I won’t let him win and I won’t let his words get to me. I won’t change my mind and I won’t hea
Charles yanked his arm back but I didn’t let go. I did the opposite, I dug my nails in as he pulled, my claws dug into his skin and ripped. Blood pooled and burned, he yanked again this time, ignoring the bite of my nails as they pierced deeper. He wrenched his arm free, or what was left of it. I could feel his skin under my claws, chunks of meat between my fingers, as he cried out in pain. I take a moment to enjoy my work. His once scorched pink skin had turned black, blood ran down his arm and dripped to the floor. Charles turned to glare at me, and for the first time since meeting him, fear stares back at me. He clutched his injured arm and I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously. Sweat pools on his temple and slides down his brow. I chuckle at this small victory. He must have thought that I would be an easy kill. The young girl he once knew died a long time ago. Did he think that his words would have weakened me? Did he think that his words would have an affect
KacieNow that I knew Viktor would be okay, I could give in to what I’ve wanted since seeing the devastation the Elders caused. Now that I knew that Clara would have Viktor, I felt the opposite of what I’ve before at the thought of them together alone. I felt relief. She would make sure he was safe. I turned from Clara and focused on that man I once called father.Answering to the call of my growing flames I dashed forward. I promised to give them what they wished soon. The need for blood, for sliced skin, and the smell of burning flesh drove me forward. I would have what I desired, I would have my vengeance, my revenge. My anger fanned the flames and they grew hotter than they ever have before. I screamed out in anguish as I rushed toward the man who should have been the father I deserved. He was nothing but a disappointment.Tears run down my cheeks before they dry up and evaporate. I don’t cry for him or what I’m going to do, no, I’ll revel in my father’s death. The tears continue