"Run." I remembered my aunt, Fiona, saying to me. It was one of the last words she ever spoke to me. "Run and don't look back or try to stop. Promise me you would not." She said, grabbing her arms and squeezing tightly to make sure her warning was perfectly understood. "And in whatever you do or whatever situation you find yourself in, promise me you would never let them know you're the daughter of a strong wolf. Now run away, little wolf."Maybe coming back here was a mistake. Running away the first time had saved my life and it gave me a new sense of peace and direction for the first time in a very long time. I dragged my legs away from Fallory’s basement as I wandered aimlessly on the street.I couldn’t bring myself to think of what I wanted to do next and it hurt because I couldn’t remember the last time I felt disoriented like this. I tried to fight to break free from the hold but I was powerless against whoever was holding me but the forces were a lot stronger than I was. It w
I sat by my mother’s bed and watched her sleep soundly. My phone has continuously been ringing and I had no other option but to turn it off to save the battery.Maya would be worried but I couldn’t bring myself to think about that right now. She was blaming herself for my misfortune and I hated that she felt responsible for the stupid actions of five people that had nothing to do with her. Bringing myself to say goodbye was one of the hardest things to do but staying here would break me even more. I let out a sigh as I sank deeper into the chair, it was nearly 10:00 PM and I couldn’t remember if I’d eaten anything throughout today, it wasn’t like I cared if I felt hungry either. If my mother were awake, she would’ve yelled my head off until I found something to eat and if she found out about the sex tape circulating round the pack, she would’ve taken it upon herself to go door to door, trying to clear her name. She could never stand to see me cry because it would break her heart an
“It’s not what you think it is, Ari,” Zayn said. “I’m not blind, Zayn. Neither am I stupid either. It’s exactly how it seems and that’s not going to change.” I retorted. “We never wanted to embarrass you, I swear on it. Everything that happened was merely a mistake and that’s what we’re trying to talk to you about.” Zayn argued further. “You made a sex tape without my consent and the reason neither of you didn’t deem it fit to ask me before you did was because you knew I would object to it so you felt my opinions don’t matter because you’re the Alpha twins and you can do whatever you like without any repercussions.”I had no one to blame but myself but it was in the past now. There wasn’t any use crying over spilled milk anymore, nothing I said or did would change the fact that it happened and I couldn’t reverse the effect that had spread around the pack already.“I get the fact that you’re mad but will you give us the chance to explain before anything else? Like I said earlier, t
The ride back to my old place was quiet for most parts. And despite the driver’s attempts at engaging me in a meaningful conversation, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to speak to anyone. Memories of the last 16 hours came to mind and even though I tried to act nonchalant about it, returning home was putting herself at risk. I didn’t know what to expect once I got into my room but I was willing to give it a trial. Zach and Zayn could be waiting there for me or their guards might be. I returned my gaze to the driver, who was stealing glances at me through the rear-view mirror. He was saying something to me but I couldn’t make out the words. “Did you say something?” “Yes,.” He chipped in, returning his gaze to the road. “Could you repeat your words? I couldn’t make out most parts of it.” I apologized. “No problem, miss.” He smiled at me through the rear-view mirror. “You look very familiar.”The rest of the journey continued in silence for the next half an hour. The car came i
I was back amongst the humans and I was really happy. For the first time in over 24 hours, I felt peace within me. I hadn’t slept a wink or eaten anything yet, I threw my phone away at the airport because I was scared that it would be tracked. I sent a text to my mother and Maya as well, telling them why I needed to get away for some time and I didn’t know when I’d be back but they shouldn’t worry about me. It was time to start afresh all over again and I was looking forward to it. Daniella didn’t know I was coming back and I wanted to keep it as a surprise. It wasn’t like I had the means to contact her anymore. I walked up the stairs to our shared apartment and knocked twice on the door. It was a Sunday night and she would be watching one of her favorite soap operas and yelling loudly at the television. Werewolves were emotional creatures but living amongst humans, I realized that there was no way we could compete with emotions when it came to humans, they were a level or two ab
My feet tapped the ground continuously almost like they had a mind of their own as my mind continued to race, willing a mix of random unimportant things to fill it out with, that being the only thing I could do to keep it from venturing into dangerous territory, the memory of that image that felt like it'd been burned into my thoughts. A memory as fresh as the wound was. One of my friends was in my apartment and she was crashing out badly and I could relate with everything she was saying because I’d passed through the same pain and I hadn’t even started my healing process talk less of getting over what happened to me. “One of my now ex-boyfriends, Carter, was in bed with Alicia, my assistant from the bar I used to work at. Two years spent together, are now down the drain. Well, so much for the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with.I would not fault myself for wanting to wait until we got married, I wasn't some traditionalist stuck on some boring rules of religion. I grew
"Yeah, that too," I let out a long sigh, "I just can't believe that they would gang up on me like that, and with all their friends involved at that, I still can't wrap my head around that thought and the pain I feel every time I remember how stupid I was to have kept myself for them. A part of me knew it was stupid but at the same time, I thought that they would be the…""Right person," we said in unison."It really hurts, my heart hurts and the fact that they would do that to me after all we shared just sparks the thoughts that you can never really know who to trust or who is genuine, Well, except you and Valerie, I guess. I think I've been destined to remain single for the rest of my life, just like the sisters in the Catholic Churches I see around." I confessed, a sad pout on my lips as I looked up at her.I was being dramatic but I didn’t care."And who told you the sisters in the church aren't married or at least have someone they're fucking?" Danielle asked looking away from he
A couple of hours later I slipped into the dress I'd gotten earlier today after Danielle’s constant persuasion. I didn’t want to do this but it was pointless arguing, there were some fights you weren’t going to win and this was one of them. I smoothed out the dress and looked at my reflection in the mirror."I think it’s perfect, Ari. I really do. I think all you need now is just a little bit of makeup to make it look super perfect!" Danielle complimented me, giggling as she did. She was excited about the prospect of having out with Valerie and I, she loved to party whenever she could. She was very much my polar opposite in many things but I loved her dearly. Valerie grabbed one of my liners and walked into my bathroom with it. "Emergencies, I ran out of mine!" She called out at the top of her voice.I chose a pair of red stilettos to match my dress and then I sat on the bed to put them on.I hadn’t dressed up in a long time and I kind of liked this feeling. It was a nice distra
I paused and searched their faces, waiting to see if I’d be able to figure out if they were trying to pull another prank on me but the expression on their faces was stoic, they weren’t giving anything away and it was a worrying sight. Ever since I left the pack, I had no idea what could’ve possibly happened and I wanted to be positive that they didn’t mean anything bad had happened to me—that’s if they were telling me the truth. After being burned as a result of trusting them the first time, I wasn’t willing to put myself in front of the firing squad so fast after the last time. But this was my mother we were talking about and whatever they had to say, I had to listen to them first and if I deemed it unnecessary, I wouldn’t take it up any further. “What do you know about my mother, Zach,” I asked. “Zayn, I’m asking you as well.”“A lot has happened since you ran away, Ari.” Zach began. He was stalling and I hated it whenever people did that. I hated being kept on the edge, it onl
“You have every right to be angry at us, Ari. We’re not going to dispute that for one second. We understand you hate us but—““C’mon, Zach. Don’t tell me that you tracked me down here because you wanted to give me a speech about how you understand why I hate you and your brother. If that’s why you’re here, I think you should leave. I don’t want to hear any more of it.” I said, cutting him short. “That’s not why we’re here, Ari,” Zayn said. “We were only trying to ensure that we can have this discussion without resorting to yelling and the likes.” “I don’t make promises, especially when it involves the both of you. You have no right to ask anything from me after you both humiliated me and indirectly chased me out of the pack.” I said angrily. “That’s not the entire story, Ari,” Zayn said, trying to explain but I wasn’t going to have any of it. “I don’t care, Zayn. You can save whatever explanation you’ve got, I have no use for it.” I said, not wanting to hear anything else he had t
I shrugged off his hand and slammed the door shut before he had the chance to say anything else. I was fuming as I turned to face Danielle who had a worried look on her face and I couldn’t blame her. Everyone on campus would be intimidated standing in front of Zach and Zayn. They were simply breathtakingly beautiful and imposing as well, it wasn’t an exaggeration but they’d be at least three inches taller than the tallest person on campus. “Do you think they’re going to leave?” Danielle asked. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know why they were here and why they sought me out. It could be anything ranging from a serious matter to a prank like the one they carried out on me before I ran away. “I don’t know, Danielle. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that they’re not going to be here for long.” I said. I could always wait them out until they had to return to the pack. Also, they won’t be able to come here every day and I could live without seeing them every couple of ho
“How was school today, Ari?” Danielle began. “I couldn’t help but notice the scowl you had on your face as you walked towards me.” “I met a rude guy in class today but I handled the situation perfectly, I don’t think he’ll be bothering me ever again,” I replied. “Someone has been making a statement,” Danielle laughed. “Did it happen in front of the whole class?” “I stared at her mortified that she would even think I was capable of doing such. “You’ve lost your mind, you know that, right?” I laughed. “I was only teasing you.” Danielle nudged my shoulder. “Tell me, how was your day at college today?” I asked. “Do you know Tyler and I share the same class—not all of them obviously, but we share a couple of classes.” Initially, I thought this thing she had going on with Tyler was going to be nothing more than a distraction at first, but over time, it had developed into a relationship and I was happy for her. One of us deserved to be happy, we both couldn’t be single and miserable
“It’s barely 8:00 AM and my day is already ruined.” I sighed, running my hands through my already disheveled hair. I was already feeling exhausted and I just woke up. Maybe getting out of today had been a mistake, I should’ve listened to my instincts when it was trying to warn me that today was going to be a bad day and stayed in bed. I could always resume college tomorrow, it wouldn’t hurt anyone. “I know that look, Ari. And if you’re about to do what I think you’re planning, it’s not going to work.” Danielle said, her eyes glued to my face. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you, Danielle. Can you just let me be, please?” “I can’t do that, Ari. I’ve watched you in your lowest moments and I know how horrible it was for you, when you finally got over those dumb twins, you were at your happiest. I’m not going to let you slide down back there because of a loser like Tristan.”She had a fair point and it took a minute of scolding from Danielle before I saw it. “We better get dresse
It was three weeks after I submitted applications to different organizations when I finally got a call from one, asking me to come over for an interview. I was hoping that I wasn’t going to mess it up, seeing as I had spent most of my first months here working as a waitress—a job that I despised because of the rude customers and the drunk men who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.Today was the first day of college and I didn’t know if I felt thrilled or nervous. Nevertheless, it didn’t quite matter. This was my first day giving myself another chance at starting all over and I had no choice but to look forward to it. I woke up earlier to the aroma of coffee. Usually, that smell would delight me, but today, I immediately felt a wave of nausea that hit me hard as a thunderstorm.Whenever I felt like this, it often meant that something wasn’t right or I was probably going to have a fucked up day. Every morning, it was a routine for me to start my day with a cup of coffee and Dani
The shock set in as my eyes tore open and was greeted by the morning sun, the weight around my waist was his arm, the arm of the man whose name I wasn’t even sure that I remember from the club last night, draped over my body as he still slept peacefully, snoring light and unmoving as I slipped out of his hold as quietly as possible. He drank a lot more than I did last night, it wasn’t a wonder that he was still knocked out compared to me who took a few shots and turned down the rest I was offered. I spared a glance around the big spacious room, my jaw slightly dropping at the sheer size of it, and due to the glass that made up half of the walls of the room, I got a perfect view of the city from up here but I didn't have the time to be enthralled by the sight as I hurriedly looked away.This was nothing more than a one-night stand and I had to leave before he woke up. A soft moan escaped my lips at the soreness between my legs as I tried to walk. I looked back at the man sleeping pe
We entered a club that was filled with people. Dim lights and loud music filled the atmosphere. I could feel people's lingering stares at us but I didn't know if they were good or bad. I knew their eyes were on me and I felt uncomfortable. I tried to push it aside and went to the dance floor with Danielle and Valerie walking ahead of me. Danielle had said that everyone’s eyes would be on us and she wasn’t wrong. It was almost like we stole the whole show as soon as we walked in through the front door.Soon my hips let loose and started swaying to the music playing. Danielle and Valerie left to get themselves drinks, they offered to get me another glass of wine but I turned down the offer and within a couple of minutes, they were gone but I didn't notice I was alone.I could see him watching me from the bar. I tried not to pay him any attention but it was difficult to ignore the intensity in his eyes. It was pretty obvious that he found me gorgeous and interesting, but I wasn’t inter
A couple of hours later I slipped into the dress I'd gotten earlier today after Danielle’s constant persuasion. I didn’t want to do this but it was pointless arguing, there were some fights you weren’t going to win and this was one of them. I smoothed out the dress and looked at my reflection in the mirror."I think it’s perfect, Ari. I really do. I think all you need now is just a little bit of makeup to make it look super perfect!" Danielle complimented me, giggling as she did. She was excited about the prospect of having out with Valerie and I, she loved to party whenever she could. She was very much my polar opposite in many things but I loved her dearly. Valerie grabbed one of my liners and walked into my bathroom with it. "Emergencies, I ran out of mine!" She called out at the top of her voice.I chose a pair of red stilettos to match my dress and then I sat on the bed to put them on.I hadn’t dressed up in a long time and I kind of liked this feeling. It was a nice distra