My friendsâmy packâmeant the world to me. But here, in the werewolf realm, our pack wasnât taken as seriously as we thought it would be, as I had just learned. Humans in this world werenât treated the same, and I couldnât ignore the stark differences. And truthfully, I didnât know how to reconcile
Nina With a deep breath, I made my way up the grand staircase and down the hall toward my motherâs room. The sounds of my footsteps were muffled by the intricate carpet that lined the hallway, and the house was oddly quiet. It seemed as though the major preparations for the party had finished for
Enzo With the decision made for half of us to go back to the supernatural realm to attend the Moon Goddess Festival, I was in the tunnels, preparing some things and going over plans with Luke and Matt. We would never just leave Mountainview unprotected, not when we had taken on the role of the s
âAlright,â I found myself saying with a stiff nod. âYou can stay, if youâd like. No oneâs forcing you to go.â âThanks, Enzo.â Luke stood, his eyes landing on me one last time. âWeâre good?â âWeâre good.â I watched Luke leave, his words swirling around in my mind. It felt strange, learning thin
Nina I woke up the next morning with another wave of morning sickness. It took almost all of my strength to stumble to the bathroom before the contents of my stomach emptied, and when I was finished, I sank down onto the floor with a heavy sigh. âStupid morning sickness,â I muttered as I rubbed
Nina After spending the afternoon reading and laying in the sun, Lori, Jessica and I made our way inside to get ready for the party. The servants were still bustling about making final preparations, and as we stepped inside, my mother just happened to be rushing past and stopped to talk to us. â
âYou really are a princess,â she teased, touching the shimmery red fabric. âYouâve got the dress and everything.â I blushed as I held the gown up to myself. It was perfect, really: simple and elegant, a dark red color that was somehow the perfect shade to match my lips. I had expected a gaudy ball
Nina The moment I stepped into the bustling party, I was utterly shocked. The transformation of the banquet hall was nothing short of magical. The ceiling, now an enchanting night sky, was illuminated by the shimmering lights of the aurora borealis. It painted the room with shades of green, pink
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
âWhat... what do you mean?â He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. âI mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, Iâm still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Lukeâs grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight lineâclear signs that something was very wrong. âLuk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. âDammit!â I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasnâ
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessicaâs fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. âJess? You in there?â There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina âHowâs it looking in there?â I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessicaâs fitting room. âUmâĶ decent, I guess?â her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. âDecent? Thatâs it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. âWhy didnât he ever tell me that?â âHe didnât want you to see his weakness, I suppose,â Angelica replied