Why did I feel like this was the worst decision I had ever made in my life?'Because it really is BAD!' Era growled angrily in my head. 'How do we go on without him? He is our mate, stupid human!'I expected this reaction from her. I thought living so comfortably in someone else's house had made that wolf of mine somewhat lazy. Maybe she was starting to adopt humans' bad traits, and materialism was becoming more important to her than self-esteem.'That is not the case, Becca,' she grumbled. 'You're trapped in self-neglect.' ‘You are afraid of your own feelings, in other words, you are a coward,' she continued.With a jerk, I stopped. Being insulted by your own wolf was a painful thing to deal with. Shouldn't my wolf always be on my side, supporting me in all my decisions? I mused.'Yeah, but not the stupid ones like this, idiot! You're now leaving your fine man prey to other women. That Margey must already be throwing herself at him. How stupid can you be?' Era raged on. Being called
It had been two weeks since I left home. My new relationship with Zane was developing amazingly well. Every day, we woke each other up, texted during lunch, and had long conversations on the phone in the evenings. I now knew him much better, I'd learned new things about him and could judge his character better. Last night, he told me about his first crush, a dazzlingly wealthy fellow student who loathed him because he belonged to the middle class at that time. His father was working hard to set up a company while his mother was employed by the government.The girl was blonde and leggy, the ideal type every boy dreamed of. When he asked her to the prom, she insulted him in front of all the students. Loudly, she exclaimed that she couldn't believe a middle-class boy would dare ask her out and mocked whether he could even afford to buy enough fuel for his old truck. Her expensive designer dress certainly wasn't going to get dirty from the mediocre interior of his clunker.In shame, he ha
The most amazing dinner experience I'd ever enjoyed.Zane embodied the essence of a classic gentleman, and he exuded so much kindness. He had ordered all my favorite dishes, and I found myself lost in his mesmerizing eyes. I was going to hold onto this wonderful man, I swore to myself.A fresh breeze stirred through the cabana as Zane and I remained completely focused on each other. We shared laughter and touched frequently, losing sight of everything else around us. Zane now lay at the center of my universe.It was the early hours of the morning when we finally decided to leave. He gently took both my hands in his."Becca, please come back home. I promise to open up to your ambitions and respect your wishes. All I want is for you to be with me so that I can see and hear you every day. The house feels so empty without you. I miss you like hell."A smile stretched across my face."I want nothing more. Being without you is hard for me too. We'll find a way to overcome what keeps us apar
I managed to get just three hours of sleep.Era, the wolf, was roaring fiercely in my mind, giving me a splitting headache. "What's going on with you, girl? My head feels as heavy as a stone. Can't it be quieter up there?" I kept asking her.I was in the shower, trying to clear my mind. But with all the noise, it was nearly impossible. All I heard her screaming was 'kill the bitch, kill the bitch!' and I just couldn't understand what it was all about.'ERA!!' I attempted once more. 'Could you clarify your meaning, please? What's happening? Who do you want to kill?' There was still no response. I took a bath, headed into the closet, and pulled out several bags. Sighing deeply, I began to slowly remove clothes from hangers and pack them into the bags. Zane was correct, it would indeed require two trips back and forth to move everything out of here.After filling three of them, I decided to get dressed for work. Even though I wasn't in the mood, I needed to go in to talk about taking tom
A loud scream ripped from my heart past my lips. The pain was terrible, unbearable."Zane!" I screamed with everything inside me. His head slowly turned languidly towards me, his eyes flickered with a brief spark of recognition, and he reached out a trembling hand towards me. His once vibrant blue eyes were now dull, a shadow of their former brilliance. He tried to say something, his lips parting, but no sound emerged.I stood there, frozen, tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. "No! This can’t be happening," I whispered, with a shaky voice.Then I looked up to Marelva. On her face was a triumphant, devilish look, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. I needed answers."Why?" I demanded, my voice raw with desperation.She grinned, a cold, wicked smile, and lifted an eyebrow. "Why not?" she mocked, her tone dripping with malice.Her words cut through me like a knife, and the casual cruelty in her voice made the blood rush to my head. I clenched my fists, anger and helple
The nurses accompanied my mother as they left."Becca, it's Era. You don't need to search for me; I'm always with you," I heard a voice in my head saying.I blinked several times, attempting to concentrate on the voice.'Your father has given me enough energy to recover,' she said sadly. 'That blonde you're talking about is our human mate, Zane. He cares for us but has been reckless. We need to leave before they return.'My eyes snapped open.I wondered how we'd manage to leave with so many people walking around here.'You're a werewolf, climbing comes naturally to us!' she scoffed. 'Have faith in yourself, girl. Your physical wounds are healed, so there's nothing wrong with you physically. However, we're going through emotional turmoil that won't improve while we're here, and we prefer some distance from our mate for the moment. We need time to heal mentally.''Where can we go, Era?' I asked her desperately. 'I don't know how to handle this. Do you have any ideas?''Once more, Becca,
"But you haven't told me where to go yet," Johnston reminded me.The atmosphere in the car was relaxed. In the short time we had known each other, we had chatted as if we had been acquainted for years. I relaxed, thinking nothing could happen to me in the company of a Beta, right?"I was on my way to the forest. My wolf says we can stay there for a week before going back. We need some time alone."Johnston's face became serious now. "The forest is not safe for a woman alone. We haven't seen rogues in the area for a long time, but you never know," he said with concern. "Why do you want to be in the forest? Coping with heartbreak?"I nodded and looked out the window. I now knew what led me to the hospital, and I completely agreed with Era that we needed some space to process what we had seen.She persuaded me not to despise Zane until I had all the facts. Her voice was a mix of desperation and hope, indicating that she truly loved him. She solely blamed Marelva for what happened, clingi
Johnston's Point of ViewIt was already the early morning hours, and I was still sitting in the conference room of the pack, tired and irritated. That Alpha of mine didn't seem to really know which direction to take with this meeting. He changed the conditions for the collaboration in the draft contract with the Department of Justice in Human Town every few hours.The execution process and the list of materials required for the joint operations, as well as the projected goals on the human side and more, had been revised over ten times in the past two hours. We weren't making much progress, and all I could think about was going to my bedroom for a good night's rest.Later in the day, I needed to return to the sheriff's office with a signed agreement. However, that didn't seem to work. At this pace, nothing would come of the contract. And then he constantly slid closer and sniffed me.What the heck?!I was sure he didn't have any gay tendencies, but his behavior was highly odd. I couldn
The afternoon began well. Zane had brought out the old traditional barbecue set, claiming that he wanted to taste the slightly burnt meat again, just like in the old days when he was a broke student. So, the big electric oven was back in storage.He placed the grill in the middle of the backyard, in the shade. Charcoal and firelighters stood by as he frantically tried to start a good fire that would be enough to light the charcoal. I was assigned to prepare all the vegetables, so they were all on the round table along with pepper powder, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes.We were almost done with all the meat when Johnston drove in and parked his monster truck in a free space in the garage. He jumped out and walked over to greet us. For me, a hug; for Zane, a friendly fist bump."Well, at least it all smells good. I haven't eaten anything today. The cook in the pack is getting worse by the day; she should be arrested for the awful food she serves us daily, it's practically attempted murde
Our shopping plans had turned into a complete fiasco, thanks to Marelva. We left the boutique and drove away in our car. Out of sheer rage, Zane hit the steering wheel hard, his eyes blazing with anger."There's always a little devil in paradise," he hissed, his voice thick with anger. "Please don't let her intimidate you, babe. She's bent on driving us apart. Some people just can't bear that others have more success in life."His jaw was clenched, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel.I nodded, but I was still not completely settled with this issue."She's not going to win, do you hear me? We won't let her poison what we have." His words were fierce, but beneath the rage, I sensed a deep fear of losing what we'd built together.I reached out and placed my hand on his, trying to offer some comfort."I know, Zane. I just... I hate that she's trying to do this," I replied. "But if the baby is yours, what will you do? That day when I saw you two in bed, she was on
The upcoming week was great. We had almost settled back into our old rhythm: eating together, watching TV cozily, having lots of sex, and sleeping in each other's arms. Gone were all the sadness and loneliness I felt at the lake cabin. Every moment felt like a precious gift, a reminder of the love we shared and the strength we'd found in each other.One evening, as we cuddled on the couch, Zane gently stroked my hair."I missed this," he admitted softly. "I missed us. But it's all okay now."I smiled, feeling a surge of happiness."Me too," I replied, snuggling closer to him. "This is where I belong."We spent our days exploring the little joys of life together, from cooking meals to taking long walks hand in hand. The connection between us grew stronger with each passing day, and I couldn't help but feel grateful for this second chance at happiness. I made a mental note that I still needed to invite Johnston to dinner at our house. After all, he had been a great support to me, and I
I have never been happier in my life!I was where I belonged, with the man who loved me. But the matter of Marelva still lingered between us, casting a shadow over our happiness. And I had something to confess too, a secret that weighed heavily on my heart. I nervously awaited the moment when Zane and I would have that serious talk.I struggled with a mixture of fear and relief at the thought of finally coming clean. The knowledge of what lay ahead lingered in the back of my mind, constantly reminding me that our happiness was fragile and perhaps hanging by a thread.But discussing these serious matters was out of the question for today.Today was about us, about reclaiming the love and connection we'd missed for so long. On this day we focused on satisfying our desires; we just couldn't get enough of each other. We spent time together in the bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom and even on our back patio. Cooking wasn't an option either, we ordered food from a takeaway
Still from Becca's point of viewAs our house came into view, I was overcome with joy. This was the place where I had felt at home for weeks, where I had been loved the most. Sensing my excitement, Zane turned his head from the road and smiled at me with eyes full of warmth and affection. When we arrived and got out of the car, we walked into the house holding each other, our hearts beating as one. As soon as the door slammed behind us, our hands were all over each other. Impatiently, I pulled his shirt off and fumbled with his belt until I could finally undo it. My dress came off and my bra landed somewhere on the floor. We were too consumed with lust to engage in any lengthy foreplay, we had been waiting for this moment for months. Kissing and hugging, we stumbled up the stairs, halfway up I paused to pull Zane's jeans off to indulge his hard shaft. But he didn't want to stay there too long, so we ended
Becca’s Point Of View Still"Do you still want to visit Zane?" I heard Johnston ask.I jolted out of my haze and back to the present. There was a moment of silence in the car as both of us were lost in our thoughts."What's left to discuss with him?" I replied bitterly. "I'm not going to embarrass him by demanding an explanation about how he got my friend pregnant. I was there myself, remember? So there's nothing more to say."The words hung heavily in the air, a painful reminder of the betrayal that had shattered my world. I felt a lump in my throat as memories of Zane flooded back, each one tainted by the revelation of his deceit. The nights we spent dreaming of a future together and the promises whispered when I was in his arms all now felt like a cruel joke.Johnston's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.I could sense his frustration and helplessness, as he wanted to protect me from all this but knew he couldn't change the past. The reality of my fall
"And by the way, I have some news for you. I am pregnant with Zane, we are expecting our first child in seven months."A stab of pain shot through my heart, causing my breath to catch and tears to stream from my eyes."No," I whispered brokenly. My knees gave way beneath me, but before I could reach the ground, Johnston caught me and pressed me against his chest. I screamed, the pain was too much."Get a grip on yourself, Becca, please," I heard Johnston from afar as he stroked my hand. "Everything will be fine, I promise you." How could everything turn out all right? I thought to myself in despair. I had lost Zane too, that was far worse than when Elyon rejected me.It was only then that I realized Zane was the man of my life, my breath. However, Marelva’s statement hit me like a punch to the gut. It was too late, he was out of my reach forever. Maybe I had pushed my luck too far by going against the grain. I should have listened when he urged me not to go out to work and instead set
"Some men just don't learn," I heard Johnston mutter beside me. His face was stormy, and his fingers were clenched on the wheel. We were in the car, but he still hesitated to start the engine, struggling to control his temper.He adjusted the shades on his nose and glanced back at the terrace where we left Elyon. With mixed feelings, I glanced in the same direction, but thankfully, the couple was out of sight. After taking a few deep breaths, he turned on the switch, and we were on our way to Marelva to pick up the rest of my belongings.Johnston suddenly faced me. "Becca, I have a friend nearby whom I would like to visit. He owns a fabric shop, maybe you can buy something there for your parents too."That was a perfect idea. I nodded happily, and we entered a business street. Parking seemed to be a big problem there. With great difficulty, Johnston squeezed his robust truck into a narrow space."That's craftsmanship. Not everyone can handle such a huge pickup in such a small space,"
Becca’s Point Of ViewTwo weeks later, I realized I couldn't dodge the inevitable any longer. I needed to come out of hiding and get my life back on track. First, I had to address my past. Johnston had offered to help me retrieve the rest of my belongings from Marelva’s apartment, and then accompany me to Moon Shine for a visit with my parents.Yes, I was going to spend an entire afternoon with my parents in my pack and do everything I could to avoid Elyon and his mate. I just wanted to feel the warmth of my parents in my old environment again, that's called re-energizing in modern terms. I was especially looking forward to that. In the evening, before I returned to the cabin, I would face Zane.Not that I was really looking forward to meeting him. The pain of loss was still fresh. I mentioned heartbreak a few times, but I wasn't sure if I was truly in love with Zane. It was more the betrayal that hurt. What I did know was that if things had turned out differently, I'd have been willi