× Trix ×
We sit here for a while and I breathe in, trying to steady myself, trying to act like just being this close to her doesn’t set every nerve in my body on fire.
It’s strange, being this close to her, not saying anything but feeling like I should.
I want to say something comforting, something to let her know that even though I’m usually an idiot, I’m here for her. But every time I look at her, my brain freezes.
I mean, how did we even get here?
Not that long ago, just seeing her in the hallway back in high school made me want to turn the other way.
I remember the first time I saw her, full of fire, with no filter and no patience for anyone. And me? I hated her guts. Thought she was way too much, too loud, too stubborn.
Now, look at us. Sitt
× Trix × “One minute we were… I don’t know… almost okay. And then the next minute, it was like the walls came crashing down again,” I say, shaking my head. “She wouldn’t even hear me out, Alvera.”I look across the desk at Alvera, who’s sitting there, arms crossed, looking at me with an expression that’s somewhere between sympathy and exasperation.Alvera leans back in her chair, sighing. “Trix, you need to understand that she’s been through a lot. And you’re a big part of that ‘lot.’” She pauses, giving me a pointed look. “She’s not just going to throw her arms open and welcome you in because you’ve suddenly decided to be decent. It doesn’t work like that.”“But I’m trying here, you know? I mean, I’m not saying I deserve a medal or anything, but… I’m making an effort. I don’t know what else she wants from me.”“Trix, you have to realize that it’s not about what you want, or what you think is enough. It’s about what she needs. And right now, she needs time. She needs to see that yo
= DIXIE =Sweat plastered my hair to my forehead as I pushed through the overgrown bushes. Grandma had warned me a million times about exploring this part of the woods, but boredom was a relentless beast. Besides, who knew what cool stuff I might find? Maybe a hidden cave full of pirate treasure… okay, maybe not pirate treasure, but something cool nonetheless.As I stepped into a clearing bathed in an ethereal glow, a shiver ran down my spine. The air crackled with a strange energy, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. It was like stepping into some fantastical movie scene. In the center stood a massive oak tree, its branches sprawling like gnarled fingers reaching for the twilight sky. A strange pull, almost magnetic, drew me closer.Just as I reached the base of the oak, a guttural growl echoed from the shadows beneath it. My heart hammered against my ribs as a monstrous figure jumped out from literally nowhere. It was a wolf, unlike anything I’d ever seen in a cheesy monster
= DIXIE =The pull was undeniable. Like a magnet tugging me back to a scene of an accident, I found myself drawn to the clearing again. Maybe it was the strange energy I felt there, or the memory of the terrifying yet oddly captivating battle between the two werewolves one being Trix (which I haven’t still quite wrapped my head around). Whatever it was, I couldn't ignore it.Grandma would have my head for this, I knew. She'd warned me a million times about staying away from this part of the woods, but sometimes, the quiet kid in me who always followed the rules craved a little excitement. Maybe that's why I was always a magnet for trouble, even if it meant potentially getting mauled by a giant wolf.Sneaking through the undergrowth, I kept my head down and my senses on high alert. The silence of the woods was broken only by the rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird. Suddenly, a guttural growl ripped through the stillness. I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. A m
= TRIX =The meeting hall went quiet, and Alvera's words hung heavy in the air. Dixie had a mark on her hand that she hadn't seen herself, and it was the same symbol that the rogue pack had talked about—the mark of the Blade. It was the same mark that was on the wolves who killed my brother.The memory of that afternoon pricked my veins. I hate remembering it, I so hate remembering that accursed afternoon. Everything was going well, it was not meant to end that way with my brother’s lifeless body dangling from the ceiling fan of an abandoned classroom, but it did. And I only have the gharry scene imprinted in my head from that afternoon to ever be the last memory of me seeing my elder brother’s face.I took a deep breath.Focus on what’s happening now. What’s happening? Dixie, that green and four-eyed blonde-haired bothersome piglet! With how short she is, I wonder why she always seems to stumble into the wrong places and get the attention of everyone in the room.It happened once dur
= TRIX =The morning mist hung around the trees like a blanket, making me feel as cold inside as the air around me. Sleep had been a stranger the night before as the heavy burden of responsibility weighed on me. The rogues, the attack, the missing Tear - thoughts of them churned in my mind like a wild storm.But another face kept flickering through the chaos – Dixie. The way she looked at me defiantly in the clearing, her eyes filled with fear and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on, it really shook me. Alvera had told me that Dixie disappeared after our last unfortunate and inconvenient encounter. Part of me was relieved – at least she wasn't in immediate danger. Another part, a part I couldn't explain, felt a pang of… concern? It was a foreign sensation, one I quickly pushed down.Alvera appeared next to me, and her constant vigilance always made me feel safer. "Any sign of her?" I asked, my voice lingering in the cool morning air.She shook her head, her expression w
= DIXIE ="I'm not marrying you!" I practically screeched, totally shocked by the craziness of it all. Here I was, back in Grandma's cozy cottage, only this time, the living room wasn't filled with the familiar scent of freshly baked cookies. No, it was filled with tension so thick I could practically chew on it. Trix, looking like a thundercloud in a designer two-piece, glared at me. His right-hand woman, Alvera, stood next to him all serious, not showing any emotion. And there was Jackson, my childhood buddy, who stood beside me with tight fists and eyes full of anger and worry for meTrix shot up from his seat, towering over me with those infuriatingly intense eyes. "Then we're all gonna die, stupid!" he retorted."I'd rather die than marry you!" I fired back as my hands trembled with anger. Marry Trix? The guy who had made my life a living hell, and recently I found out he's some werewolf alpha? Totally bonkers!How the hell did he even find out I was staying there? "There's no
× Dixie ×Ugh, these days feel like they're on slo-mo. Trix, the total pain-in-the-fur alpha, has granted me temporary refuge in the Slater territory, as if I needed it. But of course, it's not chill in any way; it's more like being stuck in a reality show with Alvera, who I now know is his Beta or what do they call it, and Ryder, his best friend, watching my every move. Ryder's got this intense glare, like I'm a ticking time bomb and he's waiting for me to explode or something. Alvera's vibe is more 'whatever,' but her eyes are lowkey tracking me even though she pretends to be indifferent about me staying here.Living in this werewolf soap opera is seriously making me crave normalcy. I mean, who signed up for this supernatural drama anyway? Not me.Remembering that first encounter with werewolf Trix always gives me major regret vibes because I know wholeheartedly that if I had left when he had told me to, I wouldn't be where I am now. In a confined room, in his house, with a fuckin
× Dixie ×A freakin' week trapped in Trix's house feels like an eternity. Seriously, if someone told me I'd end up married to the guy who has made my life a living nightmare, I'd have laughed in their face and scoffed at the absurdity. It's like hate is this unwelcome roommate, lurking under my skin, making every moment in this suffocating place unbearable.Every freakin' time I try to figure out what the heck Trix is scheming, he shuts me down like I'm just a pesky mosquito. "Stay put, Dixie," he barks, like I'm some obedient dog waiting for a treat. It's infuriating, and I can feel the itch to break free crawling under my skin.This house, it's like a cage, squeezing tighter around me with each passing moment. I'm dying to know what's going on, dying to be a part of the dang conversation. But no, Trix thinks I'm better off twiddling my thumbs until he decides I'm worthy of his grand master plan revelation.Curiosity is clawing at me, tearing through any semblance of patience I might