"What?" My voice came out small and unsure and I looked at Harper to check if I had heard him correctly."Amanda found her mate in a hospital six months ago, battling cancer. He was already in the terminal stage and being a human, there was no way the 20-year-old boy had any chance of surviving. I had already rejected you and then, seeing as she was mate-less, I chose her to be my chosen Luna."I weakly nodded. I felt sorry for her, I did. "Did you ever sleep with her?" I asked warily, already knowing the answer in my gut.He lowered his head and nodded. Of course, why did I even ask?!I sighed, rubbing my arms. Harper walked towards me, closing the space between us even more. He cupped my face and I allowed the contact reluctantly. His hands were callused and I could feel the hard skin of his palms. He held my face and made me look up into his eyes."I don't know how else to say it, but I'm sorry. You're my mate, Zara and I know you find it hard to believe because you know that I h
After we made out in the classroom till we were panting like dogs, Harper suggested we skip the rest of school. And what did I say? I said why the hell not. Harper told me that he had it all covered and that my parents would never know about it. What can I say I was feeling adventurous?! Low-key, though, this is what a bad influence looks like.But I was too pumped up to care.So, we got into Harper's car and drove straight to a diner half an hour away from school. We had pretty much the whole day to look forward to because we had got out of school right after the second period.We had just settled in one of the booths, which could offer us privacy so that we could easily talk about him being a wolf and everything else that came with it. "So, wolves live in packs."Harper nodded in response to my statement."Wolves are social animals, just like humans. Our human side can live alone but it's our wolf side that needs other wolves to keep it sane. It may sound weird, but that's just h
"You're joking, right?" I ask him skeptically.He gently shook his head. "I'm not. The way you described the woman, that's exactly how we imagine her."I took a deep breath in and roamed my eyes across the diner. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn and I didn't know how to deal with it. How does anyone deal if they come to know that the person repeatedly appearing in their dreams is in fact, some sort of goddess?!"That's why you wanted to work on our relationship?" The word relationship left a weird taste in my mouth. I couldn't believe the boy sitting in front of me was my boyfriend. Harper nodded. "My wolf didn't want to let go of his mate and I was barely able to control him, for the reasons I explained before. But when you told me that the moon goddess was appearing in your dreams and when I heard the message, she delivered through you, my wolf convinced me that it was a sign, that the goddess wanted me to be with my mate.""So, you made a 180-degree turn, the very ne
"Why do you always bring me to the woods?" I chuckled and looked at Harper. We were walking deeper into the woods, away from the place where his car was parked. My hand was tightly clasped in his and I was in no hurry to let go of him, and from the looks of it, neither was he. Tingles were shooting up and down my arm and I was feeling strangely content at the small skin-to-skin contact."People wouldn't like to see me transforming into a silver wolf in broad daylight, believe me." Harper chuckled while looking pointedly at me. I mentally smacked myself in the head. Of course! Humans didn't know about werewolves. It felt strange to admit the fact, because less than a week ago, I was one of those humans too. Those humans who didn't know that supernatural beings exist and live amongst them."Sometimes humans don't take too kindly to us when they know about our little secret." Little? He calls this secret little?! "They assume us to be dangerous and so, hunt us. We call them hunters." H
The ride back home was more than awkward, because the three words spoken out loud in the forest lingered between us, and it made both of us so uneasy and unsure of ourselves. I didn't know what to say or what to make of the situation.Our day away from school had finally come to an end. Neither one of us spoke anything on the car ride back home. What do you say to your boyfriend of one day, who had told you that he loves you, while the both of you were in a compromising position? The compromising position was him completely naked and me being completely wrapped in his arms, after sharing one of the most amazing kisses one could ever experience in one's lifetime.My heart had stopped for a minute when I heard those words and I was panicking inside. It was way too early to say those words, mate bond be damned. I didn't know what to say after that, because I couldn't bring myself to say the same three words back to him. I couldn't say those words to him, because I didn't love him. At l
I had no idea if I was doing it right! Was this the right time to introduce Zara to my parents? Is that how normal humans do it?But it wasn't exactly in my control, either, like so many other things in my life, I thought bitterly.I didn't want to scare Zara but my parents were adamant about meeting her soon and I was sure they were going to point out every single flaw in her. Well, I'd like to see them try. As far as I know, she's pretty flawless.My father, or should I say, the alpha, wasn't happy at all when I told him I would have another go with the mate bond, with Zara. I told him that his empty threats about not giving me the alpha title were not going to take him anywhere, I would happily become a rogue if I had her with me.The very thought about Zara made me happy and lifted my mood. I leaned back on the hood of my car, silently waiting for her to walk out of the school doors. We had decided that we would meet up at my car after school ended so that I could take her to meet
I have no idea why, but the moment I said that Eva might be pregnant, no, scratch that, is pregnant, the mood in the office changed drastically. It was somehow less hostile and cold.I didn't know the story about the couple sitting in front of me, but by the way, both of Harper's stilled and gaped at me, for a few minutes, I would say, that being pregnant was amazing news for them. I couldn't help but feel elated that the news came from me."You can check it, you know," I said, while carefully eyeing Eva's expression. She looked up at me and nodded distractedly.She gingerly picked up the test and got up from the comfortable office chair, behind the desk. I could see her knees were wobbly and I was afraid she would fall and hurt herself.She slowly walked out of the room, still in a daze and I looked at Harper nervously. I had felt his eyes on me the entire time and I knew he was wondering why I didn't tell him about the dream I had last night. I nervously smiled at him, unsure how h
"So, when are you going to introduce us to that lovely boyfriend of yours?" My father said abruptly, while we all were eating breakfast.I stopped cutting the delicious pancake on my plate and looked up to see three pairs of eyes looking at me."W-what?" I stammered."Oh, come on. You thought we wouldn't know about the guy who waits on the next block to pick you up." My mother smirked at me. No, Mom, I didn't think you would find out about the guy who waits on the next block to pick me up."We noticed you weren't using your car even though it's in perfect condition." My dad said."Yeah, then I told them about your boyfriend," Cory said the word boyfriend with so much smugness, I wanted to murder him."I, um...." I didn't know what to say. What could I say? What do you say to your parents when they ask about your parents when you have only been dating for three days?!"How can you have a boyfriend? You're too young to date." My father said exasperated.I saw my mother elbow my father a
Bonus Chapter: Natalie's POVI knew something was wrong when I didn't get my period for two months. I never had a smooth cycle so I wasn't troubled when they didn't happen the first time but their absence in the second consecutive month got me worried. My body had undergone certain changes I knew weren't normal and I was worrying myself to death, thinking about some kind of deadly disease that would kill me in a few months. Even though I knew that my immunity system was way better than a normal human's, I couldn't help but entertain such thoughts. I didn't tell anyone of my concerns as I didn't want anyone to worry because of my baseless concerns. Nonetheless, I booked the first possible appointment with the pack gynaecologist. I had prepared myself for everything, a tumour in my ovary, internal hemorrhaging of my uterus that would result in an immediate hysterectomy, or even breast cancer which would again lead to a complete mammectomy. But as I sat in front of the doctor and she ex
Bonus Chapter: Ethan's POVWhen you grow up as a werewolf, all you ever hear is the word 'mate', because people around you can't stop talking about them. Some elders talk about mates with a dazed but happy look in their eyes and you can easily tell how much they love their mates. When young people talked to mates, you could practically feel their longing and the love they had for their mates. When teenagers talk about mates, you can feel their desperation to find their mates and be one with them. Rejections in my pack were extremely rare and every werewolf lived happily ever after with their fated mates. There were no doubts, no questions asked because your mate could be the exact fit of your soul, your second half, and the one who you are supposed to live as long as you live. Growing up and watching my parents and pack members, this is all I had watched and learned, that a mate was for you to love, hold and protect till the end of your days. When you're brought up like that, the ide
EPILOGUE 3: HARPER'S POV (TEN YEARS LATER)It was three years ago when Mason was first teased by a classmate about the unusual arrangement of his parents. I had always known that as he was growing up, he became especially attuned to the fact that the way his family lived wasn't exactly normal by usual standards. There were so many unusual factors that they were bound to seem different to him and I wasn't exactly prepared for how Mason was coping with how different his family seemed to be from any other family in the pack. As the future alpha, it was essential to be a part of the pack because other people were often intimidated by the power you had and by the power you would have in the future. My father always taught me to be a part of the pack but always remember that you could never essentially be a part of the pack. And this is exactly what I had taught Mason to do; I had asked him to play with all the other wolf kids but always remember that in the future, he will be responsible
Epilogue 2: Zara's POVI could feel everyone's eyes on me, which instantly made me nervous. I hated feeling this way but I wasn't sure I could help it. I hated being the centre of attention and walking down an aisle and standing in front of all the pack members to take part in the Luna ceremony was exactly that, being the centre of attention. Harper had told me that since I was the true luna of the pack, the ceremony would be a little different and I wasn't sure how that would affect me as I hadn't exactly attended Natalie's ceremony. I weakly smiled at all the pack members assembled in the pack grounds and started walking down the aisle towards the raised stage at the front of the pack. I was barefoot to pay homage to the natural aspect of the pack and to respect the raw nature of the wolves. The grass was soft beneath my feet and I immediately compared the softness to the grass in the spirit world where I used to meet the moon goddess. Harper had instructed me to not look around an
Epilogue: Zara's POVA blush immediately coated my cheeks as I slowly woke up from my deep slumber. The bed felt too cosy and I couldn't help but snuggle against Harper's body. His amazing body heat and the tingles that danced all over my skin whenever we touched made me let out a deep, sleepy moan. I felt Harper stir beside me and felt his arm settle on my bare hip, eliciting a heady warmth to settle deep in my belly. His thumb gently caressed my hip bone and I moved closer to him, determined to have as much skin contact as possible and leave no space between us. Harper's scent surrounded me, which brought an involuntary sleepy smile to my face. Even with my eyes closed, I could picture Harper's slightly upturned nose as he slept. It was too hard to resist his adorable expressions so most of the time, I didn't even try. My head rested on his shoulder and my face settled in the crook of his neck. Without needing to open my eyes, I leaned forward and planted an open-mouthed kiss on Ha
I thought about it for so many months, because the act of being marked by Harper seemed final. It felt like a full stop and in a way, it was final, an end. I knew the meaning of being marked even before I had decided to go away when I had learned of Natalie's pregnancy. I had asked him to mark me so many months ago and he had refused. It seemed so long ago, Aiden's birthday party when he found out that Samantha was his mate. So much has happened since then, things that have made me value the most precious things in life, let go of grudges, and the importance of relationships. After all, I have been through, I believe I have grown as a person. Not just me either, I know that all of us, Harper, Natalie, Samantha, and Aiden have grown up and matured in a way that most eighteen-year-olds don't. Well, Natalie is nineteen years old and so is Harper, as of today. So, I want to stress the fact that the decision to mate with Harper wasn't a light one even though I know most people wouldn't s
I think what the moon goddess said somehow helped me get over Ethan's death. I was still wrung and grieving about him for weeks, don't get me wrong but thinking about how must be at peace somehow made it easy to bear his loss. If I were to believe the goddess' words, Ethan wasn't happy in his life and was lost because he had no apparent purpose. I like to think that he got the release he so desperately wanted and needed. Even after knowing all this, I still couldn't cope with the fact that I won't be seeing him every day. He had been my source of comfort and strength for so long, he was someone I could lean on. He had begun to understand me in ways I'd never thought possible. And his absence felt left like a big void and I wasn't sure I could fill it. I didn't know if it was possible to fill it. When Harper told me that Ethan wouldn't be getting a funeral like the pack members because he was a rogue, I had been so infuriated. I knew that what Harper was saying was a part of who he w
~ Harper’s POV~"You do realize that to break the bond between us, either one of us will have to complete the mating process and mark our mates," I remarked and watched as Natalie nodded her head in acknowledgment. We had just gotten back after performing the final rites of the pack warriors who had lost their lives from the battle with the rogues. Needless to say, we needed some time to regain our bearings before we mingled with the rest of the world. I had done it before when my father was fighting for his life and I still found it jarring to my being, to perform the final rites of the werewolves who lose their lives. I couldn't imagine how Natalie must be feeling as it was her first time dealing with this ceremony. And hopefully, the last time. "I know," she said and we didn't speak for a few moments. I sincerely hoped that it would get easier with time, performing this ritual. It certainly hurt more when I knew that the pack members were paying for the mistakes my father committe
When I came to my senses, I immediately knew that Harper wasn't in the bed with me. I had lost consciousness when I was engulfed in his body heat, with his arms wrapped around me. The loss of his presence was so pronounced that I didn't want to open my eyes. It felt like he was the only reason I wasn't emotionally breaking down right now. A very big part of me wanted to be near him right now and the fact that he wasn't here with me disappointed me a lot. Even in my dreams, I had expected him to be here with me, helping me get over my loss. I wanted to never open my eyes and I was glad the room was shrouded in darkness. My neck prickled in awareness and I became aware of someone sitting in the room and even though, the threat of the rogues was over, I suddenly felt unsafe. "I know you are awake, Zara." I recognized that voice and the fear immediately abated. I opened my eyes and got up in a seating position. I leaned against the headboard and regarded the figure of the soft figure of