I was more than twenty minutes late for my English class. And my English class was at the other end of the school. Great. The universe hates me!
Don't get me wrong! It wasn't like I was dying to get to class, it's just that I had never been late to class before and the thought somehow disturbed me, even if being late wasn't entirely my fault. Scratch that! It wasn't my fault at all.
I ran all the way, as fast as my legs would carry me, and guess what, Ms. Wilson wasn't even there, and here I was, huffing, so I could catch my breath. Wow. Talk about being responsible.
As I walked into the classroom, the chatter ceased and everyone looked up. When everyone realized that it was just me and not the teacher, they redirected their attention to whatever they were doing before.
I scanned the classroom for an empty seat and the only seat available was the one in front of Harper Cain, who was busy sucking some girl's face off.
This guy has some serious hormonal issues, I tell you. His behavior is not normal.
She wasn't even the same girl I saw him in the janitor's closet with. What was her name again, Maria, was it?! I mean, literally. What. The. Hell.
Could he be more of a douchebag?!
He wasn't even kissing her subtly or trying to be discrete about it. He was fully thrusting his tongue in the poor girl's throat. She was sitting on his lap and was moaning his name between kisses. Just by looking, I was pretty sure he was hurting her boob by groping her so hard. Guess what, she didn't even mind. What the world has come to?!
I mean, was it just me or did anyone else think that this kind of behavior was highly inappropriate in public?!
Can he even breathe without some sort of girl hanging from his arm or clinging to his tongue as if her life depended on it?!
Disgusting.
If it was up to me, I would just sit in the other corner of the room, far away from this walking STD of a man-child. Preferably, I would stay in the other corner of the school from him.
I dropped my books on the desk and sat on the last seat available, in front of Harper. Very reluctantly, I may add.
Being this near, I could hear every sigh, gasp, and moan.
Kill me already. It was way past being uncomfortable.
What games is the universe playing with me?!
I took out my phone from my jeans, plugged in my earphones, and blared some music, loud enough to shut out the sounds coming from behind me.
After two songs, the door burst open and a flushed Ms. Wilson walked in with the material of her cashmere blouse ruffled, her buttons undone and her hair sticking in a million different directions. Is there drool on the side of her face? Was she sleeping all this time? So fucking professional.
Still a little breathless, she asked us to open our books to page 320 and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her blouse. Keyword being tried.
I rolled my eyes at the immature behavior.
I took out my earplugs and shoved my phone back into my jeans.
"Psst."
"Psst." Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to look at Harper, who leaned forward in his seat to talk to me.
"What?" I hissed.
"Do you have a pen?"
I sighed and decided that he wasn't worth the effort of arguing. Of course! What more did I expect from him?! I just simply rummaged through my bag and handed him a pen.
After about two minutes, his breath fanned my neck. "Psst."
"What?" I asked, without turning around.
"Hi, I am Harper." I could imagine the infamous smirk on his face, which all bad boys like to sport.
OH MY GOD. Was he fucking serious? He was hitting on me? Right in the middle of class? And just after I saw him sucking someone else's face not too long ago?
"Yeah, I know." I gritted my teeth. I just wanted to keep this conversation as short as possible, if you could even call my short-clipped retorts a conversation.
I turned my attention back to the front of the classroom where Ms. Wilson was just droning on about some novel that was in our syllabus.
"Psst."
I ignored him."Psst."
Just ignore him."Psst." He tapped on my shoulder. I ignored him and copied whatever I thought Ms. Wilson was talking about.
"Psst." Tap. "Psst." Tap. "Psst.". Tap. "Psst."
"What the hell, Harper?" I hissed, careful to keep my voice low enough so I wouldn't attract attention but could easily pass out as venomous.
His lips twitched in a smirk and his eyes twinkled mischievously. "Not my fault. You were the one who was ignoring me."
Yes, douchebag. Now get the message. I am ignoring you because I don't want to talk to you. Don't you have a brain?
"Can you just go back to being oblivious to my existence, like you have been for the past several years, Harper?"
"Aw, come on. You have my attention now. I am making up for lost time."
I could still feel his smirk even though I was facing forwards and wasn't looking back at him. I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to groan out loud."Okay. First, that was the worst pickup line ever. Second, I am not interested. And third, Fuck off."
His cool demeanor shifted and he looked angry. Furious even. Aww.
Has Pretty Boy never been rejected? Did I deflate your ego, you man whore? Awww. I am so not sorry, though. You deserve it.
I smirked. Harper opened his mouth to say something, which I was sure wouldn't have been pretty if I took his facial features into account.
But before that, the bell rang. I gathered my stuff and practically ran out of the classroom.
***
You know what's the best part of any school day? The bell rings marking the end of the day.
If I wanted to look like a demented person on crack, I would have jumped like a crazy maniac and sang some stupid rock song about gaining my freedom from my last class to my locker. That was what I was feeling, anyway. But as a normal person, I settled for a smile and a slight jump in my step.
When I reached my locker, I saw Samantha and Natalie waiting for me at the locker. Ah! My two best friends.
Natalie had strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes while Samantha had brown hair with grey eyes. Both of them were pretty and tall. While Natalie had a wild personality, Samantha was the mother hen of our group. Whereas, I was the quiet intelligent type, who had a 4.0 GPA and was ready to try out my life in the big city.
Where the hell were these two during lunch anyway?
And what were they talking about? Why were they both so damn excited?
I squared my shoulders as if I were preparing myself for a war. I approached my best friends with narrowed eyes and the best intimidating expression I could manage. And of course, they saw right through it. Damn it.
"Where the hell were you two when Melanie went crazy on me during lunch?" I pointed my finger accusingly at the two.
"We were late." They shrugged nonchalantly.
Before I could accuse them of lying, Natalie took hold of both of my arms and started speaking excitedly about some kind of party, which was going to happen tomorrow.
"A party? On a school night?" I asked them.
"Oh yeah. It's going to be great, you know. Everyone's going to be there. Like everyone." Natalie squealed while Samantha just rolled her eyes.
I put my books in the locker and slammed it shut. The three of us started walking towards the parking lot, where our cars were parked.
"What's so special about this party anyway?""Tomorrow is Harper's eighteenth birthday," Natalie told me in a sing-song voice.
"And? What's so special about that?"
"Are you kidding me? Tomorrow is his eighteenth birthday! He could find his ma- oof" Samantha cut off Natalie by jamming her elbow in a not-so-subtle way.
I eyed them both suspiciously.
"What were you going to say?"Samantha coughed nervously and Natalie just sighed.
"Well, tomorrow could very well be the day when our school may lose its biggest heartbreaker.""Why, is Harper going to die and make the world a better place?" I scoffed.
"No, I am just saying, you know, maybe he will find someone tomorrow, and I don't know, maybe, want to commit." Natalie fidgeted nervously.
I looked at her for a couple of seconds and laughed. Hard. I had trouble breathing but still, I was unable to control my laughter.
I took a deep breath and laughed again. "Okay, why do you think that tomorrow he is going to wake up a different person and will have the motivation to commit to some girl."
They both looked at each other nervously.
I looked around the parking lot in search of a dark blue BMW. Yup, that was my car, when my eyes landed on the topic of our conversation.
"Just look at him."They both turned their heads in the direction in which I pointed, to look at Harper Cain who was, yet again, making out with a different girl while leaning on his car. He was groping her ass and she was holding onto him like her life depended on it.
"Today, I saw him hooking up with Maria in the janitor's closet. Then, I saw him making out with some other girl in the English classroom. And here he is making out with some other brunette. Three girls in a day people. And I am not even sure of how many more there were."
"Well, yeah. He is a....... um, player. We are not denying that." Samantha said.
Natalie nodded. "Yeah, I mean, I am just saying, maybe some girl sweeps him off his feet?"
"What girl are you talking about, Natalie? He has already made out with every single girl in the school?" I rolled my eyes at her suggestion.
"I don't know. I am just saying, you know, that he could change." Samantha laughed nervously.
They were just being so weird.
"You know", I unlocked my car and dumped my bag in the passenger seat," the day he changes, I will sleep with him myself. I give you my word." I chuckled, shaking my head in mirth.
They both laughed nervously, making some weird eye contact with each other, waved at me, and headed towards their cars.
I shook my head and laughed under my breath.
Is Harper Cain changing his ways? I could laugh forever at the notion.
I wouldn't say that the town I lived in was some kind of booming metropolis. Quite the contrary. The town I have lived in since I was born is a quiet little town situated in the hills. It was not one of those small and remote towns too, where everyone knew everybody.Arada was a moderate-sized town and had two high schools three primary schools and several kindergartens. There was also a small prestigious college on the outskirts of Arada, which didn't accept many applications, and thus had fewer students compared to any big University.Arada was surrounded by thick woods on three sides. The forest was shaped like a crescent moon if you were to look from above, high in the sky. The abundance of trees in the area made the town colder than other nearby cities and made it rain quite often. The nearest city was almost six hours away and was more industrialized with big businessmen and buildings and a bigger population.The second nearest city was half a day away and was more of a quiet l
"Why is Harper Cain staring at you?"whispered the girl sitting to the left of me, for what felt like, the hundredth time.I groaned inwardly. "If it had not been for you, I wouldn't have known he was staring at me. And for the last time. I. Don't. Know." I gritted my teeth.The redhead gave me a death glare and went back to texting on her phone in the middle of the class.I took a deep breath and prepared myself to check if she was right like I had already done the past twenty times. I knew that he was looking at me because I could somehow feel his intense stare at the back of my head.Nonetheless, I gathered my courage and turned my head around. And there he was, in the last row, in the corner of the room still staring at me with a stony expression. I don't think he had looked at any other person in the class because every time I turned my head around to look at him, he had his eyes right on me. I met his intimidating gaze for a few seconds, raised my left eyebrow, and telepathical
I was numb. Just completely and utterly dumbfounded.My brain was taking a lot of time to process what the fuck just happened. Throughout the ride home, I replayed the kisses over and over in my mind. How they felt and how they drove me to peaks of desire and ecstasy.After I reached my home, I walked like a robot to my room, all the while ignoring my parents and brother. I plopped down on my bed and that was when it hit me.HARPER CAIN KISSED ME! AND I KISSED HIM BACK! AND I LIKED IT!TWICE, if you leave that last peck.After I freaked out for half an hour, I decided I needed an expert opinion on this matter and that's why I called my two best friends on a conference call and told them everything.Silence reigned for a few seconds on their ends and then they screamed. I could feel cracks beginning to form in my room's walls and my eardrums being shattered. They were that loud.They giggled for some time, fangirled a lot, and fought over who was going to be my maid of honor in my wedd
When I stood on the pavement, at night, I realized that I had no ride. I didn't want to go back inside and face Natalie and Samantha with tears streaming down my face and smudged mascara. So, I took the only option I had, I started walking while furiously wiping my tears.At this point, I didn't even know why I was crying. Was it because Harper just stole a kiss from me when I didn't even want it? But that couldn't be the reason, because it had already happened in school today. It wasn't with the same forcefulness, but still.Was it because he thought it would be okay to kiss another girl before me and he thought I would never know and that I was just another one of his hookups? Was it because the kisses we shared did something to me whereas Harper just thought of me as another girl he could have sex with? I was so confused I don't even know the answer to my questions, right now. And I was not sure I wanted to know.I heard the sound of a car honking beside me. I ignored it at first a
"Ok, you have stalled long enough. Now you will tell us what happened!" Samantha's voice was determined like her whole personality. Samantha and Natalie sat down across from me on the cafeteria table.I cringed. I had been trying to escape my inquisitive friends since yesterday night. They had no idea why I left them at the party when we were supposed to have fun. They had no idea who dropped me and why I ran away in the first place.I didn't pick up their calls yesterday night, hoping they would think that I had fallen asleep. And in school, I evaded them in the two classes I shared with them.But now I had no choice. I had to tell them. I have never hidden anything from them in all the years we have been friends and the guilt had been weighing me down. Taking a deep breath, I looked up from my plate of spaghetti and meatballs to meet the eyes of my two best friends.They looked at me expectantly and I started telling them everything. About Aiden telling me where to find Harper, to
It has been two weeks since Harper's birthday and everything had returned to the way it used to be.Harper had gone back to his ways of groping and sleeping around, with anything that walks and has a vagina. He has an insatiable appetite, I swear. He has been ignoring me. I had no idea why, though. Before he was just oblivious to my existence, but now, he was avoiding me. He practically ran the other way whenever we happened to be in the same hallway.I didn't miss the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't aware he was around. Well, whenever his mouth wasn't attached to someone else's.I had realized that Harper was not the man for me. Man-whore is not my type. I think I got upset at his birthday party because he took me for granted and while I was sure he felt nothing during the kisses we shared, I did feel something. The kiss was passionate and the best kiss I had ever had. But I was happy that things were back to the way they were. Uncomplicated and simple. I had started
I took my bag and changed out of my uniform as Stephanie took charge behind the counter. I sent a quick goodbye to Monique and Antony. I thought I would be at Natalie's house for the sleepover by 8 but I was running a little late.I wasn't worried about the fact that I didn't have clothes with me, I would just borrow Natalie's. I got in my car and started driving towards Natalie's house. I had to give my details to the security man posted at the gate of the colony Natalie lived in. The same colony where Harper lives.Why does this colony even need security guards?! It was not as if Arada was full of cutthroats and criminals.I parked in Natalie's driveway.Her house held a modern yet conservative touch to it. With light cream walls and two huge pillars supporting the patio, the house was simply magnificent. The wide garden wrapped around the house and gave it a soothing aura. The house consisted of two floors and many rooms, all brilliantly furnished.I knocked at the door, waiting f
I was floating and falling.Ugh! Not again. I had been having the same dream every other night now and it was becoming a nuisance because in the end, I always woke up in the middle of the night after experiencing a terrible headache and then, I would have trouble going back to sleep again.It was the same every time.Falling and floating.Not being able to feel anything at all.Being surrounded by darkness. No, not darkness. Blackness. Utter and complete blackness.Then, being thrust in a direction.The thrusting ceased and my body lay still.Then came the falling and the fear of crashing down and never waking up again.And then came the soft touch of grass on my bare skin.As I lay on the grass, I waited for the headache to come and split up my skull.But it never came. That's how far the dreams had progressed every time.I gently peeled my eyes open expecting nothing but blackness to greet me.It was dark alright, but not black. I could see for a few meters ahead of me and I could e
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