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Forty: Clara
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2024-11-10 10:39:37Related chapters
Never too late Forty One: Kyle
I woke up suddenly because of wailings and terrified screams. I was bleary-eyed, not yet in my senses but I could make out that it was the fucking middle of the night. What had happened at such a time that had people screaming and crying out in terror? Whatever it was, I couldn’t just hole up in my bedroom. I clumsily threw off my comforter and started putting on my pants.Without thinking twice about it, I ran downstairs to see what the commotion was about. As soon as I opened the doors to the pack house, I was greeted by massive mayhem and chaos. There were people running around everywhere, running around terrified and I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. I couldn’t figure out what had happened that had caused such a panic in the pack.A young girl stumbled ten feet away from me and I rushed to help get back on her feet. She mumbled a hasty thank you and dusted her clothes. “What’s happening? Why is everyone so scared?”“We’ve sounded the alarm. Rogues at the pack border!” Sh
Never too late Forty Two: Clara
I was never destined to be a hero. I have never had any romantic notions about wars, fighting, or bringing glory to one’s pack by decimating rogues or any such idea. Nor do I understand people glorifying battles and wanting to fight in one, and enjoying the killing part. That being said, I’m not stupid. I know how important and prevalent wars are, especially in the werewolf world, where every wolf is territorial, crazy, and incensed by little slights.I know how important war is for a possessive species for us. So, even if I didn’t exactly agree with the whole idea, I had to follow the same safety protocols as everyone else. I was sleeping when the alarms sounded. The alarm has always been my worst nightmare because you can never know how badly things can escalate from there. You don’t know how bad the situation is going to be. You can just pray everything ends up all right in the end.I scrambled out of bed, my mind half awake, trying to focus on what needed to be done in this state
Never too late Forty Three: Kyle
Werewolves have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if some warriors knew I was hiding out some distance away from the pack border, where I could see tensions were rising and everyone was just getting ready. But for whatever reason, my hiding place hadn’t been discovered and hadn’t been reported to Samuel so I was going to stay put exactly where I was right now.I wasn’t stupid. I knew I had no fighting experience and I wasn’t going to do something irrational just so I could be a hero. I’m sure Samuel and this pack don’t deserve my death on their hands. I could barely make out what was happening at the front lines. Having a mind link with these werewolves would have surely helped my cause of spying but since beggars can’t be choosers, I would have to satisfy with trusting my instincts.The pack siren had gone silent a while ago and I just hoped everyone had made it inside safely. I didn’t want to think about how scared the twins must have been, or how
Never too late Forty Four: Clara
I looked around the pack house for any kind of support but found it immensely lacking. None of their children were outside the safe house while there was a fucking battle with rogues going on. They couldn’t seem to understand how important it was to me to be outside and make sure my son was alright. And no one clearly understood what someone like me would do if I were to encounter some danger, given I was such a poor fighter. We were at an impasse with no way to compromise.“We can’t let you go, Clara,” someone said. “We understand you’re worried for your son but we can’t let you go outside when you could endanger the whole pack by opening these sealed doors. There’s a reason these doors are supposed to be kept closed after an invasion. I’m sure I don’t need to explain those reasons to you!”“Also, what about you children who are here? Who’s going to look after them?” Anita rears up her head and then gives a pointed look towards Ben and Ariel as if to remind me of their existence. I b
Never too late Forty Five: Kyle
I can feel my lungs slowly wheezing. It is incredibly hard to breathe which leads me to think that the horrible impact must have broken a few of my ribs. Thanks to quick werewolf healing, I can already feel them slowly stitch back together. A few seconds ago, my vision was flickering with dark spots dominating my periphery. Now, my vision was clearing and I was able to see a few feet in front of me.With my vision clearing up, I could see a dark brown wolf walking up menacingly toward me. He was a couple of feet away from me and not even werewolf healing was going to make me ready to face him on all four of my paws. I felt panic creeping into my subconsciousness because I knew I was in a very tight bind and there was no way for me to get out if it. If I had been a pack member, maybe I could have mind-linked someone about my situation and they would have come to help me. But right now, it seems like I was on my own.My body ached but I gathered enough courage to stand up on my paws. If
Never too late Forty Six: Clara
Twenty years ago…The mate bond, I feel, has unraveled something between me and Samuel. Something between us feels alive, tangible, different, and with a mind of its own because everywhere I go, it feels like I’m somehow being pulled together with Samuel. Everywhere I go, he’s there. Everywhere I look, he’s there. Every time I breathe, I can catch a whiff of his scent. I would have loved to experience this special Samuel treatment before, but now it’s downright cruel to me. And it hurts so much that I can’t possibly describe it in words.It feels like a cruel twist of fate to me. My wolf has decided to go into mourning because she can’t face the fact that our mate wants nothing to do with us. Granted, he hasn’t formally said the words that would lead to a formal rejection but it feels like that nonetheless. My heart aches all the time because all I want to do is touch my mate, breathe in his scent, and hold his hand as we walk down the school hallways.Instead, I get to see my mate wa
Never too late Forty Seven: Kyle
It took another twenty minutes for the pack warriors to take control of this uncontrolled pack of rogues. The pack warriors were disciplined, ruthless, and focused and I was extremely impressed by how even the least experienced fighter seemed totally in control of his faculties, without displaying any anxiety or fear in front of the rogues. I bet the rogues lost half the battle facing these pack warriors because they were fearless and dare I say, the best I have ever seen. I have a lot of issues with Alpha Samuel but I had to give it to him, he had produced a ruthless team of warriors who would give their lives for their pack's safety without hesitating.I slowly walk towards the pack boundary when the sounds of the battle cease echoing through the woods. A strange peace descends over the earth after this blood bath and the pack warriors start running to and fro to count the dead and take tolls. As I come closer to the pack boundary, I can smell the heavy metallic tang in the air and
Never too late Forty Eight: Clara
“What were you two thinking?” Samuel roared at us and I flinched at the raw anger in his voice. I and Kyle were summoned to the alpha’s office like two disgruntled teenagers who had broken curfew and were now going to be grounded. I was allowed to see Kyle after a few hours of the battle getting over. I was told Kyle was safe, he was volunteering at the pack boundary to get an approximate head count of the dead rogues and wounded pack warriors. While I had been instructed to return to the safe house and look after the twins. I had gotten them settled down, made sure they were completely unafraid, and made them sleep in their assigned room in the pack house. As soon as I was done with all this, I was informed by a pack member that Samuel had asked me to come to his office. When I asked about where Kyle was, they told me he would be waiting here for me. I just had a quick chance to look him over, check for any injuries, and hug him. Seeing him standing safe and sound, without a single s
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Never too late Sixty Five: Epilogue
LeaI watch Ben and Mason circle each other, judging each other’s stances and anticipating each other’s moves. These boys were growing up too fast, they were already too eager to participate in the pack’s training sessions and they still had years before they could officially attend those sessions. It still didn’t stop them from watching every practice session and cheering for the older werewolves. It didn’t help that Kyle encouraged them all the time, boosting them up, and telling them to aim to be the best pack warrior there has ever been. I think it was cute how they both looked up to Kyle, wanting to impress him, to spend time with them, and to just be near them.Ever since Kyle has officially started training to be the future alpha of this pack, he has become incredibly busy. He barely has time for himself, and I know he feels guilty about not being able to give me enough time. If he had been here from his birth, Alpha Samuel would have groomed him to be the next alpha from the m
Never too late Sixty Four: Clara
I know I wasn’t supposed to eavesdrop, wasn’t mean to listen to their conversation, but how could I not? Even a saint would have had trouble to avoid listening in on them, and I am no saint. I had been reeling from the revelation after the pack initiation ceremony, about how I had magically changed packs, and I was so confused about everything that I didn’t know what to do. I kept trying to deny what was happening, what had already happened and it had gotten me nowhere.When I ran out of Samuel’s office, I had no idea where I was supposed to go, and what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t go back to my room, or talk to anyone. The thought of interacting with anyone or sitting alone in my room made me claustrophobic. So, I did the only thing I could think of, I ran to the lake so I could think and re-think everything and decide what I had to do now.An epiphany slammed into me when I was there. I realised I could go on thinking about everything, thinking about the past, present, and the
Never too late Sixty Three: Kyle
The party after the initiation ceremony was still going on in the dining room of the pack house. Everyone was assembled there and I couldn’t catch a breath or take a step without someone congratulating me or telling me how amazing the hunt was. Pack hunts were rare because we didn’t want to disturb the ecosystem around us, but they were sometimes a celebration, like today. I was lucky to spot a herd of deer, and we managed to hunt down a couple of them, enough for everyone in the pack to take a celebratory bite of the hunt. Now, I was tired, both from the day and everyone frolicking around me.I wanted to retire to my bedroom already, but before I could do that, I wanted to see Samuel. So, I went upstairs to his office and knocked on the door. It is probably the first time I’m coming here without being summoned for doing something wrong or breaking the rules. It felt nice to not be the troublemaker for a change. I waited for his call to come in before swinging the door open and going
Never too late Sixty Two: Clara
I had witnessed pack initiation ceremonies a few times in this pack and back home. They were rare because it was unusual for an alpha to induct a wolf into their already blooming pack. Often, these ceremonies were held after an extensive background search and interviews, and all for a very good reason. Alpha has to make sure that they’re not introducing a sneaky snake in the pack that could harm them or the pack in the future. But this ceremony was an exception because not only Kyle was Samue’s blood, but Samuel was sure of Kyle’s heritage and I’m sure he is excited about having Kyle in the pack because it means that he will have his son in the pack and a legitimate future alpha.I had gone through the pack initiation ceremony myself when I had chosen Brad as my mate. I was as unprepared for it as Kyle was for his ceremony. I would have told him about what was supposed to happen but werewolf law states that the person is supposed to be initiated is supposed to go with as little knowle
Never too late Sixty One: Kyle
Ever since the pack announcement, everything in the pack has been a whirlwind. Everyone has been running around to organise the pack initiation ceremony as if it’s the most important even to happen in their lives. Decorations are being torn apart and hung again, menus are decided and then discarded, everyone is striving to make the even perfect. And it is all making me antsy. Surely, it is not that big of a deal, getting initiated into a pack. Even people’s attitudes toward me have changed, they somehow stand straighter whenever I enter a room, their heads bowing to me in deference, their voices going quieter and their smiles becoming brighter. I don’t understand what the big deal about all of this is because I have been living in this pack for the last couple of weeks and I’m still the same person. I’m still me but the way I’m being treated is completely different and disconcerting.I’m being treated like an alpha son, exactly how Ryder was used to being treated back home. I feel a l
Never too late Sixty: Clara
Twenty years ago…After I talked to Samuel, I made my way home, tears blurring my every step. I felt like the world was crashing around me. I couldn’t breathe, I felt the air around me had been sucked out and I was stuck in a vacuum. How had this happened to me? I couldn’t for the life of me figure this mystery out. All my life I’d just wanted to have a mate, love him as truly and honestly as I can, and be there for him in every aspect. Now, here I was, practically rejected by a mate who had a pregnant girlfriend that he was planning to propose to. On top of everything, he had the gall to reject my child, choosing to stay with his girlfriend rather than his mate.Tears were already leaking out of my eyes when I reached my home, but as soon as the door closed behind me, I started bawling. I had expected my parents to be there, I wanted their support at the moment, I wanted their love. I also hoped selfishly that when I told them Samuel was my mate and that I was pregnant with his chil
Never too late Fifty Nine: Kyle
I’d thought Lea’s father was in bad shape but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad. I could see an endless number of tubes going in and out of him, several machines beeping continuously, and he was sedated with such a high dose that I was sure he wouldn’t wake up if someone set him up on fire. His face looked black and blue his whole body is mottled with bruises and it’s crystal clear that he had been brutally beaten by the rogues before being left to die at the pack border for us to find.Lea had gone ghostly white after seeing her father in that condition and I couldn’t blame her. The scene reminded me of the time Brad was stuck in the hospital during the last couple of weeks of his life, how emaciated and weak and sickly he had started to look. It took me back to the time when Mom used to worry about him leaving us behind all the time, how the twins realized that he would leave and never come back. I’m sure these thoughts must be running in Lea’s head too, and I wanted to take her a
Never too late Fifty Eight: Clara
I’m once again in Samuel’s office. Surprise, surprise. In the short time we’ve been here, I have been here more than is normal for any pack member. I may as well set up my chopping block in this office because I’m summoned to be here so often. I think Kyle has also done everything possible to make sure we’re called again back to this office. Every time I’m here I’m brought back to the past when I and Aaron had been asked by Samuel’s dad to not see each other since we weren’t fated mates. My life has moved so far away from that trajectory, that it feels like a fictional tale someone uninvolved with my life is reciting to me. I can’t say my current life feels familiar to me because, for the first time in forever, Kyle hasn’t done anything remotely wrong. We’re here because of Lea and her father, and I’m a bit relieved that at least, we’re not the bad guys right now, always seemingly disrupting the pack peace, rules and regulations.For once, I wished we were called here for a good reaso
Never too late Fifty Seven: Kyle
Samuel only summoned Lea to his office but Aaron didn’t raise an eyebrow when I volunteered to accompany her. I didn’t know how many people knew about Lea and I being mates but I’m guessing since Aaron didn’t stop me, he knows or Samuel must have hinted to let me come. If it had been any other situation, I wouldn’t have felt the need to be with Lea but since the issue is so sensitive, concerning the rogue attack on the pack and possibly, her father’s involvement in it.The idea hit me when I was running from the dungeons towards the pack house to talk to Lea. I didn’t believe she had anything to do with the rogue attack. I know she’s loyal and holds real regard for Samuel because he accepted her and her brother in his pack and gave them home without any prejudice. It would also be rare for a pack member to have any connections with a rogue and leak pack information for a planned attack. The only thing that made sense was for her father to be the mole. He is only an honorary pack membe
