Rose
A large pile of dresses was taking over my bed. No one could agree on one. My mom was pushing for a tulle dress. Harriet was adamant it should be off the shoulder for easy access to my neck. Heather pushed for a blue or pink dress to bring out the color of my eyes. Iris liked all of the dresses but seemed to prefer the more revealing ones. I had been forced to try on at least a dozen. Honestly, I was just getting annoyed with all of them. I knew they meant well, but I was not their personal doll to dress up.“Okay, there are only a few dresses left. How about I pick the next one? Hopefully, the last.” I groaned, and they all nodded in approval. I slipped off the slinky white halter neck dress. I don’t know what Iris was thinking with that one...a single speck of blood would ruin it forever.My fingers pushed the remaining dresses apart on the rack. I decided to take their opinions into consideration, but ultimately I chose to have an idea. I heard the rustlRose After I was officially announced Luna of the pack, the celebration lasted into the early hours of the morning. Harriet managed to get herself drunk, which was a testament to the amount of alcohol she consumed. Alastor did his best to keep her clothes on and keep her from doing anything foolish. He eventually gave up trying to enjoy the festivities and carried his sloshed mate over his shoulder back to the packhouse.By the tail end of the party, I was sure I had talked to almost everyone in the pack. My social quota for the month was maxed out. My soul craved to hide away from the people around me, but I did my best to put on my friendliest face for everyone, no matter who they were. When Orion finally said we could leave, I was thrilled. Just like my first ceremony at Black Moon, Orion offered to carry me on his back. As I latched my arms around his neck, I had the eerie familiar vibe of watching. Of course, I probably was being watched since we were the main at
RoseHades stalked towards the side of the room, closed off by bars. I shifted to see around him; the man was as wide as a mountain. Huddled on the floor behind the bed was a girl. She had her knees tucked underneath her chin, her hair the color of earth cascading down across her face. She wore a dirty shirt and discolored shorts. Her body was covered with bruises and cuts. She wasn’t healing right; even as a wolf, those injuries should have vanished maybe a few hours after they were inflicted. A silver cuff wrapped around her ankle, attached to a long chain that coiled in a heap on the floor. No wonder she wasn’t healing correctly. Her body shook slightly with anticipation as Hades came closer and closer.“Oh, Leto, Leto, Leto.” Hades patronizingly sucked through his teeth as he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. Hastily Hades unlocked the door, moving as fast as possible to not linger on the silver for too long. Why wasn’t he taking precautions against
RoseThe weather began to slightly cool, giving into the approaching Autumn. It had only been a few days since I had the premonition. Orion didn’t press me to talk about it, but I could see the worry etched in every pore. He had been covering for me when it came to the pack, but I’m sure they were curious. Brigid, my mom, dad, Iris, Damian, Harriet, Heather, and even Alastor came to visit me. We typically sat in silence, or whoever came to see me just talked at me, not really to me, only filling the empty void that echoed throughout the room. Some people accepted the silence; others couldn’t handle it.Today I was hiding in the closet, tucked away underneath the clothes that dangled above me. I was wearing one of Orion’s shirts and staring at my premonition journal. The page was blank besides the date, I knew I should write about it, but I couldn’t...not yet. I let the journal slip out of my hands and fall to the ground.I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my
Orion“Do you have a death wish?” I dropped my voice as I hissed at Rose. “How could you be so reckless, Rose?”I had my fingers grasped tightly around her wrist as I pulled her away from the pack warriors, Alastor, Harriet, and Heather, who gathered by the stream. Instead of just mind linking me that she thought she noticed someone, she just chucks the rock in the tree. What if that hadn’t scared them off? She could have gotten herself killed.“I don’t have a death wish. Heather said she didn’t hear anything. How was I supposed to know I was right and someone was there?” She whipped her wrist from my grip.“What if it was Kroll? You literally experienced his attack on David. You felt how easy it is for him to kill you. You should always call me.”“What if it was nothing? I would look like an idiot.” Her spunk that had disappeared the past few days was back, and I was happy about it returning to her; I did not appreciate her using it to cock an attitude with me right
Rose After telling Brigid about the premonition I trudged back to the pack house, my feet felt like lead. Each step was more strenuous than the last. As I slowly made my way down the west wing of the pack house, I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing Orion at the moment, but I had the feeling he would hunt me down if I didn't see him sooner or later. He made it crystal clear he was mad at me and he didn’t approve of my actions today. Of course in the heat of the moment, I let it slip that I had felt like I had been watched before. How could I be so stupid? I had been purposely biting my tongue and now what was the point? I guess at this point it was best to just rip the bandaid off. Orion’s office doors were cracked, letting light leak into the hallway. I sucked
OrionI had doubled our warriors patrolling the border, but it didn’t feel like it was enough. I just felt like I needed to do more. I would do anything to keep her safe, but she was right. I couldn’t lock her away. She had every right to live her life. It is unfair to let my insecurities overshadow her ability to live.I sighed as I slid down the wall in my basement gym. I had been disappearing down here since the intruder. I just needed to get out my pent-up frustration before I did or said anything more that could push my mate further away.We smoothed over a crack, but it felt like at any second, the facade would crumble away. We had been civil, but there was an unspoken elephant in the room every time we were alone. I made an ass of myself when I let myself act like a teenager downing the last of my stash of bourbon, but I felt like I needed to do something. I was going crazy waiting for her to make her way back home.Now I was going crazy just waiti
RoseI looked around the misty forest letting out a not-so-subtle groan. Didn’t I just have a premonition? I honestly don’t think that I could handle another one so quickly. I fell quiet, waiting for something to tell me what way I should go. A soft breeze brushed against the back of my neck, beckoning my attention.“Here we go again,” I muttered under my breath as I began to let the breeze take me into its current. I snaked between trees and the underbrush of the forest, trying to keep up with the blistering pace it had set. It was like I was in a marathon and all I could do was pray I could keep up. Why was the wind in such a hurry today? Something didn’t feel right. All of a sudden, my feet began to run on their own, no matter how much I tried to slow down. I was no longer in control. I was locked into someone else’s path; I was just here for the ride. My breath became ragged and rough. My legs began to ache, all of the muscles I had faded away. Was this wha
RoseToo many bodies were crammed into Brigid’s little cabin. There were only two people who had room. Orion paced the floor. He had hastily thrown his hair up in a messy bun with a couple of stray pieces hanging down, framing his face. Brigid was unfazed in her chair.It was hard to move without bumping into another person. It was like we were trying to make a werewolf pyramid on her couch. At any second, I thought it would collapse. It was an Armando sandwich on the bottom tier. Iris and Alastor made up the bread, which left poor Damian to be the meat. Harriet was content as she nuzzled up against Alastor. My options were Damian, Iris, the floor, or standing. Sitting on Damian would only bring the wrath of Orion, and the floor would interrupt my mate’s pacing rhythm. I was about to give up and just lean against the couch; until Iris grabbed my hand and pulled me on top of her.“Oh, come on, Luna. I won’t bite...well, at least not you.” Iris beamed at me before
RoseOne moment I was floating in my bathtub daydreaming about Orion, and then the next thing I knew, I was lying on a bed of damp earth, twigs, and fallen leaves on the forest floor. The sweet aroma of honeysuckle and moss tickled my nose.
RosePru sat across from me at the breakfast nook table. She gently shook her leg as she wrapped her fingernails on the table. We had been sitting like this for an hour. I was scared her leg was going to fall off.“What time is it?” Pru broke the silence.“Only a quarter past five.” I sighed. “You are going to be fine.”Pru wasn’t precisely scared to join the pack, but she was a ball of nerves. She was so calm that night with the Fallen Moon rogues. I found her fascinating; she was almost the complete opposite of Harriet.“I know, I know.” Pru offered a halfhearted smile. Matt was in a meeting with Orion, Alastor, and Damian. Orion had told me I could join in, but my heart told me to keep Pru company.“I think you are overthinking it.” I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of hers. I hope I was able to offer her some shred of comfort.“I know.” I heard that response way too many times in the past hour. She was just focu
RoseBeams of late morning sun danced across the hardwood floors. I snuggled deep into Orion's chest as if he could make the morning go away.Last night after the 'bonfire,' Orion had carried me on his back to the packhouse. I never thought I would get used to being carried around on someone's back so much. Now it was second nature.I pulled the duvet up over my shoulder, trying to fight off the slight chill in our room. I guess it was time to either start wearing more clothes to bed or either crank up the heat more."I suggest the heat. I would hate for Orion to have to wear more clothes. I prefer him naked myself." A voice echoed in my head. She was there; Delilah was back. I felt my breath catch in my throat."You are back!" I squealed at my wolf."I am.""I missed you." I really had. I was lonely without her. Everyone else had been trying to prevent it, but it couldn't be helped. I saw through the movie afternoon with my girls. No
RoseAfter a couple of hours of blanket forts and cuddles, a knock on the door sounded, reminded us that there was a world outside of this room. I peaked over the top of the couch to see Orion and Alastor lingering in the doorway.“Okay, ladies, you have stolen my mate for long enough. It’s time to get ready to go.” Orion walked over and gently poked my nose. I stuck my tongue out at Orion as I crawled out from under my blanket.“We did not even have her that long!” Harriet whined, and she dramatically clutched my blanket to her chest.“You are going to see her again in ten minutes,” Alastor mumbled as he leaned up against the back of the couch and ruffled Harriet’s curls.I gently stretched my arms up and out as I stood up. My muscles ached, and I silently prayed that Delilah came back soon. I hadn’t felt this bad since I had the premonition when I was Pru ran in the woods.I let my fingers intertwine with Or
Rose“Anyways, we have gathered to discuss Alaric and Pru.” Orion cleared his throat.“What’s there to discuss?” I almost jumped to my feet; my heart frantically hammered in my chest. I couldn’t live with myself if they were punished or turned away from our pack. I turned to look at Alaric, Pru, and Matt. Pru and Matt had their fingers interlocked. Alaric had his head tilted to the side; his curiosity had been tantalized. I could see the cogs turning behind those gray eyes. Why were they so calm?“Luna,” Alastor spoke up. I whipped my head to face him. The sudden movement made my neck muscles scream in pain. I winced but tried my best to hold my composure.“Pru saved me. Pru saved Matt. It’s not like Pru asked to be there. They kidnapped her, too! She was taken; they stole her life and her grimoire. Alaric undermined his Uncle, his Father, and all those rogues whenever he could! He put his neck on the line for us when he didn’t have to. If it wasn’t for P
RoseOrion and I didn’t get back to Black Moon until past sunrise. Orion wanted to stay and help dispose of the bodies, but Alastor and Harriet wouldn’t have it. They took care of the bodies and the fire, erasing the presence of the war the best they could. I rode on Orion’s back during the journey home. Clutching Pru’s jacket for warmth and some sense of modesty. I didn’t really want to have a Lady Godiva moment after the night I had.I honestly didn’t remember much of the trip back home. Once I was on Orion’s back, I knew I was safe and didn’t have to worry about anything. I do remember my parents smothering me, though. My father checked me over at least twice, and my mom almost threw me into the bathroom. After they were satisfied I was clean and not going to die, they went home. I knew that they would be back as soon as they had a catnap.Orion had asked me if I wanted to stay in the guest room, but it was time to go back to our room. Kroll couldn’t touch us
Rose Greta’s hands wrapped around my neck, trying to squeeze the life out of me. If she was trying to scare me, it wouldn’t work because I had already seen the darkness that waited to consume anyone it could. Compared to that, she was nothing.Her fingers dug into the flesh of my neck, a small stream of blood escaping. Greta was desperate; air bubbles escaped from her mouth.I elongated my claws and slashed through her jacket to her forearm. Greta let go of me and clutched her arm in pain. I grabbed her hair in my hand and violently yanked it.In the water, I had the advantage. Greta was dressed for the Autumn weather; her boots and jacket would do nothing but weigh her down in the water. The best part, though, was that she couldn’t use her fire.I may have been naked, but I would rather be exposed to the cold water than to have anything on me slowing me down.Greta threw a punch at me, causing me to lose my
Orion“Oh, hello, little puppy, have you seen the pathetic Alpha of Black Moon? I was thinking his head would be a delightful souvenir of this battle.” Kroll’s voice rang through the air as clear as a bell. Every word was peppered with cruel satisfaction.I shifted back to my human form and stood tall in front of the disgusting excuse of a wolf. “Is that what my mate was? Just a souvenir?”“Oh, of course not. Your little flower? That’s what you call her, right?” Kroll’s lips curled up into a disgusting grin. “Well, she is the crown jewel in my little collection.”I let out an earth-shaking growl. My mate was a Luna, not a cheap tchotchke for a lunatic’s shelf.“Down, boy,” Kroll smirked; he knew he struck a nerve. “Is that how you treat your superiors?”“The only thing about you that is superior is that distorted God complex of yours.” I casually ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s a shame you are such a sociopath.”“I am not a soci
RoseWith every stride my paws made, I could feel the demonic warmth of Greta's rage encroaching on me."You can't run forever, little girl!" Greta cackled from behind me. A crack of her whip cut through the woods coming after me. Just a little bit further. I skidded out of the woods onto the road I had been on in a different time. Its course seemed unchanged, thank Goddess. The path from my premonition was the same except for a layer of asphalt.I ran down the road as fast as I could. The asphalt gnawing on the pads of my paws. If I wasn't in a life or death situation, I would probably love to wander through the area.My back left paw was ripped out from under me as Greta's fire scorched my fur. My jaw crashed into the street. The taste of metallic blood rushed into my mouth; I had bitten my tongue on impact. I jerked my leg away from Greta's fire, scrambling to get away."Just give up. You will never win against me." Greta taunted me. Her