Rose
The world snapped back into focus, and I became very aware of people gawking at us. I nervously chewed on my lip, trying to figure out what to say or do. He seemed completely comfortable around me, but like he was giving me a chance to say something.“Say something to him already!” Delilah hissed.“I’m Rose,” I said to my mate. I was dying inside. Why was I so awkward? Could I not say anything better than that. I was caught in my own internal turmoil of what an idiot I was when he spoke and interrupted it.“My name is Orion.” His voice hit all the notes. It was silky, but at the same time, it has a bit of leg clenching gravel. I felt my cheeks turning pink.“Uh, and what are you doing here?” I questioned him, and I saw his eyes flash a little bit. What did that mean? Was he disappointed in having me as a mate? He was so gorgeous.“Shut up. Stop overanalyzing and jumping to the worst conclusions. Pretend that you are in one of your bookHarrietWhen we came upon Alpha Orion, it was entirely by accident. There he was, a beefcake perusing down our road with an air that was suffocating. We were on our way to do our first patrol since the attack.We couldn’t even mind link now that Alpha Dane was dead. Matt just felt like we should be doing a sweep, and I was hoping nothing would happen.Of course, we found him. It was one of the most uncomfortable moments in my life, only when my mom walked in on Matt and me for the first time; we had sex in my room coming in second. Damn, I would instead go back in time. My mom was furious, but at least I knew she wouldn’t snap my neck. Unfortunately, I did not have that guarantee with the Alpha.I watched my best friend walk away with her mate while I was left to deal with the ‘baby Beta.’ He was acting like a baby. Anger sliced at my insides; I felt like I was going to spew venom. I snatched his wrist before dragging him behind me in raging silence. I re
OrionI grasped her precious little hand in mine. So delicate, I was scared to squeeze too hard, to push her too far. I let her lead me; I wanted her to know I would not go overpower her. It would be give and take between us, no matter how fate led to our meeting. I could efficiently run her over, but I would never want to do that. I was going to make sure she knew I valued her. In the small amount of time since I discovered her, I was tethered to her.She led the way back through the burned villages. Once we were about to come into view of the square, I gently tugged on her hand. She turned towards me, looking confused. I stroked her cheek and placed a sweet peck on her lips.“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” I sheepishly grinned as a faint pink painted her cheeks. “Lead on, Rose.” Rose smiled bashfully before she started forward again, and I really wanted to go back to our own little world away from the reality we were talking into. Silently counting my footst
Orion I scoffed internally at Matt, he was going to attempt to pull something, and I wasn’t going to let him. He’s way too easy to read, and he thinks he could run a pack. More like they would run him.It was time to show my dominance once again and thwart whatever he was trying to pull. Also, it would let Rose take a breath away from the mate bond pulling at her.“Rose, go gather your pack. Harriet can go with her. Matt, you get to stay with me.” I smirked. Watching Matt’s confidant facade crumble was genuinely satisfying.Harriet’s face lit up. I knew I was giving her a break. She was babysitting the person who was supposed to be causing pleasure, not a migraine. It was a win-win situation, everyone but Matt was happy. Harriet clung to Rose’s arm, and I could feel my mate’s internal conflict. I knew the mate bond was causing her to be drawn to me.“Sounds go to me. I need to hear all the juicy details anyways.” Harriet was definitely ple
RoseI felt Orion willing me to look up, but I was petrified. I wasn’t ready to see how my pack felt. At the end of the day, they were choosing between Matt and me. I knew I was the safer bet. They were giving me the chance to be their Luna, or they were going to provide Matt with the opportunity to be their Alpha. Was I ready to be a Luna? Probably not, but I would have Orion. It’s not like I knew my mate at all, but I would have him as a solid foundation to help steady me.I felt bad for Matt because I would still want the pack to choose him even if Orion wasn’t my mate. We didn’t have a future with Matt, even if he wanted to believe that he could provide us with one. Orion was going to give us stability and safety. After the nightmare that he had just gone through, didn’t we deserve that?I inhaled deeply and held my breath as I finally looked up. The first people who caught my eyes were the ones who hadn’t moved. Heather and her mom were rooted in the center
RoseWe sat in silence as the SUV bumped along the dirt road. Orion pulled out the hair tie securing his hair, and the smell of leather and cardamon threatened to fog my mind. My mind was already starting to feel like mush from the exhaustion sinking in. I hadn’t let myself acknowledge the heaviness in my body that begged me to slow down.“So...how long are you going to be in the car?” I hesitantly asked. I honestly had no idea how long it would take, but I felt like I should have.“It should take about three and a half hours.” He kept his eyes forward as we drove through the forest.“How did you get to Silver Crescent so early today then? I’m almost a hundred percent certain I caught a little whiff of you before the funeral.” I looked inquisitively at him.“I ran this morning. I beat my pack here.” He shot me a smile as we finally hit the pavement.“How are you not exhausted?” I mumbled.“How are you not exhausted, little flower?” He
RoseThe sun crept through a window cascading into the room. I groggily opened my eyes; my fingers wiped the sleep from my eyes. I stretched my arms out while I yawned. Once my eyes were fully adjusted to the light, I looked around. Where was I? It was in a room not even vaguely familiar. The only thing that I could recognize was the crumpled t-shirt in my lap...with drool on it. I groaned as I brushed it off Orion’s shirt. How embarrassing.The room was pretty basic. It had cream walls with hardwood floors. Across the room, there was a cream armchair and side table. On the little table was a little stack of clothes with an apple and a piece of paper laid on top. A pair of flip-flops were tucked under the table. Curiosity got the best of me, and I padded towards the table. The message had a little doodle of a flower drawn on its outside that made me smile. I sunk into the armchair as I took a bite of the apple, and I unfolded the note.“Good Morning Flower,
Rose“Come in,” Orion spoke from behind the door, his voice brimmed with exhaustion.I cracked the door revealing my mate with head propped up against his hand as he stared down at a stack of paperwork covering his desk. I pushed the door open all the way; his eyes dragged across my body as I entered his office. A soft blush took over my face. He propelled his chair away from his desk and pulled me into his office. He shut the door behind me, gently tugging me into his arms. I sighed contently as I nuzzled into his chest.“I like this shirt on you,” he purred into my ear. I looked up at him, resting my chin on his chest.“Me too.” I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth. I felt warm electricity wash over me as his hands roamed down my backside before cupping the back of my thighs pulling me up closer to his face. With a couple of giant steps, he plopped into a leather armchair with me straddling his lap.“How’d you sleep, little flower?” He lazily
OrionSitting with Rose in my lap was so comforting, but I knew I could lose hours in her eyes. Disheartened, I knew it was better to retreat from the moment before I might be tempted to push her too far.As we walked down the hall, I clutched her hand in mine, our footsteps gently drummed through the hallway."So we are on the main floor of the west wing right now. It's my little sanctuary, you could say. Mainly it consists of my office, my room...one day our room, a few empty rooms, and the guest room you are currently staying in." I rambled as we exited the hallway.I showed her around the house; our packhouse typically didn't house many wolves. However, the available rooms that we had were now being used for her pack members. Soon we would find permanent residences for them.I watched her soaking up the house. It was an older house, it had a lot of character. I preferred the natural wood to be exposed. When I first took over as Alpha, some of t
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