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 lazilyOrionSitting 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
RoseI spent the afternoon with my parents in the kitchen; it took me over thirty minutes to eat the sandwich. My mom and dad made themselves at home. My mom rummaged through the cabinets and decided to bake chocolate chip cookies. My dad and I were there for little to no moral support.Eventually, two wolves who I didn’t know appeared. They looked similar to Alastor. There was a boy and a girl, they looked like they were close to my age. The boy looked almost identical to Alastor. The girl was gorgeous, though, with long raven curls with the tendrils of yellow, teal, purple, blue, orange, red, and green peeking through her hair. She had pale skin and a nose ring. The green eyes they shared were Alastor’s. I assumed they were probably his siblings.The boy came forward; first, an enthusiastic smile was etched across his face. The girl stood behind him with a laptop pressed up to her chest.“Hello, Luna. My name is Damian, and this is my sister, Iris. You
RoseI scampered behind Alastor, trying to keep up with his pace. To my surprise, he didn’t head towards any residences. We walked down the road towards a more commercial area of the town.“You are taking me to see Harriet and Heather, right?” I questioned as we passed a small cafe.“Yes, Luna.” Alastor’s face was dead, not giving me anything to work with.“Where are they?”“The training center.”“What? Why?”“That’s where they requested to go. One of our warriors showed them there as once they arrived earlier. You know we do respect people’s requests.”“I’m just surprised that all of the places they would go, they chose there.” I was so confused. Why are they there? What is going on? “Did you take them there?”“No, I was resting when they arrived. Your friends were some of the last to leave Silver Crescent. I haven’t had the pleasure to meet your friends.”We walked up to a large building; Alastor pulled the door
RoseThe minutes slipped by, leaving me unaware of how long I had been there with my friends. As I lounged on the floor with my head on Heather’s lap, I heard the doorknob turn behind me. Leather and cardamom trickled into the room. I knew it was Orion without even turning to look.“Where have you been?” I didn’t turn to him, but it was clear the question was directed towards him. Heather and Harriet shot each other confused glances. I had not mentioned that he had slipped away and didn’t tell me where he was going. With everything going on with Harriet and Matt, I did not want to whine about my mate not telling me goodbye.“I had to take care of some things. Why? Did you miss me, little flower?” His voice was a sweet melody slivering through my mind that I had missed. I felt his presence behind me; little waves of warm electricity washed over me as fingers traced a line on my arm. “Have you been having fun catching up with your friends?”“I did have fun
Orion“Once upon a time, Black Moon pack was a much darker pack than it is today. Generations of bloodlust and greed had tainted the Alphas. The Alphas of Black Moon did not care who was in their way or who they hurt. Their existence was like a thick dark tar that suffocated the life out of anyone who opposed them or crossed their path unintentionally. The darkness in their hearts corrupted and smothered any light that appeared in their lives. Our pack was feared because of the demons who ran it.My father was no better than his predecessors. He was a cruel man. The darkness that festered inside him was not meant for this world; the world did not deserve it. The pack was terrified of their Alpha. Anyone who attempted to escape never made it far.My father was never able to find his mate, and then at the age of 35, he plundered a much weaker pack, the Sundrop pack, and kidnapped my mother, who was only 17 at the time. My father almost extinguished her pack from e
Orion"I killed my father." As the words slipped out of my lips, I dropped my eyes to the floor. I waited for her to process my story. The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity. I couldn't look at her; I didn't deserve to look at her. I didn't deserve to have a mate. I couldn't protect my mom or my sister. Could I defend her? "I couldn't let him hurt anyone else…."My eyes focused on a knot on the hardwood floor. Forcing myself to study every curl, every imperfection, and every detail. I felt a small rush of electricity on my knee begging for my attention. I pulled my eyes up to my knee to see my mate's hand. I sighed and traced her hand with my eyes, desperate to memorize it."You can reject me. I won't hold it against you." The most painful words I had ever uttered lingered in the air, breaking my heart more with each word."I'm not rejecting you." Her words drifted into my ears, causing me to snap my face up to meet her eyes. Her eyes brimmed wi
RoseI felt the familiar darkness creep over me. The darkness was cold and unrelinquishing. It called for me to lose myself in the inescapable pits.When I slowly pried my eyes open, I wasn't in Black Moon; there I was in this strange enchanted wood again. I waited for the breeze to find me, but when it found me, it circled me caught me off guard. The sweet smell of honeysuckle and the earthy moss engulfed me, letting me know that if I followed, I would be led back to that lake.The gentle gust of wind rustled through my hair, coaxing me to give in to it yet again and blindly follow it. I glance at my surroundings; why was this place so familiar? The cool earth, the slightly damp air, the most beautiful mosaic of plants surrounding me, and this breeze. Why had I come back? Was I going to meet Selene again?I gave into the breeze and let my feet begin to follow the tantalizing escort deeper into the forest. I chased the peculiar wind through the woods until we
OrionAfter Rose walked out of my office, I lost myself in paperwork. Anything was better than focusing on telling Rose the overview of my life. I had lost almost two days worth of work between going to Silver Crescent and their first day here. Paperwork from the distillery the pack owned, our real estate ventures, and various other investments. Everyone needed something, especially from me.I thumbed through all the paperwork sprawled out on my desk. I pulled my laptop out and began to respond to the plethora of emails.I walked to one of the bookshelves on my wall, pushing some books to the side and smuggling out my secret stash of bourbon. The alcohol was not going to affect me, but I liked the taste. I heavy-handedly poured myself a glass before walking towards the balcony doors. I took a gulp of the sweet liquor, looking out across the lake; the fireflies danced in the warm breeze, intermingling their reflections with the stars in the sky. I let my mind wan
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