“Can I see it?” Nolan asked. His green eyes lit up with curious excitement.He and I were just finishing dinner together, and I’d told him all about my day with Lucy and how hard we’d worked to finish my wedding dress for tomorrow. I was absolutely thrilled with the end result, but my eyes were also tired from all the focused work and lack of breaks, and my fingers were stiff from so much sewing. It had been a while since I had done this much detail work in such a short period of time. “Hmm.” I thought over Nolan’s request. “Can you wait? I think it’ll be more fun if you see it on me tomorrow for the first time.”He nodded reluctantly. “I can wait. If I must.”“I’m so excited.” I beamed. I didn’t mean just about the dress. “This is going to be really fun. Thank you for doing this with me.”Nolan offered me one of his own big, beautiful smiles in return. “I’m excited, too. And listen, I had an idea…” He pushed his dinner plate away and turned his full body to face me.“Oh? What’s that
Evan smiled broadly at the sight of me and Lucy in our dresses, our hair and makeup all done up. “Whoa,” he said, going wide-eyed. “You girls look incredible.”“Oh my Goddess, back at you!” I cried, making my brother blush. Evan was all cleaned up, had even gotten a haircut, and he was wearing a gorgeous, expensive tuxedo with a boutonniere in the lapel that matched my bouquet. “What is all this?”“Oh. Didn’t you know? I am the Best Man.” He grinned guiltily, cheesing with his teeth clenched.“Oh, that is so…” I felt tears pinging at my eyes, thinking about Nolan making the gesture of asking Evan to stand beside him at our ceremony. That must have been what they were discussing at Tina’s. “That’s sweet, Evan. I’m sure it means a lot to Nolan. Thank you.”He shrugged, starting to look awkward.“Be right back, guys,” Lucy said, heading for the fancy little half-bathroom that was directly across the hall from my studio.“Yena, I’m really happy for you,” Evan said to me quietly once she w
YENANolan took one look at me, as I stepped out into the surprisingly bright morning light, and placed a hand flat on his chest. His mouth dropped open, releasing a sigh.I watched as his keen eyes roved the entire length of my body, taking in every detail. From the clear glass peep-toe high heels on my feet, to the dress, the earrings, the hair, and… the finishing touch: my golden laurel leaf crown. The one Nolan gave me the first time we married, which marked me as his Luna.I had to stop in my tracks and catch my breath, myself. This, I realized as I took everything in, was the wedding of my dreams.To my surprise, our friend Cindy was standing under the very center of the vine-laced archway – she was clearly all set up to be the officiant for our ceremony. She grinned and winked at me when our eyes met, as if to say, Surprise! The King and Queen stood to one side of the aisle, eyes on me as I walked down with my parents, each with approving expressions and slight smiles. At Nola
YENA "Want it? Tell me..." "please..." I tilted my head back and gasped for breath, moaning. I couldn't take my hand away, the intense heat from his body rushed into my fingers, stinging my arm, making my whole body warm. I don't know how he appeared, but the one I brought back to the cave was a wounded wolf. But when I woke up, there was only a stranger beside me, no wolf. Then we were uncontrollably attracted to each other's bodies— He shifted his weight towards me, and my fingers sank into the hot, bleeding wound. He let out a deep growl. I ran my bloodstained fingertips over his chest, which was covered in mud and matted into thick, rough hair. He brought his face closer, his lips against mine. His hot breath flooded my mouth, he touched my face, and ran a big rough hand down my cheek, along my neck and side. Resting his hand on the thick curve of my hip, he squeezed hard. My blood felt like it was on fire. I can't take it anymore. I gasped and lunged at him, and he wrapp
I followed Evan from the river down toward campus and met him by the football field, where he was packing up his stuff. He motioned for me to follow him. I opened my mouth to say something, but he turned and yelled to his team that he wanted them to show up early for the next practice. Evan was the team captain, and he loved to show off, bossing the other guys around whenever he had a chance, especially if there was any kind of audience there to watch. He stayed a few steps ahead of me as we walked home. Evan was like that sometimes. Ignoring me. Too cool. But I have to admit that overall, he’s been a good brother to me. I know he has a good heart. He’s always been embarrassed to be the fat girl’s big brother, especially since he’s always been popular. But he’s been there for me when I needed him. And he does nice things to surprise me, remind me he cares. Like buying my favorite chocolates for me and sneaking them into my bag when I’m not looking. I had to hurry to keep up with
The week went by in a flash, and next thing I knew, Susan and I were walking into the dance hall for the Full Moon Ball. The stage was lined with a red carpet that flowed down a few steps to the center of a well-polished dance floor. Golden chandeliers were heavy with candles that lit the room with a warm white glow. There were huge bouquets of red roses everywhere. A band was playing quietly at one end of the stage. The conductor was leading them to a slow tempo, waving his arms in a way that made them look boneless. “Thank you,” Susan said to me. “Thank you for this amazing dress. I knew you were good, but this is really next level.” She did look amazing. The dress had a fitted bodice onto which I’d hand sewn what felt like a million garnet colored beads that shimmered in the candlelight and almost looked alive. The skirt was crimson, floor length with a slit up one leg that stopped just below the knee. “It was nothing,” I replied. But the pale purple circles under my eyes betr
My stomach sank. This could not be good. The crowd fell silent, as if everyone were holding their breath. Evan, still near the stage, stepped forward. “Susan,” he said. His voice echoed in the now eerily quiet hall. “What are you doing?” Susan’s eyes, wide with rage, were fixed on me. “My dear friend Yena,” she continued, her volume increasing with every word, “has a dirty little secret. She told me she had a one-night stand with a rogue wolf just last week. She’s no longer a virgin.” All the air left my lungs. I felt like I’d been sucker-punched. Over and over again, by a swinging pendulum I couldn’t get out from under. Every moment, the reality of this situation felt more and more unbearable. I began to shake. My legs felt as though they were about to go limp. Everyone was looking at me. Then I was hit with a wave of that specific kind of anxiety I’ve felt often in public — the shame about my weight, my appearance — and had the strange thought that if I’d have known this w
“But she’s a human, not a wolf. How can she possibly marry a Lycan?” It was Caryn. She asked her question loudly, but with what could be mistaken for a polite and reverent tone. She flashed me a cruel, toothy smile before stepping back into the crowd of girls that were now encircling me and Nolan on the stage. Whispers coursed through the audience. Then a single voice rang out from the far end of the hall, crying, “This fat human girl has tricked and seduced our prince!” The crowd roared in outrage. Another anonymous voice shouted, “The Gamma warriors should arrest her! Lock her up at once!” A cry of support rang out amongst the nobles. The armed guards posted at the entrance paced a few steps forward into the hall. They were members of the king’s guard, known as Gamma warriors, and they were heavily armed. I swallowed hard. My palms were sweaty. Nolan smirked at the crowd. He withdrew his hand from mine, reached up, and ran it through my hair, letting a long golden curl sli