GRACE
I still remember the day I found my mate. The way he smelt was as fresh as the forest floor. The way his sandy blonde hair was always tied in a man bun. His blue eyes sparkled like the ripples in the ocean catching the glare of the sun. He was a pack warrior, his years of fighting took their toll on him, leaving him with a slightly crooked nose and a red scar that decorated his left cheek. The scar never healed thanks to the silver used to create it.
He was pure muscle, hard, and perfect. His 6'3 height towered over my 5'2 but it was perfect. We fitted perfectly together. We shared so many likes and we shared the same dislikes which made it so much easier for us to get along. It was a bonus that we belonged to the same pack: Silver Dawn.
The day I turned sixteen was my first shift. Carter Dell was in charge of me that day. At the age of twenty, he was losing hope in finding his mate. You see, werewolves are meant to find their mates at the age of eighteen unless their mates are dead or were like me, unshifted.
The moment I shifted, I could feel my wolf restless in my head. She screamed at me, clawed at my mind. His forest scent was the first thing I noticed, making my wolf howl in anticipation and then our eyes met and everything else was history.
Until...
An army of rogues had teamed up with hunters. They attacked our borders and as a pack warrior, Carter had to go protect his pack; i.e. putting his life on the line. I followed him that day because I was trained in combat skills and was pretty good at fighting. The pack needed all the help it could get so many wolves who weren't labeled as the pack warriors stood up that day. Many also died.
Including my mate, Carter Dell.
I had shifted into my chocolate brown wolf which had a snow-white underbelly and was fighting against two rogues. In the process, I hadn't noticed a hunter pointing a rifle at me loaded with silver bullets. All I heard was the sound of the rifle going off, the vibrations flowing through the forest floor, up to my paws, and straight to my heart.
His howl made me whip my head to the side and I found his wolf lying limply on the ground in agony. I realized that he took a bullet for me and saved my life but the price was having to let him go. He died in my arms and I cried till thy kingdom come because the pain I felt was excruciating.
However, something strange happened...
Usually when a mate dies, the other soon dies afterward. Their wolf is the first to go, shrinking back and becoming non-existent because of the pain and then the human form finally gives in to the depression and heartache - but that didn't happen to me.
My wolf never died, my physical form ached but somehow managed to get through it all and began living my life again but just as I was getting used to having no one to call my own, he came into my life.
With his cynical smiles, sultry voice, dazzling honey orbs, chocolate brown locks, and a personality that wreaked with what a jerk he was. He contained every single quality I hated. I couldn't understand why he couldn't just leave me alone. Without even trying he managed to piss me off. All I wanted was to punch his handsome face in and break that pretty straight nose of his.
But I knew better than to do that. I would have rejected him but I wasn't sure if my wolf was ready for that, for the pain. She had just recovered to be thrown in the deep end yet again. Unfortunately for both my wolf and me, the pull to the jerk was so difficult to resist because a mate bond was made to be irresistible. Whether you like it or not, whether you're ready or not, once you found your mate there would be no going back. Rejecting a mate meant killing that person's wolf and your wolf. With no wolf, you would be human.
That prospect didn't sound so bad but I refused to let go of my wolf which meant I had to put up with his antics until I found another way out of the predicament I found myself in. I vowed to never drink again because all of this began from one stupid drunken night where I got hammered and went home with someone I thought I would never see again.
Because fate loved bringing drama my way, I ended up waking up that morning and realized that that stranger would be someone I would possibly be seeing for longer than I anticipated.
All because he somehow thought I was his mate!
GRACE Let's get one thing straight when I say I hate something I mean it and I will never do it. However, if my dumbass best friend: Monica Steerling happened to be involved, then suddenly you'll find me doing things I wouldn't normally do; things that were completely out of my character — like coming to this human nightclub and allowing her to gorge more than a gallon of alcohol. Unfortunately, that was what it took for her to feel the slightest bit tipsy and she planned on getting hammered, so once she began ordering drinks, they just kept coming with no end in sight. She made sure that I drank too, knowing that the effects wouldn't last that long so we could easily make it back home. Either way, if a human tried to touch us, our wolves would take over and it would be 'bye-bye human'. One of the many perks to being a werewolf if you had to ask me. We healed rapidl
GRACE Werewolves have really quick recovery times. With that being said, suffering from a hangover was nearly impossible if all we drank was human liquor. But as my eyes fluttered open and I began perching myself up, an undeniable throbbing headache attacked my head. If I didn't know better, I would have thought my brain had shifted, probably turned upside down for all I knew.I waited for the slight disorientation to fade away before finally taking in my surroundings. My memory felt fuzzy and I suspected that Monica must have spiked one of my drinks last night to help me loosen up. Certain supernatural substances managed to get us werewolves high. I didn't know much about them but Monica was a raging party animal who had tried just about everything for the fun of it.Looking around, I realized I was in my bedroom — the one in the apartment I owned outside the pack. I hadn't gotten around to decorat
GRACEI wanted to move, to run out of there, and never look back but my feet wouldn't let me. They betrayed me by remaining put, almost as if someone poured quick-drying cement on them. We just stood there, eyes never wavering. He looked surprised to see me but what did he expect. There was only one pack in this district so obviously, I belonged here; unless he expected me to be a rouge. I knew I'd run into him eventually, I just didn't expect it to be so soon.From the corner of my eye, I spotted Gino walking toward me, his muscular arm firmly wrapped around the tiny waist of what I assumed was his mate. I decided to break our a little staring contest and meet Gino's sparkling blue orbs instead. His eyes reminded me so much of his brother's."Grace, finally decided to come home?" Gino grinned cheekily and I knew Monica must have told him about last night.Rolling my very dull blue eyes, I pun
GRACE"Mom, can we not talk about this," I groaned, walking up to her and placing a kiss onto her cheek, "I came here with the hope of getting away from it for a while. Just a little while.""I don't think that's going to be possible because Rykes is on his way to see you," Aphrodite informed, "He's not mad so don't worry about that but he really wants to talk to you.""Are you sure he isn't mad? I mean, I did attack an alpha wolf that had permission to be on our territory," I began fumbling with my fingers, anxiety rising within me. I was ready to face any punishment he would offer. To attack without reason or cause was against pack law."Alpha Silas spoke to Rykes and requested that he let you off with a warning. He seems to understand why you refuse to accept the bond," she said before her eyes glazed over. Aphrodite had the uncanny ability to communicate within a mind link and still talk to someone in person at the same time. I had no ide
SILAS"What if she rejects you?" My Beta, Xander Payne, asked with concern lacing his words. He didn't have ill intentions, obviously trying to look out for his Alpha but my wolf didn't take too kindly to what he asked.A growl vibrated in my chest, a warning growl telling him that he better tread lightly, "She won't. I won't allow her too." I simply stated, my wolf stirring at the thought of not having her.Not again, this won't happen again. "You can't force her to accept you Silas. From what I heard, she had a mate before and she still seems very connected to that mate," he pointed out, leaning back into the brown leather couch he was seated in. He had his left leg resting over his right knee, elbows resting on the arm rests, and fingers laced in front of him. Clearly, his stance screamed business mode, trying to tell me that he was just stating the facts of the situation.My wolf felt jealous of the strong bond she had with her pas
GRACEI spent my Saturday night and all of my Sunday locked in my room, not even bothering to leave to eat with the rest of the pack. Monica hadn't been to the room since she left Saturday afternoon which left me in a calm, smoke-free zone for the weekend which I took full advantage of. I loved my best friend, I just didn't love her smoking habits. Unfortunately, she listened to no one and did whatever the hell she felt like unless the Alpha ordered her otherwise. Throwing on a hot pink sports bra, black yoga tights, and trainers I had bought just for pack training, I made my way to the back yard where everyone was beginning to do stretches and warm-ups for the session. After I joined the pack warriors, I quickly climbed the ranks, becoming the head female pack warrior. At first, I had been the only she-wolf and the men in the pack didn't take too kindly to that. However, with the alpha's permission, I began training o
GRACEI had been on border petrol that Monday evening; directly after dinner at the pack house, I had to report for duty. To be the pain in the ass I expected him to be, Silas decided to follow me out that night, keeping me company during my entire shift. He kept his distance from me though, and I was grateful that we couldn't understand one another in wolf form. I didn't need him reminding me of the events that happened earlier in the day. My one moment of weakness that I would never show him again.Tuesday followed in the same manner; training in the morning, sleeping during the day, and border patrol all night. Even Tuesday, Alpha Silas followed me out. My wolf loved that. It showed that he cared for his mate's safety. If I didn't know any better, I'd say my wolf was quite content with accepting Silas as our new mate.Although many novels — obviously written by humans who didn't know much about ou
GRACEWhatever trance he had found himself in broke just as fast as he fell into it. He was quick to catch me up again, matching my stride as best as he could, "No-one has ever mentioned my eyes before."I shrugged, "So no-one finds it weird that they're purple sometimes and a honey brown others.""Yours turn obsidian at times and then they turn to this bluish gray," he pointed out. It made me feel a little less awkward that I had put so much time into analyzing his eyes because clearly he did the same."That's because my wolf tends to take over when she's mad. Haven't completely learnt how to control that yet," I admitted, keeping my eyes downcast. Everything came easy to me because I did it on an everyday basis but I hardly ever felt anger so when I did, I simply didn't know how to deal with it."Well the same happens with me, except, my wolf and I have an understanding.
GRACE Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe... The room door opened, revealing Monica and Lana. They were the last to arrive but at least the were both fully dressed. I couldn't bring myself to frown at them because they looked absolutely adorable together. Two years had passed since the incident and they had moved on, creating a wonderful life for themselves. Monica was allowed to remain in the pack she called home from birth and I was grateful to Alpha Rykes for that. Cassidy, Diana (my elder sister), and Jasmine (Silas' sister) had been here since morning trying to help me out. Anne would drop in now and then but she mostly remained downstairs to help cater the guests. Anne and I had a rocky start when we met two years ago but we were navigating around our relationship quiet well now. We both shared a love for Silas, Sydney, and our newest addition, Sylvain who just turned three month
SILAS"How the fuck does someone burn toast?" I chastised, grumbling in announce as I bounced the black, hard bread in my hand and then flung it into the sink."Daddy," my seven year old shot me a glare as she chided, "Bad word, and you burnt the toast because you were too busy trying not to burn the bacon," she snickered, sitting on the bar stool and watching me with amusement lighting up her eyes. She was growing up to be such a beautiful young girl."I'm usually not such a bad cook," I pointed out in a hushed tone, making certain not to wake my sleeping mate up.It was now a little over a year since I met Grace and we were going strong. The pack respected her as their Luna, looked up to her and protected her in the same way she protected them. They warmed up to her quickly and I could see how that made her breathe much easier. She stepped into the Luna role and managed to fulfil each and ev
SILASHave you ever loved someone so much that it felt as if you would suffocate without them? Placed all your trust in them to have it broken as if it were some cheap brand of glass that could be bought in an ordinary store? Did someone ever give you the most precious gift anyone could ever pray for and then attempt to take away one of your other prized possessions all at once? Have you ever experienced true love, love with no boundaries, love with no strings, love that was limitless, love that could span across the age of time? And finally, have you experienced loss? A loss that could shatter the heart into pieces that didn't make sense anymore, love that robbed you of the smile that once graced your face, loss that demolished all the hope stirring in your body, a loss that completely and utterly guttered you?I fell in love with Grace the same way she fell in love with me but I still felt conflicted. No longer did I sympa
GRACE"So, what's it like being around so many werewolves?" Monica asked Ambrosia. We were sat in the living room of the pack house.After last night, I hadn't seen Silas. He arrived home late and left before I could wake. I knew the whole situation with Lucille bothered him. No matter how angry she could possibly make him, killing her would never cross his mind. I guess that was the price he had to pay since he still had feelings for her — even if the feelings weren't as strong as what he felt for me. I accepted that he probably wouldn't stop loving the mother of his child completely because I knew I wouldn't stop loving my ex-mate completely. A part of Carter lived within me.It made me feel better that Ambrosia and Tiana hadn't seen their mates either. They were probably with Silas. This morning Tiana decided to drag me to the pack house so she and Ambrosia could get to know me. Cassidy and Gino h
GRACESilas ushered me toward the stage, helping me up the steep steps so I wouldn't tumble down them. He positioned us in the middle, facing the massive crowd of onlookers. My social anxiety decided it would make itself known. I had never been in front of such a massive crowd before. I had never experienced having every single pair of eyes in a room on me before. Some looked at me with hope shining in their eyes, others with confusion riddling their features, and some looked between Lucille who stood at one corner and then at me with anger. They still believed that I was running after a mated wolf. A home-wrecker.Lucille's face contorted in anger, Sydney in her arms. They were inseparable from the moment they met and where Sydney went, Victor would follow. That calmed my raging emotions. Having Victor close to Sydney meant that if anything happened, he could deal with it. Silas was onto something when he decided to issue
GRACEI had gotten Sydney dressed in a beautiful royal blue ball gown. The entire dress shimmered when rays of light bounced of it, giving her an ethereal glow. She resembled a princess, a little silver crown sitting on her head full of luscious light brown curls. The radiant smile that graced her face had my heart swelling in my chest. I loved this little girl more than I loved life itself. It wasn't difficult to fall in love with someone as innocent and bubbly as her.When we were done, I made my way downstairs with her on my hip. I didn't care that she was creasing the delicate material of my dress or that my make-up would potentially smudge thanks to the shower of kisses Sydney pressed against my cheeks. Once Lucille got here I knew I had to let Sydney go and the thought alone was difficult for me to deal with. My stomach churned in anticipation of what would happen and deep down — an instinct I was trying my best to ign
GRACEI didn't expect the Luna ceremony to be so soon after my return but I guess we pushed it back for as long as we could. We needed to get it done and over with so I could officially take my place in the pack but I couldn't help but wonder what that meant for me. Being a Luna of a pack — even if it were the largest pack known — was something I could deal with. The idea of it had just began settling itself into my brain when the truth was unleashed. Now, completing the ceremony didn't only mean I would be ruling over one pack alongside my mate but every pack ever created under the moon.The Luna of Luna's, did I even deserve such a title?For the past couple of years my faith in the Moon Goddess swayed. I had questions that only she could answer and no way of getting those answers from her. So much bad had happened that I couldn't imagine a sliver of good seeping through to make itse
GRACEBy the time I had woken up half the day had already gone by. The spot beside me where Silas usually slept was both empty and cold — signifying he had left long ago and left me to sleep in. Sticking to his usual self, there was a pink sticky note stuck onto the lampshade on my bedside table. The bright color caught my eyes almost instantly as the the midday sun reflected off it. I grabbed the note and read the words written in his immaculate handwriting.'Had some work to take care off. Made you something to eat and kept it downstairs. Silas.'Leaving the bed, I leisurely strolled into the walk-in closet and sifted through Silas' shirts. I found a slate-gray graphic tee with a hammer on it and the words 'This is not a drill' printed beside it. I snickered at the use of the bad pun but decided to adorn the shirt nonetheless because his scent was strongest on tha
GRACEAfter killing Darius, all hell broke loose. I left the room, stumbling into two guards that I guessed patrolled the halls. I managed to kill one of them but in that time, the second guard somehow informed everyone else through a walkie-talkie. That left me little time to find Monica and get the hell out of here.I continued straight down the corridor until I reached another room with a metal door. The door was ajar, the two men that had escorted Monica struggling to subdue her and stick her into a cell. As much as Monica thought she was broken, this moment proved she still had plenty fight in her.A feral snarl that left my mouth caught the two men off guard. Monica used that to her advantage, claws extending from her fingers and slashing one of the men's throats. Blood sprayed from the wound, the man bringing his hands up to his neck in shock as he fell to the ground.I lunged