BRINLEY'S POV.I woke up to an empty bed. There was no one there next to me. The sheets on Coal's side of the bed were untouched, almost as if he didn’t even sleep. He probably left the moment, sleep took me. A small sigh escaped my throat as I sat up straight and took a glance around the room. With a quick look, I realized he was not in the bedroom either.I didn't think much of it.It's fine--all fine even though I didn’t get time to ask him about what Ryder was taking about.After having some rest, I was surely feeling better this time. Everything was well not until when I walked to the bathroom and saw my reflection in the mirror. This time I didn’t have any weird taste in my mouth but shockingly a mark. My mouth gaped open as I stared at myself in the mirror.What the hell was really happening to me?! It was a black circle and throbbing under my fingers."What's happening to me? What went wrong?", I asked my wolf but I got no response from her. Ever since I knew about my mother's
The maids immediately placed the jewelry in front of me and quickly walked out of the room. I broke our gaze and pulled my hair over my shoulder as they all left, leaving Coal and me alone."You look nice," His voice came behind me and then his hand.His fingers ran over the zip of the dress, and I looked up in the mirror. My breath stalled as he came closer to me, standing only a few inches away. He zipped up the dress up to the base of my neck while my eyes remained stuck on him. The mark on my throat throbbed and a shudder ran through me.Why the hell was it throbbing again right now?! It throbbed so painfully that I closed my eyes for a brief second. How could I really tell him about it."Where were you?" I asked.Coal didn't answer me, instead, he walked over to the table near the vanity. His gaze remained on the jewelry for a few seconds. There was an array of diamond necklaces and earrings along with a hairpin. He picked out the necklace and then came closer to me again.His f
"What is really happening to me?",I asked myself inwardly as I stood outside, under the cold, chilling air. I failed to get the correct answer and decided to watch the stars in the sky."You good?", I heard Coal's voice behind me."Yes, how is everything inside?", "Just partying", He shrugged, his shoulders stiff as he stood beside me, our bodies nearly touching."You didn't have anything to eat ever since you came back, do you need some food?." I asked, my voice full of worry."I'm not hungry." He murmured under his breath but with his attention on the phone.I turned to leave him alone with his business since he had his attention over his phone than on me. But I stopped halfway when a thought popped in my head and I turned back to him, "Coal..." I took a breath. "Let's go for a run."He rose his head and cocked a brow at me. "At this time?""Yes. It's a beautiful cold night and the stars in the sky." I replied with a cheerful smile, hoping he would agree with me. "And I think you
BRINLEY’S POVA bastard pup.That’s all I was.That’s all I would ever be.Alpha had allowed me to live. My new-born life in his hands, just a few breaths old, and still wet from my mother’s womb, he chose my fate. He gave me the gift of life.But his gift had not been without cruelty.He made sure of it...I was allowed to breathe, but I, along with my mother, had been shunned. Throughout the whole life we were labelled outcasts, forced to live and watch the tightly-knit, loving pack family......but never allowed to be a part of it.Torment. I could think of no better word to describe being an outcast for as social a creature as a wolf. Wolves thrived on their connection with other wolves. But not me. All my life, the only feeling I knew was loneliness. It consumed me, like a festering sore, eating me from the inside, out.I would forever pay for the sins of my father, whoever the hell he was. My mother had refused to even speak of him.And then she died.I was ten at the time she d
Another wave hit hard. No longer able to sustain my weight and balance on my hands and knees, I fell to my side.I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle the de,zz,zzSep groan that fought to escape my lips. Violently shaking, I convulsed, the extra consciousness in my head becoming even more clear. My jaw elongated. Fur pierced through my skin. The swish of a tail brushed against my back legs.And then it was over.I lay there, my chest heaving.It had happened. I was a Wolf!All of those years of hoping and worrying and waiting, my ever-present animal companion was finally here.Head spinning, I worked to organize my thoughts. My mind reached out tentatively, Hello?Her reply didn’t consist of exact words, but I understood it.The process had been scary for her as well, but she was excited. And more than I could have hoped for, she was just as happy to meet me as I was her!My heart swelled with love for this creature, who had always been inside of me, but I just now met. I wanted to t
COAL’S POVThe night began like any other. There had been no indication that my life would irrevocably change in just a few short minutes. No omen that this night would be the tipping point for my future.And yet it was.Seated around the campfire with my brothers, my father handed me a beer, while I waited for Calla to arrive.“Thanks,” I grunted.Twisting the top off with a flick of my wrist, I turned it up and took a few swigs, enjoying the coldness of the liquid down my throat.My thoughts wandered, tuning out whatever sex joke my adolescent brother was telling, and ignoring their raucous laughter. I’d heard them all, and they stopped being funny around the age of twelve. I sighed heavily. They were sixteen and eighteen now, when would they grow up?Calla sauntered in fifteen minutes later. She wore a slim-fitting white top, and blue shorts, which revealed her long toned legs. Flipping her blond hair off of her shoulder, and flashing her million watt smile, she stepped past my fat
COAL'S POVThe days passed slowly, painfully. Time felt heavy, an unbearable burden on my soul and body, suffocating the very life out of my bones. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to bear it.Sitting at the large desk in my office, I stared blindly at the fireplace across the room, nestled in between floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Winter was coming. Soon, flames would fill the fireplace, flickering in a complex dance, releasing heat into the atmosphere.But nothing would warm me.Not anymore.I suspected the cold pit in my stomach, and I would remain good friends for eternity. I leaned back, my hands clenching the armrests of the executive chair. The leather chair creaked in resistance.Recent events ricocheted in my head like a pinball machine on crack.Immediately following the shocking revelation that Brinley was my mate, I’d insisted she not clean my room anymore. I’d used some ridiculous excuse that I didn’t want her around my things. When in reality, I couldn’t care less if sh
As I was lost in my thoughts, Calla’s hands found mine. “Coal?” She whispered to get my attention.My eyes snapped to hers. I forced myself to refocus and tried to keep the gruffness out of my tone, but still, my voice lowered, “Calla, I need to know what you’re up for. Obviously, we already know the situation with my mate.” I could barely say the word without grimacing in pain. “You haven’t found your mate yet. I understand if you would rather cool things off between us because I need to start thinking long-term.”She frowned, her face crinkling in confusion. “What does that mean...’thinking long-term’?”“It means I’m going to be Alpha one day, and I need a suitable Luna.”The hackles on her back rose. She stood. Her hands found her hips. Her voice rose in agitation, “And what makes you think I’m not a suitable candidate?”I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “You are not suitable because you still have a mate out there you haven’t found yet.”Her eyebrows rose in understanding