CLAIRE FISCHER“HE WAS SUCH a good man.”I scoffed inwardly as the smallish man draped in a black cape shuffled past me. Everyone becomes a friend at funerals, even people who had been vehemently against the person when he had been alive.I looked around and saw many of those types of people. Dressed immaculately in black suits and dressed with black sunshades to match. Some were even graceful enough to drop a tear or two for my father.I sighed and wrapped the black shawl tighter around my shoulders as I moved forward. I stood over the grave, taking care not to rustle the long root of dew vine that circles the dug-out hole. “Goodbye, Dad,” I muttered under my breath. I scooped up a bit of sand and tossed it in. I felt a fat, lonely tear run down my cheeks, but I smashed it away. He would now have wanted me to be sad and cry. My father, Alpha Bronn Fischer of the Moonshadow pack, was easily the best person in the pack and definitely the best person I knew. He loved me even with my “di
CLAIRE FISCHERI TOOK A few steps away from the cabin to regain my composure. After the wave of dizziness and nausea washed off, it was replaced with blind rage. Gritting my teeth, I walked back to the cabin just as I heard Logan moan loudly, I watched his back arch tightly as he came inside her. He hung his head and suckled on her neck, she still moved rhythmically underneath him.“Logan!” I could not stop the pain that seared through my heart the more I stood there.He turned sharply. His eyes widened in shock when he saw me.“Fiona…” I said in a small cracking voice. This was my best friend. My confidante. The only person who did not treat me with indifference or even pure hate. I told her everything that was going on in my life, I was looking forward to telling her about how Alpha Olsson had hit on me. She even knew about my anticipation to get married to Logan, and she seemed genuinely happy for me… How could I have known that she was a slithering snake, fucking my fiancé behind
CLAIRE FISCHERI LOOKED AROUND the hall. Although most of the people were smiling at Logan and Fiona, I still saw some hated gazes directed my way.Thanks to my mother, I had gone from pack hero to the rubbish of the pack, all in under a minute. It was my worst nightmare. I looked up at Logan and Fiona. They were smiling at each other. It was like I was no longer existing.I suddenly remembered all the nights my mother would invite Fiona to what was supposed to be a family dinner. My mother was always nice and caring to Fiona, I usually overlooked it, but now, I understand it now.But, my brows drew together in a frown, why did she wait all these times before she said anything? Why is she saying it now when Dad is dead? Was there something he did not know? A family secret of some sort? I was determined to -“A wolfless mutt has no place here,” a man snarled at me, breaking into my train of thought. “Your place is with humans or lower than an omega here. That is where you should be.”H
CLAIRE FISCHERI SPENT THE next few days avoiding everyone in the pack, including my mother and my “ new” sister who had moved into the pack house. I heard hers and Logan's laughter every dinner, like a perfect family. While I would remain huddled in my room, too afraid and too angry to join the table. They did not want or need me. My meals were placed in front of my door like I was a caged animal.I sighed and rolled out of bed. I was determined not to spend the day in my bed, feeling sorry over things I could not control. Good riddance, I scoffed as I went to my bathroom to wash up.“Nothing is going to spoil my day today,” I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I packed my thick wavy brown hair in a loose ponytail to keep my face free. My eyes were red and blotched from excess crying, and my nose was a light shade of pink, making my freckles pop out even more.“Bruce does not deserve this,” I muttered, trying to salvage my looks. I was not normally a glamorous or excepti
THE LONELINESS was the first thing that hit me after I had been running in the woods for almost a day. My feet hurt and I was sure blisters were forming already. As a human, I was not accustomed to being in the wild.I was sure I was out of my father's pack territory, but I could not be sure because I didn’t have a wolf spirit that bound me to the lands. Thinking of the past 18 hours and the multiple betrayals I was served still made my heart thud painfully.I swallowed in a pitiful attempt to dry my parched throat. It was a bad idea to leave without even carrying a water bottle. I sucked in this living in the wild thing, looking at the sky, I could tell that the sun was going down. Soon, it would be dark, and I was hungry, thirsty, and tired, and I still didn’t know where I was going.I stopped walking to rest my legs and I heard the sound of a flowing river. Leaping in excitement, I immediately followed the sound until I came across a clear stream. I crouched in the shallow parts an
ALEXANDER VON SINCLAIRALEXANDER PACED THE length of his office angrily. His body itched, and that reflected in his mood. In the far corner of his office and shrouded by slight darkness, his brother, Joram Von Sinclair, sat lounging lazily on a couch with a cup of whiskey in hand.Alexander cast a long look at Joram, then he scoffed and walked to the window, looking out at the dusk of the city’s skyline. His office was located on one of the tallest skyscrapers in the commercial district of town, so even though time was far gone, he could still see the last winks of the sunset.“You know that your pacing isn’t helping,” Joram said coolly from where he sat.Alexander looked at his brother, fighting the primal urge to throw him from the window. He scoffed and turned away before he gave in to his primal instinct.Joram stood up and walked towards Alex. “Whiskey takes the edge off,” he said, stretching out his hand.Alex gave a disgruntled look at the glass for a long second, then he colle
ALEXANDER VON SINCLAIRHE HAD NO idea why he was cutting through the woods. His beast seemed to be controlling him without actually controlling him. His eyes glowed amber in the stark darkness, and the night was silent, but he felt very comfortable. After all, as a Lycan, this was his natural habitat – in the wild, alone, and most likely hunting prey, which could be another animal… or a human.He suddenly burst through a thick shroud of thorny bushes and came upon a scene that made his blood boil with rage. A young woman was on the floor, surrounded by about 4 men; he could not count them as his eyes were blinded with bloodlust.He punched the man on top of the woman; his hand went through and gripped the man's still beating heart. He squeezed and pulled it out as the man slumped forward, falling heavily on the woman beneath him.“Werewolves,” he growled as the stench of the blood hit his nostrils.Then Alex swung around and caught the man closest to him by the neck, and with a small
CLAIRE FISCHERMY LEGS TREMBLED with fear as we marched along the small dirt path. The night was dark and the woods were even darker, but these strange people seemed to be one with the surroundings, like they had lived here all their lives. And maybe they had.Had I stumbled into the pack of a secret pack? I asked myself. I closed my eyes, trying to remember my geography classes, and wishing I had paid more attention as I tried to figure out where I was. There was no supposed to be a pack nearby… my foot caught on a shrub and I stumbled forward, unable to catch myself as I fell into the dirt.“Get up!” the man holding the end of my rope snarled. The group stopped moving as they looked back. “Get up!” the man tugged on the rope again. I tried to stand up, but I was weak. I had not eaten anything in almost two days. They parted as the man I took to be their leader approached me. His eyes glinted bright red in the darkness as he looked down at me. “What is going on?” he asked. His voice
ALEKSANDER VON SINCLAIR"ARE YOU REALLY sure about this?" Joram asked. His voice was worried."Sure about what?" Alek chuckled. "Telling the senate what I have planned, or the fact that she will be sleeping beside me by this time of the month.""Both," Joram muttered, folding his arms and leaning against the wall.Alek scoffed. "You worry too much," he said. "Just like mother did."Joram's eyes glazed as he remembered their mother. Her straight brown hair, soft smile, and kind eyes. She was a human who had somehow survived birthing two Lycan sons. But she died many, many years ago."The Senate will not take kindly to this," Joram said as Alek adjusted his clothes in the mirror."Then they have been mistaken to think that this is a democratic system," Alek replied. "I don't give a shit whether they take kindly to it or not. It is my decision and the decision is final." He took a step closer to the mirror and rubbed at the scarring on his cheek where Lucia had gorged him. It was healing
CLAIRE FISCHERWHEN I WENT to Alek's room, I did not have any intentions of sleeping. My mind was still heavy from the news j had just heard. So Fiona was pregnant with a child that should have been mine. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the pillow. I was oddly comforted by Alek's scent that filled the room. I remained like that for so long that I did not know when I slept off.*****I woke up to the sound of the door opening and opened my eyes to see Alek walk into the room. The room suddenly felt small and cramped because of his humongous frame. I looked out the window, it was almost totally dark outside."I did not mean to wake you up," He looked at me without any expression on his face then he sat down on the bed, a few feet away from me. "I spoke to my brother about you," He said. What did he mean? I frowned. Does Joram know everything about me now? I had hoped that it would remain a small secret between us."I told him everything you told me," he said. "Almost everythi
LOGAN MILLERA FEW HUNDRED miles due East from the Clan, Logan walked up the stairs. His shoulders were sagged and he looked unkempt.He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. He had dark circles and his eyes were bloodshot, like he had not slept in days. And he had not.He walked into the pack house and groaned in despair. Fiona's mother, Ruth Fischer, was there. "Hello, Ruth," He said."Where is my daughter?" Ruth asked.One might think that she was asking of Claire, who disappeared over a month ago, but no, she was asking for Fiona, whom she had seen a few hours ago."Fiona is here somewhere," Logan answered. He did not have the mental strength to have a conversation with the former Luna of the pack, who wanted to control everything."You should always know where your mate is," Ruth snapped. "Go and find her right now!"Logan sat down heavily on the couch. "I just got back from the northern borders. Rogues are breaching the territory from there. They got to our storage room last night. We s
ALEKSANDER VON SINCLAIRHE WALKED INTO his office expecting to see Joram waiting for him, but instead, he was met by Lucia. She was sitting on the table, legs crossed and a glass of Scotch in one hand."Alek..." she purred as soon as he entered and she came forward to hug and kiss him."I was not expecting to see you here," He said, pulling out of her grip and going to his desk. "And don't sit on my table. There are so many important things here."She pouted her lips. A gesture that irritated Alek. "What do you want?" He asked, stacking up the papers.She sighed and turned around slowly. "How was the meeting?" She asked."How did you even know there was a meeting?" He countered without looking at her."Words travel," She said nonchalantly. "The same way words reached my ears that one of the servants poured drinks on a senator, broke the expensive bottle of champagne, and ran out of the hall disrespectfully... and nothing was done to her.""Is that so?" Alek chose to play dumb."Don't
ALEKSANDER VON SINCLAIRTHE HALL WENT silent again as they watched Claire hurry out."What was that all about?" Jamie snarled. "These slaves are starting to get out of control." Some heads at the table nodded in agreement with him.Alek frowned. "Slaves?" He asked, looking around. "I thought you were all a community. Now you have created a societal hierarchy? Slaves? Servants.""Not slaves," One of the men replied. "They are Omegas.""And weren't you all banished Omegas from your packs?" Alek snarled. "You come here and you start behaving like you are gods.""Aleksander-" another man started to say."I have not given you permission to mention my name," Alek growled, his eyes flashing in anger. "Who the fuck are you anyway?"The man cleared his throat uneasily. "I am -""You know what?" Alek cut in. "I don't care. This meeting is over.""But we have not concluded on what to do about -""I told you. My answer is No," Alek stood up. "I am the leader of this clan, and my word is final. We
ALEKSANDER VON SINCLAIRHE DID NOT want to be here. From the beginning of the meeting, he got bored from the first minute. The talks about werewolves bored him. There should be nothing that links him with those dogs.He was not listening to a word that the Senate's spokesman was saying. He ignored the accusing looks that they occasionally threw him when they spoke about Marshall, the Golden Boy and best leader for the pack; Alek snorted.Even though they were too afraid to say it, Alek knew that through every point of the meeting, they were blaming him for killing Marshall. But he did not care.The door opened, and suddenly, Alek was interested in his environment again. A servant walked in, closely followed by Claire. Her scent wafted to his nose and filled his senses.But she is from a werewolf bloodline, he growled to himself. He should not react to her like this. He was disgusted with himself.He felt her looking at him, and he fought every ounce of willpower in him not to meet her
CLAIRE FISCHER "THE, UH, DEATH of Marshall took us by surprise, " Jamie, the spokesman of the senate was saying. He cleared his throat uneasily. "We have been forced by this setback...""What type of setback?" Joram asked.I looked at my colleague and she gestured with her head. I nodded, placing the ice bucket on the table. I started to take out the bottle of champagne but one of the senators snapped, "Leave it there, fool."I jumped, startled."What were you saying, Jamie?" Alek asked. "The setback you have suffered.""Yes," Jamie nodded. "Marshall was in the middle of a deal he was making.""We have read his notes," Joram cut in. "And we plan to take over from where he stopped.""So you are back for good," The fat man who had snapped at me asked."Yes, Edgar," Alek said in a low voice. "We are back, or would you like us to leave? Is that what you want?" He leaned forward, pinning Edgar with a hard, cold glare. Even harder than the one he had flashed me."Oh no, sir," Edgar said ha
CLAIRE FISCHERA DROOL FROM my mouth awoke me. I jumped awake, startled and lost for a few seconds, unsure of where I was. Until I looked around and recognized the room. I was in Alek's room, but I was alone on the bed. He was gone. I ran my hand across where his body had laid. It was still slightly warm and held his scent. I slid over and snuggled into his space, closing my eyes in contentment.After a few more minutes of indulging, I stood up and felt an ache between my legs. It was a pleasurable pain. I sighed."Oh shit," I cursed under my breath. "My kitchen duties." I glanced at the bedside clock, it was already past breakfast time. I rushed to the bathroom and washed up quickly.I peeked out of the room before I slipped out. I didn't want anyone to see me. Not yet. As I hurried downstairs to the kitchen, I untangled my wet hair with my fingers. I entered the kitchen, and just as I had suspected, it was bustling with activities."Where have you been?" Lizzy whispered. She walke
ALEKSANDER VON SINCLAIRHE WOKE UP to a numbing, tingling sensation on his arm. He was having one of the most peaceful sleep he had had in a very long time. There was a soft, pliable but unfamiliar flesh by his side.He turned his head and saw her. Claire. How could he have forgotten? Her head was on his upper arm, stopping blood circulation to the rest of his hand. He watched her sleep, feeling a wave of emotions he was not familiar with. After a few more minutes of silent watching. He eased his arm from underneath her head, replacing it with a pillow and then he stood up, stretching and yawning deeply. He turned and looked at her, sprawled across the bed. He wanted nothing more than to lay down beside her and remain there for all eternity, but he had work to do, and he did not want any gossip about them to go around the clan now. Joram was right about one thing, Lucia would rip Claire's head out.He took his bath quickly and washed up before going down for breakfast. His brother w