-Colter-Monday had come and gone into Tuesday, and still the Moorlands still lingered in my mind. A vivid tapestry of rolling hills, ancient forests, beautiful bodies of water, and the haunting beauty of the Moor wolves; it was like living in another world.Then there was Josephine, with her mesmerizing and hazy yellow-green eyes, who had captured me in ways that I could never have imagined. Our time together had been a whirlwind of passion and excitement that I didn’t expect when agreeing to this trip to the Moors.Even with this past extraordinary weekend, the weight of my obligations to Aurelia and what to do with her started to settle on me. She was my mate, after all. I promised myself that I would figure out what I should do about our mating bond before making any decisions going forward. Yet, Josephine had tempted me; the she-wolf had completely swept me away in a tide of excitement and desire. As I walked away from the classroom, I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t even r
-Aurelia-Hours had come and gone of us talking and learning about one another. Colter Sloan I had learned, was not as surly, and easily aggravated as I initially thought him to be. I guess first impressions aren’t everything.The statuesquely handsome young man was far more charming than I had ever imagined he could be. He was patient, and very considerate of this inexplicable pain that I’d been wrought with over the last couple of days. He was attentive to me and even concerned. Odd, considering he hardly knows me well enough to call me by my first name. As we studied each other throughout the night, I also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a pang of guilt in his eyes. Almost as if he had something to hide from me. When I began to think along those lines, I was forced to ask myself what on earth he could be hiding from me in the first place? He neither knew me nor owed me anything enough to have secrets from me. And still….I could not shake that feeling that some part of
The day seemed to go down hill from the moment that Colt blew me off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going to happen soon, and that it probably wasn’t going to be good. Not for me anyway. Following the last class, I found myself wandering around the college campus, my mind afloat with frustrations and confusion concerning this thing with Colter Sloan.My phone rang, and I immediately knew that it was my mother checking in on me again. There wasn’t much to talk about on the phone. Her conversation consisted entirely of how I’d been taking care of myself. She was a worry wart, my mother. I loved her for it, but truth be told, I just didn’t have it in me to talk right now.Politely, I decided to end the conversation early.“Okay, mom, I gotta go, but I’ll talk to you later. I love you too.” We exchanged, and then I headed to my dorm.“Hey Aure!” Madison greeted me from her desk as I came into our shared dorm.“Hey, Mads.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t return Mad’s gre
-Colter-The tension between Aurelia and I was palpable, thick in the air like a fog. Josephine's arrival had thrown everything into even more disarray than what was already evident before. Had I known that Madison would pull a stunt, inviting Aurelia, I would have never done the same with Josephine.“Hello, everyone.” Josephine greeted everyone in a sing-song voice that made me swoon almost every single time. I was forced to restrain myself at this moment, however.“Jose,” I said with a small smile. “I’m glad you made it here safely.”“So am I,” Josephine replied. “Though it is hard not to arrive anywhere safely with the detail that I have.” she attempted at a joke but everyone was too tense to chuckle.I forced one out, ignoring the curious glare of my best friend. I also noticed something else. Josephine’s gaze was set one on one particular individual at the table, and it was not me.Her eyes had been on Aurelia almost since her arrival at the table. There was almost a spark of rec
-Colter-The meeting ran long and frustration set in as this constant waiting only allowed for further anxiety to set in. What was she going to say about the situation I’d found myself in? Would he consider me irresponsible? Probably.Not like I handled that situation at the bar that night the greatest. “Hey, kid,” I looked up, Kenneth standing there at the door of my father’s office, his officers, and more prominent pack members lining out.“The old man’s ready for you.” I stood up from where I sat, nervously scratching my nose. “Are you coming in?” I asked.I tried to seem nonchalant about it, but my uncle knew me well enough to know that I was not nonchalant at all. That I had hoped deep down that he’d go in with me. I was not looking forward to this conversation. It was also quite clear that dad probably knew just as much as Kenneth did.“I think this conversation is better suited to be between you and your father, nephew. But I won’t be far away if you need me.” He then tu
-Aure-Following that horrific night at the bar, things in my stomach couldn’t settle.I wasn’t sure if it was simple anxiety, stress, or that I just never fully recovered from that mysterious bout of illness that I had suffered through a few nights prior.It didn’t matter one way or another. The only thing that did matter was the humiliation that hovered over me like a dark cloud that night at the bar with Madi, Colter Sloan and his mysterious, beautiful, and insufferably condescending girlfriend.I wasn’t aware of most of what the girl was talking about which only served to make me feel even more inadequate than I had already felt being there.Madison and Colter seemed like laid back
-Colter-Three Years Later….Sex.The one thing that we were never lacking in, and the one thing that we seemed unable to get enough of.I laid there in bed, next to my Josephine, her face emitting the dewey glow one would have after three hours of rough passion. The corner of her light eyes wrinkled with satisfaction as she laid there across from me, staring.“You never disappoint, alpha.” she grinned.I smiled. “If I did, I’d never hear the end of it,” I teased. And then turned on my side, back facing her as I started to drift off.“Wait, baby,” she said with her subtle Moors accent. “I want to talk a little more.” I knew what she wanted to talk about and to be honest, I wasn’t in the mood too.“And I’m listening, sweetheart.”“Okay, well,” she took a deep breath and then asked. “How are you feeling? About the ceremony?”I rolled my eyes. “Fine, Jose, but I’ve told you this.”“Have you gotten a speech ready? This…this is a big deal, Colter. You don’t want to embarrass anyone.”“The
-Aurelia-Was that him? Was…was it really him?I had no time to convince myself that I was seeing things before that persistent voice popped up in my head.“You know that it was, Lia,” the throaty guttural feminine voice whispered in my mind, an alter ego of myself. And she most certainly was an ego all her own.“Be as snide as you’d like, love, but the facts remain.”“Yes, thank you, Sephara!” I hissed, through the loud whistling of the wind as I cycled through the highway to get home. It was a good thing that I was on my motorcycle and winding down the road at a fierce speed. There was no one around to hear me talking to myself. My other half stopped talking for the rest of the ride. I was glad for that, thinking that she’d have dropped it.“You have to deal with this eventually.”Then she picked it up again. With a sigh, I removed my helmet, and headed to the house. “I don’t, Seph. I don’t have to deal with it at all. I was rejected, remember?” I cut her off and headed into the
-Colter-I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her face…those eyes. I had to find her. I had to find out if it was really her. “We both know that it was. There was no mistaking that scent.”“I shouldn’t be still…her scent shouldn’t still be so…noticeable though…right? I rejected her. I…I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t still feel her like this…right? I did the rejection right…right?” “You did…we have never had to reject someone before, so to go by the book I can only assume that we have taken the right process in rejecting her.”I knew that it frustrated my wolf to even have this conversation about Aurelia, but ultimately it needed to be had. Still Maxim’s clear hesitation brought another thought to mind. One that I was curious to explore.“Hey, honey.”Josephine’s melodic voice broke through my concentration. I quickly tried to cover up my frustrations and concerns with a small smile.“Hi, Jose,”She wrapped her arms around my neck. “So, how are we feeling? The big day is three days away, now a
-Aurelia-Was that him? Was…was it really him?I had no time to convince myself that I was seeing things before that persistent voice popped up in my head.“You know that it was, Lia,” the throaty guttural feminine voice whispered in my mind, an alter ego of myself. And she most certainly was an ego all her own.“Be as snide as you’d like, love, but the facts remain.”“Yes, thank you, Sephara!” I hissed, through the loud whistling of the wind as I cycled through the highway to get home. It was a good thing that I was on my motorcycle and winding down the road at a fierce speed. There was no one around to hear me talking to myself. My other half stopped talking for the rest of the ride. I was glad for that, thinking that she’d have dropped it.“You have to deal with this eventually.”Then she picked it up again. With a sigh, I removed my helmet, and headed to the house. “I don’t, Seph. I don’t have to deal with it at all. I was rejected, remember?” I cut her off and headed into the
-Colter-Three Years Later….Sex.The one thing that we were never lacking in, and the one thing that we seemed unable to get enough of.I laid there in bed, next to my Josephine, her face emitting the dewey glow one would have after three hours of rough passion. The corner of her light eyes wrinkled with satisfaction as she laid there across from me, staring.“You never disappoint, alpha.” she grinned.I smiled. “If I did, I’d never hear the end of it,” I teased. And then turned on my side, back facing her as I started to drift off.“Wait, baby,” she said with her subtle Moors accent. “I want to talk a little more.” I knew what she wanted to talk about and to be honest, I wasn’t in the mood too.“And I’m listening, sweetheart.”“Okay, well,” she took a deep breath and then asked. “How are you feeling? About the ceremony?”I rolled my eyes. “Fine, Jose, but I’ve told you this.”“Have you gotten a speech ready? This…this is a big deal, Colter. You don’t want to embarrass anyone.”“The
-Aure-Following that horrific night at the bar, things in my stomach couldn’t settle.I wasn’t sure if it was simple anxiety, stress, or that I just never fully recovered from that mysterious bout of illness that I had suffered through a few nights prior.It didn’t matter one way or another. The only thing that did matter was the humiliation that hovered over me like a dark cloud that night at the bar with Madi, Colter Sloan and his mysterious, beautiful, and insufferably condescending girlfriend.I wasn’t aware of most of what the girl was talking about which only served to make me feel even more inadequate than I had already felt being there.Madison and Colter seemed like laid back
-Colter-The meeting ran long and frustration set in as this constant waiting only allowed for further anxiety to set in. What was she going to say about the situation I’d found myself in? Would he consider me irresponsible? Probably.Not like I handled that situation at the bar that night the greatest. “Hey, kid,” I looked up, Kenneth standing there at the door of my father’s office, his officers, and more prominent pack members lining out.“The old man’s ready for you.” I stood up from where I sat, nervously scratching my nose. “Are you coming in?” I asked.I tried to seem nonchalant about it, but my uncle knew me well enough to know that I was not nonchalant at all. That I had hoped deep down that he’d go in with me. I was not looking forward to this conversation. It was also quite clear that dad probably knew just as much as Kenneth did.“I think this conversation is better suited to be between you and your father, nephew. But I won’t be far away if you need me.” He then tu
-Colter-The tension between Aurelia and I was palpable, thick in the air like a fog. Josephine's arrival had thrown everything into even more disarray than what was already evident before. Had I known that Madison would pull a stunt, inviting Aurelia, I would have never done the same with Josephine.“Hello, everyone.” Josephine greeted everyone in a sing-song voice that made me swoon almost every single time. I was forced to restrain myself at this moment, however.“Jose,” I said with a small smile. “I’m glad you made it here safely.”“So am I,” Josephine replied. “Though it is hard not to arrive anywhere safely with the detail that I have.” she attempted at a joke but everyone was too tense to chuckle.I forced one out, ignoring the curious glare of my best friend. I also noticed something else. Josephine’s gaze was set one on one particular individual at the table, and it was not me.Her eyes had been on Aurelia almost since her arrival at the table. There was almost a spark of rec
The day seemed to go down hill from the moment that Colt blew me off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going to happen soon, and that it probably wasn’t going to be good. Not for me anyway. Following the last class, I found myself wandering around the college campus, my mind afloat with frustrations and confusion concerning this thing with Colter Sloan.My phone rang, and I immediately knew that it was my mother checking in on me again. There wasn’t much to talk about on the phone. Her conversation consisted entirely of how I’d been taking care of myself. She was a worry wart, my mother. I loved her for it, but truth be told, I just didn’t have it in me to talk right now.Politely, I decided to end the conversation early.“Okay, mom, I gotta go, but I’ll talk to you later. I love you too.” We exchanged, and then I headed to my dorm.“Hey Aure!” Madison greeted me from her desk as I came into our shared dorm.“Hey, Mads.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t return Mad’s gre
-Aurelia-Hours had come and gone of us talking and learning about one another. Colter Sloan I had learned, was not as surly, and easily aggravated as I initially thought him to be. I guess first impressions aren’t everything.The statuesquely handsome young man was far more charming than I had ever imagined he could be. He was patient, and very considerate of this inexplicable pain that I’d been wrought with over the last couple of days. He was attentive to me and even concerned. Odd, considering he hardly knows me well enough to call me by my first name. As we studied each other throughout the night, I also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a pang of guilt in his eyes. Almost as if he had something to hide from me. When I began to think along those lines, I was forced to ask myself what on earth he could be hiding from me in the first place? He neither knew me nor owed me anything enough to have secrets from me. And still….I could not shake that feeling that some part of
-Colter-Monday had come and gone into Tuesday, and still the Moorlands still lingered in my mind. A vivid tapestry of rolling hills, ancient forests, beautiful bodies of water, and the haunting beauty of the Moor wolves; it was like living in another world.Then there was Josephine, with her mesmerizing and hazy yellow-green eyes, who had captured me in ways that I could never have imagined. Our time together had been a whirlwind of passion and excitement that I didn’t expect when agreeing to this trip to the Moors.Even with this past extraordinary weekend, the weight of my obligations to Aurelia and what to do with her started to settle on me. She was my mate, after all. I promised myself that I would figure out what I should do about our mating bond before making any decisions going forward. Yet, Josephine had tempted me; the she-wolf had completely swept me away in a tide of excitement and desire. As I walked away from the classroom, I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t even r