‘-Aure-“Au-Aurelia?!” Madison’s voice was good to hear, even despite how loud she was. I looked around nervously. I didn’t want anyone walking up on two half naked young women standing in the forest.Where it was clear that I was nervous, Madison seemed not to have a care in the world. “Aurelia, I…I can’t believe this!” Madison rushed toward me, an ecstatic look in her eyes. Nevermind the fact that we both were bare in the moonlight. She wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so glad to see you again!”“Ha, thanks!” I chuckled. “It’s-I’m glad to see you too.”Madison pulled away from her. “What are you doing here?” she asked, as she steadily began to put on the remainder of her clothes. “I…well, I came back home for my…” It was hard to even mention her mom around others. “For?” Madison pressed, but not in an intolerable sort of way. She was curious as I remembered her to be. “My mom,” I finally replied. “Oh! Ms. Char! How is she? I think about her often. Is everything okay?”I tried
The hunting hour was close, and I was so glad for it. I needed the break, from everyone and everything. My thoughts were still in a whirlwind from that day when I saw her. I was glad that Josephine had gone home to visit her father because being around her seemed to only make me feel worse about the whole ordeal.Why? Because I really wanted to see her again. I stood on the hill overlooking the vast land owned by the Sno pack, anticipating the moment where I tore away from this human body and roamed free with my beast, Maxim.“We should find her.” he suggested in the back of my mind.Immediately, I scoffed, annoyed and intrigued by the idea. Annoyed because it was probably the worst idea that he could think of; trying to find a woman that not only did I reject, but also manipulated her memory to forget almost everything that she knew.I was still intrigued, however, by the terrible idea, because simply put, I just wanted to see her again.“We will run into her, one way or another. I
-Aurelia-“So, are you sure it’s a good idea for you to be meeting me like this?” I asked Madison as she sat across from me at the table of the small cafe we sat at.She sipped on her black coffee. “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” I chuckled. “Don’t want you getting into trouble for associating with me,” I told her. “Seems that pack life…wolf life in general is far more strict than I previously thought. I’m learning that more and more every day.” Madison sighed. “Colter Sloan cannot tell me who to talk to and who not to talk to,” Madison said. “If he has a problem with me talking to you then…well, he’ll just have to get over it.” “Okay,” I laughed a little. “If you say so.”“Besides,” Madison went on to say. “Not like I told him that you were even here,” she shrugged. “He doesn’t even know that you’re back.”I sat there quiet, sheepishly staring down at my drink. Madison seemed to catch my sudden awkward silence.“Right? He…he doesn’t know that you’re here…I mean-I-I didn’t tell h
-Aure-Mom had been doing pretty well over the last few days with the new herbs that I’d been getting from the shop.Her walk had gotten a little peppier, and her energy levels had improved a bit. Sure, she was still a bit weak but the little improvements were better than nothing at all.“Hey, sweetie?” I heard mom call me as I finished brewing her special tea. “Yeah, mom?” “How do you feel about pizza tonight?”Pizza? Both me and Sephara were surprised by the suggestion, as mom hadn’t been able to eat anything so heavy like that for a long time.I chuckled. “Yeah, sure! If you’re down, I’m down.” My phone began to ring. “But I’d still have some soup or broth on hand just in case.” “Yes, hon, I know, I know.” I could hear her replying impatiently as I picked up the phone.“Only trying to look out for my best girl!” I teased before answering. “Hello”It was Madison. Again.Ever since our little meet up at the cafe, she’d been hassling me nonstop to not only take her up on her offer
-Aure-Alpha? Of the Moors? “Moors?” I emphasized the word after she confessed this. What on earth was I supposed to do with this information?“Yes, Aure,” said. “You heard me correctly. It’s a deep in the Moors, quite majestic in its way.”“Mom, you’ve got to be kidding.”“I wish I was,” she chuckled tensely. “It’s not the easiest place to live when you’re a human-born wolf.”“What?” I had never heard of something like this before. To be honest, I had never heard of any of this before. All of it was new to me. What my mother was telling was simply furthering the concept of my mind being blown.She sighed. At this point, I had noticed that she was showing signs of fatigue and so I helped her to her favorite reclining chair, and propped her feet up.Mom leaned back in her chair, and then continued to explain. “That’s why I never told you, Aure,” she said. “About your true nature. Your father and I thought that you were like me, and he felt that since he could not raise you amongst his
-Aure-I was wholly invested in mom's history at this point. Sitting on edge, as I pressed and waited for her to tell me how she and my father met.“How?” I could tell that there was an interesting story behind it.“He, uh, he was the enemy,” she said. “Your father, he was Sigma, the strong lone wolf of the Moors. And well, your grandparents had gotten a little too arrogant, I guess. They were powerful, the strongest mated couple in the territory. That power went to their head, and they moved in on the Sigma’s territory, deciding that together they could take him.” she laughed. “They were wrong.”“Did he kill them?” I asked.“No,” she answered. “But he took the pack from them
-Colt-It felt like days since the last time I talked to my best friend and Beta.Mads was clearly angry with me after the last time that we’d spoken. It had begun to seem as if the only thing that I could do lately was upset her. “This doesn’t have anything to do with me, does it?” I heard Josephine say from behind me as I blankly stared in the bathroom mirror at my reflection. “Everything bad that happens between Mads and I isn’t always about you, love,” I said in the most cordial way that I could.Fortunately, Josephine actually wasn’t the most sensitive when it came to telling it like it is.“Ah, good. I was beginning to think that I was the center of her little universe.” She spoke in a teasing manner as she wrapped her arms around my wide torso, her naked breast pressed against my back as she said, “Maybe instead of guessing whether the girl is still upset with you, just go talk to her?” she asked. “Might be best that I give her some space, Jo.”“You’ve given her enough space
-Colter-“What are you doing here?” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking me out of my trance of how positively sexy she was.My wolf growled, and I knew that he felt the same thing that I felt at that moment. “Hello?” Madison irately followed. “She asked you a question! What? Are you following me now?”“No-yes, no, no!” I stumbled out. “I just needed to know who it was that you were meeting…who this ... .this... .it's you?” I asked.I sensed something different about her-something strong, and inhuman.She didn’t respond, only averted her gaze and took a shot of her drink.“You’re human,” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “So, now you’re telling me about myself? Is that it?” “Wh-no, no, that’s-that’s not what I was doing at all. I just-”There was no coming back from the fumble I just made. “Are you done making a fool of yourself, now?” I ignored Madison and turned my full gaze on Aurelia Smith. “You look good, Aurelia.” And oh did she? The sheer mesh romper, opaque in al
-Colter-Ever since my heated conversation with Josephine, my mind was ill at ease. I’d kept some pack members checking patrolling around the territory-including the more human-populated areas.I had hoped that Josephine wouldn’t show up at Aurelia and her mother’s residence without telling me. But to be honest, I couldn’t be sure. “Any news?” I asked as Madison approached. She shook her head. “No, fortunately not. At least for now.”“Good,” I said. My next question was one of reluctance, but one that I needed to know nonetheless. I swallowed my pride and parted my lips to ask.“I haven’t seen her since I visited her last week, Colt,” she said. “And she hasn’t been using our territory to release her wolf.”She already knew what I wanted to know. I took a deep breath, silently hoping that she was okay.Then an odd sensation enveloped me. A sense of a familiar nearness. “Madison, did…did Aurelia say something about…about coming here?”Before she could answer, the loud and resonating s
-Aurelia-The air in the house felt thick, heavy with the unspoken. Josephine's words, "His line is not dead," echoed in my mind, a chilling pronouncement that sent shivers down my spine.I’d been out on a ride that day in an attempt to free my mind of the weariness I’d begun to feel as the days went by. “To have them both coming to our home on the same night. Seph, this can’t be good, can it?”I could hear my and feel my wolf’s weighted concern as she heavy sigh resonated from her in the back of my mind. That was all the response that I needed at this point.Once I hit a fork in the road, I turned around and took the drive back home. It was close to mom’s tea time.When I pulled up, I noticed a jeep in the yard. I pulled my helmet off and quickly headed to the vehicle. It was empty.“She must be in there already.” I knew who it was by the scent that surrounded the vehicle. I pressed forward to the house without as much concern as before and unlocked the door. “Ma?”“Yes, dear. In
-JOSEPHINE-He sat in his seat, staring at me. I was glad that we were the only two present in my father’s office. This was information of a sensitive nature after all. “I am so glad to see you have returned home once again, love,” he said to me. “Or at least I would be,” he then added.I tried to feign confusion at first. “You’re not happy to see me?” I asked him.He chuckled with only slight amusement before he said, “Oh, I am always happy to see you, Jose. You are, after all, the only daughter that I have-my only child, and the heir to my seat.”I offered a small, incomplete smile. The word heir seemed to carry a bitter taste in my mouth of late. I was sure that after the conversation that I was soon to have with him, he’d feel the same.“However,” my father finally continued, pulling me out of my reverie. “Twice in one week, five in the course of two,” he said adding up my visits in total from this week to the last. “Even you could understand the sudden concern. And the fact tha
-Colter-I sat in the darkness. As I heard the click of the lock echoing in the silent room, I knew that Josephine had finally returned from her midnight excursion.She closed the door behind her, and leaned against the solid wood, letting out a breath-one harsh and long. It was almost as if she hadn’t realized that she’d been holding it in this whole time.Something was clearly on her mind, I, at this point, couldn’t bring myself to care. I knew where she’d been. I could smell it on her.My visit to Aurelia’s house, seeing her mother as she was-it left me with a knot of unease in my stomach, a feeling I couldn’t quite place.“Where have you been?” I asked as soon as she turned from the door. Josephine didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she began to remove her jacket, her movements slow and deliberate. “Josephine!” I snapped. “Answer me!”She expelled a harsh sigh before saying, “The same place you’ve been, my love.” Her words were nonchalant, boarding on dismissive, as her eyes av
-Aure-The click of the lock echoed in the silent house as I closed the door behind Colter. Leaning against the solid wood, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Why did he have to be so… decent tonight? So respectful to my mother? It was so infuriating. Hating him was significantly easy for me after what he’d done. And letting him go was only made easier because of his betrayal as well.Sure, there was something lingering. Something that I couldn’t place or understand. I could only assume that every wolf who had to deal with the turmoil of rejection had to deal with such troubles.Then he had to go on and be…decent-respectful, not only to me but my mother as well. Didn't he realize the mess he was making, dragging us back into a world we'd fought so hard to escape? That I had been waiting for years to escape. And yet… that lingering glance, that question about how I was feeling…it was like a tiny ember refusing to be extinguished. A stupid, foolish ember that th
-Aure-I was standing on pins and needles as I stood there against the kitchen sink, watching Colter Sloan.“Uh, I’d offer you a drink but all I have is tea.”He took a step toward me. “I like tea.”“Ah,” I exhaled. “I-well, I…I guess I can make you a cup.” I turned toward the cupboard, and picked out a mug, then I put on the tea kettle. “Earl grey or Yorkshire black?” I asked him. He smiled. Why was he smiling? “What?” I eyed him curiously as I continued to wait for him to pick a tea.“Nothing,” he smiled. “Yorkshire,” he finally answered. “That you or your mother’s favorite blend?”Was he honestly trying to get to know me? The thought of it frustrated me.Where was this curiosity when we first met? I asked inwardly and with much frustration.“It would not hurt to answer him, Aure,” said Sephara. “It is only a question.” her words weren’t so much chastising as they were amused. She was right.“It, uh-it’s mine,” I finally answered.“Mine too.” There was a distant look on his face-
-Colter-Ever since the rejection, there’d been a miserable pinch in the pit of my stomach. This feeling was new to me, and in ways far more miserable than I could have imagined.“Hey baby,” the melodic voice of my chosen whispered in my ear as she lay next to me in bed.Normally, Jose would have been a welcome distraction to any one or one hundred things that had been on my mind. This time, however, I found Josephine’s presence…complicated.“Are you alright?” she whispered in my ear. “I can tell that you have a lot on your mind.”“I’m fine,” I lied, and I knew that she knew that I was lying.I felt the shift of her weight in bed as she pulled away from me and sat upright. “It’s her….isn’t it?” she asked. I glanced over my shoulder at Josephine, her flawless cinnamon features downcast with frustration. I couldn’t lie to her.“I don’t want to upset you, Jose,” I said. “So let’s not.”But she insisted. “I can’t believe…that she’s a daughter of the Moors-an actual,” she chuckled, sha
-AURE-Moor wolf? How did she know-Before the thought could finish forming, a jittering feeling began to form in the pit of my stomach and rise into my chest. An earthy scent began to follow.The look in my eyes as I stared at Josephine brought a seemingly knowing mirth to her features as she stared at me.“You sense it too.”“What do you mean?” I found myself asking.“The scent,” she said. “The connection between our bloodlines.” her head tilted to the side. “You’re a part of the Moor wolves.”I watched her closely, hardly sparing those surrounding us, a passing glance before returning all of my attention back on her.“I am.”“What?” I heard the murmurings surrounding she and I but…nothing else seemed to matter at the moment but this odd connection I suddenly felt towards her. Josephine approached me after I confirmed what she already seemed to know. “You’re not just any…any wolf of the Moors though…are you?” This was a question that I could not clearly answer. “I only know the c
-COLT-“I need you to reject me right now!” her growl was loud and vicious as she stalked towards me, her heels hitting the floor with every aggressive step she took.There was a fire in her that was sexy as hell and hard to ignore. I was so mesmerized by her that I didn’t even realize that she was face-to-face with me until I felt her shove me. “Hello?!” “I-Aure, what-what are you-”“Aurelia,” Madison approached. “How did you find this place?”“Unfortunately, it didn’t take much since somehow, I’m still connected to this guy!”“What? What do you mean?” I asked, caught off guard by this news. “I rejected you already, Aurelia, There shouldn’t be a connection-”“Then, okay. I have to reject you, and this will be over right?” she pressed. I was so stunned by her determination to get rid of me that I was speechless. And…it sort of hurt a little.“Okay, okay, let’s take a beat,” said my uncle. Kenneth stood between me and Aurelia and to be honest, suddenly I didn’t trust him around her