“Run it one more time! Then we’ll call it for the evening!”
I could hear my uncle bellowing orders from halfway across the training field. He was always near some sort of training course as he was the Delta of Sno Wolf pack, and his whole life revolved around being prepared.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he would be prepared for what I was about to tell him.
By the time I approached, the younger recruits had already begun filing off of the training field and to their respective destinations.
“Hope you’re not trying to sneak up on me. If so, I must say, I’m disappointed in you, nephew.”
“It’d be hard to sneak up on you on a good day, Sloan. We both know that.”
He laughed, shrugged and turned around to face me. “I would disagree with you there, but who am I to argue against the truth?” he joked, though we both knew that it was one hundred percent true. “So, how’s my favorite nephew?”
“Favorite nephew or only nephew?”
“Ah no need for specifics. What’s going on?” he asked as he picked up a large bag of blades and another of axes and swords. Needless to say, the man made sure that we were prepared in all types of weapon combat.
He gestured for me to go and handle the other two sac bags that were filled with ranged weapons, and we headed back to the armory.
“So…college,” my uncle started as he gently placed the bags on a wooden counter opposite the glass cases and wall holsters were. “how’s that going for you?”
I rolled my eyes as his tone put me off a bit. “I’d be more inclined to answer you if I thought you actually cared about my college experience.”
My uncle stopped what he was doing. “I do care. I care a lot. What makes you think that I don’t?”
“Because” I grimaced. “You sound like dad.”
My father hated the idea of me attending a school wrought with humans. To him, going to class to get the degree, getting it all over with so that we can get on to the “more important thing” was his notion.
I wanted the experience. He wanted me to push past that and find my mate. Well, at least I did that part.
“Your dad just wants you to succeed.”
“And I am! I’m exceeding-I exceed in everything that I do! The least he could do is let me have this!”
“Why do you need to have this?” he asked.
“Because I…I just, I guess I was curious,” I finally said.
“Curious?” Carter put away most of the weapons and left the weapons out to tend to the blades. Then he turned to me. “Curious about what?” he asked.
“The human experience,” I replied. “I don’t deal with humans-not as closely as dad has in the past. I want early exposure. I want it all laid out so that I know how to deal with them when the time comes.”
“Okay, that’s understandable, but it’s also sounding a lot like an excuse that you gave your father when you convinced him that it was a good idea for you to go there. I’m not your father, Colt. So how about we start with the truth?”
He got me.
“It is the truth,” I countered and immediately he shot a look at me, his brow risen with mistrust. “In part.”
“And so, where’s the rest of the truth?” he asked me.
I was almost too afraid to say. It made me feel weak, and juvenile. Like a child. “Just…wanted to experience the normalcy,” I reluctantly added.
“So you want…to be a human?”
“No!” I quickly snapped. The amusement on my uncle’s face was almost like a slap in the face for me. “I-hell no!”
“Okay,” he chuckled. “Calm down and watch your mouth.”
“You are far too offended by this.” Said Maxim. “For it not to be true.”
“Shut up, Maxim!” I hissed.
“So even Maxim knows-”
“You know, Madi is attending too, right?” I pointed out. “No one is nearly as judgmental towards her-not to mention the few others who have attended university. So why am I the one that gets all the heat?”
“Because you’re the alpha’s son,” he shrugged. “Now, I know that must not make any sense but, unfortunately, it doesn’t have to where your father is concerned.”
My uncle knew that I was annoyed by this subject in our conversation. Maybe that’s why he stopped talking for a moment. I could only assume that he was giving me a moment to cool down before he said what he had next.
“It’s hard being the son of an alpha, Colt. All work and no play.” He continued sharpening the last of the blades. “It’s okay to want to experience normalcy, Colt. Just don’t forget yourself while you’re experiencing it. That’s all I have to say about that.”
“Not all dad has to say.”
“Well, he’ll get over it. And he’ll see you come out better for it, and everything will be fine.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Why is that?” asked Carter as he began shining the blades.
It was the moment of truth. “There’s a reason that I came to see you tonight, uncle Carter.”
“Ooo, uncle…” he looked at me curiously. “Well, I know what that means.”
It was clear that whatever he thought had happened, it wasn’t enough to distract him from what he was doing.
“So, what’s happened now?”
“I found her, Sloan,” I said. “I found her today…my mate.”
He paused for a moment, eyes wide. “Well, this is great! Your dad is going to be ecstatic! It’s one of the biggest reasons that he has a problem with you going to college instead of focusing more on the pack. Having a mate that attends the college that you do will keep you grounded. Do you know what this even means for you? How much stronger you will be?” He chuckled. “You’ll come out all the better for having this she-wolf around. I can’t wait to meet her. I wonder what pack he’s from.”
“I…wish it was that simple, but it’s not. In fact, I’m not sure that any of that stuff will be true for me if I accept her.”
Carter finally stopped what he was doing. “If you accept? You bumped your head or something?”
“No-”
“Then what do you mean by If? What did she do? What- why would you reject your mate? You’ve only just met her today. She can’t be that unattractive that you’d immediately shut her down.”
“It’s not that,” I countered.
“Then what is it? If she didn’t do anything wrong or-is-is she a part of the Moors Wolf pack?” he asked me. “Because if so, that can be easily reconciled. We have something in the works anyway-”
“No, no, it’s no! I wish it was that simple.”
Carter rolled his eyes and continued shining the blades. He seemed to think that I was being dramatic and to be honest, I didn’t blame him. I was drawing it out-not telling him what was wrong. It was because part of me was afraid to even tell him.
“What is it, Colter?” he asked impatiently. “Because it’s starting to seem like whatever your reason may be, it’s foolish.”
“She’s a human.”
My uncle froze and looked at me with bewildered eyes. “A what?”
“Yeah, that’s right uncle,” I said. “You heard me right the first time. She’s a human.” He dropped the blade and his gaze to the floor. “Now tell me…am I still overreacting?”
-Aure-“So, we’ve talked about just about everything since meeting, and I…Aurelia Smith, have decided that I like you.”Madison had been grilling me since the moment she stepped through the door of our dorm room. Was I mad about it? No. Was I more than amused by her inquiries? Definitely. I found it refreshing to talk about such mundane things as what my favorite color is or what type of shows I like to binge on.I chuckled, then nodded in agreement as I had come to the conclusion that I liked her too. “You’re not so bad yourself.”“Hahaha, I know.” Madison took a sip of her drink.We were out in the yard after our last class and decided to have lunch at a table out on the lawn.“So, tell me more…about this guy that swept you off your feet. And on the first day you met him! He must be some sort of charmer.”“Well,” I sighed. “Don’t know about that, really. Doesn’t seem that he likes very much.”“Really?” Madison seemed caught off guard by realization. “That’s weird. You’re a real looke
-AURE-Kenneth stared at his nephew blankly when he thought that Colter wasn’t looking. The young alpha didn’t have to look, though, as he could feel his uncle’s eyes boring into the back of his head.“I wish you would stop staring like that.”“I…I’m sorry, nephew,” said Kenneth finally. “I just…I…this is a rare occurrence. An inhuman and a human.” He chuckled dryly. It wasn’t a chuckle of amusement or heckling. There was clear concern in his tone.When Colter finally faced his uncle, he realized that Kenneth was still staring blankly at him.Impatiently, Colter rolled his eyes. “Anything else you want to say?”“I…well,” Kenneth exhaled. “To be honest, nothing comes to mind. Nothing that would add any value to your situation anyway.”Seeing his uncle this seemingly nervous only succeeded in making Colter even more reluctant than he already was to tell his father about this. “You know…you’re not making me feel any type of reassurance when it comes to telling dad about this, right?”“Lis
-AURE-I thought we were supposed to talk. Wasn’t like it was a desire more so than a need. Although…I’d have been lying had I said that there was a bit of that involved as well. Still, though, it didn’t change the necessity of the conversation. We truly did need to talk. I just… I wanted to understand. I needed to. Didn’t he? Did he not long to feel the way that he did when around me as I did him when we first met? Longing, that was the only way to describe the ache and need that had ignited in me since the first time I’d run into the stranger. Pathetic? Pitiful? I didn’t know which word to use or just to consider myself both because I certainly felt like a mixture of the two. These questions and notions had been plaguing my mind on repeat for an insurmountable time and I just couldn’t shake it. My thoughts were so intrusive that I had completely forgotten for a moment or so that I had a
-Colter-There was a lot on my mind as I stared out into the horizon. It was about time to leave for our journey but my best friend and second in command was nowhere to be found. Probably that new friend of hers that she had been going on about for the last week. In all my short years, I had never known Madison to be so taken by someone-man or woman. I couldn’t help but hope that this wouldn’t start to become a problem. “Alpha, everyone is ready to move out when you are.” I heard my Delta announce to me. I turned away from the beautiful morning sunrise, walked past Nathan and moved ahead of the line of those waiting for me. We started to the forest’s edge where we usually stood when we were about to head out. As everyone began to transition into their beastly form, I sensed a presence behind me. “Was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show up.” I said as my best friend approached. “Sorry, I’m late! Crisis prevention!” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her remark. Crisis
-Colter-The early morning sun painted the forest in hues of gold and amber, casting long, dancing shadows that seemed to whisper secrets of the ancient woods.I stood there at the checkpoint, my gaze sweeping over the weary pack, their fur damp with dew and some with eyes still heavy with sleep. The pack had rested for the night-some in the packhouse while others chose to lie about the grass under the moonlit sky. But now, it was time to continue the arduous journey to the powerful wolf pack they were to meet.“Go get breakfast and we’ll rendezvous in the next hour.” I told them. A good hunt for their morning meal would get them bright eyed and bushy tailed for our trip. And it would give me time to think.“Morning,” I heard Mads greet from behind me. I was glad that she hadn’t shifted yet.As she approached, my mind immediately drifted back to the evening before. About her. Madison had revealed a startling revelation to me. The coincidence of her roommate being my fated mate, it
“Jose!” he said. “This is the great alpha Sloan’s son! And his future commanders. Promising young bunch, I must say. Young alpha, this is my daughter, and heir of the Moorlands, Josephine.”She stepped forward, and I was taken by her beauty; her skin flawlessly brown, her hair long and pin straight in its jet black hue. Her eyes were serene in color. She was petite and simply astonishing to look at.“It is a real pleasure, Josephine.” I found myself smiling, probably wider than I should have. She chuckled timidly. “The pleasure is all mine, alpha.” We went our separate ways, a pack member leading us to our sleeping quarters for the time being of our stay, while another, along with Nathan, went to the pack members waiting outside to allow them entry.So far, this trip was doing wonders to alleviate my concerns. Well, at least one part of this trip was.“Right up the hill,” the pack member directed us and then departed. Madison and I took the rest of the way up alone.Josephine seeme
-Aure-I’d been on the phone with Mom for what felt like hours, my mind wandering as she talked about her day at the office. The usual stuff: a particularly difficult client, a coworker who’d spilled coffee on her new blouse. I tried to focus, to sound engaged, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Colter and Madison, my new roommate. It had been three days since I’d seen Madi and even longer since I’d heard any sign of the mystery man that I could not seem to get off of my mind. What was worse was the fact that despite me not knowing them nearly well enough to feel like this, I couldn’t shake the loneliness that came with their absence.“Have you made any friends yet? Met any guys that you’re interested in?” Mom asked, pulling me out of my reverie. I could hear the hopeful anticipation in her voice.“Mom, I’ve not been here long enough to-”“You’ve been there for well over a week now, dear. Surely, you’ve met someone in that amount of time.” She was right, of course, I had met someo
-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