Kamari's Point of View I was woken up by the sounds of birds singing on the outside. To Zayan's light snoring beside me. The earth was damper than last night. Coated in a sheen of droplets that fell from the roof. Even my red dress was plastered to me. We had gotten dressed after our swim last night. When I carried on shivering, Zayan resorted to folding me in his arms and cradling me close to his chest. It worked. I slept through the entire night with a promise that I would be up before the sun. Before Gaelan woke up and noticed I wasn't home. Which was exactly why my heart was pounding out of my chest now. The sun was up and so were the birds. He would have noticed my absence. Worried about where I was. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I cursed and flung Zayan's arm off of me. His snoring stopped the moment I stood. Eyes opened in a flash. "What's wrong?" His voice was still filled with sleep. Had a husky note to it that sent spirals down to my groin. But I couldn't think about that r
Kamari's Point of ViewI could hear them on my walk home. A bristling of voices coming closer. Some yipping from wolves. None of them seemed happy. All of them were concerned pitches and blaring voices. But one, in particular, stood out.Arik.Instead of shifting and running home, I had settled on walking back in human form. Reflect on what I have done and what was to come. About the information Zayan had given me regarding my mother and how she had chosen not to have more children. And endless cycle that pounded into my skull until I felt numb all over.But their voices broke that silence. Shattered it the moment I heard Arik yell at someone about how he could have left 'her' unsupervised. A snarl was thrown back at Arik but the person he had addressed remained silent afterward. They cleared the small hill between my home and the cave. A group of men in various forms. Wolves. Men. Some naked. Some clothed. Leading the pack was my father. And Arik. Neither looked too happy with the
Kamari's Point of View Gaelan left his phone at home. Whilst on patrol, no distractions were tolerated. It was a simple rule to follow. And it made what I wanted to do next especially easy. He had left it on the counter. Discarded it with no second thought. Up until this point, there had been no reason for him to hide it from me. If I ever needed him to transfer me some money, I asked. If there were some pictures he had taken that I wanted, he would send them. We had no secrets. Up until this point. I scooped the phone up before heading up to my room. The lock screen was a photo of us on vacation about three years ago. Right before I outed myself. We both looked happy and content at the swimming pool. Gaelan's smiling face made me feel an ounce of guilt for snooping. When I tried to open it, a prompt came up to enter the pin. I frowned and hurriedly typed in their anniversary date. It was declined. Rachel's birthday. Also wrong. I looked at the photo again. We were so happy unti
Kamari's Point of ViewThe windows were cleaned to perfection. So was every tile in the kitchen. Next came the bathrooms and the rooms. Mopping the floor. I did it all methodically. Touched every crevice in the house until I was sure no grime or dust remained. Until my body was screaming at me to just go eat something.At least my phone breaking meant Nolan couldn't get hold of me. Which was perfect, considering I didn't want to speak to him currently.But it also meant Zayan couldn't reach me regarding our plans for tomorrow. It was fine. This was fine. All of it would be fine. I shouldn't let one interaction with my mother define my entire life. Yet her words haunted me. Like the bad aftertaste you get when you eat something sour. No matter how much I cleaned. Scrubbed. Cursed the high heavens. I couldn't get rid of that voice telling me that she had no choice. If I hadn't snapped back, maybe I would have gotten to know more.But my temper was renowned for its bursts when it liked
Kamari's Point of View Stepping out of my bathroom, I nearly dropped my towel when I noticed him. His arms were rested on his knees. Head hung low whilst he stared at my carpet. The bed was dipped frighteningly low from his weight. It only reminded me again how big he was. How honed to kill his body was. The soft glow of the light from outside cast his entire left side into shadow. It would have been the perfect photo of Zayan, had I not gotten so startled. A perfect balance of light and dark. Although I could see his jaw was tightly clenched. "What are you doing here?" I asked, feeling my throat tighten. Slowly, Zayan lifted his head to look at me. Our eyes locked. I swallowed hard and tightened my grip on my towel. But I swore he could look right through it. See my already hardening nipples beneath. "Your phone was going straight to voicemail," A husky whisper. I frowned at him and walked to my closet but Zayan was already on his feet before I could get there. A hand rested on
Kamari's Point of View I got dressed in jeans and a shirt like Zayan had asked for. Slicked back my hair into a high ponytail. Tugged on some sneakers on. The look was a far cry from the clothes Zayan had gotten me. Which meant he wanted to go somewhere where I might need to shift in a hurry. "Had a good night out?" I asked my dad when I saw him sitting at the counter reading on his tablet. His eyes perked up to mine. Sat the tablet down in front of him. The smile that grew on his lips told me that he hadn't just been with his friends. It had been more. Much more. "Wonderful night. The guys told me to say hello." He replied and sipped from his cup of tea. Narrowing my eyes at him, I curbed the counter and kissed his temple. He almost instantly closed his tablet in front of him. Moved so fast I wouldn't have been able to catch it without being a wolf. Guilt peeked through his face for a moment before it disappeared. "Right... I assume your friends wear coral-colored lipstick?" It
Kamari's Point of ViewThe moment we went over the peak of the mountain, the skies cleared up instantly. Clouds drifted far above our heads. And in front of us lay a vast lake that sparkled in the early morning sunshine. Several boats were already on the water. People were being tugged along by thick ropes. The more we descended, the easier I could make them out. They were people from all walks of life. Some were sitting in expensive and luxurious boats, whilst others stood and drank. There were also several canoes in the water with men wearing fishing hats and long rods. I could feel my mouth open the more I took in the scene. Noticed children running through houses that dotted the entire side of the lake. The more I tried to keep my mouth shut, the further it hung open."I never knew there was a place like this only two hours away." I breathed in astonishment as we passed the first entrance. Metal gates were dotted by several old pieces of water skiing equipment.The next gate ha
Kamari's Point of ViewThe helmet fitted snuggly over my head. Pressed it a bit too hard but according to Zayan, that was how it was supposed to be. If I fell, he didn't want my skull to bounce around on the inside. Rather, he wanted it to absorb the impact.Or some shit like that."Please tell me that mine doesn't have any gears," I whispered and tightened the gloves he had given me. Another precaution, along with some rather unsightly boots that came up to my knees. They were hard to walk around in. Weighed close to ten fucking kilos. Although, he swore they didn't. But the added weight felt off to me."No. Yours is automatic, " He paused what he was doing. Set his own gear down and walked over to me. The monster of a quad was in front of me. With all the bars and lights and stuff, I had never used before in my life. "Get on." He instructed.Slowly, I shifted my feet closer. Lifted one leg and shimmied it over the top. It left me in an awkward position. I questioned every life deci
Malakai's Point of ViewThree Years LaterWhen I got home from being kidnapped as a child, I knew I would never be able to have children. They had stolen that privilege from me. Snatched it away like thieves in the night.For many years I tried to make peace with it. Work through it.It always stung.Until I met my wife. Until I married her alongside two other men I now called my brothers.Finally, I was able to fit into my own skin. Accept that I might not have biological children of my own but I will have children.The first one took three years to make but it was well worth it. Seeing Kamari with her little belly around the house was always the highlight of my day. It made my world brighter. Shinier. I adored it.Every last drop was wonderful.All four of us lived happily within Jagged Rock. I managed my pack remotely, giving my father some control from time to time. Zayan did the same thing, only his father held almost no control and the old man was pissy about it.Nolan was offi
Malakai's Point of ViewTwo days. Two days and we would be married to the most wonderful woman on earth. Two days and she will become one of the strongest women in werewolf history.Not only did she have her own pack, she also had three mates. Three men that worshipped the ground she walked on. Loved every single aspect of her soul.This was the life I had chosen. The one I had always wanted. Needed.Now more than ever, I was thankful for this blessing. Thankful that Keanus was a pain in my asshole when it came to Kamari.I hated to admit it but the little bugged scored me the biggest prize of my life."Please tell me I'm not the only one that hasn't started on my vows," Zayan whined from his desk on the other side of the room.His hair stood in every direction thanks to his constant ruffling. He looked like a parrot that just took a bath. Every feather in every direction."I did mine last week. I wanted to focus on some other things for the wedding." Nolan offered up as he scanned t
Kamari's Point of ViewThree Months LaterWinter wasn't as bad in Jagged Rock as I remembered. Everything was dead, yes, but it wasn't as cold. Nor as wet. Not that I minded either. With three men sleeping in my bed at night, a girl got hot rather fast.I wasn't complaining. Neither were they.A brush with death made them all realize that I was the one. They were all adamant that this type of arrangement was fine. That they were fine. We bickered from time to time, as one would expect of engaged couples. they bickered all the time. As one would expect from three overgrown toddlers.But everything was right. All of it neatly in place."Hey, what are you doing out here? Do you want to catch a cold the week before your wedding?" My mother called from her cottage.Strange to think that she had changed as well. Handed over the reins to me the moment I was out and about again.According to her, I earned it and then some."Just getting some peace and quiet away from all the people," I call
Malakai's Point of ViewI had dozed off on the couch whilst Keanu carried on with his cartoons. The boy was a brimming ball of energy but soon enough, he had crawled into my arms. Settled in until he fell asleep as well.So, imagine our surprise when our mother came storming into the room. Her shrill voice all but screamed our eardrums out."Malakai! It's Kamari!" She repeated once she realized I was awake.At the mention of her name, I was up. Rushed to the other side of the room to where she stood. Her hand was barely out before I grabbed the phone. Pressed it so hard to my ear that i would have a headache an hour from now."Yes?""The doctor says she is waking up. How fast can you get here?" It was Nolan on the other end.His glee was nearly contagious. Brimmed with excitement. Joy. All of it bled into me. Drummed a steady beat into my step."Give me an hour and clear out the garden. I'm taking the chopper."***The pilot puked the minute we landed. With my flying, I understood wh
Nolan's Point of ViewIt was the perfect day for a funeral. Storm clouds brewed overhead. People were dressed in black. Wrapped in scarves and staring down into a dark pit.It was a miracle it wasn't raining. That the sky relented just for this one moment in time. To commemorate the fall of someone. The sky could mourn later. We wanted to mourn now. Was fully entitled to it, all things considered.Even mother nature had a heart, after all. Malakai had gone back home. Tail tucked between his. Back bowed. His people needed him now. Feared that the rebellion and troubles would spill into their territory. he had gone back to appease them. Put their minds at ease.Zayan was holed up in his room most days. Cried from time to time but always denied it.But I was left to run two packs for the time being. Rachel couldn't. Nor could Gaelan. The state they were in wouldn't allow for rational decision-making. The other alternative was me. The one person on this earth that wasn't born to do t
Kamari's Point of ViewHe was ripping at his hair. Cursing everyone and everything. Screaming. Crying. A grown man reduced to shambles right in front of me. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost but not entirely. "He's dead. He's dead. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" He was unraveling before my eyes.Arik fired a shot. Another shot. Let the bullets pepper into the ceiling.I knew he was sick. Knew that he had surely gone mad when Eris also left him. That was no secret but I never imagined he would go this far. Deteriorate this much in such a short span of time."You killed him! You fucking did this! What did you think will happen? You ride off into the sunset a hero? As fucking if!" I screamed.Malakai braced himself. Crouched down enough that he could lung at him at any second without hesitation. But I was already on my feet. Touched Malakai gently.Even when Arik turned the gun on me, I carried on walking until he was right in front of me. Had the gun pressed between my ribs."I didn't... I did
Kamari's Point of View My blood ran cold at the sight of those guns aimed at them. No one from below could see the men. They were well hidden. A death trap for anyone below. This was the last piece of evidence I had need. The last straw that broke the camel's back. Shifting back, I didn't even bother with getting dressed. Rushed over to the crowd in a blur. Nolan and Malakai weren't far behind. Remained on my heels as I shoved myself through everyone. Arik noticed my scent then. His nostrils flared. Eyes narrowed in on the tightly packed crowd in front of him. "Arik!" I screeched and broke the front of the line. His eyes landed on me. Were two small slits compared to the rest of his face. Bags lined the bottom of them. Black, not blue. Hair seemed more undone than ever before. He wasn't tearing at the seams anymore. He had gone full-on mad. Pointing guns at his pack. Looking like utter hell. This was a madman. A tyrant about to lose control and he knew it. "Ah, the prodigal
Kamari's Point of View "There is no way in fucking hell that I am allowing you to go! Do you understand me, Kamari? Not a fucking chance!" My mother screamed at me from across the room. Her eyes were bulging out of her head. Veins popped out on her neck and forehead. But my mind was made up. Nolan, Malakai, and I were going to Crescent Shine tonight. Already had most of what we needed loaded into the car. If things went south, I instructed both of them to leave me there. To head back this side. They had a lot to lose and I wasn't willing to put their lives on the line. "My mind is made up and there is no going back. He crossed a fucking line! Bombed the school! Hurt Zayan! I need to do this!" I screeched back and flung my leather jacket over my shoulders. Another present from the man now laying in a hospital bed somewhere in this house. I couldn't bring myself to see him yet. Silently promised that I would come back, just to make sure he was fine. That he was alright. Thriving,
Malakai's Point of View We were all stationed at opposite ends of the school. Had our eyes peeled for anything that might look out of the ordinary. Even a car passing by one too many times would be reported. Nothing and no one came in or out. Until the explosion hit. It was on the side Zayan had been stationed at. Was ear-deafening, even from so far away. Shook the wind from my lungs. "No," I gasped and made my way through the school. All of the guards ran with me. Not a single one was spared as we traversed this foreign ground. It took us two minutes to get to the other end. To see the chaos in front of us. Body parts were strewn all along the path. Dust floated in the air above a crater in the ground. Another second passed as I mutely stood and took in the carnage in front of me. The vague smell of cooked pork drifted up my nose. Reminded me of the time I had tried to help someone trapped in a housefire. Then my mind jumped to Kamari. To her well-being and everythin