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Telling Ghosts
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2024-10-29 19:42:56We are almost halfway through! Throw some comments my way, if you would!
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Run. Street Fighting Man
Lya The note Cody had passed to me outlined times I needed to be at the training grounds, which also happened to be times he knew Oliver had prior obligations that would keep him out of the packhouse and away from the grounds. Today, he was supposed to be at the school, overseeing how the high school students were doing with their own training. It seemed like this pack revolved around being prepared, which didn’t quite make sense seeing as so many people bragged about how there had been primarily peace for so long. I trudged over to the training grounds, taking as much time as I could spare. Rose had made sure to apologize before she started with riling Tala and me up so we could shift, but her words still bothered me. Maybe she was right. Maybe he hadn’t said something about me being his mate because he didn’t want me. Maybe he’d prefer someone who had had a good relationship with their wolf for their whole life. Maybe I just wasn’t good enough for him and he was just going to reje
Run. Gimme Gimme Gimme
OliverI glanced down at my watch. I had another half hour of dealing with the high school kids, and to be honest, I wasn’t completely certain why I was here. The kids were developing well, and I was quite happy with how they maintained themselves in their sparring. Usually, Gregory oversaw them, checking in once or twice a week, and left the majority of their training up to warriors. But, I felt making an appearance would motivate them a bit more. I walked around the room, occasionally making comments to improve form or technique. Overall, I didn’t see how I was needed here, especially when I could think of better uses of my time. I made my way over to Colin, to let him know I’d be ducking out early. “Alpha,” he nodded as I approached. “Will you be here next Thursday?” I asked, getting right to the point. Colin shook his head. “No, Ellie and I alternate. This week, I had Tuesday and Thursday, next week, I’ll have Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.” I furrowed my brow. To my know
Run. Buttercup
Lya The book I had found on my bed was interesting, to say the least. It had been wrapped in an old cloth, and the warmth under my skin when I skimmed my hand over the cover confirmed it was embossed with silver. Given it seemed to be a book about werewolves, and we had a sensitivity to silver, that was a peculiar choice. I wondered if it was filled with information they didn’t want just anyone reading. I hadn’t gotten much into the book - just the introduction of the Wulver Pack, its location, and when it came into existence - when there was a knock on the door. I went over to open it, not at all surprised that Oliver was on the other side. 'Lya, mate!' Tala insisted. I just rolled my eyes at her. Ever since I had chastised her for not telling me Oliver was our mate, she had made a point of announcing it every time we saw him. It was getting annoying.'I get it, now leave me alone,' I growled, frustrated by her nagging. 'But mate! Mate is right there!' “Hi,” Oliver said with a
Run. American Honey
Oliver I watched as Lya slept soundly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. I was about to drift off myself when my phone vibrated against the nightstand, jolting me from my thoughts. I reached over and grabbed it before the sound could wake her. I groaned, noticing it was an incoming call, and not one I felt like I could refuse. I got up from the bed, quietly making my way out of her room. “Hey man,” I said, keeping my voice low and closing the door as quietly as possible. Lya wasn’t historically a light sleeper, but I tiptoed to my office anyway. “Make it quick.” “Am I interrupting something?” my brother chuckled. “No,” I sighed. “Lya just has night terrors.” Thom cleared his throat. “Right. Mate bonds are the cure for all maladies.” I could hear the sorrow in his voice. I knew he was happy with his life now, but I imagined the pain of the loss of your fated never quite went away. “Trevor called. Heard things aren’t shaping up too well.” “On which
Run. Heat of the Moment
Lya I blinked my eyes open, praying to whatever was out there that it was morning. Sleep hadn't come easily, and I hoped with everything in me that it’d be early enough to start the day, but only moonlight seeped in from the windows. I reached across the bed for the familiar warmth I had relied on whenever I woke up the past few nights, but nothing was there. I sat up, looking around. It slowly hit me that I was alone. While I wished for that when I was awake, it was something I dreaded overnight. I understood exactly why. He was my mate, whether I wanted him or not, and a part of me would always need him. But I did want him. I wanted all of him. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to anyone just yet. I stumbled out of bed, following the smell of an incoming rainstorm down the hall. I opened the door, breathing in as his scent wafted toward me. “Ollie?” I asked hesitantly, hoping he wouldn’t turn me away for intruding. “Lya.” He said my name as a reverent whisper. He was
Run. The Promise
Oliver Lya marked me. I didn’t think she realized what she had done, but it made me ecstatic. You could only mark your fated mate, which only meant that at least some part of her knew I was made for her. I would deal with the repercussions of that tomorrow. For now, I got to hold her after I had mated her. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, there was absolutely no going back from this for me. If she decided to leave, I would die a lonely man, unable to find someone to fill the void she left. But now that she had marked me, leaving would be nearly impossible for her. As much as I was proud to bear her mark, if I had known that might have happened, I wouldn’t have let her. She deserved that option. If she decided she didn’t want this - want us - I’d do everything in my power to fix it for her, even if it killed me. Mate bonds sucked. The morning came too soon, the buzzing of an alarm startling me out of a sleep I hadn’t realized I had fallen into. Lya’s back was pressed agains
Run. Waving Through A Window
Lya I dragged myself out of the training ground. Three more hours of grueling work for the second day in a row had been tough. Yeah, I was pretty athletic, but this was a whole different ball game than kickboxing a couple times a week. “You’re better than I had thought,” Cody said with a pat on the back. “Whatever your cousins taught you was pretty good.” I smiled sheepishly. “I haven’t seen them in a few years at this point. Maybe if I ever see them again, I can kick their asses instead of them pulverizing me.” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Whose side of your family were they on” “My dad’s,” I answered, a little confused by the question. “They made sure to stay in touch even after he hightailed it.” Cody nodded slowly, but made no attempts to loop me in on whatever he was thinking about. “Tomorrow, wolf form.” I looked up at him a little shocked. “I-I’m not sure how reliably I can shift…” I stuttered. He just shrugged. “Gotta figure it out sometime, kid.” He turned, walki
Run. The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
Oliver Lya’s question shocked me a little. I didn’t expect it to be so innocent. I was prepared and willing to divulge all my deepest, darkest secrets to her, and here she just wanted to hear about my childhood. The conversations twenty questions had started usually had an agenda, anyway. “That’s a difficult question to answer,” I admitted. “I don’t really have anything to compare it to.” “Tell me a story, then,” she sighed. “A happy memory.” I stayed quiet, my mind going blank. Twenty eight years of memories went out the window when put on the spot. Lya opened her eyes, looking up at me through thick lashes. “You and Trevor have always been friends, right?” I brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “He grew up in the packhouse, like me. He used to live in the beta wing, but after his parents died, he needed to move over to the alpha wing as my parents essentially adopted him and the new beta family was moving in.” I paused, thinking back. “He refused to giv
Latest chapter
Run. Thank You All
To all my faithful readers, Mate bonds, plot holes, and unfinished story lines. Oh my! Thank you all so, so much for your commitment to this story, even when life got in the way and updating was not regular. It was such an adventure to write, and I am excited to say the adventure continues in the sequel, "Chase." Your favorite side characters will be pulled to the forefront as the beginning of the war the hunters alluded to takes hold. Mate bonds aren't what everyone wants, and they can prove to be quite the hinderance - especially when they fail to see that the universe has a bigger plan than just their destined lover. No one likes to admit they can be the difference between life and death, etiher. No one truly loves change, but sometimes it's necessary to chase after it. ********* ********* Time passes, things change, and everyone moves on. It’s easy to feel left behind. I always feel left behind. Left behind and forgotten. All my life, I’ve wanted for someone to reac
Run. Begin Again
Oliver In the couple hours that had passed, the entire crew had filtered onto the patio. Trevor and Brandon had ensured everyone - aside from Allyssa and Maggie - always had a beer in hand. Every one of Lya’s questions got answered, and she had given up trying to pass off her newfound alpha title. Her grand plan that someone should just challenge her and she would just concede before the first punch was thrown was laughed off. It was a well known fact that the alphas who had leadership thrust upon them were the ones who upheld the title the best. Lya reached over, grabbing another beer. “So the Beta I choose - do they have to have Wulver blood?” “No,” Cody said. “In fact, there are only a few families left that have Wulver blood at all. I don’t.” “But,” Gregory added, “the alpha always somehow does. When our previous alpha fell, it was between your father and I who would take up the gamut.” “Why didn’t it go to you?” she asked. Gregory offered a rare smile down at Allyssa, w
Run. Chlorine
Lya Apparently, the pack had a morgue. I shouldn’t have been surprised by this, but I was. Also apparently, the pack had brought all the rogue bodies back, as well as pack members. This didn’t surprise me. Oliver claimed it was because they died fighting with and for a pack, so they should be treated in death as one. “I don’t understand your mentality toward rogues,” I mumbled. Danica had filled me in on the way most packs treated rogues, and with what happened to Oliver’s father, I was genuinely shocked he did not feel the same. “People should be treated as individuals,” he stated, offering no further clarity. Getting to the morgue had taken forever because people kept stopping us to thank me, congratulate me, praise me. And I didn’t deserve any of it.I had been the catalyst. And now I was being rewarded for starting a war. My eyes scanned the room, expressionless eyes staring into the abyss of nothingness that now consumed them. A lump rose in my throat, hating that so
Run. New Dawn Fades
Oliver I ignored Dr. Whitledge’s request to know where his patient was. He was a smart man, he could figure it out. What was the point of sitting and relaxing in a hospital bed when she could easily do the same thing at home? I had no intentions of letting her out of my sight anytime, either. It was a noble effort, but Lya only lasted all of a half hour before she passed out, slumped over on my shoulder. The firepit was still burning, though, and the Woodford was still being passed around. I had watched her closely before she fell asleep. There was a dam that was going to break, and I wanted as much warning as I could get. She was handling things alarmingly well for now - too well. The only person she truly strayed away from talking to was Liam. I had to wonder if she even realized who he was. My eyes danced back and forth between them, picking out their similarities. They had the same wild mess of red curly hair, freckles, and features, the same eyes that seemed to change colors w
Run. Cartographer
Lya Oliver’s lips crushed down on mine, awakening a hunger and need and wholeness I had tried to forget about while I was the hunters’ hostage. The tears pricked my eyes, but he was quick to brush them away. He pulled back, looking down on me. “Why are you crying?” Oliver murmured. “You’re back home now.” I reached up, pulling him back down to me. “I missed you.” “Scoot over?” Oliver asked. I made space quickly, anxious for him to be as close as possible. I quickly found myself tucked under his arm. “Can we go home?” I asked. “Back to the packhouse?” “Tomorrow,” he promised, brushing his lips across my hair. “The doc says you’re healing better with your wolf around.” “Tala only held back like that as a punishment, apparently,” I said, furrowing my brows. My relationship with my wolf had grown immensely, and she had plenty of confessions for me. That was one of them. Oliver placed his thumb on my chin, turning my face toward him. “Don’t ever do that again,” he glowered. “I
Run. It's All True
Oliver Lya’s own little army sat in the waiting room as she underwent surgery. Everyone seemed to be glaring at someone. Liam and I continued with our silent argument through looks alone, Jade and Jason - Lya’s supposed cousins - were arguing about whose fault it was they hadn’t realized Lya was a wolf, Thom kept his eyes locked on them as he rocked Kai, silently begging them to be quiet, Anna and Trevor were still in a staring contest about his refusal to let her start warrior training, and Cody was curiously enough shooting daggers at Jade. Marjorie was the only one sitting quietly, observing everything. Brandon waltzed back into the room, returning from his mission for “supplies.” “You all need to take a chill pill,” he said, handing everyone a beer. “We are all on the same side here, don’t forget.” I sighed and sat back, cracking my beer. “You’re right.” “I mean really, you can be as angry as you want that Lya accidentally landed herself an alpha gig, but think of why you’re a
Run. So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
Lya Endings are hard. Beginnings, though? Well, beginnings are easy. They sneak up on you, and you find yourself halfway into the storyline before you even realize what the plot is. Truth be told, I couldn’t even tell you when the beginning of this story was. Was it my first shift? The first time I slit my wrist? Maybe when I met Ted Marsan, or killed him. What about when I finally ended up in this pack? I could tell you one thing, though, and that was this was the end. Endings are hard. They always come too soon, leaving plot holes and unanswered questions in their wake. There was so much more to say, to do. My story was ending, and it felt like it had only just begun. Fate is a fickle bitch. I was still resentful it had taken Her this long to let me find my way to this pack. Six weeks just didn’t seem like enough time to be happy. Oh, how I would have changed those six weeks if I had known how quickly this all would end. I had known death was a possibility when I signed up fo
Run. Ever The Same
Oliver I saw red. The first I heard from Lya in weeks, and it was a plea for help. I followed my nose, bursting through the door blocking me from her. I couldn’t see her anywhere, but I knew she was here. There were countless other wolves from her birth pack on my tail, and we immediately set to work dispatching the stragglers looking to escape us, dragging most out of cars that refused to start. I finally spotted her, underneath one of the vehicles disabling it. I took half a second to let out a breath of relief and smile. Smart girl. I lost track of her again, though, my focus shifting to keeping others away from her. It wasn’t until I had no one else in my sights and everything had fallen quiet that I heard her voice ringing through the garage, filled with confidence and conviction. “I’m challenging your alpha title.” I spun around, charging for where she was. I wasn’t going to let her risk her life like this. But, I was stopped by Cody and Gregory. 'She initiated the
Run. Martyr
Lya My mind was made up. I knew exactly what my role in this fight would be. If I had learned anything about my father, it was that he was a coward. He wouldn’t be out on the field participating. Maybe he was who I got my ability to run away from problems from. Even still, though, I was drawn outside. The sight was horrifying, and the smell of war made me gag. Guns rang out, teeth clashed, screams and howls resounded. What my eyes honed in on, though, was none other than Will barreling into my mate. I was careening toward them faster than I could think. If anyone died here, it was supposed to be me. “NO!” I screamed, but the sound was drowned out. Oliver waited too long, giving Will the opportunity to aim his gun. I didn’t have time to shift, but I still had the axe. I flung it with every ounce of strength I had, burying the pick deep in his chest. I was certain the pick side of a fireman’s axe wouldn’t be enough to actually kill him, so I twisted it just for good measure. If
