91"Not again. Where am I?" On the bright side, it was literally bright compared to the horror freak show with the darkness. The air smelled like pine and roses. My voice echoed, bouncing off nothing. Was this any better than my former cage? I softly hoped my body was not possessed by another mysterious being. A glint caught my eye, drawing my attention to the ground. Gold lines slowly inscribed themselves in the ground, appearing like footprints and shimmering like dust. I followed after them, hoping it led somewhere. When I looked back, there was nothing but terrifying white. I took a deep breathe and followed after the golden prints that continued on its way. Cool breeze brushed against my cheeks. The growing weakness in my bones energized at the thought of something other than the white. As I continued on the path, the white faded away, becoming waving trees, whistling birds and a field of roses. The sky was bright with clouds despite the absence of the sun. The moon formed an
"Phoebe Woods, quit slacking over there. Come on!" I blinked into the lights and cheers. Taking in the team flags, my dark blue jersey, the audience and the court, I realised I was back in time. Panthers versus Net Rippers. The game that made me lost my bet with Reed Hastings. "Phoebe!" I glanced at Coach and gave her an apologetic smile. Familiarity pumped through my veins as the ball flew my way. I guarded and bounced the ball, looking for who to pass it to. "Zoe!" Zoe nodded at her name and reached out as I passed the ball to her. She bounced the ball across the court towards Lily. My blood ran cold as I remembered the reason why we lost. Lily was going to trip on her feet. I picked up speed, taking the ball from Lily. "Sorry!" I called out. The net was not far away. I could make the shot. I threw the ball without a second thought. With the crowd, I watched, holding my breath. I was going to make the net... A flurry of red flew in my line of sight, knocking the ball away fro
I stretched as I entered the basketball court with the rest of my team for the last training. It was already occupied by Reed and his teammates. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, suddenly remembering that this was where my bracelet broke. I held on to it tight to protect it. "I should be asking you that question, Phoebe." Reed stepped forward, jogging a ball in his hand. "Care to share?" I asked. Reed cocked his head, as if he expected me to protest. Which is exactly what I would have done if I didn't know what would happen afterwards. "Sure." He eyed me with suspicion, heading back to his teammates. Reed stopped in his steps and turned. "How about a match, Phoebe?"My heart thumped in my chest. If I play, I would get hit in the face with the ball which would lead to the bracelet breaking. Wait, that does not make sense. What exactly caused the bracelet to break? I looked down at my arm, trying to remember what little detail I missed. "No, thanks.""I didn't know you were
As promised, Uncle Al let me go to the party by keeping my father preoccupied. I slipped on a short black skirt and big grey hoodie over my black crop top. Wearing my ankle boots, I listened to Zoe chatter over the phone. "I'm pulling up at yours in a minute. Don't make me wait out long," she warned. "Calm down, woman. I'll be down in a second." I ran out of the house before my father could stop me and jumped into Zoe's car which pulled up in time. She sped off as my dad stepped out the front door, yelling my name. I threw my head back, laughing hard. "He's going to kill you when you get back.""Uncle Al said I'm allowed to stay as late as two.""I love your uncle. Do you think he will ever marry?" "He's too busy being my mother, Zoe. Eyes off my uncle.""You have to admit that he is hot. Where does he work out?" "Stop sexualizing my uncle. Gross!" Noticing my clothes for the first time, she asked, "Phoebe, why are you wearing that hoodie? What happened to the clothes we picked
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss, melting in his familiar taste and scent. His hands tenderly crupped my face, teased my neck, threaded through my hair and grabbed the back of my head like so. I shivered with anticipation, moaning into his mouth. He pulled back, panting, looking conflicted. "Phoebe?""What?" I kissed the corner of his lips, pressing myself against him. While he struggled to put his thoughts to words, I took off my hoodie. My nipples strained through my crop top, vying for his attention. I kicked off my shoes, taking slow steps backwards to his bed. My last time here was when I lost my virginity to him. It was an embarrassingly stupid memory but I wouldn't change Reed for anything else in the world. "Are we going to stand around all night?" I asked, tugging the top over my head.Reed made a small grunting noise as his eyes followed my hands and settled on my chest. I toyed with the band of my skirt, tugging it down. Naked, I trembled at his gaze, kno
95Riding my bicycle downtown, I came to Mama Owens. She looked the same, old and eccentric, tending to her precious flowers. Mama Owens glanced my way, noticing my gaze on her. I gave her a small smile, placing my leg on the pedal. As the bicycle slowly moved away, I noticed another figure with dyed red hair in the flower shop. Could that be Morgan? I pedaled away before I could confirm.Connor and I agreed to meet up in the public library to study for our exam coming up in two weeks. I parked my bicycle and locked it in place. Pulling on the strap of my bag, I entered the Library. Unlike usual, it was occupied. It seemed everyone was putting an effort to studying really hard. I spotted Connor hunched over a text book, airpods in his ears. Dropping my bag on the table, I settled in a chair next to him. He took off his airpods, giving me a smile. "You're late," he admonished. '"Sorry, I woke up late.""Were you up watching film series again?" "I needed to unwind." I rubbed my neck
The cruise vacation was not as fun as Uncle Al tried making it out to be. I've tried everything on his vacation list and eaten all the delicacies the ship had to offer. "Can we go home now?" I asked one more time. "Nothing excites you anymore, princess. Why did you grow up so fast?" Uncle Al sighed, sipping his cocktail. The two of us sat near the pool, watching kids jump into the pool. Lathered with sunscreen, we sunbathed and ate the tiny fruits and sipped wine. I eyed the plate of sushi on the table beside me with interest. "Did you fight with dad again or something?" I asked him, taking a bite of the sushi. "No. We aren't fighting. He is just busy with work.""Do you think Dad loves me? Do you think he blamed me for mom's death?""Where is all this coming from?" He sat up and turned on his stomach. His backside was a shade paler than his frontal. Pulling his glasses down the bridge of his nose, he said, "He loves you. Juniper has a unusual way of showing his affection.""Can
I woke on the soft grass, cheeks stained with tears. My gaze flicked to the moon goddess sipping tea in the centre of the garden. I pushed myself up to my feet and marched up to her. "What was that about?" I asked. "I showed you a snippet of what you wanted," came her response. "It does not involve Reed and Connor dying."She pursed her lips, watching me with a wary look. "That is strange. Perhaps you blame your mates for your current predicament.""No." That's impossible. A ridiculous idea. "I do not and I never have."Her tone turned grave as she said, "The world you saw came from the abundance of your heart." "No. Don't lie to me. This is a ruse to make my demand and leave your home.""Then make your wish and be done with it."Past the glamour, the Moving Goddess had a pallor complexion and appeared tired, almost sickly. Her hazel-colored hair fell in waves over slim, pale shoulders. I sat at her feet, taking in deep breaths. I needed to make a decision with a clear head. "Cou
When Morgan left, it felt like life pushed me back into my reality. Wiccan terminologies and slangs I thought I had forgotten came out of me as Morgan and I chatted, and reminisced about the good old days and the things that happened in my absence. The house buzzed with everyone talking about their day, well except Claire. She stalked Morgan out of here. A mail arrived an hour later, requesting all Alphas to be present for a meeting that evening. The sudden call turned the atmosphere tense as everyone realized the cause and could only imagine the outcome. I catered to the potions and charms Morgan made, keeping them in a safe drawer in my room. The strong colors showed the potency and strength the potions held. It would be possible to protect the house and everyone in it with these alone. “Are you hiding in here to cry now that your friend is gone?” I laughed at Jess words as she walked in into the bedroom. “Reed and Connor said to check in on you. They would have done so themselves
I pulled Morgan into a hug once more. It felt as though he might disappear if I take my eyes off him or let him go. He laughed and held me steady, reassuring me. I drew back and took another look at him. He dressed in casual clothing and boots but his exhaustion was clear as day on his face. “If I knew I would be missed this much, I will stay away longer,” He joked, his gaze shifting to the giggling babies. “Aw, babies. Any of these happen to be yours by any chance?”“No.” I picked up Pete from the hastily made bed of soft towels and pillows. “This little guy is Pete and the other is Theo.”He shook his head and refrained from carrying the baby. “Babies are cute to look at but I don’t know how to care for them. That is Ace’s job.”“Try it! He’s soft and cuddly.” “And easy to drop.” He rejected the offer once more. “When will you start popping out yours?”Turning Pete to rest on my chest, I threw Morgan a scowl. “Why are you here anyway?” “Wiccan envoys from Arth decided to drop by
The construction of the safe house came along faster than we expected. Rhys and Liam worked as contract construction workers in a private company. Their knowledge was useful in gathering materials and putting in the work to build the shelter. I tried to help by lifting tools and joining materials together. When my usefulness was outdone by the werewolves’ strength and speed, I resigned to working with Orion to get more provisions. As we began to offload the groceries into the car, the shadows suddenly spread across the ground. The wind picked up, bringing with it a storm of dust. As I shielded my face, my clothes pulled against me. I helped Orion get into the backseats of the car to hide out. “I don’t believe this change in weather was included in the weather forecast this morning,” he said, coughing. My nose itched as I looked at the dark sky. The clouds covered the sun, blocking away rays that attempted to escape. The sand storm might have been overlooked by the forecast team,
“Where have you been?” I grabbed the demon by the collar of his shirt, demanding. “I asked you a question, you damn demon!”“Go easy on the shirt. It cost me a lot.” He grabbed my wrists, loosening my grip on him. “I ventured a little farther and got captured.”“What? Who did it?” I noticed the dark blood prints on his shoes and knees of his white trousers. “Why is there blood on you?”“Calm down, Princess. Some of it isn’t mine.” He sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair. “I took a small vacation back to hell to regain some of my awesomeness.”“Quit saying shit and tell me what happened.” I offered him a glass of water then wondered if demons needed to drink water at all. Lucas drank greedily, and wiped his mouth when he finished. “Some crazy witches caught me, the ones serving the ‘Lord’ and tried to use me to do their dirty work.”“Tried?”“They used me to do their dirty work, okay? Murder, extortion, anything you can think of. It was awful not having a free will.”
I felt awful. A person being happy about someone else’s misfortune has a price. Having a conscience does little good and gives little benefits but it pays. It pays to have people be indebted to you. Okay, that’s enough with this terrible monologue. But I was right. Those two blondes are twins. The cab stopped in my familiar, middle class town. I stepped into Jess’ clinic and found it empty. There was no sign of struggle or blood. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself into thinking she stepped for a moment. Making use of the private bathroom, I showered and changed into some dress I found in a lost and found box. The bell at the door jingled as the door creaked inwards. I stopped mid-twirl and stepped towards the entrance. “Doc is out at the moment,” I said, sweeping my hair into a messy ponytail. “Oh, it’s you guys.” “You sound disappointed to see us.” Connor carried in a gift basket while Jess held a bouquet of fresh flowers. “Where did you go earlier?” “Out and about.” I look
"Is that a limo?" The nail file fell to the clean tiled ground with a sharp clang. I gawked at the sleek black, long vehicle parked in front of the clinic. I scurried to the door, gawking at the extravagance. When Alpha Simon said he would send transport, I did not think he would send a flashy one. This was highly unnecessary. What if my mates were present? How did they even find me? “Jess? I’ll be back in a few.”“That,” she pointed at the limousine. “…is for you?”“Surprisingly so.” I turned to grab my purse. “Could you not tell Connor and Reed about this? Ill let them know myself when I get back.”“But what if they drop by?” she asked, darting another look at the vehicle outside. The suited driver stepped out of the car, and came around to wait at the passenger’s door. “Make up an excuse. I am sorry about this and thank you, Jess.”“But where are you going?” she yelled as I dashed out of the clinic. “Be careful.”Climbing into the vehicle, I waved her bye. Settling in, I came f
The day to intrude on Alpha Simon came sooner than expected. I took a cab, growing unsettled by the minute as the vehicle entered the next town. I had the cab pull up in front of the town's hall. When I got off, my plans suddenly seemed childish. What was I thinking? How am I supposed to find an Alpha in a town of many people? What was I going to do, walk in and ask for a Simon? There could be a thousand Simons in this town for all I knew.I watched people come and go, unable to tell the difference between them. They could all be normal people, wondering if I was the weird one. I brushed my hair out of my face, irritated by the afternoon breeze. I really should not be here. Pulling out my phone, I looked for a cab to get me back home. A shadow cast over my figure as someone fell in step beside me. "The Alpha bet you would be here but I did not believe him."Startled, I flinched at the low voice and looked at the bearer. It was the Mohawk dude from the other day. His piercing gaze sh
"Reed explained the situation to me. I do agree it's important to calm everyone down." She peered at me with a firm gaze. "I believe you have been explained to how the process goes." "Yes," I replied. "This might be a source of discomfort to you, baring yourself to wolves at a time like this. Don't worry though. The test will take place before the council and some by this time next week." I nodded in understanding. "I can't wait to get this over with." "If you don't mind me asking, have you come in contact with any witch since your banishment from Arth?" "No, none." "Strange," she mused. "Pardon me but when Arth is this quiet, its people are up to no good." "I like to think they are just healing from the mess. Besides, they have a serial killer bound. They are probably preoccupied with investigating than planning another attack." "Let's hope so." Her grave tone tugged at my nerves. Connor grabbed my hand and gently squeezed. I might have been banned from Arth but my friends h
In bed, I curled up in Reed's arms, browsing celebrity gossip on his phone. The evening found the Pack House quiet after the departure of Simon and his men. Connor, Jeremy and Rhys went to make sure they were truly good from our lands and scurried around for signs of another invader. Simon have no other information other than what he wanted from us: me. From his manner of speech, it seemed to be something of grand scale. If it was, Alpha Simon should know that I do not bear powers that made a witch a master of the elements. Before I retired, I sent Lucas on a spying mission. He had been keeping an eye on the imprisoned witches who continued to work in secret. I paused in my reading, feeling Reed's hands venture under my night gown and massage my breast. It reminded me of how long it has been since we last made love. With everything that has been going on, it seemed like the last thing on anyone's mind. Besides, the kids are right next door. I could hear them reading a book with Lia