PenelopeJack and Violet haven't left their room. We have no idea what's going on and I'm getting really worried about Violet. Donovan is too, he's had a nervous energy ever since getting back home.It's been hours, it's dinner time now and as we go to the dining room, it's impossible to not notice the people missing from the table. I breathe out as I wonder, what could’ve caused her to have that kind of breakdown?She is one of the strongest people I know. Something horrible must’ve happened.As much as both Donovan and I wanted to go be with them or skip the dinner and just be together, we had plans tonight. So, here we are sitting at the table along with Simon, Aubrey, Katy, Luisa, and Deja.Katy looks nervous, Luisa is jittery, and Deja looks like she would rather be any place other than here. But Aubrey is excited. I can’t wait to see how the other girls react when Donovan announces their freedom.I notice that Donovan and Simon’s eyes glaze over and I look at Donovan skeptically,
PenelopeTwo months later.It took a lot of planning and discussion, but the girls and I decided to open a bakery and a floral shop that will be next to one another. Both businesses should do well since it's not exclusive to the pack grounds and is out among the humans as well.We aren't overwhelmed by having two businesses because the rest of the women that Xavier has purchased over the years have joined us, so each business has at least 10 women working.The businesses are doing great and it is great seeing all the women happy and fulfilled. In fact, it makes me feel fulfilled as well. I'm excited about the next auction so we can rescue more girls. Donovan told me the next auction will be the first one that he has visited in over 5 years and that he's excited knowing that we will be giving everyone we purchase their freedom.Donovan and I are getting into a good flow of things. I’m happy with him. I never would’ve imagined that things would be as good as they are. He’s still stressed
PenelopeThe car ride to the pharmacy is uncomfortable. I know I shouldn't feel weird with Violet, but I do. Especially with this topic! She's still so fragile... how will she react if I am pregnant?Once we pull up to the store, I say, “I’ll go in and get a test since you insist. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”“You don’t want me to come with you?” She asks and I shake my head no, “I’m fine, Vi. It’s just peeing on a stick, plus I know that I’m not pregnant.”She rolls her eyes at me, not believing a single word I say, and responds, “We’ll see about that.”I breathe out as I get out of the car. Honestly, I’m scared she’s right.Donovan and I haven’t been very careful when we’ve been intimate. We haven’t really talked about kids. I don’t know when he wants them or even if he wants them. The unknown makes this whole thing terrifying.On top of that, with everything Violet is going through and the threat of a battle hanging over our heads… I can’t be pregnant. It just… it’s not the right
DonovanToday seemed like a normal day. Nothing new has gone on and we're organizing some stuff about the businesses we have in town. Then Violet rushes into my office. I look up at her, startled by her barging in because it is so unlike her. Jack sets down the file he was working on and walks to her sensing her distress as he asks, “Hey, are you okay?”She nods, “I’m fine.” She looks over at me and says, “Penelope is sick. I just thought you’d want to know.”Penelope? Sick? Werewolves don't get sick.My eyebrows furrow and I ask, “What do you mean?”Violet says, “She’s been throwing up all morning. I had to force her to come here instead of staying at the bakery. Speaking of which, I need to let Aubrey know that she needs to wrap up payroll, since Penelope is unavailable.”I look at Jack and before I even speak he says, “Go, I can handle any calls we get.”I nod my head and rush out of the room. It’s rare for werewolves to be sick. We have a good immune system, so knowing that Penelop
PenelopeOne thing I admire about Donovan is that he is great at soothing my worries. But… still, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this whole ‘parenting’ thing.Donovan holds my hand and leads me to the bed. We lie down and get comfortable in one another’s arms. He tells me, “I understand your concerns, Pen. I don’t know how things were for you at the academy, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve got me on your side and we have so many friends and can always hire help if we need it.”I nod my head, “Yeah, that’s true, I guess.”He rubs his hand up and down my arm and asks, “How was life at the academy? You never really talk about it.”I breathe out as I think back on everything. I say, “I think I had a different experience than most people do. I was very guarded. I was only allowed to be around the people who were teaching me something. Occasionally, they would allow me to be around people my age. Honestly, I think that’s just because they didn’t want me to be socially awkward. Everything I di
VioletI sit on the couch in the living room with a glass of wine. Jack comes and sits beside me and smiles lazily at me. He clinks his glass against mine and says, “To you, my love.”My eyebrows knit together as I ask, “What are you going on about?”He chuckles deeply, and the sound makes goosebumps appear on my skin. After two years together, I’m still just as smitten with him as I was the first day we found each other. Jack shrugs his shoulders and says, “I know how hard things have been for you lately. For both of us, actually… I just want to take this moment to appreciate one another.”I grin as I clink my glass against his and we both take a sip of our drinks. Of course, the moment is short though. It’s hard to ever have a second to yourself in the pack house.Penelope and Donovan come down the stairs and Penelope walks straight over to me and says, “I need to talk to you, Vi.”I raise an eyebrow as I ask, “What’s going on?”Tears well up in her eyes and she says, “I’m so sorry,
DonovanAnger radiates inside of me and my wolf is hungry for the respect he feels he deserves as Alpha. I think a small part of me expected that Xavier would apologize for his behavior and walk away. All I know is, I didn’t expect the reaction he had.He laughs at me.My fists ball up in anger and Xavier stumbles as he walks around the room and says, “You already took away my livelihood, you took away my title, and now you’re going to take away the right I have to be a pack member?”I raise an eyebrow and respond, “Being a pack member is not a right. It’s a privilege. Anyone who speaks poorly, behaves badly, or anything has the risk of being cast out. I’ve been lenient with you long enough, Xavier.”He shakes his head and says, “I thought you were a friend, Donny.” I snarl when he mentions the nickname that I’ve only allowed Violet to call me all these years.He continues on as if he didn’t notice my displeasure, “But since you’re obviously not my friend- then I guess I should tell yo
PenelopeI walk downstairs to find all three men doing different things. Donovan is on his cell phone and both Simon and Jack look at the laptops they have very intensely.My eyebrows furrow as I overhear Donovan’s conversation, “Can you come soon? I need her to be protected. I’ll do anything you want.”He nods his head as he turns and his eyes meet mine. The corner of his mouth twitches up as he sees me and he says, “Thank you, I’ll see you tomorrow.”He hangs up the phone and I ask with an eyebrow raised, “Who was that?”He gives me an uncomfortable smile as he says, “Her name is Cora, and I asked her to come here to help us.”He’s trying not to tell me something. My head cocks to the side as I ask, “Help us with what?”I notice that Simon and Jack have turned their attention to us, and Donovan says, “Well, something happened after you and Violet left.”“Yes, I know, you banished Xavier.”“Aubrey told you?” He questions and I nod in confirmation. He hesitates for a moment before aski
15 years since Violet was born. Penelope The years have been good to us. I have seen so much of the world and felt more free than I ever could've imagined. It's just the three of us, we never had another kid. We talked about it... more than once, but ultimately we were fearful of how it could affect our safety. Nothing was worth the chance of putting Violet in even more danger than she already is. I lie in bed with Donovan snuggled up beside me. Uneasiness churns in my stomach and I know that something is going on that we don't know yet. Call it my 6th sense or mother's intuition, I just know something's off. Donovan kisses my head and mumbles, "Turn off your thoughts, Pen. Everything is fine."I let out a breath, hoping that he's right. He pushes himself up and looks me in the eye as he asks, "We're fine, we're safe, we'll be at Cora's in the morning."We haven't seen Cora for over 6 months now. We've been in Asia for the last half of the year and although we have enjoyed our tra
Five years later.PenelopeI sit across from Amelia at the table as we each sip on our coffee and watch our girls play together. A few months after I had Violet, Amelia had a little girl that they named Magnolia. It's fun watching our daughters play together, but the interesting thing is how similar they look to me and Amelia.Violet looks almost exactly like me except that her hair was curly like her dad's and her blue eyes had a green circle around the pupil. Magnolia looks just like Amelia, with her blonde hair and jade green eyes. The two of them together like this makes me wonder how mine and Amelia's childhood could've been different if our mom hadn't put me in the Academy and if our dad hadn't been a monster.Amelia brings the cup to her lips before setting it down and asking, "So, where are you headed this time?"Donovan, Violet, and I are constantly moving around. The longest we stay at a place is 1 month before we're going somewhere new. Traveling has become one of my favori
PenelopeI hate waiting. I know that Cora and Donovan are both safe and they are working out a way to get him home, but it’s hard not to feel anxious about the entire thing. It’s been five days. It’s weird getting used to taking care of a newborn and going through this healing process on my own. But because I’m a werewolf, I heal faster than a human would, so I mean, that’s a good thing.It’s harder getting used to take care of a baby. I’ve never been around them much so tending to all of her needs all of the time is very taxing, physically, mentally, and emotionally! Add in all of the drama with Donovan and it’s surprising I haven’t had a complete mental break down from all of the stress.I breathe out as I cook dinner, eager to hear if there was any progress today. I need them back home… it’s hard not to feel depressed when all I have is myself and my racing thoughts.There’s a loud bang and for a moment, I freeze. Is someone breaking in?I think of the fastest way to get to Violet
PenelopeDonovan’s okay? He’s okay!The smile on my face hurts my cheeks, but I don’t care because I could cry from relief. He’s okay. I can’t believe he’s okay and away from Xavier.But then Cora pops my bubble as she says, “You have to stay here, Penelope.”My eyebrows knit together as I question, “What are you talking about? I need to go see him. He’s my mate.”“I know that and trust me, Penelope, he wants to see you and Violet more than anything else in this world, but you won’t be going to see him right now.”I cross my arms defiantly as I ask, “And why not?”She breathes out, exasperated with my attitude, before saying, “Because I’m trying to keep you safe and Donovan specifically requested for you not to come.”Her words hurt and I can’t help the pain I felt in my heart from hearing that my mate didn’t want me. Instantly, Cora’s eyes soften and she says, “I didn’t mean it like that, Penelope. Xavier let Donovan go. Donovan knows he must have a tracker on him or something! Why el
DonovanHatred fuels my blood.Anger fills my mind.All I can think of is how to get out of here and end Xavier's life.I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Xavier is strong, and he is growing more powerful. He brought me back to the Moon Stone pack lands and I know now that he plans to rebuild here and to become an Alpha. But right now, there are days that go by that no one is coming to check on me. I’m learning their patterns and when they’re vulnerable. I need to get home and I would do anything to make sure that I can escape Xavier’s clutches.When I leave here, I can’t go straight to Cora’s, even though I want to see Penelope more than anything in the world. No, I need to go somewhere else. Perhaps to the Renegade Pack. I need to make sure that there is no tracker on me so that I don’t put Penelope and our daughter in danger.I think one of the big reasons that Xavier isn’t worried about me being watched at all times is because he already has a plan in motion. He knows that I wo
PenelopeIt’s been two weeks since Cora came home and Donovan never returned. Life feels like it has lost all meaning without Donovan around.I feel like my baby bump doubled and size and like Violet is moving around more. I think that she’s antsy because she knows that her daddy isn’t home. Or maybe I’m crazy and this is normal for this point in a pregnancy.Cora caters to me constantly. Honestly, she’s going a bit overboard and I’ve tried to get her to settle down, but I think that the guilt is eating her alive and she’s doing the best that she can to get through everything. I still have roughly a month left to get through this pregnancy. That means that Donovan has no help coming for him for over a month. He’ll have to figure out how to escape alone or he’ll have to hold on until I get there.Cora sets a cup of tea down beside me, and she watches me. I can feel her eyes on me and she sighs, “He wouldn’t want you to come after him.’I bite my tongue so hard that tears prickle in my
DonovanMy ears ring from the sound of the cars crashing together. As our car spins out, Cora wakes up and screams. I grit my teeth together as I try to figure out what just happened. Before even getting out of the car to investigate, I know in my gut that this crash was intentional.My wolf is on high alert, knowing that the threat is somewhere we can't see. I huff as I turn to look at Cora and say, “When I get out of the car, I want you to drive off. Head home as fast as you can and make sure no one is following you.”She looks disoriented, but she nods her head and says, “Okay.”I breathe out, trying to steady myself before getting out where I know for a fact that I will be attacked. I open the door and as the dust from the wreck clears; I watch as I see Xavier appear across from me. He stands tall with his arms crossed as he smirks at me. I shut the door behind me and turn my head to the side as I say to Cora, “Go! And keep her safe.”To my relief, Cora doesn’t hesitate to drive of
PenelopeI didn't realize how incredibly boring it would be to be completely by myself. There’s nothing to do. I’ve already cleaned everything, I’ve tended to the garden, I’ve cooked dinner, I’ve scoured the internet for ideas for Violet’s nursery, and now I’m just sitting on the couch, bored.I tried to read a book but I find myself unable to focus. My wolf feels anxious, which is an odd behavior for her. I would let her go out for a run, but I’m pretty sure Donovan would have my head if he knew I went running without him to protect me.I breathe out as I lay my head back. I wish he would call me or mind link me. I would try to link him, but I don’t want to distract him in case he is in danger. Eventually… I fall asleep. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but when I wake up, it’s from the back door slamming shut. I jump and I’m wide awake and ready to attack until I hear Cora’s voice yell, “Penelope! Are you okay?”I rush towards her and I say, “I’m fine.” I notice a cut on her
DonovanIt was only a one-day trip to get to the White Fang Pack. Cora and I sit on the outskirts of it and observe to see how hard it would be to break inside. The patrol here sucks. They’re slow, they talk a lot, they are never quiet enough to listen to their surroundings to see if a threat could be present, and they leave their post without waiting for someone to take their place. It’s like they’re begging for someone to attack their pack and take advantage of their vulnerabilities.I grind my teeth in frustration. If my pack was like this, then I could understand how we were overthrown. My pack was ready. We just couldn’t handle how powerful the threat was. But this pack… I feel like I could overthrow them by myself. I wouldn’t. That’s not the kind of man I am and I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I know that Xavier is still out looking for me and because of that, I need to stay down low as long as possible. Cora asks, “What do you think?”“I think I could easily get you