Ashton’s POV“Alpha John is requesting a meeting with you,” Beta Ethan said during a mindlink. “He agreed to meet you somewhere in Higala. Perhaps a coffee shop in the morning.”“Did he say what it’s about?” I asked, curiosity piquing my interest. It was odd that John would request alast-minute meeting like this. It was out of character. “I asked and he said it was a personal matter,” Ethan said in return. “I see,” I said, thinking carefully about this. “All right. We can meet at the coffee shop in the morning. 8:00 am.”“I’ll let him know,” Ethan said as he disconnected the link. …The next morning. The coffee shop was fairly busy in the morning with the college students all scrambling to get their morning coffee before their first rounds of classes.I knew I wasn’t going to see Sheryl this morning because coffee wasn’t something she typically drank. She was a tea drinker.I wasn’t even sure how or why I knew that information. “You think about her often,” Max teased. “It’s like you
Sheryl’s POV“Professor Ashton will be running a little bit late. He got stuck in a meeting. But he should be here soon,” Connie announced once class started. “In the meantime, you can practice the moves we taught you the other day.” Everybody joined their partners and began shifting and attacking. I stood off to the side awkwardly. I didn’t have a partner anymore. Becca was still in the hospital and even so, she didn’t want to be my partner.I couldn’t blame her.I met Connie’s eyes, and she walked over to me. “I’m not really sure what to do with you yet,” she said, folding her arms across her chest and narrowingher eyes at me. “I suppose you can just wait for Professor Ashton to return and then ask him.” The image of her naked in his house surfaced in my mind and formed a tight knot in the pit of mystomach. It was unsettling to look at and my heart ached at the memory. But I nodded to her just the same; hoping that the pain wasn’t evident on my face. She turned away from me and sw
Sheryl’s POV“Why are you spending the weekend at the Calypso pack?” Rachel asked from across our dorm as she watched me pack some of my belongings into my weekend bag. “I told some of the children that I would help them with their combat,” I explained to her. “And Professor Ashton is okay with that?” She asked, raising her brows. “It took a little convincing. But eventually, he came around,” I told her. This much was true. Ashton was against it at first, but I asked him again the other day if I could go to his pack and train some of the local children and he finally agreed. Rachel looked questionably at me for a few moments before shrugging and plopping down on her bed. “Well, I’ll be here. Being bored out of my mind,” she said, grabbing one of her old magazines to flipthrough. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I chuckled. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”I gave her a quick hug before leaving. …“I’m so happy that you are here!” Dee said as soon as I walked into the packhouse. She greet
Third Person POVSo, Sheryl is Ashton’s student and his apparent crush.It’s quite obvious that Sheryl has a thing for him as well, but it is simply a thing that can’t ever happen.It’s a scandal that Ashton wouldn’t want to get out and Bethany was planning on eating that up. Whatever kind of crush he had on her, wasn’t going to last with Bethany there. There was nobody like Bethany and she was going to make sure that everybody in this pack, including Ashton, knew that. Soon, they won’t even remember Sheryl’s name. Ashton was in his office when Bethany brought him his food. He’s basically been living in this office since he arrived home. “How about you take a break and have some food,” she said, placing a plate of stir-fry in front of him. He glanced at it briefly, uninterested, before looking back at his computer. “I thought maybe we could eat together,” she finally said after a long pause. “I’ll pass,” he said without hesitation. “I’m a little busy.”“I can see that, but even an Alp
Ashton’s POV“Something is wrong with our mate. She’s feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness. Her wolf is cryingout to me,” Max said with a strained tone.I had anxiety boiling in my chest and I knew he was right. I didn’t stay around the packhouse for long. I knew Sheryl was in the Calypso field with the local children, training them in combat. As I reached the field, I saw exactly what was making Sheryl upset. Or rather, I saw who was making her upset. Bethany stood beside her with a smile on her face as she spoke words to Sheryl that looked wounding. Sheryllowered her gaze and for a moment, I thought she was going to cry.I couldn’t explain the rage I was feeling at that moment. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. I knew I had to remain calm; I couldn’t lose my cool in front of everybody.Including these children. The only thing I could think to do was approach them without making a sound. Sheryl, of course, couldsense my presence. She saw me before I reached them, but Be
Third Person POV“You should seriously eat something, Ashton…” Bethany pouted as she stood at his office door. Ashton glared at her from his desk; there was no trace of amusement on his face. Getting him to love her was going to be more difficult than she thought, but she certainly wasn’t going to give up. “I’m not hungry,” he said, standing to his feet. “I ate a late lunch.” Bethany knew for a fact that he wasn’t being truthful. She doesn’t recall him eating at all today. “I’m going to bed. Please, don’t disturb me,” he said as he brushed past her and left his office. Bethany placed the plates of food on his desk and folded her arms across her chest. This wasn’t fair. Heclearly cares way too deeply for that lowly student of his. Even his packhouse staff seems to care for the girl for whatever reason. What made her so special? She wanted to find out everything she could about Sheryl, but until then, she was determined to get Ashtonto want her. Perhaps if he saw what he could have, t
Sheryl’s POVI woke up feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort and warmth.I had never felt this relaxed before and it took me a minute to figure out why. As I opened my eyes, I wiggled against something, and his arms tightened around my body as his face nuzzled in my hair.I froze completely when I realized that it was a man. “Not just a man…” Val breathed lovingly. “Our mate.” Ashton?I nearly gasped when I realized she was right. Ashton was lying in bed beside me with his arms tightly around me and he was snuggling against me. Or rather, I was snuggling against him.I turned my body to face him and saw that he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful that it put my entire heart at ease knowing that he was right beside me. But my question was, “Why?”“Because he could feel our pain,” Val explained. “He wanted to provide us with comfort.” My heart felt like a bolder had been lifted off it. Could that be true? Could he feel our pain and want to make it better?I didn’t understand why
Sheryl’s POVWe could hear the music a mile before we even got to the house. It was so loud, and it wasn’t anything I even recognized. The house was packed when we got there; there were students from the academy inside and outside. Most of which I recognized.I supposed if we got in trouble, at least we’d all be in it together. It’s not like they could suspend all of us. Rachel draped her arm through mine and pulled me through the crowd of students who were already drinking and dancing. Becca trailed closely behind us, seemingly nervous. Like me, Becca wasn’t much of a partier. But after the week she had, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to let loose. We made our way inside and I instantly smelled beer. The music was making my brain rattle because of how loud it was. Ryan had the lights dimmed andeverybody was drunk and dancing. This was nothing like the school dance.I felt like I was at a frat party. “Ryan!!” Rachel screamed as she ran to meet up with her boyfriend. Ryan looked gen
“Earlier today,” I answered with a shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. “But you were busy taking Connie tolunch.”“When did you find out about this little vacation?”“It’s not a little vacation,” I said in return. “It’s a huge opportunity. Plus, I’ll be working as Cassie-Ann’s assistant the entire time. Plus, I could get into that school and really take my career to the next level.”“You can take it to the next level here too,” he said, still trying to process my words. “Why do you needto go across the world to do that?”“Because there’s no better school than the one in Monro,” I said, furrowing my own brows together as I stared over at his amazing side profile. He was so handsome no matter what the view. “Don’t you want me to succeed?”I said that last part using a small voice. I was afraid of his answer because it looked like he had beenthinking about it for a long while. However, he didn’t respond. “I was going to tell you about it…” I said in a softer tone. “I just didn’t think y
Sheryl’s POV My heart was racing in my chest because of the amount of adrenaline rushing through my veins. I hadnever done anything like this before but here I was, breaking somebody out of the hospital. “I can’t leave without knowing if Ryan is going to make it or not,” Rachel said, sliding out of bed. I couldhear the hurt in her voice, and it made me feel sad for her. “I’ll keep you updated,” I promised her. “But for right now, I need to get you out of here. I’m going tocall my dad when we are on the road. I won’t let them take you away to that awful place. You almost died the last time you were there. They should be investigated and shut down.”I still couldn’t believe a facility in a place that I love could be so cruel to other species. I had no ideathose with dark hearts could linger in Elysium. It was always such a loving place. Or maybe I have just been too blind to see what was in front of my face the whole time.I zipped her back and threw it over my shoulder as I made my
Sheryl’s POV“So, you are going to go away all summer?” Becca asked with large eyes as we sat in the studentlounge. “Yes, I think so,” I answered with a head nod. “It’ll be a good opportunity for me. Plus, my parent’s thinkit’ll be a good idea.”“What am I going to do all summer without you?” Becca pouted. “Rachel will probably spend thesummer at the hospital with Ryan.”“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” I chuckled, but then I frowned once I thought about Rachel. “Any word on how Ryan is?” I asked, peering over at her. She frowned as well and shook her head. “None yet,” she said. “But they are thinking about getting Rachel admitted into a rehab facility. They want to bring her back to the one she was in a few years ago.”“What?” I gasped, my heart falling into my stomach. “I had no idea she was even in rehab before. But they say she went to some place in Elysium,” Beccasaid, thinking more about it. “They want to send her back. I don’t think the doctors talked to her aboutit
Ashton’s POV“Today, I’ll be teaching you how to shift in the air,” I announced to the class of students. “It’s all in thelegs. We kick off from the ground and then begin the shift right when the legs are being pushed off the ground.”I demonstrated with ease, and I was met with applause. “This is used mainly for sneak attacks. I want you to try and sneak attack your partners. Trade-off eachround.” Everyone went with their partners to a different section of the arena for some space. Sheryl stood in the distance, waiting for me because I’m her partner. We hadn’t spoken since my confession at the art show, and I was hoping we wouldn’t have to talk aboutthis again. It was a moment of weakness on my part, and it wasn’t something I was going to allow tohappen again. Connie was right the other day when she said I needed to stay away from Sheryl. It was for her own good. But her tight yoga pants and a tank top that she wore, hugged her body and fit around her every curveso perfectly tha
Sheryl’s POV“An election? This student committee was my idea,” I said, staring between all the school board’s faces until my eyes landed on Sarah who stared at me with a smug grin.I could tell that her intentions weren’t pure, and my stomach was forming into a tight knot. “Yes, but it’s a student committee. Meaning we need to give all students a chance to—”“Take my role as the leader?” I interrupted; they all looked startled by my stubbornness. I wasn’ttypically a stubborn person like this, but I was honestly hurt that it was this easy for them to just replace me. Sarah folded her arms across her chest. “I’ve done a lot of wrongs while I’ve been at this school. This gives me the chance to do somethinggood for once,” she said, eyeing me carefully. That smug look was still in her eyes though. She was pulling their strings. She didn’t care about this committee; she just didn’t want me to have it. “If I lose, where does that leave me?”“Worried you’ll lose?” Sarah asked, a grin appea
Ashton’s POV“You went to the art show, Ashton?” Connie nearly hissed, stepping in front of me as I sat on the couch in my living room. “What are you even still doing here, Connie?” I muttered, kicking off my shoes. “Didn’t your contract end a week ago?” She pouted, folding her arms across her chest. “Yes,” she answered. “But I don’t have anywhere else to go. I’m in between jobs and my next contract doesn’t start for another couple of weeks.”“So, why can’t you stay elsewhere?”“I don’t know anyone on this part of the continent,” Connie said, shaking her head. “You are my onlyfriend in town, and I’d like to stay close to you. Is that such a crime?”“Are you going to be a pest the entire time?” I asked, but I meant it almost teasingly despite how dry my tone was. Connie could see through my humor right away though and rolled her eyes as she sat beside me. “You are trying to avoid the conversation,” Connie pointed out, reminding me just how well she knew me. “You went to the art show.”
Sheryl’s POV What did he just say?I stared up at him with wide and shocked eyes. I could hardly breathe standing in front of him. We were outside and the air was starting to get brisk.It was growing late in the evening and only the faint lighting of the moon, hidden behind a few clouds, lit up the ground around us. “I can’t seem to get you out of my head,” Ashton repeated, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “And that’s a problem.”I wanted to say something to him, anything, but no words were coming into my head. I couldn’t believe he was saying such a thing. “Ashton, I—” Before I could utter a single word more, he stepped closer to me, closing the small gap that sat between us. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck to hold my head in place as he paced hisforehead against mine. His breathing slowed down to match mine and his eyes shut for a brief moment before he openedthem and gazed down at my lips.I wanted to stand on my toes and kiss him; I didn’t know what else to say o
Sheryl’s POVThere was a part of me that was hoping that Ashton wouldn’t show up. Emily and Kate were especially happy to meet him when I told them he agreed to come. We spent most of the morning setting up the gallery for the show. The caterers arrived just in time toset up their stations for food and drinks and per request, Brody arrived with his guitar. After talking with Brody over time, I discovered that he was huge into music and that it was a passion of his. I heard him playing in the student lounge and I knew he would be perfect entertainment for the art show. “Where should I set up?” He asked, holding up his red velvet guitar case. “I’ll show you,” I said, walking toward a secluded area where a few paintings were set up. “You can set up your station however you want,” I told him with a kind smile. “Hey, Sheryl! Can you help me place napkins around the tables?” Cassidy-Ann asked from across the room.I nodded to her and went to grab the napkins in the back room. As I was in t
Sheryl’s POV“Absolutely not!!!” Val growled with fury boiling through her. I had to clutch the desk to keep her tameand not lose control. “We will not be introducing these whores to our mate!!”“Maybe he would finally reject us if we did though,” I said, trying to reason with her. Yes, it was painful to think about, but this might be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this was the pushAshton needed to finally reject us and let us live our lives without the burden of being his mate. My stomach was in a complete knot as I stared around at the eager faces that stared back at me. They were waiting for an answer and Val wasn’t letting me say anything to them. “We know he’s unmated because he hasn’t found his mate yet. We heard through a grapevine that he’s on the market for a chosen mate,” one of the chuckled. “Yeah, that famous singer Bethany is staying with him, trying to get him to choose her. She has a better chance than anybody, but we would also like a shot.”I couldn’t believe what