Sheryl’s POV“Elysium?!” I gasped, standing to my feet. “Those in Elysium did that to you?” That explained why she didn’t want to step foot in Elysium again, even for my birthday. My heart achedso much hearing this and I couldn’t even contain my emotions.I paced the room, trying to calm myself down. If I lost control of my emotions, I would soon lose control of my powers and I couldn’t have that happen here. “I didn’t tell anybody,” she told me. “I just waited it out until I was able to be released. Ryan was the oneand only person I wanted to see. Once I got out and lived with him again, I finished getting my highschool diploma, graduating with honors. I was able to get into the shifting academy with Ryan and thenI met you.”“So, Ryan’s been there through it all,” I breathed. She nodded. “Yeah… he never let me forget how much he loved me…” My heart squeezed in my chest. That was the kind of love I aspired to have, and I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get that from Ashton. “Give
Ashton’s POV“Dee, you are mistaken,” I said, shaking my head with disgust all over my face. “Bethany is certainly not my mate and Sheryl shouldn’t be thinking such things.” Dee stared up at me as I stood to my feet with alarmed eyes. “I’m so sorry. I just thought—”“You’ve been thinking wrong. Why did you think such a thing?” I asked, keeping my eyes locked onhers. “Because Bethany mentioned it…”“Bethany? She’s the one who told you that she’s, my mate?” I asked in disbelief. “Yes,” Dee said nodding her head. “But she’s been using the fact that she’s your mate to get me to doher bidding. I wanted to be kind to her for your benefit… I had no idea she was lying to me.”“She was,” I muttered. “Has she been cruel to you?”“Nothing I can’t handle.”“That’s not what I asked,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “She’s been fine,” Dee answered, but I knew she was lying. Bethany had crossed the line and now Sheryl was thinking that Bethany was my mate. She couldn’t have believed that right? Sheryl
Sheryl’s POV Having Ashton here at the Nova packhouse was not something I wanted. But I wasn’t going to argue with my father about it. He was keen on having him here to thank him for helping me in the fire.It’s not like I could tell my family the reason why I didn’t want him here. Now I just had to hope that Ashton would decline the offer. I don’t think he wanted to see me either. I thought he would try to avoid me at all costs. My father went to call Ashton while my mother and I talked a little more in the kitchen. “Did anybody get seriously hurt?” She asked. “I heard the host was in critical condition.”“Ryan…” I told her sadly. “Rachel’s boyfriend. He was the host.” She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she peered over at me. “Rachel as in your roommate?” She asked, eyeing me carefully.I nodded once. “We don’t know if he’s going to be okay. But we are hoping for the best. She won’t leave the hospital until she knows for sure. I stayed with her last night and Becca is s
Ashton’s POV What the fuck does she thinks she’s doing?! Sheryl stood in front of me completely naked. Her entire body was illuminating pink, including her face. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, and her whimper only proved that. Her body trembled as she squeezed her legs tight, rubbing them together like she was scratching somekind of itch. She bit onto her swollen bottom lip and whimpered again, gazing up at me like she was pleading for my help.I could smell her honeysuckle scent potently and it was making my mouth water. My member wasshifting automatically in my pants and my wolf was going insane over the view. He was begging me to take our mate as our own and have our way with her, but I was holding himback. She was clearly not in the right state of mind. She was also naked and completely exposed in the hallway of her parent’s apartment.I grabbed onto her arm and pulled her into the closed compacity of my room, sealing the door behind She stumbled into the room and turned
Sheryl’s POV“So, are you going to spill the tea?” Bri asked as she curled up in my bed beside me.I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to figure out what she meant. “What tea?”“Don’t play dumb, Sheryl,” she chuckled. “The tea with you and that hottie Alpha Ashton. What’s the news onyou two?”“There’s no news,” I said, but I spoke a little too quickly because she raised her brows at my expression. “Then why are you blushing?”“I’m not blushing,” I said, pressing my hands to my face. Even I knew that was a lie and I could hear Val laughing at me. Bri rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I’m your best friend and the only one who knows that Ashton is your mate,” she reminded me. “If youcan’t talk to me, then who can you talk to?” She was right; I was going to drive myself crazy if I didn’t talk to somebody about this. The only person I could truly talk to was Brianna. So, I sighed and looked over at her. “Something happened before dinner…” I told her, lowering my tone. She sat up, fixating her
I didn’t sleep long when Becca started to call my cell phone. It was almost 10 pm and I was veryconfused as to why she was calling me so late at night.I knew something must have been wrong. “Becca?” I asked, groggily into the phone.I knew right away that she was crying before she even spoke. “Something happened,” she said, her words trembling. “Rachel disappeared… but then I found her. She was passed out in the bathroom…”“What?” I gasped, jumping up from my bed, startling Brianna who had fallen asleep beside me. “What do you mean she passed out? What happened, Becca?”“She had a needle in her arm,” Becca cried. “She OD’d.”I needed to get back to Higala and as soon as possible. I must have been making a ton of noise while grabbing my things because my mother came into my room with a worried look in her eyes. “Sheryl, where are you going? What’s wrong?”“I have to go,” I told her quickly. “Something happened in Higala.”“What is it?” My father asked, running in behind her. “It’s Ra
Sheryl’s POVThe rest of the car ride was quiet, which was probably a good thing. As soon as we got to the hospital, Ijumped out of the car and began to run toward the main entrance.I saw Becca right away and she was already talking to one of the doctors. It looked like I was arrivingjust in time. Becca looked relieved to see me and waved me over to join in on their conversation. “What’s going on? How’s Rachel?” I asked as I approached them. “I was just telling Becca that your friend is going to be okay,” the doctor said. “However, it could have been a lot worse. I have some pamphlets on rehab facilities if you’d like to take one for her. I suggest she seeks the help she clearly needs.”I didn’t think Rachel would ever want to return to rehab; not after the last time she went. But I wasn’t going to say that to the doctor. I gave him a fond smile and thanked him as he went back to do his work.I looked over at Becca who gave out a long sigh of relief. “I can’t handle this…” she said
Sheryl’s POVThey were both staring at me when I came through the door and into the waiting room. I was shockedto see Brody; I didn’t think he even knew about Rachel. Becca must have said something to him in passing.It was sweet that he brought her a bouquet. Although Rachel didn’t like flowers. But I wasn’t going totell Brody that. “Hi,” I said to him, forcing a smile on my face.I was feeling all sorts of drained, and I just wanted to return to my dorm and get a little bit of sleep. I was planning on coming back to the hospital in the morning anyways. “I brought these for Rachel,” he said sheepishly. He seemed a little shy and awkward and I wasn’t sure why that made me almost laugh. He picked out a bright purple flower and brought it to me. “But I picked this one out for you…”I raised my brows at him, surprised.I felt Ashton tense and I wasn’t even standing near him. It must have been the vibe and energy he was portraying. My wolf picked up on it right away. He didn’t like that
“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