Sure enough, my mom was making some sort of cake while my dad probably was in the living room reading.
“Oh! Sweetheart! There you are. Everything okay?”
I smiled. We hadn’t exactly left on the best terms yesterday but I was glad that she seemed to not have held onto it. It was really hard when we didn’t get along. I’d gone through my rebellious phase in high school but having them around when I became Alpha was invaluable.
“Yeah. Just was doing some sketching.”
She smiled. “May I?”
I nodded and opened up my sketchbook to the last page I’d been working on. Mom was always supportive of the things I wanted to do. She’d go to bat for me sometimes with Dad when his focus was too hard on me being Alpha. I spun the book around to show her. At first, she smiled at the pages but then her smile started to slowly drop. My dad walked in from the living room and I looked at him but he was focused
*** Skylar’s POV *** ‘You don’t have to do it. You could just let them be.’ ‘I could, but then I would never know, or never be able to help if I could.’ Raine scoffed. ‘You’re a fugitive. You think you’re in any position to be helping someone?’ ‘She’s also a fugitive. From the same pack too. Chill. We’ll just ask. It’s not a big deal.’ I shoved her back, not happy about a lecture this early in the morning. I’d put the top up the night before because it was drizzling a little but now the sun was out and it felt good to have the top off again. I was cycling through CDs and I was at CD number 16 when I got off the highway near the Red River pack. They weren’t small by any means but they also weren’t as large as Silver Mountain. Silver Mountain pack was more of a defensible position with the mountains and those were actually part of the territory. Pulling out my map that was in my bag, I flipped it open to show where the road was verses the territory line. I didn’t want to have them
Opening my eyes, I saw a very large grey wolf headed towards us. He shifted as pulled on pants and a shirt. As he got closer I was able to make out his features. He was older than my father but I didn’t know by how much. His hair was fully grey but there weren’t enough lines in his face to call him an old man. I bet he referred to himself as one. He was still in shape and as he came closer to the two, I realized he towered over them. Trying to swallow the lump in my throat, I jumped out of the seat and shut the door to my car. I tried to look nonchalant as I leaned against the front of Thing and crossed my arms over my chest. He patted the one guy in human form on the shoulder before coming closer to me.‘He’s just an Alpha. Not even as strong as you, even with his age. You got this.’ Raine tried to give me a pep talk and this one actually worked a little.“I am Alan Williams, previous Alpha to the Red River pack. The boys s
“Why now? You obviously managed to get away from the pack. Why come here?” I locked my jaw, looking from Luna Katerina to Alpha Alan. The two of them were close, his hand was holding her tight and I swallowed. “I…um…I…some things happened. Requiring me to leave. Red River was on my way. I thought, I could…um…try and t-t-track…” My voice was shaking. Who was I kidding? This woman absolutely was our mother. She looked like all of us. I could see Rin in her eyes. I could see Cal in her face. I could see Emmett in the way she was forcing her smile, and how she held herself. I saw myself in her build and really, most of her features. What was I supposed to do now? I’d found her. I’d found her and she had no idea who I was, what I had gone through. ‘You’re starting to waver, Sky. Focus. He’s right. Why? Why did you want to do all this?’ Raine was filling me and starting to help hold myself up. ‘I…I wanted to maybe save her? I wanted to…fuck! I don’t know, Raine. I don’t know! I’m so fuc
We were quiet for a moment and she let me take a few breaths without feeling like my lungs were being squeezed in a vice-grip. Her hand came up and brushed a stray hair behind my ear. “You are so beautiful. I can’t even believe I get to see you. I never thought…I always hoped you would be free but I could never even dream that one day I would get to see you.” I let out a soft chuckle. “All of us look like you. There isn’t a single ounce of our father in our features. It’s actually pretty hilarious. It got so bad that he had to order people to stop talking about it.” She smiled. “Tell me about them? Your siblings.” “Caleb is the eldest. He is the one who is supposed to take over the pack. He’s pretty tall but not as tall as Father. His hair is always short but it’s blonde and brown eyes, like mine. Catherine is next. She use to be a free spirt and wanted to travel the world but now…” I sighed. “She’s mated to an awful wolf and she’s become this incubator. She loves her kids though,
Tapping the numbers on the keypad, the lock to the shop door clicked and beeped before the light turned green and allowed me to open it. I shouldered my duffle bag and pushed the heavy door open. Inside was like a dream. The exact dream Emmett and I pictured.Everything was shiny and new, the floor was the non-slip acrylic floor with the sprinkle of traction. Instead of the usual black and while flecks though, they were gold and blue. A deep midnight blue and an old worn gold color. The colors were littered around the shop in the tool chests, the car lifts, even the pictures on the wall. Everything we had picked as we scrolled through thousands of options. Seeing it all together, physically, was both thrilling and painful. It was supposed to be Emmett and I. It wasn’t supposed to be a fly by night rush but a road trip of epic proportions. A ribbon to be cut and party thrown. Not coming into a dark shop, silence engulfing the space, and reminding me that I was completely
Flopping down on the bed, I’d ordered an Alaskan King, the largest bed possible. A whole 108” by 108” of memory foam that boasted the best cooling air flow to cool even the hottest werewolf down. Or so the representative I spoke to advised. It was nice, softer than anything I’d slept on in my entire life. Luxurious couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt in this room. It was like a dream. A dream that if I woke up from, I’m not sure I could take the pain of it all.‘You’re not dreaming. You’ll need to get used to it. Fill out the closet and buy good clothes. Spoil yourself a little with the money you saved up. You deserve it, Sky. After all you’ve been through, this is but a fraction of what you deserve.’Raine stated it so matter of factly but it was easy for her to say. Less easy for me to believe. I curled up on my side and closed my eyes. The world started to spin, and after a few choked
My eyes flung open and I pulled my knees up, burying my head in them. I’d felt that presence before. An unknown just at the edge of my dreams. The same one each time but now I was able to see him. I was able to feel him for the first time. Then the look on his face when I rejected him.‘I don’t know what you were expecting, Sky. The Moon Goddess chooses our fated. There is a reason for that.’ Raine wasn’t judging. She would sometimes sound more like she was a mother and this was another one of those times.‘Oh? And Justin was just a fling? For you and for me? This new person is actually out mate?’ I felt my heart squeeze, the thought of Justin. His own look of madness as he tried to stop me from leaving. Raine was quiet though.‘Raine?’‘I believe they are both our mates, Sky. I have the same feelings coming from both of them. As though both of them are tied to us.&
“Alright, that should be it. Just confirm all the information and you will be all set.”I looked over the information on the page and nodded. He smiled and typed a few things on his computer. Handing me my card back, I shoved it in my wallet. Printing out a few pages, he stapled them together and handed them to me.“I’m glad I was able to help you out. We can’t always match the drummer with their set. I’m glad we had the option of grabbing the one you’re more comfortable with.”“Th-Thank you. Seriously.”Nodding, he motioned over to the other kits on the floor. “If you want, you can those out. The one set up in the sound booth right now is DW Collectors Edition. It’s about six grand. Sometimes it’s fun to play on an expensive instrument.”I smirked and nodded. He came around the counter again and opened up the door to the sound proof room they had in the corner of t
I can't believe I'm actually here. We are at the end of Shift. Done. Complete. Marked and mated. ;)First off, thank you. All of you. Every single one who liked, who commented, who corrected my spelling, who didn't do anything but just read. Every single one of you have stuck with me and I can only hope that you guys enjoyed a peek into the lives of Sky, Ethan, Justin, Emmett, Kev, Sam, Kat, Caleb...and so many other characters. They are near and dear to my hearts and I honestly will say, closing this last chapter out was such a heartfelt moment for me.I could not have continued this without my regulars. You know who you are and I just want to say even when I felt down, I knew I had to keep going because I honestly didn't want to disappoint. As a lot of you know, I struggle with being sick a lot. So having my writing means so much to mean and having you guys be so patient during that time means the world to me. Especially when it feels like there is so much negativity on the internet.
My lips crashed onto Sky’s and it was an entirely different feeling with the electricity of the mate bond. Niru was growling and howling incoherently in my head but at the same time, it all made sense. I wanted her, needed her. Needed everything that she would give me. The thing that surprised me the most was that I wanted to share her as well. Pulling away, I looked at Justin who was just about foaming at the mouth.“She tastes like orange citrus as well. Would you like to taste her lips?”Justin’s irises blew out and a shiver ran through his spine. He reached for her but it was a lot more gentle than I expected. He brushed her cheek and sucked a hair behind her ear before pressing his lips to hers. She molded up against his body and I stepped up behind her, brushing the hair out of her face.“Can you taste it? Taste the orange with the salt from the sea?”Justin hummed as he pulled back slowly taking her lip between his teeth for a moment before letting it go. I smirked, feeling how
Justin chuckled. “You mean Fast Orange? Yeah, I smell it. Of course that’s what she would smell like. She uses that shit almost every day.”I smiled and I realized he was beaming too. This time we did follow our noses. She had been here but she wasn’t here anymore. We followed it back up the stairs as she wove through the art tents and through the throng of people that had amassed. I pushed through first, following just my instinct, Niru almost fully taking over.Justin was right behind me, never once straying or getting stuck behind someone else. I followed the orange scent and it started getting stronger. Like I had just stuck my nose in the bucket of the stuff she kept in the shop bathroom. The beach was relatively quiet since it was getting cooler as the sun was going down.Near the edge of the waves, just where it was lapping up onto the sand, Sky stood alone. Her large-brimmed woven sunhat was pushed back on her head and sunglasses were set around the top of it. She was wearing a
There was a read receipt but she wasn’t replying. Not that I blamed her. Sky probably saw right through my charade. Justin looked over my shoulder at my phone. “Yeah, because that’s not over the top.” I growled at him but continued to stare at the screen. Finally, I held my breath when the three little dots appeared. Justin was the opposite, breathing heavy as he started at my phone as well. S: Well, it’s nice to be remembered today. Both Justin and I winced. Oh yeah, she was mad. ‘Who can blame her? I sure can’t.’ Niru added his two cents. Shaking my head, I typed up another message. Mate #1: I’m sorry, baby. Really. Come on, let’s celebrate together, yeah? We can go to your favorite place in the city, have a nice dinner or whatever you want. Justin snorted. “Way to lay it on thick.” “What else do you want me to do? We fucked up. She knows it. We know it. I’m not about to lose the chance to be with her on her birthday because of it. Are you?” That shut him up as we both
*** Ethan’s POV *** My alarm went off and all I wanted to do was throw my phone at the wall. I’d gone to bed at three in the morning and I knew this alarm was for eight. My eyelids didn’t want to open and I turned over in bed, burying my face in my pillow. This had been the first time in three days I’d gotten to bed. It was a chore dragging myself up the stairs but I’d made it.Normally, I loved doing the work behind the scenes. The problem was is that the inspector with an entire tree trunk shoved up his ass decided that he was going to nitpick laws that weren’t even updated in this century. I would know because I fucking checked. Mr. Marrow had been out three times and each time we passed the first set of requirements but would find even more to throw our way.‘You need to be extra safe when it comes to our youth. You know, they are our future and the path to a better tomorrow.’ Niru copied his grating voice almost perfectly, before growling and snapping his jaw. ‘If I could just s
*** Four Months Later *** My eyes peeled open and I reached out for my phone. The screen flashed four in the morning and I groaned. My hand fall back against the sheets and I laid there for another moment. However, it was Raine who started to bounce up and down in my head.‘Raine, come on.’‘But Sky, aren’t we doing to do the thing?’Her exuberance and happiness made a smile creep onto my face.‘Come on, Sky. If we go early, we can be there early!’‘Alright, alright! Fucking hell.’Throwing the blankets off of me, I got up and padded into the bathroom. Going pee and taking a quick shower, I woke up enough to feel somewhat alive. Coffee would get me the rest of the way there. The kitchen was quiet when I walked in and I still continued to thank the Goddess for it. It had been a month since everyone moved the hell out of my place. There was still work needing to be done in the apartments but I left that to the contractors and the guys themselves.For now, I would enjoy the simple peace
I sat on the stairs of the porch, looking out over the back yard of the pack house. Everything was so quiet here. It was nice to take a break from the chaos that was now my home. At least for a few minutes. The wind blew and I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. Looking down at my phone, I stared at the messages that were there. E: Hey Sky, I feeling a little better today. Sam made some kind of soup. It was completely inedible. She had to order pizza. It reminded me of when you tried to cook that pasta dish and you somehow managed to burn the pasta. E: I went shopping online today. Got some more clothes. Bernard came by and cut my hair for me. That was nice. It was getting in my eyes. They won’t talk about you though. It’s like you don’t exist anymore and I hate it. E: Today was a bad day. I don’t know why. I just woke up and I threw up until there was nothing left in me. Sam tried to help but I felt disgusting. I’m reminded of what I did. What I had done. It’s like it comes back
We headed down the road in Ethan’s truck. I was squished between Ethan and Justin in the center seat of the bench. Still, it felt nice as I rested my head on Justin’s shoulder and my fingers laced with Ethan’s. I’d need them to handle this trip.“I gave one of the new homes to Sam. Her and Emmett have been staying together.”“So she didn’t reject him?”Ethan squeezed my hand. “She didn’t. She hasn’t marked him but when she heard what you did, I think she thought it only right for her to give him a chance as well.”My heart lightened just a little, knowing that something good may actually come from all this pain. Ethan turned down the road that was brand new and I could see the new homes that were being built. There were three blocks of them that were already finished and he pulled into the driveway of one that was a block down. I scooted out of the middle and Justin helped me down from the truck.“Whatever you do, pretend like I’m not here.”Both Ethan and Justin gave me confused look
I woke up screaming and my eyes flung open. Everything was hazy and I didn’t know where I was. All I could remember was the all consuming feeling of the darkness. How sticky my hands were from Emmett’s blood. The last sound that came from Marrok as I killed him. My heart sped up as I started to hyperventilate, as my stomach started to roll.“Hey! Sky! It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.”A hand brushed my cheek but I flinched away from in.“Shit. Hold on. I’m pulling over.”I felt bile start to come up but I just coughed, forcing myself to not throw up. I hadn’t realized we were moving until the motion stopped completely. It helped a bit for my stomach but I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. Hands slipped under my arms and pulled me up from my laying down position. My head fell heavily against Ethan’s shoulder and arms held me tight.“You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”That broke the damn. I started to cry as I grabbed onto the front of his shirt, balling it up between my