PIXIEIt had been days since I had stormed out of our room, and days since I’d seen Asha.Thankfully, Ayla had insisted I stay in her room, ensuring that Asha knew I was safe and wouldn’t confront me until I was ready to see him again.It was the second night spent away from him, where I found myself huddled on Ayla’s bed beside the she-wolf, who had been exceptionally protective. She had brought me everything I needed, from food to one of Asha’s shirts (stolen from his room while he was out patrolling), and had even insisted that I take her bed.“How was he today?” I asked hesitantly. I rested my cheek on a raised knee, watching Ayla clean one of her precious throwing knives. Ayla winced.“Not great,” she said truthfully. “He doesn’t do well being ignored, but that’s just because he’s a spoiled Alpha.”I smiled weakly at Ayla’s attempt to get me to smile. I’d grown very close to Ayla, and Ayla had in turn confided in me, telling me about her terrible past.It turned out that she and
PIXIE“What is he like?” Ayla asked.I frowned, looking away from the wildflowers we walked past, deep in the forest one afternoon. “What do you mean?”“Well,” Ayla said, running a hand through her wavy hair. It shone under the dappled sunlight streaking through the treetops. “Asha is still so cold and aloof around everyone else. He’s so different around you, while he’s still that fearsome Alpha around everyone else.”“I hadn’t noticed,” I said honestly. “I don’t really think I’ve seen the fearsome Alpha that everyone is so afraid of just yet.”Ayla threw her head back in a full-bodied laugh. She clutched onto my shoulder until she was done, swiping a fake tear from her cheek.“Oh, you’ll never get to see it,” Ayla said. “I think he’d rather chew off his own leg before letting you see that side of him.”“That’s ridiculous,” I said, rolling my eyes at Ayla. “It can’t be all that bad, besides, he’s gotten angry with me plenty of times.”Ayla hummed, her footsteps impossibly quiet beside
PIXIEWhen I woke, I was still curled up in his arms, my body aching from the position and a good fuck.“You up?” he asked, his voice gravelly with exhaustion. I nodded, wondering if he’d stayed awake the entire time waiting for me to come to. He kissed my temple and squeezed me tight before letting go. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”I let him help me to my feet, feeling a little wobbly and unsteady. He looked up at me from his seat, a sudden frown tugging at his mouth.“Why were you sneaking around my office?”I clammed up, my panic chasing away any lingering fatigue in an instant. I should tell the truth. There was no use lying once I’d already been caught.“I wanted to find out why you were Hiding anything from me, concerning Amber or Dwight or anyone…” I explained, lowering my eyes in shame.“Why do you think I’ll be hiding anything from you…? Concerning Amber?”I didn’t look up.“I know when you’re lying, Asha,” I said softly. “You don’t lie often, so picking it up is easy. I just w
ALPHA ASHAI found myself in the empty gym once again, dragging one of the heaviest punching bags to the chain that swung from the rafters. I hooked it up with a grunt and stepped back, rolling my shoulders.The gym had always been the best place for me to unwind and release my frustrations. It had just been a long while since I was frustrated enough that I needed the solid weight of a punching bag threatening to split my knuckles to distract me from my thoughts.I refused to feel guilty for wanting to protect my mate.We may have only spent a short amount of time together, but I knew that seeing Amber this early would have shattered Pixie , and that wasn’t something I was willing to put her through.I threw quick, sharp jabs at the punching bag, unrelenting until my arms burned and my hands ached.And I punched through bag after bag, my frustration only mounting with every torn bag, the sand spilling out onto the gym floor.I growled and yanked the last one down, the chain breaking a
ALPHA ASHAA few hours had passed since I had holed myself up in the gym, and I figured I needed to settle things with Pixie, who hadn’t left the medical ward at all.I walked in late in the afternoon, meeting Jonah, who looked a little worse for wear as I fussed about.“Any updates?” I asked, noting the frazzled gleam in Jonah’s eyes. The doctor shook his head and sighed.“Your Luna has been talking to her,” Jonah informed me. “And she has stopped growling at least, but she hasn’t shifted back. I really don’t think there’s a way for her to recover mentally, the damage has been unthinkable.”I nodded, thinking about how the news might affect Pixie. She wouldn’t take it easily, and she’d do everything in her power to find a way to bring her best friend back. I was worried that she would end up losing herself in the process. But I already knew that only way to bring Amber back was her mate, who was no where to be found.Just then, she emerged from the back rooms, eyes tearing up the sec
PIXIEI stared in complete disbelief at the wolf cowering on the bed in the far corner of the room. There was no way that Gloria was there, I had to be seeing things.“What is she doing here?” I whispered, not wanting to alert Gloria to my presence. She looked so different from the last time we’d spoken; her usually shiny hair was a matted, tangled mess, her cheeks hollow and eyes sunken. She looked as though she hadn’t slept in weeks, with her last meal being even longer.“When my sentries attacked the wolves and saved Amber,” Ayla explained, glancing back at Gloria with deep mistrust in her usually warm eyes. “We found her cowering in grasses. She hasn’t sustained injuries like Amber has, so we’d been trying to interrogate her to find out what she was doing there. We’d hoped to get information on Griffin’s whereabouts but she’s, well…”“Penelope?” Gloria suddenly breathed, making me jump in surprise. I looked back at the wolf, her blue eyes wide with recognition. “It is you, thank G
PIXIEAsha had been called away for an update on Griffin’s whereabouts soon after they’d left Helldog’s cottage together, promising that he would see her at dinner. I made her way back to the packhouse, wondering if Ayla would be interested in taking a walk with me.It was busy, as usual, various members of the pack milling about in the kitchen and living room areas, trying to escape the blistering heat outside. I found Ayla among them, lounging on one of the recliners with her bare feet up, and another wolf braiding her long hair.“Good afternoon, Your Majesty,” I said with a mock bow, biting down my smirk. “Might I request an audience with you?”Ayla rolled her eyes with a chuckle and winked at the wolf who had just finished braiding her hair.“If you insist,” she teased, getting to her feet gracefully and linking arms with me. “Where to?”“Anywhere,” I murmured, smiling at the wolves who waved happily. “I just want to walk.”“After you.”We strolled through the forest near the pack
PIXIEThe medical rooms were quiet this late in the evening, with only Jonah there to supervise. I knocked and waited for him to open the door, smiling when he did."Luna!" he said, clearing his throat quickly. “Sorry, I mean Penelope."I grinned wider. I'd told him he didn't have to call me Luna all the time, especially since I didn't really 'feel' like a Luna just yet. But he was having some trouble with it."Hi Jonah," I said, stepping in when he invited me. "Have you eaten yet?"He shrugged. "I'll get something to eat a little later.What can I do for you?""I'm here to see Amber," I explained. "I have something to tell her.""Sure," he said, gesturing down the hall to the concealed room. "Go right ahead.""Thanks!"I walked down the now familiar hallway and stood outside Amber's door, laying a hand on the metal, palm flat."Amber?" I called, not wanting to scare Amber by bursting in unannounced. "It's me, I'm coming in, okay?"I waited a beat before dismantling the complicated lo