ARI“Run! Run and don’t look back!”“But- but I can’t leave you!”“You will! You must,” his calloused hands cradle my tear-stained cheeks. “You must be the one who survives so that you will fight for us one day.”“But daddy …”“I know my love. You don’t want to but you must. You are the hope of this clan. So you must run and hide, grow up, and be strong. Then go find those who hurt us and bring justice.”“I don’t understand daddy, I just want to stay with you here. We can fight together. I can’t just leave you.”He pulls me in for a hug and I know he is crying too. I am sobbing as I clutch his shirt, my little fists not wanting to let go. I don’t want to leave my daddy, I can’t not see him again.”“I am not going to die,” he starts lying. “I am going to catch up with you when I am done curbing the spreading fire okay my princess?”“You promise?”He raises his pinky. “I promise.” Our pinkies intertwine. “Now go with Mommy, protect her for me before I get reunited with you okay?”“Okay.
ARIIs this a care package? And who would send me a care package? I know not to take it inside unless it is a package laced with acid or even tiny snakes to invade my room so I leave it outside and continue my way to the cafeteria.By now, all the students have had their supper and I know that if I want anything to eat, I will have to hunt. But going back to that forest is too soon, a little too fresh for me.There is no one in the dining hall as I sneak in, crouching low and going to the back where the door that connects the cafeteria to the kitchen.I hear sounds on the other side and it looks like they are preparing to leave soon by the sounds of it.I lay low, listening and waiting for them to leave until I hear a door shutting somewhere on the other side. I wait a little longer until I am sure none is in there before I push the door open and walk into the kitchen.The lights are off but that doesn’t affect me at all, as I walk over to the large cabinets and opening them all looki
THIRTY MINUTES AGO“I just can't sit down and let her have you!”“Do you think is a game livie? Do you think I want us to be arguing about this right now?” I am so pissed at her.“You have told me that you are doing something to rectify this situation and yet I don’t see you doing anything!”My head feels like it's going to explode. “So you think killing her is going to solve everything.”“You are here with me right now aren't you?”Sometimes I hate how sure she is of herself. I hate how she thinks she can string me along and I will be her puppet, say yes to everything she does. She thinks she is the one calling the shots.“Do you have any idea of what will happen when she dies? Do you?” I take another step towards her and that cocky look she has on starts to crack. Do you know what you almost cost me tonight?” Her long manicured fingers trail on my chest. “I know that Zack isn't happy with me, but I'm doing all of this for you. I want us to be happy he can bond with my wolf, I want
ARI“Open the door, Silvers.”That tone is too calm, too composed for me to open the door. Shit! Zade is here and I am pretty sure he is here to kill me. I wrecked his beautiful sports car, but I kind of don’t care.I take my time walking to the door, and as I open the door, I fake yawn and look at him with a bored expression. “What do you want?”He looks at me from head to toe, before pushing in. he is alone but I don’t dare close the door.“You need to leave, it’s the middle of the night and I have classes tomorrow.”“I am not leaving.”“What? Why?” I need him out of my dorm room now.“Did you forget the dal we had?”“What deal?”He goes and sits on the couch, sprawled and he easily fills it up, sitting like he is the king or something. “My wolf needs time with you otherwise he gives me a hard time. Tonight is one of those nights.”“Ew! Get out, get out!” I grab a pillow and start hitting him grossed out. “I am not some hooker you can come by in the midnight to satisfy you and then
ARIZade’s car explosion is the talk of the school the next day.I keep my head down, hugging my books close to my chest as I make my way to my first class, avoiding anything that might sell me out. If they knew I was the one who did it, they would all eat me alive.Zade is their beloved prince, the most feared boy, and the alpha of the academy. It's clear whose side everyone is on. Starting a war with someone like that is plain stupid because not only are you facing him off but the whole damn school.But I am done trying to be good, fit in, and be liked. He deserved it so I won't waste my time trying to police my morality. That doesn't mean that I slept a wink last night since I kept wondering why he didn’t seem mad, why he didn’t drag me by my hair and execute me for torching his beautiful car.He seemed to … approve too like I made a point and he was pleased with it. I have never been so confused in my entire life as I feel now.I am caught up in my own head I completely miss the s
ARIMy shackles rise as the tall girl approaches us, her mouth curled in a smile. Her eyes scan me up and down before turning to the person right beside me.I feel Mimi tense up as Olivia takes a step closer to her. “I was waiting for you.”I expected this, but that doesn’t lessen the twinge of disappointment I feel when Olivia takes Mimi’s hand and drags her away from me.“wh-what do you want?” Mimi’s eyes widen as she trips on her feet, almost falling as Olivia drags her away.“My homework, where is it?”“Oh, I have it, I finished writing last night. The theories explained are all-““I don’t need to hear about the homework, I gave you to solve it for a reason,” Olivia smiles, her voice cloyed with such sweetness you wouldn’t think that she could ever be malicious.I haven’t seen her since she left me for dead. I am angry, as she moves about as if she didn’t stab me. I look around the filling classroom and notice that we are the center of attention as if they are all waiting for a fi
ARIAll the anger I have been trying to smother down starts bubbling and I frown, looking at the blond. This is poking the bear in its cave but I am done. I am not being a sheep. I didn’t ask to be here in the first place.“Are you going to let her sit with us?” the flirt asks Zade who has been ignoring all of this and reading in his little book.“I don’t give a fuck what she does.”“Run along now,” one of the girls waves me off.“I will just tell the teacher we are not compatible then,” I smile, before rolling my eyes, smile dropping as I walk over to the teacher at the front of the class.“Is she seriously tattle-telling on us?”“Can I change the group? I don’t think-““You are Ari Silvers, right? New student?” she cuts me off.“Yes ma'am.”“In this school, we all try and get along. You are new here yes, but this is an opportunity for you to get to know your classmates.”“But they-““Is this going to be a problem?” her gaze turns cold.She is not going to help me. What was I thinkin
ZADEI have been having mood swings of late.It's so damn annoying I don’t know if I want to strangle someone or cry. This is too alien for me and I know none of these emotions are mine but that doesn’t make me feel them all any less.Like now, I am feeling so awful, so bad my chest feels like it's carving itself in and it’s all my fault.I know it's my fault that Silvers is crying and feeling dejected, and this hating game I have going on is tanking so badly right now.“You, good man?” Rowan sits next to me, putting his tray on the table. You look like you are mad at the food.”“I am fine.” Far from it.Ari and her girls all arrive at the table, and she opts to sit far from me. I guess we are still fighting. I haven’t gone to apologize and make amends so I know she is going to ignore me until I do. We lock eyes but she looks away, turning to Rhea to talk to her about something.I should be worried and thinking of how to make amends with my girlfriend. I should be preoccupied with tha
ZADE“She is so hot,” Cass groans beside me, eyes on the cheerleader gyrating on another girl in front of us.Yeah, they are hot. On a normal day, I would love to watch them go from dancing to playing with each other in one of the many bedrooms in this house.But it's not a normal day. It hasn’t been a normal day for me for weeks.“Wanna watch?” Cass turns to look at me. He is planning on taking his cheerleader for a more fun time.“I have a girlfriend.”“Not that it has stopped you before,” he snickers, getting up to go to his fun of the night.I hate who I have turned to. A constant overthinker, pinning over a girl I can't stand, wondering what she is doing and how I can destroy the little joy she is having.“You look like you are bloated.” Logan hands me a cup, and I take it, not even wincing at the burn going down my throat. “What's going on?”“Just a bug I can't figure out how to crush.”“Olivia or ari silvers?” The jerk is smirking, having fun over my misery.“Both. They are dri
ARII have never experienced this before.There is a tent that’s lighted with golden and pink lights, fluffy soft pillows and duvets on the floor, creating a very cozy feel. It looks and feels like a slice of our own heaven where no one knows it exists.“What do you think?” Mimi looks at our finished project with pride, arms crossed.“It's…” so wonderful I have never thought this is something I will ever get to do or even be in. “Magical,” I gush out and kneel, peeking my head inside the tent.“I brought snacks, and you have all the things we bought earlier, right?”“Yeah,” I get the shopping bag, dumping everything on the floor. Mimi walks over to the window and draws the curtains so that we can get to watch the rain, the campy mood elevating.“You said someone is coming.”“I did,” she sits opposite me in her pajamas. “And she will. I think she is still settling in.”“Who is she?”“My childhood best friend. She had been away for years, but we still kept in contact. Her parents just c
ARIARI“So what prompted this little getaway?”We are in a cozy café by the window. It's raining outside, making the town appear almost gloomy but in a very romantic way. It’s my favorite season.Mimi sits back, pushing her glasses up as she rearranges the sugar holder at the table. “You looked like you needed fresh air,” she says.I smile, feeling warm.“And I am worried about you.”“Why? I am all better now. I have rested well enough. I admit that I was neglecting myself and doing all these crazy things. I don't know what was happening to me, but I am okay now.”She sighs, looking at me guiltily. “It's not just that. I am worried about the relationship between you and Zade.”My smile drops. “There is no relationship between me and him.”The waitress brings us our order, which is a perfect distraction that allows me to recollect myself. Mimi clears her throat once the waitress leaves our table, looking at me.“I know, but I wouldn’t bring this up if I wasn’t worried.”“I don’t under
ARI“Don’t you have anything better to do other than babysit me?”The food is so good. or, it could be because I am so famished and starving I would eat anything and get the same reaction.No, it's really good.“I do. But I needed to make sure that you ate and did not die in here alone.”“Wow, I didn’t know enemies took care of each other like this, let alone worry.” I don’t even look up from the hot bowl of food as I inhale it.“You have a very smart mouth.”“Thanks.”We fall silent, the only sound coming from me eating before I notice his leg is bouncing. It switches to his foot tapping on the floorboard, the black boots making a tapping sound. It's irritating as hell.“What were you thinking?”That makes me look up. “What?”“Getting rained on, then jumping into a freezing lake, drowning twice, what the hell were you thinking?”Am I … getting a scolding from him right now?“what?” is all I can ask again like an idiot. I suppose my mouth is having ttrouble catching up with my brain,
ARIAn incessant noise somewhere is disturbing me, pulling me out of the deep slumber I am in.“Uurgh,” I pull the covers off my head and squint towards the dark room. Who is looking for me so early in the morning?“Ari, open up! I know you are in there! I will knock this door down if you don’t open now!”With a groan, I pull myself from the bed and drag my tired, sleep-addled body to the door. It's very early for this.“I thought you were dead, that he killed you or something!”“Mimi,” I close the door once the short girl storms inside the room, looking around as if she is searching for someone.“What?”“When you didn’t come that night and continued to disappear the following days, I thought he had killed you. or worse.”I have no idea what she is saying. I am so exhausted that I curl up on the couch as she paces around the room, looking around. “What's worse than dying?”“Kidnapping. Many things, actually,” she halts in front of me as I drag the blanket draped on the back of the co
ARIIt's so sharp, bone chilling that my whole body jolts, a gasp between my lips before everything submerges and muffled.The ocean is so rough and strong, I am oulled under in seconds, and I look up the only light getting further and further away.Did I make a wrong calculation?Something ripples above, heading towards me.I didn't.Zade swims down towards me until he is in front of me, looking at me. The water is making his skin look so pale, almost bluish, but his eyes are so dark here, looking at me.He is looking at me, for what feels like a few minutes before he grabs my hand, and start to push upward. I cant look anywhere else. Not below me, to that dark bottomless ocean I was being dragged under, not on our side, but his face.He is looking up, dragging me with him until his face disappears above. Soon enough, I am above the surface, gasping and coughing. Zade swims us to the shore, dropping my hand once we are safely on solid ground.My knees give out under me, and I cough,
ARIThe first thing I feel is a very cozy warmth surrounding me.The next thing I feel is that I am lying next to someone, the source of the coziness. The last thing I remember is going to the washroom to wash up …I open my eyes, and I am immediately reminded of where I am.Zade’s.I am in his room, in his bed, and I think … he is lying next to me. I look down at my tangled body, which is wrapped in sheets, and I see that I am wrapped in a robe.I can feel my heart start to spike in my chest, and with as minimal movement, I look behind me, hoping and crossing fingers that he is asleep.He is.Gingerly getting out of bed, I tiptoe to the bathroom, get dressed as fast as I can, and peep outside again to make sure he is still fast asleep.I don’t know how I ended up half naked in his bed, how we ended up cuddling at that, but I know that I need to get out of here. Everything is so confusing, my mind is running in overdrive, trying to put all the pieces together, connect the dots, but do
ARIIt might still be a nightmare.I trip and fall on the carpeted floor.“Be careful, mate, you don’t look so well.”A gasp escapes my lips, and I look around the room. I am back in that damned bare room. I grapple for something to hold me up, stilling when I see my hands.Red. Blood.My heart is racing again, eyes blurring as I stretch both of my hands in front of me. when … why …Something flashes in my mind. Me running after the figure that was being carried away on a stretcher. My shaking hands grabbing the swollen, unrecognizable face, covered in blood. A neck that’s unnaturally twisted.I look up at the person looking at me as if I am an intrigue. No, he isn't a person; he is a monster. A heartless, cold monster who killed Sebastian simply because we talked.“How could you?” My voice is trembling, but I don’t care. All I feel is this lodged thing, almost solid, in my throat. “Why did you kill him?”“he was living on borrowed time anyway. Thanks to you, I remembered to complete
ZADEShe is crying again.The figure that’s buried under my sheets, twitching and whimpering as if having the fifth nightmare of the night is whimpering as if in pain.To get to know someone, watch them as they sleep. From the way they curve in on themselves to their movements and sleep behaviour, everything you need to know about them will be revealed.She is lonely. It's so sharp, buried deep inside her bones, a part of her, and I wonder if she even knows how lonely she feels. It's one thing to be a rogue, cast away from your pack.It's another thing for such a thing to happen to a child, forced to live that lifestyle. A young werewolf separated from its pack and lived like that.I am not feeling any empathetic emotions towards her. It's her life, but watching her, seeing it, how she has taken it as her nature, as who she is, part of her personality is intriguing.Something got triggered tonight; that’s why she is in my bed, crying in her sleep, running away from the grip of the nig