'No no, not this again. Sometimes I fail to distinguish between reality and visions!'
Emily lies facedown on the mattress closing her eyes, trying and failing to remember faint memories from years ago. The memories keep slipping through the cracks in her mind, until all she remembers are the fervent whispers of a redheaded woman.The voice is that of a woman who knows she is dying and, therefore, resigned to her fate."I know you are too young right now, but whatever happens, don't let him get you. You are the only hope of the pack. The last element of the earth, and if you are lost, there's no hope!"She has no idea what the woman meant by that, neither is she sure she knows what a pack is.She sighs and opens her eyes.Remembering that her mate is coming over, she drags herself from the mattress and begins her morning routine.Welcome is pretty hot, and the residents prefer to get work done early in the morning before the sun becomes unbearable, and she started hearing the tenants of the trailer park going about their business hours ago. She is the only werewolf in Welcome, at least she was until recently. After years of thinking she was a weirdo for being the only werewolf among humans, a man showed up who was exactly like her. Her parents express dislike of the man, but she finds it hard to let go of the only man who understands everything she goes through every full moon.Speaking of the full moon, it had been a huge shock to her on her very first shift. It was exactly five years ago and she had still been a high schooler. After knocking off from class that day, she had walked home on her own, and along the way, her body had started to change. She had felt the weirdest tingling all over her body, her thoughts felt as though they were being rearranged in her head. An unbearable burning sensation that hurt like the fires of hell had followed.A few minutes later, she turned into a wolf after a very painful shift.She had taken it all almost too calmly. Her parents had not been at home that day, and being the only child, she'd had no one to witness the experience that was her first shift, as her folks would later say.After she had shifted into a big white wolf, she had waited for the world to end. She had never heard of something like what happened to her before, and Emily was convinced it was the end of the world.But it has been five years now since she had her first and only shift, and the world is still intact.She had been immensely relieved when her parents had told her that there was nothing to worry about because they had been werewolves in the past and kept it a secret, that a strange illness took their wolves away.Although she has never shifted again since the first day, she has always been aware of a voice in her head. This voice belongs to her wolf, and it offers advice, expresses disappointment at some of her choices, and explains certain situations Emily fails to understand.But she always does her best to ignore the voice. She thinks most people would believe she is mad after learning that she hears voices in her head, and she keeps it quiet. Her parents had told her to never let anyone know she is a werewolf because their family is the only family of werewolves in Welcome, a very small town in East Texas.And so, she always tries to shut the voice with the words, "You are a figment of my imagination. Shut the f*ck up!"Her family cannot be called rich by the standards of big cities, but by Welcome standards, they are not doing badly. Her Mama and Papa are the owners of a trailer park and also run a grocery store in town. They had a house in the town but it had gone into foreclosure because of unpaid mortgages last year, the only time when serious financial crisis had hit the family, forcing them to move into a trailer.Aside from this, Emily has had a fairly comfortable life growing up, thankfully. She loves being beautiful and also making other people look beautiful, usually spending money with her friends on clothes and makeup so they experiment with them. It is no surprise that she got a degree in hairstyling at a beauty school.~She met jack a few weeks ago at a friend's birthday party.He had simply walked over to her, and immediately, her wolf had gotten so happy and excited (Emily had never witnessed her get so excited before) and she had agreed that the man was their 'mate', after Jack had said the words to her. Before she had a chance to ask what the word 'mate' meant, the man had pulled her to himself and kissed her lips.It had been nothing like she had ever experienced with any of the human boys, her life turned into blissful happiness at a faster pace than she could keep up with.Jack loves her and likes spending time with her, but the only problem is that he has never offered to introduce her to his family. She doesn't even know if he has a family, or if he has any relatives at all because she hasn't yet visited him at home.He told her the reason he doesn't introduce her to his family is that his family is a bit outgoing and he would rather wait a little because he is not eager to subject her to them."That's a red flag," her parents keep telling her, but then they also dislike Jack, so she isn't ready to take their advice, for the first time in her life.She is patient with Jack, trusting that he will open up and tell her everything about himself one day. As for her parents' dislike of Jack, She thinks they don't like him because they are a bit overprotective of her, as any sign of a man in her life promises the inevitable fact that she will one day be taken away from them to live with him and not just for a holiday.And she totally understands them because she is her parents' only child.She has a funny feeling her parents, especially her mother, would hate any man Emily brought into her life.Therefore, Jack is going to stick around for a long time, no matter how they feel about the whole thing.Emily walks out of her room, going to meet her mother, who is already up and making breakfast in the tiny kitchenette. "Good morning, Mama. Had a restful night?" she greets, her tone sounding more cheerful than she feels. Rachel gives her daughter the smile that always brings warmth to her heart as she responds.Rachel is a very beautiful and charming woman. With her straight blond hair, straight nose, and well-shaped lips, she is always the most beautiful woman in the room, and Emily sometimes wishes she had her mother's looks, not that she is bad looking herself; it is that she looks nothing like either of her parents, who often look like models straight out of a fashion magazine.Emily has the looks of a half Mexican girl; her brows and hair jet black and thick , and her lips, she would have liked them to be a little smaller than they are. But she has had enough people gush about her beauty to know that she is blessed in terms of looks, even though she may not meet her Mama's stan
Feeling a terrible headache coming on, Emily rubs her forehead and silently prays for this nightmare to go away.It can only be a nightmare, because there's no way this is true. There's no way...Her mother is already gone, her face... it has gone pale and and her skin is mottled with blue and purple patches. Emily's eyes fill up with tears as she walks slowly towards her father, who is still alive.Barely. Several claw marks punctuate the most vulnerable parts of their bodies; the neck and stomach, and Emily wonders who was heartless enough to do this to them, to her. She has no one, surely whoever did this to her parents should have thought about that before digging their claws in the only people she has in her life. This is going to haunt her forever. That is, if she survives that long.Because Emily feels like dropping dead along with her parents.And this is not the work of a human.She wishes they could be playing April fool's day, even though she is well aware it is October. A
Emily effortlessly moves with the swiftness of the wind. As a werewolf, she has recently unearthed another intriguing aspect of her nature: there seems to be no limit to her speed. This enables her to rapidly close the gap between her and her stalker. However, her pursuit culminates in seeing him vanish once again. In the fleeting moment, she glimpses his entirely black attire and his notably larger-than-life stature. The forest stands in stillness, save for the rhythm of her own heartbeat. Turning slowly, Emily conducts a deliberate scan, watching, listening for any sound out of the ordinary.Suddenly, he materializes behind her. Swiftly turning to confront him, her fingernails extend into pointed claws, lightly grazing his skin. His reflexes match her own in speed and agility, maybe even better, because he avoids her effortlessly."You want to keep those to yourself," he utters, stepping back and gesturing toward her claws. Emily inhales sharply, but does not retract the claws. His
If the mate bond expired on Jack's part, Emily feels he should have at least respected her enough to break things off with her before moving on to the next mate. She doesn't know how this mate business works, but she knows it sure hasn't expired on her part, if it does have an expiration date. The pain in her chest is almost too much to bear.The girl on top of Jack freezes upon catching sight of Emily."Who is that, Jack, you never mentioned you had a woman!"Emily shakes her head in disbelief, then retreats from the doorway, going to wait for Jack in the living room because she can't bear to watch any more of the scene in her room.An overwhelming sense of helplessness settles over her. She has been feeling like that a lot lately, but not even the pain of both her parents dying compares to that of watching her mate sleep with another woman. It is torture, making her feel like every breath she draws in will be her last.This shouldn't have happened so soon after her parents' death. Sh
Even as the darkness envelope her, Emily can feel herself fighting to resist it, her wolf trying all her might to regain consciousness.The feeling is so uncomfortable, hovering between darkness and consciousness. Her stomach feels sick, the smell of the substance used on her so terrible she wants to throw up.She senses a presence in front of her face, the presence of a man staring at her in shock.She struggles for a moment, then her eyes snap open, taking in the sight of Silver Eyes' face just inches away from hers.She gulps in great mouthfuls of air as she feels a bit suffocated. Seeing this, Silver Eyes rolls all the car windows down, and Emily gets a glimpse of the city outside. They are no longer in the forest, but it feels like only seconds have passed. Has she been out for a long time? Remembering what the man did to her, her face works up in an angry expression."The hell did you think you were doing? You made me believe you want to help me, but it appears that's not the cas
As the man resumes his place behind the wheel, Emily remembers she doesn't know his name yet. He is Silver Eyes in her mind but she doesn't think he would be too happy to be called that out loud."Mathew Taylor," he surprises her by saying. She has only thought about asking him his name, but he has responded to the unspoken question.Emily blinks in surprise, frowning at his back."Wait, I didn't ask...""Oh, yes you did." Once again, Mathew has to curse himself silently. It is not normal to know things without being told, even if he has explained what he is to her. As he has done to so many wolves around him, (except those who work closely with him, of course), he doesn't intend to let her know he has the ability to read minds. "You know, you have a habit of thinking out loud without realizing it," he adds.This is strange. No one has ever observed something like that about her, but why is she suddenly thinking out loud without realizing it when she is with Mathew? She decides to let
It has been years now since the Elders of Crescent Wolf Pack had first introduced themselves to Marcus , explaining to him the reason they would keep dropping in at the pack house unexpectedly from that first day."We regret having to tell you that we will have to frequent your pack from now on, Alpha Marcus. You must have heard of the trajedy that occurred in our pack recently. A boy escaped from our pack after stealing the pack's valuable possessions and then murdering the Alpha and Luna. We have reason to believe that the boy has come to join your pack." one of the men had said.Alpha Marcus had frowned upon hearing the old man's words."Well, then, find him and take him away!" he had said. "I've had quite a few male wolves join my pack recently, and I don't know which of them you are talking about.""We can't. The boy is rather cunning. He is not an ordinary wolf, therefore, difficult to track down because he can hide his scent, and he can make himself invisible. Chances are he kno
The man seems to be in his early forties, but with such god-like looks, his age is something women of any age would not hesitate to overlook.Like Mathew, the man is huge and muscular, dressed in faded jeans and a spotless white shirt with the two top buttons left open, showing the tanned and smooth skin of his throat. The clothes fit his healthy frame like they were made with him in mind, complimenting his powerful thighs, abs and shoulders.Emily can only stare at him, surprised by the reaction she has towards an older man.The old men from Crescent Wolf pack watch her for a moment, waiting for her attention to shift back to them in the hopes that she may explain who she is, and when she doesn't seem to pay attention, one of them speaks to catch her attention."Forgive us for not minding our business, but who are you, young miss?"With difficulty, Emily takes her eyesoff Marcus and looks at the old man that asked her the question."I am called Emily Jones.""Well, Emily, you seem to
Emily straightens up immediately, no longer feeling the burning from the chains.Mathew is actually here, in all his handsome glory. He is not dead, she knew it! He has never looked more alive, except that he looks so pissed it will be a miracle if a life is not lost before they leave this place.He gives the chains a tap and Emily is instantly free. She immediately throws herself at him, surprising both herself and him by breaking into noisy sobs."Mathew, I was told you were dead. I met Travis, he...he got burned and died. I was almost raped, twice in the same day. I am so sorry, Mathew, there is no way to prove that you are innocent now, Jack is as good as dead his soul has been sucked out of him..."Mathew holds her head against his shoulder, murmuring quietly to her."It's okay, it's okay now. Breath. You will tell me everything that happened later, baby girl. Just relax."At the closeness of him and his scent, she starts to feel her wolf awaken, and soon, the wounds on her body b
Seeing the look of defeat on Jack's face (it maybe a fake look but it's still there and it can only mean one thing; he is coming with her) Emily holds out her hand to touch him so they should leave."Wait. I need you to take me to a certain pack first. There's a man there, and I consider him as a father. Please, allow me to let him know that I have been caught."Emily frowns."What?""I mean, I will go with you, but allow me to visit the old man before I go. He is like a dad to me."Emily stares at the man that hurt her so much, and her heart fills with hatred. He didn't just hurt her, he hurt Mathew as well, killed people and put the blame on him, resulting in Mathew living in hiding for so many years. Living a miserable life.She would like to see him rot in some enclosed space."Please. You are too powerful for me to do anything to harm you, so I don't think you need to worry about that. I really need to see the old man."He is right, he can't hurt her. And Emily is curious to see w
The scream seems to have attracted someone's attention, because Emily hears food steps rush towards the room before someone swings the door open, only for them to stand frozen by the door.Travis jumps from the bed, stares around as though in confusion for a moment, then he raises a hand, gesturing for the two people at the door to come inside the room."What happened to me?"Instead of answering, Anna and Jack only shake, knowing their end is sniffing at their heels.How did he wake from an enchanted sleep?Then Jack steps forward."My Lord, we have no idea what happened to you. We tried waking you after we brought in the young woman you sent me to fetch for you."Well, he will make up to Emily later, right now it is more important to save his ass from the demon lord, as his eyes have started turning a dangerous red glow, showing his anger.The hair of every person in the room stands on end, fear instilled in their hearts, because the demon lord, Travis, is more upset than he has ever
Roused to fresh alertness, Tara's eyes go round and her mouth gape open. She looks shocked, so much that Emily starts to feels she is ringing the bell before time.Mathew might not be in any kind of trouble and she is getting paranoid.She is about to say this to Tara when her phone rings, and in her eagerness to answer it, Emily almost drops it. A strange number is calling. Thinking it is Mathew calling to inform her that he lost his phone or something, Emily presses the answer button hastily."Hello?"The words that come from the other end chills her to the bone."Are you related to Mathew? We don't know his last name and that is all he's been able to utter just before he died. We found your number on his phone and decided to call you because you are the person he seemed to communicate a lot with."In this moment, the world comes to an abrupt halt. Emily fails to believe it. She fails to breathe.Mathew, dead? She feels a funny ringing in her ear, and an unbearable lightheadedness
There is a blank expression on Gianna's face, but on Becky's, shock is written all over it. "What?" Becky asks, looking genuinely surprised."Hey, what are you getting surprised about? Isn't this the family you came to search for when you lost your mate that time?" Gianna says to her sister, who still has a puzzled expression on her face."What are you saying?" Becky says, whipping around to look at her sister. "Are you implying that we are related to this girl?"Even Gianna has a baffled look on her face now, matching Emily's."Come on, Beck, we were together when we decided to look for the existing relatives of our parents because they wouldn't tell us shit about them, remember? They isolated themselves from their family and we found out our closest living relatives were Alphas in this pack? Don't you remember?""Hey, we found out they died...shit...is this the daughter of our dead relatives?"Gianna rolls her eyes to the ceiling."Who did you think she was, Beck? It has always been
Mathew laughs and shakes his head."I believe I am the husband you are referring to because, no matter what, I am the one who is going to end up with you...""You are so confident...""...And when that happens, I will never cheat on you. You are the only girl I have ever loved and the only girl I will continue to love till the time I will retire from this Earth, so me cheating on you? No chance, madam Alpha."The words sound so sweet and sincere that Emily doesn't dare argue. She swallows and looks nervously into his silver grey eyes, then a sudden thought enters her head."Mathew, what was the original color of your eyes? Your hair too. You said you changed them when you started hiding from those people.""Of course you want to know."As he says this, Mathew closes his eyes shut, then blinks them several times. When he looks at her, she takes a sharp intake of breath.She has never seen this version of green eyes before. They captivate your attention and hold it, making you get lost i
Even though Becky's parents were upset at first for what Marcus had done, they agreed that Marcus had saved their daughter's life by marking her immediately she lost her mate, and they let him keep their daughter in the end.Becky and her family got to know that the Alpha and Luna of White Wolf pack died a long time ago and that, by marrying Marcus, Becky would be the new Luna. Her ambitious father was so thrilled by the news, but soon disappointment washed over him and Becky because they discovered Marcus was just a makeshift Alpha and not the real one, that the pack secretly anticipated the return of the Alpha's daughter to take the position. However, as the years went by without any sign of the girl returning, the father and daughter had hope that Becky would be the Luna forever.A year into her marriage, Becky received a call from her sister, asking if she could come live with her because she had been thrown out of the house at home.Despite Becky having been their parents' favouri
The information puzzles Emily so much that she feels like wringing the answers from Mathew.She waits with forced patience while he sits down and stares at her face, and then he starts talking again."I was just as puzzled when I read that piece of information. So I asked Gianna what she meant by it, and she explained."~According to Mathew, Gianna and Becky are sisters and they are daughters of an Alpha couple somewhere in New York.As the diary indicates, Gianna is the older sister but had always felt like their parents did not like her, like they liked Becky more.Gianna was the pretty one, they would say, and Becky was the smart one. The parents also pointed out how Gianna had no talent at all, all that she prided in were her looks. Oftentimes, she was treated like the younger sister even though she was more than three years older than Becky. Since she was always made to feel inferior at home, she went out to seek validation elsewhere. She slept with lots of men just to feel usefu
Emily watches Mathew eat for a moment and when he looks at her, raising one of his thick brows, she sighs and drops her gaze."Didn't your parents ever tell you it was rude to stare?" He jokes, but Emily doesn't smile."That's not funny, I don't have parents," she says in a quiet voice.She is still irritable, he can see that. He knows her parents are no more, it was just a joke, and doesn't she know that Mathew's own parents have been missing from his life since he was a baby? They might not have been dead in the actual sense but they were to him.Nevertheless, he apologizes, then asks;"What made you irritable? Still mad at me?""Wha... no, I am not mad at you, I am just having a crappy day.""Any reason that is happening?"She sighs again. "Oh, Mathew, do not think I am crazy, but have you ever slept with Gianna without using protection?"He gets confused and it shows on his face. He places his fork down, then takes some juice before bringing his attention back to her."Where has th