Find out what happened between her and Alexis in the next chapter...
[Apple]Alexis is leaning over the reception desk as she screams, "Get your boss on the line, NOW! Or so help me I'll..." "Ms. Greystone, I told you, Ms. Weaver is not available, and I..."Alexis leans in far enough that only the tip-toe of one of her very high heels is still on the ground. "I know what you said, but you need to do as I said," she elongates her words, over-enunciating very loudly, and very slowly. "I. WANT. TO. TALK. TO. YOUR. BOSS."Her jasmine scent is cloying, making me gag as I remember how it tastes in the back of my throat when mixed with the added aroma of her urine. Hearing me cough, Alexis spins around. "What are YOU doing here?""Taking a refresher course," Rudy raises his eyebrow, answering on my behalf while also creating a barrier of muscle between us. "A better question is, why are you here harassing this poor woman?""I'm simply making a request," Alexis stands up straighter adjusting her suit jacket. There is a carpet burn on the right side of her che
[Apple]The alley is dark and cold. I don't know this part of town, I'm not sure where I'm going, all I know is that I need to get away from those women. Wandering, I let my feet take me down this narrow, dark space, onto the bright street, and around again until I end up somewhere completely different.My chest feels tight and my head is heavy. I don't know where I am, and in this moment I don't care."They hate me," I kick a rock and watch it skip into a puddle. "Of course they do. I'm a complete fraud." The air is cold, clean, and moist. It must have rained while I was inside because all of the surfaces were a little damp, including a small broken chair leaning up against a wall. It makes a squelching sound as I sit, not caring if the water leaks into my sweatpants or not. Closing my eyes, I place my face in my hands. Folding in half, I let everything go--every fear, every heartbreak, every moment of uncertainty pours from me, as I consider everywhere I've been and what I'm being
[Sylvester][Earlier that evening]The world went dark when I arrived and found her gone. "What do you mean?" I demanded of the receptionist, a too-blonde woman with a frozen smile. "How did you lose my Luna?""We...we sent you a message...I'm so sorry Alpha..." Her brown eyes are large and teary, "She never showed up for her second class. She just walked out the back door and...""RUDY!" I screamed as I marched through the halls looking for my Beta. "APPLE!" My heart is beating so hard and so loud that I can feel it vibrating through me as my stomach turns. Where did she go? I can't smell her. "Sir, please calm down." the perky blonde begged as she followed after me, her shoes clicking behind her. "We've already looked everywhere. Your Beta is now outside looking for her and...""I was told she'd be safe here," I growl and the woman shrinks away. "I was trusting you all with her safety. She's my, she's my...""We were hoping you could connect to her through your bond," the girl shri
[Apple]I cannot remember a time when I last slept so deeply and felt so safe.Most of the memories of my life before my mother met and married Doc Addams are a blur. All I have are small memories of that time, like the smell of her body and her warmth wrapped around me as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. She always smelled like mint and fresh-cut wildflowers. Waking up next to Sylvester feels so similar, but different in so many ways. Firstly, I do not remember ever sleeping with my mother nude. Nor did she have biceps large enough to be pillows. Or a downy chest to warm my face. She didn't smell like evenings resting by a fire while drinking green tea. And she didn't purr contentedly like a giant cat while she slept. And yet both moments feel like home. But I shouldn't let myself get too comfortable. Despite what seems to be mutual attraction, at the end of the day, I'm just a fake Rental Luna pretending to be his true love and fated mate in a ridiculous plan to help Sy
[Apple]In a flustered huff, I stomp towards the booth. If I had claws they'd be drawn now, ready to slash those posters to pieces.How embarrassing. It's bad enough that I am a Rental Luna, but to have my business spread around campus. "They can't do that," I point to the cutouts of me grinning out at us in a way that suggests AI may have been involved. "They can't just use my image to sell their product! Service! Whatever!!"Rudy holds me back with gentle hands. "I'm sorry Luna, but they can.""What?" I gape at him, aghast. "I never gave permission for ...for...this!" I shout and the woman at the table flinches. I forget sometimes how clear werewolf hearing can be. Even from a distance, they can likely hear everything. As he turns me towards the Botany department, he explains that Rental Luna has owned the right to use my image from the moment I joined their academy officially. "It was part of the deal we had to make to get you set up quickly and discreetly within their system," he
[Apple]A week goes by and I see no sign of Hazel or Thorne. I even stopped by the apartment to drop off the deed, but they weren't home. Using my key, I unlocked the door and left the deed on their dining room table. It came back two days later, addressed to me. I cried for two days. I miss my friends. I haven't told Sly what happened between us, but I get the feeling he can sense my sadness. He keeps leaving little treats for me before he leaves for work. "It's time for another round of classes," Sly declares as he hops out of bed and kisses me soundly. Even though we aren't officially dating, not really, he's taken to kissing me in the mornings. It felt weird at first but now...now it feels natural. Rudy picks me up an hour after Sly leaves and takes me to my Luna classes, despite my protests. I've been a bit nervous to return since I ran away, but the Alpha insists I try again. "I wouldn't ask if it weren't important," he frowned when I brought up never returning. Unable to be
[Sylvester] A raging tornado, Apple storms through the door, her fists clenched and her heart beating so rapidly that I can see her pulse beating along her neck. Her scent is so strong that it almost blows me back. She hardly smells like me at all right now, her own scent burning through so strongly that if I didn't know she was human, I'd almost mistake her for an alpha.She's never this vocal or intense with her anger. She's usually more of a gentle breeze than a tornado. Something big must have happened to rile her up.Why didn't Rudy warn me? "I'm done with that place," Apple fumes as she makes her way through the condo. "I'm not going back!" I don't need to ask where, or why. She's struggling at Rental Luna but I can't think of a better way to teach her what she needs to know. I'm not a luna. Lunas should learn from other lunas."Do you know who showed up today?" she stands there half-naked, wearing one of my oversized shirts that I insisted she wear to keep our scents blended.
[Apple]Sylvester has been so patient and caring. When I first met this alpha wolf, I was terrified, convinced he'd see me as prey. I realize how stupid that is now--He'd never hurt me. Even then, when he didn't know me and was upset at me for saying no, he'd never have laid a harmful hand on me.He's only ever been gentle. Gentle touches, gentle kisses. Even when his words sting he's never been cruel.I wish I could be everything he needs, but after today, I doubt I ever will be. Alexis made sure that I saw exactly what he liked and didn't stop until I understood how I couldn't ever be enough. Because to care for all of his needs, I can't ignore his primal need for sexual connection. All wolves crave sex, but Alpha Wolves in particular NEED to feel connected to those they care about.I've always thought I'd wait for true love before I gave my body to anyone, but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm not so different from Sly after all. Maybe I need it too. And yet, when he tried t