QuirinaI walk into the ballroom where there are at least a hundred people already in attendance. Just the sheer number of people is enough to make me break out in a nervous sweat.It’s easy for me to pick out my friends and family though. I knew what my cousin Franklin was wearing. He wears a charming smile as he talks to a small group of women and there’s two other men that I don’t recognize on either side of him. He seems comfortable, obviously in his element. Like he didn’t need alcohol to help loosen up and behave the way that’s expected of him.Annabelle is already on the dance floor. She wears a pastel purple dress that shimmers and has black details that help outline her figure. Her strawberry blonde hair is pinned up in a nice bun, she wears a black mask and I notice that her eyes appear dark. She must’ve put in colored contacts to help disguise who she is. It’s not every day you see a girl with pale purple eyes.Hazel is wearing a formal romper and sticks out compared to the
QuirinaI clear my throat, my mind racing as I try to figure out how to respond to Bryce… my mate.Mates are supposed to love you no matter what and shouldn’t care about trivial things. But… me having powers that I can’t fully control… that’s not trivial. It’s not trivial at all.I say, “I-I’m nervous. You’re an Alpha.”“So what?” He responds with a small smile, “Do you really care about titles? You’ll be my Luna… and if you’re nervous about that… that’s okay. I’ll be right there with you every step of the way. I have an incredible support system that would all be there to help you.”This makes me even more hesitant. He must have this great life and here I am… about to throw a wrecking ball through it. I say, “I think you might be better off without me, Bryce.”His eyebrows knit together in confusion and he grabs both my hands. “We can do anything together, please, just give me a shot. Don’t do this.”My eyes search his. Those ice blue ones that I originally saw and thought of as hars
AnnabelleThe party is in full swing and the dance floor is full. I’m exhausted. I’ve had fun tonight, but honestly, I wish this party was a few months later. There’s a chance that my mate is in this room, but I wouldn’t recognize him because I haven’t turned 18 yet.I look around and watch as my younger sister, Josephine runs off with our cousins Cameron and Declan. The three of them have been stuck together like glue for as long as I can remember and the boys are fiercely protective over her.So, when another young boy comes and asks her to dance, it doesn’t surprise me that Cameron and Declan watches the two of them like a hawk.Franklin comes to my side and says, “You know, with the way they act you would think that Josephine was their little sister and not their cousin.”I chuckle, “I know, I’ve thought the same thing.”I glance around the room, it’s flooded with people, but for the most part I’ve known where our group has been the entire time, except… I haven’t seen Quirina. Did
QuirinaMy eyes flicker open and I’m immediately greeted by a chipper, “Quirina.”It takes a moment for my eyes to focus on Bryce who is standing across from me with a soft smile on his face. I frown as I feel disoriented and don’t remember exactly what happened last night.The masquerade. Dancing. Coming to the patio. Talking all night… until we fell asleep.He’s my mate. And he hasn’t rejected me… the little voice in my mind quietly adds a ‘yet’. He’s by my side quickly and holds his hand out for me. I take it and he smiles as he says, “This isn’t exactly how I pictured our first night together. But… I really enjoyed just getting to talk to you.”I nod my head in agreement, my mind still swirling as I try to get my bearings. My eyes widen softly as I realize that no one knows where I am. I say, “I need to get inside.”His eyebrows scrunch together and he asks, “Is everything okay?”I nod, “Yeah, it’s just uh, I didn’t tell anyone where I am. What time is it? My family is probably wo
QuirinaI didn’t realize how… suggestive my offer sounded until I’m alone in a closed room with my mate. He must’ve thought that I wanted him up here for sex.How is he going to get changed? We can’t stay in this room all day!Will he be offended if I deny the mating process right now?I’m not ready to have sex. Especially with my parents knowing that we just came up here and they would think about what we’re doing if we spent the entire day alone.My shoulders are incredibly tense and I’ve learned that I don’t hide my emotions as well as I always thought I did because soon, Bryce is chuckling and telling me, “Quirina, we’re not doing anything. Relax some, okay?”I nod and breathe out, “Yeah, okay.”He smiles and walks over to me and rubs his hands up and down my arms in a soothing manner as he says, “Everything’s okay.”I nod again, trying to get his words to really register in my head, but before I can respond, my door bursts open. “Rise and shine sleeping beauty! I can’t wait to he
QuirinaBy the time I got done telling Annabelle everything, there’s a knock at my door and Franklin comes in. He gives me a knowing smile and states, “You met your mate.”I nod with a small smile, “I did. Alpha Bryce Lake.”“Do you believe now that you’re meant to be a leader, Q? Even the moon goddess destined you with an Alpha.”Annabelle frowns as she looks between us, this is normally the kind of conversation that we have in private. But I don’t mind talking about it in front of Annabelle. It makes it all feel more… real I suppose.I say, “I don’t know what’s going to happen. He seems hesitant to move from his pack.”Franklin’s eyebrows raise and he says, “But you can’t give up yours either.”I breathe out and shake my head, “I mean, technically, I could. Felicity has Alpha blood in her veins-”Before I can continue talking Annabelle interrupts, “Felicity is 13 years younger than us, Q. The pack is ready to transition under a new leader, you can’t give that up.”“You guys know I c
QuirinaWe all stand in the foyer awkwardly. Bryce, Hiro, and Rowan all look uncomfortable as they look at us. Franklin glances over at me and Annabelle looks at the floor as she wrings her hands together. I say, “Excuse me for just a moment.”I rush into the kitchen to find Hazel getting all of her food together and I ask, “What was that?”She turns to look at me with a frown and asks, “What do you mean, Quin?” She’s the only one that calls me that, when we were kids she couldn’t pronounce my name right and called me Quin-ra. As we got older she eventually shortened it to Quin.I say, “You come out of nowhere see some strangers with us, you don’t even greet them and instead ask what was wrong with that guy.”She breathes out and softly shakes her head, “You wouldn’t get it, Quin.”I cross my arms, slightly annoyed by her attitude and say, “Try me.”Hazel glances up, her eyes meeting mine. It’s rare for her to look you in the eyes, her eyes are a mix of her parents ice blue and hazel
QuirinaIt isn’t hard to find my parents. Even with them being as busy as they are, they are normally in some of the same spots of the pack house. Their bedroom, their gigantic office it’s bigger than they’re bedroom. They have it that way since both of them work in there, they don’t like to be separated for long. Or they’re in the living or dining room.They just ate and it’s the start of a new day, so the likelihood of them being in their office is high. As I walk towards their door I notice it’s open and I can hear their voices as they talk to their Beta, Charlie, and their Gamma Phillip. One of the weird things growing up in a pack is that even if the higher ups aren’t all related, the relationships we have with one another seems like we’re one big family. Most of the time it’s nice, sometimes it’s weird. I recognize not all other packs are the same way that we are.I walk into the office and I’m not surprised to see Harper and Isadora sitting next to their mates. They smile over
Five Months Later.QuirinaBryce and I officially became the Alpha and Female Alpha of the Moon Stone Pack three months ago. Annabelle and Franklin became our Beta couple, Hiro and Hazel became our Gamma couple, and Rowan and Winnie are enjoying not having as many responsibilities.All the issues we previously had with Hazel completely disappeared when she finally accepted Hiro as her mate. Because when he marked her, he was able to take away her gift. He holds her power and give it back to her if she ever wants it, but she seems thrilled about no longer seeing when people will die.Mom and dad still live at the pack house, but they are enjoying no longer being in charge and getting to fully focus on Felicity. I don’t know if they’ll ever go anywhere without her again because she has struggled with separation anxiety ever since they returned home.My biological parents have come to visit me and to meet the rest of my family. I talk with them at least 3 times a week, they are perfectly
QuirinaBryce, Charlie, and Harper and I headed home after only two days after the fight. There weren’t many survivors left that were a part of the trafficking ring, but there were tons of kids in the school. My parents along with Magnolia and Hendrix are meeting up with other pack leaders and trying to split up the rest of the people appropriately. There will be no more Supernatural Academy and no more trafficking.I mean, we know it’s impossible to completely abolish all trafficking, but we have done our part and this has helped to take down a huge contributor. I’m ready to be back home, the desire to be some place familiar and to unwind after all the recent events. Bryce had marked me, but I still haven’t marked him, it hasn’t felt right. He’s practically buzzing and glowing with some energy he has now. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know he received some of the powers that I absorbed.I haven’t even discovered everything I absorbed in that moment. I was so desperate to be
BryceThe door opened and we had been expecting more guards or for more prisoners. But now, Phoenix Stone walks into the room.All the guards that had been sitting without a care in the world suddenly stand at attention. I watch in fascination as dark black swirls crawl up Phoenix’s arms and he smirks, “If I were you, I would lock yourself in one of the cages. Or else I’ll make you crumble like the rest of them.”Most of the guards seemed concerned as soon as he said that. Everyone has heard of what Alpha Stone is capable of, and everyone knows that he would do anything for his family and for the legacy he had created. But there’s a couple of guards who doubt him. And one asks, “What do you mean by the rest of them?”Phoenix gives the most wicked smile I’ve ever seen, it’s almost bone-chilling in it’s ruthlessness as he says, “You would not be my first death of day. Now, I will count to five and whoever is out of the cells, well… we’ll get to have some fun.”After that announcement p
QuirinaI think most people would find it odd if I told them that I actually thrive off of chaos. But the moment that I zapped the cameras and everything went down, I took off running. I could hear the whole mansion as it descended into chaos. Everyone complaining, trying to keep guard of their current prisoners, and trying too figure out what the hell happened to me.I can’t help but smirk to myself as I run. I don’t know where I’m going or what exactly I’m doing, but I’ve caused enough chaos that I have time to search without instantly getting caught. I find a stairwell and run down it as fast as my legs can carry me. The first door I see on my right, I open to turn into only to be instantly met by a group of five warriors. I close the door back and take off running back down the stairs, I hear them behind me. Fear is gripping my heart now as I am more panicked than before.I enjoy chaos, but I don’t enjoy the adrenaline that comes with it. It makes me struggle to think clearly and
QuirinaI have to get out. I have to find help. I don’t know what I’m going to do… they’ll figure it out as soon as I leave the mansion and then I’ll be captured before I get anywhere close to the pack borders.My mind is reeling as I rush from one room to the next hopefully getting further from the danger but honestly who knows? I’m running on instinct here.I need to find my family, all of them. Because regardless if we’re blood related or not, we are all family. I try to reach out through the mind link but I huff in frustration as I realize no one is connecting with me.I let out a low grumble and then focus on my surroundings. I haven’t found a single room with a window for me to look outside, I haven’t run into anyone. This is a little too suspicious, wouldn’t there be a lot of people looking for me? My eyes flicker around the room, trying to uncover some answer that I haven’t been able to figure out yet. And my body tenses when I figure out the reason. There’s a camera, it’s sm
QuirinaThe room is too quiet, too cold, too… unnerving.The headmaster looks at me, I’m currently cursing myself for not asking his name. The fact that he knows mine but I don’t know his makes me uneasy. He smiles at me and says, “I don’t know where your parents are, Ms. Stone.”I narrow my eyes at him and spit out, “Liar.”The corner of his mouth twitches up in an amused smirk, like he is enjoying knowing that he is able to get a rise out of me. I want to punch him in the face for it.He gestures towards the chair and says, “Please, take a seat, let us talk like adults.” The way he speaks to me is patronizing, my hands ball up into fists out of frustration. His hazel eyes flicker down to my hands before looking up at me and he says, “I assume you would want to do things properly considering you are about to take the Alpha position. You don’t want to start off with a bad reputation.”I snap at him, “I think you and I both know that my reputation doesn’t matter. It already isn’t in st
BryceI follow behind everyone as we go into the mysterious Supernatural Academy. I’ve heard so much about this place and yet… I don’t know what to think now that I’m here.Quirina is obviously tense and on high alert. She’s towards the front of the group and a small part of me feels uncomfortable with how far apart we are, but I know it’s for the best for her to be towards the front.We come across a mansion like building and Beta Charlie breathes out, “Welcome to the Academy headquarters.”Quirina look to him and looks around, “The headquarters? Not the building where all the students are kept?”He shakes his head no and explains, “This is for staff to live at when they don’t have a rotation at the school. Gives them a chance to be away from the students.”She nods her head, but I notice her deep furrowed brow, something isn’t sitting right with her. It’s moments like these that I wish we had already marked and mated one another because I would love to know what she’s thinking about
QuirinaThe plane ride was quiet, neither Bryce nor I spoke as we flew to my parents. The entire time he held my hand, letting me know that he is here for me if and when I choose to talk.I don’t want to talk. I want to get there now and make sure that they’re okay. When the plane lands Bryce just gives me a tight-lipped smile. I thank the pilot and we get off. Bryce asks me, “So, how do we get there?”I smile softly, “Leave that to me.”At that moment a car pulls up and an older man comes out and says, “A pleasure to see you, Ms. Stone, Mr. Lake.”I nod at the valet and both Bryce and I get in the car and it takes off in the direction I need it to. I know that we will have to walk a bit later, but for now I just lean my head on Bryce’s shoulder and enjoy the ride. He looks out the window, watching as the world passes on around us. I sit up when the valet asks, “Are you here to meet up with the rest of them?”I frown, “Who?”This causes him to frown and he remarks, “The other ones fro
VioletWe’ve been at the Academy for just over a month now.I was right, there was something fishy going on here.They never quit with their antics. All this time, all these years, I thought we had gotten control of the human trafficking, I thought we had ended it! Only to find out that for the most part we did, but for the kids who show potential to be strong they are never put as available for adoption.Quirina was an exception because they couldn’t figure out to control her, but because she was so powerful they thought her brother would be to. So, they kept her brother’s identity from us so that way if he showed potential they would be able to sell him. My fists ball in frustration, I should’ve known. It was too good to be true. But because we found out about it and they found out we found out, now we’re trapped. We’ve been separated for two weeks now, I have no idea what they’ve done to Phoenix, but it makes me worried. Ever since we met, we’ve never been separated for this long.