Mrs. Miller, or Maggie as she asked me to call her, excitedly babbled on while Mr. Miller examined me with an unreadable stare. I had hoped he would be as welcoming as his wife, but it seemed I had my worries backward. Mrs. Miller wasn't the one I needed to worry about disapproving of me. It was the man sitting across from me with a carefully masked expression.
If it weren't for the slight twitch in his cheek whenever I answered a question, I wouldn't have been aware of his dislike of me. The happy man from earlier seemed to have disappeared the second his eyes pulled away from the bubbly woman he was mated to.
I held his gaze, waiting to see if he would say something or if he was just going to continue to stare me down. There was no doubt that I looked crazy. About thirty seconds in, I decided I wouldn't just be holding his glare. If I was going to maintain eye contact with him, it would be a challenge to see who would blink first.
I didn't say anything, but
It turned out that Mr. Miller was actually really funny. He was the typical dad joke-cracking, easy to talk to, father figure. It was something that I always wanted growing up.Once they left, Gabriel cleared off the table and took the dishes into the kitchen to wash them. The longer he did so, the stiffer his shoulders became, and the harder he scrubbed.I rubbed my hand up his back, wanting to help him, soothe him in any way possible. "I really liked your parents. They seemed so laid back and happy. I wasn't expecting that."He tilted his head as if he were trying to crack his neck. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either."There was unfamiliar anger behind his voice. It was filled with confusion and disappointment, but overall he sounded betrayed. My eyebrows pulled together as I stared at him in confusion."Tell me what you're thinking."He took in a deep breath before rinsing out the sponge and turning off the water. His hands gripped tig
I tried not to overthink it as I stood off to the side of the clearing with Maggie. She seemed to have picked up on my nerves and grabbed my hand to offer her support. I couldn't even see all of them yet, but I could hear them. It was loud as they all conversed. There had to be at least a hundred of them based on their volume alone. Even with the thundering sound coming from the pack, I was acutely aware of Gabriel's footsteps on the wooden platform as he walked up the stairs. My breathing hitched, and I tried to hold myself still as I began to shake like a Chihuahua. "Hold your head high. You were chosen to be this pack's Luna for a reason. They all love you already and are excited to meet you. Be brave. Be strong." Maggie whispered to me. I hoped that none of the wolves were able to hear her pep talk, then they too would know just how weak I was. From a dog the size of a New York City rat to a leader of wolves. Silence fell over the crowd as soon as Gabriel began to speak, and I
The clearing was packed as everyone mingled and ate their body weight. It was amazing to see how much food was laid out and how quickly it all disappeared. You would think wolves were the ones who had four stomachs, not cows.I had been introduced to so many people that I couldn't keep them straight if my life was at stake. At first, I tried associating a feature they had to their name. Then I tried connecting it to something that they said. Eventually, I stopped trying altogether as dozens of people swarmed me, all eager to shake my hand and introduce themselves.I had to wonder, just how many of these people knew about my past. Would they look at me differently if they knew that I was deemed clinically insane? Granted, their existence cleared my name, but a reputation based on lies still had the ability to destroy a person.Maggie and Mr. Miller, who insisted I call him Leo after an awkward encounter at the buffet, sat next to Gabriel and me. It was disappoint
Elena sat at the foot of my bed, loosely hugging a pillow as I told her all about the evening. She was absorbing everything I had said and asked me for every person's name and a description so she could be prepared. I was wondering where she had snuck off to at the party. I had assumed since Athena was nowhere in sight either, that they snuck off together. It had never crossed my mind that my parents freaked out after I left and refused to let Elena go to the 'Barbeque' being held in my honor. "I hate that I was stuck here while you got to meet the pack without me. I know that you're important since you're their Luna, but it would have been nice to be there too so I could put faces to names." She whined. Her eyebrows pulled together, and I could genuinely see the stress pouring off of her. "Athena said she was going to be in trouble for bailing on the gathering to be here with me." "Don't worry about that. I'll text Gabriel. She will be fine." I assured her,
The last thing I expected was for my mother to charge at me with her arms outstretched. Her face was red, and the war cry that ripped from her throat made my hands fly up in front of my face to protect myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Elena jump up from where she was sitting on the bed, stunned by what she was witnessing. "What have you done?!" She screamed at me again as she gripped my shoulders in both hands and began to violently shake me back and forth. "You corrupted her!" My head bobbled around from the jerking motion, but my arms stayed up in front of my face. I tried to open my mouth to defend myself... to explain, but all that came out was a weak whimper for her to stop. I tried to pull free, using my forearms to fight against her hold on me, but it was no use. Then she broke loose. I opened my eyes and lowered my hands as Elena stood behind my mother, both arms wrapped tightly around her waist to restrain her. "Mom! Stop it!" She scr
It was dark when I was finally able to open my eyes. My chest hurt with each inhale, sending shocks through my body as I did so. It took me several minutes to realize that I had been put in my bed, presumably by my father. I blinked several times. My mind was fuzzy, and my tongue dry. A quick glance around the room confirmed that Gabriel was nowhere to be found, and that was unusual. Ever since we had gotten past our fight, he always slept next to me. I figured he was just kept late again today. That would be nothing new. My neck and jaw protested when I turned my head to get a peek at my alarm clock. The green numbers flashed that it was 4:35am. I couldn't think straight as my mind was fuzzy, but I knew he should have been here by now. As I painfully pulled myself to an upright position, a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me. It was stronger than normal, more intense. Everything about it felt wrong. She had given me too much. I needed
The sound of my bedroom door slamming against the wall woke me. My eyes cracked open, but my body refused to move. The rancid smell coming from the porcelain bowl below me had my mouth watering with the need to repeat the actions of the night before and empty my stomach again. Dry drool or vomit was stuck to my cheek, causing me to grimace when I felt it.Several voices filled my room, some calm and confident, and others were frantic and angry. I turned my head before dropping it back on my arm where I was still able to see the visitors in the doorway. The room was no longer spinning, only I was. It felt as though my brain had a blanket wrapped around it, keeping the heat trapped in to cook my body from the inside out, while blocking me from being able to comprehend what was happening."You can't do this!" My sister's familiar voice echoed through the small room, and I groaned from the way my head pounded from the volume.A flash of blonde hair pushed through th
The process of getting fingerprinted, having my belongings logged into their system, and being assigned my room took longer than necessary. It was as if they enjoyed that I had to stand there with vomit in my hair and dried to my face. I was given a loose-fitting outfit, similar to what the workers were wearing, only while their scrubs were a dark blue, the patients were white. Several hours and angry comments from me later, I was brought to my room. One would think they would hurry up when they were getting verbally assaulted by a pissed-off, allegedly mentally unstable patient. Instead, it seemed to slow them down, and the angrier I got, the more amused they were. The room had two beds, one was empty with nothing more than a thin blanket and a flat pillow, and the other had the sleeping body of my new roommate. "This is Waterman. Best not to wake her, or she might try to stab you." The man said with a laugh as he kicked the metal frame of her bed. I
Hello Beautiful Readers! I hope you enjoyed Kaylee and Parker's love story. If you did, please don't forget to comment and vote! I read every comment and really appreciate you voting to get my book noticed by others. Which story did you like more: Olivia and Gabriel's? (The Alpha's Girl) Or Kaylee and Parker's? (The Warrior's Woman) I was considering doing Oliver's story. If I did, It would take place after this one. If you are interested in reading Oliver's story, please let me know by leaving a comment! Don't forget to share this book with your friends! I appreciate you all and hope you have an amazing day! UPDATE: Oliver's Story is now out! I will update as often as possible. 'The Wolf's Claim' After Oliver felt the excruciating pain of his mate's death, almost killing him in the process, he left his pack to travel and clear his head. He never expected that he would come across the one person who had caused him so much pain, to begin with, alive and well. Seeing that hi
Five Months Later Kaylee's P.O.V. I let out a groan as I was thrown onto my back for the tenth time today. Parker had been so proud of how quickly I moved up through the training groups, learning how to fight and defend myself. It wasn't until I was up against him that I got to experience firsthand just how incredibly skilled and fluid Parker was. I knew that from other aspects of our relationship, but seeing him fight and sparring against him myself was a different level. 'You need to focus, love,' Parker taunted as he nipped at my butt playfully. I flinched, my wolf rolling back onto her stomach as I glared at him. Part of it wasn't even my fault. How was I supposed to not get distracted by my incredibly attractive mate touching me? 'Let's call it a day,' I said as I shook my fur free of the loose grass. My attempt to saunter up to him failed as my sore muscles made it appear more like a drunken stumble. Parker choked out a laugh before rubbing the side of his wolf up against me
Parker's P.O.V. She made me promise not to drug her again, and while I wasn't wanting to use it, I still had an injection tucked away in my pocket. Her mother was excited to see Kaylee's wolf, but it was obvious that her over-excitement was an attempt to hide her nerves and anxiety about the outcome of the change. Kaylee was a buddle of sore and delicate excitement as she bounced and stumbled into the forest earlier than she needed to. I followed behind her, my arms ready to catch her if she fell, but she would just dance out of reach and laugh before moving deeper into the trees and underbrush. "You know you're going to be a wolf and not a woodland fairy, right?" I laughed as she ran her hand across the trunk of a tree. "I know!" She glared back at me with an adorable smile. "But that's just it. I am going to be a wolf with you." I dashed forward, scooping her up into my arms as she giggled. "I can't wait to see you, run with you, and feel you. I bet you have the softest fur pos
Parker's P.O.V. Over the next week, I watched as Kaylee did her best to stand strong and smile through the discomfort, but I could feel how much pain she was in as her body prepared for the full moon. It was so much worse than last time, and while I didn't like that she was hurting, I also took it as a good thing. To me, it was a sign that her wolf was stronger this time, that she was fighting to get out and ready to meet her human. It had taken less than a week for the Blood Moon Pack to come to their verdict under their pack laws, and all five wolves, the Luna included, were sentenced to death. We stood tall in the crowd as the wolves were brought forward and placed on their knees before their pack as their crimes were read. Alpha Blake had given Kaylee a quick squeeze on one shoulder before moving forward to stand in front of the accused. The smell of silver and wolfs-bane was strong in his system, and I admired that he was strong enough to dose himself to maintain control. A wo
Kaylee's P.O.V. The trip back to the Midnight Pack was bittersweet. Everyone was tense, knowing that Alpha Gabriel would not be happy that we all went on this rescue mission without his permission. Parker made me ride on his back the way home, and his excitement was pouring from his body. I held on tightly as he dipped and dodged around trees, bucking his back up higher than he needed to when he jumped over things. He was like a puppy playing. Every time I made a noise or tightened my grip on him, he would look back at me with his tongue hanging out to the side, and a large wolfish smile stretched across his face. It was adorable, and while my heart was hurting from having to be separated from my mother again after all this time, I couldn't help but smile back at him. Anytime I had seen his wolf out, he was angry or fighting someone. But this time, he was genuinely happy. I was half tempted to tell him to just keep going past our old pack and take me far into the sunset to live a p
Kaylee's P.O.V. The sound of a throat clearing had me reluctantly pulling away from Parker. My eyes glanced over the tensely reuniting Jack and Kate, who were standing close but weren't touching, to see my father standing in the doorway. His bright green eyes and dark brown hair were so similar to the younger man standing next to him, and I sighed in relief at the sight of Oliver standing tall and unharmed. "Don't worry about me. Just focus on your mate." Oliver said as he moved toward us and dropped into one of the leather chairs to my side with the back of one of his hands across his forehead. "Your little brother was just held captive, but whatever." I rolled my eyes with a smile as I shoved his shoulder with my hand. The burn marks were gone from his neck, and the bruising had disappeared from his face. There was a small twinkle in his eye as he sent a wink my way, and I knew he was happy that everything worked out. "Kaylee?" A small voice asked from the door, and my stomach ti
Kaylee's P.O.V. When we walked through the pack land, it was extremely noticeable how different the two packs were. The Earth thrived around the Blood Moon Pack. The grass and moss on the trees were a darker green than what I had been used to seeing at the Midnight Pack, and I couldn't help but take in a deep breath of the clean air. The pack had moved so silently on the moist, plant-rich ground that, had I not seen them, I would not have realized they were even walking with us. I expected to feel some sense of panic as they surrounded us and led us through the collection of houses, but instead, I felt peace. It was something that I hadn't felt in a very long time. I eyed the large house before us with wonder as we were led inside the stone and wood-decorated building. Although, one could argue this was a castle. Surrounded by mountains on both sides, the pack house was a large three-story building where all of the offices, communal kitchen, and game rooms were, as had been expla
Parker's P.O.V. I eyed the two wolves on patrol outside of their dungeons from a distance, watching and waiting to see if they had a pattern in the way they moved and if they were alone. So far, they seemed fairly well trained. While that wasn't an issue for four of us to take on two of them, it would become an issue if they saw us. All it took was one call in their pack link, and their entire fighting force would rain down on us. We wouldn't have the time to get downstairs and unlock Oliver before their reinforcements arrived. It was a huge risk, but we had no choice. 'Scarlett, Hudson, the two of you have the guard on the south side of the entrance. Jack and I will take the one on the north. We need to stay silent and approach from behind. If they get the chance to alert the pack that we're here, it'll all be over.' I said through the pack link, making sure all three of them could hear me as I waited for each one of them to acknowledge my instructions. With confirmation that we w
Kaylee's P.O.V. It only took a minute for a large brown and silver wolf to come barreling through the crowd. He slid to a halt, sending dirt flying as his wolf reached the border. My hands shook as I finally saw my father in front of me. I had heard about him when I was little, but not often. My mother didn't like talking about him too much. She would normally excuse herself after a few minutes and go cry in her bedroom, thinking I didn't notice or hear her. He had left her pregnant with me and then ripped her heart out to go start a family with his true mate. "You're the Alpha?" I questioned, knowing the answer at the way his wolf let out a small whine in my direction. His large paw lifted from the ground before he stomped it back down as if he were trying to tell me to walk over to him. "Your son, Oliver, is currently being held by your Luna. He was collected by your wolves two hours ago at the border. We ask that you demand his release and stop the war against my people in the M