“I c—can’t b—believe it,” Scarlett stammered between sobs. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”Sienna nodded and pulled her in for a hug. The girl was little, but she was strong, pulling on her jumper so tightly that it strangled her.“He was an asshole, but he was our asshole,” Scarlett said. “In a strange way, I still kind of loved him.”“Me too,” Sienna admitted. "He was my first love. My first kiss."The local newspaper had reported the murder without naming the victim, but in a small town like this one, it wasn’t five minutes after the police arrived that a neighbour had seen, told everyone they knew and spread the news like a depressing game of Chinese whispers.“He wasn’t a bad guy,” Scarlett said. “Not deep down. I think we were too hard on him… and now we’ll never get to make friends again!” She burst into another fit of sobs at this realisation. The thought of never getting to forgive his crimes against her was the most heartbreaking thing for her. “He saved me,” Sienna whispered
Sienna got ready in her bedroom, deliberately avoiding her overly concerned mother. Looking into her mirror, she adjusted her hair for the final time. Then, after a second thought, fixed it one more time.Last night she had googled the term, 'goth girl hairstyles,' and showed the picture to the only late opening hairdressers. Her hair was now a silky blue-black with a sharp fringe and much shorter and choppier. She'd put a skull-shaped hairclip in to match the model but worried it didn't look right on her.Using the same picture as a reference, she replicated the girl’s make-up, with smoky eyes and lips so dark they were almost black, hoping to emulate the look. Staring into the mirror, it was as if somebody else was looking back at her. She liked it.'But will he like it?' she wondered. Since her brain had started working again, there was only one person on it... and thankfully it wasn't Adrian. After a final panic in front of the mirror, she left the house, saying a brief goodbye
The bus from Springwood rattled and shook as it veered about the winding country lanes. The out-of-town members of her pack were all present—they had just attended the same emergency pack meeting—but there was only one on her mind.As she beside Riley on the bus, Scarlett fought the urge to touch him. Now that Adrian was in prison, she figured he would make a move but so far… nothing. If anything, he seemed even more distant.‘Maybe he’s afraid Adrian will kill him,’ she thought. Adrian was still protesting his innocence, but as a precaution, the pack were now forced to choose an alternate leader. They had only one other Alpha in the younger generation—a twelve-year-old boy who some argued had even greater potential than Adrian. He’d transformed into his wolf—pure white and almost as big as a grown adult—at age eleven and grown stronger and bigger since. Of course, Adrian’s mother was livid. She insisted her son was framed, even accusing the boy Alpha. At that point, the older membe
Sienna followed Damien to his basement after saying a brief hello to his mother. The woman always seemed to be rushing about with a phone glued to her ear. In all honesty, she was a little intimidating. Damien's father was still out of town, spending most of his time in France since his company had opened a subsidiary out there and he needed to train the managers. Once the pair were alone, Sienna began to feel a level of nervousness that didn't match the situation. She'd never experienced anything like this in her life. Even when alone with Adrian she had retained a modicum of self-confidence, safe in the knowledge that she could seduce the pants off him and had no other duties in her role as his slave.With Damien it was different. There was immense pressure to please him not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. He was smart, and sarcastic and funny and talented. How could she possibly entertain a mind like his? 'You're more than a bitchy bimbo,' she told herself,
The prison was far more pleasant than Damien had been expecting. Warm, bright and clean, with only a faint whiff of urine and despair. Unlike the werewolves, he had no heightened sense of smell--a fact he was grateful for. It was the single advantage they had over him. He had a plethora of psychic powers, was a hundred times stronger, could fly and in his shifted form... could breathe a fire that burned hotter than the sun's surface. Adrian's face lit up when he saw Damien approach. "I told you, didn't I?" Adrian boasted. He was always boasting. "I said I could get you any girl you wanted. I bet she's just eating out of your hands."Damien smiled as he sat opposite his friend at the white plastic table. "You are the master of manipulation." Damien flattered him. “But is that really what you wish to discuss?”He gave him one of those, 'Really, bitch?' looks until Adrian’s face fell, his chin wobbling for a second before he shut up and looked down.“Why did you eat Tom?” he muttered
“You might as well start eating,” Mum said with a strained smile. She’d called Adrian multiple times, but he’d yet to reply.‘Probably thinks he’s too good to be summoned so casually,’ Scarlett thought, trying not to roll her eyes.The atmosphere in the dining room was heavier than usual. Scarlett, her mother, and her best friend began to tuck into their food, the strained silence broken only by the scraping of forks on China.She picked at her salad, trying to spear a particularly robust tomato with her fork. It exploded into a mass of green seeds and goo, making her grimace and drop it to the plate.The clatter of her fork grabbed the attention of her mother who looked over with a concerned frown.“Is everything okay?” She asked. She’d asked this question roughly a thousand times since her stepfather Ron and stepbrother Adrian had moved in. Both women sensed the shift in energy. The scent of an Alpha was a powerful thing; something the previously all female household would take time
Adrian was sat in front of the television, playing a first-person shooter, and basically hogging the entire living room. Not that Scarlett was in any position to complain. She had a favour to ask. A huge favour. 'I'll pretend it's not a favour,' Scarlett decided. 'I'll make out as if he's the luckiest guy on the planet.'"So, what did you think to my friend, Sienna?" she asked.Adrian pulled off his headset, flashed her an annoyed looked for interrupting him and asked what she wanted."Did you like Sienna?" she repeated."Your blonde mate?" Adrian asked and made a puking gesture. “Even for a human, she was annoying. I don’t know how you put up with this shit day in, day out. If I had my way I’d tear their scrawny throats out.”"She's the most popular girl at school and she wants to go on a date with you," Scarlett continued with a wide grin, still trying to make the idea sound appealing, though she knew it was a losing battle.His face confirmed he wasn't falling for it."Hard pass,"
"Hello?" the young man replied in the same questioning tone. The first thing she noticed about him was his scent. He was powerful. Not an Alpha but almost as strong. A Beta most likely.The second thing was the shape of his lips—top heavy and downturned. He looked like a young Johnny Depp. Young Johnny Depp was an obsession of Scarlett's. She would watch his films on repeat, despite being terrified of Freddy Krueger.The guy on her doorstep had lighter hair, and his brown eyes had flecks of green, but there was a strong resemblance. 'I need to stop staring like a lunatic,' Scarlett realised."Can I help you?" she asked."Riley, just come on in!" Adrian shouted from the living room.Riley looked at Scarlett with a patient smile, waiting for her to move and let him inside."Oh," she uttered, stepping to the side and holding the door open for Adrian's guest. "D—do you want a cup of tea or coffee? I just boiled the kettle.""Coffee would be great," he said. "He takes it without milk or