"Dance for me," he said.Scarlett giggled, but the laughter become soft and tapered off as she took in his facial expression."I can't dance," she said. "I'm... terrible. I have all the style and grace of a greased up, three-legged warthog on an ice-rink."Maybe it was the vivid mental image that made him snort with laughter. He looked her up and down with suspicious eyes."Adrian said you are a cheerleader," he sternly pointed out."Oh God," Scarlett covered her head with her palm. "Only because Sienna forced me. Little Miss Gymnastic gold champion has to take every opportunity to show off her limber frame. Meanwhile, you have me in the background, tripping over my own feet like a hopeless lummox. You’d think I’d have some sort of natural grace!"He burst into laughter again."Show me a routine," he demanded, staring up at the ceiling.When Scarlett dropped her shoulders in defeat, about to begin the silly cheer, Riley sat up on the bed and waved his arms."Woah, woah, woah, sweet ch
After changing back into her regular clothes, Scarlett scoured the internet for memes that were funny or relevant enough to share on her social media. It was a full-time job, taking up more of her time than homework, but somebody had to drudge through the sea of endless posts to pick out the gems.There were a lot of memes about men, due to the trending hashtag #notallmen. Scarlett steered clear, careful not to take a stance one way or another. She couldn't deal with people arguing on her posts. The only valid response was a laughter emoji.It wasn't long before the dreaded message appeared in her inbox. She was going to have to deal with Sienna’s bitching for weeks, maybe even months if she still wanted to hang out here with the same frequency. Deep in her heart, Scarlett almost hoped that her bestie would stop hanging out here so much. Yes, it was a normal teenager thing to do, but sometimes she wished to be… herself. Abnormal. Animal.Scarlett’s brow shaped into a confused frown as
Scarlett closed her eyes and prayed, but it did no good.His response was innevitable, she realised, seeing the cruel sneer materialise across his lips. "I only went out with you because my stepsister begged and pleaded with me," he revealed.Sienna's previously smug face dropped immediately. She slowly turned to Scarlett, eyes smouldering like lasers. Anger radiated off her in waves, almost visible and hot."Seriously?" Damien asked with a mouthful of food, choking on his salad."Yeah," Adrian told him. "She fucking begged on her knees with tears in her eyes because she was so worried her so-called best friend would blame her if I said no."As Sienna stared into the eyes of her best friend, she could see her rage and pain. Little tears formed before she threw her tray full of food at Scarlett's feet and ran from the cafeteria. Everyone turned to stare at Scarlett. The entire student body. She'd never felt so exposed and open. Staying out of the limelight was important--her mother
Sienna looked at her face in the mirror, inspecting her otherwise flawless skin for red blotches. Seeing speckles of pink beneath her eyes, she applied a final layer of concealer before fixing her makeup with powder. Her mother always bought her the best brands so it should last the school day. She didn't want anyone to know she'd been crying nonstop since yesterday—not even her remaining friends.Covering the marks didn't mean she couldn't still feel them. The skin of her cheeks was taut and sore, and her eyes stung despite using drops.Her chest rattled as she breathed in a shaky breath, giving herself a final once over before exiting the bathroom.She stood in the hallway as the students milled about her, chatting, and louting about as they made their way to the canteen or the picnic area. When she saw Adrian, her heart fluttered. It felt like it might burst, the rush of adrenaline being too much of a load to bear. Everything about him was perfection, from the shape of him to the
Sienna felt her cheeks burn with shame. Yes, it was cringy and humiliating, but it had worked for Scarlett. If begging was the only card she had to play, she was willing to give it a shot. It wasn’t as if she had any dignity left to covet at this point. He would probably tell people, but she couldn't care about that right now—it was a bridge she would cross in the future if it came to it."What?" he asked, one brow raised. "Are you for real?"Sienna nodded without looking up, feeling her hair tickle her face. She tucked it behind her ear, glancing up at him to read his reaction."Well, you're welcome to try it," he said, looking amused.She didn't feel hopeful. Something about his expression, the cruel curl of his lip, suggested he was making fun of her. Still… any hope was better than no hope at all. As she explored his face, she knew there was no way she could go on without him. He was just too perfect. Life would be devoid of meaning if she couldn't make him her own. The life she h
Sienna neared her home after taking a shortcut through the park and a walkway loving known as 'dog shit alley' by her friends. She was careful, staring down at the uneven paving slabs as she stepped, knowing from experience that the name they'd assigned was apt.As she neared her front door, she got a message but left it until she was inside. It was probably just Tamara or Rose checking up on her for the millionth time. It was sweet of them but completely unnecessary--everything was perfect in her world now.Her heart pounded when she saw Adrian's name on her screen. That instant burst of adrenaline made her eyes swim, making it hard to read the text."Come over. You need to apologise to Scarlett. You will come to my room after," she eventually read.An unconscious little smile formed on her lips as she pulled her clothes from her wardrobe, getting dressed in a blind panic.She wanted to look hot enough to make him swoon, but at the same time, she didn't want to keep him waiting. Shov
Sienna swallowed and obeyed him without question, stripping out of her jeans and top and folding them into a neat little pile on the bed."Underwear too," he prompted, giving her a sideways glance.After only a second’s hesitation, she obliged, adding her bra and briefs to the pile. She had to fight the urge to cover up using her hands, holding them firmly at her sides.‘Your body is beautiful,’ she told herself, forcing her usually confident persona to the surface. She got the feeling he wouldn't be happy to see her acting modestly.He didn't tell her how amazing she looked or how beautiful her body was. He barely even looked at her. The look in his eyes said he’d seen it all before. She was nothing special to him. Usually, guys would gush at the sight of her, becoming excited at the chance to sleep with such a stunning beauty. This experience was… different, to say the least. It left her with a feeling she’d yet to experience. One she couldn’t define in words.The sun shone through
Sienna searched through the cupboards to find a mug, tutting as she realised everything had been rearranged. Boxes sat open by the cupboards, brimming with gold-rimmed kitchenware."He doesn't want to throw out the dining set his mother bought him," Samantha—Scarlett's Mum—told her with an exaggerated eye roll. "Honestly, I hate this outdated stuff but sometimes you have to suck it up."Sienna chuckled at her choice of words."Maybe you can slowly filter them out with 'accidents,'" she said, making quotation marks with her fingers."That's the plan," Samantha said, eyes flashing wildly. She wasn't like other mothers. Sam was cool. And pretty. She didn’t look like one would imagine a mother to look--or even a day over 20. The pretty woman narrowed her soft brown eyes, examining Sienna's face. "What is that stuff on your eyebrow?" she asked, leaning in and sniffing."Erm," Sienna muttered, trying to think of another clear liquid that might be all over her face. Nothing immediately spr
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
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 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 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
“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
When the police knocked at the door Scarlett, her mother and Adrian gathered on the upstairs landing. They heard Ron place his cup down and move to answer it."What's going on?" Scarlett asked her mother.Mum shook her head in confusion. She clearly had no more clue than Scarlett."Let's go and find out," Scarlett said, following her mother down the staircase. Ron pulled open the front door to reveal a couple of police officers. A tall man and a red-haired woman, both in uniform, pulled out their badges“Can I help you?” Ron asked without saying hello or exchanging pleasantries."I’m Sergeant Hobbs and this is Inspector Greenwood," the woman said. “Is Adrian Turner home?”Scarlett wondered if Sienna had reported him for hurting her. She had said she wouldn’t, but people could change their minds. Scarlett wouldn’t blame her. Not one little bit. Adrian deserved to be punished for his behaviour. Being Alpha did not give him free reign to do whatever he wished."Why? Why do you want to s
Tom smiled to himself as he heard the familiar sound of his ringtone buzzing from his pocket. He frowned when he saw it was not Ariella—the cute Swedish healer from his guild—but Damien.After doing a project with the goth kid, he hadn't bothered to remove his number but never guessed that Damien might call him out of the blue like this."Hello?" Tom asked without hiding the confusion in his voice."Tom, I need you to listen to me and not ask your usual 20 questions, okay? I'm out of town, and Sienna just called me from the inside of Adrian's wardrobe. She's claustrophobic, so you need to nip over there and get her out. Got it?"As Damien spoke the words went into Tom's brain and made a certain degree of sense, but unfortunately—he had questions."Huh?" He muttered. "What? Why?"He could sense Damien's stifled but angry sigh."Tom. I'm out of town or I'd go round there myself. You are the only contact in my phone who lives close to Adrian and knows where he lives. Go over there. Go in
Sienna tried not to yawn as she sat beside Adrian, but her body was fatigued, and her mind worn. The more she tried not to yawn, concentrating with all her mind, the more her throat muscles contracted, threatening to let the subtle act of disrespect escape.She covered her face and turned to look out of the window as it slipped out, but he caught her."Am I boring you, Sienna?" he asked."No," Sienna replied with haste. "I, erm, I'm just so exhausted.""Slap yourself in the face," he said. Sienna did so, not hard enough to hurt but with enough force to wake herself up. It surprised her by working... for a couple of seconds at least. Then she wanted to yawn again."I'm not horny," Adrian told her in a conversational tone. "But I am in the mood to see you suffer."Sienna wasn't listening to him. She'd spotted a half-eaten sandwich on the windowsill and couldn't tear her eyes away from it. It appeared to have an egg mayonnaise filling—her favourite. Her mouth watered as she envisioned b
Riley made eye contact for a second before moving to the left and trying to shove his way past. Scarlett stood her ground, refusing to budge from her spot on the stairs. He was either going to have to talk to her or send her flying.He sighed and tutted. "What lie are you talking about?""The one where you said you'd only slept with two girls, and that it was in the past?" Scarlett intoned, sticking out her chin. She could feel her pulse quickening as the strange, brain-swimming feeling returned."Oh jeez," she muttered, stumbling, and almost falling.She would have tumbled down the stairs, but Riley quickly shifted and caught her in his arms. Held closely and coddled like a baby, she stared up at his concerned frown as he took her to her room and gently placed her on the bed.For a moment he sat beside her. He picked up a brush from her bedside table and fiddled with it, head and eyes down before he finally spoke."It's not like that." He shook his head. "That woman I'm seeing... it'