Zander followed after me and gently held my hand to stop me in the hallway. I was on my way back to my suite. I looked at him with an impatient expression. Didn't he see I wanted some distance from him?Why did he have to after me like that? Zander needed to give me more space, or I'd be further pulled to him. That was the opposite of what I needed. "Cleo, can we talk about the…"I cut him off because I knew what he wanted to say. "I can't do this right now." A tear threatened to escape, and I bit my lip hard. "Just go back to your room and forget about tonight."He frowned at me and pulled me against his chest. Zander's eyes looked into mine with an intensity that made my breathing become shallow. I disliked how he affected me so easily. Zander gave a pained expression and said, "I don't want to forget about kissing you. Don't lie and say you didn't enjoy it. I know your lips reacted to mine." He added, "I'd kiss you again to prove it but I won't."He wasn't wrong but should I
I knocked on Zander's door and got no response. Some random girl walked by and told me, "He went out for a walk on the nature path."I hurried out the nature path and started walking fast.When I found Zander, he looked like he had slept poorly like me. Even his outfit was yesterday's clothes. Guilt hit me in the gut seeing him looking so out of place.I remembered my news and said, "I've got something to tell you."He scoffed and said, "I don't want to hear anything else from you. You've said enough last night."I told him, "Please just hear me out. This isn't about last night. I found out something important."Zander's face turned into interest and he asked, "What did you find out?""My ring's inscription said the name Jenny on it. That was Ash's mom." Understanding dawned on Zander's face. His features turned to a look of determination. "I think we should ask around about my parents and Jenny Wisteria's connection. They seemed tied together for some reason and it's strang
I kept wondering why Maurice had taken my ring. It was really strange. I needed to figure out why he had taken it and soon. Something was definitely off with him. I had lost any trust I used to have with Maurice.The night before I hadn't been able to sleep well. Too many thoughts went through my mind. I especially wondered if we would find the killer of Zander's parents. Everything we knew still wasn't enough to solve the crime. I wondered if we missed evidence of this mystery. Suddenly, a knock came on my suite door.I opened the door, and Zander motioned for me to follow him. He led me back to the room he was staying in. I wondered what he was up to.We hadn't discussed doing any more snooping around. I was ready to do more but was guilty of doing it at Ash's pack. It wasn't his fault that his pack was full of secrets. When we got arrived at his room, he turned to face me."Cleo, I think we need to search Maurice's office. I bet he has more evidence about my parents and Jenn
I finished packing clothes and went to the kitchen and grabbed food to bring with us.Thankfully, there were a lot of foods that didn't spoil for a long time. I grabbed cans of tuna, sardines, spam, and two bags of beef jerky. We'd have to boil water to make it drinkable, since we couldn't bring a lot of bottled water along.I grabbed everything and met Zander outside, my eyes asking if he was ready to go. We had to go the long way back to my pack. It was going to take a few days to get back there on foot. I wished we could take the truck, but it wasn't smart to have a vehicle. We didn't want to be followed by anyone and be brought in for questioning. As we walked, I kept glancing behind us to make sure no one had trailed after us.A realization hit me. I'd be alone with Zander for quite a while. My heart raced with the thought. How would I fight the attraction? It wasn't like I could leave him on his own in the woods.Zander slowed his walking speed and turned to me. "I was th
I pulled myself away from Zander, and he looked at me with a fire in his eyes. A warmth spread throughout my body under the heat of his gaze. I wanted him like I hadn't wanted anyone before. It was a strong feeling in my heart that wanted to feel him pressed up against my body again."Maybe we can try that again sometime," Zander flirtatiously said.I laid my head on his shoulder and said, "Only if I feel like it. Maybe this was a once in a lifetime thing.""You're so cold.""You'd have to convince me.""Maybe I can do that. I convinced you the first time," he said with a charming smile.Zander pulled me onto his lap and leaned in close enough that his lips were dangerously close to mine. My heart thudded loudly, and it felt as if time had slowed down.His lips got close enough to kiss me. Zander's breath felt hot near my mouth, and he gazed into my eyes with an intensity I had never seen before. It felt as if he was staring into my soul which made me shiver.Was he going to ki
Zander POVMaurice's threat didn't intimidate me. No way did he mean it. The man was a coward who didn't have the guts to tell his pack the horrible crime he committed. His words meant nothing to me. Maurice needed someone to put him in his place.I looked at Maurice and scoffed, "You don't scare us. Those are just empty words from a weak Alpha. You won't act on your words." I added, "Besides, you're outnumbered. You can't beat us."Maurice bitterly replied, "How about this? Why don't you fight me one on one to the death? That will prove who is the better wolf."Cleo swallowed and looked at me with worry. I understood her concern for me, but I knew I could handle fighting Maurice. I trained for years, and I am an extremely skilled fighter. She didn't need to worry.Maurice was a coward for wanting a one on one fight. A true Alpha would fight us both at the same time. I smelled fear coming from him. "You don't have to do this. He's an Alpha. This won't be like training at the Ful
I heard the sound of Maurice yelping in pain, and he snarled at Zander. His anger radiated off of him. I also smelled a hint of fear coming from Maurice, but he was trying to hide it. He didn't want to appear weak.Maurice failed to get away from us. He seemed to be weakening a little.It would have been bad if I hadn't jumped in when I did. My heart ached when I saw Zander in trouble. I knew that I had to help him, no matter the consequences. Losing Zander would've been earth shattering. That would've made me end Maurice with no remorse. Luckily, it didn't come to that. I had never killed anyone and didn't want to. I snapped out of my thoughts and came back to the present.I kept biting Maurice's shoulder with my canines and refused to let go. He deserved to have pain for all the harm he had done to Zander and his parents. I hoped he wouldn't heal quickly from our fight either. It sounded horrible to think that way, but he was a terrible guy.I didn't care that Maurice was Ash's
Warriors closed in on us. I looked over at Zander and saw fearlessness. He was prepared to fight for his life, despite the injuries from Maurice. Blood was still running out of his wounds. I worried that he would lose too much blood if he fought too long. Zander moved to stand back to back with me and said, "You ready to kick a lot of ass? We can take them.""Yeah I'm ready. Remember to stay close.""Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of getting away from you. I'll stay by your side."My heart fluttered at his words. I wished he didn't say things like that before a battle. I had so much more to say to him but couldn't.Warriors started charging towards us, brandishing wooden staffs and knives. It didn't seem fair, but I was strong enough to fight weaponless.A blonde girl swung her staff towards my face and almost hit me. I tried to swing my leg to kick her in the face. She dodged my attack and whacked me with the staff hard in the stomach. I stumbled back but didn't fall down.Whe
The next morning, I woke to Zander's sleeping face next to me. My heart almost burst with how much I loved him. I smiled to myself remembering the day before. I stroked his hair and moved a strand away from his eyes.It was almost hard to stop stroking his hair. As Zander slept, I heard him say something. I thought it was sweet how he said my name while sleeping. I knew what he was dreaming about and felt happy he couldn't get me off his mind. Zander wouldn't get out of my mind either.A few more minutes later, I got of bed and went into the shower with my clothes from the day before. I didn't care if I repeated my outfit. While I was waiting for the water to get hot, Zander came in and slowly took in the sight of me. He was still naked from our night together.Zander approached me and whispered in my ear, "Want me to join you?"I nodded my head and stepped into the shower. The water was hot and so was Zander's gaze.Zander pressed me against the wall and knelt down near my fe
I interrupted Zander after I found him in the kitchen eating dinner. "Do you want to hang out?"As I looked at Zander, I realized something. I knew I could be with Zander since Ash was out of my life. I didn't have to keep my promise to him anymore, and he had Candice now. Zander got up and went over to me and kissed my cheek. "Just let me finish my dinner first, and I'll meet you in my room."I headed towards his room and sat down on his desk chair. Before I had never looked around his room and decided to check it out. He had a board with drawings pinned to it. Some of them were of me and others were of wolves. Suddenly Zander's voice startled me, "Do you like what you see?""These drawings are really good. I didn't know you had this talent.""I get it from my mom. She was an artist back in the day. I learned from her.""I'm sure she'd be proud of you."Zander got quiet and didn't say anything back. Had I gone too far by saying that? I didn't want him to feel grief all over
Zander and I kissed for a while and then went back to just cuddling. Suddenly, a knock came on the door. Zander groaned and looked up in annoyance.I got up and answered the door. It was Megan and she had a look of relief on her face. She hugged me and said, "Thank God you're alive. I was so worried when I lost sight of you outside."Her words made me tear up a little. "I'm glad you're alive too. I was worried about you during the battle."Megan's eyes filled with tears, and she hugged me tighter. I needed her comfort from the horrible ambush we had just gotten over. It made me feel a hint better.Megan asked, "Have you seen your parents yet?"I shook my head no and asked, "Why, have they been looking for me?"Megan nodded her head yes and walked away. My parents probably thought I was dead. I felt extremely guilty for letting them worry about me for so long. I walked out the door with Zander trailing behind me. We got to my parents' room quickly, and I urgently knocked on th
When I finished fighting another warrior, I tried to get close to Zander. He was still running towards Maurice.Suddenly, a few of Maurice's lackies blocked Zander's path. Maurice was going to get away. I had to help Zander out. Maurice didn't deserve to escape.He needed to pay for his crime. I would gladly help Zander to bring him down.Someone came running at Zander and pushed him to the ground. He was held by his hair, and I rushed to be at his side.I smacked the warrior with my wooden staff in the back. He lost his grip on Zander's hair and fell to the ground. Zander didn't waste time in pounding the guy. I searched the area but didn't see Maurice around. Had he already run away? I hoped I was wrong.More and more warriors came towards us. It seemed like the fighting would never end with how many of them there were.For some reason, I checked to see if Megan was around. I hadn't seen my friend around for a while. Was she okay?A few seconds later, I spotted Megan and she w
Ash sprinted off before I could even go after him. Was he scared of me or something?I chased after him but got stopped by a sudden warrior. The warrior was a girl a little older than me. She had a nasty scar across her cheek.The girl tried to knock me down with her wooden staff. I narrowly avoided being smacked by her staff and rushed away from her. She trailed after me and attempted to whack me with the staff again.I grabbed the staff out of her hands and swept her off her feet. She fell to the floor with a thud. I took the opportunity to kick her in the side and wanted her to stay down. Before anyone else showed, I ran towards the living room. There were many warriors fighting against our members who hadn't had their dinner spiked. Luckily, not everyone in our pack was a guard.I spotted Megan fighting against a guy who was taller than she was. Of course, she was kicking his ass and getting a lot of good kicks and punches in.Where was Zander? My heart sped up at the though
I tended to Zander's wounds over the next few days, and he got better. My presence helped him heal even faster than usual, despite the fractured ribs he had. I still can't believe that Ash would attack him so underhandedly. Meanwhile, I was still trying to forget about his betrayal.Being back home at my pack helped me feel better. I needed to get my mind off of Ash and what he did to me. Candice was someone I needed to avoid as well. No way was I seeing my traitorous sister anytime soon. She made me feel disgusted when I looked at her.So far when I had passed by Candice, I avoided eye contact and wouldn't talk to her. She hadn't tried to talk to me either. I just hoped our parents hadn't noticed our behavior. They knew we didn't get along the best, but at least we tolerated each other.A moment later, I texted Megan if she wanted to hang out and do something. It was the early afternoon, and I was taking a break from any Alpha training. It seemed time that I finally got some moment
Zander POVMy fist connected with Ash's face. Blood dripped from his lips, and Ash wiped it off with the back of his hand before swinging his fist towards me.I narrowly avoided getting the impact of his punch. We started rolling around on the ground throwing hits at each other.Eventually Ash had me pinned under him and grasped my throat tightly with his hands. He started choking me and made me cough. I had to get him to release his grip on me, or my windpipe would be crushed.He squeezed harder and harder on my throat. It was getting more difficult to breathe.I reached out and tried to make him loosen his grip on me. I latched onto his wrist and tried to injure him. An odd crunching noise was heard, as I kept grasping his wrist harder.Ash cried out in pain and let go long enough for me to get away. I tried to get more oxygen back into my system and stood up quickly. Ash's gaze burned with pure hatred towards me. "You're going to regret doing that!"He ran towards me at full
Zander POVLoud footsteps approached Cleo's room where I was hiding out. I wondered who was coming. I prepared to explain myself in case it was her parents. We didn't need to get reprimanded for leaving the Full Moon pack before our training was over.Cleo came into the room with an irritated look on her face. I got up from her desk chair that I had been sitting on. It was a little concerning to see how angry she was. I'd never seen Cleo look this level of pissed off. She was flushed and had her hands clenched into tight fists.Things must've gone badly when she talked to Ash. I wanted to know what that asshole had done to her. Ash had never been someone I liked around our pack, but now I absolutely hated him. He was a sad excuse for a future Alpha.I knew I had to comfort Cleo and let her vent. She seemed like she needed someone to talk to. Holding in anger wasn't good to do. I knew that from experience in the past. I hoped that her anger wouldn't stay with her too long.I came ov
I stomped down the hall towards the guest room we had for Ash. I didn't care how ridiculous I probably looked. Ash had really provoked me.He had no clue what was coming to him. I hoped he wasn't there for his sake. So many things ran through my mind about what I needed to tell him. Adrenaline coursed through my veins while my heart beat incredibly fast.He only had that room as an honorary guest of the pack. I wanted to throw him out of my pack by his shoulders after this betrayal. Ash didn't deserve to stay among us anymore, because he had lost all my trust. I didn't want someone like that around all of us.I barged into Ash's room without knocking. Ash sat up on the bed and looked at me with an unreadable expression. He didn't seem surprised I showed up. How could he just sit there looking unaffected by me?Ash cleared his throat and got off the bed. He was fully dressed and had his hair brushed. I felt disgusted looking at his face. "Cleo, what brings you here?"Was he serio