All eyes were on us as Annabelle and I finally got to the party. Annabelle had spent hours getting us ready and she still didn’t seem to be satisfied.“We need to be perfect!” She said, styling my hair over and over again.“Annabelle, chill. It’s just a party.”She gasped dramatically, putting her hands on my shoulders, “It’s not just a party, Elise, it’s the party! And it’s your first one so we are going to be stunning or we’re not going!”So for the time being I shut up and let her do whatever she needed to do.After another hour or two, I decided I’d had enough and either she was going to be coming with me or I would go alone. Finally, she relented and we left. I was worried my dress would be a bit short since it came up just above my knee, but I liked the way it flowed and it made me feel pretty. I had to admit I did a little twirl before leaving Annabelle’s house.I tried not to look at the people staring at us and resisted the urge to tug my dress lower or move a hand to my hai
My heart hammered as the music changed and Jackson stood in front of me, so handsome and sexy that I felt a flush of heat reach my cheeks. It felt like everyone was watching us.Before he stood in front of me, the music had been loud, quick, club-type music that everyone could dance around crazily to, but now the music had slowed, and had become more romantic like a scene in those movies Annabelle had shown me. I wondered if he’d planned this or if it was just a coincidence.He didn't like me like that... Did he?Jackson held out his hand expectantly but before I knew it, Poppy barged into the way, almost knocking me off my feet as she stood in front of Jackson, taking his hand instead.Part of me wanted to push back, to fight and take that dance for myself or at least make Poppy earn it. She'd never had to earn anything in her life and I'd be damned if I just handed him over like that. But I didn’t know how to dance like that. I barely knew how to move with the music in the club. I w
He couldn’t have said that, and even if he did there was no way that he ever could’ve meant it. A Luna was a serious title meant only for those who had proven themselves worthy. A Luna was an Alpha’s equal in every way possible, they worked together and made decisions together all so the pack’s balance could be maintained and protected. In more civilised times being a Luna was simply being an Alpha’s mate and some Lunas didn’t take it seriously anymore. People like Poppys saw it as a chance to be in charge without earning anything or working for it and spending all the pack’s money.Fredrick never had a luna before so I’d never witnessed either the power or incompetence before. My mother told me tales of the previous luna, Fredrick’s mother, and she is how I would picture Poppy in power, not a good combination.I valued the position of luna with great respect, so for Jackson to ask me that out of the blue with Poppy mere feet away, I couldn’t help but freeze. “I can’t,” I whispered
Jackson's POV I felt hollow like something had just been taken from me, something I knew I would never get back no matter how hard I tried because it wasn’t something I could hold onto, wasn’t something I could force to be mine and stay with me.I could have forced her to stay. I could have grabbed her by the waist and hauled her onto my shoulders and locked her up in the pack house until she agreed to be mine.But that wasn’t what I wanted. That wasn’t love. So I made the harder choice, I let her go. Fredrick had tried to force her to be his, wanted to control her and keep her like an object, I refused to be like that. I was a selfish man, a selfish stupid man and I hated myself for it. If I had seen Elise for who she was and not the person I wanted her to be so I could hate her and ignore her, she might have stayed with me. From the moment I first met her, I’d felt a pull and I thought it was my soul trying to remind me of what happened the last time a rogue had been invited to t
Branches tore at my legs stealing blood from my body as they scratched me, begging me to stay, but I had to keep running, stopping and giving up wasn’t an option. A gasp left my throat as I stumbled from exhaustion and the darkness of the night, catching myself on a tree trunk just in time before I spiralled into the wicked bramble bushes. My only guide during this murderous night was the moonlight, blurred and weak from the rain and clouds charging across the sky.I contemplated stopping, to sit beside the strong and sturdy tree and recuperate, to let my lungs fill with that much-needed oxygen and let my legs recharge from the torture they’d been enduring, or at least give them a chance to stop shaking. Rain roared around me, but it was hard to care, even as the icy droplets chilled me to my bones. I could take two minutes, couldn’t I? Two minutes to breathe, two minutes to rest, two minutes to pretend everything was okay and then I could keep going. Just as I felt myself lowering t
The world toppled over around me and a deafening crack echoed throughout my head, almost distracting me from the sharp pain ripping through my skull. It was hard to breathe, and at first, I thought it was because of the impact, maybe part of it was, but the huge crushing weight of the dark grey wolf didn’t help.“Ow,” a whimper I didn’t mean to make left my throat.The wolf didn’t seem to care, baring its fangs at my neck, so close that if I moved an inch it would slice my neck like scissors to paper. I tried not to flinch, but saliva dripped down its mouth, splattering on my face, and another whimper formed. I could’ve sworn the wolf smirked at my fear. Its paws crushed one of my arms with such strength I was sure it was going to break. Another paw was pressed firmly on my chest, I wasn’t going anywhere. Opening my mouth, I tried to speak, maybe it would’ve been a threat or a beg, but as I did so, the sour taste of iron coated my tongue from where my teeth had torn my gum and instead
Melanie.So this was how they were able to track me so easily, despite the mud and the rain and the streams. I spotted one of my shirts in her hand and runes splattered in blood across it. A tracking spell. Everything had been against me tonight, the rain, my lack of a wolf, and now a tracking spell. I glared at the witch, promising to make her pay for standing in the way of my freedom.“Forgive her, Alpha Jackson, A slight misunderstanding between the girl and our alpha. We would never dare to intrude-”“And yet here you are, witch. You have brought an army into my territory, some may say this is an act of war.”Melanie raised her head, a paragon of proprietary and politeness, “I assure you alpha, we are only here to reclaim the girl. It was an oversight that we-”“Oversight?’ He cut her off again, eyes blazing with a dark fury, “My territory, was an oversight?”Melanie bowed her head again, out of fear or respect I wasn’t sure. The forest was still and silent, tension lurking in the
It was dark and I was running again. Running through the forest with its sharp branches and stones and unforgiving cold. Someone was calling my name, over and over, singing it like a song. The further away I got, the louder it became and the singing turned into screaming into screeching. With my lungs heaving and sweat trickling from my forehead, I turned to try to see just what was following me. But that was a mistake. I lost my footing on something, maybe a stone or an exposed root, but I started tumbling. I waited for the blow of the ground, preparing myself for the pain and to get up again, but nothing came. It was like I was thrown into an endless void of darkness. Was I standing up? Was I upside down? Was I awake? Was I dead? The screeching got louder.“Elise!”The voice was familiar, so familiar that it hurt my heart to listen to it, my mother's voice calling for me.“Elise come home!” “Moth-”My call to her was cut off and my father suddenly appeared before me. His body was
Jackson's POV I felt hollow like something had just been taken from me, something I knew I would never get back no matter how hard I tried because it wasn’t something I could hold onto, wasn’t something I could force to be mine and stay with me.I could have forced her to stay. I could have grabbed her by the waist and hauled her onto my shoulders and locked her up in the pack house until she agreed to be mine.But that wasn’t what I wanted. That wasn’t love. So I made the harder choice, I let her go. Fredrick had tried to force her to be his, wanted to control her and keep her like an object, I refused to be like that. I was a selfish man, a selfish stupid man and I hated myself for it. If I had seen Elise for who she was and not the person I wanted her to be so I could hate her and ignore her, she might have stayed with me. From the moment I first met her, I’d felt a pull and I thought it was my soul trying to remind me of what happened the last time a rogue had been invited to t
He couldn’t have said that, and even if he did there was no way that he ever could’ve meant it. A Luna was a serious title meant only for those who had proven themselves worthy. A Luna was an Alpha’s equal in every way possible, they worked together and made decisions together all so the pack’s balance could be maintained and protected. In more civilised times being a Luna was simply being an Alpha’s mate and some Lunas didn’t take it seriously anymore. People like Poppys saw it as a chance to be in charge without earning anything or working for it and spending all the pack’s money.Fredrick never had a luna before so I’d never witnessed either the power or incompetence before. My mother told me tales of the previous luna, Fredrick’s mother, and she is how I would picture Poppy in power, not a good combination.I valued the position of luna with great respect, so for Jackson to ask me that out of the blue with Poppy mere feet away, I couldn’t help but freeze. “I can’t,” I whispered
My heart hammered as the music changed and Jackson stood in front of me, so handsome and sexy that I felt a flush of heat reach my cheeks. It felt like everyone was watching us.Before he stood in front of me, the music had been loud, quick, club-type music that everyone could dance around crazily to, but now the music had slowed, and had become more romantic like a scene in those movies Annabelle had shown me. I wondered if he’d planned this or if it was just a coincidence.He didn't like me like that... Did he?Jackson held out his hand expectantly but before I knew it, Poppy barged into the way, almost knocking me off my feet as she stood in front of Jackson, taking his hand instead.Part of me wanted to push back, to fight and take that dance for myself or at least make Poppy earn it. She'd never had to earn anything in her life and I'd be damned if I just handed him over like that. But I didn’t know how to dance like that. I barely knew how to move with the music in the club. I w
All eyes were on us as Annabelle and I finally got to the party. Annabelle had spent hours getting us ready and she still didn’t seem to be satisfied.“We need to be perfect!” She said, styling my hair over and over again.“Annabelle, chill. It’s just a party.”She gasped dramatically, putting her hands on my shoulders, “It’s not just a party, Elise, it’s the party! And it’s your first one so we are going to be stunning or we’re not going!”So for the time being I shut up and let her do whatever she needed to do.After another hour or two, I decided I’d had enough and either she was going to be coming with me or I would go alone. Finally, she relented and we left. I was worried my dress would be a bit short since it came up just above my knee, but I liked the way it flowed and it made me feel pretty. I had to admit I did a little twirl before leaving Annabelle’s house.I tried not to look at the people staring at us and resisted the urge to tug my dress lower or move a hand to my hai
Jackson’s POVAfter the past few weeks with traitors and spies and the whole pack being on edge, the Blue Moon party would be a relief and distraction for everyone.Well, everyone except me.I couldn’t quite let myself enjoy the celebration because I had too much on my mind. I tried to contact other packs for support, a few had gotten back to me but not enough for us to take on the New Moon pack. Clarissa was adamant that they would be experimenting with the Blessed Silver and I wasn't going to take the risk of attacking them back unless I had all the support of the neighbouring packs.I was also looking at changing our patrols, trying to make things more unpredictable but still controllable. We hadn't had any other infiltrations as far as I was aware but I wasn't going to let them take me by surprise.Abel insisted that he had nothing to do with the spy infiltrating the pack and Clarissa couldn’t get anything out of him either. There was no point in torture because it would be hard t
Another council meeting was held because of the spy that had broken through the border and Jackson had the head warrior Abel placed in custody since they were his formations and plans that had gotten leaked. Abel tried to protest, saying that he had no idea how they’d gotten that information from him, but it was no use. Jackson saw him as a potential danger, but since nothing was proven yet, he was just placed in custody in the cells. “Jackson?” I knocked on the door to his office with a tray of coffee and snacks.For the past few hours, he’d been locked in his office, only letting Christian in. It was understandable that he would want to keep whatever plans he had private because of the traitor, but there was no way I was going to allow him to waste away in his office.I waited a minute for his answer but when I didn’t get one I just opened the door anyway, it’s not like he should be surprised, I wasn’t one for being told what to do and that’s something he should’ve remembered by
“Your form is getting much better,” Jackson commented as we continued our one-to-one training. Apparently it was more crucial than ever to get the extra training he was offering considering I was wolf-less so at any moment if there was an attack or raid from another pack I could protect myself.Once, Jackson had me up against three members of his pack shifted. I had to evade them for an hour. I was given a headstart but it didn’t do much. I was caught in ten minutes with Jackson laughing at me. He made me do it again three times before taking pity on me and calling it a day.Today we were working on my fist fighting again on the off chance I was fighting someone who hadn’t shifted. I didn’t have any weapons today to train with.“What if you can’t get your hands on one?” Jackson asked sternly as he went to punch and I went to dodge.“Then I’ll make one,” I replied. Dodging his attacks had gotten easier, and more predictable even when he did try to shake things up.“And if you can’t? I
I was starting to lose track of how many days had passed since I’d come to the Full Moon pack but it felt like I’d always been here. After Capture The Flag I seemed to gain a little bit of respect from most of the other pack members. Even Poppy’s friends were more civil to me as she started to get better.Poppy had been recovering for about a week before she started involving herself in the pack again, quieter though. She hardly looked at me anymore and I wondered if it was out of guilt for what she had nearly done or fear from what had been done to her.I was heading to the Tracker’s Den where Annabelle had been teaching and training me. It was one of the factions I was interested in joining if I was going to accept a place in the pack. The other one would’ve been the healers but I was more drawn to the idea of hunting for food, learning different animals' habits and this also faction let me keep an eye on the New Moon pack’s movements.I was working on learning what different paw pr
I was back in my house when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it up, still in my dressing gown and pyjamas as Annabelle entered my house, immediately bringing me into a tight hug.I didn’t know how to respond, so I lifted my arms and hugged her back briefly before I pulled away from her and invited her in. I knew what kind of tea she liked, so I headed silently to the kitchen to put the kettle on and sort out some drinks.I didn’t know how to start a conversation with her at that moment. I was sure she heard from Christian about what had happened the day before and I didn’t want to start off lying to her.“Christian told me,” She started as I handed her a cup of tea and we sat down on the sofa, “he said someone put Blessed Silver in your body.”“They did,” I confirmed, looking down at my cup with discomfort and guilt.Annabelle had been one of the only friends I had since the beginning of all of this and it hurt that I had to lie and mislead her when it came to my wolf. Did she fe