VICTORIA It’s been over one hundred and sixty-eight hours since I last saw Isabella. My aunt checked in a few times before leaving for work. Coming home didn’t really improve my mood. I thought the pain would disappear by rejecting her, but now it feels worse. Why do I still want her? “The rejection was false. You never wanted to leave her,” Rae told me. “Still, I shouldn’t be the one in pain. She’s the one who didn’t want to fight for us,” I snapped back. “Then we should have stayed and fought for her. Maybe we could’ve made her stronger,” Rae countered. “I don’t want to fight for her,” I cried. “Then why are you still holding on to her shirt?” I looked down at the shirt clutched to my chest. This was my pastime. Sitting on my bed, breathing in her scent, brought both pain and pleasure. “Rae, I don’t know what to do.” “Yes, you do. Go get our mate back,” Rae said without explaining how. “Easier said than done, Rae. I can’t just go back.” Rae huffed at me and di
VICTORIA Aunt Vera stood in the doorway, shaking her head at James. “Hey, when I don’t want to be found, I can truly disappear,” James smiled while putting on a cloak. “But we do have to go.” James picked up the bags and headed down the stairs. I followed them down to her car in the garage. “Why didn’t you let us know, Aunt Vera? We could’ve helped,” I said, stopping by the car while they were getting in. “James in the back, you know the drill,” Aunt Vera said. “But it’s cramped back there. No one will even see me if I let the seat down,” James whined. “James Edward Magus!” James immediately jumped to the back with all the bags. I smiled, knowing that she still had power over him. “Look, Victoria. The more people that knew, the more dangerous it would’ve become,” she said. “I did this to protect my son. No one other than the Alpha knows about this. So, let’s keep it that way.” “Wait, where are you going? Can I come?” I asked. “Not this time, Vi,” James rustled my h
ISABELLA I woke up really early today. After that little showdown with my mom, I stayed with Zira for two weeks. I looked over to my best friend with her mouth wide open, drooling, wetting her pillow, and smiled. Had to do a lot of groveling to get her to stay and not leave. She’s been such a great support these weeks. Staying up watching romantic movies, eating our weight in desserts, and singing into the night. Even on days when she wasn’t feeling good. I had to find a way to repay her. I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake her, and packed my things. I quietly exited the room and headed for the front door. I heard Mrs. Lake making breakfast in the kitchen and stopped by to say goodbye. “Good morning, Mrs. Lake.” “Oh, Isabella. Good morning. Breakfast?” She asked, gesturing towards the spread on the table. “Oh no. I’m fine,” I said as my stomach protested loudly. She laughed and practically pushed me into a seat at the table. “Just take a seat and fill a plate. Ca
ZIRAI woke up with a mission: get through the ceremony without incident and get my papers signed. Although I’ve tried to see Alpha Isaiah the last few days, he’s either too busy with his Alpha’s duties or running around with Alaia to prepare for the ceremony. How hard was it to sign papers? Hell, I could totally fake his signature. It’s the blood that’s tricky. Apparently, the smell of an Alpha’s blood carried some kind of magic to let others know you’re not a rogue trespassing. I would’ve left long ago if that hadn’t been the case. I got up and immediately felt a bit uneasy. This is what happens when you eat your weight in cookies and biscuits. I thought to myself. Strangely, I still craved chocolate and pickles, which hit all my three S’s: salty, sweet, and sour. I waved off the queasy feeling and threw on some yoga shorts with a matching bra and a light sports jacket. I gave myself a look and saw how pale I looked. I hope I don’t come down with anything, though werewolves ar
ZIRAI guess Zed wasn't lying. I thought as I watched Alaia move through the tables. She was beautiful. Tall, slender, porcelain skin, a round face framed by long blond hair, and her eyes. Her eyes almost looked like ice. Hell, I would leave me for her. She stared at me with a nonchalant expression. Probably sizing me up, too. For some reason, I was getting nervous and sick to my stomach. How could someone make me feel this way?"You didn't answer my question," Alaia said, breaking me from my thoughts. "Why were you touching those?" She pointed to the napkins on the table."Sorry, I...was just admiring the decorations." I kept my eyes on the ground and stood tall. She'll be our Luna soon, but hopefully, I'll be long gone. Still, I was a hunter and had to show respect. I've learned long ago not to underestimate Luna's power.Alaia walked next to me, grabbing the napkins from the table. "Do you think these will work better than the blue and white?" I looked at her, wondering why she w
ALAIA It was nice to put his little “friend” in her place. The look on Zira’s face was priceless and only proved that she still had feelings for him. I needed to lay the groundwork before she thought she could be anything else. Though the last thing she said really pissed me off. What did she mean about jinxing the ceremony? The ceremony was happening no matter what, and if she had any plans to sabotage it, she had another thing coming. I couldn’t help but glare at her as she walked away with Isabella. “Everything ok?” Isaiah’s question brought me back from plotting. I smiled and planted another kiss on his lips. I didn’t have the time to have him worrying about everything, especially with him almost catching me coming out of the closet. Though, standing here with Isaiah made me feel grateful. Whenever I could have him to myself, I felt more connected to him. Besides, it tamed Elaine enough to get off my back. “Ahem.” We stopped and saw Luna Bella standing with her hands on
ISAIAH I was pacing back and forth in my room. I don’t really know why I was nervous. It was just a silly ceremony, but something worried me, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. “You’re worrying about nothing,” Devon said in my mind. “Our mate is here, and, in a few hours, she will be marked and ours. What more could you want?” He was right. I found my mate, and she accepted me. Now we’re going to be complete. Why am I buggin’? I need something to calm me down. “Best friend to the rescue,” yelled Hunter, bursting through the doors with a bottle and two shot glasses. “Dude, I could feel your anxiety down the hall. You need to chill. Take a shot.” Of course. His remedy to everything. He quickly poured us a shot, and we downed it immediately. We repeated this about four more times before I felt a bit calmer. “Thanks, man. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.” Hunter cocked an eyebrow towards me, and I shrugged my shoulders to say, ‘What?’ “You’re about to seal the deal wi
ZIRAThe ceremony was beautiful. Luna Bella really outdid herself. I was a bit jealous as I watched Alaia say the words, making her Luna of Black Moon. It wasn’t that she was mated to Isaiah but that they found each other. I wanted that. I wanted a mate just like that. I cannot wait to leave. I’m even more determined now. After the ritual, we all went to eat, which was what I was really looking forward to. I felt like I’d been starving all day. I was sitting with my family, far from the main table. It was full of all different kinds of food, every type of meat I could think of. I didn’t waste time as I started to fill my plate with a little of everything. “Slow down there, Z-bug. How many are you eating for?” My dad asked, laughing with my mom. “What? Would you rather I let all this food go to waste?” I asked with a mouthful of food. “You’re embarrassing, you know that.” I threw a bone that narrowly missed my brother’s head. “You keep talking, and Mister Giggles finds his way i