“You should have kept that to yourself.” Corinne laughed.
“I learned to do that after that day. But, I learned a valuable lesson from that punishment, which had nothing to do with the punishment or the fact that my mother was angry that I doubted the elders' stories. That day I realized that all these wolves need something to lean on, in difficult times. Something, or someone, in whom they can place their hopes, other than a being of flesh and blood like me. So I never made the mistake of saying something so disrespectful out loud again.”
“That makes it sound like you still think that way, you know.” Corinne pointed out, fascinated by how well she could imagine a little Hunter, questioning the pillars of his kind's story with that same firm expression he had as an adult.
“Maybe I think…” he grumbled, annoyed “I’v
Hunter was starting to get used to the fact that, whenever something out of the ordinary happened in his house, Corinne was involved with it in some way. So when he smelled something burning as he was passing by the kitchen after yet another board meeting, he couldn't even feel surprised when, as soon as he arrived at the kitchen entrance, his eyes met his wife's standing in front of the stove, whimpering something unintelligible to himself as he banged a wooden spoon against the metal as if he wanted to kill the pan that was spitting smoke all over the place, even with the fire already turned off. “What’s easy about this, Penelope…?” was the only thing he could understand as she grumbled, grabbing an oven mitt to take the pan off the stove. “Did the swan tell you to do this?” Hunter asked and, perhaps because the kitchen was so clogged with smoke that she couldn't smell it, Corinne gasped with a start and dropped the pan on the floor in fright, spilling the thick, almost caked black
Once, Corinne had listened to her little sister Nicole talk for hours about how she and other girls helped one of their friends come out to the boy she was in love with, even not knowing whether he was her fated mate or not. That day, Corinne had tried her best to pay attention to every word and understand the excitement her sister was feeling about the situation, but, frankly, she had never been successful. Not until that moment. For the first time in her life, Corinne was not camouflaged among bushes and tall grass to attack an enemy, but rather to make sure everything would go well with Penelope's plan to declare herself. And, Gosh, now she understood why Nicole was so happy for her friend. It wasn't about the situation itself or seeing if the plan worked or not. It was for the simple pleasure of seeing her friend happy. Know she had been part of it. It probably took Corinne so long to realize this because… Well, she never had many friends, anyway. And, as much as Penelope could
“What the fuck are you doing?!” Hunter gasped, while all Corinne cared to do was look in the direction of where Aiden was now spinning Penelope in the air full of joy, relieved to realize that she hadn't gotten in their way, even though she was still biting her own hand “Stop biting yourself!” he continued demanding, approaching her as if willing to push her hand away, but Corinne soon stopped him, sitting down in the garden dirt while ripping her fangs out of her flesh “What the fuck were you thinking?!” Hunter gasped, in a mix of terror and outrage, as if that were the worst scene he could have seen that day. “Haven't you ever had to bite something to stop yourself from screaming in pain or something, so you wouldn't be discovered on a battlefield after being wounded? Sometimes the only thing you have around is your own arm..." Corinne explained, thinking it was obvious, but the incredulous expression o
“You dirty wolf, stop putting your paws on me while other people are around!” Penelope complained under her breath, but everyone at the breakfast table could hear her, even Corinne, who was sitting at the exact other end of that restless couple, couldn't help but smile as she watched Penelope elbow her mate in a way little discreetly, making him take his hands off her under the table.“Do you two want to get a fucking room?” Felix Calibur grumbled, in a tone that couldn't be described as anything more than bitter "I'm almost making myself throw up my toast."Sitting next to Corinne, Octavia mumbled something unintelligible, but seemed to be agreeing with Felix's complaint.“Stop being a grumpy old man for a second and leave the lovey-dovey alone, Felix.” Isabelle demanded, althoug
Ever since Hunter was a boy, his father’s young brother had always given him more headaches than help, with his mania for not knowing how to control his mouth. Hunter couldn't even say the duel with that old tigress was the worst mess his uncle had ever been in, but it was certainly the one that had irritated Hunter the most, even after so many years. He didn't really know where that intense yearning came from, but Hunter wished Corinne had come to his office that night and visited him of her own free will, just so they could talk or something, just like she always seemed so comfortable and willing to talk to the swan girl, Isabelle and now even Aiden…But not. Now he had to watch her nervously pace back and forth in his office, just because Felix didn't know how to respect a tiger if his life depended on it.
Corinne realized that a duel, perhaps more than a way of defending the wolf's honor, was also a form of entertainment for the pack, as all the wolves around, especially the younger ones, seemed extremely excited to watch the fight that had been promised to them that morning. They all looked so happy they didn't even seem to notice when Corinne bumped into them in the crowd that was beginning to form outside the Calibur house, as she followed Octavia to the courtyard.“Octa! You can’t ignore me forever!” Corinne grunted, apologizing under her breath to every wolf her shoulder accidentally hit because of Octavia's ability to be as slippery as an eel “We need to talk!” she demanded, needing to almost throw herself forward to finally be able to grab Octavia's wrist and make her stop “Please, stop with that! I don't know what made you think I cared who your mate is, but&helli
"Penelope! I can not breathe!" Corinne panted desperately, but that didn't stop the corset at her waist from becoming even tighter.“Stop being dramatic.” the swan princess snorted, continuing to strangle her waist with a strength that Corinne would never have imagined a little bird shifter would possess “My father himself told me in his last letter that the last time the Alphas gathered to honor a wife was over a century ago, when my grandmother was still a child. So, if you want to look perfect for an event like this, then shut up and let me adjust that dress until it really fits you perfectly.” her hands finally stopped pulling on the corset, but Corinne didn't have time to feel relieved, because the knot she tied in the strings didn't let her lungs go back to the right place “That old seamstress's designs are pretty decent, but if you don't have the appropriate preparation
As the son of one of the most influential Lunas to ever exist in the Calibur pack, Hunter was used to attending parties and welcoming different Alphas in the most cordial way possible, even when he wasn't in the mood for it. However, that day, everything seemed very different, as the other Alphas disembarked to enjoy the ball in Corinne's honor. Hunter had never been so in the background as the Alpha of this pack, but he had never felt so proud, either. Hell, Hunter wished he could say he'd be feeling the same way if it were Isabelle, Aiden, or even Felix who were being honored as a hero that night, but…It was special. Because it was Corinne.For probably the hundredth time that night, Hunter broke protocol and slipped into the house, placing himself next to the stairs where Belle had promised that she and Penelope would come down with Corinne when she was ready, which, in his opinion, was t