Isabella“How long do you think she will be able to hold out?” I frown when I see the look in Asher’s eyes. He sighs deeply, making me really worried.“I don’t know. She’s always been difficult to really pin down. Emily is motivated by money and prestige, and she will do anything to get it.” He sighs. “As long as that twisted mind of hers believes that there is the slightest chance, she can get me back, she isn’t going to admit anything.”“Maybe that is what we have to use against her then.” I sit down while he pours each of us a drink. He hands me one and sits down beside me.“What do you mean? What more can we tell her or show her that she hasn’t already seen? She knows we are mated.” He frowns, and I take a moment to think about it. I hate the idea of torturing someone. Physically and emotionally, but we may have no other choice.“What would she do if we condemn her? If you openly say that she is guilty whether she admits it or not?” I don’t even dare go further, but thankfully, I
IsabellaShock runs through the entire pack. I take a step back since that wasn’t the answer I was expecting. It only takes a moment for Asher to give the order. I see the fury in his eyes as moment later chaos breaks out. Emily has already been released, but I know she won’t make it very far.I hear the howls as Asher shifts and the pack follows, and I turn and make my way home. I can’t be a part of that. I can’t bring myself to do that to anyone. Memories of Liam flood my mind as well as the promise I made myself that day.I know that I will have to fight for my survival again. I’m a werewolf. It is just the way things are. I know that I will probably have to kill, but I won’t do what the pack is doing right now. I just can’t bring myself to go that far.I walk into our son’s bedroom and pick him up. Clinging to him, I breathe in his scent. I send up a silent prayer to whoever is listening to protect my son. I don’t want this for him. I put him down when I hear Asher come in.By the
LukeThere is a lot of pressure on me to find my mate from the very moment I turn eighteen, but I’ve never really been worried. My parents only met later in their lives and I believe that I will meet my mate when the time is right.I know that she isn’t in our pack. It’s sad because that would mean taking a girl away from her family, but I made sure to check every single and available female during the pack run. Besides, legend has it that you can smell your mate, and I haven’t smelled anything different.I sit down behind the desk I saw my father working at for so long, and it just feels weird. I guess I will get used to it in time. I’ve been training as alpha for a while. But actually, going through the loyalty ceremony and now sitting in the office makes it really sink in.AliceStanding on the porch, I look out at the rain. I was really looking forward to my birthday. Most importantly, I was looking forward to my father announcing that I would be taking over from him as the pack b
AliceAll I can think about as I clutch the letter with my name on it is that at least they didn’t lie to us about what was happening. They could have lied and sent us off thinking we were going to some kind of theme park or something.I try to read the letter as I’m hustled away with the rest of the group that has been picked. Once all the letters are handed out, our alpha starts to explain what everyone has just been gossiping about since last night. I don’t hear most of it.“Is this compulsory?” I frown as soon as he asks if there are any questions.“I’m afraid it is, Alice.” He grins at me. We went to school together. I won’t say we were best friends or anything, but we all got along fairly well. Could he be playing one of his jokes on me? I study the letter, but it is an exact copy of all the others I can see.I can’t imagine he would play such a joke on all of us. Some of the girls were actually excited, and it would be cruel to take this opportunity away from them. We are sent
LukeMy first thought when I heard what the council were planning was that they couldn’t have come up with a more ridiculous idea, but when I saw the evidence, I understood why they were planning to do it. All around the world, packs were reporting what I thought was pure fiction at first.That was until I saw the actual proof. Something had gone very wrong with our belief that the moon goddess was sending us our destined mates. It seems that belief created creatures that only half shifted. Pictures showed monsters of all ages, and according to reports, they were all feral.It is not just a sad state, but also a dangerous one. With those many possibilities out in the world, there is a very real chance that humans can find out about us and their next step would be to round all of us up and experiment on us.I was quickly convinced that the ridiculous plan might just work, and as I study myself in the mirror, I prepare for what will probably be the weirdest day of my entire life. Each pa
AliceAs he took my hand, I feel his feelings and something tells me what he is about to show me is going to finally give me the answers I have been looking for. We walk into what I can only guess is his office, since he looks very comfortable opening one of the desk drawers.He pulls out a file and sighs deeply before handing it to me without any explanation. I open the file and my jaw drops. My eyes snap from the photos to him and I see the grim look on his face.“That is why you are here.” He takes a seat and I feel my legs go slightly weak, forcing me to sit beside him while I page through the photos. “I am showing you this because I can feel how upset you are about what is happening. I need you to understand why you were brought here and why the others are being taken to other packs.”“This is horrible!” I gape at the photos and finally close the file. Swallowing hard as he gets up, I gladly take the drink he offers a couple of minutes later and empty the glass without thinking.
Alice“So, if you don’t believe what the council believes, what do you think is causing those awful things to happen?” I notice his eyes glaze over, and I am sure he just mind linked with one of his pack. Maybe even all of them.“I’m not sure, but I just can’t imagine love doing that. Maybe a spell or maybe it is something scientific. If you think about it, not all destined mates get mated. Some choose their mates.” He shrugs and when he smiles, I notice the slight dimple in his one cheek.“How long do you think it will take before we know more?” It astonishes me that he is so open with me about everything. Especially after the way the council treated all the girls when we left home. That makes me wonder how many of the girls on the bus will ever find out the truth.“I’m not sure. They say they have a team working through the data, but my experience has been that they act before they have all the facts, and then it takes them forever to gather all the facts.” He sighs, stuffing his ha
LukeI check in on Alice, and she is fast asleep. I’m not tired yet, so I decide to go for a walk. I have too much on my mind. There are too many variables. Too many things that could go wrong.“You seem to be carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, son.” My dad joins me and I smile. I didn’t even notice he was nearby, which is actually a little unsettling.“I feel as if I am, dad.” We’ve always been close. My father is my sounding board. He and my mom had a stormy start, and I decide to confide in him about everything that is going on between me and Alice. Everything I’m feeling that I can’t act on. Everything that is worrying me and that the council is the biggest worry of them all.“Sounds like you have a decision to make.” He smiles and I sigh. “Son, I have always believed that we should follow our hearts. The council has always been a bit of a stick in the mud, but their latest decisions …” His voice trails off as he sighs.“The thing is dad, what if what they are say
BeverlyTWO YEARS LATER, I wake up in the early hours of the morning as a sharp pain shoots through my entire body. Beside me, Matthew jumps up looking startled and completely confused, but I’m in so much pain that I can’t even explain. When it finally lets go, I look at my completely frazzled mate and a giggle escapes between my lips.“The baby’s coming, Matthew.” I say as I get out of bed. The moment I stand upright, a puddle forms underneath me. Matthew looks like a rabbit caught in headlights and I roll my eyes. For such a confident alpha, he sure ain’t looking for it right now, and I take his hand and walk him out of the room.When we reach the stairs, another contraction hits and I have a feeling our pup is going to arrive sooner than anticipated. Matthew’s brain kicks into gear as he picks me up and rushes me to the hospital. An hour later, we are holding our son, and our little family feels perfect.Our story ended up being the best fairy tale of them all. At least, in my opin
BeverlyMatthew is my parents’ son, and they don’t care where he came from. They accepted him, and they have always expected the pack to accept him the same way. As a matter of fact, now that my father has gone and taken that step, I can’t believe that I ever thought one of my uncles would take over.I’m surprised that I never saw this coming. Matthew keeps telling my father that he won’t accept it unless I’m okay with it and, finally, my father looks at me with that “you had better answer me right now” look. I sigh. Do I really have a choice?“I don’t care. Everyone already thinks he should be alpha.” I shrug and get up. Just as I’m about to leave, I feel a strong hand on the back of my elbow and I turn around and glare at Matthew with my eyes filled with tears.I didn’t mean to cry. I didn’t think it would upset me as much. I can’t understand why it does. I’ve always known it wouldn’t be me! I pull my arm from his grip and leave without another word. I have my own problems and I wan
Beverly“Well, I’m sorry! I wasn’t the one who was walking with her head in the dirt.” He doesn’t move out of my way and looks at me that strange way again, and I roll my eyes. He always has these strange sayings that nobody understands!If I didn’t know for a fact that he had gone to school, I would have wondered if he wasn’t perhaps some wild rogue that my parents adopted!“What is your problem?” I frown. He has been acting stranger than normal recently and I haven’t been able to figure out what is up with him.“Sorry. It’s just been one of those days. What did your dad want?” He frowns, seemingly not listening to a word I’m saying, and clearly trying to change the subject.“I guess he wants the same thing that he asked you about that is bothering you so badly that you don’t look where you are going.” I push past him, knowing full well that he won’t leave that comment there. He follows me down the steps and into the street, and we walk in silence for a while.“So? What are you going
BeverlyMy biggest frustration as I make my way through the crowd, however, is that I can see the looks. You know? The ones that say they are so sorry that I’m still single! It puts so much pressure on me to find a mate. Yeah, my family all had fairy tale true loves. Great!I don’t. Not yet. And honestly, I’m in no hurry. I’ve never been able to understand the concept of it all. So, you barely turn eighteen and have barely become a grown up and the entire world expects you to fall in love, get mated and have a baby.All within the first month of turning eighteen! I smile at one of the older guests who tells me that I shouldn’t worry and that my turn will come. I could have told her the same thing, but I thought it would sound a bit rude. Sighing, I make my way to the back of the party to try and just get away from all the looks.The day has been perfect. The ceremony, the party. All the packs are behaving. Why does it all have to be ruined by the fact that I don’t have a mate?! The ni
BeverlyThe sun streams through my window and I yawn and stretch before jumping out of bed. Today is a big day for our pack. After three generations, we’ve finally built a monument in honour of the people who brought us peace.My family were the ones who fought for that peace and, according to our history, my great-great-grandmother or one of those was the one who defied the old council. She was mated to her destined mate after her entire life was turned upside down.She is my hero, and although I don’t want to fall in love under the same circumstances, I would really like it if I have a love like she had. I suggested the monument to my parents, and they jumped at the chance to do something.It has been built in neutral territory so that any wolf from any pack can go there and just look at our history. It is a secret location, of course, so the humans don’t find it, but it is open to all werewolves. Keeping it secret was a bit of a thing.We had to find somewhere the humans didn’t go
NicoletteI watch as Eli finds his beautiful and shy mate, Amy, and my heart just soars as I see their love grow. I keep thinking back to the couple that started it all, and I’m grateful every day that they stuck to their guns. They didn’t have an incredible start, but they stuck to it and saved our people.A couple of years later, I watch my baby Isabella turns eighteen. She finds her mate, Liam on the same night and I almost wish I could go back a couple of years and just experience some of the first days of being in love.Those first moments that you spend together. My true love wasn’t a fairy tale in the beginning either, but as soon as the problems were solved, life was just perfect. I have watched my children grow up in a world where they are safe from harm, and they know that they are loved every single day.Time ticked by too fast, and on a rainy day just as the leaves turned the most beautiful colours right at the beginning of fall, I had to say goodbye to the man I had loved
NicoletteTwo years after everything changed for me, I’m sitting in our son, Eli’s room. He is crawling around making baby noises and I can’t help but smile as my hand protectively covers my stomach. We have just found out that I’m expecting our second child, and I can’t be happier.My mind drifts to our history and how incredible not only my fairy tale but also the rest of this family’s fairy tale has been. My mother passed away a year ago, which has broken the last of my ties with Max’s pack. I did as she asked and buried her with my father.I will never visit their graves, but it doesn’t bother me. I have my memories of them and that is all that matters. Max’s pack has slowly started to deteriorate now that everyone knows what he is up to and, slowly but surely, most of the females left to find their destined mates.Without the money, Max is unable to take care of all of them the same way he used to. It is sad, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. I have been spending my time away fro
NicoletteThere are so many unanswered questions, but only one of them is right at the top of my list. Is Max my father? I try and find out from my mother, but she refuses to tell me. I also know that Max will never tell me the truth and even if he does, I won’t believe him. Which leaves me with only one option.“I want a paternity test.” I look at Paul the first second we are alone and he frowns.“Are you sure?” He seems hesitant, but I know why. Once I have the actual physical confirmation, it will change everything.“I’m sure. It will not just give me certainty, but if he is, then we have more proof that Max hasn’t been honest with anybody.” I sigh. Paul informs his parents and, before long, I’m sitting in the hospital wing where they are gathering everything they need.Paul joins me moments after the doctor has finished to confirm that the pack that is holding Max will be gathering his samples in the next few minutes. It will take a couple of days to get the results, since nobody
NicoletteSurprisingly, it doesn’t take very long for the packs to send us their suggestions and a month later, we walk back into the beautiful hotel. Sadly, after my previous experience, it has lost some of its luster. Everyone is eager to get down to business.After Paul and I have greeted everyone, we all get together in the conference room and start working on our new constitution. It takes a couple of hours to get it all set up and, after a wonderful lunch, everyone returns. Paul had one of his pack members type up the new agreement and with great anticipation, everyone signs.Once that is settled, we all agree that we would like to rest before dinner. We need to decide on Max’s fate, and it seems everyone is a little hesitant to do that. The previous council caused so much damage to our people, and when I’m honest with myself, I have to admit that my existence is because of that.Out of all the alpha’s Max is the second oldest. There is one alpha who never met his mate and didn’