OliverI had hope. For the longest time, I hoped that the moon goddess would find a way for us to be together. She was the one who brought us together in the first place. She chose us for each other. I couldn’t imagine her letting a bond just fizzle out and die.As I run through the forest, I feel that hope just disappear. The look I saw in Camille’s eyes right before she got into the car tonight told me everything I needed to know. She was never going to accept me as her mate. She was never going to be mine.I run into neutral territory, hoping to avoid our border patrols. I really can’t see anyone at the moment. I can’t deal with anyone at the moment. As I turn the corner to go to the lake, I smell them. Her entire pack.I stop in my tracks and watch as they get out of the lake. It is the only one in the region. That is why the area was declared neutral territory, but under the circumstances, I would definitely be in danger if they find me.One by one, they leave until only Camille
Camille“What the f@CK?!” I scamper out from under him. I’m furious, but at the same time, I can feel our mate bond pulling at me. I can feel it growing stronger as the wound heals and I don’t have to look to know that his pack mark is now on my shoulder.“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. It just happened.” He sounds confused, and I am at a complete loss for words for a second.“Right! You just accidentally marked me and claimed me as yours. Without my permission!” I lose my cool as my arms fly around.“I said that I’m sorry.” He growls. All I can think of is getting out of there. I need to find a way to break this bond! I whip around and run, shifting midair as I take my third step. If I can cross our border before he gets to me, he won’t be able to put his hands on me again.I make it just in time. I can hear him calling, but I ignore it. I have to get back home before anyone sees me. I have to get back to where I am safe. I can’t believe that I was so stupid. That I all
OliverI hate every second of what I’m doing, but I have no other choice. After she crossed her border, I returned home and my father was the one who insisted that I claim her. My mother is still furious with me that I was so reckless.That I didn’t respect Camille’s decision. That I put her in this position. I claimed her without her permission in the ancient ways. That means I also claimed her pack. Now I have to push through. I have to complete my claim, or we will both die.I can’t imagine us dying, but we don’t know what parts of the ancient legends are true and what is fake. I’m not going to take that chance, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to either.“You all stand before a choice.” I force myself to focus on the present as I stand in their territory and claim it as part of mine. “You can swear your loyalty to me, or leave here as rogues.” This isn’t me. I hate doing this.I’ve always believed in giving people the freedom of choice. I’ve believed in giving them happy lives. That
CamilleI don’t care how much my body is screaming to be touched by him. I am not letting him touch me again. Not ever. I know telling everyone that I don’t want to be marked by him isn’t going to do me any good. They would just tell me that I shouldn’t have slept with him in the first place.Basically, sleeping with him gave him the permission he needed. One moment of weakness. That was all it took to completely lose everything. One moment of just giving in to pleasure. One moment of wanting just that one moment.I watch as my people leave our home for a second time, and this time we aren’t coming back. We will come back to help move the houses, which involves a lot of work, but we will never live here again. We will never be the same.We will never be our pack again. It makes me wonder what else Oliver is going to take from us. His pack is clearly more traditional. They still believe in things like the mate bond. Fear grips my heart as I wonder if our child will be okay.I push that
CamilleI know what she’s saying. I don’t need a long explanation, but I just can’t bring myself to do that. Not yet. Unable to say anything, I nod, and she helps me to pick up my things before showing me to Oliver’s room.“Where is the Luna room?” I look around and she sighs.“That my dear was never built. I also found it very strange when I was brought here all those years ago. This house only has one main bedroom and one spare for children. It’s actually a small house if you think that it’s the alpha house.” She laughs, and I find that I like her laughing.I put my things on the bed, wondering if I would be able to convince Oliver to sleep in the spare bedroom. I’m about to ask her if I can move to the spare bedroom when she shakes her head as though she already knows what I’m about to ask.“Like I said, sweetheart. Give it a chance. I also came here against my will. I felt like a slave thanks to the council. Only when I gave in to my feelings did my life change. I’m not saying you
Isabella“I’m not stupid! Who was she?!” My sister-in-law, Clair, screams at my brother, Adam, and I turn right back around in the hopes that they wouldn’t see me. They are glaring at each other. That only means they are having one of their bigger fights, and I really didn’t want to be around them when that happened.I hide around the corner, trying to calm my rapid breathing and racing heart. Why did I have to walk in at that very moment? I swear, I have the worst luck in the entire world! Somehow, they always found a way to make their fights my fault, and then I was the one who was punished. I nervously rub my bruised wrists that were still aching from the last time.“Don’t do this here! You are making a scene.” Adam sighs deeply, and I can hear their footsteps coming closer. I try to run, but it’s too late. My hair is pulled back so quickly that I lose my balance and hit the floor with a loud thud. I feel my ribs crack the moment Clair’s stiletto hits my side.I fight not to cry, b
AsherI am out for a run, minding my own damn business and trying my best to get rid of some of my frustration when I smell a strange scent coming from the border. Nights are becoming more difficult after the loss of my mate. It has been over three years, but it is not getting any easier, and I just can’t sleep in that bed anymore. The closer I get to the border, the more the strange scent pulls me in.It’s not exactly human and it’s not entirely wolf. While I try to find tracks or evidence that I’m not going entirely insane, a small pale girl comes running out of nowhere, and before I can stop her, she runs right into me. She bounces back, looking just as astonished as I feel, but I am so stunned that I don’t think to catch her in time.I hear her skull crack when it hits the rock on the ground, and I can instantly smell blood all over her. She looks as though she has been a prisoner of war. She just ran straight into me out of nowhere! In the blink of an eye, I pick her up and rush
IsabellaI open my eyes and close them again immediately. From the little I saw, I gather that I’m in a hospital, but I don’t know where and as I search my mind, I realize something is missing.“Good morning, honey. I’m very glad to see that you are awake. We’ve been very worried about you.” I open my eyes and see a smiling woman dressed in a white coat. A frown forms on my brow while she moves around me with a clipboard in hand. She jots down some information and puts down her clipboard.“Where am I?” My voice sounds rough, and I find that my throat feels very raw. She hands me a glass of water as though she already knew I would need it.“I am Lisa, your doctor. You are in our little local hospital. Do you remember what happened to you?” Worry floods her eyes, and I can see that whatever happened to me is probably serious. I try to remember.“No.” I frown. My head starts to ache. “Who am I?” My heart starts to race and the machine behind me beeps, making me slam my hands over my ears
CamilleI know what she’s saying. I don’t need a long explanation, but I just can’t bring myself to do that. Not yet. Unable to say anything, I nod, and she helps me to pick up my things before showing me to Oliver’s room.“Where is the Luna room?” I look around and she sighs.“That my dear was never built. I also found it very strange when I was brought here all those years ago. This house only has one main bedroom and one spare for children. It’s actually a small house if you think that it’s the alpha house.” She laughs, and I find that I like her laughing.I put my things on the bed, wondering if I would be able to convince Oliver to sleep in the spare bedroom. I’m about to ask her if I can move to the spare bedroom when she shakes her head as though she already knows what I’m about to ask.“Like I said, sweetheart. Give it a chance. I also came here against my will. I felt like a slave thanks to the council. Only when I gave in to my feelings did my life change. I’m not saying you
CamilleI don’t care how much my body is screaming to be touched by him. I am not letting him touch me again. Not ever. I know telling everyone that I don’t want to be marked by him isn’t going to do me any good. They would just tell me that I shouldn’t have slept with him in the first place.Basically, sleeping with him gave him the permission he needed. One moment of weakness. That was all it took to completely lose everything. One moment of just giving in to pleasure. One moment of wanting just that one moment.I watch as my people leave our home for a second time, and this time we aren’t coming back. We will come back to help move the houses, which involves a lot of work, but we will never live here again. We will never be the same.We will never be our pack again. It makes me wonder what else Oliver is going to take from us. His pack is clearly more traditional. They still believe in things like the mate bond. Fear grips my heart as I wonder if our child will be okay.I push that
OliverI hate every second of what I’m doing, but I have no other choice. After she crossed her border, I returned home and my father was the one who insisted that I claim her. My mother is still furious with me that I was so reckless.That I didn’t respect Camille’s decision. That I put her in this position. I claimed her without her permission in the ancient ways. That means I also claimed her pack. Now I have to push through. I have to complete my claim, or we will both die.I can’t imagine us dying, but we don’t know what parts of the ancient legends are true and what is fake. I’m not going to take that chance, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to either.“You all stand before a choice.” I force myself to focus on the present as I stand in their territory and claim it as part of mine. “You can swear your loyalty to me, or leave here as rogues.” This isn’t me. I hate doing this.I’ve always believed in giving people the freedom of choice. I’ve believed in giving them happy lives. That
Camille“What the f@CK?!” I scamper out from under him. I’m furious, but at the same time, I can feel our mate bond pulling at me. I can feel it growing stronger as the wound heals and I don’t have to look to know that his pack mark is now on my shoulder.“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. It just happened.” He sounds confused, and I am at a complete loss for words for a second.“Right! You just accidentally marked me and claimed me as yours. Without my permission!” I lose my cool as my arms fly around.“I said that I’m sorry.” He growls. All I can think of is getting out of there. I need to find a way to break this bond! I whip around and run, shifting midair as I take my third step. If I can cross our border before he gets to me, he won’t be able to put his hands on me again.I make it just in time. I can hear him calling, but I ignore it. I have to get back home before anyone sees me. I have to get back to where I am safe. I can’t believe that I was so stupid. That I all
OliverI had hope. For the longest time, I hoped that the moon goddess would find a way for us to be together. She was the one who brought us together in the first place. She chose us for each other. I couldn’t imagine her letting a bond just fizzle out and die.As I run through the forest, I feel that hope just disappear. The look I saw in Camille’s eyes right before she got into the car tonight told me everything I needed to know. She was never going to accept me as her mate. She was never going to be mine.I run into neutral territory, hoping to avoid our border patrols. I really can’t see anyone at the moment. I can’t deal with anyone at the moment. As I turn the corner to go to the lake, I smell them. Her entire pack.I stop in my tracks and watch as they get out of the lake. It is the only one in the region. That is why the area was declared neutral territory, but under the circumstances, I would definitely be in danger if they find me.One by one, they leave until only Camille
CamilleBy late afternoon, Ben draws my attention to the fact that it is getting late and reminds me that I don’t want to stay with Oliver’s pack overnight. I sit back and stare at him for a moment. We have been going through all the proof the entire day.Combing through it with a fine-tooth comb, and we haven’t been able to find anything wrong with their calculations or their data. Deep down, I knew they wouldn’t have let us in if anything was wrong. I’m just not ready to admit it yet.“Yeah, have you found anything?” I frown at Ben and he shakes his head.“I’m sorry, Camille, but it seems they are telling us the truth.” He looks just as disturbed by this fact as I am. The council lied, but why? We say goodbye to Oliver and his parents and his mother, out of the blue pulls me into a tight hug.“I know this is hard to believe, but it is the truth. I hope we can find a way to live in peace.” She smiles before letting me go, and I can’t help but get that warm and fuzzy feeling near her.
CamilleBen and I spend hours combing through everything, and in the end, we agree that there must be something wrong with their data. There has to be. There is no way the council would have put everyone through a war and through years of anguish for a lie.“We have no other choice. We are going to have to go to his territory to look at this.” Ben frowns and I roll my eyes. I really don’t want to go there. Especially not after he refused to accept my rejection. I glare at Ben and he bursts out laughing.“This is not funny, Ben!” I growl.“I know. I know, but you have to admit it is a little funny though.” It’s really not! I keep glaring at him and eventually just sigh.“Fine, just make the arrangements, but I want to show our strength when we go there.” I pour each of us a drink and hand him one. My hands are actually shaking at the thought of going into his territory. How many of his pack members know that we are mates? I try to force all thoughts of him out of my mind.“If too many
CamilleMy pack is on high alert. We are expecting an attack at any moment because I didn’t just blindly follow the rest of the idiots in the region. With the old council, they would definitely have attacked if I did that.What is happening now is throwing me for a big loop. A couple of days go by and there is no response from anyone from this new group they have created. They refuse to call it a council, which makes me wonder if they even realize their stupid treaty had made them a council.Just as I’m on the verge of strangling a poor omega out of frustration because they are making me wait, I get the news that Alpha Oliver is at the border. I don’t want to rush there. He made me wait, so it’s only fair that I repay the favour.I’m surprised this time to find that none of the others are with him this time. He introduces me to his beta and the head of his gamma guard and I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. It doesn’t matter who they are.I don’t intend on seeing them again afte
OliverWhen I heard that she was back, I nearly had a heart attack. My spies have been keeping an eye on the only open territory ever since we signed the treaty. I was hoping she would come back. That we would be able to figure it all out.Even if she used to be my enemy. She wasn’t my enemy anymore. At least, I hope not. As soon as I receive word that she and her pack are back, I call every alpha who signed the treaty. We put that one condition in it to protect all of us, but also because Camille’s pack was still missing.Everyone agreed that it is important for all of us to be on the same page. Before long, we met up and made our way to her border. I could smell her coming. My heart skips a beat the moment I see her. I don’t have to see her in her human form to know which wolf is hers.When she comes walking over, I have to bite my tongue to remind myself why we are there. She’s even more beautiful than I remembered, but I also just got a quick look at her. When she looks at me, it