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SIXTY-FIVE | MOONSHINE
Last Updated:
2020-07-13 19:36:16
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The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-SIX | LOST
Hi, Samyak said. I went to respond vocally, but I then realised that he had not, in fact, spoken. He had mindlinked me.Hey, I replied, my mouth stretching into a dopey, excited grin.The feeling reminded me of being a child, of sending secret messages to my friends. The sort of joy that can come only from the sneaking feeling that you’re getting away with something; not a malicious kind of hiding, more an innocent, giggling state of being.Samyak’s emotions were intensified through the bond, too. I could feel his glee as well as my own. The drizzle was becoming heavier, falling in fat droplets onto our skin, but we did not care nor move. We lay under the moonlight and explored one another, feeling out the parameters of our newly completed mate bond.We stood, after a while, our backs sodden from the wet grass. Under the crystal light of the moon we danced, filled with such happiness that we had to move, to hold one another and twirl through the wildflowers. I leapt into Samyak’s arms,
Last Updated : 2020-07-14The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-SEVEN | POETRY
I sat in the window seat, stunned, for a while after Samyak had stormed out. His behaviour was unlike any I’d experienced from him, and I was not angry nor upset; no, I was concerned.I felt that he was keeping something from me, and I thought that it must be related to the scar on his thigh. I found myself daydreaming, imagining any and all of the scenarios that could have possibly led to this.It must have been some sort of fight, I thought, for him to bear such a scar. Or perhaps an accident; it could have been a glass bottle falling from a shelf. But then why would he have such a fear of me getting hurt, or of letting people down? Why did he feel so responsible for the safety of others?I sighed. Picturing scenarios in my head may feel productive, like I was getting somewhere, but in reality it was hopeless. The only place I’d find the answers I sought was Samyak, but for now at least, he needed space.He’d left in such a hurry that he’d abandoned his books and notepad at my side,
Last Updated : 2020-07-14The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-EIGHT | THE GROVE
“Let’s do it,” said Samyak.“Okay. I’m all in if you are,” I agreed.We were sat on the rooftop garden of our cabin, surrounded by the climbing tendrils of plants as the evening sun dropped low in the darkening sky. The clouds were bubble gum pink, bright against the purple backdrop of the twilight air.We had a plan. It was time to put it into action.The next morning, I awoke early, well before training. I tugged on the shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers that I wanted to wear to train in, and, pressing a quick kiss to Samyak’s forehead before I left, I crept out into the quiet of the morning.There was a chill in the air, the sort that comes before the heat of the midday sun. The grass was damp with dew, and it felt cool as it lapped at my trainers. I walked with purpose, my strides long despite my short stature, and I covered the ground quickly.Nami was waiting for me outside of the pack house when I arrived. She yawned widely, and scratched behind her ear. Her hair had been braided int
Last Updated : 2020-07-15The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-NINE | A HISTORY OF HUNTERS
I snuck into the cabin, my arms laden with shopping bags. My gown was still on its hanger and had been tucked into a long bag, and I’d slung that over my shoulder. The rest of my purchases were for after the welcoming ceremony, and I could not let Samyak see anything I’d bought – dress or otherwise.“Hey,” Samyak called out. His voice was muffled, and it sounded as though he was on the far side of the cabin.“Hi!” I called back. “Are you in the kitchen?”“Sure am! Dinner’s almost ready.”“I’ll be in in a minute!” I yelled. This was too lucky an opportunity to mess up. I hurried into the bedroom, and then spun around on the spot, looking for somewhere to hide everything I’d bought.My eyes landed on an empty box that we’d left, discarded on the floor, after I’d finished unpacking. I shuffled forwards, leaning down so that my gown would slither from my shoulder and onto the plaid bed sheets. Using my toe, I then managed to pry the lid from the box, and I dumped the contents of my arms in
Last Updated : 2020-07-16The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY | MARKED
The night of the welcoming ceremony was upon us. My stomach churned with nervous excitement, and I kept having to wipe my sweaty palms on my gym shorts.Nami bustled in, damp from her shower, her towel slung around her body and slipping down as she powered into her bedroom. She rolled her eyes and held it up with one hand, and gestured at the bathroom with the other.“Your turn,” she said, nodding towards it as she spoke.“Thanks,” I said, my voice burning in my throat.I didn’t know why I was so nervous – since his revelation about the hunters and the rogues, Samyak had been in a permanently good mood. As for the ceremony itself, I was more excited than worried. I supposed that it must be the stress of pulling off my surprise afterwards, and I tried to soothe myself. I knew I’d pull it off, but with a pack of wolves there were always unprecedented factors to consider.What was really bothering me, though, I thought as I slung my towel over my shoulder, was that the last ceremonious ev
Last Updated : 2020-07-16The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY-ONE | HORIZON
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Last Updated : 2020-07-18The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY-TWO | THE WELCOMING CEREMONY (PART 1)
Samyak took my hand in his, and together we walked through the parting crowd up to the wooden plinth. I could feel his pride, his excitement, and his love pulsing like a heartbeat through our mate bond, and I let waves of my own joy wash back over him.I spotted Nami in the crowd, stood beside Chu’a, his slick black hair scraped back into a neat bun. Beside them was Mustapha, and he grinned dopily at me, his large hand almost smacking Chu’a in the face as he brought it up in a giddy wave. I gave him a tiny, excited wave of my own in return.As we strode hand in hand to the front of the pack, all of my nerves dissolved with Samyak beside me. We were surrounded by his (and soon to be our) pack, and we had each other. Last time, we’d both been alone. Should an attack happen, be it by rogues or by hunters, we’d be prepared. We’d be ready.As I waved at the surrounding members of the Lapis Moon pack, I idly imagined Samyak and I tearing at the rogue pack and the hunters, my silver gown and
Last Updated : 2020-07-20The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY-THREE | THE WELCOMING CEREMONY (PART 2)
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Last Updated : 2020-07-21
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The Beta's Daughter 122 | EPILOGUE
I tugged nervously at my dress. Nami and Rosa were behind me, weaving flowers and plaits into my long, brown hair. It waved neatly, having been blow dried and oiled by my entourage. “Are you sure you don’t want any lipstick?” Rosa asked, fiddling with a daisy. She glanced at me in the mirror, her sharply plucked eyebrows raised.“I’m sure,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. They sparkled in the bright light, wide beneath the swathe of brown and gold eye shadow on my lids.“I think you look good without it, anyway,” Nami shrugged. She wound a small, black band around the end of the braid she’d woven into my hair, and then stepped back. “You’re all done, Ari.”“Thanks,” I smiled, turning from side to side to admire myself in the mirror. The dress was simple: I was draped in gold, tightly fitting and hugging the curve of my waist. It had a squared off sweetheart neckline, and I wore a shimmer of glittering highlight across my collarbones. My sun necklace, given to me by my parents, so very
The Beta's Daughter 121 | AIRINI
“It seems,” Alpha Gedeon smirked, “that an accord will have to be negotiated. Young Jacob is to be Alpha of your pack one day, if I am not mistaken. Airini will make a fine Luna; of that, I am sure.”But nobody was paying Gedeon so much as an ounce of attention, not even the wolves of his own pack. All eyes were fixed on Jacob and Airini.She, like Jacob, was covered in the mud and gore of battle. There was a deep, purple bruise blossoming along the side of her face, which stood out starkly against her white skin. Her hair was fine, golden gossamer that floated down to her shoulders. She was easily as tall as he was, but lightly boned and lithely muscled. She looked delicate, but sharp, like an ivory blade.I grabbed Samyak’s hand excitedly, and in that moment I knew that Jacob and I had never been meant to be. My love for Jacob poured out of me now, an expression of friendship and joy for h
The Beta's Daughter 120 | NIGHT
Death was easy. There was no pain in darkness, no anguish. There was no regret, no suffering. But there was no joy either; no elation, no sense of wonder. The darkness was all consuming, but it was not fulfilling. There was something missing, something niggling at the very farthest point of my mind.Then the darkness began to lift, and, though my bleary eyes stayed shut, a bright, golden light shone upon my face. I wondered if I would be opening my eyes into the afterlife, this first blurry vision of gold my eternal resting place.“Arienne?” Samyak murmured. “Arienne – please, open your eyes.” Then I heard him turn, shuffling despairingly to someone, anyone for help. “Why won’t it work?” He asked, his voice heartbroken, confused, like that of a child.This didn’t seem like death. Death was a painless, eternal nothingness. Samyak was crying, and I could see him w
The Beta's Daughter 119 | BATTLE
Alpha Brius was shadowed on either side by his family. His hair, red as blazing fire, stood out even in the darkness. The glow of the sun shone on it, blood dousing flame, and it rippled like water as he stepped forward beside his mate. I could just make out Luna Lucille’s classical features in the dim morning light, though her hair, darker than Brius’s, was obscured.“We said we would stand beside you,” he called. “No matter the task. You saved our son, and the White Elm pack is in your debt, Lapis Moon. We have come to fight at your side.”Luna Carla beamed, and walked down the slope to greet them, Alpha Felix at her side. “You came,” she breathed.“We did, Luna,” said Alpha Brius, bowing his head to her. It was a gesture of respect, and one that was not necessary under such circumstances. “You called, so we came.”I beamed dow
The Beta's Daughter 118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
The sun was rising, the first glimpses of orange light tickling the purple sky of the dawn. I stared straight ahead, my flask of coffee going cold between my hands.They were coming, and we were ready.We’d been sent to bed halfway through the night. I’d struggled to sleep, but had fallen into its warmth an hour before I had to wake up again. The broken pattern of napping had made me more tired than I had been before, but my steely focus and determination was keeping me awake now.Samyak had excitedly filled his parents in on his gift, but when they had asked me about mine I’d had very little to say. Ryna’s aura, if that was what it had been, gave me hardly anything to go on. Samyak’s gift was real, palpable; we had both witnessed its effects first-hand. Seeing one maybe-aura was not much to brag about; besides, even if it had been real, I didn’t know what it meant.&nb
The Beta's Daughter 117 | AURAS
I felt my face pale. I clung to Samyak, my hands scrabbling at him like the terrified claws of a prey animal. The moon’s light glittered in my eyes, spinning slowly like a distorted, monocolour kaleidoscope.“Arienne?” Samyak asked, his voice whipping like static against my ears. “What is it? What’s wrong?”Black spots pulsed through my vision, but I shook myself, determined to find out more.Gedeon? What time tomorrow? I sent back, my mind scrambling to find his. But no reply came, and I felt myself falling.Before I hit the bottom, however, I yanked myself back up to the surface. The tidal wave was coming, but we had time. We were prepared, and we could be ready. We would be ready.I pulled back, and my gaze met Samyak’s. He looked soft, his lips plump and his eyes tender. They furrowed in confusion when he saw my own exp
The Beta's Daughter 116 | ORB
The next few days passed us by quickly, running together and blurring into one. Rosa and the other warrior wolves arrived, and we spent her first evening sat together in her family’s guest cabin, catching up and gossiping about Joshua, Jacob, and Samyak.The sunlight had slanted in through the window, warming the sides of our faces as we’d grinned. I’d caught sight of Ryna stalking past outside, and had watched her disappear into the woods with a grim feeling settling in my chest.Though I wanted to talk to Samyak, I found the days were slipping by without a moment for us to be alone together. The only part of the day we had to ourselves was at night, as we climbed into bed, and we were both so exhausted from the days of training that we fell asleep quickly, with little more than a hurried “Goodnight,” and a chaste, sleepy kiss.Our days were filled with training, both mental and physical. A
The Beta's Daughter 115 | BLOOD
“Blood?” Samyak frowned, a crinkle appearing between his eyebrows. “How will blood help us?”“It’s all in here,” I said, gesturing to the small, purple book.Luna Carla’s eyes widened, and she cocked her head to one side. We were upstairs in the pack house; all of the highest ranking wolves from both the Lapis Moon and Silver Crescent packs were in attendance, cramped together in the seating area by Alpha Felix and Luna Carla’s offices. The last vestiges of the sun’s rays were slanting through the windows, burnished gold warming our faces and brushing highlights into our hair. Speckles of dust span through the light, floating upwards and spinning slowly as they rose.“What’s this old book going to tell us?” Ryna asked, sliding one hand onto her hip. Her slim, blonde eyebrows raised slightly, and I sighed.&ld
The Beta's Daughter 114 | SILVER CRESCENT
“Mum! Dad!” I shouted, a wide grin spreading across my face. Then I was wrapped in their arms, and I was finally home. I felt complete; whole, though I hadn’t realised that I’d been missing anything until now. They towered over my head, and I felt safe, secure.Then they released me, and another set of arms tackled me from the side. I pulled back, and stared up into familiar, warm sea-blue eyes. His short dark hair was tousled, more so than usual, and stood up at irregular angles, falling in waves across his forehead.“Jake,” I breathed, smiling. I felt dizzy, overwhelmed, as he pulled me flush against his toned body.“Ari,” he whispered, and the hole inside me filled a little more. I’d missed him; not the person he’d been when I’d last visited Silver Crescent, but the best friend that I’d known for years, before mates and relationships and sto
