Hi Arienne,I’ve confirmed the results of my test. The painkillers you were given had wolf DNA in – most likely taken from the heart, though I’ve yet to be sure of that.Doctor ChenoaShit. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, and plastered a smile onto my face. Samyak came round and opened my truck door for me, and I hopped down.We were welcomed back with wide smiles and open arms, but I embraced my new family and friends in a daze. I felt terribly rude, but my focus kept drifting elsewhere, even as Samyak’s parents told me I looked well, and that they were excited for us to begin our lives, together, with the Lapis Moon pack.“Mum,” said Samyak, lowly under his breath, “we found something on the way back.”“Well, you can tell us all about it after lunch. More of a late lunch, actually, but we thought it would be nice if we all ate together in the pack house.”“That would be lovely,” I said, and my forced smile flickered and changed, becoming genuine as I met Luna Carla’s bright gr
The walk to the pack hospital felt ominous. The sky was dark; usually, I’d think that it made the lights inside of the buildings look cosier, but not today. It felt like a warning, like a threat; a winter sky watching over us in summer, drawing away the light and leaving only bleak nothingness in its place.Samyak had been reticent to let me go on my own, but I’d made up my mind. He’d agreed, although hesitantly, once I’d explained that I did not want it to feel like an attack. Ace was his friend, after all, and I didn’t want to accuse him of anything.It was merely unfortunate that all signs pointed to him. There was a comment he’d made, and it felt like forever ago, now; he’d alluded to the idea that not all rogues had bad intentions, or something like that. I’d brushed over it at the time, but since I’d become suspicious of the drugs he’d given me, it had flared up in my memory, like a swollen joint that was always present in the corner of your mind.I steeled myself when I reached
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Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE
I shifted so that I could look properly at Samyak’s face. His dark skin shone in the moonlight, and his deep eyes glittered beneath their long lashes. The light cast shadows down his cheeks, gossamer strands falling, incandescent, across his cheekbones.His curved lips were parted, and the very front of his teeth were visible; he was eager, ready. His eyebrows were up, just a little, right in the centre. I swallowed thickly.When I thought of Samyak, I thought of a warm hearth, a crackling fire, the first rays of sun in the morning after days of rain. I thought of the leaping joy in my chest when he was near, of his golden light permeating into my very bones. I thought of his strong hands on my waist, of his soft, sweet kisses, and of his kind eyes. I thought of the handsome sweep of his jaw, of the curled hairs that nestled behind his ears, and of him shifting his weight when he felt unsure of something.More than all of that, I thought of how those things made me feel. Under the moon
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,
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,
“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
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
“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
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
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 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
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 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
“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
“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