Adea
My best friend gives me his signature crooked smile. Before Ethan and Odis have a chance to get up, Leo passes Gabe and dropped down opposite me with a taunting grin. I watched his facial features as he bowed his head slightly in greeting. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about him. We’d have to get along but I was still suspicious. Gabe came to a stop by Ethan’s chair.
“Good morning, Alpha,” Gabe said in greeting. Ethan got to his feet, leaned down, and kissed me goodbye before facing Gabe.
“Morning, Gabe.”
“Leaving so soon?” Gabe asked.
“Yes, I’d stay longer but works calling,” Ethan said.
“I was wondering if it was me,” Gabe teased.
“No,” Ethan said, his lips twitched with amusement, “Have to get back to work sooner or later.”
“I hear that,” Gabe said.
“I’
AdeaGamma Darci was still eating as we made our way out of the kitchen. Gabe ran by my side as Leo chased after us. He caught up to us as we made it through the lobby. Leo glared at me as Gabe walked between us.“We’re supposed to be protecting her, not chasing her, Leo,” Gabe said.“We were having a little fun, weren’t we, Luna?” Leo asked. He leaned his upper body forward and held eye contact.“We were having fun, but not only am I stronger than you, but I’m also faster.” I stuck my tongue out at him as I teased him. Served the big blockhead right.I left them standing there while I opened the door. Gabe and Leo followed me as I headed away from the packhouse and headed toward the training field. My gaze shifted to Leo as he gave Gabe not-so-subtle glances when he thought he wasn’t looking.
AdeaI knew a question was coming, but I did not think it would be a loaded one. I wasn’t expecting that. I scratched my head as I tried to figure out how to answer that.“First off, that was two questions. I promised to answer one, so I’m going with the first. The last Gamma was Olivia and she was a she, not a he.”“I think I should have been able to choose the question you had to answer,” Leo huffed. “I would have preferred to hear the answer to the second question.”“I’m sure, but I think that’s something you should ask Gabe.” Silence falls for a moment before his gaze turns to Gabe again. His eyes follow him as he jogs in place and my heart warms; only a fraction, but it warms.“I did,” he said.My mouth drops. “What?”
AdeaThere wasn’t a single breeze in the air, no reprieve from the angry sun as it blared down on us. I could feel beads of sweat forming in places I didn’t want to acknowledge. Of course, Gabe sat unaffected beside me while I was slowly going crazy. My chest still dipped and expanded with each breath. I itched to get up and move, I knew it would only make me sweat more but at least I’d be busy doing something instead of cooking beneath the sun.We sat in silence as we watched as Zoe squared off with a brown-haired guy from Tier 2. He had a muscular build, although small for a werewolf, he still towered over Zoe. I wondered why Gamma would pair the two. Zoe was a Tier above him and I was curious who was being tested here; Zoe or him? Was it strength versus agility?Her opponent’s proved to have speed and there was the strength behind his punches. I questioned whether she would be able to
Adea “As soon as she started throwing hands, I knew sleeping boy wonder was done for,” Gabe continued. “She looked like Sukuna the way she was going at him; it was the wide eyes. She moved so quickly it looked like she had four arms!” “Sukuna?” I asked. “From Jujutsu Kaisen?” Gabe asked incredulously as if he was someone I should know. “You know I don’t watch anime, Gabe,” I huffed. “Ugh,” Gabe huffed in return as if I was somehow burdening him by not knowing who this guy was. “He’s a curse or demon, for your uneducated mind to kind of understand, and he’s got four arms. I’d let him do whatever he wanted to me with those arms,” Gabe groaned. “Gabe!” I exclaimed while a smile spread across my face. “What!? Don’t play coy with me. He’s daddy and you’d agree with me if you knew what he looked like. You know what?
Adea“I don’t understand why you guys can’t be a thing, see each other, date, choose each other as mates.”“It’s not that easy,” Gabe sighed as he leaned his head back and raised his eyes to the sky. “It’s more than Olivia, I think his position as Beta is also a part of the issue, and children. Sure we could mess around for some time but eventually, he would need to produce an heir. If I said I would be okay with having a piece of him, would that make me pathetic?” Gabe asked as he looked at me.“No, Gabby, that doesn’t make you pathetic, not one damn bit. It tells me how much you like him,” I said, “but you need to like yourself too. I was excited at the thought you might be getting back out there but I don’t want you doing something that’s going to hurt you. I want you to value yourself and your feelings. I hate see
AdeaBriana slowly grew closer with each step I took. This morning, I had woken up ready to get back to training. Now that I was facing Briana, I was more than just a little nervous. She wore a mask of indifference as I stopped a few feet from where she stood. She had the body women died for, she was tall and slender.I could feel the eyes of some of the pack members who had already finished fighting or were on a break on my back. I didn’t have confidence going up against Briana but I felt more pressure knowing they were watching.Just what I need.“You’re right to worry about her,” Korra said. “I can sense how strong she is.”“Thanks for the encouragement,” I replied sarcastically.“You wanted to get stronger,” Korra pointed out.“WE need to g
AdeaThe first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was white. I squinted as I tried to understand what I was looking at. I was laying down and there was a white ceiling above me. I was disoriented as I tried to make sense of where I was, what day it was, and who I was.After a few moments of blinking and staring at the ceiling, I realized I was in my room. The sun was setting and was casting shadows that ran along the walls. It was night not morning. I didn’t understand why I was here or why my head was throbbing. Bits of my day began to flash through my mind.I remember breakfast with everyone, Leo fighting, sitting on the grass with Gabe, and walking towards Briana.Briana.I sat up in bed abruptly. Instantly, I was hit with pain all over my body; starting in my head. I flinched from the bruising in my stomach and I fought the urge to touch it. Remem
AdeaWhen I woke up, the room was dark, a little bit of light shined through the windows from the crescent moon. I remembered I had another hour of jokes with Gabe before I started to yawn. Gabe demanded I rest, he caressed my hair and I quickly dozed off. There was no longer a blonde in the chair by the bed. My eyes took in my mate’s large frame, the moonlight lit up his chiseled chest, his head rested against the chair at his back.“Ethan,” my throat was dry and my voice came out choked. He sat up quickly and grabbed the water off the table. He slid onto the bed and helped me sit up. I took the water with a slight smile, which he didn’t return. I tipped my head back and drank the water down, my thirst wasn’t quenched until I finished the cup.My mate took the cup from me and placed it on the table. He took a deep breath before exhaling deeply and turned to face me. The angry expre
The first month back at Desert Moon had been hard. Not a day went by without us fighting. Ethan rejected Mavy as his mate before we came home. A part of me knew he was hurt about it, missed her like I missed Shane. I felt like he was only with me because I was his Luna, because of obligation and duty. I didn’t know why he wanted to be with me. He didn’t know why I was with him when I loved Shane. We were at our lowest. We were ugly, we were at our rawest. It wasn’t until month two that we finally talked about everything. We talked bout what happened and we talked about the past. The one that I remembered and by this time, the one that he remembered. It was hard, facing the man I loved in this life and the man I hated in the past. He wasn’t him anymore, he hadn’t been him for a long time. We dug into the past and were completely honest with each other. He fell to his knees and apologized for what he’d done even though I told him it wasn’t him, that wasn’t him anymore. He asked me if I
Mavy fell back as if she’d been physically struck. She collapsed on the couch, her eyes watering. She didn’t look back at me, she kept her gaze focused on Ethan. I watched as her world crashed around her again for the second time in five minutes.“Where does that leave me?” Mavy asked. “I’m… your…” she shook her head and turned to look back at Ethan. “That’s not possible. I’m… I can smell it. I can feel it. Can’t you?” Mavy whispered. I heard the desperation in her voice.“I don’t care what you think or how you feel. I am already mated and my mate, my partner, my love, MY QUEEN sits in this room. Don’t disrespect her again.” The emotion in his voice caused me to choke up. Mavy bit into her lower lip and tears streamed down her cheeks. She dropped her head.“Yes, Alpha,” she said submissively.“I killed your Alpha,” Ethan said. “I’ve killed your brother.”“Yes,” she murmured.“Will you fight me on this?” Ethan asked.“As the next in line, I submit to you,” Mavy whispered.Ethan dismiss
The voices were getting louder, my head was hurting. I wanted to roll up into a ball and disappear from the world. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to drown it all out, trying to ignore everyone. I wasn’t ready to deal with it.“She’s in shock…”“She’s confused…”“Enough!”A door slammed and footsteps paddled quickly towards me. Soft frail arms wrapped around me. Tears soaked my cheeks and my neck as Mavy cried. Did she know? She had to know.“Are you okay?” Mavy sobbed.I wrapped my arms around her and nodded. The tears started up again and streamed down my cheeks. Her t-shirt bunched in my fingers as I held her close. We cried and held each other.She inhaled deeply and froze. Slowly, she lifted her nose into the air and took another deep breath. Turning from me, she tried to follow the scent. She stopped, her gaze locked on someone, I turned and followed her gaze.I should have known, expected it but I’d been so caught up in my feelings that I didn’t think. I don’t know how it w
I didn’t have an answer for him and I don’t think he would have liked what I would have said. Hell, I didn’t know if I liked what I thought or how I felt. Instead of hurting him and cutting myself open for him, I didn’t say anything. I remained quiet. My world was crashing around me and my ears were ringing. I lowered my head and the tears flowed of their own volition.Ethan leaned down and I flinched as his arms wrapped around me. They were strong and broad. His embrace was warm and promised I could lean on him. I attempted to get to my feet only to fall. My face twisted from the pain and I wanted to cry and wallow in my own self-pity. Standing, he pulled me up and held me as my body gave up. I collapsed against him.I wanted to get to Shane, needed to. As if on cue, the weak mate bond snapped, and just like in my dream, it was gone. Only, this time, the pain I was feeling was because of Shane and not because of Ethan. The world was cold, the warmth I’d been able to feel from Shane f
Did what I do to him last night not bother him? I betrayed him. Did he not care that I came here to hurt him? Did he not care that I chose Ethan? I wanted to cry and scream. I wanted to run into his arms. I wanted this to stop. I wanted them to stop fighting. I wanted it all to stop. I screamed, it was painful and gut-wrenching but I screamed. I cursed the Goddess, damn her, she was useless in all of this. She sat up there above the clouds and did nothing to help us. Did she enjoy watching us suffer? When I couldn’t scream anymore, I inhaled deep breaths of air. I looked up and froze as Shane stared back at me. The way he looked at me told me he knew he was going to die. The look in his eye told me he knew he lost but for me, there was a small spark as if he wouldn’t just lay down and take it. I watched Ethan punch him. It was as if he was moving in slow motion. He hit his jaw and Shane’s head snapped back hard against the ground. Shane’s body tensed and he punched Ethan in the gut.
For a moment in time, they stood glaring at each other. The sun was blaring down on us. My gaze darted back and forth between the two. Shane’s eyes wandered away from Ethan and landed on me. “Look at me, mutt. You don’t get to look at her after what you’ve done,” Ethan spat. “I’m not so weak that you can look away from me in the middle of a fight.” “What have I done?” Shane taunted. “You’ve touched what’s mine,” Ethan growled. “I haven’t done anything other than touch what is mine. I haven’t done anything but make love to what is mine. I’ve claimed her. She may not wear my mark, thief but she is mine. Don’t claim her as yours. She was mine, she was always mine. She doesn’t belong to you, she never did.” A look came over Ethan’s face as if he knew as if this was confirmation as if he was reminded of something he’d forgotten. “You’re the one who touched someone who wasn’t yours. You are the one who took what was mine. Don’t try to play the victim. Don’t pretend to be something you’re
No.Not Odis.“Devin,” I gasped.Devin heard me but didn’t stop. He didn’t look up at me, didn’t even hesitate as he continued to stomp Odis into the ground. Blood spurt from Odis’ mouth and I think I heard his ribs crack. I took a step closer to stop it, to stop him. In a flash, someone was on top of Devin. Strong arms held Devin’s prisoner in a headlock and his legs wrapped around Devin’s abdomen.I wanted to scream but it quickly died in my throat as Odis and I realized the man in front of me was Gabe. Gabe. It was Gabe and he was on top of Devin. Well, he was wrapped around him like a python ready to suffocate his prey. Gabe grunted as he continued to squeeze Devin’s head, blocking his airflow.I wanted to cry out happily but I couldn’t. Gabe was here. Why was he here? He wasn’t supposed to be here. Things were going differently since he was alive. He was standing, breathing, his head was still attached to his body. Maybe things were turning out differently.Maybe Gabe was safe, ma
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Odis asked. I couldn’t find the words to speak, so I nodded. “Good,” Odis said as his grip on me loosened. “Why don’t you let her go?” A voice called out to us. Looking up, I searched for the source of the voice. My eyes widened as I found Devin watching up. His gaze locked around Odis’ arms that were still wrapped around me to his hands that gripped my arms. “I promise I’m more fun,” Devin teased. I know what it looked like. It looked like I was being held back from moving. It looked like Odis was stopping me from helping Shane. It looked like I was stuck between two packs, two men. The situation I found myself in was precarious. I was now stuck between two Betas who were supposed to protect me, despite their conflicting thoughts regarding me. I hadn’t had much time with Devin since I’d been back. He hadn’t been the nicest, shit, I don’t think he even liked me. That didn’t change the fact that Devin was Beta of Half Moon pack. Shane was his
I didn’t have an answer and I prayed I didn’t have to make the choice. Not only had everyone stopped moving but it had gone deathly silent. For a moment, everyone and everything froze. There wasn’t a whisper of wind in the air, the trees stood still, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was the calm before the storm. It felt like someone had pushed the pause button and all at once the play button was pressed and all hell broke loose. As if planned, the two of them ran toward each other. I looked past Ethan and my gaze landed on Shane’s chest. The sword had been taken out, a gaping hole was left in its place right next to his heart. Now that it was gone, I could see I had barely missed his heart. If I’d been one inch to the right, he would have died. How had I missed that? I didn’t kill him. Was I not paying attention? Why hadn’t I looked at his heart? I had aimed, hadn’t I? Had I meant to miss it? No, I had meant it, or else I wouldn’t have stabbed him at all. I tried to