*Atlas* I waited with bated breath and I watched my mate mull over my question. Her deep brown eyes were contemplative and shining. She looked so beautiful tonight in that black dress but she always looked beautiful. It didn’t matter what she wore and I liked when she looked like herself. But tonight she looked regal, like a queen. Finally, Aria sighed and smiled up at me. She shook her head. “No, I don’t,” Aria said and I felt my heart somersault, this is great news. I went to kiss her but she stopped me with a strong hand on my chest. “But, it seems like you have a lot of secrets… so I still don’t know if I want to accept you.” She explained and I should have known a smart girl like her would see through my facade. I hated to lie to my mate but it was too dangerous to tell her the truth now. Once everything was settled then we would be able to be happy together. “What do you want to know?” I asked and put my hands on her shoulders comfortingly, smiling down at her. She ponder
*Aria* I tiptoed down the hall, not realizing how late it was until I was up the stairs and checked my phone. I cursed myself for losing track of time, I had class tomorrow. I opened the door softly. It was after one in the morning and I assumed Judy would be asleep but she was on the couch in her purple silk pj set when I finally closed the door behind me. I slipped off the heels they gave me and realized distantly that I had never picked up my clothes while leaving, damn. Judy squealed and hopped up, looking me up and down before touching the fabric of the black dress appraisingly. She picked up one of the heels, inspecting them like one might inspect a rare item. “Oooh, this isn’t poorly made.” She remarked and I snorted. Judy pulled me over to the couch and before I sat down I shook my head and put my arms up defensively. “Please let me put on something comfortable first, I’ve been in this tight dress and those heels all night. How do you wear those so often? My whole body
Rebecca's POV: My phone rang and I pulled it out of my purse to answer it with a heavy sigh. The ringtone was the one I had chosen for my parents and they never called for any good reason. I pressed accept and held the phone to my ear. “What do you want?” I said sharply and my mother scoffed. “There’s a car waiting outside the academy. Get in it,” she said sternly and then hung up. I shook my head and made my way to the large gates. My usual driver was waiting outside and opened the door for me. I slipped into the back seat, and the drive back to my family's estate was a quick one. It was a large house on one of the tallest hills in the neighborhood. The columns were in an old royal style that my parents never got over. Our garden was immaculately kept as a gardener trimmed some of the rose bushes. The car door was opened for me and I stopped, my heels clacking on the stone. I walked up the ornate stairs and when I got to the large entryway my father’s beta opened my door wit
The water rushed up to meet me and right before I hit it I heard my wolf speak to me for the first time. Her voice was like mine but she sounded older, wiser, more tough. “I will protect you Aria, it will still hurt, but you will survive.” She said to me in an even tone. I narrowly missed the rocks and instead hit the water. I nodded in response as the water slammed into my body. Pain bloomed across it as my vision for blurry around the edges. The rain got less hard, going back to a drizzle, but the sea was still violent as it jostled me around. I went under the waves and then popped out again, gasping for breath as I tried to get my barrings. Before I could pass out I managed to grab into a rock and that newfound strength filled my veins as I pulled myself up onto it. It wasn’t too far from the shore. I breathed heavily as I looked up into the sky. Despite everything I smile. My wolf was finally here. When I look up the heads of the two girls are gone. I can’t do anything but li
The two continued to eye each other with a tense stance. My mom rolled her shoulders back, standing up straighter, and had no fear in her eyes. She knew she could win, she was the toughest warrior in the South after all. The other people in the hospital ward watched as Rebecca grabbed at her now broken arm in pain but it looked like she was putting on a show. Nobody had expected my mother to break her arm, not even me. Alpha Bernard looked like he wanted to punch her. His arm started to raise in a fist, it shook in the air, and then he returned it to his side with a frustrated sigh. My mom gave him a triumphant look. We all knew he wouldn’t hit back. Only a fool would start a fight with my mother, she hadn’t lost a battle in over ten years. Not a single Alpha could defeat her, and they wouldn’t try anymore. On top of that, he would know my father’s wrath and didn’t dare inspire it. “You should leave punishing my daughter to me,” Alpha Bernard said, and my mother scoffed before turn
Arthur stalked over to Judy and me with a sinister grin. His lanky figure towered above us as he stopped in front of the two of us. When I looked at Judy’s expression she looked more worried than interested when she said, “My mate.” “Hello, my mate,” Arthur said and went to pull Judy into his arms. I felt sick to my stomach at the idea of such a nice girl being with a guy like Arthur. To my relief, Judy looked just as sick at the thought, not entirely looking comfortable in his arms. Arthur ignored her expression and embraced her with a handsome but evil smile, long arms wrapping around her petite figure. “Look at how beautiful you look today,” Arthur said and pulled at her blonde locks a bit, watching the way the curls bounced. “You look like the prettiest doll on the shelf, my mate.” He felt along the curves of her body and that seemed to be the last straw. Judy pushed him away from her and rolled her eyes, stepping back and closer to me. I wrapped my arm around her gently, to
*Atlas* As soon as I was back I knew something had happened. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Rebecca had attempted to kill Aria, almost succeeding. I had never wanted to kill a woman before, and never this badly. And I would succeed where she failed… Fury and rage coursed through my veins. I couldn’t help but blame myself. The feeling was hot in my body. I should have seen this coming and stayed around Aria so I could project her as much as I possibly could. I knew that Rebecca had it out for my mate; I should have put a stop to this long ago. I should have put a stop to this in the first battle class when the two girls were fighting. It was obvious even then that Rebecca was out for blood. Valeria had mentioned this and I cursed myself for not listening. Knowing that Aria was wolfless, she was worried that she would be a target. Even Valeria admitted she was a great warrior, but that didn’t make up for the fact that she was wolfless. Beyond that, Veleria understood tha
*Aria* Scott and his gang approached us, their eyes filled with a sinister glint. Judy clung to me, seeking refuge behind my protective shoulder. The two members of Scott’s gang eyed her specifically and smiled creepily. “Was it you?” he spat, his face contorted with anger. I met his gaze with a defiant stare, my lip curling in a sneer. His rage only made him look more ridiculous, like an overripe tomato. I didn’t know what he meant. The fact that he was so angry about something I had completely forgotten was funny. “Um, what are you talking about?” I asked, cursing this waste of time. There was a trial to focus on. A trail to win! We could worry about academy gossip later. “Our little conversation the other day, did you tell everyone about it?” Scott demanded to know and I shook my head. It wasn’t important who had broken up with who in that relationship. It had obviously been fake the whole time, in hindsight. What would I gain from that? I had a new man in my life, one tha