Katie After the girls have told the men in my family everything that they know, I take them into the kitchen to where my mother awaits with loads of food at the ready. They sit down at the table and look at the food as if they had never seen anything like it before. My mom made them fried chicken, salted ham, buttermilk biscuits, scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese, buttered toast, hashbrown potatoes, and pepper gravy. She pours tall glasses of various drinks, such as chocolate milk, white milk, water, and orange juice for them to grab what they want. She even pours a few mugs of coffee. “Here you go, ladies,” Mom says as she passes out plates and forks to them. “Please help yourselves to whatever you want. Just dig in.” “Thank you.” The one with the curly brown hair says to my mother. “Oh honey, it's no trouble. Just make yourselves at home.” Mama gives them a friendly smile and two out of four girls return it. The curly brown-haired one and the one with long blonde hair. Th
Ollie I lean back against the wall as I listen to all the different dialogues floating about the room. My father, my uncle Jack, my grandfather Jeremy and my uncle Zeke are speaking with a few alphas. They came together for a meeting at a packhouse just an hour or so south of us, but Dad felt like with everything going on here, he could not leave to meet them, so he opted to video call them. Luckily for him, there is a young alpha and beta down there that know how to work with technology. All the other alphas seem real old-school. “So, what is your plan? That is what I am asking because you surely do not mean to wage war without a solid plan.” Comes an angry voice, which I recognize as the youngest alpha there. Alpha Blaize. I only know his name and recognize his voice because of the other alphas. They will start spewing some bullshit about “let's wipe out all the damn rogues before they cause any more problems. I saw one outside of our territory a month or two back. I will hun
Zachary “Move-in day..” Trevor sing-songs and I roll my eyes. He has been in an insufferably good mood ever since he was attacked by rogues. At first, I thought it was because they had done something to him until I learned that it was not anything to do with that. Nope. It was my aunt. Nat is the reason that he is so happy. He is into her and has been for years. I've known that since we were eleven. But now though, he is finally getting his shot to prove it to her because he is her mate. Nature is kind of making her love him back. Which seems messed up, but both of them seem happy with it, so whatever. “Who are you?” I hear the female voice and I look up. Blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes are staring me down as I carry my bags in through the front door. I look her up and down before I give her my most charming smile. “Hey, cutie. What's your name.” “Who are you?” She repeats and I grin. “Zachary Vale, but you may call me Zach,” I tell her and she nods. “What are you doing
Trevor “Hey.” “Hey yourself.” She says, turning to look up at me with a smile of welcome. It is taking me some time to get used to this warm greeting. For the last few years, I have been met with eye rolls and snubs. These days she greets me with hugs or kisses. Like right now, as she wraps her arms around my waist and pushes up on the tips of her toes to kiss my lips. I wrap my arms around her and hold her closer to me. In all of my wildest dreams about her did I ever imagine that she would be in my arms like this and it is my reality. Yet here we are. And I am so happy that I don't know how to contain it. “Did you get moved in?” Nat asks me and I nod before I kiss her lips once more. I am addicted to her. One kiss is just not enough. “I am in the room just down the hall from yours, so should you need anything, all you have to do is call for me,” I tell her. “Oh-” “Or not. I mean, you are the wolf. Why would you need me?” I ramble, after seeing the way that she said 'oh'. S
Katie “I am not bitter. I am not bitter.” I listen to Trevor and Nat laugh together in the next room and I sigh. “Katherine Grace Vale, you are not bitter.” But as another girlish giggle hits my ears, my jaw clenches against my will. Fine. I am bitter. I can admit that to myself. I am jealous as hell. Nat found her mate in Trevor, who is such a great guy. One of only six single, age-appropriate guys in our pack that we are not related to. Then suddenly these girls appear in the woods and Zach finds his mate in Malia. My aunt and my cousin, who are both younger than me, even if just by a few months have found their mates before me. They weren't even looking for them. It just happened that they stumbled across them. Nat spent all her time in the opposite direction of Trevor when she should have been running toward him. They have found their mates. Their happily ever after. And I am so jealous that I can barely see straight. But I am happy for them, truly I am. I love them so much a
Ollie The girl, Sienna, is sitting up in her bed. Her white hair is floating around her and her eyes are wide open, but there are no pupils. Her eyes are solid white and milky, which even a brave enough guy like me would find creepy as hell. “What the fuck?” I say aloud. Her head bends backward and her whole body shakes as she opens her mouth to emit the loudest, most ear-burstingly shrill scream known to man. I clap my hands over my ears and fall backward as the lights overhead flicker and then blow out. The glass from the fixture rains down onto the plush carpet and glowing sparks fly for a moment but they burn out before they hit the ground. “Woah!” I use the wall to push myself to my feet, looking at the girl once more. Her eyes are still glowing but her body is no longer shaking. I wonder what the hell is going on with her? Is she possessed? Is this like some Amityville Horror/ Poltergeist shit? Cause I don't play with no demons. No, thank you. “Hey!” I shout at her, tryi
Bronwen “Oh, come here, sweetheart.” “Aw, mom!” He says, making a disgusted face at me, but that does not stop me from pulling him in for a hug anyway. I have missed my babies like crazy since they moved out of our home to move into the packhouse. Even though Ollie is still around all the time, he is busy working with his father, so I never really get to see him. And surprisingly Katie has not been back home since she left. I get that she is probably enjoying her independence and making new friends. Things like that. But it still sucks for me because I miss her so much. I do not think these children realize how you carry them for all those weeks and months inside of you, as close as you can get to another human being. Then you raise them for eighteen years, seeing them every day, seeing their faces, hearing their voices. I have not gotten to touch my baby in days upon days. Which is why I am holding on so tightly to Ollie, practically holding him hostage in my arms. “Mom..” He
Dex “You should really move into the packhouse with us, man!” Trevor tells me as he hands me a can of soda. He invited me over for breakfast this morning, but when I showed up, I was told how things had gotten weird in the night. “I don't know, dude. Seems like too much excitement for me.” I tell him, causing him to grin back at me. He told me how everyone was forced to stay in the living room for a while because they kept hearing screams and Ollie thought it was a rogue attack. Instead, it was just a girl with freaky powers. Ollie and the aforementioned girl named Sienna, who is apparently a girl with a powerful set of lungs considering the damage she caused, are at Andras' house for the alpha meetings. The whole pack has been abuzz with talk of this alpha coming. Not Blaize. The older members know him, or rather of him, and they are okay with his alliance. It is the other alpha that is giving them pause. This alpha Byrne. He is an alpha of a pack, but to hear everyone talk,