Thank you Ariel for my first review! You're so nice! I am really happy you're liking the story so far. It's fun to write it too. I got a lot of new ideas and I just love writing about the time before a couple get together. those stressful times where you're not sure if the other likes you and things get in the way.
Sierra’s pov I got a text message from Kate. I was so relieved she was still talking to me. I think I handled the whole thing wrong. “Asher would like to get your notes from school.” That didn’t sound that friendly, but at least she was still talking to me. Mom had always joked that Kate had a crush on me. I just thought she looked up to me. Like a big sister or something. I was so surprised when she kissed me, I couldn’t even move. Not that it wasn’t nice, but I didn’t like girls. I didn’t like Kate. Right? I had no idea what I liked or who. I was always too busy with training and school. And boys weren’t that interested in me, they all thought I’d be mated to Asher anyway. But in my future I had always pictured myself mated to a man. I wanted to be friends with Kate and now I think I ruined it. While Asher was in a coma I realized that our friends, were really his friends. And they weren’t as interesting as I thought. But Kate was so smart and when she let go of her anxiety she
Kate’s pov “I’m sorry Leia. I’m here for you, whatever you need. Sorry if you felt like I was siding with Asher. I was just worried. Love you.” I had written ten different texts before sending this one. I hoped it was enough for her to see I was there for her. But Asher was my brother and I couldn’t join her in hating him. I knew Leia didn’t really hate Asher either, but he was someone she could blame for everything. She probably felt guilty for telling Asher about Mark. She probably felt conflicted about Mark, but that made her feel guilty again. I don’t know. My head was too busy right now to come up with a thousand explanations for her behavior. I was mostly thinking about Sierra. I kept replaying that kiss over and over in my mind. What should have been the best moment of my life, felt like the worst. Because I ruined it. I ruined any chance with her as my friend. How could I look at her now? I am in love with her. And I was so good at pretending I wasn’t. But now everything is
Leia’s pov Mark’s out of the hospital and staying with his mom. She’s really overprotective and clingy, but he needs extra care right now. I can only do so much. I haven’t talked to Kate yet, I needed some time. I know it’s hard for her being stuck between me and Asher. I have been so angry. But mostly I’ve been feeling guilty. If I had just kept everything to myself, none of this would have happened. It wasn’t like Mark hurt me on purpose. Yes, he did pull on my arm. But no way he let go on purpose, making me fall. That would be crazy right? Mark loves me. I have been visiting Mark every afternoon after school. I didn’t see Kate at school all week and Sierra was asking about her too. But like I said, I needed some time. Mark has been home for a few days now and I was hoping to spend the whole day with him, since it’s Saturday. But he told me he’s feeling too tired and weak. So I decided to help out dad. At least it gives me something to do. Cleaning often clears my mind and I love
Kate’s pov “Is it my fault? Is everything my fucking fault?” “Leia?” Leia had called me and she was barely audible, crying and talking very softly. “I am sorry, Kate. I’m so fucking sorry for everything.” “It’s okay. It’s not all your fault. You can’t control other people’s behavior. While I might not hate Asher, I don’t think he did the right thing.” I said. “I know. It wasn’t fair of me to put you in the middle. I just feel so damn guilty about everything. I’m so fucking mad at Asher, but also at myself.” “And at Mark?” I asked. “Sometimes,” she said so soft I could barely hear her. “He is being really sweet. Well, except for today. But he is in a lot of fucking pain, so I can guess why he gets upset sometimes.” “I’ve missed you.” I said, not wanting to ruin this by talking about Mark more. “Me too, Kat. My fucking kitty Kat.” She joked. “I’m not your kitty Kat, weirdo.” “Kat? Asher said you were skipping school and have been looking fucking miserable. His words not mine.
Asher’s pov After my first day at the farm, I ran into Leia on my way out. She looked really upset. I tried to talk to her, but I knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. “Are you okay, Leia?” “Don’t fucking talk to me.” “Call Kate. You’re not okay and she misses you. She is miserable and skipping school. Just call Kate. It’s not her fault, she’s just stuck in the middle.” Leia walked by me and gave me the middle finger. But I found out later that night that she did call Kate and that they made up. I wasn’t sure what was going on with Kate, there was probably more that she wasn’t telling me. But them not speaking to each other for a week, was something that wasn’t right. Kate and Leia had been best friends since they were born. Just like Sierra and me. Speaking of Sierra. She was the only one who visited me and I was pissed at my so called friends. I guess those shitheads only hung around because I was the next Alpha. But now that I was in trouble, they just left. W
Leia’s pov Why? Why the fuck did I let him kiss me. Things were going so well with me and Mark. He was talking about me being his mate. So why the fuck did I just kiss Asher back? I fucking cheated on Mark. Should I tell him? I got suddenly very scared. Yeah, it would be a good fucking idea at all, telling Mark, I had kissed the guy that almost beat him to death. One week before his fucking birthday. Fuck I was stupid. But you know who’s stupid too? Asher. Fucking Asher and his arrogant ass that just kisses people without warning. Well, he did warn me. Calling me princess and making my fucking knees weak. How is it, that one kiss from Asher makes me feel so much more than anything I’ve done with Mark?! Fuck, I shouldn’t think that. Shit. Mark is great. He is a great kisser. We don’t have sex, but we’ve done other stuff and he tries really hard. Does he try though? Or am I the only one giving and he is the fucker who receives everything? Because as many hand and blow jobs I have gi
Kate’s pov I’ve been seeing Leia a lot more. She used to go straight to Mark’s after school, but she seems to be avoiding him a bit. He’s is back at work too, so maybe that’s why? Or maybe it’s because he now has his wolf and things have changed. I wish Leia would tell me more, but she’s hesitant to talk to me about Mark and I feel like she’s hiding something. Of course my mind goes to dark places and thinking he’s hurting her again, but she isn’t showing any signs of it. Asher is being weird too, asking about Leia a lot. And he’s watching movies. He never watches movies, but suddenly he’s watching Star Wars and a bunch of other movies Leia usually talks about. It’s like he’s getting to know Leia better in his own weird way, but she hates him. So I don’t see the point. He doesn’t like her, does he? Maybe he's trying to find a way to make it up to her. “Kat? Are you lost in your fucking thoughts again?” Leia asked me. I laughed awkwardly, “I was actually thinking about you. You ha
trigger warning. violence, sexual abuse.Leia’s pov “So, Leia. I didn’t ask back then, but is something going on with you and Mark? Cause you’ve been spending a lot of fucking time at home compared to first.” Shit, dad had noticed it too. Was something wrong with me? Kate had said something and now dad too. This couldn’t be a fucking good sign if others noticed me avoiding Mark. Fuck. “We were moving a bit too fucking fast, I guess. It’s going well, I just needed some space?” I said. It was the closest to the truth I could say to my dad, without telling him about losing my fucking virginity. “I love you, princess and I want the fucking best for you and if Mark is anything less than that, you can tell me.” Dad said. “It’s not that, dad. I think it’s just him getting his wolf and all that mate talk. I’m only sixteen and it feels like I’m promising myself to someone for fucking ever. It’s all just a fucking lot. “ Dad laughed, “you don’t have to stay with the first boyfriend you ha
Aaro’s povI shouldn’t have said that, but it was the fucking truth. No matter how much this wasn’t Storm’s choice any more than it was mine, he was still going to mark me against my will. Maybe if things were different, then I would have chosen Storm as my mate.I always hoped I would find my true mate, but that ship had fucking sailed the moment I was bought. Maybe even before then—maybe the moment I was brought to the damn school. It didn’t fucking matter anyway.I saw how my remark hurt Storm, and all I could think of to make this better was to ask him to kiss me. I knew it fucking made me feel better. More than better. The orgasm he gave me was out of this fucking world, and I just wanted to make him feel good too.I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing, but he seemed to enjoy it, and to be honest, I was enjoying it too. I didn’t think having someone’s dick inside my mouth would be fun, but hearing Storm grunt and hold on to my hair and knowing I was the one doing it to him was a
Storm’s povI knew if I got pissed off, Aaro would stop telling me the truth, so I let her talk while inside of me a storm was raging. I wanted to go to the school and kill everyone who ever hurt Aaro. I wanted to destroy the entire school and get everyone out, but I knew I couldn’t. I was a fucking hypocrite. My father had bought Aaro for me and had funded the school for years. I didn’t realize where part of our money was going until I checked the books today. Our pack had been giving money to the Goldacres for decades. How could I say I would destroy the school if I still profited from it? If it wasn’t for the school, I wouldn’t have met Aaro.I wanted to be Aaro’s home, her safe place. She deserved that. Despite the fucked up situation she was thrown into, she was trying to do things her own way. She could have ignored my mother like the rest, but instead she decided to learn Dutch. The thing that bonded me and mam together. If Aaro was smart, she would have sucked up to Dad and R
Aaro’s povEve explained the phone to me, but I still felt like a fucking idiot using it. She was so patient with me, but I knew if others saw me fumbling with the phone, they’d think I was raised under a damn rock. Everyone used technology for everything, and I felt like I didn’t belong in this world.To be honest, I don’t belong here. I belong with my sister; I belong back home.But a part of me wished I did belong here. That I could give Storm what he deserved. He wanted a real person who didn’t have that many secrets, someone who could be themselves around him, and I wasn’t that at fucking all. I had to think before I spoke, because otherwise I could reveal the truth."I really am sorry, Aaro." Eve said again.I shook my head, "don’t be. I’ll be fine."Eve sighed, "it can be really hard sometimes, Aaro. I try to put on a brave face for Storm. I don’t want him to feel bad for me, but it’s really lonely for me. I miss my family and just having a life. Don’t get me wrong; if I had to
Storm’s pov"Aaro is bijna klaar; douchen liep een beetje uit. [Aaro is almost done; the shower took a bit longer than expected.]Mam laughed, "Ik zie dat jij ook ging douchen? [I see you took a shower as well?] She ruffled my wet hair."Dus? [so?]""Niks. Ik ben blij voor je. Ze is speciaal vind je niet? Ik durf het bijna niet te zeggen, maar misschien is zij je, - [Nothing. I am happy for you. She’s special, isn’t she? I am almost too scared to say, but maybe she’s your, -] " I stopped my mom from finishing her sentence."Mam zeg het niet dan! Fuck, je weet zelf wat pap zou doen. [Then don’t say it! Fuck, you know what Dad would do.]"My mother knew better than anyone what my dad thought of true mates, considering she was his. Dad and mom fell in love when they were seventeen. Love at first sight, she called it, and then my grandfather got killed and my dad turned into a paranoid asshole. Too scared of what a true mate meant. He wasn't just scared of losing half his soul if his true
Aaro’s povFucking phone. That stupid fucking phone. Phones didn’t used to be like this, were they? I remember mom and dad having a phone, and I sometimes watched videos on it or played a game. But this thing was totally different.I felt so fucking out of place. I knew nothing about this world. I guess that the school does this on purpose. Make sure to isolate the girls once they’re out of the school. Make sure we don’t know how to use technology to ask for help.We’re not supposed to tell anyone about the school, but even if we only wanted to help ourselves once we were out, we wouldn’t be able to. We had no one to turn to and no way to set up any support system. Maybe I should talk to Eve. She had been isolated, stuck inside this packhouse. She knows how it feels, and maybe she knows how to get out of here.I opened the stupid phone again, cursing at it."You better not fuck this up again. Send text to Eve.""Send text to Eve," the phone said."Do you want to join me and Storm for l
Storm’s povI put Aaro on my lap and let her eat."So what’s her deal?" Cara asked, mind-linking me."What do you mean?""She seems nice, but is she like the rest? Does she want you because of your title?"I laughed, "no, she isn’t like the rest. Not at fucking all. I don’t think she cares about becoming Luna at all.""Did she have any say in coming here? Did her parents force her?"I sighed, "she’s an orphan. It’s fucking complicated Cara, but she doesn’t really have a choice. So I’m trying my fucking best to make everything not suck as fucking much."Cara smiled at me, "you want her to like you."Aaro started giving me bites to eat, and although it surprised me, I let her. It was fucking adorable that she cared enough to feed me."She likes you already. She was straddling you, and now she’s feeding you!" Cara shouted inside my head.That kiss was amazing. And when Aaro started moving her fucking hips, I went insane. If Cara hadn’t stopped us, I don’t know what would have happened. Wh
Aaro’s povBrand was cool. He reminded me of my dad’s wolf, Logan. He was as fast as him, too. How would it feel to run as a wolf? Would I be that fast?It was easier around Brand because he didn’t talk to me and I didn’t have to pretend so hard.Even when I was myself, I still had to pretend. I couldn’t let anyone know my real name or identity. It wasn’t easy. I so badly wanted to tell Brand about Logan. I wanted to tell the girl in the orphanage more about Ero. And when we discussed our names, I really wanted to tell Peter what Aaro fucking stood for.It bothered me how scared everyone was. It was supposed to be like this. In my dad’s pack, people weren’t scared of us. And although my grandpa Os could be a bit scary, people respected him more than they feared him.Then he shifted back, and although Storm looked a lot better, like a whole fuckload better, I went back to pretending. Pretending that he didn’t look fucking good, and I wondered what it would feel like to touch him. Preten
Storm’s povI tried to get some work done, but my mind kept wondering about tonight. What would be a good date idea?"Let me meet her," Brand said."And then what, have a picknick? It’s fucking freezing outside.""Please?" Brand asked and I think it was the first time he said please to me."I’ll see what I can do, okay, buddy?"Dad had given me her tracker information, and I felt like a fucking stalker, tracking Aaro’s moves. She went from the hospital to the orphanages, to lunch somewhere, and then to one of the elders' houses.When it was around four, I just gave up on working and decided to pick up Aaro early. I'm sure she'd appreciate it; I couldn't imagine spending the entire day with Ruby.I went to the O'Hares' home and watched as Aaro spoke to a young boy. He must be one of the grandkids or great-grandkids of the O'Hares. Mister O'Hare was 104 years old and looked no older than 70.When the boy saw me, he bowed his head and seemed scared. It was such an obvious contrast between
Aaro’s povStupid fucking nightmare. I used to have them when we were younger. I would dream about Marco taking us away. We were asleep when he took us, but we woke up before he brought us to the man who transported us to the school.Doctor Marco had always been so kind to us, but suddenly he was cold. He ignored our cries, he ignored me begging him to let my sister go. In the end, he threatened to hurt Elora if I didn’t help him calm her down.He showed me bones and said they belonged to a girl, and if I didn't help my sister out of her pajamas and make her shut the fuck up, he could turn my sister into a bag of bones too.For years, I wondered what he needed the bones and the pajamas for. I thought he might have pretended it was one of us who died, so my parents wouldn’t come looking for us. Or my parents were dead themselves; there must have been a reason why they didn't find us. Auntie Kat was too smart to not see through Marco’s plan, I was sure. She was the smartest person alive;