I enjoyed the shocked expression on Jenna’s face. With her eyes narrowed, she stepped back and looked me over carefully.But then, the reality of the situation seemed to sink in for her. “Hello, Daisy,” she said stiffly.“Hello, Jenna. It’s nice to meet you.” I knew my words didn’t sound sincere, but I couldn’t help it. The way this woman acted made me angry.Fortunately, Victor led me away from her and helped me into the Lamborghini.Once again, words came from my mouth that I couldn’t stop. “Is … is she your girlfriend?”“No,” Victor replied. “ I’m not dating anyone right now.”But I couldn’t get the image of Jenna flirting with him as they ate at the restaurant.“Was she your girlfriend?” I asked.“I’ve never had a steady girlfriend,” Victor told me. “And ever since I met you, I haven’t had the time to date or go out partying at all.”“I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from your social life,” I said.“The clubs will still be there when I get around to going out again,” Victor said.“I’ve
I touched the answer button on my cell and said, “Hello, William.”“Hey, Daisy,” William said. “I hope you’re not busy.”I softly sighed. “Not at all. Victor was giving me a dance lesson, but we’re on a break now.”“Oh, great,” William said. “Your ball is almost here. I bet you’re excited.”“Yeah, I am. I just bought my gown today. I can’t wait to wear it.” I couldn’t believe I was having this casual conversation with William after the kiss with Victor.“That’s great. I can’t wait to see you wearing it,” William said. “I know you're busy, but I was wondering if you have time to see a movie tomorrow after school?”“A movie,” I repeated.“Yeah, I’ve got three tickets to ‘The Battle of Granger.’ It was about the biggest battle of the Werewolf Civil War, and you love history more than anyone I know.”“It sounds great,” I said, but my mind was still on Victor and the kiss.“Since I have three tickets, you can bring somebody with you,” William offered.“Hold on a minute,” I said and hit the
William and I met at the gate after school. I followed him to where his car was parked, and he held the door for me as I climbed into the passenger seat.I waited until William got into the driver's seat before I told him Victor wasn’t coming. “I’m sorry, but Victor texted me this afternoon and said he can’t make it.”“That’s too bad,” William said. “I was looking forward to seeing him.”Before William started the car, my stomach let out a loud growl that made me cringe.I was embarrassed until William chuckled. “I’m hungry, too. Lunch in the cafeteria today was lousy. We have time. Why don’t we go out for a bite?”“Sure,” I replied. “That sounds great.”“How about we stop in at Gilded,” William said.Gilded was the first five-star restaurant that Victor took me to on the day the reporters broke my glasses, and then William joined us. It felt like that evening was a long time ago, but it had been only a few weeks.“Sure. Gilded sounds fine.” I had been there several times since then,
Alex waved and smiled as we got out of the Mustang.I hurried to his side, put my arms around his neck, and kissed him on his cheek. Was it my imagination, or did he look more frail today than before?But his voice was still strong. “I came outside to get some air. William, it’s good to see you. Cook will have dinner ready in about an hour. Why don’t you stay and eat?”“I’d love that, sir,” William said. It had been a few hours since we had the steak tartare, and I was sure William would be able to eat again.“Good. Let’s go into the house and get comfortable,” Alex said and started inside. “We’ll get Benson to serve us a cold drink in the living room.”I took Alex’s arm, and the three of us made our way to the living room. We got comfortable on the plush furniture, andBenson brought us glasses of cold sparkling grape juice.“So, how was the movie, you two?” Alex asked.I knew Alex enjoyed history. There were many books in the library near my room from different periods of the past.
It was only a rehearsal, so Jennifer said it was okay to wear my jeans and a T-shirt beneath my mother’s ceremonial robe.Jennifer adjusted the robe to make it fall evenly in the front and back. “You can wear your clothes this time, but for the actual ceremony, you must be naked beneath the robe.”My stomach squirmed with anxiety once again. “Why do I have to be naked?”Jennifer looked at me as if I were kidding. “Of course, you’ve never shifted, but I thought somebody would have explained things.”I shrugged. “My foster parents didn’t care enough to explain anything to me, and their real daughter won’t be old enough to shift for several more years.”She froze for a moment as she searched for the words. “You do understand that when you shift, your body changes, but your clothing won’t.”I nodded.Jennifer looked concerned. “Have you ever seen a werewolf shift?”“No, never. Amy is also five months younger than me…” I replied.She checked her watch. “Someone should explain it in more de
Victor and Adam’s POVExplaining to Daisy what it was like to shift caused an intense craving to be in my wolf form. It brought back the pleasant memories of running freely through the darkness with the other night creatures.I left the living room and Daisy before I couldn’t control the shift any longer. After running out of the living room, I left the house at the side entrance, shedding my clothing along the way.I ran into no one, and as soon as I cleared the house, my body morphed into its wolf form. I could feel Adam’s delight to be unrestrained once again.“Do you smell them?” Adam asked me. “There is a large nest of rabbits nearby.”I breathed deeply and detected the family of rabbits, but my sensitive nose caught the scent of larger prey in the nearby woods.“Let’s go,” Adam urged me. “It’s been a long time since we’ve feasted upon a fresh kill.”I gave in to my instincts and ran. It was a joy to run like the wind over the high grasses. Adam and I raced across the fields and
As I read my book, Victor’s image kept flashing through my mind. It made me smile until I remembered how he had practically run from the living room.What had been wrong?I put down my book and wandered out onto my balcony. The night air was cool and clean, and the moon shining above me made me feel energized and happy to be alive.Victor’s face flashed through my mind once again. His image was even clearer, and I thought I could smell his scent a moment before Jennifer called me back into my room to discuss any new cosmetics I might need for the ball.After she left my room, I was walking to my balcony to close the glass door when there was the sound of movement outside. Then I heard something land on the ground outside my bedroom.I ran to the balcony railing and looked down at the ground.Was someone hiding here on my balcony? Why?I couldn’t see anyone in the dim moonlight, but a large shadow near a lilac bush seemed to move.Was it my imagination, or had someone been on my balcon
“This was the last day of school before your ball,” Victor said as he held the Lamborghini's door for me. “Are you excited?”“Excited and nervous,” I replied. “My hands start shaking whenever I think about it.” I held them up to show him I was serious.My mind kept imagining the worst-case scenarios that could happen at my ball. I knew I was letting my anxiety get the best of me, but it was hard to turn it off.“Relax, you’re going to be fine,” Victor assured me. “You know all the dances, and you do them very well. Best of all, you have a gorgeous gown to wear while doing the tango with William.”“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Victor added reassuringly. “Your father and I will be there to watch over you. And you will have your best friend, Amy, there too.”“I can’t wait to wear my gown.” I smiled just thinking about it. “And Amy is spending the whole day with me tomorrow to start getting ready. We’re having our own spa day and having ‘the works’ done to us.”“That sounds like