Ayla POV I’m walking down the dirt path in the forest beside the house, but everything seems different, the world seems different, the sun is shining through the leaves on the trees, and I can feel the warmth on my skin. My fingers graze against the top of the bluebells as I let my fingers trail across them, the petals feel like silk against my fingertips. I can hear the chirping of the crickets and the sweet song of a bird that makes my heart feel light. The small stream seems larger than I remember, like it’s swollen with a glass-like liquid that seems to sparkle as the sun hits it, not the brown murky water I saw when I jogged along it. I can hear the water rushing past me fast, it makes the air smell fresh and invigorating. As I inhale, I can feel my body filling with vitality. I see the dirt path split. One path leads off along the gushing stream, and the other deep into the forest. The last time I was here, this path didn’t have a fork in the road, it followed the stream. I did
Ayla POV I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding after that dream. Even whilst showering, I could feel dread coiling up inside my stomach. “Good morning flower.” My dad smiled as I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed his toast off his plate and took a bite. “Morning Dad.” “Do you have any plans for today?” He asked. I grabbed a cup and poured myself some coffee and shook my head. “I have something getting delivered today and your mum can’t see what it is. Could you wait in for them?” I didn’t mind waiting in to help my dad out, it was my parent's wedding anniversary soon and my mum was a notorious snoop. “Sure, is it anniversary presents?” I asked. He looked at me, his eyes squinted together, and a playful smile filled his face. “She asked me to find out what you got her.” “I bet she did the little sneak. I know you are on my side though, so I will tell you this, it’s not what she is thinking, it's tickets.” “Oh fancy.” I teased. My back pocket began to vibrate, I pulled
Ayla POV I closed the door and waited for a minute to make sure Micha had definitely gone before I jumped around the room with joy. I couldn’t help but have a good feeling about this. “Hey, sweetheart. Did my package come?” My dad shouted. I quickly put my other trainer on and grabbed the envelope off the coffee table and passed it to him. “Thanks, flower, are you going for a jog?” “Yeah, after you kill my suspense and tell me what you got mum.” He smiled as he pulled the tab on the envelope and opened it, he pulled out a smaller envelope and held it out to me. I took it and opened it up smiling to myself. He had gotten mum tickets for a two-week Caribbean cruise. “Wow Dad, mum will love this.” “I know. I think this will be the first year that I’ve managed to surprise her.” Dad looked extremely pleased with himself and I couldn’t blame him, I knew Mum would be overjoyed when she opened this up and saw tickets for a Caribbean cruise. “OK, I’m going to go for a run.
Callan POV “What’s going on?” Eric asked as he walked out of the house and headed toward me. I had seen Ayla in the woods running away from something, the fear on her face ignited all the fury inside of me. I would kill anything that threatened her. *Ayla was being chased by something. She said she could hear a bell!* Eric looks at me, his nostrils flare and his gaze turns hard. “Fuck.” He mutters as he follows me into the woods. *Did she see it?* he asked as we moved deeper into the forest out of sight of any humans who might be passing through. *No, she only heard the bell. I heard it as well, but when I got to her, it stopped. I think it was watching her.* *Fuck! Do you think Ayla is what he’s after?* I stopped walking as fear clawed up my spine. Eric turned to look at me. *We won’t let anything happen to Ayla. She’s our Luna.* Without even realising I had forgotten the notion of rejecting Ayla and fully accepted her as my mate, I would do anything to see that smile of h
Callan POV “I forgot to tell you, I hired someone yesterday, and she will be here any minute for her first day.” “What! Micha, why?” Micha and Eric were both in my office discussing the fairy circle and what we were going to do about it. Micha shrugged his shoulders whilst taking a sip of his coffee when the elevator door dinged announcing the arrival of the new employee. Oriental roses and orange blooms drifted throughout the office floor and I felt my lips twitch up into a smile. “Over here Ayla,” Micha shouted. I watched as she stepped off the elevator and glanced around the office. Her eyes went wide as she saw me through the glass door, her eyes locked with mine and my heart began to race. She looked just as beautiful as she did the first time I ever saw her. She wore a red blouse with a collar that seemed to cover her beautiful neck. A black skirt that came to below her knees, but it seemed to hug her body. Her toned legs looked firm in a pair of black heels and her hair hu
Callan POV“Can I drive you home?” I asked as I walked out of my office putting my coat on.“I drove here, but thank you.”“Can I walk you to your car then?” She smiled at me, and it felt like the world stood still, she looked radiant when she smiled at me like that.“Thank you.” She grabbed her bag and coat and walked out of the office beside me. She was so close, that if I let my fingers reach over, I could feel her once again.“I hope you will be staying at home tonight. No late-night jogs after what happened yesterday.”“I’m helping my parents tonight, they’re going on a cruise and their flight is at 3 am and my mum still hasn’t packed a thing. Thank you for walking me home last night, Callan, and making sure I was OK. I was probably being silly.”“No, you weren’t Ayla, there’s been reports of a man lurking in the area following women. I’m just glad I was there.”She stopped beside her red Mini Cooper and opened the door.“Well this is me. I will see you tomorrow.”“Goodbye Ayla
Ayla POV “Have an amazing time, I want to see lots of pictures and don’t worry about anything here.” I hugged my mum one last time as Dad passed the taxi driver the last suitcase. Mum's grip around me tightened before she let go, and I was swept into my dad’s arms in a tight but loving embrace. “Look after yourself, flower, and no wild parties whilst we’re away.” He chuckled as he kissed me on top of my head. “Brownie promise,” I smiled, holding 3 fingers in the air. I stepped back and watched as Dad climbed into the taxi, pulling the door closed whilst blowing me one last kiss. My eyes began to blur as I waved goodbye to my parents. I was going to miss them. The midnight air was cold, I could see my breath fanning out in front of my face every time I exhaled. I stood watching until the lights from the taxi disappeared at the end of the drive before making my way inside into the nice warm flat. It seemed eerily quiet now that my parents weren’t here, the clock seemed to tick loud
Ayla POV My stomach felt heavy still, my nightmare had unsettled me. I finished my coffee, washed my cup and left it to dry and quickly tidied away the mess from last night before getting ready for another day of trying not to stare at Callan and do some work. The work distracted me. As I was leaving the flat, Callan, Micha and Eric were all walking down the stairs from their penthouse, laughing and talking to one another. “Good morning sunshine. Why don’t you come with us to save your petrol?” Micha beamed. He was always so cheerful and happy. I glanced at Callan who was watching me closely. I felt my cheeks heat up so I quickly looked at Micha, needing to get away from his gaze. “It’s OK.” “Nonsense, it’s silly we all live in the same building, and we’re all going to the same office. Come on, I’ll carry your bag.” He grabbed my bag and swung it over his shoulder and began to prance down the stairs dramatically, making me laugh. “Are you sure?” I asked. “You know Micha is a
Ayla POV Everything feels surreal; the only time I know reality from illusion is when Callan touches me. His fingers brushing against my skin makes everything snap back into place. The world stops morphing into one of fantasy and becomes the world I know. His touch calms the chaotic affliction that is consuming my body and my soul. I can feel him trying to reach me through our bond; it feels like a constant pounding on my brain, like I have a door inside my head and he is knocking on it desperate to get in, but if I let him in, if he finds out the truth, how my body feels like it’s going to implode at any given moment taking me and everything around me, he won’t go through with his alpha ceremony, and even though it was only a dream, I can’t shake the warning of the lady who called herself Selene, the goddess of the moon. It wasn’t that long ago I thought I was dreaming of Duscellis and Runduc, and how very wrong I was about that. The nurse Callan has asked to stay with me is sitti
Callan POV “Ayla, you need me.” I protest as I slip my shirt on. Ayla had been awake for most of the day, but I wasn’t convinced she was actually any better. She had eaten quite a lot today, which was something she hadn’t done for the last few days, but her skin still looked a little flushed, and her temperature only seemed to settle when I was touching her; standing close to her, I could feel the heat emitting from her body; it was like standing next to a radiator on a cold winter's morning, but she was insistent she was fine, stubbornly insistent. I had tried to feel her through our bond, hoping to see if I could feel what she was feeling, but she had somehow locked it up again. She was sitting on the bed watching me, her breath caught in her throat as her gaze followed my hands as I buttoned up my shirt. “No, your pack needs you, Callan. I promise I will be ok.” “Knock knock, are you ready?” Micha asked as he stuck his head into the room. “Almost,” I answered. “You look bett
Callan POV The sound of our footsteps bounces off the stone floor and echoes up in the high ceiling of the hallway that wraps around the courtyard where the ancient tree stands. Ayla’s excitement bubbles inside my chest; I can feel a strange energy surrounding her; it feels like static, all the hairs on my arm are standing on end, and the energy is radiating from her across the space, filling every crevice of the narrow hallway. I open the door, holding it as she walks through; she glances up and smiles at me, but her eyes make my breath catch in my throat; they are ablaze, bright purple lights shine out from her eyes, but she looks so ethereal. I watch as she walks across the courtyard; her footsteps are light and make a soft padding noise on the stone floor, her hips sway so seductively, I feel entranced by them and her curvaceous ass; her hand is outstretched toward the tree, and as she passes by the beautiful violets my mother planted, I watch in awe as they all seem to bend towa
Ayla POV My head is buzzing; all I can hear is a low humming noise, but the sound is deep and resonates in my bones, making my body feel like it’s shaking. My body feels like someone has replaced my blood with acid, and my skin itches so bad, it feels like I have insects crawling just beneath the surface. I’ve not left Callan’s bedroom for the last couple of days; I can see the worry in his eyes every time he comes to check on me, but he has more important things to worry about than a stupid virus that will be over soon. Callan’s touch and sleep seem to be the only release I get from the pain, but I don’t want Callan to drop everything just so he can stay with me. Lately, my dreams have become demented; as soon as I close my eyes, all I see is women being hunted by Runduc, pain and brutish force inflicted upon these innocent women that I feel so connected to. I can feel their torment and pain as if it were my own, and the people I love lay slaughtered by his feet. I hear their scream
Callan POV “He's bullshitting!” Micha growled as he paced the floor of my office. The air in the room felt thick; I could feel Micha’s fury and Eric’s outrage smothering me. If it wasn’t for Ayla’s scent, which seemed to surpass all the other scents in the room, I would have lost my shit an hour ago when Micha demanded we speak. “And what if he’s not?” “He is.” He growled. “What if he can help me protect Ayla?” Micha stopped pacing now and turned to glare at me. His jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. “I will help you protect Ayla and Eric will; you have a pack out there willing to protect their Luna. We don’t need some fucking nut job who we don’t even know.” “He’s right, Callan. Rosie and her coven are helping us; we don’t need someone like him.” Eric agreed. Ayla stood up from the sofa in the room and made her way over to me; the sound of the denim of her jeans brushing against her legs got closer along with her intoxicating scent, which was already chasing away the migra
Callan POV The smell of food still lingered in the air from dinner; all of the tables had been pushed aside, and benches had been set out in rows facing the front of the banquet hall, where I sat waiting with Ayla. I must admit it felt fucking amazing having her sitting beside me like this; my Luna was taking her place. The large chandeliers above us cast a bright white light into the room, but there was an unnatural chill in the air, even though I was happy to finally be getting rid of Alister, a giant ball of dread coiled in my stomach. Minister Robert stood in front of me, ready to address the pack, and sitting to my right were Micha, Eric, and Freya. My mother sat at the very front on the benches, blending in with the pack; she had her hands folded in front of her, resting on her lap; she had a grim twist to her mouth, and every time she answered Ron, who was sitting beside her, she responded with a slow nod. Not once did she speak; she just slowly nodded her head as if she was o
Ayla POV The sound of birds singing outside drifts through the open window, which allows a cool breeze to flow through the room. Callan's skin feels warm beneath my cheek as I lay on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “Good morning, beautiful.” He grumbles; his fingers brush through my hair. His arm tightens around my body as he holds me close against him. “Good morning,” “How are you feeling today?” He asks. His hand travels down my back, his fingers trailing up and down my spine; sparks of excitement flick across my skin. “I feel better.” And I did; lying like this with Callan made me feel good, amazing even. My skin didn’t feel like it was on fire, and I no longer felt lightheaded. I felt full of energy. Callan gently sat up, pulling me up with him. “I have to go to training; are you sure you're ok?” “I’m fine. I need a shower, though; is that ok?” His eyes flashed black, and I felt my lips curling up. “You make this so hard.” He grumbled. Callan
Ayla POV Callan’s aftershave wrapped around me in a cocoon of safety; tingles ran across my lips as I felt him pressing his lips against mine. My eyes fluttered open, relieved at seeing his handsome face hovering above me, safe and untouched by Runduc. As I swung my legs out of the bed, it felt like my brain was spinning around inside my skull. I stood up wanting to get some of the food Callan had brought me, but the floor felt strange; my feet felt so heavy, like I had two bricks connected to my legs, which felt like two strands of spaghetti. My knees buckled, but thankfully I fell back onto the soft mattress, but that worry that was etched into Callan’s eyes earlier today hit me hard in my head like a train had crashed into my brain, my throat felt tight, and my chest began to burn. I didn’t want Callan to worry; he already carried the weight of the world on his shoulders because of me, and I didn’t want to burden him more than I already had, but as I leaned down to give him a kiss
Ayla POV Fire covered my skin, burning me from the inside out. My body felt drained of all its energy after today, and the fight to keep my eyes open was like fighting against a cyclone, useless. I climbed into Callan’s bed, grabbing his pillow and pulling it close to my body so I could smell him. God, I was so needy, but his aftershave made me feel calmer; it made my body uncoil, and all my muscles felt relaxed instead of tense and sore. I curled my legs up as an icy chill began to creep over my burning limbs, making my body quiver. My lips began to tremble as my teeth began to clang together. I pulled the duvet up, spinning around so it wrapped around my body like a burrito. As the coldness dissipated from my body and Callan’s aftershave settled my anxiety from not being near him, I soon drifted off into a restless sleep. My dreams feel so real once again; I can almost taste the fresh air on my lips and feel the breeze against my face. I look around to see I’m standing in the cle