Gabbie POVMy back hit the watch and the current sucked me under. The icy cold water attacked me at every angle. I was powerless to fight my invisible enemy. The rush of the water dragged me forward. There was nothing for me to hold on to and no air to aid my attempt to stay alive. The dark blue abyss of water threatened to make a permanent resident of its mysterious abode.My need for air intensified. I kicked my legs and pushed out my arms but I couldn’t reach the surface in time.***I felt like a rundown car trying to start. Every time I tried to wake up, my body protested. My bones cried, and I couldn’t stop trembling. The orange sky was my last memory before I blacked out.When I fluttered my eyes open again, I felt heat on my back. My clothes were still wet, and my hair stuck to my face. A large jacket covered my chest and part of my face.“You’re finally awake,” a deep masculine voice said.I gasped and jumped up. My bones scolded me for the sudden action.I scooted against th
Gabbie POVDad grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the lake.“What are you doing?”“Can’t you hear them?”This wasn’t an ideal time to tell my Father that I had a mate. Kade must have believed I was dead. If he joined forces with Alex, I can imagine how bad things got for him.“I know them!”“Not now, Gabriella, get into the water. Wolves hate water,” he ordered and shoved me two feet into the water.I hate water too!Dad pulled out a silver blade as long as my arm.“Dad, stop!” I yelled as two wolves burst through the trees.The black one, who was Alex, ground to a halt while my hot-headed mate didn’t stop to pull back his teeth, all he saw was red. I doubted he saw the silver blade my Dad held.The water yanked me backwards as I tried to run out and stop Dad from killing Kade. Dad ducked under the wolf and held his blade out. Alex watched in wolf form as the battle went on.“Both of you! Quit it!”Alex shifted into a naked human.Kade knocked the blade out of Dad’s hand, and I bre
“Honey, we got a letter.” Mom said, clutching a red envelope in her fist for dear life.I set my bowl of oatmeal down.“Who from?”“From a school, they’re requesting your presence.”“What kind of school does that? I don’t remember writing to any schools, plus university applications are months away.”“Yes… I know.”“Something’s fishy, Mom. Throw it away.”“I can’t.” Her voice cracked. “This is their fourth letter. We have to… consider.”“Geez, who are they?”“McGregor Academy… It’s a school for shifters.”My eyes moved from the red tablecloth to the kitchen window, giving me a perfect view of the oak tree in my backyard. A shifter school? I lost all feeling in my fingers, and my cheeks heated. They shouldn’t be after me.“Honey, I think you should…” My mom Anya trailed.What was she thinking? I couldn’t go there.“Mom, I can’t shift.” I was eighteen and still hadn’t gotten my wolf. I was pretty sure by then that she wasn’t showing up.“You just haven’t done it yet.” Mom said, still c
It was too quiet. My mind kept racing, taking me to places that made my heart race. When I fell asleep, my fears followed me. I didn’t want to be here. The castle was only quiet at night until five a.m. I was being woken by footsteps stomping on the roof. What did I even wear? Uniform?Athena hadn’t left me one. I looked for the most neutral thing in my bag. I found a black skirt with pockets so I could hide my phone. The only plain shirt I had was a white-sleeved shirt that hugged my body. I tried not to get my strawberry blondish hair wet in the shower, but it did.Now I had some parts curly and other parts frizzy or straight. I didn’t even have a scrunchy to tame my hair.Black sneakers completed my look. The second I stepped out of the door, I turned into a mouse.“Oh, who’s that?”“Fresh meat?”I backed into the hall.“Hurry up now. Miss Chambers, the assembly’s next. Which you should all be at.” A surge of power filled the room. It went straight to my head I nearly stumbled back
The school was larger than I thought. Blair told me there were four sleeping quarters for each rank. The alphas were bigger, but they had the smallest group. I was surprised that Blair was so nice. She gave me a semi-tour. I liked to believe she had matured and this wasn’t a poly only for her to humiliate me later.We stopped at the door. I turned to her. It had sunk in the past couple of minutes. I was an omega. A lowly omega. I had no expectations when coming here other than being sent back for not having a wolf.“I’ll show you the Omega Quarters later.” Her brows furrowed. She looked sorry for me. I guess she knew how I felt.“Thanks.” I pushed the door into Athena’s office.She looked up from her desk. “Yes, Miss Chambers, I was just about to send someone to come get you.”I wandered over to her table and sat down.“Am I really an omega?” I asked.She sighed and turned in her chair with wheels. She opened a cabinet behind her chair and pulled out a brown top. I dipped my head. Yup
Alex had a mate? Like a real one? She was right in front of me.“I’ll be right there, Leiah,” Alex said through clenched teeth.My face must have looked as red as a tomato. Leiah slammed the door shut, making me jump. She ground her teeth, eyes focused on me. Out of fear, I couldn’t rip my eyes from her. Then I had to when it felt like a train hit my head. Alex’s hand appeared on my back, stopping me from falling.“Hey, don’t do that.” Alex stepped in front of me.Leiah laughed, but I couldn’t see how cynical it looked because Alex blocked my entire view.“You really give two shits about an omega?” Leiah spat.Alex turned to stare at me. What was with the pity in his eyes?“She’s an… oh yeah.”“It isn’t that bad,” I said, confidently, maybe too confidently.Leiah laughed, “I can assure you it isn’t a good thing. You’re an omega that’s in a shit load of trouble.”“No, she isn’t,” Alex said.“She interrupted an alpha meeting! An important one.”“We weren’t getting anywhere anyways.” Ale
Fifteen girls were sleeping in my room. It was an entirely different experience. I slept on the top bunk with Emery on the bottom. The boys slept in the same building but on the other side. A huge living room where social gatherings were held sort of divided the building.In the morning, Blair told me to be careful with my things. The omegas weren’t monitored, and thefts occurred a lot. There wasn’t even room for my stuff in the lockers. I had to settle with stuffing my things under the bed. I carried my phone in my skirt pocket that was something I could not afford to lose. I had to hold on to it for as long as I could. It was only a matter of time before it was confiscated.I sent Mom a text before I went to bed the previous night to let her know I made it through my first day okay. She hadn’t responded yet the next morning. I brushed it aside. Who knew what she had done with her phone? The morning mist covered most of the field, and I had no choice but to shower in freezing cold wa
Kade POV “What? Leave her alone? Did you not see what she did to Baxter?”I saw everything and I didn’t believe it. It was pretty impressive. Baxter rolled around on the ground like an idiot, howling and whimpering. I pinched the bridge of my nose. He was asking for it. He was a great warrior, but I had doubts about him being my beta.“I saw everything, Holden,” I said to the tall dude with jet-black hair. He was also in the running to be my beta.The little redhead omega stared at me as if I were the tallest tower she’d ever seen. Then her pretty blue-green eyes started to droop.“What are you?” She said before her body went limp, and I had to catch her before she hit the ground.“Whoa,” Holden backed up.She practically weighed nothing. I scooped her in my arms. She had this overbearing scent of coconut and cream. Did she faint because of me? That was new. Then I noticed the blood staining my shirt.“Shit, who scratched her?” Everyone remained silent. Even Baxter quieted down.“Wh
Gabbie POVDad grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the lake.“What are you doing?”“Can’t you hear them?”This wasn’t an ideal time to tell my Father that I had a mate. Kade must have believed I was dead. If he joined forces with Alex, I can imagine how bad things got for him.“I know them!”“Not now, Gabriella, get into the water. Wolves hate water,” he ordered and shoved me two feet into the water.I hate water too!Dad pulled out a silver blade as long as my arm.“Dad, stop!” I yelled as two wolves burst through the trees.The black one, who was Alex, ground to a halt while my hot-headed mate didn’t stop to pull back his teeth, all he saw was red. I doubted he saw the silver blade my Dad held.The water yanked me backwards as I tried to run out and stop Dad from killing Kade. Dad ducked under the wolf and held his blade out. Alex watched in wolf form as the battle went on.“Both of you! Quit it!”Alex shifted into a naked human.Kade knocked the blade out of Dad’s hand, and I bre
Gabbie POVMy back hit the watch and the current sucked me under. The icy cold water attacked me at every angle. I was powerless to fight my invisible enemy. The rush of the water dragged me forward. There was nothing for me to hold on to and no air to aid my attempt to stay alive. The dark blue abyss of water threatened to make a permanent resident of its mysterious abode.My need for air intensified. I kicked my legs and pushed out my arms but I couldn’t reach the surface in time.***I felt like a rundown car trying to start. Every time I tried to wake up, my body protested. My bones cried, and I couldn’t stop trembling. The orange sky was my last memory before I blacked out.When I fluttered my eyes open again, I felt heat on my back. My clothes were still wet, and my hair stuck to my face. A large jacket covered my chest and part of my face.“You’re finally awake,” a deep masculine voice said.I gasped and jumped up. My bones scolded me for the sudden action.I scooted against th
Kade POVI just declared myself as an Alpha King contender and I wanted to tell Gabbie, but she was stuck doing a dumb punishment. I didn’t know how long she would be doing it, and I bet she would be exhausted when she was done. I couldn’t wait to nurse her back to health in the privacy of my bedroom.I set the weight down and reached for my water bottle. It’s been over five hours; shouldn’t she be done now? My wolf was impatient. Its appetite for Gabbie was larger than most days today. I couldn’t blame him, our mate was gorgeous.She was more than gorgeous. She’s funny, brave, and she’s my peace. That’s why I couldn’t lose her. My suspicions of what Gabbie might be only intensified after she told me about her latest episode of illegal blows. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I hated to think of us apart but it might be better for us if she left the school.I grabbed a towel and walked out of the gym with it hanging around my neck. I bumped into Alex walking out of the Henry pack gym
Gabbie POV“These forests are full of all sorts of animals. You can’t be sure it was the beast,” Ivan said.“But look at—”“You can’t be sure, omega. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”“Frankly, I don’t feel safe,” Leiah said, straightening her spine.“Yeah Ivan, we should be careful.”“Enough. We were given orders and we’re going to follow through. If the beast comes through here, we’ll take care of it.”“Don’t be cocky Ivan. I’ve come against it and it’s incredibly powerful.”“You’re a beta. I’m an alpha. See the difference?”I frowned. Ivan’s judgment was clouded by his inflated ego, and it could put the rest of us in danger. I hoped Ryan would push the issue, but he nodded and walked out of the hanging vine door.“Five hours,” Ivan reminded us.“Dick,” Leiah muttered.“Yeah.” Finally, we could agree on something.Minutes later, I had my boots and rubber gloves on, trying to rake up the leaves, but there was too much mud to do it quickly. I wasn’t thrilled about cleaning
Gabbie POV“Kade,” I said between kisses. “Slow down.”“I can’t,” he said between kisses. “We might not make it back to the Alpha Castle. Unless I carry you.”I giggled. We made it halfway from the bonfire. Kade stroked my thigh, sending tingles throughout my body. He kissed my neck. He led me to a tree and pinned me there.“Kade,” I moaned.He grunted with satisfaction. He bit the soft flesh on my neck. I sunk my claws into his back. I melted into him. We wouldn’t make it to Kade’s bedroom, and then I remembered the wolf I came face to face with. My heart slammed forward. Kade felt it and pulled back. He cupped my cheeks and held my gaze.“What’s wrong?”“Kade, I saw it. The wolf. It attacked me.”“What?” He blasted, and I cringed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”“Sorry, I just— I kicked its tail.”Kade’s features stilled. He swallowed. “Another illegal blow, Gabbie.”Kade’s a wolf. I wasn’t surprised he was concerned about my new bad habit.“I didn’t know what else to do. It lunged at me.
Gabbie POV“Where have you been, Gabbie? We have to go?” Blair yelled.“I was—”“You have to get dressed. Your outfits are on the bed.”“But—”“Emery’s been itching to do your hair.”“Gabbie!” Emery appeared wearing a petite flowy denim skirt and a white tube top.She styled her hair into massive coils. She brought our dangling earrings and a black choker. Emery never missed an opportunity to dress up.She sat me down and set my ponytail free. With all the buzz happening, no one would listen to me about the beast. Would it come back after I hurt it?“We don’t have much time. Were you with Kade?” She asked.“N-no. Forget it. I’m sorry.”“You’re going to look great! Blair’s dancing around the bonfire, so we need excellent seats.”“She is?”“Yeah, Blair’s been here a long time.”“Right. Glad I don’t have to dance though.”Ten minutes went by quickly, and then I was ushered to the bathroom to change. Emery and I were the last ones in the dorm. The whole school was supposed to be there. Th
Gabbie POV“Gabriella.”I cringed. Every time someone called me by my full name it meant something was wrong.“What?” I turned around to find Alex leaning on the bookshelf.The library was quiet especially since it was late afternoon. Even the librarian wasn’t in. With classes suspended, there was no need to study, though I wanted to keep myself busy. The Omega dance ceremony was tonight which involved petite skirts, tops barely covering our breasts and old folk songs. Plenty of food as well. A huge bonfire would be lit to welcome battle season.A day after the ceremony would be a ceremony where the betas would be pre-chosen for their Alphas. A lot of food would be involved as well.“Shouldn’t you be learning dance steps?” Alex smirked.“I’m not dancing. The older omegas are doing it.”“You’d look hot in those skirts.”“We’re all wearing them.” I shifted on the spot. Communicating with him was still weird because of all that happened between us.“Look Gabbie, I’m sorry. I went overboa
Gabbie POV“Kade?” I asked as he dragged me along the hall of the Alpha castle. “Slow down.”I stumbled, but Kade didn’t stop. He only paused to jam his key into the hole and drag me inside.“Sorry, but things are complicated. I have to start training, and my opponents for Alpha will turn up soon.”“Alpha King?”“No, Babe, for Alpha of Sanders pack.”“You have to fight for that too!”He took my hands and tugged me close. I snuggled into him.“I do if there are any challengers.”“Do you think there will be any?” I asked.“Baxter might but he’s too cocky I’m not worried about him.”“I’m worried about this monster wolf and… it smelling like me. Kade, what if it comes back and someone notices?”He rubbed the back of his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it.“What?” I probed.“Gabbie.”I planted my hand on my hip and glared at him.“Alex knows. I don’t like that he knows your scent. He knows I set the field on fire.”“You did!”“I had to! I couldn’t risk someone else puttin
Gabbie POV“We have to go.”Kade appeared as I picked up the teacup. I hadn’t gotten a chance to try the blueberry muffins yet.“Where to?” I asked.“Your trial. It’s right now.”My palms sweat, and I set the cup down.“I thought it was tonight,” I said as I stood from the comfy patio chair.Eva and Gareth stared at us in disbelief.“I meant it when I said I would testify about when Harlow and Leiah attacked you the first time,” Eva said.“Are you sure you want to do that, mate?” Gareth said, rubbing her arm.“I’m not scared of them.”“Thanks, Eva, but Harlow did most of the attacking.”“It still shows that she’s capable of attacking you again,” Eva replied.“I have a strong and compassionate mate,” Gareth said and planted a kiss on Eva’s lips.She blushed and giggled.Kade hauled me away. I had no idea what to expect. I knew for a fact I would be punished because I used illegal blows but if I didn’t, I would be dead. Kade squeezed my hand as we neared the castle.“Don’t worry about i