~ A M E L I A ~Shopping was the last thing I wanted to do right now, but I promised Sammy and Kaylee. We had all decided to go check out the dresses at a boutique called Silver Style, the best place to shop for all things designer and fabulous to try on for the masquerade ball. It was the same boutique where Hudson’s mother’s stylist picked out dresses for me for the formal dinner at the Shaw Manor, which was happening tomorrow. I was still hesitant about whether I should go or not, considering my plan to break up with Hudson, and especially because I didn’t want to see Everett. The dresses the stylist had organised to be sent to my home were beautiful, but with my fluctuating weight, I had to send them back to try on different sizes. I was annoyed about how grateful I was that Everett had helped me gain the weight back that I’d lost over the past few months. It was another conflicting feeling to add to the mess in my mind. To my surprise, I managed to pick a dress for the Masque
~ A M E L I A ~This was a bad idea. Anxiety was bubbling in my stomach as I walked towards the Shaw Manor. Hudson and his parents came earlier since his parents needed to have a private discussion with the Alpha and Luna. I felt so awkward waltzing in later, but I appreciated the extra time to get ready. Hudson texted me, saying he’d be waiting to walk me in, and he never failed with his promises. He stood atop the steps leading up to the Shaw Manor, his stunning green eyes beaming as he watched me glide up the steps. I couldn’t help but mirror his smile. He held his hand out to me as I approached the last few steps, and I elegantly took it, not breaking my gaze from his. ‘Wow, look at you in that dress.’ I looked down at it, ‘Aw, thanks, well, you did pick it so…’ I shrugged. ‘Did I?’ His brows furrowed, ‘Oh, it must have been one of those dresses my mum’s stylist picked, but I did give some suggestions for what I know you like,’ he exclaimed, smiling slightly awkwardly. My sm
~ E V E R E T T ~I could smell her coming from miles away. Her floral and citrusy aroma grew stronger the closer she came to the manor, which drove me wild. The urges to hurt her were becoming more dormant, but they were still there, waiting to awaken once again. I almost feared for the next full moon, as it would likely feel even more intense than the last, with her getting closer to her full wolf power. It wasn’t safe for her to be around me, yet somehow, knowing that made me want her closer to me. The nightmares of watching Amelia get brutally mauled by a wolf, by Adryan, had vanished; it was the first night in months that I got a peaceful night’s sleep. It felt unreal to be able to have consecutive restful nights. I’d only hoped it was the same case for Amelia. Why did we have the same dream? What did it mean?I didn’t care to worry about it tonight. Drink—I needed a drink. Hard liquor was going to be my saviour for the night in the hopes of numbing the conflicting feelings
~ A M E L I A ~The Alpha wasn’t scary looking, not in the traditional sense one would think, nor in the hundreds of ways I’d imagined him before this night. He was, in fact, incredibly handsome. Strong facial features and a sharp jawline were hidden behind a short, dark beard, but it was clear enough to know it was there. Long, curly hair was so dark it almost ate away all the light that touched it; his hair was so long that he had it tied up in a bun. I was terrible at guessing ages, but if I had to guess, he’d have to be at least in his late forties or early fifties, depending on how young he was when he decided to have his children. Everyone in the pack looked amazing for their age. It must have been one of the perks of being a werewolf. Having some form of magic coursing through us must keep us fresh-faced as well as strong.The Alpha’s body was broad and strong; you could tell even under his white shirt and smokey grey trousers, maybe more so because of it. It was a different
~ A M E L I A ~‘What is he going to do to him?’ I asked Hudson, staring into the distance, gripping the balcony rails tightly.Hudson sighed, ‘I’m not sure, but I mean it, Amelia,’ he held my waist from behind and brushed his lip against my ear, ‘you really don’t want to know, and you definitely don’t want to see it. Whatever he is going to do, it won’t be pleasant for anyone to watch.’Wriggling out of his grip, I stepped to the side and turned to face him, ‘Was that what I thought it was?’He nodded, ‘Yes, it was.’I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, pressing a hand against my chest, ‘That was… so scary.’Stroking my cheek, Hudson gave me a soft smile, ‘If it helps, he rarely uses that power. Well, I’ve only ever seen him use it one other time when an elder refused to submit to him.’ My eyes widened, ‘An elder?’ How could someone use such power on an elderly werewolf, forcing them to do whatever they desire? He shook his head, ‘It’s not even worth talking about. The elder sai
~ A M E L I A ~‘Don’t call me that,’ I tried to say bravely, but failed as I forced myself to take a few steps back away from Everett. I looked towards the balcony doorway, but no one was there for me to grab their attention. Turning my head back, I gasped as Everett appeared right in front of me. He was too good at using his wolf speed stealthily. He towered over me, just as he always enjoyed doing so, ‘Who are you looking for? Someone to come and save you?’ He tilted his head and clicked his tongue, ‘Sounds like I need to train you some more, don’t I?’It felt like I’d forgotten how to breathe. Once I finally managed to take a breath, the strong stench of whisky tickled my nose. I glanced down to see that Everett was holding a near-empty glass of whiskey. I wondered how much he’d had to drink. Using all my might to not show my nervousness, I spoke, ‘Someone’s thirsty tonight. Are you drowning your sorrows today, Alpha-son?’He snorted, ‘Alpha-son? Where are these sudden formalitie
~ A M E L I A ~‘Your eyes lose their sparkle when you lie to me, that’s how I know you’re lying.’Taken aback, I genuinely had no idea what to say to him. Had he been paying attention to me that much to know when I was lying through my eyes? I couldn’t believe it… ‘Deep down, I think you knew that too, which is why sometimes when you lie, you don’t look me in the eyes, which is another tell for me.’Raising a brow, ‘Do you have some obsession with me to have been able to know my tells so early on from when we met?’ I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘Yes,’ he said so calmly my stomach jolted, ‘you know that ever since I met you, I’ve had a weird feeling about you.’I nodded, ‘Yeah, you’ve said this before. Which is why you’re trying to work out what your “strong feelings” are for me,’ I rolled my eyes and looked back out to the view from the balcony. ‘You do, however, know how I feel about you rolling your eyes around me, yet you still do it.’My back straightened, thinking back to our tr
~ A M E L I A ~Brrr, brrr… brrr, brrr… These dial tones were becoming so repetitive that even when I wasn’t on the phone, I could still hear them ringing in my ears. We’re sorry, but the number you have reached is no longer in service. Crap, not again. I hadn’t been able to sleep all night, with everything that happened between me and Hudson, then me and Everett… I just had to be away from everyone. I needed to think about something else. My parents. My birth parents, specifically. Being here in the Silver Moon pack, I had diverted so much in my search to find them that it almost felt like I’d lost my way. It was time for me to remind myself why I was here. The hunt to find any of the families that had left the pack 18 years ago was becoming increasingly unreliable. Every single number I tried to reach them was unavailable. It was like they had fallen off the face of the Earth. Scribbling another family name off the list of all that I’d found by scouring through the archives
~ E V E R E T T ~‘What the hell is going on?’ I asked in a panic as the candle flame began to burn more aggressively, melting the wax representing Amelia’s life force that much faster.Sybil watched the candle in amazement. ‘Her journey through the spirit world has been far too impactful on her body. She’s too weak.’‘No,’ I cooed as I looked back at the small amount of wax that remained of the candle. Squeezing Amelia’s hand, I looked at her and hoped she could hear me in her state of unconsciousness, ‘Listen to me. You are not dying, do you hear me? It’s not your time. It’s not your—‘The room became eerily chilled as the candle flame was snuffed out. I refused to turn around to confirm, hearing Sybil’s saddened sigh was confirmation enough. ‘No… Amelia,’ I cupped a hand on her cheek, ‘wake up. Wake up!’‘Alpha-son, she’s gone.’ Sybil stood and lowered her head, staring at the ground. She also looked heartbroken by this loss. Stepping away from Amelia and towards Sybil, I snapped,
~ A M E L I A ~Panic surged through me. My father’s demise… it was at the hands of his best friend? The Moon Goddess brought us to the time of the battle. As she did, all the magic it took to travel through time was taking a huge toll on my spiritual body. I collapsed to the ground and whimpered, ‘What’s happening to me?’Kneeling beside me, the Moon Goddess helped me up, ‘You don’t have much time, we need to send you back very soon.’I groaned, feeling myself lose the connection and hold I had still back in the land of the living, I couldn’t feel warmth… I couldn’t feel anything. ‘How much longer do I have?’‘Enough time to see this last glimpse into the past.’Holding myself up with all my remaining strength, I watched as the events played out. My father and his best friend were standing head to head under the starry night sky. Many members of the pack, especially the council members, were bearing witness to the fight, awaiting to see who would triumph. ‘Are you sure you want to
~ A M E L I A ~‘What happened after that? How did Draven become Alpha?’The Moon Goddess had brought me back to her moonflower garden, her hand on my back rubbing back and forth soothing me, ‘My dear, you’ve witnessed a lot, are you sure you don’t want to take a break?’I shook my head, ‘I don’t have time for a break! You said yourself that I’ve got a limited amount of time left back in the human world, I can’t waste it.’She nodded, ‘I know, but I can sense your pain and suffering, and things only get darker from here…’Swallowing thickly, I stood tall, ‘Show me.’‘Very well.’~ ~ ~ Following the events of the hospital fire, the next day was sombre. It wasn’t just the families who were directly involved in the fire who were grieving, it was the entire pack. They were all traumatised and scared for what was to come. The funerals for the newborns were held all together, the Alpha and Luna ensured that they were all treated with equal respect and care during the entire process, as we
~ A M E L I A ~It began to rain. First a trickle, then a complete downpour. The Alpha and Luna looked out to the rain, a perfect resemblance of their sorrow, and knew that they had no more time to waste. They had to say their final goodbyes to their daughter and commence with their plan before people became aware. When they had finally said their goodbyes, Kali had come to terms that she would not be the one to venture out to take their daughter to the person they’d hope would be the one and only person they could entrust to take her outside of the pack and to her new human family. In her state of only recently giving birth, her werewolf healing was depleting her energy, plus her sudden disappearance from the fire would raise suspicions. They had to take their next steps carefully and mindfully.Enzo sent Kali back to the hospital, where she would have to act as though she had lost her baby in that fire, along with all the other mothers who lost their babies. Such a foul and disgus
~ A M E L I A ~They arrived back at Rieka Manor, successfully unseen by anyone else. Enzo placed Kali gently on their bed and began to pace up and down the room, muttering to himself. ‘Enzo,’ she was almost hyperventilating, ‘my love, please talk to me! What is going on?’ Kali spoke quietly, trying not to awaken their baby, who had finally fallen asleep soundly, but concern was laced throughout her voice.Yet he didn’t stop pacing, deep in his thoughts, ‘It can’t be them… They wouldn’t… They couldn’t betray us like that!’‘Who?’He shook his head, ’No, no, no!’ He slammed his fist against the wall, shaking the entire room, ‘These bastards,’ he muttered through gritted teeth before sitting next to his mate and wrapping his arms around her, embracing the love of his life and their newborn daughter.‘My love, my Alpha,’ Kali continued to cry silently, ‘Please. Talk to me.’Enzo looked at his mate, holding her face softly as he wiped away her tears with his thumb, ‘My radiant Luna…’ he
~ A M E L I A ~Devastated was an understatement for how I felt, but I was not surprised at all. Those men had been stuck in traditions for so long they were blind to the facts that were right in front of them. That women wanted to show their strength and power, to prove that they are equally as powerful as they are. Yet these men just have to prove themselves to be the best. The Moon Goddess took me later in the day. The sun was slowly going down, dimming the light sky and introducing us to the upcoming night. We walked down the long hallways of the hospital, and the sterile aroma of my surroundings was hard to ignore. We finally made it to the private room that was dedicated to my birth mother, Kali. She was in her hospital bed, sitting up while holding her baby girl, me. With one finger, she bounced my small hand up and down until I clasped my tiny fist around her finger. ‘I can already sense that you’re a strong one, aren’t you, little wolf?’ Kali smiled. Even after giving bir
~ A M E L I A ~My expression faded. That was not going to be easy to get used to, but I nodded and followed her towards my birth parents’ manor. ‘Most of the pack is slumbering away, nursing their hangovers or resting in whichever ways they seem fit,’ the Moon Goddess informed me as we walked through the manor grounds and phased through the door to enter the home. ‘However, Alpha Enzo knew the importance of caring for the pack, and always prioritised his duties before anything else. So, as his mate rested in the hospital and was learning to nurse you, he was back to his duties. They were still recovering from a recent conflict they encountered with another enemy pack. I believe you’re already aware of some people of the Shadow pack?’I nodded as we phased through another set of doors. Inside the room was a grand table. Sitting around it were men, mostly middle-aged but some older and some younger, but a handful of them I recognised from the present day in the Silver Moon pack. It wa
~ A M E L I A ~A wave of dizziness hit me as I reopened my eyes and took in my surroundings. The Moon Goddess and I were no longer in her garden of moon flowers, but deep within a forest. It was so familiar, yet different all at once. In the distance was a gentle glow emitting from lanterns.‘Where are we?’ I asked.The Moon Goddess linked her arm with mine, holding me close to her, ‘We’re in the village of the Silver Moon pack…’ she began walking me towards the lights, where noise and music began to tickle my ears, ‘…18 years ago.’I froze in place and looked at her, ‘Before I was born?’She nodded, ‘In fact, the day I brought you back to is your birthday.’Drawing my gaze back towards where the noise grew, it sounded like there was a huge celebration going on. This was it, this was finally the time I was going to learn everything. I was going to learn the truth and finally be able to understand who I am. But, for some reason, I could not move.‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ T
~ A M E L I A ~It was so cold and dark…Where am I? What is going on?My eyes slowly peeled open, feeling the weight of my drowsiness, meeting the night sky above me. There was not a star to be seen, which was unusual for the Silver Moon pack. No matter where you are, you’d always be able to see stars at night. It was one of my favourite things about the pack. Scanning my surroundings briefly without moving my head, there were trees all around me. How did I end up in the forest? Where was I last? Pushing myself to sit up slowly, my head felt heavy as I tried to recall what happened. Everett had told me to come see him… The Alpha ambushed me… pain… so much pain…My lip quivered as I examined and patted down my entire body, but there wasn’t a cut to be seen.Am I dreaming? What the hell is going on?A rustle behind me caught my attention. Twirling onto all fours and pushing myself to stand, I felt too alert and concerned for what was out there. ‘Who’s there?’ I said sharply. No re