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Epilogue
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2024-10-29 19:42:56EPILOGUE
Marge shuffled through the archive, her shoes making the only sound in the quiet stone building, echoing all the same through the high vaulted ceiling of the church building above. She raised a gnarled hand to the shelf and deposited the book after two tries, her hands shaking slightly with the cold. There were only a few books to return tonight. Far fewer than there had been when Leila had been here.
So why had she waited until this late in the evening to do it? She just shrugged and pushed on, the slow creaking of the cart’s wheels punctuating the silence, her old watch on her pale wrist noting the time; 1:45 a.m.
She really had no business being there so late. But she had gotten caught up in one of her research projects, spread out across her circulation desk and totally lost in thought until the rumble of her empty sto
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Perrin"This fucking blows."I toss my quarter-staff to Ethan, watching him catch it with ease, despite being out of breath."It could be worse!" he said with a grin, taking another swipe at my side. "If I got as many dates on my own volition as you do through your father, I'd be in Heaven."I grunt and quickly jump out the way. "Yea, except Heaven is a place you actually WANT to be. My dad insists on picking the weirdest places for these set-ups. The last time it was at a tea parlor.""A tea parlor?" Ethan swings another jab my way but I deflect with my forearm. "What the hell is that?""My point exactly," I sigh."Was she at least good looking?" I grunt in response. Ethan grins, wiping silver hair off his sweaty forehead. "Must have been a real looker... did Jasmine know this time?""Good session. Let's call it a day." I say, cutting him off. Jasmine knows that my dad has been trying to set me up
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 2
Pack Infirmary Perrin "What. the FUCK. Did you do?" I can feel the heat of Jasmine's words from down the hallway. Kira helps me sit down in the entryway. A polite healer comes and ushers us into a private room before Jasmine can reach us. Before the healer can close the door, Jasmine shoves it wide open. "Kira. Get. OUT." Kira peels out of a chair by the door and shuts it behind her. "Jasmine, I--" "What. Happened?" When she gets like this, I know it's bad. But suddenly she lets out a sigh. "Perrin.... don't scare me like that." She steps closer, cradling my face. She's still wearing her scrubs from class, hair tied tight and high in a swinging ponytail, sneakers squeaking as she steps closer. But scrubs don't hide the shape of her mouth, the almond shape of her eyes, and the sweet, sweet scent of her skin. She locks eyes with me for a long moment, then she begins, tenderly, to treat my wounds. Her words can bite, but she really found her calling. Her touch as a healer is so
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 3
I usher out a quick "thanks" to Kira and jump out of the car. Rushing towards the packhouse doors, I barely have time to acknowledge the Guard as I dash inside, sprinting up the stairs, trying to reach my room. Knowing my father, he and Beta Mark are keeping tabs on how long it takes me to get to the restaurant. I almost bite it in the hallway--someone's recently mopped and the floors are a slippery mess. I save myself from falling by grabbing onto the only thing nearby--the arm of the pack Luna. "Perrin, are you alright?" Deidre steadies me with her other arm. "I'm fine, Luna," I shake her off, careening down the hall as fast as I can. Of course, running into my step-mother is just what I need right now. She'll have my father on speed dial in a heart beat. Once in my room, I shed off my shoes, shorts, and dash into the shower. I don't really have time to shower, but given that I'm torn between the clock and my own mental refusal to meet Leila, I decide it's ok. The shower is hot,
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PerrinI sat in the restaurant for a few minutes before leaving, staring at... well, nothing except the door. My phone continued to vibrate but I silenced it. What just happened? I threw a few bills on the table and left.Instead of going back to the packhouse, I decided to go for a walk. Something about how Lo has me... confused? I was TRYING to to the right thing by going to dinner with her. But that didn't mean it was a date. It was really just two old friends catching up, just like she said. What did Jasmine have to do with this? And how did she know it was a she-wolf on the other end of the phone? But honestly, seeing her was such a great blast from the past.I took a big breath of fresh air and let my shoes carry me over the pavement towards the park. The park was beautiful in early spring. Cold, yes. And not too much green. And it was still relatively light outside in the early evening. The scent of snow of melting winter and the
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JasmineI can smell Perrin before I can see him. His smell is stronger than usual--just like after he works out or has a training session with Ethan. I can hear him now--running. That must be why. Running because he knows he's late. I check my watch. 9:30 p.m."You're lucky that I waited for you."He comes out of the trees and into the clearing, slightly out of breath."I know..." he says unevenly, catching his breath, bent over with hands on his knees. "I came as fast as I could." He gathers himself and stands erect, looking at me, finding my eyes.Everytime I stare into those eyes, when it's just the two of us, I'm totally lost. And I can't believe they're mine. I'm lucky I found him early. As the Alpha Dauphin, Perrin's practically pack royalty. We were just classmates at first. He was gawky and awkward as a younger pack member, so we started out as just friends. But the more I got to know him, the more I became attracted
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 6
Deirdre "I hope it's not too late. I hope it's not too late. Stay with me, my dear. Please. Please don't leave. It's too soon." Perrin I spring as quickly as I can into the infirmary, Jasmine on my heels. I'm not sure how long it took us to get here, but I wish I had run faster. I try to get my bearings in the entryway and I yell for a healer. "HELLO? WHERE IS HE? WHAT'S GOING ON?" A healer comes dashing through a set of double doors at the sound of my voice. Jasmine's at the front desk, trying to figure out what's going on. "Perrin, please--" the healer addresses me, eyes bowed despite my anxiety. She's trying to show me respect, but I don't care for pleasantries right now. "WHAT IS GOING ON? WHERE IS HE? TAKE ME TO HIM! NOW!" I try to hear the answer, but the sound of my heartbeat is drowning out my own thoughts. "What?" I'm frantic for info
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Kira I've spent most of the evening preparing for the arrival of the Chiyads. Tomorrow, the challengers for our pack's Alpha Title will formally arrive and take residence within our borders. It's a really big deal and there's a formal welcome ceremony. My mother, Mistra, and I have been out gathering wildflowers for the welcome bouquets to the mothers of the challengers. Honestly, it's super old-fashioned but Alpha Jason likes tradition. So, we're out trying to find whatever kind of wildflower blooms the night before the Spring Solstice just to keep him happy. But I guess when you're Alpha, you get what you want, right? I can hear my mother foraging a short distance away from me. She always picks lavender if she can find it, but it may be too early. We do live in a rather temperate climate most of the year, but the extra snowfall this past winter killed off the early roses I was hoping to find.... and, I admit, take a few for myself. I love r
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Perrin "There was an attack." I'm packing back and forth in the small patient room, listening to my father, The Alpha, give me an account of what happened. "Well, thank you Captain Obviou--" My father silences me with a look. But I quickly recover and continue, trying to get answers. "Why was Ethan on Afternoon Guard duty? We'd been training all morning! You know we're not supposed to be assigned duty unless we have a day off from training. WHY WAS HE ON GUARD DUTY? THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" -- my temper is clearly getting the better of me. "That's not really the point, Perrin," my father growls. He doesn't enjoy being interrupted. "WELL WHY WAS HE?" I counter, still pissed. "I've been sitting in a waiting room for hours. Nobody will tell me anything! MY BEST FRIEND IS IN LIFE-SAVING SURGERY AND I'M NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW WHA--" "SHUT. UP." My father roars in my direction. The ferocity of his voice and
Latest chapter
The Unchosen Mate Epilogue
EPILOGUEMarge shuffled through the archive, her shoes making the only sound in the quiet stone building, echoing all the same through the high vaulted ceiling of the church building above. She raised a gnarled hand to the shelf and deposited the book after two tries, her hands shaking slightly with the cold. There were only a few books to return tonight. Far fewer than there had been when Leila had been here.So why had she waited until this late in the evening to do it? She just shrugged and pushed on, the slow creaking of the cart’s wheels punctuating the silence, her old watch on her pale wrist noting the time; 1:45 a.m.She really had no business being there so late. But she had gotten caught up in one of her research projects, spread out across her circulation desk and totally lost in thought until the rumble of her empty sto
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 268
Perrin“How long is it going to take?”I sat on Lo’s bed as she shoved clothes into her suitcase. “Maybe a week? I’m not sure.”“Why don’t you just leave all of that stuff here?” I pointed at the suitcase. “It’s not like you’re not going to bring it back.”She heaved a heavy sigh, full of fake exasperation. “I still have to pack it to move it down the hall. It’s just easier if I do it all at once.”“Nah. Let’s just throw it all in some garbage bags and unpack later.”She laughed. “Hand me those shoes?”I strode over and picked a pair
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 267
Perrin “Because I never want to create a monster like my father.” Silence hung in the room. I digested each word, the implications of it. “But you’re not…” I said, more for myself than for her. “No, I’m not. He never got his hands on me. My little brother made sure of that.” And even though she spoke in a viscous, quipping way; there was a hint of something grateful in her tone. “So he won’t be anything like him!” I said, assuring myself more than anything. “Does it matter?” She snapped, regaining her typical composure. “If my father’s insane lust for power is hereditary, then it’s best that the blood line ends with me. At least my brother won’t be breeding any offspring considering he’s gay–” sh
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 266
Perrin I glanced at my phone, then at Lo. We had made love for several hours, refusing to stop until we had our fill of each other. But each time hadn’t felt like enough, leaving us drained and happy but wanting more. After one particularly hot session in the middle of my bed involving whipped cream, I pulled her close to me, blissfully peaceful with her cradled in my arms. I felt her stomach growl against my hands. And apparently hungry. I swept my mouth to her ear and felt her shiver against me, goosebumps appearing up and down her body. I fought the impulse to warm her with every inch of mine. “Do you want me to get you a snack?” I said, and waved the small can of whipped cream in front of her face so she could see. She hummed lazily in my
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 265
PerrinAnd it had happened like that.I recalled the broad strokes for my friends.“You what?” Ethan said, shocked and nearly angry. “You can’t make that kind of promise!”Justin shook his head sagely. “That’s free reign, Perrin. And a dangerous move, backing out of every challenge. It puts you at a huge disadvantage if anyone trespasses on your territory.”“Or attacks on your land,” Ethan said.“Or poses a border dispute,” said Kira.“How will you expand?” Ethan asked, c
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 264
PerrinI tried to cover the nail marks she had left on my shoulder with a spare set of scrubs from Deidre’s office. It was no use. The scrubs were too small, tugging comically at my shoulders and Lo’s pink cheeks and ruffled hair couldn’t be fixed.We had retreated long enough to ourselves, and I pulled us back into the world of the living and down the hall, walking hand in hand as we rejoined our friends.Ethan smirked when he saw us. “Nice.”Kira rolled her eyes, glancing at her imaginary watch. “Couldn’t you two wait?”“At least get a shirt,” Ethan added, eyeing my bare chest. I had ditched the scrubs, unable to get them over my chest.
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 263
PerrinWe didn’t talk as much, even though that had been the plan.I had taken one of the chairs opposite Deidre’s desk, hoping to keep my brain thinking platonically for as long as possible. But part of me was still in shock. I could smell the smell of her coconut shampoo. See the glimmer of her earrings in the desk lap. And I had felt the tips of her fingernails as I held her hand; the short ones that she chewed on when she was reading and lost in thought.But I knew it was definitely her the moment I felt my head slightly dizzy with the draft of warm honeysuckle, intoxicatingly perfect.I wasn’t shy, needing to have her by my side. I pulled her easily into my lap, and she didn’t protest, as if still quite unsure that all of this was really happening either. She swun
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 262
PerrinAs soon as Mark dismissed the crowd, the crowd had begun to descend from the stands in droves. It hadn’t taken long for Lo to find me, fighting the current and pushing her way against the flow of teaming bodies and up to the platform.I sensed her, long before she ran up the platform stairs, Justin hot on her heels. I dove past my father, darted behind Mark and ran to meet her, not caring for any protocol or public indecency. I needed her.Her scent hit me first. It made my blood sing and my heart beat so fast I thought it would stop.And then there she was. The sight of my home and my heart, running and slipping across the wet platform towards me.My weight almost buckled beneath me, the unexpected reality of seeing her here st
The Unchosen Mate Chapter 261
Justin The arena was packed. I could hear an excited roar from the crowd from behind the Lodge, drifting over the top of the massive building and floating through the chill evening air. Lo parked illegally in front of the entrance to the building. Now was not the time to point it out. A series of battered and limp-hanging banners and signs showed the way around to the back. It had rained today, apparently, and we made progress towards the arena as quickly as we could, sludging through mud and the trampled pathway. A stadium had been erected, filled to the brim with stands of onlookers, cheering and applauding in a range of darkened colors, soaked from the rain. Despite the bad weather, it hadn’t dampened their spirits. The crowd had been here all night, awaiting the results. Colored tents for each challenging pack were spaced ou
