“I won’t be coming back to Silvermoon,” I said as we walked through the beautiful pack gardens.Xander, however, didn’t stop or even flinch at my words.“I expected it. Asher can’t be Alpha while living in a different pack. The Alpha family as a whole is very important, and even you have your own duties that you have to attend to here.It would make Asher look weak if you came back to Silver moon. But luckily for us that’s only until the mate ball,” he said.I stopped walking.He turned around to look at me.I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take my place beside Xander. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the watchful eyes of the pack. Their judgment, their expectations. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to stand in the spotlight just yet.Xander grabbed my hand, holding it tightly between his.“I was hoping we could come out as destined mates there. It would work. It would make sense,” he said, trying to convince me.I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted that.But the smile on
I swung my leg high. Feeling the satisfying crack of my shin hitting Tyler’s rib.He grunted at the pain that was surging through his ribs and lungs, causing a big breath to escape his lips.He countered with a swift jab to my ribs. His jabs were filled with strength, causing my side to explode with pain.But I ignored it. I took a few steps back and circled him, my eyes fixed on him like a predator its prey.The training grounds were rumbling with the sounds of clashing bodies and shouted instructions.The scent of sweat and blood mingled in the air as everyone was fighting as if though they truly were on a battlefield.Drawing blood wasn’t against the rules. But we couldn’t kill for obvious reasons.The afternoon sun casts long shadows, highlighting the grit and determination carved in every face that’s training today.Including me.But today was different.Today, my strikes were precise, my movements swift and sharp.As anger and frustration fueled every punch and every kick.Today
Avoidance, camouflage and disappearance had become my new normal. Since my birthday, I had been doing everything in my power to stay out of Xander’s way.It wasn’t easy, especially at school, where our paths were bound to cross. In class, it was hard to ignore his oh so lovely scent. Making it hard for me to concentrate.For an entire week, I had dodged him however I could.Skipping lunch just so that we wouldn’t end up being close to one another.Nor having to smell that scent of his making me fall in love with him even more.Ive always had some sort of crush on him. He was a sweet soul.With a lot of care and patience for those he cared for. He was also strong and very protective of his loved ones. But he was smart, too.All aspects that made me love him. But more reason to avoid him.But today, the moon goddess seemed determined to make her match.We were all assembled in the school hall was, and there was no escaping from it.Everyone was over the moon and whispering to one anothe
I could barely sleep last night.The events of yesterday were still fresh and refusing to make space for anything else to happen in my mind.I dragged myself out of bed, heading to the bathroom.Hoping that a cold shower would ease my mind and calm my heart.“ping"my phone got an incoming message. I checked to see it was the school council group chat.Amanda (devils child): Asap meeting for mate ball at 7:30 :)I looked at the screen waiting to see who will anounce thier participation.Xander ’ll be there.Everyone else answered and I could see everyone else was going to be there.Suddenly, a private text of Xander popped up.Xander ’ll be there. I’m terrible at writing things down and my memory seems to fail me at a young age already. Pleaseee I need you to help me keep my father off my back.Me: Sure thing, boss!It sure was slightly easier speaking to him over the phone where the mate bond wasn’t as rough.After getting dressed in casual green sweatpants
The following day, me and Xander walked to school together again.Amanda was walking only a few feet behind us.I could feel her glare drilling a hole the size of a lemon in the back of my head.A few times would glare back at her. A war was brewing between the two of us.One without words or actions, but it was getting heated.Xander leaned down slightly. “ignore her, she’s just jealous.” He chuckled.“Of what?” I retorted, looking him straight in the eye.Hoping he would say words I didn’t even know I wanted to hear so badly.I hated that every body begged for his acceptance.For his touch.For his attention.“Us,” he said, holding my gaze.His eyes filled with tenderness.I felt the familiar heat dance across my cheeks again.Making me break the eye contact and look at my feet, which had suddenly become so interesting.He chuckled softly beside me. Which only made me wonder if this was all a game to him.Was he toying with me? I shook the thought out of my head.I knew Xander we ha
We held each other’s glare, the room so silent as everyone's eyes were on us. I could see Amanda think about what her next step would be.Would she turn around and lose some dignity after I finally stood u to her or would she go ahead with the fight that I would win? Even with this dress.I put my hair up into a ponytail, signaling to her I’m ready to go if she wanted to. Dylan cleared his throat, making Amanda break eye contact with me. She smiled friendly and turned to walk away.Her shoes clicking, echoing through the hall.“I’m not dressed for the occasion, but I will take you up on that offer when I am, “she said, looking back.Part of me was disappointed that I couldn’t kick her ass right , right now.But the other part of me was happy it would happen.I was tired of her bullying and tormenting.I was tired of her accusations.I was tired of her as a whole.I was itching to let her know just how fed up I was with her.She and her group of friends left the hall, whispering after
Days have gone by since the clearing and I’ve mostly tried to keep a distance between Xander and i.Trying to not make things harder for myself.I walked through the halls, looking around to see if I could spot Xander anywhere.So that I could move in the opposite direction.When I turned the corner, I hit something hard face first, making me drop all my stuff.The scent made it very obvious who it was.“Dawn you ok?” I looked directly into those green eyes.Eyes that reminded me of home.I felt the sparks on my back and noticed that Xander had caught me before I could fall.Making sure I was ok. Always being a hero.I nodded in response to his question, picking up my stuff.He came down onto his knees to help. His eyes, however, never leaving me.Even when I tried to look away, it was hard to not notice him staring.As he passed over my items.I was about to take it, but he didn’t let go, making me look up at him in question.“I was hoping we could meet up after school?” he asked.“I
I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, my stomach churning with nerves.Today was Xander’s eighteenth birthday, and I was about to face him, our bond stronger than ever.I traced the outline of the label on the spray bottle.Spelling out "scent mask".A brand that created a deodorant like spray that covered your scent to all werewolves.making you smell just like the surroundings.And although this was mostly sold to children who pranked people on Halloween so that they wouldn’t get caught.It had become the thing I hope would buy me even the slightest little bit of time.I debated whether or not to go through with it.It would only extend my time ever so slightly.But eventually I would have to face this head on.Just then. That familiar and intoxicating scent met my nose. Xander’s woodsy aroma, now stronger, more inviting, and just absolutely ravishing.It made my heart race. His scent was a blend of cedarwood and fresh pine that something that was so delicious it was impossible to
“I won’t be coming back to Silvermoon,” I said as we walked through the beautiful pack gardens.Xander, however, didn’t stop or even flinch at my words.“I expected it. Asher can’t be Alpha while living in a different pack. The Alpha family as a whole is very important, and even you have your own duties that you have to attend to here.It would make Asher look weak if you came back to Silver moon. But luckily for us that’s only until the mate ball,” he said.I stopped walking.He turned around to look at me.I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take my place beside Xander. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the watchful eyes of the pack. Their judgment, their expectations. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to stand in the spotlight just yet.Xander grabbed my hand, holding it tightly between his.“I was hoping we could come out as destined mates there. It would work. It would make sense,” he said, trying to convince me.I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted that.But the smile on
The following day, the funeral was held at dusk. As per tradition. The setting sun cast the land in hues of gold and crimson, making long shadows over the gathered mourners.The air was thick with the scent of burning sage and damp earth, the two combining into something that felt both grounding yet suffocating simultaneously.I stood at the edge of the clearing, my fingers clenched tightly around the small coin in my palm. It was cool to the touch; the metal pressing sharply into my skin as if trying to anchor me to the moment.My heart felt heavy, weighed down by grief so deep it threatened to crush me from the inside out. I hadn’t wanted to come. I hadn’t wanted to stand before his lifeless body and accept that he was really gone.But this was his final request. One I couldn’t ignore or pass over to someone else. No matter how much it tore me apart.The entire pack was here, dressed in black, their faces etched with sadness as they stood in respectful silence.Wolves from allied pa
“Are you sure that is all he said? You didn’t miss anything?” Xander asked, his voice laced with extreme worry. Each word carried the weight of something more, something unspoken.I had told him every word the vampire had said to me—except the part where he promised we would see each other again. I wasn’t even sure why I kept that part to myself. It just felt to ominous to share right now.“Yes, Xander. Like I said, he pretty much said nothing.” I shrugged, but deep down, my heart was still racing from the encounter.We walked in silence for a while, only the sound of the leaves and twigs crunching under our feet filling the void between us.The forest that once felt like home had now become unfamiliar as the wind rushed through the leaves reminding me gramps was gone.I could see the way Xander’s jaw tightened making it clear that his mind was working overtime. Something was gnawing at him and I needed to know what it was.“Why are you so worried?” I asked, glancing at him from the c
When Asher entered the room, his face was full of sorrow.“We will be staying here from now on. This is your house now.”When he said that, it felt like I had been punched in the chest. It was as if the air in the room had all been sucked out.“What? You just decided this on my behalf?” I said in a small voice, my voice full of pain and anger. My voice cracking under the pressure.Riley’s eyes looked sad, but there was something else there too, something that looked like guilt.“It’s for the best, Dawn. You will learn to understand that with time. Asher has to take his position as the Alpha and we have to support him as Luna and alpha heir.”“But what about me?” I cried, my voice coming out in a high pitch. I felt like I was going to suffocate from the tension in my chest.“I don’t want to leave my pack! I want to be there! I can’t be here while Gramps is rotting in the ground, or even after that. Gramps created this place and I don’t want to be in it without him here! And he’s never
The days that followed blurred together into one never ending grief filled day. I stayed in my room, unable to face the pack without his presesnse lingering here somewhere. The world outside felt cold, foreign. Almost like a cruel joke that kept moving forward while I stood frozen in place. How could I walk through the packhouse, knowing he wouldn’t be there? Every step outside my door felt like a betrayal, like I was supposed to move on when I wasn’t ready.My mother and Asher handled everything—the funeral, the responsibilities left behind—but I couldn’t be part of it. I couldn’t sit in the mourning room beside his body. My mother, my grandmother, my father… they all wept, their grief filling the house like an unshakable fog. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to see him like that—lifeless, cold. My grandfather had always been strong and wise, and seeing him reduced to this fragile, unmoving form would shatter me into a killion diffrent pieces.His will had one final request for me. One
Xander walked me home. We laughed and flirted the entire way home. I hated that the night had to end. I wished it could last an eternity without these moments turning to memories. I could live within them forever.“I still can’t believe I lost it,” I said as we got closer to my house.He stopped walking and a devilish handsome smirk spread across his face. He pulled my undies from his pocket and swung them in front of my face.“you mean these” embarrassment engulfed me, watching them sway in Xander’s hands in the open public. My cheeks turned a fiery red, and I tried to rip them out of his grip, which quickly let me know wasn’t going to happen.“Please, just put them away before someone sees it.” I begged, and that handsome chuckle escaped his lips, making me go wet all over again. I watched my favourite pair of undies slip into his pocket as his eyes never left me.“You can have them back next time,” he said with a big smirk on his face as he winked at me. Making those butterflies sw
Before I even knew it, I crashed my lips onto his. It was almost like Ashina had taken the wheel. Maybe it was both of us. But it didn’t matter.All that mattered right now was us. As the world vanished, leaving only Xander and me in the middle of this field. The Rush of emotions leading our way.His lips felt soft with a slight chill that could only be from the Cool night air. His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him.His scent alone sending a jolt of sparks down my spine. The kiss only making it more intense. My hands instinctively cupped his cheek, making sure that this moment would never end.However, it seemed like Xander had other ideas as he broke the kiss. I searched his eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I could find the answer to why with in them. Maybe I had ruined all our chances.Maybe I was moving on too quickly over our last fight. Maybe Xander still held a grudge over what happened. All these maybes infiltrated my mind like a military squad.Breaki
Lilian and I clicked as friends quickly, in a way that seemed both surprising and effortless, as if we’d been pals for years instead of just days.From the second she said hello, her friendly vibe pulled me in, cutting through the haze of feelings I’d been stuck in.It began with small things.She stuck around after we shook hands talking about Dylan and how shocked she was that her brother had been hanging out with someone as “cool” as me.Those words made me laugh for real, my first genuine chuckle in days. Lilian wasn’t what I thought she’d be; she had a knack for making me laugh, embraced her quirks without shame, and showed such strong kindness that I found it tough to stay guarded.We grabbed lunch the next day, and within a week, it seemed like we’d known each other forever. She brought a lightness to my world, which often felt heavy.For the first time, I didn’t feel alone not just because I had company, but because someone wanted to get to know me.One afternoon, we sat under
The night breeze enveloped me as I walked away.I could feel Xander’s eyes on me, making my steps growing more difficult with each stride. My pulse quickened, mirroring the chaos of feelings within me.His words bore down on me, making it tough to breathe. I could still feel his touch, like some sort of ghost. How he held me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.Yet now, I felt lost, drowning in a mix of uncertainty and broken trust. How did he know? Why did he hide this from me for so long? These questions spun in my head, persistent and unending.For years, I struggled with my emotions for him, sure I was the only one feeling confused. Then the mate bond started to form and the attraction I felt seemed impossible to explain.I was so sure it was some sort of curse or joke the moon goddess played on me. Knowing I would be rejected. And now, I learn he felt it too? But not only that he also knew the whole time?Way before I even knew. This discovery hurt more than I expected