Next update will not be until Wednesday, thank you for reading.
~Harlow’s Point of View~~End of April~“Boss, there’s a little cute piece of ass here asking for you,” I hear, from somewhere just inside.I blow out a hard breath, doing all I can to keep it together. It doesn’t matter. They’ll see me sweating, hear my heart racing. Can’t hide a damn thing from shifters. But this is too important. This is past rock bottom, out of options. There’s no one else that I can turn to. Hell, I don't even know if I can turn to … him.Desperate is a bad look but especially on me.“She looks a lot younger than your usual,” I hear, as I roll my eyes. Heavy footsteps and the sounds of laughter flitter into my ears from different sections of the building.The blood in every crevice of my body seems to shoot between my ears, nearly making me think the ocean is in my head. Or my heart is about to explode. No one knows I’m here, and no one would miss me anyhow. They could toss me off a cliff, toss me into a fire pit. “What’s her name,” a deep voice asks, and I bare
~Harlow’s Point of View~~Warning: Assault~Just play it cool, act like nothing is different. I mean, so far it isn’t anyhow right? Goddess I’m such a bad liar, it never ends well.I keep my head low as usual as I wander into the house where I’m supposed to live, but dread coming into more and more. But I got a J-O-B today!! Things are going to change.I sigh as I see pups are running all over, long past their bedtime. I’ve tried my best not to get too close to any of them, but sometimes it’s hard. It isn’t their fault, none of this is.When I see the bed that’s supposed to be mine is empty, I breathe a sigh of relief. Snatching my nightgown, I quickly handle my business in the bathroom and get ready for bed. For the first time in a long while, I feel hopeful. I feel like a better future isn’t too far off. It doesn’t hurt that I’m going to bed on a full stomach for once.Just as I lay eyes on my bed again, there are two toddlers in it, passed out cold. I make a face and hang my head.
~Tate’s Point of View~*This is just fucking sick. I hate stuff like this. I hate that we didn’t get to kill the bastards that hurt that girl,* my wolf roars, trying to calm down. I can only agree. You just don’t hurt someone who can’t defend themselves, and especially not a young girl who doesn’t even have a wolf. It’s beyond sick.“I want to find the families of those males, and tear them to pieces too,” I mumble, under my breath. That crime scene was horrific, though I have seen much worse.My eyes can’t move from the victim that is currently across the yard, my heart breaks for what was stolen from her. But I also have to wonder, what’s ahead for her? It’ll be a long recovery. Surely the male holding her can’t provide what she needs.“He can’t just take her, councilor Black wouldn’t go for that. We could be trading one bad home for another. She’s obviously an orphan. My wolf says they’re not related,” I groan, irritated. My wolf Colt nods in my mind, confident in his scenting abi
~Harlow’s Point of View~“There,” Lilly says, as she tucks me into the softest bed. I zoned out through getting cleaned up, somehow trusting her to be gentle. I thought I might freak out when she touched me, since she had to get everywhere, but I didn’t. I just wanted so desperately to be clean but I knew I couldn’t find the strength to do it on my own.While I’ve been looking at her now for awhile, I don’t know as though I really noticed her. She’s stunning with light blonde hair and perfect skin. Bright eyes that are kind, a touch that’s just somehow instantly soothing. Her cheeks are a bit red, her manner is calm and inviting. She looks exactly like what the perfect mom would be, if I could imagine one.“I know that talking about what happened is going to be the last thing you want to do. It doesn’t have to be tonight, but you will need to be interviewed. One of my mates is the head investigator, and he’ll be very easy to talk to if you’d like,” she offers. My lips tremble as I tr
Council of the Supernatural and Shadow Warrior’s Headquarters~Mid May~~Godfrey’s Point of View~“Oooh wake the dead!! This is my favorite game,” I squeal, clapping my hands together. The three faces staring back at me are stern and not impressed. But oh who cares what those losers think! I’m allowed to be excited!“Godfrey, this is a mass murderer with a God complex that is completely unpredictable. He was punished with a thousand years in a box for a good reason! It's only been about eight hundred years and we are not equipped or prepared to deal with setting him free. This is NOT a game,” Dina says, huffing in my face.I narrow my eyes at the fairy, unphased. We voted on this, she was overruled. SORE LOSER!“I’m thinking of changing my vote,” I hear, and turn to stare at Angel. “Too late little witch! That’s not how we do things! I have already declared that the vampire will be under my watchful eye. Any misstep and I’ll take his head myself,” I say, and push past all the whiner
~Luc’s Point of View~~Mid August~Surely Godfrey didn't bring me back from the dead to dress me in tattered rags? The male clearly has lots of money. Though obviously lacking in taste. He wants me to look like a vagrant? A street beggar who has soiled himself and gotten into a fight with a rat? My wolf snickers, thinking about some of Godfrey’s ridiculous garments. But of course, I can’t mock him now, not in front of his mate.“Hold still okay, we may need a longer length, high waters are so not in,” Sunny says, shaking her head and pointing.“High what? I don’t believe I've covered that phrase yet,” I question. My accent is heavy, speaking without it is too hard. But they keep trying to get me to lose it. English is new to me, but I know many languages and I’m picking up quickly.She turns me slightly, so I can see myself in the mirror. While we had some reflective glass in my time, it was nothing like this. A full view of the entire length of my body is truly something. As a vain p
~Early September~~Harlow’s Point of View~One more semester. I can do this. Then… I'm gone. A city somewhere, any random one far enough away will do. Just have to make it through a few months. “Oww! Seriously,” I whine, as a volleyball hits me in the head.“Pay attention dork,” someone shouts.I groan and move to rub my head, until I feel hands on my waist and fully panic.“Fullll mooooon!! Or half moon since your ass is so small,” someone shouts, as I gasp and squat to pull up my skirt. At least he didn’t get my underwear, I guess.Tears prick at my eyes as I try to fix myself, and I step from the center court and off to the side. I blow out a hard breath and recite my mantra: I can do this, I am strong.Do NOT cry Harlow!! Do not give them that!!By the time I’ve turned back, I’m relieved to find no one is paying any attention to me. They usually don’t. Embarrass the hell out of me, then move on. Same stuff, different day. But I have to live with it and constantly be on guard. It’
~Luke’s Point of View~*She must be slow. Damn shame because she’s pretty cute and smells naughty,* my wolf, Dante insists. I can only grin at my old friend. How lucky I am to be practically ancient and have a companion who's been with me through the worst of it all? I was impossibly selfish to him for so much of my existence and the fact that I’ve been blessed to keep him means I have a lot of making up to do.*I know it was a very, very long time ago Dante but we were once clumsy and awkward,* I jest. Hard to even remember it at this point.Besides, we're supposed to make friends, talk to everyone. She seems like the kind of kid that sees everyone and everything. But she just keeps it all to herself.*So what are we supposed to do, come right out and ask her if she knows where to get drugs,* Dante laughs.I tell him to be quiet, so I can focus. Harlow’s French is absolutely terrible, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’d love to hear her once she’s better. Dante is still struggling
~Harlow’s Point of View~My eyes wander between Diana and Ben, waiting for them to ask who the father of the baby is, and why he isn’t here. But Diana is busy, fumbling in her bag and finding a book then flipping through it.“Ahh! Hmmhmm,” she says, after a quick read.“Hit the lights and set the mood so Ben can begin his spell,” she says, but doesn’t look up. Skylar does as she asked but thankfully leaves a light in the kitchen for me to have some vision. I draw a deep inhale and catch the various herbs she’s placed around me. And honestly, they are relaxing. I wait patiently while she fastens her hair back and adjusts her dress. “Okay, I’m going to levitate over you, so you can watch my eyes, don’t freak out. I won’t fall on you. Once you’re deep in the trance I’ll go back to my seat. I’m going to work to get you there, but once you are, Ben is going to be able to kind of follow along with you, see what you see. Though it won’t be as vivid, he’ll sort of share in your experience.
~Two Nights Later~~Harlow’s Point of View~“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” I whisper, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “Well she’s already on her way, and not someone I’d care to piss off so looks like we’re doing it,” Lilly says, putting her hands on her hips and looming over me.All three of her mates are around their house, and three of their children are on patrols outside. It seems with the Blacks, being a Shadow is a family affair. So I’m perfectly safe here, nothing to worry about. It’s totally normal to invite a vampire and a warlock over for a chit chat. A vamp that’s… how old? Two thousand years?? Fuck, what does that even mean? I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it.“She’s very tame about blood due to her age, she’s well adjusted. But she’ll need to taste you. You should be aware that will allow Diana to have a blood bond with you. It’s almost like a signal, she can find you. Just a few drops it wouldn’t be that obvious, but the more frequently she does it,
~Anna’s Point of View~What in the stupid human is this little girl doing?I scowl as I watch the little redheaded Harlow from high on a tree branch. She makes pretty dumb decisions, and if not for her looks I’m not entirely sure what Luke sees in her. But I truly don’t take him to be that shallow of a male. There has to be more to this story.I teleport from place to place around the forest as I follow her, trying to keep my distance but also never letting her out of my sight. Babysitting is so not my thing, but Shane insisted Luke was far too close to her and needed to cool off.That won’t last. It’s obvious the male is bat shit crazy for her. A little red riding hood wolf basically. How fucking charming. I could kill the council for pulling me off my overseas mission for this backwoods nonsense. But I’m here, so I’m doing this.My body freezes when Harlow looks around, having heard the wind blowing some leaves and making a rustling sound. It wasn’t me! I’m too good at this.When I r
~Harlow’s Point of View~~A Week Later~Sweat prickles my entire body, making me thrash around. I know I’m dreaming, but I just can’t seem to wake up. There’s a fire and all I want to do is get away from the intensity of the heat, but I can’t budge. My mind says it isn’t real, but the urgency my body feels says otherwise. A male figure calls out to me from the shadows, and he’s familiar. I yell for him, and when I feel his hands on me, I search for his face. Suddenly my legs are free, then the air is cleaner. I cough to rid my lungs of the smoke but it burns so bad. “Daddy,” I cry out, as I’m put down on the hard ground. The jolt of it makes me choke, and when I draw a deep inhale, it doesn’t burn because the air out here is clean.My body jerks upright as I continue to try and gasp, and get all the air I can. My eyes dart around my bedroom, in the familiar Dark Thunder packhouse. There’s only a faint light from outside as the sun is still trying to rise. I close my eyes and hold my
~Harlow’s Point of View~Suddenly all I can think about is getting to headquarters, getting answers from River or someone. And I have to come clean, I have to--No. No, no. The bar! I need to go by the bar and demand answers. That's my first priority.“And you? You’re Harlow,” the giant mountain of a male shouts, making me jerk upright in full attention. Because well, he sounds like he should have a whistle and be yelling at me to do push ups. The few close by practically part in unison as he stalks toward me. I gulp and push myself off the table and to my feet.“Uhm, yes,” I say, tentatively. “In private, now,” he snaps, making me jump. Out of nowhere, Penelope seems to appear, and I swear she hadn’t been there before.“I’ll go with you. Because… of course you’ll need someone you know with you,” she mumbles, but she brushes past the guy without any fear. I look up to see Beta Ryan only a few steps away, clearly fuming.Penelope leads us to the far side of the packhouse and away from
~Harlow’s Point of View~Tears soak the blanket I’m holding over my face as I hear Luke getting dressed. I’m terrible at hiding my emotions, always have been. Crying in front of my bullies is the worst… or so I thought. No, this is gut wrenching.How could I possibly give him up? His heat, his intensity, his touch? He’s done nothing wrong!“Harlow I just…” Luke says, as he shrugs on his coat. I peek just my eyes out of the blanket and while I know this is what has to happen it's impossible.“Go Luke. Please? This was just a mistake okay? I’m a silly girl who just needed to get laid and I have now so I’m good. I come with more baggage and issues than you deserve. It can’t ever be more and we both know it. You were just a cute face and a great cock, that’s all. You won’t be a real boyfriend to me, a father to my baby. So just go,” I say, then pull the blanket back over my head. It's a low blow, especially since he’s hardly had much time to sit with the whole baby thing. Literally no tim
~Luke’s Point of View~Harlow says nothing on the ride home from the school, and I don’t know what to make of it. The entire night was a clusterfuck that quite frankly the Beta should be embarrassed by. The fact that I felt the tingle in my mind of other Shadows in the vicinity only leaves me with a hundred questions I can’t get answered right now. Were they watching, if so for what? The entire reason the pack went in was because there was no one in the area. Supposedly.They had to have come in at the last minute. Meaning with the help of a witch or a vampire. Neither of which I smelled. Could have blocked their scents but why would they need to?Godfrey made clear that my mission here was extremely “need to know.” Very few people even know about me outside of those I deal with directly. Fewer know about my “other half,” they just know me as a normal wolf. So if other Shadows that aren’t privy to my mission catch me out and about… I’m not sure what to say. That wasn’t covered at all
~Tate’s Point of View~“Shit! Who are those fucking people,” I whisper, as I see a literal troop of at least half a dozen males come running out of the school. They’re moving toward the hut we were just in, and it's obvious they’re looking for something. Something we have.*I don’t like this, they’re not Shadows…but wait do you feel like a weird buzz? Like there’s a mind-link connection not too far off,* Megan says, over mind-link. I do, but it could be someone on the road. There are several nearby. These people though… they’re clearly organized, some even have tactical equipment on.My basic instincts are to shield Megan, get her the hell out of here. She’s a female and therefore needs protection. But I know better, if anyone can handle her own it's Megan. We’ve had real fights several times and while I’ve won, they were all close. When she’s in a real fight for her life, there’s a different kind of fire inside her and that used to turn me on to no end.But even together, we’d be gro
~Tate’s Point of View~“What are we even looking for? Surely there aren’t drug packages in the school,” I whisper, as Megan and I move through the woods. I hear her feet stop and I turn back to face her as she studies the map in her hand. Leaning in, I see at least four spots we’re supposed to hit. “Looks that way though I think this one might be outside,” she whispers, pointing to a star. I shake my head, not liking this a bit. It literally seems as if everything we do is a damn set up. No wonder drug dealers just get caught all the time, they’re f’n morons.*But who is going to bust us? The Shadows,* Colt snorts, stating the obvious. I suppose that’s true. I have to imagine that they’re still watching the school even though Trek says it's closed for the week.*They pick some dumb places to have people leave packages. I’ve tried to come up with a rhyme or reason to it, but there’s nothing. The school though is kind of a central location, and neutral. I guess it makes sense to use i