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34. True Family
Huling Na-update:
2025-02-25 02:00:52Looking past her and Mr. Penn, Dee gave me a smile and a small wave. I looked from Krista’s brother back to her.
“Your brother graduated.”
“He did.”
“But he’s here.”
“He is.”
“Why?” I asked looking back at him.
Krista scoffed. “For you. Mom wanted to make sure you had some muscle on your side. Just in case. He’s just gonna…shadow you today in your classes.”
“Absolutely not.” I put my arms up and crossed them. “Hell no. I don’t need protection.”
“You do though.”
I scoffed. “You think having Dee here is going to make things better? If Dad did show up, and he saw Dee, all hell would break loose. I don’t even want to think about what would happen.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder. “It’s like you guys don’t remember that my dad is the Beta.”
“Well, you don’t get a say. Mom was here and…”
“She was here? As in…goddess. This cannot…”
Krista scoffed and grabbed my wrist before
Kaugnay na kabanata
Winter 35. Getting Myself Into More Trouble
I knocked on the door to Mr. Penn’s class after school. I’d taken the opportunity after P.E. to take a shower so I was a little later than I probably should have been. However, it did nothing to help my hair situation. Now, I had it up in a wet, frizzy bun on top of my head. Opening the door, Mr. Penn was leaning back in his chair. It was obvious that he was sleeping, his breathing heavier this time.Really, I didn’t want to disturb him but if I left now, I was pretty sure I’d get in more trouble.“Mr. Penn?”His chair fell forward and his eyes flung open. “Winter. Sorry. Give me a moment.”Shaking my head, I stood at the door. “It’s fine. Take your time. I don’t need to be anywhere.”“You do, actually. I need to take you to the pack house. Alpha Damian wanted to speak with you.”He gathered up his bag and a few of the papers on his desk before swinging his b
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-25Winter 36. What It Means To Me
“I…what?” I couldn’t look away from Alpha.“You defeat Gamma Maddox and you can stay in that house with Beta, his chosen, and the child. However, if you lose, you will be adopted out. You will live in the pack house. You will move on from this childish hyper focus on a piece of property.”Tears sprung to my eyes as I looked at Gamma Maddox. He put his hands up and shook his head. Gamma Maddox probably had been commanded because despite enjoying a good fight, this would be out of character for him. Hell, this was out of Alpha Damian’s character.“Aurik, that’s going too far.” Mr. Penn frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. “Winter doesn’t have the training. You know that.”“Should I just order her instead? Damian wanted to give the pup the chance and this is what I decided. I am done watching, Caspian. I’m done letting this get
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-26Winter 37. Luck is Half the Battle
Squeezing my eyes shut, I slowly pulled my limbs back to into a position I could try and get up. Everything hurt. Everything felt broken. I was still conscious though. That felt more of a win than anything. It also meant that I wasn’t done. Alpha didn’t realize it, but I’d have every intention of putting my life on the line. There was no giving up. Not when it was the one thing I had left to fight for.Rolling over, I managed to push up on all fours. Slowly, I pulled one foot up and planted it in the grass. I pushed up but let myself fall to the right as I felt a gust of wind blow by me. My eyes widened as I looked at Gamma Maddox’s arm a few inches from my face. It was sunk into the wall behind me.I wouldn’t call it scrambling, not at the pace I was going, but it didn’t look pretty as I forced myself to stand as quickly as I could. Swaying a little bit, I squared up again despite the protest of every single muscle, nerve, bone, and fiber of my being. At some point, i
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-26Winter 38. Not Just a Weight on My Shoulders
I was sitting up in the hospital bed, a lap-table in front of me, as I did my homework. Krista brought it by every day after school since I was still stuck here. When she came with her mom on Friday after the doctor called her, I was forced to listen to a five minute lecture. It ranged from how much of an idiot I was, to how reckless I was, and back to how much of an idiot I was. Her mom finally stopped her after she started to hyperventilate as she fumed.For the most part, everything was healed. Bones were put back in place and any internal bleeding stopped. On Monday, Gamma Maddox came by to apologize. Though, we ended up talking more about the fight than anything. I knew he was just doing as Alpha requested. I didn’t hold it against him and if anything, it was a good lesson. It hammered home that I still had a long way to go.Dad never came by but I wasn’t surprised about that. What was surprising was that Alpha Damian or even Luna Ember never came by. I thought th
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-27Winter 39. The Right Thing?
Dee picked me up from the hospital at seven in the morning. He was right on time just as I had gathered my bag and was at the nurses counter signing out. Taking my bag from me, we walked out to the car which was an old beat-up silver Toyota SUV. I gave him a raised eyebrow.“It’s Dad’s. Mine is in the shop and Dad can’t get rid of this thing.” He shivered. “He says both Krista and I were conceived in the back seat of this car and he refuses to get rid of it.”I wrinkled my nose. “That’s gross.”“It really is. Come on. I’ll take you home.” He put his hand up as I opened my mouth. “Before you say anything, I have explicit instructions to take you home and not to school.”Snorting, I shook my head. “Your family is the worst sometimes.”He shrugged and opened the door for me. Once we took off, Dee rolled down the windows and turned up the music. I pulled my hair back so that it wasn’t flying around in the wind. However, the multiple days without my usu
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-27Winter 40. Understanding
I was startled awake by my door opening. It didn’t slam but I knew better than to be asleep for movement in my room. Dad stood in the doorway and I sat up, blinking away the dream about collecting mushrooms in a forest I didn’t recognize. He didn’t look mad or upset, which was unusual.What he did look was tired. I hadn’t seen him for almost a week but it looked like he aged a few years. He stepped into my room but not very far. Leaning against desk that I had against the wall, Dad crossed his arms over his chest.“You want to tell me what happened?”My brow furrowed. “Didn’t you get told what happened?”“I want you to tell me, Winter. I don’t want three different stories telling me roughly the same thing.”I swallowed and looked down at the book that had fallen when I fell asleep. “From when…”“How did you get beaten so bad that you landed in the hospital?”“I…um…I fought Gamma Maddox.”He nodded. “Why?”“Becau
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-28Winter 41. Will You Marry Me?
Slamming my locker shut, I raised my eyebrow at Krista who had been leaning against the locker next to me. She had been staring at me for a few minutes while I swapped what was in my backpack. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in. I was tempted to knock my forehead into hers but held off.“You seem…different.”“Different? You mean healed?” I chortled.Krista shook her head. “No. Dumbass. Just different. Like…you’re holding yourself different.”Shrugging, I glared down the hallway at Rebecca. She was walking down the hallway but she looked different. Her makeup was heavier than normal. Not that she was going for a dark smokey eye but she was definitely covering up some dark circles.She was ignoring everything around her as she walked down the hallway, which was incredible to witness. Her eyes caught mine and she sneered but passed me without even an insult. Blinking, I watched her leave before I turned back to Krista.“I mean…trainin
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-28Winter 42. Caught Red Handed
We continued to joke around until we made it into the city. It was far more crowded than any place in pack but it was a nice change. Sometimes, it was nice to get lost in a sea of humans. Krista continued to drive through the main downtown before reaching the mall that we preferred. It wasn’t the high end one in town but it was the biggest one.There was a restaurant across the street from the mall that we decided to stop and have brunch. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese hash brown bowl whereas Krista got a whole breakfast platter. We ate talking about the plans we had for All Hallows Eve. There was going to be a whole pack festival but that usually ended before the parties started.Killing about an hour, we made our way into the mall. It was more lively at eleven than it seemed like had been was right when they opened. We made a circuit around the place, walking off our food, before we dove into shopping. I had a bank account in my name that received a deposit
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-01
Pinakabagong kabanata
Winter 77. Flower Girl Energy
I wondered how long I could get away with ignoring Damian’s shouting in my head. We had another half hour or so to the end of the pack territory. If I could make it that long, then I would be fine.‘ANSWER ME! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?’This time I winced. Onan growled, it echoing just as loud for him. Winter must have caught my flinch since she looked over at me. I gave her smile, but winced again when Damian mind linked me again.‘YOU DID NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TAKE HER! DO NOT MAKE ME REPORT YOU FOR KIDNAPPING, CASPIAN!’“Alpha, I’m assuming?” She looked back to see if the car was still following us.Nodding, I looked in the mirror as well. They hadn’t stopped, but they had backed off quite a bit. I wondered what Damian was thinking. It didn’t make sense to pull them only to yell at me. Not to mention that his accusation of kidnapping would be on shaky ground. At least within the pack laws.“I’m wondering if I can just ignore him until we get to the border. His mind
Winter 76. Loosely Considered Kidnapping
‘Just go in, Caspian. No one is going to think it’s weird you’re there.’ Onan was at his limit with me and I could feel his irritation at my hesitation.“I can’t just…go in. One, I’m not a teacher anymore. Two, I’d be picking up Winter. Which would end up raising flags.”He let off an annoyed sigh. ‘Outside the fact that she is our mate and it’s not weird. You are now Caspian Herne. The wolfs out of the bag. You can’t hide anymore that you are the Alpha’s brother. Both good and bad.’Rubbing my face, I let out a more exasperated sigh. Damian and Ember had been using that to their advantage. Every time I went into town, went shopping, or even at home, they had a wolf watching me. I didn’t know what they expected me to do, but apparently, it was something.Whether or not I wanted to let them be at the mercy of the Council, I worried that Winter would end up in the crosshairs. I worried that I would lose her simply because I wanted to spite my brother and didn’t wait to think about how I
Winter 75. Anger
The kitchen was quiet for a moment. My brother and I stared at each other. Ember was looking at me as well, but she turned to her mate. He didn’t look at her. His focus was on me and I wondered if it was because he was still deciding if giving me the truth was worth it. My hand curled into a fist.“Yes, we made the decision to lock Winter’s wolf away!” Ember was the one who answered, the words tumbling out of her mouth.My eyes continued to watch my brother as he sighed and rubbed his eyes, his back falling against the wall. He pulled his leg up and frowned. Damian looked exhausted, but not from the blooming bruise on the side of his face.“We…we made the decision. A choice. To protect her and the pack. Especially after Linny passed…” Ember sat back on her knees, looking up at me. “Yes, we made the choice. I’m sorry, Cas.”“Why? Why would you do that? What could a young wolf do to pose such a threat that you brought in magic, forbidden magic I might add, to seal away her wolf? You can’
Winter 74. Rolling Up Your Sleeves
*** Caspian’s POV ***I tried to be as normal as possible for Winter. She was already nervous going with Maddox and I to the diner. It was funny because we definitely turned a few heads. However, once we sat down, she relaxed a little. Not as much as I wished though.This had broken her. She spoke about not having her wolf but the fact that it had been taken from her. Not that she wasn’t supposed to have one, didn’t just devastate her. I was gutted. It wouldn’t change how I felt about having her as a mate. My acceptance of her wouldn’t change. This just felt so raw.I’d had Onan with me years before most wolves did. We were a team. Albeit a weird team. We didn’t think or work together like other wolves but he was the other part of my soul. My grouchy old man part of my soul.‘Hey.’I chortled. “Tell me I’m wrong.”Onan huffed. ‘Whatever.&
Winter 73. Who You Are
I curled up tighter, not wanting to hear whatever was going on downstairs. There was yelling, that was for sure. It got louder for a second before I realized it was because someone was opening my door. The yelling mellowed down to a murmur again. Someone touched my shoulder and I jumped.“Winter…”Tears that I thought were done filled my eyes and I curled up tighter, trying to get away from the voice. I knew it. It was the voice I wanted to avoid like the plague. Who would want a wolf-less mate? Who would accept anyone like that? And an Alpha at that?“Talk to me, Winter. Please.” His hand brushed my arm, but I tried to scoot as far away as I could. “Look at me at least.”Squeezing my eyes shut, I lifted my head. Slowly, I peeled them open. Caspian was sitting on the bench in front of me. His face reflected the worry I heard in his tone. My tears fell and I started to shake my head.“Oh, little wolf.
Winter 72. What It Means to Lose
Caleb slammed the door behind him as he got out of the car. He didn’t wait for me or even help me. He just walked into the house. Stepping out gingerly to the driveway, I slung my bag over my shoulder before slowly making my way into the house.Closing the door behind me, I was surprised to find Caleb with a beer in hand, leaning against the kitchen counter. I didn’t even know we had beer, let alone that Caleb drank it. He shook his head as he looked up at me.“You ruined years of mentoring and work.”I frowned. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”“Galen Rue, you stupid girl. I have been mentoring him and pushing him to take over for Alpha Damian. It’s time that Damian step down. He has no children and I don’t think he ever will. Galen was the obvious choice and only needed a little help.”For a moment, I stared at Caleb. I hoped he was joking. It didn’t look like h
Winter 71. Snapped
Collapsing against the bed, I shook my head. For the most part, my throat had healed. My voice was still a bit soft but it didn’t feel straining to use it anymore. The issue now was walking. I’d been so weak from two weeks in bed that it was like I was trying to learn to walk again. It frustrated me that I would get so tired simply from walking down the hall and back.“You did good, Winter. Better than last time. You’re getting stronger. That’s progress.”I gave the nurse a deadpanned look and she laughed.“I mean it. Two weeks in a coma might not seem like a lot but it is.”“Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say.”She laughed again but it was cut off by some commotion outside the door. It sounded like chaos until a voice rose above all the noise. A voice I knew well but I never thought I would hear in the hospital. The nurse, also confused, stepped out from the room to see what was going on.
Winter 70. Colors
There something about being held by Caspian. I’d felt it when he carried me to the hospital. I felt it last night and now tonight. It felt like home. A feeling I had been working toward, but thought it would only be when I finally kicked my family out. Feeling it now, I wondered if I had it wrong all this time. That I would have been disappointed the moment I made the house mine but never really had that sense of home from it. No matter how much remodeling I did.“I want you to move in with me.”The words tumbled out awkwardly and Caspian pulled back, shock written all over his face. “What?”My face turned bright red and I stammered. “I…that’s not…I mean…shit.” Rubbing my eyes, I dragged my fingers down my face. “I just…I’ve been working towards getting the house from Caleb. And on my birthday, I’m going to kick him out. With the lawyer and everything. I just&h
Winter 69. Sweet Summer Child
Krista squealed as I gave her a rundown of what I spoke about with Caspian, and also how I felt after. When I was done, I buried my face in my hands. She sat up, straddling my legs as she faced me.“You can’t be embarrassed, Winny! He’s your mate!”“Yeah but…like…this is all…I’ve never…” I could feel my ears getting red.Krista laughed. “Oh you sweet summer child.”“Winter. Winter child.”She laughed again. “Winter, you don’t need to worry about that right now. I think he will have enough sense not to push you into anything. Usually, even if mates do mate right away, there is a period of transition. They still ease into the processes. It’s not something that wham! All of a sudden you’re moved in, having kids, and showering together.” Humming, I watched her wrinkle her nose. “I guess some do. But it&rsqu
