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42. Caught Red Handed
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2025-03-01 02:00:01We 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
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Winter 43. A New Lover Enters
Embarrassment flooded through me. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with the person we were talking about. Krista didn’t seem to mind at all. She nodded, like it was fine we were talking about mates with our Gamma.“Do you know why she is feeling the way she is?”Gamma Maddox shook his head. “It could be a leadership thing. It could be her mate. Who knows. We won’t know until it stops.”“But you’re not…” I started, my face still red as a tomato.“No, Winter. I’m not.”He narrowed his eyes for a moment before I saw his demeanor change. Krista saw it too. She sat up straighter, pulling her leg in closer. I also perked up a little more. Gamma Maddox was our leadership. Usually, he was silly and goofy. The look on his face right now was serious. Serious Gamma was a rare occurrence and one that you listened to no matter what.“I had a mate. Back when
Last Updated : 2025-03-01Winter 44. Hope
“You okay?”Gamma Maddox stood next to me while we waited for Krista to try on clothes. After the bomb that was dropped, we all sat in silence for a while until Krista decided that she needed more clothes. So, we followed her whim. He was now holding three bags of his own purchases, I had another bag from the doom, gloom, and sex store as Krista differentiated.“I mean, I thought Caleb dumped a lot on me last night. I knew some of it, but there were just small pieces that now fit. Then…you…” I sighed. “I feel like sometimes I’m being pulled every which way. My mother’s family was leadership. Her friends were leadership. Her boyfriend apparently was leadership. Caleb was leadership. His family leadership. It makes sense that I would also be tangled up in the leadership but this is just…a lot…”He shrugged, his usual self shinning through a little more as we shopped. “You were always
Last Updated : 2025-03-02Winter 45. Disappointment
“What were you thinking? Did you think that any part of that decision was smart?”Krista and I were standing in Alpha Damian’s office. Krista’s mom was the one who was standing in front of us. Both our heads were bowed against her anger. Gamma Maddox was nowhere to be seen after he made sure we got to the pack house.“You left school. Not telling anyone where you went. We get a message that you went off territory. We call you. You don’t answer. Then you text your dad that you’re going shopping? That’s it. No information about where you are going. Not how long you would be. Nothing.”Mrs. St James threw up her hands and paced, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I am dealing with people breaking into my home and you two decide to leave without any protection. Without anyone knowing where you were. What did you think would happen? What if those people was waiting
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*** Caspian’s POV ***“I’m going to lock up, anything you need?”I looked up from the table I had been leaning over for the past few hours. “No, thank you though. I’m good. I’ll probably put in another couple of hours and head home for the weekend.”Carrie smiled and nodded. “Don’t stay too late. You’re too young to become a fossil in here.”“Yes, ma’am.”She gave me a quick wave before closing the large double doors. It was well past closing at the museum but I decided to help with the backlog of work. Really, it was something I could do that would take up my entire thought. Something for my hands to do. Sitting here doing work was better than sitting in my flat alone.I’d been working on this particularly lengthy scroll since Wednesday. It was rare for me to be working on one for thi
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Flinging the covers off myself, I jolted up un bed. I was drenched in sweat and I grabbed the front of my shirt. Gasping for breath, I was inhaling but no air was coming in. Tears prickled as I coughed trying to somehow clear my airways. Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned forward and curled up over the blankets.Almost as suddenly as my breath was stolen away from me, a single gasped filled my lungs with the air that I desperately needed. It hurt, my head pounding and my chest liftings but at least I could breathe. At first it was the smallest of breaths, my full inhale hitching. Making me inhale faster to try and get more oxygen.‘Slow down, Caspian. Slow breaths. Deep. You’re panicking.’I wanted to scoff at Onan but sat up, letting out a long breath before I pulled one in slowly. It still wasn’t quite full but it was better. Through my nose, out my mouth, I tried to let my panic ebb away. My chest was still hurting but not nearl
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“I don’t think being a brat is worse than an asshole.”Onan let me feel the full brunt of his irritation. ‘No. The fact that you’re being a child and running away makes it worse. You ran with your tail between your legs like you did when you left Blue Crescent.’“That wasn’t…I wasn’t running! I didn’t run that time and you know it!”He snorted. ‘So you admit you are now.’“Goddess…damn you, wolf.”Getting up from my lean, I grabbed the container of food from the fridge and took off the plastic lid. I opened the oven and placed it directly on the rack before setting the timer for fifteen minutes. It didn’t take me long to make some tea and I sipped it, looking out the window. The wind had picked up but there still wasn’t any snow.“So what if I’m running away. Is that really so bad?”
Last Updated : 2025-03-04Winter 49. A Dose of Happiness
I woke up to a text message on my phone.W: What game are you playing, Mr. Penn?Barking out a laugh, I rubbed my eyes. I decided it could wait until after I had some coffee. Taking a quick shower, getting dressed, and then making myself coffee, I scheduled my day. There weren’t any classes today so I was free to go to the museum. It also seemed like a good day to message Ava. Any later and it would only be worse.It was seven in the morning, which was far too early to get ahold of her so I opted for an early museum day and then at lunch I could reach out to Ava. We could set up something later in the evening and depending on how mad she would be, we could go to dinner. That might lessen the blow if I paid for it. Especially if it was her favorite place downtown.I let out a heavy sigh. It was still
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I set the food down on the table before taking off my coat. The line had been atrocious at Davies and like she said, it was filled to the brim with teenagers. It was seven forty-five now and I had about fifteen minutes until Ava came over. Luckily, there wasn’t much to clean up and I debated taking a quick shower. Opting to just reapply some deodorant, I pulled out plates for us so that we didn’t need to eat out of the styrofoam containers.There was a knock on the door and then Ava opened it. She didn’t have a key but if the door was open, she usually just let herself in. I smiled and but she ignored me as she pulled off her coat and shoes.“Ava…please…”“No. I’m still mad.”I chuckled and walked over to her, holding out my hand. “I got Davies. I even got an extra order of cheese on your fries and waited within the sea of crazed teenagers for the pie.”&ldq
Last Updated : 2025-03-06
Latest chapter
Winter 82. Plan F
We pulled into the pack house driveway and I was surprised to see quite a few cars around. The pressure on my chest felt heavier when I realized not a single one of these cars was Caspian’s. Getting out, I left my backpack behind and Caleb even waited for me to walk with him to the door. Did he think I would run? Looking around, I wondered if it would be an option.“Inside, Winter.”Nodding, I walked into the house. What used to be a safe place for me now felt slimy. It felt like I didn’t belong here anymore. Nor did I feel welcome. Stepping into the kitchen, Luna Ember smiled and started to pull me into a hug, but I stepped back. Caleb growled but I didn’t care. Not after everything.“Winter…I know it may not seem like it now…but we really just want the best for you.” She stopped trying to hug me, at least. “I know it’s hard to see now, but trust us.”All I wanted to say was no. I didn’t want anything to do with any of this. This was wrong. Everyone knew it and I didn’t understand why
Winter 81. Lockdown
*** Winter’s POV *** “You doing okay?”This had to be the fifth or sixth time that Krista had asked that today. It made me wonder if I really looked that miserable. Or if it was just the fact that there was more of a presence of the pack warriors than normal at the school. They were here to make sure everyone was safe but Krista, myself, some of the teachers, and Principal Miles knew better.“Krista, stop asking, please. You’re just making it worse by asking.” I closed my locker, staring at the front of the blue metal door. “I don’t know if I can be.”There was a good part of me that regretted my decision. Stepping out of Caspian’s arms, hurt so much more than I thought it would. The looked on his face broke me. I couldn’t believe what Alpha and Caleb had done. I couldn’t believe they would go that far or that they would think it was okay.Of course we would fight that! I didn’t care what Caleb said, Caspian was my mate. I knew it. I felt it. There was no way that Caspian wasn’t my m
Winter 80. Standing Down
“What…what is going on?” Winter looked between her Alpha and her father.Onan was sitting just behind my consciousness. He was ready to take over and fight both of these wolves. The fact that one of them was our brother didn’t matter at this point. None of that mattered. These two were trying to take our mate away. I didn’t think they would try to go this far. It didn’t even register that this was an option.“No.”It was a single word from me. However, between Onan and I, the growl and the power that came with it, it might as well have been a right hook to the face of both of them. I was still holding Winter against me, her hand holding my arm. What’s worse is that I could feel her shaking.“You want to break an alliance, Caspian? We need to keep our alliances if we are going to survive. We break this, and we lose their support. Support we count on often.” Damian was struggling still under my anger. “We need this.”“Not. Winter.” I struggled not to shift, the only thing keeping me grou
Winter 79. What Have You Done?
Standing up from my lean, I cocked my head to the side. “I mean, it wouldn’t be a great travel time but I could do it. Probably not every day.”Winter frowned as she stopped, looking up at some of the books. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to move to the city? You wouldn’t need to commute as much. It would be less stressful.”Now I could see where she was going with this. Walking over to her, taking her hand in mine and kissing the back of her hand, I shook my head.“I’m not here to work, Winter. If I wanted to solely work, if I wanted to focus on this side, I wouldn’t have left England.” Her eyes widened but I smiled. “I’m here now for my mate. For my other half. I could move here. I could move back to England. I could do all these things to make it easier to do something that I love. I’m not here for that.”“But…this is your job.”I shook my head again. “This is something that I enjoy. A hobby. I could turn it into my full time job if I wanted. Not at the cost of losing my mate. I came
Winter 78. A Taste
I couldn’t help the smile that filled my face as Winter looked up in awe. We had gone through the entrance and I was speaking with the front desk for a moment to get our badges. I’d contacted Carrie to get some strings pulled. Under the guise checking out their research facilities for my work, I wanted to show Winter more than just the museum exhibits. However, looking at the awe on her face, she might have been okay with that.“I remember it being big when I was little, but I didn’t realize they were this big even as I grew up. It almost seems impossibly big.”“It is, isn’t it? Sometimes we forget that there are things bigger than us. Especially being wolves. We are strong and it can seem like we are at the top of the food chain. Except in the face of something like a dinosaur.” I was waiting for the director to come out and confirm my identity. “You said you came here before though?”Winter nodded. “We were supposed to go to the water park. It started to pour and the school had to ch
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.&
