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42. Caught Red Handed
Huling Na-update:
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
Kaugnay na kabanata
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
Huling Na-update : 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
Huling Na-update : 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
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-02Winter 46. Rejection
*** 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
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-03Winter 47. An Underhanded Gift
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
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-03Winter 48. Who's Really the Stubborn One?
“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?”
Huling Na-update : 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
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-05Winter 50. Theories
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
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-06
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
