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57. Game Your Playing
Huling Na-update:
2025-03-12 01:00:28*** Winter’s POV ***
“Winter!”
The pencil in my hand slipped and made a long mark across my page. Looking up, I had hoped I didn’t hear Caleb yelling my name. I’d already been relegated to my room tonight without dinner. There wasn’t anything else I could do or did do at this point.
“Winter! Get down here now!”
I winced again. Slowly getting up out of my chair, I opened up my door. Rebecca was leaning against her doorframe, smirking. Caleb must have come home a little while ago. He was late again tonight and it was already eight in the evening. Stepping timidly down the stairs, I stopped at the bottom.
Gamma Maddox was grinning like an idiot whereas Caleb looked absolutely livid. Hannah had her arms crossed over her chest, looking annoyed. Gamma bounded over to me and ruffled my head. The tension was so thick that I couldn’t
Kaugnay na kabanata
Winter 58. Feeling Off
I curled up against my locker for a moment. My hand pressed against my chest as I took slow breaths. Today it seemed worse. It was nearly impossible to take a full breath and I might as well have the entire rugby team sitting on chest.Shoving everything into my locker, I took as much of a breath as I could before heading to the cafeteria. Krista was already waiting for me with lunch. Since I picked her up this morning in Mr. Penn’s shiny new car, the chef her family had made both our lunch and breakfast. He enjoyed cooking for everyone and I swear had the saddest puppy dog eyes when you tried to say no to his food.The cafeteria was loud but it definitely wasn’t as loud as it usually was. Sitting down at our usual table, Krista leaned over as she glanced around the room.“Do you know what the hell is going on?”I shook my head. “I don’t but everyone is feeling it.”It was true. Something was off today. The air was charged and something was making
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-13Winter 59. From Off to Wrong
The week only got weirder from there. On Wednesday, there was about a fourth of the students missing. At least for high school. Parents were keeping them at home while other students seemed to be more on edge too. Krista’s parents even wanted her to say home but she refused. Instead, her dad and Dee drove her to and from school.Thursday, a third of the students were missing and by Friday we were down to half. Coach Graves wasn’t even pretending to teach class. There were only nine of us left in his class out of a class of twenty. He kept us in the gym but let us mull around more than usual.I was glad because I wasn’t really feeling up to anything. The stress was starting to get to me even though the elephant on my chest seemed to ease just a bit for right now. I could also take a full deep breath which seemed like a luxury now. Instead, I was hunched over my notes for Biology.Monday would be a half-day for the seniors before midterms started on Tuesday. My fi
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-14Winter 60. Doing Something Is Better Than Nothing
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It hurt to breathe normally today. I could take a full breath but it was like someone was squeezing my lungs as I did. Or I was being sat on. It had been like that all night and into this morning.It hadn’t helped my stress level when I went to drop off Krista, her house looked like makeshift army camp. Krista tried to get me to stay but Mr. St James pulled her away and told me to go straight home.However, no one was in the house when I woke up this morning. It was Saturday so usually at least Hannah and Rebecca were mulling about. Caleb and Rebecca’s car were still gone. Rebecca must have been staying over somewhere else but Caleb and Hannah missing was weird.At least there was no one stopping me from getting breakfast and eating it at the table. My phone buzzed as I took a bit of my cereal.K: Something is going on in town.
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-15Winter 61. Taking A Chance
I pried my arm out of his grasp and shook my head. “He might listen to me. It’s stupid. I know. But I can use myself as leverage. If you’re so worried about my chastity, then come with me.”Turning again, I made my way into the party. There were different groups that were filling the main center. Some were around music, dancing and drinking without a care. Some were starting fights and what looked like gambling. It looked like a movie set. I wondered if Galen promised them that they wouldn’t get in trouble for anything as long as they stuck with him.As I maneuvered through the sea of drunk assholes, I hit the inner ring. It was a weight ring around both the bonfire and the gazebo. They were just talking and laughing, drinking, dancing and watching the chaos of the surrounding groups.I couldn’t understand why Rebecca was sitting in the gazebo with Galen. She always said that he gave her the ick too. It might have been the onl
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-15Winter 62. A Losing Bet
“How about it, Little Winter? Want to try and change the world?”“The world? No. But if it gets your ass out of town, then I’m all for it.”I didn’t like how close he was now. He had stepped down and up to me. Crossing my arms over my chest, I forced him to lean back a little if he wasn’t going to touch me. He did, smirking at me as his eyes looked me up and down.“How about this? If you can touch me, simply just touch me, in five minutes, then I will leave. I’ll pack up everyone and go.”My eyes narrowed. “I don’t want you just gone from town. Whatever the hell you’ve been trying to do this week, I want it to stop. Stop trying to take over. It’s not going to work and this little display just proves it.”His chest rose and fell. Galen was annoyed and I could see him having a real hard time holding back his anger. Still, with a final wrinkle of his nose, he nod
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-16Winter 63. A Flash of Brilliance
I let out a long and slow breath as I pushed my hair back. Despite his magic, I hadn’t given up. I picked up my speed and I pushed myself as hard as I could. My eyes glanced at the timer in Kenneth’s hands. It hit fifty-nine seconds left and I looked back at Galen. He was standing completely unbothered, smirking at me.He’d been using magic to teleport just out of my reach. Usually, it was just before I hit him and he would appear behind me. I didn’t know if there were any limitations on it, but I didn’t have the time to figure it out. Part of me wanted to cry. To just fall to my knees and give up.Originally, I thought I might have been able to get in a lucky hit. That maybe I had a chance. Not overconfidence but at least a little confidence. No. I was just being stupid to think Galen would doing something dirty like this. Dee was right. I’d never hear the end of this. I’d hear ‘I told you so’ from him until the day I died. With magic involved, I didn’t stand a chance.‘Stoop to his l
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-17Winter 64. Chastised Again
Dee and I stood in front on Alpha Damian’s desk. Hank Addison, Risa Addison’s grandfather and Principal Miles’ father, was sitting behind it. He hadn’t been leadership, but under Alpha Damian’s father he was a well respected Elder. The only reason he hadn’t been leadership was because he had a bad fight with a rogue which left him unable to move faster than a slow walk. He had a cane he used, but that was leaning against the bookshelf behind the chair.On either side of him was Mrs. St James and Mr. St James. When we got to the pack house, Mr. Addison brought us in, gave us some hot chocolate and told us to wait until Dee’s parents got back. It took them about forty minutes but they came storming in and took us to the office.They had gotten some of what had happened from the warriors nearby but apparently, none of them were close enough to hear what was happening in the park. So, Dee and I went through what happened. From start to finish. The problem was, I had hoped
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-17Winter 65. Just Breathe Too
A searing pain rippled through. It invaded my dream and I screamed, thrashing until I felt myself back in my body. I continued to scream though, realizing that I was being pinned down to the bed. My eyes flung open and my heart sunk deep into my stomach.“And here I thought I would managed to at least get my dick in you before you woke up.”Galen was looking down at me, parts of his face sprouting fur as his wolf seemed to be taking over. He looked absolutely manic. His chest was bare and his arms were pinning mine up against the bed just above my shoulders. I couldn’t rotate my shoulders and so there was no way for my hands to reach him.“You know…you embarrassed me, in front of everyone!” He yelled at me, spit spraying from his mouth.The blankets had been pulled off the bed and he was sitting on my hips. I did everything I could to try and get him off. Twisting my body, hitting him in the back with my legs, twisting my arms. I did everything I could bu
Huling Na-update : 2025-03-18
Pinakabagong kabanata
Winter 87. All Heroes Inevitably Fall
“Poisoning?” My knees started to give, but Councilor Daeva went from hanging on to me to holding me up. “They poisoned my mother? Is that how she died?”Councilor Erissa got up and got another glass. This time, it was filled with water and she handed it to me. I took a couple sips, still feeling like I wanted to pass out.“To answer your question, yes and no.” Councilor Daeva chimed in again. “Sorry, I’m not reading the room again, am I?”“No, you aren’t. You’re being overly touchy and the poor girl looks like she is going to faint.” Councilor Morel spoke again, shaking his head.He was right. I wanted to faint. Councilor Erissa helped me with the next couple of sips of water while Councilor Daeva left my back to go bicker with Councilor Morel. My mother…I always thought that she died from a broken heart. That the bond that my father refused to acknowledge had ki
Winter 86. Exposed
I didn’t know what to say. This all was so overwhelming. I sat there, staring into the coffee table. My mind was going a million directions and unable to settle. The mug of hot chocolate was placed back in my hands and I instinctively took a sip. It was the taste of home. The same feeling when I smelled the herbs drying or damp soil from a garden. The same feeling I had stepping into this room.Taking a breath, I finally spoke. “Before…I ask anything else. The reason I came here was because Alpha Damian and my father were trying to mate me off to another pack. They said that y-you signed off on it. I wanted to state my case. At the very least that I should be allowed to meet with Caspian when I turn eighteen. To know…before I’m mated off to someone…”“You have no need to worry about that.” Councilor Augustine growled. “You will not be going anywhere. Not unless by your choice.”“We also didn’t sign off on it, for what it’s worth. They never came to us.” Councilo
Winter 85. Into the Fire
The door opened and I felt my stomach drop. Regis moved to the side to allow me to step in. He gave me a smile and nodded into the room. Stepping into the room, I kept my eyes on the floor for a moment. My mother’s locket was tight in my hand. The door shut quietly behind me and slowly, I lifted my head.I had to blink a couple times to comprehend what I was seeing. The room was nothing as I expected. There were windows along the entire wall I was facing, a gorgeous view of the forest and even the river that ran all the way down to the pack. Inside the room reminded me of my house before Hannah got her grubby paws on it.It was the warm comforting living room or den. The stone floor had been covered in a hodgepodge of large area rugs. About three different styles of antique couches, five in total, were all around the room. The wall to my right was floor to ceiling bookshelves. There were was one long table in front of it and then two desks, one facing the windows
Winter 84. Out of the Frying Pan
I sat in the passenger seat of Mrs. St James giant black Wagoneer. We had left the pack territory a while ago as we drove north. Outside of telling me I looked lovely and asking me to buckle up, she didn’t say anything for the entire drive so far. There was some jazz playing lightly in the background and I looked out the window, everything outside being completely new to me.“Winter.”My head snapped to her. “Yes?”“You will be meeting with the entire Council. I will not be with you. You will be on your own and a few of them aren’t happy with an extra meeting today.”Nodding, I listened carefully to her. She wasn’t looking at me, her face serious as she watched the road. It was her in work-mode. A heaviness to her tone.“You cannot argue. You cannot treat them as you would your pack. While you might rebel against the Alpha, but you cannot do that to them. They would just as easily decide that you’re not worth it.”It wasn’t a matter of seeing me as a child wasting their time. She was
Winter 83. Step One
“Winter, do you know what you are asking for?”I stood in Mrs. St James’ office. She had stared at me a long time when I asked her to take me to speak to the Council of Elders. Luckily, she didn’t dismiss me immediately. Instead, she asked Krista to help me get dressed and then meet in her office. I expected that we would be alone, but Mr. St James was leaning against the wall behind her.“I do.”Mrs. St James leaned forward, her elbows on her desk as she rested her chin on her hands. “Winter, bringing the Council into this…it would get messy. It would also be leaving the decision in their hands. You might not like the outcome. They might not decide in your favor.”I looked down, clasping my own hands together. “I know. Thinking over this past week, I tried to think of what I could do. I felt, powerless, despite telling Caspian that we could figure it out. Leaving it all up to him, when the reason why I’m fighting so hard against this is purely selfish. It’s because I don’t want to le
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
