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59. From Off to Wrong
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2025-03-14 01:00:36The 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
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Winter 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.
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
Last Updated : 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
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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
Last Updated : 2025-03-18Winter 66. Shock and Awe
The doctor looked at the paper and then turned it to show the three standing at the far wall. It was odd because all three of them had very different reactions. Mr. St James smiled and then bit his lip, turning away from his mate and Luna. I didn’t expect Mrs. St James to ever roll her eyes but she did as she shook her head. Luna Ember was the most odd. She had a deep frown on her face as her brow pinched together.“Winter, please answer the doctor’s question.” Her tone was sharp.My eyebrows knit together. That was not the reaction I was expecting. The doctor handed me back the paper, but all I did was circle the question I wrote. Turning it back on the three, I gave them a look like I was waiting for an answer.“He’s on the territory, Winter. I don’t know what he’s doing now. Answer the damn doctor.” Luna Ember snapped at me again. “You don’t and I won’t allow Krista to visit again.”Krista’s head popped up and she looked from me to Luna Ember, the same
Last Updated : 2025-03-19Winter 67. A Few Answers
Again, the feeling of being overwhelmed rushed through me. My hands shook as I couldn’t imagine keeping up with the thoughts wanting to rush out of my head. It didn’t help that Caspian was looking at me like he was about to make a run for it. His worry was written all over his face as he tried to understand what I was thinking.“Winter…”Looking around, I spied the clipboard with the paper I had used earlier that day. I grabbed it and fumbled with the pen before finally writing.How? When? When did you know? How do we know? What do we do now? What is going to happen? What…His hand grabbed mine and I felt my heart leap into my chest. Tearing my eyes away from the paper, I looked back up at him.“Winter, relax. Not everything needs to come out now.” M
Last Updated : 2025-03-20
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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
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
