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84. Out of the Frying Pan
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2025-04-28 00:56:52
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Winterย ย ย 1. Survive
This was fine.This was okay.He wasnโt even really mad today.Nothing had forced him over the edge today.Today wouldnโt be bad.I could deal with this.I closed my eyes tighter as his boot pressed into my back. He leaned over and flicked ash from his cigarette on me. Dad never smoked in the house. Hannah hated when he smoked. She refused to let him in the house if he smelled like it. So he had other ways of getting his vice.โHow did I get stuck with you? You useless wolf. Iโm so glad that I had the forethought to bring Hannah into the mix.โ His boot lifted off but connected with my side. โYou really are the most useless thing. You were supposed to be a โgreat miracleโ that your mother begged me to take care of.โCurling up into a ball, I reached up and held onto the only thing left of my motherโs. Her locket never left my neck. It was the one thing that survived. Outside of me. I survived. All I did was survive.My muscles tightened as the cigarette butt burned into my skin under my
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-23Winterย ย ย 2. Do It Yourself
โCorrect.โ I sighed. โI have my own homework to do. If you did yours, then maybe you wouldnโt be failing.โWith how she carried herself, you would think that Rebecca was the oldest. She was a bully and the true delinquent in the family. However, she was three months younger than I was. Hanna, my motherโs younger sister, had her three months after I was born. When the news broke, the scandal nearly tore two packs apart.Our pack, Dawn Claw, was neighbors with another pack. Usually packs didnโt stay too close to one other but there was the huge river between us. It was nearly a lake in certain places but the river was the territorial barrier. On the other side was the Moon Shadow pack. A lot of times, our packs were interwoven and wolves would find mates from either side of the river.Mother and Hannah had been from Dawn Claw, their father being the Gamma of the pack. Dad had been the second youngest son of Moon Shadowโs Beta. My mother and Dad were fated mates. So, since the position of
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-23Winterย ย ย 3. A Lesson in History
Slamming my locker shut, I glared at my best friend, Krista. โWhat do you want?โโMaybeโฆit would be your face on Friday?โโAbsolutely not.โ I walked past her.Krista had been by my side since we were eleven. Her family had been part of the Moon Shadow pack before it was absorbed into our pack. They werenโt leadership but they were one of the original founding families. Alpha Damian, and his father before him, made sure that when the packs were combined that many of the families were given similar status.She transferred into our school when we started Middle School and somehow I became her best friend. I had no control over it and I still didnโt. Krista was the one person who I could rely on no matter what and sometimes that got her in trouble. Sheโd run her mouth a little much and weโd both end up in deep shit.โBut Winter, come on. Hunky Jackson is having a party at his house. Everyone is going. Everyone. And you canโt say everyone if youโre not going. I need my wingman! Wingwoman. W
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-23Winterย ย ย 4. A Little Slip
Mrs. Crossโ desk had a ton of flowers and gifts on it. I smiled and pulled out a small little box from my backpack. Krista lugged in a box of diapers and slammed it down on her chair. Our last class of the day was Latin. Luckily, it wasnโt a block but it really wasnโt going to be a regular day anyways.When our teacher stepped into the class from the bathroom, her eyes were all puffy. Today was going to be her last day. Mrs. Cross said that it was just going to be for a little while and she would be back teaching but most of us knew better.โMrs. Cross, where do we put gifts?โ Lauren had a gift on her table as well.โOh my, you guysโฆyou didnโt have to. Really!โKrista snorted. โToo bad! Where do you want them?โThe class laughed, except for Rebecca and her cronies in the corner of the classroom. Of course they didnโt bring anything but then youโd actually have to show up to class to get to know a teacher. Mrs. Cross had actually moved up with us over the years. She decided to finally t
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-23Winterย ย ย 5. Word of Warning
I sat next to Krista in the high school office. She was smirking, her arms crossed over her chest, and her head leaned back against the wall behind us. Another one of our classmates came out of the office and winked at us before heading out. Principal Miles stood outside his door and motioned me in. Sighing, I got up and walked over to his office.โWell, this is the first time this year Iโve had you in my office.โ Principal Miles sat down behind his desk. โIโd hope we didnโt need to do this until the official meeting at the end of the year.โChuckling, I sat down across from him. โI mean, you know I love this office.โIt was true. Heโd turned his office into a bit of a dark academia vibe. The walls were painted a dark blue with gold accents everywhere. There were black bookshelves lining two of the four walls and most were filled with leather bound editions. Heโd added in a few more mystical pieces to complete the look. Plus, his desk was a huge dark wood centerpiece that was intricate
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-24Winterย ย ย 6. Distraction
My eyes fluttered open and I shivered. It was cold. Not freezing cold but way too cold to be wearing just a shirt. Slowly, I pushed myself off the floor of the shed. Everything protested the movement. All my muscles were locked up and I felt sore everywhere. It was still dark outside and I couldnโt hear anything but the wind whistling through the trees.Pushing on the door, it was still locked. It was probably too early for the door to be opened or my dad intended on leaving me in here all day. Not that it would be a first but I really didnโt want to miss an entire day of school.Grabbing one of the thin sheets of metal that had been used to patch the roof of the shed, I stuck it right under the lock. It wasnโt a key lock but a latch that swung into a latch to lock it in place. With some effort and enough finagling, I managed to tap it so it swung up and around. The door opened and the cold wind sent goosebumps rushing over my body.They did say a storm was going to roll in today. It d
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-25Winterย ย ย 7. The Truth of Rumors
My alarm went off and I groaned. Getting up, I hit the alarm and rubbed my eyes. I sat up from the chase lounge and stretched. For some reason, I felt even more locked up and in pain than before. I grabbed my backup backpack and everything I needed for the day. It was a serious debate whether or not I wanted to just sleep in and not show up to Statistics.In seventh grade, one of the times it got particularly bad, the older librarian who worked here gave me a key to an unused office. It had some old books that were needing to get donated but other than that, the space wasnโt used. Over the years, I made it into a mini version of Principal Miles office. A safe haven away from my house.The walls were a dark green with silver accents. My bookshelves were also black but these shelves held my own collection of books. After I brought home books and woke up the next day to them being trashed or burned, I stopped bringing home anything other than textbooks. Instead, I filled my little office.
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-26Winterย ย ย 8. Out of Control
*** Caspianโs POV *** The marker squeaked against the board a little louder than I meant it to. I frowned, looking at the words I was writing. Was I seriously just called a bleeding heart by a teenager? Part of me wanted to take it as an insult, which it seemed like in this case, it was meant to be. Being called a bleeding heart was definitely a first for me.Taking a deep breath, I put the marker down and turned around to the class with a smile plastered on my face. โGood Afternoon! I am Mr. Penn and I will be Mrs. Crossโ replacement for Latin.โ Walking around the desk, I leaned against it. โA little about me if that I have a Masters degree in Linguistics and Iโm currently working on my PHD. So you could say Iโm a bit of a nerd for languages.โAs with every class, the majority of the girls laughed while the rest just rolled their eyes. Crossing my arms over my chest, this was my only Latin 3 class. The other two were Latin 1. Which meant that their teacher before me was with them thr
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-12-30
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Winterย ย ย 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 didnโt 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.โWinter.โMy head snapped to her. โYes?โโYou will be meeting with the entire Council. I will not be with you. You will be on your own and a few of them arenโt happy with an extra meeting today.โNodding, I listened carefully to her. She wasnโt looking at me, her face serious as she watched the road. It was her in work-mode. A heaviness to her tone.โYou 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 youโre not worth it.โIt wasnโt a matter of seeing me as a child wasting their time. She was
Winterย ย ย 83. Step One
โWinter, do you know what you are asking for?โI stood in Mrs. St Jamesโ 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 didnโt 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.โI do.โMrs. St James leaned forward, her elbows on her desk as she rested her chin on her hands. โWinter, bringing the Council into thisโฆit 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.โI looked down, clasping my own hands together. โI 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 Iโm fighting so hard against this is purely selfish. Itโs because I donโt want to le
Winterย ย ย 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 Caspianโs. 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.โInside, Winter.โNodding, I walked into the house. What used to be a safe place for me now felt slimy. It felt like I didnโt 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 didnโt care. Not after everything.โWinterโฆI know it may not seem like it nowโฆbut we really just want the best for you.โ She stopped trying to hug me, at least. โI know itโs hard to see now, but trust us.โAll I wanted to say was no. I didnโt want anything to do with any of this. This was wrong. Everyone knew it and I didnโt understand why
Winterย ย ย 81. Lockdown
*** Winterโs POV *** โYou doing okay?โThis 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.โKrista, stop asking, please. Youโre just making it worse by asking.โ I closed my locker, staring at the front of the blue metal door. โI donโt know if I can be.โThere was a good part of me that regretted my decision. Stepping out of Caspianโs arms, hurt so much more than I thought it would. The looked on his face broke me. I couldnโt believe what Alpha and Caleb had done. I couldnโt believe they would go that far or that they would think it was okay.Of course we would fight that! I didnโt care what Caleb said, Caspian was my mate. I knew it. I felt it. There was no way that Caspian wasnโt my m
Winterย ย ย 80. Standing Down
โWhatโฆwhat is going on?โ 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 didnโt matter at this point. None of that mattered. These two were trying to take our mate away. I didnโt think they would try to go this far. It didnโt even register that this was an option.โNo.โIt 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. Whatโs worse is that I could feel her shaking.โYou 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.โ Damian was struggling still under my anger. โWe need this.โโNot. Winter.โ I struggled not to shift, the only thing keeping me grou
Winterย ย ย 79. What Have You Done?
Standing up from my lean, I cocked my head to the side. โI mean, it wouldnโt be a great travel time but I could do it. Probably not every day.โWinter frowned as she stopped, looking up at some of the books. โWouldnโt it be easier just to move to the city? You wouldnโt need to commute as much. It would be less stressful.โNow 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.โIโm not here to work, Winter. If I wanted to solely work, if I wanted to focus on this side, I wouldnโt have left England.โ Her eyes widened but I smiled. โIโm 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. Iโm not here for that.โโButโฆthis is your job.โI shook my head again. โThis 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
Winterย ย ย 78. A Taste
I couldnโt 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. Iโd 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.โI remember it being big when I was little, but I didnโt realize they were this big even as I grew up. It almost seems impossibly big.โโIt is, isnโt 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.โ I was waiting for the director to come out and confirm my identity. โYou said you came here before though?โWinter nodded. โWe were supposed to go to the water park. It started to pour and the school had to ch
Winterย ย ย 77. Flower Girl Energy
I wondered how long I could get away with ignoring Damianโs 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.โANSWER ME! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?โThis 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.โYOU DID NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TAKE HER! DO NOT MAKE ME REPORT YOU FOR KIDNAPPING, CASPIAN!โโAlpha, Iโm assuming?โ She looked back to see if the car was still following us.Nodding, I looked in the mirror as well. They hadnโt stopped, but they had backed off quite a bit. I wondered what Damian was thinking. It didnโt 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.โIโm wondering if I can just ignore him until we get to the border. His mind
Winterย ย ย 76. Loosely Considered Kidnapping
โJust go in, Caspian. No one is going to think itโs weird youโre there.โ Onan was at his limit with me and I could feel his irritation at my hesitation.โI canโt justโฆgo in. One, Iโm not a teacher anymore. Two, Iโd be picking up Winter. Which would end up raising flags.โHe let off an annoyed sigh. โOutside the fact that she is our mate and itโs not weird. You are now Caspian Herne. The wolfs out of the bag. You canโt hide anymore that you are the Alphaโs brother. Both good and bad.โRubbing 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 didnโt 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 didnโt wait to think about how I
