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27. If Only
Huling Na-update:
2025-02-19 02:00:05
Kaugnay na kabanata
Winter 28. Bits and Pieces
“Miss St. James, if you would hang back for a moment.”It had been a long double period but we made good progress into The Hobbit. I’d decided to do the same thing I had chosen for Winter for her German Midterm. It was going to be hard, but I knew that they could do it. It would help them feel more confident in their skills and would give them a boost into mastering the language.“Mr. Penn, I need to go. My Dad is here to pick me up.”I frowned. “I just wanted to ask if everything was alright.”Leaning against the desk, I set my hands on the edge of my desk. She was shifting her weight and even tapped her toe into the ground.“Does it have something to do with Miss Sierra?”Krista growled. “I hope she walks too close to a flame with the amount of hair spray she uses.”“Krista.”“Sorry, Mr. Penn. She doesn’t deserve anything. She cheats in nearly every class. She’s a bully and even bullies some of the younger students to do her work for her. If Winter wasn’t here to get in her way, she
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-20Winter 29. Connections
I stepped into the library, fully accepting that I wouldn’t see Winter. She hadn’t been at school Tuesday or Wednesday. Damian and Ember weren’t saying anything and I had no information coming in from anyone. It was frustrating to the point where I started to show up at the training grounds after school to let off some steam.After yesterday though, Damian told me to lay off because too many patrol warriors were calling off because I had gone a little too hard. Onan chuckled but we would have to just do a straight run today. However, I was surprised to see Winter, sitting in the back of the library.She had her book open on the desk and a notebook open next to it. Coming up to her, I looked her over. There didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong. I didn’t realize how worried I looked until Winter looked up at me and smiled.“I’m okay, Mr. Penn.”Nodding, I sat down on the other side of the desk. “Are you sure?”This time, she nodded. “All good. Sorry to miss so many classes.”“As l
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-21Winter 30. The Next Generation?
This was a conversation I did not want to be apart of. Hell, I didn’t even deserve to be in the room. I didn’t care that I was to keep the charade up that maybe I was going to be Damian’s pick for Beta. In this room right now were some of the most influential people in the pack. I did not belong.‘Stand up straight. You aren’t here as a Penn. You are here as a Herne.’ Onan snapped at me.“Who do you suppose we throw out there, Cal? Hm? Just give the pack a bunch of names? Let them decide?” Maddox was rolling his eyes but there was an irritation to him that normally wasn’t there.“The pack is getting restless. They don’t know what the future holds. I think it’s time we show them what the future looks like. What the next generation looks like so they feel secure in the pack’s future.”Brittany scoffed. “Oh? You think anyone in the pack is going to feel secure with your youngest being Beta?”“My daughter is a strong Beta…” Caleb snapped at her.“With a bad attitude and a bad work ethic. I
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-22Winter 31. Childish
I stared at my brother. He was smiling up at me with his cheesy grin. His face didn’t show anything other than thinking it was funny to say something like that. Turning on my heel, I threw the door open and headed down the hall.“Cas! Wait!”Jogging down the steps, I turned and glared up at my brother who was still smiling at the top. “That’s not funny, Damian. It’s not a fucking joke.”“Who said I am joking?”I threw my hands out. “You are Alpha. You! I told you time and time again that I did not want to be Alpha. That I was not cut out to be Alpha. I left because I didn’t want to be Alpha.”Damian sighed. “No. You left because you didn’t want the pack to fight over who should be Alpha. Not that you didn’t want to be Alpha.”“It’s the same fucking thing!”“No, it’s not.”‘No, it’s not.’ Onan echoed Damian in my head.All I could do was growl. “I am not. Will not. Ever. Take over as Alpha. If that is what you actually brought me back here for, then I’m leaving. I’m not doing this with
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-23Winter 32. Running
*** Winter’s POV ***I was laying on my stomach in bed when I heard something crash in the living room. Sitting up, I listened intently. Sure enough, something else broke and shook the walls of the house. Footsteps thundered down the stairs until Hannah started yelling to stop. Even Rebecca wouldn’t go that far. That meant that it was my dad.Scrambling up, I grabbed my backpack and shoved my books into the bag. Not just that but I grabbed an extra set of clothes, some snacks that I had hidden, and a few of my travel sized toiletries. Opening up the window quietly, I slipped out. They probably wouldn’t hear me since it sounded like a heard of elephants was stampeding through the living room right now.Closing the window behind me, I crept along the roof before I slipped around the side. Just as I did, the door to my room slammed open.Dad’s volume could be heard even with the window being clos
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-24Winter 33. I'm Safe
Luna Ember didn’t say anything for a while. “We had a meeting about the future leadership for the pack. We didn’t decide on anything but we did pretty much invalidated your Dad’s picks.”“Picks? I thought he only had Rebecca as his replacement.”“I won’t go into it. He wasn’t happy when he left the meeting. I…we…never thought it would be bad enough to turn on you though. Damian and I hoped that we would adjust his anger away from you towards Caspian.”I cocked my head to the side and then it clicked. “The rumor that Mr. Penn was going to be Beta…that was you.”“Exactly. You really are too smart for your own good.” Luna Ember chuckled but it fell off fairly quickly. “Are you safe?”“I am. I’ve got multiple layers of security between me and outside.” I looked around the room at all my books. “I have to go home eventually though. I can’t stay here.”She sighed. “I know. Damian is trying to get him to calm down. I’m sorry, Winter.”
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-24Winter 34. True Family
Looking past her and Mr. Penn, Dee gave me a smile and a small wave. I looked from Krista’s brother back to her.“Your brother graduated.”“He did.”“But he’s here.”“He is.”“Why?” I asked looking back at him.Krista scoffed. “For you. Mom wanted to make sure you had some muscle on your side. Just in case. He’s just gonna…shadow you today in your classes.”“Absolutely not.” I put my arms up and crossed them. “Hell no. I don’t need protection.”“You do though.”I scoffed. “You think having Dee here is going to make things better? If Dad did show up, and he saw Dee, all hell would break loose. I don’t even want to think about what would happen.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder. “It’s like you guys don’t remember that my dad is the Beta.”“Well, you don’t get a say. Mom was here and…”“She was here? As in…goddess. This cannot…”Krista scoffed and grabbed my wrist before
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-25Winter 35. Getting Myself Into More Trouble
I knocked on the door to Mr. Penn’s class after school. I’d taken the opportunity after P.E. to take a shower so I was a little later than I probably should have been. However, it did nothing to help my hair situation. Now, I had it up in a wet, frizzy bun on top of my head. Opening the door, Mr. Penn was leaning back in his chair. It was obvious that he was sleeping, his breathing heavier this time.Really, I didn’t want to disturb him but if I left now, I was pretty sure I’d get in more trouble.“Mr. Penn?”His chair fell forward and his eyes flung open. “Winter. Sorry. Give me a moment.”Shaking my head, I stood at the door. “It’s fine. Take your time. I don’t need to be anywhere.”“You do, actually. I need to take you to the pack house. Alpha Damian wanted to speak with you.”He gathered up his bag and a few of the papers on his desk before swinging his b
Huling Na-update : 2025-02-25
Pinakabagong kabanata
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 wh
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.&
