TALIA I scrolled through his phone and found Alex’s number, dialing it, my heart beating loudly in my chest as the phone rang and I paced the room, unsure of what I’d say to him. “Wulfric?” he answered the phone. “It’s Talia,” I replied. “Oh.” “Hi.” “Hi,” he replied. This was feeling very awkward. “How are you?” I asked, knowing that I was doing a very bad job of getting to the point. “I mean, I’m completely shitty to be honest. But how are you?” “Alex,” I started, trying to decide how to continue. “The thing is, I’m worried about my friend, Hugo.” “Hugo!?” he shouted. “You banished him from his home. He’s the sole provider to his family. His father died, and his mom and brother both depend on him. I’m really worried.” “That’s who you’re worried about? Are you serious?” He sounded very irritated. “Is there someone else I should be worried about?” I asked. He sighed. “Talia, I feel like I’m on some bad trip. I’ve waited for weeks for you to call. And when you do, it’s to s
TALIA Just under a week later, I’d finally moved into my new apartment on my day off from work. Lucy had borrowed her uncle’s truck, so we could go buy and bring back a new mattress. At the moment, I didn’t have much. It was just the mattress on the floor with no bed frame and a kitchen table and chairs that I bought for cheap from the pack F******k group. Jasmine had gifted me a brand-new set of pans as a housewarming gift, which was very nice of her. And Blake had brought over a fancy coffee maker and a couple mugs. Lucy and Luke gifted me really nice towels and linens and a bunch of toiletries. Jack and Tyler came with them and gifted me a blender. I was completely in awe of everyone’s generosity and gave everyone big hugs in gratitude. Everyone was so welcoming. It was nice to have friends. It felt like I finally belonged somewhere. It was now Saturday, and Lucy had invited me to her brother’s birthday party that day. I wasn’t sure that I was up for socializing, especially with
TALIA The next day, I had to work the early shift. Around eight thirty in the morning, true to his word, Tom stopped by with a big smile on his face. “Good morning, Talia,” he said as he stepped toward my register. “It’s worth waking up a little earlier to see you at the start of my day. You are quite a sight for sore eyes.” “Hi, Tom. What can I get you?” I asked. “How about a large coffee with cream and sugar, and I can’t say no to those delicious cinnamon rolls they have here.” I slowly typed in his order, still in the process of learning the register system. “That will be six eighty-eight,” I said. “Would you like me to warm the roll up for you?” “Yes, that would be great.” He smiled. He was very smiley; he had a really nice smile, with bright white teeth. And really nice blue eyes. Yes, everything about him was nice, very nice. I pulled out a cinnamon roll from the case and put it into the small oven to warm it up. I then turned around and watched as he slid his card into th
TALIA Tom came in again the next day, and then again on Tuesday, when he convinced me to go on a date with him that night. After what Valerie had told me, I began to feel suspicious of his intentions. But I figured that one date wouldn’t kill me. We agreed for him to pick me up that night at six in front of my apartment. After work, I had my personal training session after two days off on Sunday and Monday. I began to understand that most of the pack shut down those two days. We started the session off with stretches and some warm-up exercises. Then we practiced some more meditation. After that, Xander had me do some weighted exercises. “You know, I’ve been keeping track, and you don’t seem to be progressing on the weights at all. I’m becoming concerned because werewolves normally progress fairly quickly, and it isn’t normal that you’d still be at the same level as you started almost a month ago, especially with us training together five days a week.” “What could cause that?” I ask
TALIA After the date, I asked him to drop me at the packhouse. I rang the doorbell and Blake answered, standing next to Jasmine. “Talia, what are you doing here?” he asked. “I came to see Lucy,” I replied. “Okay, I’ll go get her, one second,” he said, climbing the stairs. I then turned to Jasmine. “Jasmine, I have a question, and can you be honest?” “Sure,” she replied, raising her eyebrows and came closer to me. “Do you know of anyone that ever settled down with someone who wasn’t their mate, except obviously Lucy and Luke and you and Blake?” She crossed her arms and looked upward, appearing lost in thought. After a moment, she finally said, “The only other person I know is Tyler’s mom.” “Why did Tyler’s mom settle down with someone who wasn’t her mate?” “Her mate rejected her because she had Tyler. But it ended up being for the best because he was a really bad person.” “My mate might be a bad person too,” I said. “But what if I can’t find another mate to mark me after I rej
ALEXANDER My mom finally seemed to be feeling slightly better. The hospital prescribed her some strong antidepressants and tranquilizers, so strong that she was no longer able to shift into her wolf. “I don’t care. I have no reason to shift into my wolf anymore.” My mom sighed as I finally drove her home after being away for over a month. I’d hired nurses to keep watch over her when I couldn’t, and one of them would be starting the next day. I helped my mom to her bedroom and helped her lie down in her bed. It was so strange having our roles reversed after she’d always been the one taking care of me my whole life. But everything was strange in my life. This was normal compared to everything else. Yes, how sad, my mom barely able to function as an adult was “normal” to me. Fuck my life. I sat down on a chair next to her bed while she got settled. “Will you be okay, Mom, if I go work on some things?” I asked. “Alex”—she stared at me—“you seem unhappy.” “Of course I’m unhappy, Mom.
TALIA The day after my date, I woke up to my alarm shaking me out of the dead of sleep. After I'd gotten it shut off, I rolled over, feeling uncomfortably overheated, and threw the covers off me. The cold air felt like heaven against my damp, flushed skin. God, I was horny. And then I knew—I’d gone into heat again. Once again, my skin was sensitive to every touch. As I slid my hands along my legs and stomach, I couldn't help but let out a desperate groan. I ached with so much need to be touched, caressed, and filled. What a pity that I hadn’t invited Tom over after dinner. He could have been lying in bed next to me right now, relieving the desperate, swollen throb between my legs. I’d made a huge mistake acting so virtuous when that didn’t serve me at all. I began recalling my dream. Just like last time, it’d been so vivid. I recollected all the details of Alex’s amazing body. God, why had I ever wanted to reject him? He was so ripped, and the way he kissed me, so passionately, so
TALIA The next day, I returned to work feeling much better. I was working the late shift that day. When I came in, Valerie pulled me aside. “You were in heat yesterday?” she asked. “Does that mean you have a mate?” “Yes, I do,” I admitted, realizing there was no way around it now. “Then what was that whole thing with Tom? Why were you going on dates with Lucy’s cousin when you have a mate?” I sighed and said, “Because I want to reject my mate. I don’t want to be with him. Lucy was just trying to help by finding me a replacement mate.” She raised her eyebrows and said, “Well, there’s a story I’d like to hear.” “Maybe another time.” Lucy came in not too long after me, late as usual. Punctuality was clearly not one of her positive qualities. I mostly worked the front of the house while she helped Valerie put together pastries in the back. After we closed for the evening, I walked with Lucy toward the packhouse since I had to walk in that direction to get to my apartment anyway. “W