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118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
The sun was rising, the first glimpses of orange light tickling the purple sky of the dawn. I stared straight ahead, my flask of coffee going cold between my hands.
They were coming, and we were ready.
We’d been sent to bed halfway through the night. I’d struggled to sleep, but had fallen into its warmth an hour before I had to wake up again. The broken pattern of napping had made me more tired than I had been before, but my steely focus and determination was keeping me awake now.
Samyak had excitedly filled his parents in on his gift, but when they had asked me about mine I’d had very little to say. Ryna’s aura, if that was what it had been, gave me hardly anything to go on. Samyak’s gift was real, palpable; we had both witnessed its effects first-hand. Seeing one maybe-aura was not much to brag about; besides, even if it had been real, I didn’t know what it meant.
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The Beta's Daughter   119 | BATTLE
Alpha Brius was shadowed on either side by his family. His hair, red as blazing fire, stood out even in the darkness. The glow of the sun shone on it, blood dousing flame, and it rippled like water as he stepped forward beside his mate. I could just make out Luna Lucille’s classical features in the dim morning light, though her hair, darker than Brius’s, was obscured.“We said we would stand beside you,” he called. “No matter the task. You saved our son, and the White Elm pack is in your debt, Lapis Moon. We have come to fight at your side.”Luna Carla beamed, and walked down the slope to greet them, Alpha Felix at her side. “You came,” she breathed.“We did, Luna,” said Alpha Brius, bowing his head to her. It was a gesture of respect, and one that was not necessary under such circumstances. “You called, so we came.”I beamed dow
The Beta's Daughter   120 | NIGHT
Death was easy. There was no pain in darkness, no anguish. There was no regret, no suffering. But there was no joy either; no elation, no sense of wonder. The darkness was all consuming, but it was not fulfilling. There was something missing, something niggling at the very farthest point of my mind.Then the darkness began to lift, and, though my bleary eyes stayed shut, a bright, golden light shone upon my face. I wondered if I would be opening my eyes into the afterlife, this first blurry vision of gold my eternal resting place.“Arienne?” Samyak murmured. “Arienne – please, open your eyes.” Then I heard him turn, shuffling despairingly to someone, anyone for help. “Why won’t it work?” He asked, his voice heartbroken, confused, like that of a child.This didn’t seem like death. Death was a painless, eternal nothingness. Samyak was crying, and I could see him w
The Beta's Daughter   121 | AIRINI
“It seems,” Alpha Gedeon smirked, “that an accord will have to be negotiated. Young Jacob is to be Alpha of your pack one day, if I am not mistaken. Airini will make a fine Luna; of that, I am sure.”But nobody was paying Gedeon so much as an ounce of attention, not even the wolves of his own pack. All eyes were fixed on Jacob and Airini.She, like Jacob, was covered in the mud and gore of battle. There was a deep, purple bruise blossoming along the side of her face, which stood out starkly against her white skin. Her hair was fine, golden gossamer that floated down to her shoulders. She was easily as tall as he was, but lightly boned and lithely muscled. She looked delicate, but sharp, like an ivory blade.I grabbed Samyak’s hand excitedly, and in that moment I knew that Jacob and I had never been meant to be. My love for Jacob poured out of me now, an expression of friendship and joy for h
The Beta's Daughter   122 | EPILOGUE
I tugged nervously at my dress. Nami and Rosa were behind me, weaving flowers and plaits into my long, brown hair. It waved neatly, having been blow dried and oiled by my entourage. âAre you sure you donât want any lipstick?â Rosa asked, fiddling with a daisy. She glanced at me in the mirror, her sharply plucked eyebrows raised.âIâm sure,â I said, rolling my eyes at her. They sparkled in the bright light, wide beneath the swathe of brown and gold eye shadow on my lids.âI think you look good without it, anyway,â Nami shrugged. She wound a small, black band around the end of the braid sheâd woven into my hair, and then stepped back. âYouâre all done, Ari.ââThanks,â I smiled, turning from side to side to admire myself in the mirror. The dress was simple: I was draped in gold, tightly fitting and hugging the curve of my waist. It had a squared off sweetheart neckline, and I wore a shimmer of glittering highlight across my collarbones. My sun necklace, given to me by my parents, so very
The Beta's Daughter   ONE | AWAKENING
I yawned, rolling onto my side. I brushed against Jacob, and his hand began to trace lazy, abstract patterns across my hip. It was getting close to midnight. A slanting beam of moonlight fell across our exposed legs, making them shine silver.We were waiting up together on the night of my eighteenth birthday. Weâd become official members of the Silver Crescent pack at sixteen, and that had been exciting enough â a ceremony held for all of us whoâd turned together, with Jacobâs dad, the Alpha, stood in front of the elders on a small wooden platform.Weâd pledged ourselves to our pack, vowing to care for one another and, above all, to preserve the wellbeing of the pack. In our honour, weâd sworn, and his parents, Alpha and Luna, had looked down at us with pride. Ever since, weâd been able to mindlink, and had been permitted to join in training with the pack.But at eighteen something even more special happened. At eighteen, our true mates were revealed to us.Not immediately, of course.
The Beta's Daughter   TWO | FATED
My heart sank. 12:01. I was officially eighteen, but I couldnât feel anything except for disappointment. Jacob was struck dumb. He hadnât moved for a full minute now, and I could scarcely feel the movement of his chest rising and falling.âJake?â I whispered, pressing myself closer to him. He sighed.âWeâre not mates,â he murmured, and the heartbreak in his voice made my chest clench. âI asked my mum how weâd know. She said we just would, that our worlds would change, re-arrange so that you were at my centre. It feels the same,â he said, choking on the last word. I wrapped my arms around him and furrowed my head even further under his chin.I still felt safe and at home, but there was no magic spark, nothing mystical or otherworldly. I could feel my love for him pounding against my ribcage, bursting like a firework and then fizzling out over and over as the realisation hit me. We werenât mates. We werenât meant to be.I could feel tears worming their way up to my eyes, my throat burnin
The Beta's Daughter   THREE | COMPROMISE
I groaned as I made my way downstairs for breakfast. My alarm had gone off at 5:30am as usual, and Iâd immediately regretted my decision to attend training despite having been given the Alphaâs permission to skip it.Iâd dragged myself out of bed and over to the mirror. I never bothered with makeup until after our morning workout, so I pulled a brush through my hair and scraped it up into a high ponytail.The brush made my beachy waves wispy, so I raked some coconut oil through my long brown lengths using my fingers. I rubbed the remnants of it into my forearms, the deep caramel of my skin soaking it up, before pulling on some gym shorts and a boxy, cropped tee.It was a brisk morning, the air sharp with a bitter chill, but the sort that promised a sweltering heat later in the day. I waited in the pack kitchen for Jacob and The Twins, anxiously bouncing on the balls of my feet.Iâd spent most of the night tossing and turning, finding that every time I shut my eyes all I could hear was
The Beta's Daughter   FOUR | THE CLIFF
The rest of the day went quickly, passing me by in a blur of frenzied activity. After speaking to Jacob all I really wanted was a nap, but I was almost certain that my parents would have other plans for me.I was proved right as soon as I walked back into the pack house. They were sat in the kitchen, right by the door to the grounds â impossible to miss. I smiled at them.âThought you two were overrun with work today?âThey shrugged in unison.âWe made some time,â my mum said with a glitter in her eye. I moved to sit down next to them, but my dad held his hands up.âWoah there, Ari. Donât get too comfortable. Thereâs something we want to show you.âI beamed. I loved surprises. âWhat is it?â I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet. My parents laughed at me, standing and nodding towards the door.âThis way,â my mum said, giving my hand a squeeze. I returned the gesture, and then followed them eagerly out into the gardens.The pack house itself was huge, but it was dwarfed by the ground
Latest chapter
- The Beta's Daughter   122 | EPILOGUE
- The Beta's Daughter   121 | AIRINI
- The Beta's Daughter   120 | NIGHT
- The Beta's Daughter   119 | BATTLE
- The Beta's Daughter   118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
- The Beta's Daughter   117 | AURAS
- The Beta's Daughter   116 | ORB
- The Beta's Daughter   115 | BLOOD
- The Beta's Daughter   114 | SILVER CRESCENT
