~Thea
I lay under my covers, listening intently to the sound of heavy rain pattering against the roof. It's an addictive, lulling sound that has me wanting to stuff my head into my pillow and sleep for a few more hours.
But I had promised to meet Luca at the diner for lunch before my shift. I glance over at my bedside table to see I have to be there in an hour...
I'm out of bed in a second, and into the shower. Luca hates it when I am late, and personally I do to. Unfortunately, I am not the most organised person in the world. So when I am finally dressed and towel drying my hair, I guess the knock at the door is Luca hurrying me along.
And I keep thinking that, until I open the door.
My towel slips from my fingers, pooling at my feet. Eyes wide, I am stuck staring at the most attractive man I have ever seen. No one got close to contesting that thought. Not Luca...No one.
"Good morning," he says. And the voice that comes out of his mouth is surprising. Those two words he uttered should have been cheerful and light. But he pronounced them delicately, his voice deep and soft. And the accent...So familiar, but exotic in a way I couldn't even begin to explain.
I just stood, staring out the door like an absolute idiot, taking in the God at my doorstep. I couldn't take my eyes off his own. A deep-set swirling violet tinted with the darkest ebony black was confined to the irises of his eyes. It almost trapped me, like hands made from the illusory magic that seemed to pull me in.
He must have been at least a few years older than me. Maturity was etched into his expression, as he stared at me as intently as I stared at him. But he didn't have the thick, matted wet hair upon his head like me. No, just shadowy wisps of mussed black hair dance across his sun kissed forehead. And if my eyes didn't deceive me, then a similar tint of violet to his eyes was entwined within the strands.
I know normal, and this is not normal.
"Ah...I...hi." The words stumbled from my mouth with no filter, probably incoherent.
The more I stare at him, the stranger he becomes. I could never imagine someone looking so beautiful...Almost magical. And despite the rain pouring down outside, not an ounce of water tainted his being. Perhaps the canopy dad had slung up to keep the rain off the deck protected him, but he had to have gotten here somehow, and I don't see a car in sight, or an umbrella in his hand.
"I came to return this to you," he tells me, voice low and caressing. My knees want to collapse me in front of him.
He holds up his hand, and I notice he is holding a leash. My eyes travel further back behind him, and I meet the bright eyes of Squiggles, June's dog.
"Where did you find him?" I ask, bending down with my arms extended. I didn't like the dog, but the relief that consumed me from seeing it alive was too overwhelming to ignore. And for the faintest second, it was more normal than the stranger.
Because strangers don't exist in our town.
The dog runs into my arm, putting its dirty paws on my thighs at it licks my face with a sloppy tongue. I resist the urge to cringe in front of the dog saving God.
"He was wandering around the forest," he tells me smoothly, voice like the sweetest honey. "This was the first house..."
I was struck still for a moment. My house is on the opposite side of the woods from June's, which means Squiggles would have had to trek for a while to get here. But the fact this this man approached me with such confidence that the dog is mine is a little unnerving.
Was he the man from last night? No, I had to be imagining that.
He hands me the leash as I stand back up, looking me directly in the eye as he does so. Hoping he doesn't notice my quivering hands from the intimating feel he is giving me, I tug on the leash for Squiggles to come inside.
"What were you doing in the woods?" I ask. A simple, maybe too intrusive question, but I am curious. But what really has my curious side digging at me is the idea of a stranger being here. And a beautiful one at that.
"I just moved into a house over there," he tells me, twisting around to point further across the woods. I glance over, noticing it is the part no one ever goes to. It's not owned, because of the ideas of Phantom Wolves roaming there. Not until now at least...
We stand, staring at each other for a few moments. Then I realise I should probably be polite.
"Would you like to come in?" I ask sweetly, forcing the smile I reserved for strangers or elderly people onto my face. Without a second of hesitation, he nods, so I step back, holding the door wide for him to walk in.
And just like that, I have let a complete stranger into my home, who may possibly be a rapist or murderer. I blink, as he wanders into the lounge room. Perhaps it was the intimidation factor he used so smoothly and easily.
"It's not really my dog," I tell him, closing the door nervously. I face away from him, my face screwed up as I curse myself internally.
"Oh?"
"It's my friends. She lives a good walk North," I explain, swooping down to let Squiggles off the leash. He tears away, running off on his tiny legs to Goddess knows where in my house. I can imagine June's reaction if she saw this elusive man.
Either she would fall in love, or accuse him of being a Phantom Wolf.
"The names Thea, by the way," I inform him, turning around to finally face him. He is staring at a wall laden with picture frames. Of my mother.
He pauses, as if he's surprised to be expected to inform me of his name. "Ah...Casper."
"Interesting," I muse. Glancing down, I notice my thighs covered in dirt from that stupid dog. I attempt to brush it away, only to stain my nice jeans in the process. I sigh, strolling closer to where Casper silently stares at the wall.
"Uhm..." I pause, noticing the way Casper looks down at me, a solemn look in his eyes. "That's my mother."
"I'm sorry," he says gently. He knew. The look on his face is sympathetic, but I only feel embarrassed. It is as if his gaze can strip me down, tearing away at the layers I put up to protect myself. It's been like that since her death.
I cough, stepping back. "Don't be. It was years ago."
I twist around, striding quickly to the kitchen. The house isn't big, so I can still see him from here, but I don't want to. He should leave, before he sees the tears stinging in my eyes. Because I don't want to admit that a complete stranger knows a big secret of mine already.
And I don't even know why he is here...What he wants. Nothing. I have to brace my arms against the kitchen bench for a moment.
"It doesn't matter how long ago it was." I jump, as Casper comes up behind me. How did he get here so quickly? "A loss is a loss."
He speaks his words from experience. But unlike him, I won't press it.
"Look, I think you should go," I exclaim, maneuvering my way around his massive body. He doesn't say a word, as I fluster around the lounge, looking for my coat and keys. Luca won't be happy if I am late.
And then I look at the clock, expecting it to be nearly noon.
"Four thirty?" I yelp, seeing the clock hands on the most unlikely numbers. I started work at twelve thirty. I am so dead.
"Crap," I growl, the hunt for my keys suddenly more desperate. How did I allow myself to get lost in conversation with Casper for...Four and a half hours. I am losing my mind.
Casper stands close to the front door, keys balanced on his index finger. "Late?"
If I wasn't about to be fired from my only job that was going to pay for me to leave this Pack, I might have questioned him. How did he not know that time was passing so quickly? How did I not know? Something just doesn't add up.
"As a matter of fact, I am very late," I tell him, plucking the keys off him while grabbing one of Dad's coats from the hook. Opening the front door, I usher a very calm Casper onto the deck, locking the door behind me.
"I enjoyed-"
"Like I said before, you need to go," I insist, cutting Casper off. His face loses all expression, as he nods blandly.
And without a word, he walks into the curtain of rain, and into the forest.
~TheaThe diner has been a special place to me since I was a little girl. Having milkshakes after school with June was a ritual, and I always told the ladies at the counter I would work here when I was older. Fast forward ten years, I am living the dream.Except the dream is hardly what I thought it would be. Sometimes, it's more of a nightmare."Four hours late..." My boss, Janet Dupree muses, arms folded over her chest. "Four hours I had to spend doing you work."I sat meekly behind her desk, head hung low. I'm no stranger to embarrassment, but the looks the other two waitresses gave me as I walked in was enough to have me hold up a white flag.Janet's office is a tiny room tucked into the back of the diner. We always refer to it as The Cave, because sometimes our boss hibernates in it. In the unlikely event you did something foolish, or against one of her rules, we would have to sit beneath the p
~TheaHis hair slips through my fingers, that tangle around the light brown strands.Luca is mad. Furious actually. So irked by Casper's comments, he had taken it upon himself to prove that he could make me climax. I think he was proving it to himself more than anything.But as I lay there, feeling the assault of his tongue against the most sensitive part of my body, I didn't feel anything but uncomfortable. Fuelled by anger, not love, Luca had decided to go down on me, and I wasn't enjoying it in the slightest.For a start, I couldn't get Casper out of my mind. How he knew about me faking orgasms was chilling. People shouldn't just be able to look at others and tell that from one glance.
~TheaDad was sitting at the dinner table when I walked back inside.Despite the fact that he is slightly balding, and the scuff of dark hair on his chin suggests something like a beard, we look alike. Everyone says we have the same nose, and our eyes have the same dark tint around the outside.He smiles, setting his newspaper down on the table, letting me get a glimpse of the front page. Jessica's face was printed large scale, with a daunting title and most likely a degrading passage on how she was depressed and how it was suicide. If the town believed that, then no propaganda would surface, and everything would be okay."Hey honey," he greets, peering at me from behind his reading glasses. I smile at him warmly, dumping my backpack on one of the dining room chairs as I go to sit in the seat opposite him."I was just at June's," I
I woke again, and this time, it's morning.I sit up, mind awake in an instant. I'm not sure where I thought I would wake up, to be honest, but back in my own bed wasn't an option I had considered. Lifting my bed sheets, I see I am even dressed in my pajamas.I have never gotten out of bed so quickly.Pushing open my door, emerging into the lounge room, my best friend June sits on my couch, reading from a book as big as the bible. I stare at her in disbelief, as he glances up at me."About time you woke up," she says. Warily, I wander further into the room."What are you doing here?" I question, narrowing my eyes.For a moment, she looks offended. "I came to show you something."I sit beside her on the couch. I trust June...She is my friend, and would never do anything bad to me. Despite her
~Thea For a good second, I was stunned.I could have not believed him. I could have told him he was crazy, and that walked away. But not only did I see the truth in his eyes, he relayed what had happened to me with not a single falter in his voice, in his expression."What...What do you mean?" I ask, my voice breathy. "These people that you trust are planning something, Thea. Something terrible, and I need to get you out of here before they can-"Suddenly a hand clamps on my shoulder, tight. I jump, but don't bothering to turn around to see who is behind me, because I know it is my boyfriend. His touch is one I know, especially when he is angry."Thea, it is time to take you home."The look on Casper's face, in his eyes is something that is almost impossible to put adequate words to. It could almost be compared to utter malice brewing under his skin, and by the way his fists clench by his side, I can tell he is considering letting Luca get a taste."Don't go with him Thea," Casper s
I stare blankly at him. Whoever he is.He glances back at the road, paying attention to where he was driving for a second. But I couldn't help looking at him, letting the words process in my brain."Jasper is dead," I say clearly, more to myself then him. I wanted to hear the words so I could understand them, believe them. He shakes his head slowly. "I was dead, but not anymore."Out of everything that has happened today-with my boyfriend trying to kill me and my father disappearing-this just passes through me with ease. Perhaps I am just numb to everything right now with all the stress..."Many years ago, my father cursed me," he tells me, his words pronounced as he tries to get me to understand. "He turned me into a Phantom Wolf out of jealously. My own father did not want me to become Alpha, and as a way to not arise suspicion, he told everyone I had committed suicide, when really I was sent to be a Phantom with many others in the Pack."I just sat their, patiently listening."I a
The Love Pack is one of the colder Pack's. In fact, the sky is significantly darker here, suggesting it might likely snow. I huddle closer into my seat as we begin our drive into the Pack. "I wish you told me to bring something warmer with me," I note, gazing at the window. The houses here are exquisite. The entire place looks like something out of a fairytale. Lawns and gardens are kept neatly trimmed from behind white picket fences, with the horizontal slides of the exterior painted to contrast the eaves. People even walk the quintessential sidewalks, bundled up in soft fur coats and gloves. Everything here seems so cliche...Domestic."I'm sure we can find you something," Jasper tells me, glancing over at me while he drives. The speed limit here is tame, to match the pace everyone seems to be living at."This town is beautiful," I note, watching the people and places we pass by. "Their Alpha must be an amazing person."To my surprise, Jasper chuckles, and when I cast a glance at
~TheaThe house this girl lives in is nice. Much nicer than mine back at home. It dwarfs the other houses in the neighbourhood, standing tall against the sinking sun. Her wealth is obvious, I can't help but think, as Jasper lets me in through her front gate first. I watch as Jasper knocks on the door, and we wait. My backpack, full of clothes useless for this winter like weather is slung over my shoulder, making me feel more and more like a homeless person. I suppose that is what I am right now.The door swings open after I few moments of shivering on my part. Apparently the cold doesn't affect Jasper too drastically...Lucky, because this snow is doing things to me.The girl who answers strikes me straight away. Mainly, it is her stark contrast to a Love Pack member, like her ancestors never stepped a single foot out of the Pack to even be in the presence of someone foreign.Her eyes are like a glacier, although it is almost like calling the water in a swimming pool blue. Perhaps at