I woke up to the sound of a stomach aching in hunger, it rumbled so loud that my own stomach followed suit, letting out a low grumble that demanded to be fed. I gently opened my eyes, breathing in the fresh, cool air of the morning and started to remember where I was. My back was padded by the soft grass, my head cradled on Rowanâs stomach as my legs stretched out, making a âTâ shape with our bodies.
'We shouldnât be here,' hissed in my head, I knew she was right but I chose to ignore her.
The patch of grass underneath me was that thick, plush kind of grass, that was never attended to but long enough to slightly bend over making it perfect and cushy to lay on. It was surrounded by such a dense treeline and bushes; it was a wonder that those types of plants just refused to grow in the small oval area I was in, and when you looked up, it provided a perfect view of the sky.
This was my favorite spot to escape to anytime I needed to get away. It was close enough to home, but far enough away that it was private, although Rowan always knew where to find me. His company was the only one I didnât seem to mind, we would sit for hours on end talking about nothing or gazing up into the sky. I must have dozed off last night listening to Rowan talk of constellations⌠anything to take our minds off of the next few days.
As I glanced to my left, a hand stroked through my long brown hair which laid over him, a smirk forming on his face.
âSorry my stomach is such a jerk; I would have let you sleep a little longer.â He smiled, his dimples on full display.
âItâs fine,â I mumbled, smiling gently back at him. His brown eyes were almost as dark as mine, they were easy to get drawn into, and even easier to get lost in. I snapped myself out of it, and sat up from his chest âYouâll need to get back right away anyways, and I could use a shower after being outside all night.â
âYes, I suppose I should go wake the AlphaâŚ" His voice sounding a little rougher than before. A Betaâs duty was never ending, and most times I could tell that he enjoyed every minute of it. The next few days, however, were going to be stressful.
With that we stood up, brushing the leaves and dirt from our clothing. The sun was just beginning to peak through the trees, which gave me hope that I could slip back inside without too many prying eyes.
âAvi⌠â His voice rang out from behind me with such a smooth chuckle. I spun around to see what was so humorous and he had closed the gap between us seamlessly, causing me to practically run right into his chest, his arms catching my shoulders at the last second. His arms ran down mine as his strong mint smell filled my senses and I waited for him to talk.
He looked pained to remove his arms from mine as he plucked a twig from my hair, never removing his eyes from my own, and motioned for me to twirl around where he proceeded to untangle two more leaves from my curly brown hair. I grabbed a ponytail from my pocket and quickly threw my hair up into a bun, a slight blush forming on my cheeks as I gave him a goofy grin and let out an embarrassed, âThanks.â Rowan was never one to judge me, but his emotion filled eyes always seemed to bring out the heat in my face.
I managed to slip through the forest without drawing attention to myself, darting into the house as I had done so many times before, when the smell of baked goods filled my nose. I clutched my stomach and said a silent prayer that it would be quiet for the next few moments. I headed up the stairs that I knew would have no traffic this early, carefully tiptoeing past three other rooms, being extra careful not to step on any spots I knew would creak. I dashed into my room, closing and locking the door with one motion, and with a sigh of relief I marched straight into the shower.
Author's note: I am aware, and apologize in advance, for the grammatical errors and word swaps in Timber. I've read the comments and paragraph notes. Mated to Brianna, the addition of Mylo and all of my future books are better because of your help and have been edited MUCH better. I hope you can see past the mistakes in my first book.
As I let the warm water wash away Rowan's scent, I wondered if I had gone too far this time. We've always been close, but I had never stayed out all night with him, and the new level to our intimacy seemed to only confuse me more.‘He has a mate somewhere; we shouldn’t be laying with people who aren’t our mates…’ my wolf chimed in.‘Thanks Echo, as if I’m unaware… it’s not like we did anything,’I rolled my eyes and shook my head in disbelief, ‘scolded by my own wolf,’ I huffed.‘You see the way he looks at you, what’s going to happen when we turn 18?’I knew the look she was talking about, the one that I felt I had given him back numerous times, and in the middle of washing my hair, I watched as another leaf circled the drain. I could feel the longing in my own chest and the caution in my own thoughts as I spoke with Echo,
I rolled my eyes at her as I turned to grab clothes out of my closet, I thought I was so careful, I hoped she was the only one who seen because if either of my parents caught me I'd get the 'ranking members need to act like such' conversation for about the thousandth time.“It wasn’t a walk of shame Farah,” I huffed at her as I sifted through my drawers instead for something to throw on.“Ok, Ok, you weren’t ashamed, but Rowan… huh…” she was wiggling her eyebrows at me now as a sly grin formed on her face.“We’re just friends Farah, nothing happened.” My voice came out soft and unsure, I wasn't sure nothing happened, but nothing Farah was thinking, happened. As close as we were I never crossed that line with Rowan, and he's never pressured me to, not that Echo would sit by and let it happen anyways.“Sure, sure,” she said pausing, staring at me caught in my own tho
I could hear Farah giggle at my stomachs noises as we walked into the kitchen. I wasted no time in plucking a fresh strawberry muffin from the basket and refilling my now empty coffee mug. I seen Farah grab a danish and some fruit piled on a platter, and bring it with us, to the kitchen area off to the right in a room of its own.It was a smaller dining area that led to some very large glass doors, and out onto a covered patio area that sat just in front of the gardens. It was cozier than the formal dining room for so many reasons, equipped with several larger chairs, and a larger bench to rest on as the doors let in the view from outside. It felt like you could have family moments here, where the dining room seemed too formal and suffocating, never allowing for enjoyment.“Today… is a good day…” I struggled to get out as I was taking a large bite of the muffin. My eyes were closed as I fully took in the taste. Strawberry muffins had to
Theo reached out and set my muffin on the table, then took my hands in his, “As the Alpha’s sister you are held to the highest standards, not only is it your birthday in a few short days - which should have finding your mate at the top of your priority list...” I huffed at that notion and he squeezed my hands as if to say ‘quit.’He took a long breathe in, and as he exhaled, I seen my father lurking behind him, but not fully coming into the room we stood in. Theo most definitely got most of his looks from the Alpha bloodline, his chin chiseled in the same way, their expressions the same, and their eyes perfectly emotionless.Theo continued ”…but we will have unmated males from other territories roaming around anytime now as they arrive with their Alpha's, until after the Carnival,” he paused again when Rowan tensed at his words.I wasn’t sure what else there was to say, or why the Alpha's would come when the
I already knew as I got up from crouching in front of Farah, to answer the door.His minty scent had filled my nose before he even knocked, I opened the door slowly and stopped it with my foot so that less than my body width was open, as my voice rang out in an accusatory tone, “Rowan… “His face looked puzzled and annoyed, probably because I called him by his full name. As a child I could never say his name properly, so I only ever called him ‘Ro.’ He always said it sounded so formal and weird to hear me speak his full name, a little taste of what I endured downstairs if you ask me. I was still standing in the doorway, not having fully opened it when he relaxed his stance, bringing his hand up in front of his chest, holding a strawberry muffin.“I didn’t know…” was all he said.Did he really think he could bribe me? Of course he did, because he knows me a little too well. I tried not to get lost in
âYou canât ask that of herâŚâ I could hear my mom whisper in distress.âHe certainly can, she has always been a part of this family, and thatâs what's expected of her role, blood or not Willa.â That stern tone had to come from my dad, Gabriel.âPlease Theo,â she begged, âshe deserves her mate, wherever and whenever they find each other.âThe room grew hushed, I could feel their tensions from where I stood and Echo was pacing at their words, ready to rip into anyone that threatened our ability to find our mate. I pushed her to the back of my mind and opened the door, calling out as if I had just sprung down the stairs and burst into his office without a second thought.âHey Theo!â I faked surprise when I seen both mom and dad starring back at me, âMom⌠are you ok?ââYes sweetie, and we were just leavingâ she barely made it out of the room before breaking into a sob as she scurried upstairs.âMuch better,â my dad noted, nodding to my dress. His voice
I raised an eyebrow at him, desperate for him to elaborate.âAfter you shifted on your 16th birthday for the first time.â He paused for effect Iâm sure, but I tried to let that sink in for a minute, it would make sense for it to be timed around when Echo appeared.âYour wolf gets a lot more⌠prominent after that, and sometimes they can sense things.â His voice was cautious, I was his sister but we were also discussing his best friend, âBut Iâll tell ya Avi, I havenât seen Rowan faulter in his affection for you once, Iâm glad youâre birthday coincides with the carnival because if you both could find your true mates, that would make this a whole lot easierâŚ. And leads me to the real reason I asked to talk with you in the first place.âSo Theo didnât think we were mates either, but he had a point, if both of us could find our true mates in the next few days it would makes things so much easier and seamless, I sure wouldnât have so much guilt over things eve
I left Theoâs office feeling confused. Was I happy, or upset? I was neutral. I didnât know what to think and that left me in the middle, at least I wouldnât have to make up my mind right away, there would be time to decide the fate of the rest of my life.I walked upstairs realizing how drained I was, and I couldnât escape to recharge where I normally did, not that I would want to right now anyways. Knowing Ro, he would be waiting out there for me even now, ready, and willing to just exist beside me. There were always moments with him, ones I could tell he wanted to push the subject but was waiting on me, he would slowly approach a boundary without daring to cross it. Slowly stroking his fingers through my hair and allowing his hand to travel down my arm, stopping himself from venturing lower. Resting his head on mine as he brought me in for a hug, but never daring to plant his lips on me in any fashion.I decided that a nap was the next best thing, I glanced at the cloc