“You are hereby invited to princess Ronnie’s 16th birthday party,” I mocked as I smashed a beer bottle on the dirt road.
I was surprised to receive an invitation to Ronnie’s birthday party. My name was written on the white envelope in my father’s handwriting and a red pawprint to stamp his Alpha signature.
As I continued to walk toward Alpha’s home, I stumbled through the town center. I brushed my fingers across an old oak tree that was planted at the heart of Ironclaw the day I was born. My mother used to tell me that the tree symbolized that I was the heart of Ironclaw. My Initials were still engraved on the bottom of the tree, along with my mother’s and an old friend of mine, Jonathan’s.
My chest ached at the memory.
I brushed away the tears that were forming in my eyes before I made my way to Rock’s house.
Standing outside of the house I grew up in, I was hesitant before going inside. I wasn’t sure what to do next. I felt a growl escape deep within my throat before I could stop myself.
The house was filled with familiar faces, including Ronnie’s. They were all dancing and talking amongst one another. Most of them paid no attention to me; I could only imagine the lies Rock and Melissa must have said about me.
There was some beer on the counter, which Rock had laid out for the guests. I didn’t hesitate to open one and take a long steady drink. My head was whirling. I wanted to do something, that was for sure.
“Ah! There she is! The birthday girl,” Rock cooed as Ronnie approached.
She smiled up at him; there’s no way she couldn’t see the monster he truly was. Based on the bruises Melissa was hiding, he hasn’t changed.
This was the year that Ronnie was going to turn into her wolf form for the first time.
“I feel the energy of the moon and I can almost hear my wolf speaking. It’s surreal,” Ronnie breathed.
“This is only the first step,” Rock told her, smiling down at her. “First, it’s your transformation, and then we will start planning on finding your mate!”
I nearly laughed; he sounded ridiculous. Pretending to be a caring father.
“You’re so full of yourself.”
My words slurred as I spoke; I had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling over. I took the last sip of the beer I was holding before allowing the can to fall to the ground in a thud.
“You don’t care about Ironclaw. You don’t care about anyone or anything other than yourself. You’ve been nothing but selfish since you married my mother. You put shame on her name with your lies. You put shame on my grandfather, the only decent Alpha that Ironclaw has ever had,” I hissed, trying to keep my words in order.
“Arina…” Melissa warned, stepping towards me. “You’ve been drinking.”
“That is enough!” My father’s voice boomed through the house, bouncing off the walls and startling everybody inside.
I ignored him.
At that point, the party was silenced, and everyone was facing my direction.
“You will not come into my home, to my pack, and my daughter’s birthday and speak to any of us in that way!”
His fists were clenched tightly, turning his knuckles white. He wanted to hit me. This was perfect. Then everybody would see who he truly was.
“Go ahead dad,” I urged. “Beat me like you did when I was 10.”
He was only inches from me when he paused; I could smell his rancid breath as he breathed heavily. I wasn’t going to back down from this; I wanted to fight him. I was hoping he was going to fight me.
I saw his eyes looking around the startled faces of the pack; no one knew what to say. He finally turned his attention back to me, his lip curling in disgust.
I was used to that look.
“You have brought enough disgrace to this family.” His Alpha voice rising furiously.
“Me?!” I let out a forced laugh. “I’m not the one who killed my mother.”
I heard the shocked gasps from the pack around us, including Melissa. As if she didn’t know what actually happened to my mother.
“GET OUT!!!” He ordered. “It was a mistake to have allowed you back in Ironclaw.”
I was taken back a bit; he was kicking me out of my own pack.
I scoffed. He was pathetic.
I left this evil place.
I could go for another drink. Though, I probably shouldn’t. I was already past my limit. But I just wanted to forget everything that happened.
…
The pub wasn’t far from where I was. It was an old pub that my father used to go to pick up women back when my mother was still alive. The beer was smooth going down; my head whirled even more with each sip I took, and I thought at one point that I was going to pass out.
“Another one, please,” I slurred as I pushed the empty bottle towards the bartender.
He looked at it and then back at me, a question in his gaze.
“I think you’ve had enough,” he told me as he took the bottle off the counter.
I frowned up at him.
“Beer please,” An unfamiliar voice said from beside me.
I looked over and saw a tall man standing there; he had dark hair and olive skin. His eyes were dark golden and equipped with long lashes. He wore a leather coat that hugged his broad torso. His arms were all muscles, and I noticed a couple of tattoos along his chest and down his arms.
I couldn’t tell if he was a part of this pack or not.
I frowned and stared up at him.
“You look like you could use another,” he said, humor lacing his tone.
“Thanks…” I muttered, taking a sip. “Do I know you?”
“No,” he answered. “But you want to.”
I rose my eyebrows.
“Oh, I do?” I asked.
This guy seemed full of himself, and I wasn’t in the mood.
“I’m going to be the greatest night of your life,” he said, a smile spreading across his face.
I had to keep myself from laughing.
“My night is already pretty great,” I lied, taking another sip of the beer. “I doubt you can top it.”
“You know…” he said, there was more humor in his tone. “It’s dangerous for a pretty thing like you to be wandering around alone.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting into laughter.
That was his pickup line? Seriously?
“I’m not so delicate,” I told him.
“Why don’t you prove it,” he said, pushing another beer in my direction.
Our laughter died down and I could see the seduction and hunger in his eyes.
“Why don’t we get out of here?” He whispered, his lips brushing against my ear, sending a chill down my spine.
I was so drunk to think if one night stand is a good idea. Before I decided, he wrapped my arm around his and helped me to my feet. I stumbled over my own feet and fell into him, which only made me laugh even more. His laughter had stopped, and we were walking quickly through the streets. His hold on me tightened.
Suddenly, he pulled me towards the edge of the building and pressed me firmly against the wall.
I could feel his erection through his pants, pressing into me and begging for entrance. My breathing went shallow; I wasn’t expecting it to go down like this.
“Wait…” I said breathlessly.
I tried to struggle against him a bit, but he was too strong. The more I struggled, the tighter the hold he had on me.
“Stop…” I breathed.
I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. My voice was caught in my throat.
Before he could get my pants undone, we saw headlights coming toward us; it didn’t look like it was about to stop. It looked like he was about to hop out of the way, but the car curved and pulled right beside us, halting quickly.
The man remained against me, but he put his dick back into his pants and adjusted my shirt.
My heart was beating heavily against my chest as the car approached at rapid speed. It was a little red Porsche that I didn’t recognize. I heard the driver’s side door opening and then slamming shut.
Another man stalked around the corner quickly; he was tall and familiar. His upper torso was just as big as the mystery man I was with. He had light brown hair and chocolate eyes with rings of gold circling throughout. His face was scruffy, and it gave him a masculine look.
I knew him.
He looked furious.
Jonathan.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” Jonathan shouted as he approached us angrily.His fists were clenched and all I could see coming from him was pure rage. The man that was against me had a low grumble laugh emerging from deep in his throat. I wasn’t sure if Jonathan could hear him, but I could, and it sent a chill down my spine.I struggled to get his hands off me.“Don’t make me tell you again,” Jonathan growled.The man eventually released me and I nearly fell to the ground. I felt tears burning in my eyes and my body trembled. I couldn’t get the feeling of his hands off me; the way his mouth tasted against mine and the way he felt when he was biting me and caressing me.There was no shower hot enough to get that feeling off me.“Arina, get in the car!!” Jonathan ordered.I wasn’t sure I could walk to his car if I wanted to. I was seeing 4 of them. The mystery man stepped in front of me. He wasn’t going to let me go that easily.However, with how furious Jonathan was, I wouldn’t want
Heat rose through his body until it reached his face as he looked at the woman he loved. But all he could think about was how stupid she was only an hour beforehand. If he hadn’t shown up when he did, that man would have had his way with her. The things he would have done to her.He clenched his fists as the thought invaded his mind once again. He was furious.How could he have let this happen? He spent the last 5 years keeping watch of her and protecting her without her even knowing about it. How could he let this go under his radar? His lip curled up as he thought more about it.She looked taken back by the look that was surfacing on his face. He could feel her nervousness; it almost turned into fear. Her eyes showed so much worry, and then traces of sadness and heartbreak appeared.He sighed as he turned away, giving her the privacy she needed to undress and bathe herself. He wasn’t exactly sure why she wanted him to stay. But as she stripped, he felt her closeness. Her fingers trac
Jonathan couldn’t sleep.He lay awake, watching over Arina; her small body wrapped in a thick layer of blankets.It’s been 5 years since they had seen each other, and she was even more beautiful as she aged. She’s always been like a little sister to him; protecting her was the only thing he’s ever wanted to do. Knowing that he wasn’t there for her during the hardest points in her life, drove a knife deep into his chest.He dimmed the lights to his room and sat across the way in a chair nearby the wood-paneled window. The faint light of the waxing gibbous moon reflected through the glass, dancing on his tanned features. Soon, it would be a full moon where they would be at their full strength.He remembered his first full moon when he had just turned 16. His first transformation was the most painful experience. He wasn’t understanding why his mother, Jess, and father, Regan, were so happy when he was in such pain.Both his parents had dark thick fur; his mother was a cocoa brown with sap
I can’t remember the last time I fell asleep and didn’t dream about my mother. Every night it’s always the same dream; the night she died. The coldness of her body and her pale features are forever engraved in my mind.Waking up, I felt almost empty inside. I only remembered bits and pieces of the night before and the slight stinging of a headache told me why the night was fuzzy.My “father” had kicked me out of Ironclaw. Not that I cared. It’s not like I was ever planning on returning anyways, but the thought of not being able to return to the place my mother died, wounded.Sitting up in bed, I looked around the dimly lit room; the faint light of the sunlight appeared through the wood-paneled window on the far side of the room. I was in a rustic bedroom with walls that were made of dark meadow wood, matching the hardwood floors. In the center of the room lay a maroon rug with swirls of red and white, which matched the drapes on the window and the maroon comforter that laid on top of m
She said yes. She actually said yes. Jonathan stood outside, allowing the warmth of the sunlight to soak through his thick skin. The wolf inside of him was itching to come out. As he transformed into his golden-red being, he stretched out his back and allowed the beast inside of him to breakthrough. His teeth were sharp enough to bite through the toughest metal; his fur was thick with claws that were still stained from the flesh he tore through not long ago.His speed quickened as he lunged through the enclosed woods that surrounded his town. He could hear the water from the stream miles away and the animals that bathed in that very stream. His hunger only grew more intense the closer he got. Birds flew away in terror as he ran past them; his strength creating earthquakes as he moved.He felt free.He heard the crying of the deer that laid out in front of him; biting through the flesh and allowing the warm sweetness of the deer to feed his hunger.He knew he was going to need more f
I wasn’t sure what to expect. This whole ordeal was weird for me. The ring that fit my finger so perfectly, displayed for everyone to see it on my hand, felt heavy.I had no idea how to be a luna; I had no idea what Jonathan expected from me, but I feared I would never be able to live up to his expectations. Out of all the beautiful werewolves, how is it that I was the one chosen to be his mate?Staring at him, I could feel the heat of my body rising and my heart growing heavy. He entwined his lean fingers through mine and held onto them firmly as we stood in his mother, Jess’s, kitchen.She had a rustic quartz countertop with food scattered across it. I could tell she had gone hunting that morning in preparation for dinner that night. She wanted to celebrate our upcoming marriage as a family to be.As we ate, we spoke a lot about wedding preparations. But it all felt like a foreign language to me. Jonathan wants to take me wedding dress shopping, Jess wants to cook all the food. I sat
Sabrebite was a charming contemporary town of different shades of grey bricks and modern paved roads. The sidewalks were made of cobblestone that led to the town’s center where we stood. Surrounding us were high-rise buildings.The warm mist of the air tickled my features as the scent of freshly baked bread, from the nearby bakery, made its way through my senses. I could hear the chatter of the town and the giggling of those that swarmed through the busy streets.A small hole-in-wall shop sat at the back end of the town’s center. On display, in the window, were the most gorgeous wedding gowns I’ve ever seen. One was made of white feathers, a formfitting gown that expanded towards the bottom reminding me of a swan spreading its wings. Another dress was gold, accented with white pearls that expanded and grew larger towards the bottom of the fabric.The light dinging of the bell, as we entered the shop, alerting a small, figured woman sitting at her sewing machine. She had her dark hair p
The wedding was simple, which is exactly what I wanted. It was held in the gardens of Sabrebite, overlooking the changing colors of the autumn leaves. The full moon was at the peak of the sky, shining its essence on the events taking place below. Leaves of reds and oranges were scattered across the cobblestone walkway and crunched under my bare toes as I walked down the aisle.The crisp air danced around my features and sent a chill through my body. At that moment, I wished more than ever that my mother could have been there. It felt almost wrong to have a wedding without her presence. Though at the same time, the way the air had splashes of warmth as the wind picked up, allowing for the leaves to circulate around my feet as I walked, I knew it was my mother walking with me. I could feel the love she brought to me on this very day. The same love that danced in the eyes of Jonathan as he watched me carry myself to him.I held the bouquet in my hands tightly; my fingers trembling with ne