SarahGoing out into the starlight with Lucas is simply magical. Everything feels more special when he’s with me, and I look forward to seeing his surprise. I know that no matter what it is, it’s bound to be beautiful.He leads me into the woods where it’s growing dark and quiet. The crickets play their cheerful song for us as he takes my hand. My mate. My forever.“It’s so nice to have things back to normal again,” I say. “It’s even better being out here with you.”“I feel so lucky to be here with you,” Lucas insists. “I’m lucky you’re my mate. And I hope that I can show you how much I appreciate you tonight."“You show me that every day,” I assure him. “That’s one of the reasons why I adore you as I do.”“You’re worth every moment of it.”He kisses me hand and the same chills I’ve always gotten from him scatter across my skin like butterfly kisses.Fireflies light the path for us as we continue walking. It’s like the night has been formed especially for us, as a reward for
BrandonThe last thing I want to do is fight a member of my new pack, let alone three of them. I just want to get along with them. I want to become part of the family. I don’t want things to go like this.I can’t let them kill me though. I’ve worked too hard to live. So, I shift too and prepare myself for the fight of my life, a fight where I’m heavily outnumbered.Thankfully, I’ve always been a strong fighter. So, as James lunges after me, I’m able to dodge his attack. I roll on the ground and nip at his paw, grazing his leg in the process.It’s the first drop of blood drawn which marks the start of a true fight. I know there’s no getting away from this now. James howls in anger.This fight is to the death. I either have to kill a fellow pack member or be killed.I harden my heart against it. Sure, I wanted to fit in. And I know that after this, I will be outcasted. I will be on my own again.There’s no way around it though, so I fight vigilantly. Liza comes after me next, st
SarahI’m expecting the worst kind of explanation. I’m expecting to be told that our decision was clearly wrong. Brandon attacked them and it’s all my fault for letting him stay.“It’s our fault,” Liza says, shocking me instead. “We saw how popular Brandon was becoming and what a natural Alpha he is. “That made us suspicious. We thought he might try to displace your position in the pack. So, we came out to try to stop him.“Brandon fought back, and he’s a great fighter. But he only fought to protect his own life. And when he had the chance to kill me, he showed me mercy. I owe him my life.”I look at Brandon in awe, thankful I was right about him. The others all agree with Liza’s version of events. “I’m sorry,” Ryan says, looking at Brandon with a new look of appreciation. “We were wrong. We thought you were a murderer, but you could’ve murdered all of us and you didn’t. “It’s just that this pack has been through so much lately. It’s difficult to trust strangers after that.
SarahThat night, I have a dream that seems so realistic. I’m running through the woods, on my way to somewhere. I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I know there’s an important place where I’m supposed to be.I’m alone, yet I don’t feel like I’m alone. I feel like someone is watching me. Someone is waiting for me.Despite this, I’m not afraid. I only feel at peace here. Soft pink clouds tumble in the sky. Silver flowers whisper their encouragement to me. While lilac trees shake their leaves in a dance that I will never be permitted to be part of.I don’t mind the exclusion. This place is obviously not meant for me. Or at least it’s not meant to be my forever. So, why am I here?Finally, a turquoise pond comes into view. Gold sparkles rest upon it, making the water glitter in the sunlight. It captures the beauty of this magical place. And I feel blessed to be here, despite not understanding why or how I ended up here.The water calls to me, draws me towards it. For a momen
LucasAdmittedly, I’m a little worried about Sarah taking on this risk when she’s pregnant. But I won’t try to stop her or get in her way. I’ve learned that to respect her, I have to let her do her thing.It’s not easy though. So, as we meetup with Brandon and the others from our pack, I hope this won’t be too dangerous. I hope it will be simple getting him to the position of Alpha again.Sarah starts the meeting by telling all of those who are unaware of the predicament we find ourselves in. Liza speaks on Brandon’s behalf as proof as to why we should help him. I start the meeting by worrying that the others won’t be on board for this mission. But it turns out there was nothing to worry about. Brandon has already made a good impression on everyone in the pack, so everyone wants to help him.“Now, we have to figure out a way to defeat Brandon’s brother,” Sarah says. “Which might be as simple as helping Brandon get to the pack without any threats coming his way.” Sarah turns t
SarahIt takes a couple of days to get close enough to the pack to really begin our search. But soon enough, the incline grows steeper. The trees become denser and more clustered together.Then, we come across the real cold. We packed for this, but it was difficult to be fully prepared for this type of weather. I have no idea how anyone could survive like this. I already miss the fertile ground and perfect temperature of home.This is important though. I can sense it. So, we keep running until we run into a dusting of snow on the ground. It’s cold on my paws, a sensation I’m not exactly used to. But it’s nice. It’s grounding and my thick layer of fur keeps me warm.“I think it’s safe to start our search here,” Brandon says.So, the mission truly begins. We search through the snow, throughout the trees, and into various caves. Yet the whole day is fruitless. As is the next.“I miss Fergus,” I admit to Lucas as we sit in front of the fire that flickers by the cave we’re going t
LucasWe take off running towards Brandon’s pack. I’m still a little worried. I don’t like the fact that Sarah is with us. I don’t like relying on Calvin’s word.Yet it’s the best chance we have, so we keep on running. We run through the snow, over fall tree stumps, and to Brandon’s pack.Their territory is much different from ours, shrouded by trees and snow. All of their homes are made from stone and nestled in caves.“Should we try to sneak attack,” I ask, not fond of the idea of just arriving like this.“No,” Brandon decides. “We’re going to come forward with the truth. I have nothing to hide. I have only my true position to gain.”It doesn’t take long for us to cause a stir. As people see us walk by, they come out of their home, stop they’re doing. The whispers start as everyone stares at Brandon and Calvin.People try to crowd us asking a million questions.Brandon waits to answer them until a large crowd has gathered. He waits until we see a tall, strong man who looks
SarahBeing part of the feast with Brandon’s pack made me realize that our pack hasn’t had a true celebration in a while, and we have so much to celebrate. So, once we get back, I’m filled with the desire to bring some laughter and fun times to the pack.“We should have a celebration,” I tell Lucas as we play with Fergus the next morning.He’s growing so big, able to say more words now, wobbly as he runs through the house. Lucas picks him up and swoops him around like an airplane.“You know, I was thinking that too,” Lucas agrees. “There’s so much to celebrate right now. There’s so much joy as things have gotten better. Our lives are worth celebrating.“Let’s throw a feast ourselves. A party to bring everyone together. I think our pack would enjoy that.”“Absolutely,” I say. “We’ll plan one today. We can announce our new alliance to those who haven’t heard yet. We can also announce the news of our daughter.”“So, are we just accepting that?” Lucas laughs. “Without any concrete