Nick POV
I pick up my best friend and his little sister, who don't look so little anymore. Damn, I think to myself, when did she get that beautiful body. Those big round breasts that look like they don't fit in my hands and that round perky ass.
I could picture myself biting it. Fuck, what the hell am I thinking? My best friend Josh would kill me if he heard what I just thought about his sister.Driving to the school, I am urged to look at her through the view mirror. I see her look at me, and I wink at her, causing her to roll her eyes. I look away and smirk.
"So, how was training camp?" I hear my little sister say, and I raise my eyebrow.
Since when is she interested in training camp?"Training was good. But I was dying to return to all the beautiful ladies," Josh says.
And I see Rose blush through the view mirror.
What the hell has gotten into her? I think to myself damn teenager hormones. I wonder if that's what happened with Mariah. I heard Josh beat the crap out of Jacob for sleeping with Mariah. But can you blame Jacob? Mariah has turned into a beautiful young woman. Even though I would of beat the shit out of him too. But why? She is nothing to me. Why does it bother me that she slept with him?
Ten minutes later, we finally arrived at the school. As I'm parking, I see a lot of new faces. As the future Alpha of this pack, I'm supposed to know everyone who steps into my pack. That's a little hard when our school is the only one around, and kids from neighboring packs attend, too.I park in my reserved parking and step out. Josh steps out next and puts the seat forward for the girls to get out."I see you at lunch," Josh says to Mariah.
"Okay, Big Bro," She replies.
"See you later, Culo," Rose says.
"Watch it," I growl.
She giggles and runs off to catch up with Mariah. As she walks and sways her hips, I see many males staring her way. A low growl vibrates in my chest.
"What the fuck is going on with me," I think to myself.
"You good," Josh says.
"Yeah, Rose just Irks me," I say, and Josh smirks.
"Oh, believe me, I understand. Mariah Irks me too, and this year is going to be hell," Josh replies.
"And why is that?" I ask and smirk.
"Seriously? Do you not see how those horny werewolves are staring at our sisters" he says with a deep frown on his face.
I let out a growl and frown.
"Exactly," he says.
If only he knew what bothers me more is that his sister is getting all this male attention.
We walk toward the school entrance just in time because the bell rings. Everyone is rushing to get to their classes when something or, let's say, someone catches my attention.
"I'm going to head to class, bro; see you next period," Josh says.
"Okay, see you later, bro," I reply, my attention still on the beautiful female a few feet away from me.
There she is, all giggling and blushing with the future beta of the Silver Moon Pack. I start walking fast in their direction. When I reach them, I see her blushing and hear him tell her how beautiful she looks. My blood starts boiling.
"Hey, Logan," I say with a frown.
"What's Up, Nick?" The bastard replies with an arrogant smirk on his face.
"That's Alpha Nick to you," I reply with a frown.
"You are not Alpha yet, anyway. See you later, beautiful," The moron says and reaches and kisses her on the cheek.
What the actual fuck? Since when are they so friendly? A low growl vibrates from my chest, and I see Mariah roll her eyes. Did she just fucking roll her eyes at me?
"What the fuck was that," I ask her.
"None of your business, Nick," She replies with a frown on her beautiful face.
I close the distance between us and grip her neck. Not hard enough to hurt her but hard enough to get a beautiful gasp from those big, juicy lips of hers.
"Watch your mouth, Princess, or I'm going to have to put it to work," I say while pressing against her.
I can feel her shivering, but it's evident by the look on her face she is not going to let me know she is enjoying this.
"In your dreams, asshole, now let go of me," she says, trying to push me away, but I'm stronger.
"That's not what your body is telling me; I can smell your arousal," I groan as I smell her sweet scent that makes my wolf surge forward, but I quickly push him back.
"You're delusional," she says and pushes me back hard, and I let go of her.
She starts walking away, and I'm about to follow her when someone calls me.
"Babe, there you are," Mila says. And I internally groan.
Mariah's POVThe sound of light footsteps in the hallway reached me just before the door to my room creaked open. My parents were the first to step in, their faces breaking into expressions of pure relief when they saw I was awake."Oh, sweetheart," my mom whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she hurried to my side. "You're awake." She leaned down, kissing my forehead before taking my hand in hers, her fingers warm and gentle.My dad stood behind her, his usual stoic demeanor giving way to a rare softness. He gave me a small smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was enough. He didn't need to say anything—his presence alone was comforting."Thank God, Mariah," he muttered, his voice hoarse with unshed tears. He squeezed my hand before turning to Nick, who still sat by my side, never straying too far. "You've been through hell."Nick, who had been holding my hand ever since I woke up, gave a small nod but didn't speak. His eyes remained glued to me, like he was afrai
Josh’s POVI don’t remember walking to Julia’s guest room. One moment, I was standing outside of Mariah’s hospital room, my mind a mess, my body restless with emotions I couldn’t untangle. The next, I was here, standing at her door, my heart hammering against my ribs like a war drum.The bond is suffocating. It pulls at me, demanding I be near her, touch her, claim her. But Julia—Julia is hesitant.I swallow hard and lift my hand, knocking twice before I can second-guess myself.Silence.For a moment, I think she won’t answer. That maybe she’s ignoring me, or worse—maybe she’s inside, regretting everything.Then, the door creaks open.Julia stands there, bathed in the dim glow of her porch light, her dark eyes meeting mine with something unreadable. She’s barefoot, her hair loose and messy, and the sight of her like this—soft, unguarded—hits me like a punch to the gut.She’s beautiful.And she’s mine.The thought shakes me to my core.“What are you doing here, Josh?” Her voice is quie
Mariah's POVA breath shudders from my lips, my body aching as if I’ve been torn apart and stitched back together again. My eyelids feel impossibly heavy, my limbs sluggish, my throat raw. Every part of me protests as I force my eyes open, the dim light above me sending a dull throb through my skull.“Nick?” My voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s enough.A choked sound breaks the silence, raw and filled with so much emotion it makes my chest tighten. I blink slowly, my vision still blurred, but I don’t need to see clearly to recognize the warmth surrounding me, the familiar scent of pine and earth that grounds me even as my body trembles.Nick.The bed shifts slightly, and then his face comes into focus. His usually sharp, confident eyes are red-rimmed, his jaw clenched so tightly I can see the strain in his expression. He looks wrecked. Like he’s been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long.“You’re awake,” he breathes, his voice breaking as he grips
Nick’s POVThe moment I step into the hospital room her parents give me a sad smile, my heart clenches like a fist inside my chest.“We will go home and get some of her things.” Jennifer says and I nod. Her and her husband leave the room leaving Josh and me staring silently at Mariah. The steady beep of the heart monitor is the only sound breaking the silence, but even that doesn’t ease the fear curling in my gut.Mariah lies still, too still. Her dark lashes rest against her pale cheeks, her body fragile beneath the thin white blanket. Wires snake from her arms, monitors tracking her every breath, yet she seems so… lifeless.I stop at the foot of the bed, frozen, unable to take another step. My body screams at me to move, to touch her, to make sure she’s real, but my mind is stuck in the memories of the past few hours—the fear, the chase, the moment I thought I’d never see her again.I should have been there.The guilt crashes into me like a tidal wave, drowning out everything else
Nick’s POVThe tension in the air is thick as we make our way down the hall toward the interrogation room. My mind is still reeling from what the two women did for Mariah. They risked everything to save her, and I need to know exactly what happened—and who’s responsible.But something feels… off.Josh has been quiet. Too quiet. His footsteps are heavy beside me, but his energy is all over the place. His usual steady presence feels… unhinged. His breathing is sharp, his fists clenching and unclenching like he’s barely keeping himself from losing control.“Josh, you good?” I ask, glancing at him as we approach the door.“Yeah…” His voice is strained, but his jaw is locked so tight I’m surprised he hasn’t cracked a tooth.But the second I open the door, everything changes.The moment the scent of the two women hits the air, Josh freezes beside me like he’s been hit by a freight train.“Josh?” I say again, but he’s not listening.His entire body goes rigid, his eyes locking onto the small
Mariah’s POV (In Her Mind)Darkness. Thick and suffocating.It wraps around me like a heavy blanket, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Days? Weeks? Time doesn’t exist in this place. It’s just me and the emptiness, stretching endlessly in every direction.“Is this what death feels like?”The thought whispers through my mind, chilling me to the core. But no… no, I can’t be dead. I refuse to believe that. There’s too much left unfinished. Too many people who need me.“Nick…”His name echoes through my mind, a lifeline in the sea of nothingness. I hold onto it tightly, letting the memory of his touch, his voice, his love, ground me. I picture his face—those intense, stormy eyes filled with worry, his jaw clenched in determination. I know he’s out there, searching for me, refusing to give up.“I’m still here,” I whisper to him, even though I know he can’t hear me. “I’m fighting. Please don’t give up on me.”But the bond between us feels…