Beauty & the Alpha

[Valerie]As strange as it may sound, I had often imagined myself knocking on Death's door in this manner. It was something I dreaded, something that kept me awake at night, and even then, I had no hope of being surrounded by loved ones, of having a familiar tongue lick my face or a warm hand holding mine as I breathed my last.The attack on us came as a surprise. We had carefully planned our route and taken extra care to arrange our own attack so that we had the upper hand. The unsuspecting group we were intended to attack was allegedly out searching for food. When we hunted, we were vulnerable. Our senses were absorbed in the aroma of our prey's blood; sweet and warm, our tongues were overwhelmed with a desire for dripping, fresh meat. And it was then that the odor of our own species became less intense.Our strategy was so sound that we were taken aback by the odd animals who emerged out of nowhere. When I first saw them, I was taken aback by their disheveled fur, which appeared gr

[Valerie] A massive intake of air rushed through my lungs, like a breath of fresh air, and I wheezed as my eyes opened. The great light all around me was white, and I assumed it was Mother Selene, who had come to see me and take me back to her dwelling. Those tears I had tried so hard not to cry were gone. Neither was the pounding ache in my ribs, which stopped my heart and took my final breath.I looked down at my clothes, amazed that there was anything covering me at all. On my legs, I wore a khaki cotton harem and a basic black t-shirt that clung to every curve of my torso. These were not my property. Perhaps Mother Selene preferred to meet her creation dressed strangely, rather than naked, as I had died.I was lying on a bed. A bed wrecked by an unending supply of blood from the puncture in my side. When I looked down and gingerly peeled the t-shirt up, my brows knitted with perplexity. Perhaps your wounds and imperfections vanish in death. It's not unexpected, given that Mother

[Valerie]I tried very hard to deny the obvious, but too much was happening all at once. My second chance at life was becoming increasingly challenging, and I wondered if it was really a second chance or a test of will.Alexander - the one who saved my life - was my mate. I could see it now; the dream in which the faceless werewolf kept me afloat and brought me joy now had a face. A beautiful one. I no longer had to fall asleep to see that dream, I would be able to simply close my eyes and see him, just as the memory of his features sketched into eternity in my mind. But the dream was unattainable - a fact I learned tonight.Alexander was bold, as expected - I knew that from the moment he scolded me for not staying in bed. He was also hesitant. I felt his hand tremble when he touched me. Had he been less tentative, I might have allowed him to have his way with me. I might have sprung upon him myself, succumbing to the aching desire that called for a change of underwear before I left th

[Valerie]Luck had been on my side, for the most part. After making the seemingly never-ending walk back to Pleasant Hill, I forced back the anxiety that was threatening to eat me up alive, and went home.“Mom.” I breathed in relief when Edith opened the door, only to find surprise on her face.“Honey! What are you doing here? You should be at college.”I took the feeble hug she gave me and relished in her warmth for that moment, and walked into the house on feet that were burning and legs that felt numb after my journey on foot. I held the kitbag tighter around my shoulder so Edith wouldn’t be completely shocked by the blood-stained blanket. I was already thankful enough that she didn’t seem to know about anything that had happened. I didn’t need her to worry.“I’ll go back to college tomorrow. I just need to rest.”“Of course baby!” my adopted mom fussed over me, touching my arms, my face, as if inspecting me. “Did you get hurt? Did that Garret hurt you again?”“No mom!” I shrugged a

[Valerie]I had to admit that I was scared, like a bear caught in a trap. I knew the Alpha would not give up, so I gave in, pulling my weight to a nearby tree and transforming into my human. The transformation was again painless, and I knew that it was my mate that made that possible. But it barely explained why, for years, the pain gripped me each time I transformed back and forth.Alexander changed too - and I realized my mistake early. We were out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, in what he called the Land of The Witches. I had never heard of the witches except around campfires when the elders told us that the witches were not to be trusted, and that back in the day, they used magic to seduce the wolves and snapped their necks any chance they got. But none of us had actually seen one. To me, witches were just a myth.Alexander, however, went as far as accusing me of using witchcraft to ensnare him. I didn’t think that I would ever need to. Looking at him in all his glory, mad