Patricia
Merging with Finn is like opening my eyes for the very first time and realizing there are so many things in the world that I've missed. I've been staring at a black-and-white photograph my entire life, and now there are sudden colors I've never noticed.
When I run, the winds are whispering in my ears, snickering and dancing around my feet. They sink into my skin and touch my bones, letting me know they have accepted me as their new master.
Finn hums inside my head with a smile in his tone. 'Oh, it feels so good to use our feet... Ehem, paws!'
'Our paws?' I question.
Finn speaks in an almost flirtatious voice. 'Your paws are my paws. Right now, we are one, Patricia.'
'I'm not sure how to feel about that! Please don't tell me your voice will haunt me in the shower and in other inappropriate places!' I shudder at the thought of Finn seeing me naked.
'To be honest, you're not my type—I like older women,' Finn chuckles. 'And
DiorEndless darkness surrounds me. It circles my throat and licks my skin as I'm searching for an exit. I want to run, but there is nowhere to flee. Voices are snickering in my ears, telling me to tread carefully or they will tear me apart.They overestimate me—I've already succumbed and given up. My soul has been ripped in the middle, and my hope has been blown out like a candle. I'm unable to sort my thoughts in the dark and remember who I am.And where the hell am I?!I flail around, entirely blind, until I see a flickering light. Without thinking, I approach it, desperate to get away from the everlasting night. Someone might be there—fires don't go igniting themselves."Hello?" I call out into the dark. "Anybody there?"There isn't a reply as I walk through what feels like sand underneath my naked feet. I'm not sure how long I mooch, but a bubble of hope lifts from my chest the moment I near a crackling fire. At first, I thi
Patricia I wake up on the couch inside of the house I share with Alice. Finn is sitting on the floor, engaged in a silent, staring competition with Elijah, who has taken a chair across from us. Wesley is standing behind him, and so are Riley and Brad. My initial reaction is to sit straight and prepare for battle, but Finn places a hand on my leg, shaking his head. "These people aren't here to fight you. I believe they want you to rejoin their pack," Finn says and turns his attention back to Elijah, who is glancing between us with curious cat-eyes. I remind myself to stay on my guard even as I part my lips. Elijah and Wesley might be friends of mine, but I don't the other two standing in the room to be my friends. "Where is Alice?" I ask. Elijah speaks. "Upstairs with William, he is in poor condition, and she is tending to his wounds." I nod. "I see." Elijah interlocks his fingers and bends forward to scan me. His eyes a
Patricia As I'm chewing, a hundred thoughts are racing through my mind. I see images of myself using Finn's wind magic and the beastly Dior being hefted off the ground and thrown into a car. Did I end up killing him? "I have a question." Everyone who is gathered around the table gives me their attention. Riley glances between Elijah and me, and I observe the vampire wipe his mouth with a tissue, readying himself to speak. Wesley might be the beta, but it seems Elijah is the one running the operations. I don't blame Wesley for letting his mate be in charge, though. Elijah is intelligent and has lived for so long that he also has enough life experience to make hard decisions. Elijah takes a deep breath, calm and gathered like royalty. "I know what you're going to ask, and we locked him up in your basement." I drop my taco shell. "You did what?" Everyone gives me questioning looks—Wesley raises his eyebrows, and I facepalm. I'm be
Alice "Quit being such a baby!" I exclaim, highly frustrated by the stubborn, cream-colored wolf taking up my entire bed. William refuses to change back into a human, determined to make this a hundred times more complicated. His paws are dangling from the king-sized bed, and the poor mattress creaks underneath his monstrous weight, telling me I need to visit IKEA if I ever want to sleep comfortably again. I growl in frustration. "You have to let me clean your wounds no matter how much it stings!" Wiliam growls right back at me, causing me to sigh. I squeeze the saline solution in my hand, and the wolf observes me with vivid suspicion, showing me his white teeth. "Actually, why am I even afraid of you?" I question and throw caution to the wind as I near the angry wolf. "You will not hurt me since you seem willing to throw yourself at monsters for my sake!" William's expression turns grumpy, even for a wolf. A low growl starts in his thr
Patricia I open the fridge to take out some milk while my bread is in the toaster. Light is dancing in through the window, and Finn is happily eating a burnt toasted sandwich. It was his first attempt using the toaster, and he insisted he didn't need to try making another one. The bread turned black, but his eyes glittered with happiness the moment he realized he had 'cooked' his first meal. I observe Finn from the kitchen counter in secret. My heart might belong to a particular alpha, but that doesn't mean that I'm blind—Finn is cute. He is way bigger and taller than the type I usually ogle at the bar, but then again, so is Dior. "This is so tasty!" Finn licks his fingers before turning to face me, wide-eyed and on the prowl for more toast. I honestly don't understand where the food is disappearing—I've never seen him use the toilet. I sigh and hand him the plate with my luxurious toast. "Fine! You can have my Patricia special with cheese and tomato.
Patricia Two weeks later. Five minutes ago, I held a speech in front of the entire Winterbite pack, telling them that June and the Summerburst pack had threatened to unleash war upon us. I also informed them that William, the other pack's former alpha, is now on our side and my new bodyguard. Not that the news about William surprises anybody since the werewolf has been fighting with us against the zombie creatures every night since they started appearing more frequently. I take a deep breath and change back into a human to let the chilly rain land on my burning skin. We are out in a flower field, where most Winterbite members joined in howling at the moon and officially accepted me as their new luna. But while there are primarily smiles and people loving the idea of letting me lead, there are also those who are unhappy. For example, Riley and Brad are standing under a tree together with a group of young werewolves from school. They are
AliceI run as fast as my legs can carry me until my lungs feel like they are filled with lead, and my lips can't grasp any air. My hand reaches out to lean against a tree, and then I royally puke all over my shoes—hopefully, no one saw this golden moment.But I'm never that lucky.A snicker comes from behind me. "Running isn't for witches, I suppose."I turn around to scowl at older Dior, who is standing a few feet away. I'm not afraid of him, neither does he look scary. His face is wrenched with concern, and his lips are seized in an insecure smile. He looks as elegant as ever, but I can't say that I've missed him.For two weeks, Dior has left me gifts, such as chocolate when William spends time protecting Patricia, and yesterday when I was watching Netflix, ice cream magically flew through a portal and landed in my lap. The werewolf cares about me—that much is for sure."Yeah, cardio isn't my thing."Dior leans his uppe
PatriciaIt's when I'm walking home with Elijah, Wesley, William, and Finn that my nostrils flare, and my brain kicks into overdrive. Riley's blood is on my knuckles, and here is the weird part: Riley herself carries the smell of a Winterbite werewolf, but her blood has a scent similar to roses.I freeze, and when Elijah turns around, my lips part. "Elijah, can you answer a question for me?"His irises dilate with interest. "Shoot."I wet my lips. "Before Dior recruited you as part of the Winterbite pack, you were with the vampires, right?"He nods. "I left as soon as June killed the vampire king and took over our grounds with the help of the Summerburst pack."I nod. "And here is my last question: do you know if hybrids are born as vampires or werewolves?"Elijah looks too stunned to talk, but eventually, he answers the question with his jaw ticking. "They are born as werewolves, luna Patricia. While a hybrid can use compulsion from