Patricia
My pace slows when I get to a clearing, and I stop to stand in the newly fallen snow. I peer up at the sky, only to lower my gaze and find a cream-colored wolf staring at me with a curious expression.
I fold my ears and glance to the side, uncertain if I should run away. The other wolf approaches me with confidence, and my eyes widen when a second wolf joins their side. They are both cream—luna and alpha, and the one walking up to me smells like a female.
On the brink of a second, the wolf shape-shifts into a blonde woman, who smiles at me. Her hair reaches down to her shoulders, curled to perfection, while her face is the epitome of angelic.
"Hello, there!" The woman waves at me. I don't think she is much older than me, possibly around twenty-five. "What are you doing on our turf, little rogue?"
Swallowing, I decide to turn back into a human. The chilled air bites my milky skin, and I stand there shaking while the snow circles from the sky. My lips quiver, and I notice the other wolf has shape-shifted into none other than William, the alpha of the Summerburst pack.
He is standing there, staring at me with his mouth half-open. The blonde girl is his mate, but those honeycombs eyes are glued to me, following my every movement as if he has seen no one like me before.
A blush warms my cheeks, and I smile until the woman invades my bubble. Her eyes are enormous, and she leans forward as I press my back into an oak tree.
"Wow!" She breathes warm air into my face. There is a mate-bond binding her to William—I can smell him on her, but their appearances are scarily similar. They are both blondes with flawless, tanned skin and all sharp-angled faces. "You're beautiful!"
Is she blind?
With my dull hair, whiter than a ghost complexion, and the inability to get sun-kissed, I've never considered myself beautiful. I can make myself look like a doll with the right makeup, but I've put on some pounds since I turned nineteen.
And I'm not ashamed of my body. Still, I understand some people don't like women who are all curves. Dior, for example, called me big Patty, which hurt my self-esteem.
"Uh..." I'm pressing my palms against the ice covering the trunk behind me, aware of it melting. My heart is trying to claw its way out through my chest. I wouldn't say I like proximity to other people. "T-Thank you?"
The woman beams at me. "My name is June, and I'm the luna of the Summerburst pack. Tell me, stranger, why have you left your pack and decided to become a rogue?"
"Stranger?" I can't help but laugh and nod up at her mate standing on the hill above us. "William and I go to the same upper secondary school—seriously, are all werewolves like this? When did we stop being human and only focus on our pack ranks? Are you pretending you don't know me because you haven't met me outside of school?"
Wonder fills William's eyes, and holy pancakes if my heart doesn't pound. I know he has completed the mating ritual with June already, but his eyes, so warm and curious, are awakening memories of when I used to sit behind him in class. We were only fourteen years old, and I used to play sweet reveries of him turning out to be my future mate.
Those days were so sweet, and since the man is checking out my rack with his eyes bulging out of their sockets, I silently return the favor by lifting my eyebrows and going straight for his crotch and—holy mother of god, what is that thing?! It's huge!
I return my eyes to June. She is paying attention to my face, with wrinkles forming on her forehead. Indeed, she must know I checked out her man, but she ignores it.
"You're a weird one, aren't you?" She asks. "The tone you used made it sound like you're a werewolf hater."
"I might as well be one."
June looks flabbergasted. Meanwhile, her mate cracks up. My eyes lift to William, who comes sliding down the slope.
William doesn't look perfect—his nose is slightly crooked from when he had a fistfight with Dior. I believe William called him a pimple-faced brat, and sadly, Dior beat his ass. And then there are his pointy canine teeth, but it adds character to his warm smile. Overall, William seems like a nice guy, and it makes him stunning.
"I've never heard a werewolf display so much hatred for their kind in the mere tone of their voice," William hovers above me, this tall, hulking thing with prying eyes. "I'm also curious—what is tiny rogue doing alone in our woods?"
Irritation swirls within me, and I step forward, poking my finger into William's chest. His eyes widen, and he stares down at my hand in silent awe before lifting his eyes to mine as I step forward. Without hesitation, I back the bigger man into a slight hole in the ground.
"Listen here, goldilocks, I'm not tiny rogue or little wolf, and you won't use another belittling nickname—do you copy?"
William blinks at me. His gaze seers into mine. Something unsettling sparkles in his eyes, a weird mix of emotions I can't decipher—for one second, I think it's deep desire. But then his gaze flickers to his mate, and I stand there, realizing what a fool I am.
"I like this one," William announces. "Can we recruit her? Her name is Patricia, and she is excellent at baking."
How does Williams know I love baking?
I spin around and let my eyes dart after June as she circles me. She is wearing an approving smile, stifling a laugh when she spots me eyeing her with suspicion.
"How about this—if you bake me scones for breakfast, we let you sleep inside our humble mansion. Sounds fair?"
I stand straighter. "What is the catch? I need a place to stay, but I'm not interested in joining a new pack."
June smiles, placing a cold hand on my shoulder. "There isn't a catch, as you hinted at earlier—we are humans, too. And if we let you stay outside, you will most likely freeze to death."
I meet her eyes, deciding to trust her. "That is very kind of you."
We walk forward, and before we shape-shift, I note William is giving me an appreciating glance up and down. A hint of an embarrassed blush covers his cheeks when I catch him looking at me.
What the hell?
I'm having a hard time telling what William is all about—I stare at him questioningly, causing him to smile. Dimples form on his face, and then he chuckles. A tight second later, his eyes turn to the sky, and his feet get replaced by furry paws.
Damn, these people are quick at changing forms!
The cream-colored wolves rush past me, but for the rest time, I'm not left behind. Both wolves turn to face me, patiently waiting. A bubble of joy rises within me, and I hurry to join them.
Perhaps some werewolves are different?
Dior From the first moment I laid my eyes upon Patricia, I understood she was different. I spotted her on my first day in kindergarten. My skin under my clothes was blue and yellow from the abuse I had to endure the night before. I was in tremendous pain, and she smiled at me like a princess from one of those Disney tales. And while a typical kid would have gladly made friends with the cute girl, I stood frozen. It was as if my feet had grown their gnarled roots and stuck them in the ground. I had never faced kindness, and my initial instinct was to run, but then I clenched my fists and fought to steal the spade and bucket from her. I lost, not that I'm bitter about it. The event marked us as enemies, and although I will never admit it out loud, Patricia has saved my life plenty of times. My parents weren't kind when I grew up—they are still assholes, but I'm strong enough to fight back these days. When I was younger, I didn't possess enough strength.
PatriciaWilliam and June are living in pure luxury. I can't believe they own this place—it's so incredible! Their mansion is enormous, and so is their kitchen, where professional chefs work to please their alpha and luna.I was astonished the entire walk to their dining area. There are actual diamonds in their chandeliers, and there is an open flame ahead of me. The table is polished and so clean a better-behaved person would fear touching it, afraid of tarnishing it, but I don't care.With a big smile, I gulp down food like it's the first time I've ever eaten. Some guy named Antonio came out with a silver platter of delicious shrimps, and I'm now throwing them into my mouth with my heart singing happy songs.Changing into a werewolf burns ton of calories. I suspect the shape-shifting is part of why I'm not a big girl—I love cake and bake them too."This is so good," I take another bite, eye-rolling and smiling at my platter like a chi
Patricia Last night was a nightmare. William and June were screaming and fucking each other so hard their bedframe hit against my wall. They let me sleep in their guestroom, but I kind of wish I had slept in the forest. Seriously. I'm officially scarred for life, humiliated because I thought I had this instant connection to William when he is clearly, deeply in love with June. What was I thinking getting butterflies when he looked over at me with those pretty-boy eyes? June probably had Willian act friendly so she could pump information from my system. Groaning to myself, I speed up my pace. I snuck out of the pair's mansion, and now I'm racing to school through the woods. Fiery colors are blazing around me while my hands are under my arms, seeking warmth. My dirty hair thrashes to the left and right over my back, reminding me of how badly I need to shower. It's a long way to school—I must already be late, and I know for sure that I lo
PatriciaI'm shuddering by our fire, hating the fact that I'm naked. Dior has taken off his wet clothes too. He seems to feel better and is holding out his hands to warm them in front of the flames.Dior's blue eyes glimpse into mine before looking away with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Thank you for saving my life."A sparkle lights in my belly, and I lean forward, too aware of how close I'm sitting to the hulking man—calling Dior a boy or a teenager doesn't fit with his superhero body."A life is always worth saving. We might dislike each other, but strangely enough, I think you would have done the same for me."Dior huffs a laugh. A treacherous part of me wants to join him. I need to remind myself he is the reason I'm being bullied. He called me a plus-size too, and I bet he is thinking that now when my stomach has folded and rolled over itself."True. We aren't friends, but I wouldn't have let you die either," Dimples appear on
PatriciaThe diner is old school with red booths and posters of classic cars on the walls. There is a neon sign outside, glowing from its height, and everyone working here is confident. There is a certain swag and shake to the hips as a waitress comes up to our table. I like it."Are you ready to order?" The lady is standing there, smiling while holding up a sketchbook rather than an Ipad."Yes," Dior flashes a killer smile, and I roll my eyes at the blush growing on the woman's cheeks. "I would like to have the bacon and eggs and a large cola. Oh, and with a side of fries.""Lovely," The woman, who must be more than twenty years older than Dior, has been reduced to a giggling mess. "And what does your friend like to order?"I glance up from my menu, smiling. "I want the strawberry and cream waffles with a mango smoothie.""Excellent," The lady let her eyes roam over Dior appreciatingly before she forces herself to stop checking him out. "Yo
DiorI didn't go back to school after enjoying breakfast at the diner together with Patricia. I'm too tired. It's like I'm running a fever—the symptoms are all there. I'm sweating and freezing, but I took my temperature, and I'm supposedly fine.Groaning, I shift around in the tall grass in our backyard. I called an Uber from a borrowed phone in the other town and had the driver take Patricia to a hotel nearby.Although the stubborn woman was fighting me, saying she couldn't accept it, I somehow convinced her to let me pay for her stay at Scandic. Patricia will live there for an entire month, with all-inclusive meals and room cleaning every day.I don't mind the price. I'm a rich alpha, and paying for her stay there is better than the alternative of letting her stay with William.Anger churns in my stomach at the idea of William touching her, but then it's replaced by pure pain. I experienced another attack of what I had this morning, and it
Alice I wake up with a start, knowing a girl named Gloria has been murdered. I saw the entire scene in my dream. A two-legged werewolf, one with blazing eyes and snow-white fur, tore her to shreds. The creature in my vision wasn't from this world. Fear runs through my veins, yet I came to this town to put an end to this creature. Visions of this creature awakening won't leave me alone. At first, I only saw eyes staring back at me, but now the monster has slaughtered a werewolf, and I can no longer stay idle. I tiredly put on my clothes. I don't care about fashion and dress like Aerith from Final Fantasy on most days. I've always been kind at heart, and Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter is my idol—she wasn't afraid of being herself. She always smiled, and watching her gave me the strength to wear my floral patterned clothes and boots. Humming to myself, I walk out through my room at the hotel, almost crashing into the girl from the other day—Patricia.
WilliamMy heart broke and shattered into a thousand pieces when I saw my mate chosen by the moon goddess during today's run. I had never expected to meet them, and now I'm sitting by the breakfast table, pretending that red-haired woman wasn't my mate.The sun is shimmering in through the windows, making me squint as images of that freckled face enter my mind, eating me alive. My mate was so beautiful, small and innocent, but with this attractive fierceness to her eyes, telling me, she wasn't a coward.Sadly, I can't think about her.June wouldn't let me remember my mate if she knew I was thinking about her. She is in love with my body, using it every night to get off, and she is probably hoping I will someday love her.It will never happen. I'm a lifeless doll inside of this mansion, praying every day that someone will save me.I'm so pathetic, but I can't flee from this hell.June wasn't a mate I chose. She is a half-vampire with t