“…. May your hands forever be there to lift each other's heads and your hearts full of love, congratulations Lana and Draco, to the happy couple.” Callum toasts to the new couple.
Ceremonies like these are especially hard for him and I. I feel his eyes lock on mine, my every move, every breath I take his eyes trail. Till I finally give in and look back at him, he takes a slow dragging breath before he realizes I’m staring at him and realizes that he was staring and fills his face. He smiles sheepishly and apologetically and turns away from me.
I remember vividly the day we realized. I was 14 and he was 17, a crazy age gap, but it didn’t feel that way, we had grown up close together for some reason. Always close, for as long as I could remember. I always wondered why my parents lived so close to the enclave and why they never batted an eyelash over our families closeness. A human and a wolf, it was more common nowadays in this town but I imagined it hasn’t always been that way.
We were walking through the woods from school, I had a serene smile on my face, a boy had flirted with me today. It was a feat. I’d never had that, I wasn’t ugly, at least, to the best of my knowledge. My long black curly hair and sandy brown eyes complimented my angular face and sharp bone structure, softened with my pink pouty lips. So far, it seemed it was only my mom that noticed that, up until that day.
Varun had walked up to me in the hallways after school with a smirk, he said, “Cheryl..?”
I looked up from my locker, using my free hand to flick my hair from my face.
“I don’t know if you know me, I’m Varun, the captain of the Lacrosse team… I uh, I’ve seen you around … I.”
I knew him, I definitely knew who he was, he was an upperclassman, every girl in school probably knew him. He had jet black hair, brown skin and red lips, with cute freckles all over his face. Like me, just that mine were across my nose and both cheeks, complimenting my dark skin. They weren’t as noticeable as his but they were there and I thought they were cute.
“I think you’re really pretty, and… well not that I’m only talking to you cause you’re pretty, but not that you’re not pretty, cause you are I just…” he trails off running his right hand through his hair.
I push my escaped hair behind my ear and smile.
He stutters. “I’m sorry I.. I should start over I…” his eyes go wide seeing something behind me and he trails off. “I should go, I’m sorry.” He says quickly, immediately turning and briskly walking off.
I’m left standing there perplexed. I turn to look behind me and there’s no one there but to look. He has a scowl on his face but there’s no one else. I wonder if he saw a teacher.
As short and awkward as that conversation was it was still enough to get me giddy… a boy talked to me, I’m not a complete social pariah.
“What are you smiling at?” Luke grumbles and I scowl immediately.
He’s obviously in one of his wolf moods.
“I’m just smiling. What about it?” I’m not going to allow him to ruin my mood today.
“Varun’s a dickhead, you know.”
“You’re a dickhead.”
“If you’re going to date him, you should know he gets around. He probably will give you STDs.”
“What’s your deal? I’m not dating him, he was so awkward today anyways.” I say annoyed.
“Then why are you smiling?” I’m smiling because I’m happy, you dimwit. I don’t say that I instead ignored him, I was practicing being a mature young woman, like Grace Kelly. I’m sure she didn’t argue with annoying teenage boys.
“Cher,” he calls. “Are you even listening?”
“I don’t want to have an argument Luke.”
“Do you like him?” He asks.
What does this even matter? “I don’t know. I’ve barely said a word to him.”
“That’s not an answer, Lukey,” I say, trying to move on from the conversation.
“Do you?” He asks again more seriously.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t even matter. I’m pretty sure you scared him with your wolf glare.”
He smiles almost satisfied at me mentioning him scaring Varun off.
“Don’t look so smug.” I roll my eyes at the smug look on his face.
“You don’t want a player who’s a coward now, do you?”
“You can’t do things like that. You’re acting like a territorial animal.” I say picking up my pace so I don’t have to walk next to him again, my hair sashaying as I walk.
He takes a breath, “And why can’t I?”
“Why can’t you? Are you even listening to me? Why can you?” I flip my hair back and swivel to stare at him.
His eyes darken, fangs coming out, he takes a deep breath as if smelling me for the first time. His voicedeepens and he calls out. “Mate.”
As we all moved to the reception area, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and chatter. Raina and Callum were recounting their own milestones, and Cillian was engaged in a deep conversation with some of the pack members. The sense of unity and celebration was palpable, and it felt like the culmination of so many struggles and victories.I took Cheryl’s hand, pulling her gently aside from the crowd. “Can we talk for a moment?”She looked at me with a mix of curiosity and amusement. “Sure, what’s up?”We walked to a quieter corner of the airstrip, where the sound of the crowd was a distant murmur. I glanced around to ensure we had some privacy before turning back to her. “I just wanted to say how incredibly proud I am of you. This day, this achievement—everything you’ve worked for—it’s amazing.”Cheryl’s cheeks flushed with a pink hue. “It means a lot to hear you say that. I’ve worked so hard, and sometimes I wasn’t sure if it would all be worth it.”“It’s more than worth it,” I sai
We settled onto the couch, my head resting on Luke’s shoulder as he flipped through the channels. He landed on a cheesy action movie that promised endless explosions and improbable heroics. The sheer absurdity of it all was exactly what I needed to distract me from the tangled mess of emotions that had been swirling inside me.Luke grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, the sound of gunfire and dramatic music filling the room. “Prepare yourself,” he said with a grin. “This is about to get incredibly ridiculous.”I laughed, feeling the tension in my shoulders begin to ease. “I’m ready. After today, I think I can handle just about anything, including whatever this movie throws at us.”He pulled me closer, his arm wrapping around me in a protective cocoon. “I’m not sure if I should warn you that there’s going to be some serious plot twists or just let you be surprised.”“Surprise me,” I said, snuggling in against him. “I could use a good laugh.”As the movie progressed, it quickly
The evening felt like the perfect reunion. My parents sat comfortably on the couch, their familiar presence filling the room with warmth and ease. The scent of Luke’s takeout still lingered in the air, mixing with the smell of freshly brewed tea. My mother, Muna, looked more relaxed than she had in months, her dark hair tucked behind her ear as she chatted animatedly with Luke about the city. My father, Ray, though still recovering from the injury inflicted by the wolf hunters, was a quieter but solid presence, his health having visibly improved since the last time I saw him. The sight of him sitting there, looking healthy and at peace, made my heart feel full."You know, Cheryl," my dad began, breaking from his usual quiet demeanor, "there was a time I wasn't sure I'd get to see this—us sitting together like this. I owe a lot of that to you."His words hit me like a soft blow to the chest. I smiled, though there was a lump in my throat. "Dad, you don’t owe me anything. I was just doi
As I dig into the takeout, I catch Luke watching me with that soft, adoring expression that always makes my heart do a little flip. The food is good, and the company is better. After a long day of classes, this is exactly what I need—a quiet evening with Luke, no stress, no pressure, just… us.We settle into a comfortable silence as we eat, the clatter of chopsticks and the hum of the city outside filling the space. Luke’s arm rests on the back of the couch behind me, his warmth seeping into my skin. I lean back slightly, savoring the moment.“How was your day?” I ask, turning to look at him.He shrugs, his lips quirked into a half-smile. “Busy, but not too bad. Had a few meetings this morning, checked in with Callum and Raina this afternoon. Things at the pack are going well.”“Good,” I say, genuinely relieved to hear that. The pack’s been through so much, and knowing that Callum and Raina are slowly finding their footing again makes me happy. They deserve it.Luke looks at me for a
The sunlight spills through the windows, warming the small kitchen of my apartment as I stand at the counter, staring at the half-empty bag of flour. Baking was never really my thing, but after everything that’s happened, I’ve been wanting to try new things—things that make me feel normal, grounded, and more connected to life. But trying to bake cookies without knowing what I’m doing feels like an absolute disaster in progress."Cheryl?" Luke’s deep voice carries from the living room.I hear his footsteps approaching, and I turn just in time to see him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, with that smirk that makes my stomach flip every time. His black T-shirt clings to his chest in all the right ways, and even though I’ve spent more time with him than I can count, my heart still skips a beat."What’s going on here?" He raises an eyebrow, glancing at the mess I’ve made of the kitchen—flour on the counter, the floor, and somehow even on me. He grins wider when he sees a streak
The sun’s just beginning to rise over the horizon as I pull into the small parking lot outside Cheryl’s apartment. It’s a modest place on the outskirts of the city, not too far from her aviation college but far enough to give her some space from the chaos of the pack. I kill the engine and take a moment to sit back in the driver’s seat, letting the quiet hum of the city wake up around me.It’s been a strange few months since the war ended. We’ve all been healing, some of us faster than others. Cheryl’s been pouring herself into her studies, and I can’t say I blame her. I think we all needed something to focus on after everything that went down. As for me, I’ve been doing my best to juggle a new kind of life—a life that’s split between being the Alpha of our pack and being by Cheryl’s side.Shifting between the city and the pack’s territory hasn’t been easy. I never realized how complicated it could get, managing the responsibilities of leading the pack while also figuring out how to r