Debra leaves me alone in my room, which is actually her son's bedroom.
I try to play it cool, but the mere scent of him hypnotized me while still in the hallway leading up to it. It is so omnipresent that it captivates me entirely. I almost feel shy to take my clothes off and head for the shower.I decide to seize the chance while alone to roam around the room. Maybe I'll find something interesting hidden away.I hurry toward the closet, but my reflection in the mirror attached to its door makes me feel like I am being watched.Oh, stop being silly, my inner wolf awakens. Just open the damn door.My she-wolf is too damn curious, but I still decide to listen.Inside there is nothing fascinating to a regular human being, only pairs of sweaters, denim and dark shirts. To me, though, everything is fascinating. This is what my mate wears.His scent on the clothes is too tempting and I can't resist picking one of the dark blue shirts, then sniffing it as if it meant life.Okay, there. You should probably put that back.I force myself to let go of the fabric and leave to inspect the chest of drawers.Wow.My mate's belts, socks, underwear... I keep opening drawers. Others contain watches, sunglasses, and undershirts.I obviously won't find some top secret, so I close them all and head for the bathroom.Later, when I come downstairs, I find Terry watching TV."Keeping up with the Kardashians?" I tease.He laughs. It's the end of some football match and by his face I am guessing his team won. "Finally you're ready. You almost let me starve to death. Even Mom was wondering what took you so long," he glances at me quickly and stands up. "At least you could've cleaned up considering the amount of time it took you...""Hey!" I shout glancing at my watch, "It's only been twenty minutes, you little -""Careful, there," he cuts me off, "you are talking with your mate's brother," he teases me, insinuating to my earlier behavior.I shake my head in despair. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?""Not while I live," he chuckles and leads me into the kitchen.At the table, there are only five chairs pulled out. When Terry announces our arrival, Debra and another lady enter."Hello," I greet the new face.She lits up. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss King. I'm Aliana."The pleasure's all mine, Aliana," I smile to the friendly lady. She must be the help."Take a seat, dear," Debra shows me to obviously my designated place at the table, so I feel obliged to sit where she placed me, at the head of the table.Terry sits to my right side, while Debra and Aliana take the left side of the table. The other head seat is empty and I know it is meant for my mate once he arrives. I wonder when that will be. But I will not pose that question. Even though the desire to know is killing me."Help yourselves, please," Debra announces, "Darius will be late. He called in to let us know," suddenly she looks at me. "He is very sorry not to be present for your welcome and he is doing his best to hurry."My cheeks are on fire. I know my hopes it doesn't show are in vain because I haven't put any makeup on. Can this be any more embarrassing?Then Terry makes his presence known. "Can Luna of the Carter pack help herself or do we have to serve her?"My mouth drops open."Terry!" His mother kicks him under the table with her leg.And it must have been a good kick because he yelps, laughing. "Just kidding, Mom. Sorry," he lifts his hands up in defense.She still looks outraged. "Lila, honey, you must get used to life here. The men in our pack... let's just say women need to toughen up."Terry chuckles. "I'm sure she'll have a problem with that," he says silently so only I can hear him, which makes me smile.But he is right. I shouldn't be shy. I get up and take a piece of meat as I normally would in my own house. I shouldn't act afraid. This is my new house after all. And to be honest, so far the people in it are all very pleasant.We eat and talk, and I find myself enjoying the night, laughing at their jokes and even telling a story or two myself.Then the entrance door opens.His scent finds me all the way through the living room and into the dining area. I am not relaxed anymore. There is a burst of anxiety in my stomach. Wasn't it supposed to be all the opposite? These effects are too hard for me to track."That must be Darius," Debra smiles and rubs the top of my hand, excited.I nod, forcing a smile, when I am actually swallowing with great difficulties.Before I know it, Darius is on the door frame."Good evening, everyone," he says immediately and the rest greets back. I somehow manage to mumble a hello.He then looks at me.I quickly break the eye contact and he starts walking slowly toward his seat. He is wearing dark denim, a black shirt and a pair of black socks. Classic wolf attire, but he manages to wear it brilliantly.Stop looking at him!I quickly occupy myself with the plate in front of me, but I feel his eyes locked on me. And with the corner of my eye, I notice he is smiling.No. Not smiling, smirking. Smirking victoriously.It irritates the hell out of me, but I decide not to make a nasty comment in front of Debra."How was the hunt?" Terry asks, "we've left you some salad," he jokes, pointing at the food.Darius' eyes leave me at last and he looks at his brother now. "As expected. We chased them up to the river and then lost track."I am suddenly very interested in this conversation."I told you right away. No one runs like foxes.""It wasn't foxes, Terry," Darius bites off a piece of bread."What was it then?"I don't pretend not to listen anymore. I lift my head up and stare at the two men openly. Darius notices and he shifts his eyes back to me, for just a few moments, a corner of his lips slightly stretched. Then he stabs some meat with his fork and replies to his brother."A small group of bloodsuckers. Not more than four. Maybe three." He stuffs his mouth with food and I can't stop observing him chew. The jaw movement alone is incomprehensibly sexy to me.I know he must notice me watching him, but I cannot force myself to look away."Those damn creatures," Debra joins the conversation, shaking her head. "What do they want this time?"Terry seems distressed. "I hope they only lost their way. It's very uncommon for them to show up at wolf territory. Well, except for the stories of your pack, Lila. Are those stories true? Have you ever seen one?"I am forced to switch my attention to my mate's brother and am somehow grateful for it. Even though I now feel Darius' eyes on me again. "A few times," I confirm. "My childhood house is somewhat alienated from the center of our pack's territory, so I guess it's adequate ground for vampires to hunt."The table doesn't reply at first. They all seem to process the words."When you say a few," Darius speaks, "how many times exactly do you mean?"The fact of him addressing me directly sends shivers down my spine, but I do my best to stay calm. "Three, maybe four," I shrug, lying. I saw them over a dozen times.Darius stares at me, this time concern visible on his face. "I'd say that's more than a few." He looks at Terry. "Is there anyone you know that has seen them at so many occasions?" he asks rhetorically."Not anyone that's alive," Terry sniffs. "How did you survive?"I feel like being interrogated for a crime. "Well, to be honest, I never felt like I was in danger of them. I was around six the first time I saw one," I gaze swiftly across the table and it is a strange feeling that everyone is listening to me attentively, not even eating anymore. "I was at the backyard and my mother was in childbirth. Actually, it was right after she passed. My father told me the news of her and the baby's passing, so I went outside to..." I don't feel like sharing the reason, so I change the subject quickly, "It was still daytime and I heard someone in the woods calling on me. A little voice kept saying Lily... and my mother was the only one to call me that, so I... somehow thought it was her," I shake my head, "when I approached, I saw a silhouette behind a tree. A pale skin with hard nails and messy long hair. It was a woman. But nothing like my mother. So I stopped walking and asked who she was. She said she would tell me if I came closer, but since my father told me I had to look after the boys, I turned her down. I told her I couldn't come. So I turned around and went back to the house."Darius' forehead furrows. "And she simply let you walk away?"I nod.Debra hums disapprovingly. "It is very unlike them to just let their pray go.""Are you sure it was a vampire? It could've been someone-""It was," I cut Terry off. "The next I saw her she wasn't as friendly, though. I was thirteen, walking home from a friend's birthday party and she cut our path at only a few feet away. She smiled at me," I frown, still confused with her odd behavior, "My friend told me to run, but I wouldn't. It is then that she started running towards me in extreme speed and... that's when I first shifted.""You killed her?" Terry asks, uncertain."If she didn't, she wouldn't be sitting here with us now," Darius tells him looking at me. Our eyes meet again and my heart races."I didn't. She fled." I lie to avoid them posing questions like why I let her go."Damn sure she did," Debra adds fiercely" "They ravage the weakest of your pack. That's what they do. They hide and attack the most innocent.""So you never killed one?" Terry seems disappointed."Well.. I did when they attacked. But all my friends shifted by 15 so it was fairly easy to fight them alongside them."Darius looks at me, the corner of his lips crooked. His eyes look worried."Well, Lila, you'll be safer here. I assure you Darius will make sure of that," Debra speaks and I wish she didn't bring it up."No need to worry, Mrs Carter," I reply. "I can take care of myself." I thought I made that clear, Deb.This time it is I who looks at my mate and we share a spiteful stare."Let's talk about more fun things," Terry leans in his chair. "Have you two decided what will you do for the ceremony?"I almost choke on my bread. Wait, what ceremony?————How did you like the chapter? A bit longer than usual... please don't forget to vote."What ceremony?" I ask."The joining ceremony, of course," Darius states. Terry chuckles. "Don't tell me you don't know guys from the high ranks host them once they find mates."I shake my head. Am I really that uneducated about wolf stuff or was I simply desperately disinterested in those customs?"It's like a wedding in your human world," Debra clarifies, amused, having noticed my distress."Right," my food suddenly climbs back up my throat. I was supposed to marry Ian this year. And now...it turns out I'll be marrying someone else. I can't help feeling the Moon Goddess' blessing is more a curse.Why is she doing this to me? Ian didn't deserve to be left. We didn't deserve this - all those years of love and support ending in one damned second. Is Darius really worth it? I sure hope so. "And when is this ceremony supposed to happen?" I clear my throat."Don't worry about that," Darius puts down his fork and knife. "It will happen when we say it will."Debra claps her hands. "Oh, I
Damn he - Darius the Challenger, I rub the space between my eyes.Why am such a wuss - can't I control myself around him? If I had more faith in myself, he wouldn't have made this a challenge and we'd both be asleep by now.I don't think we'd be sleeping, honey...Shut it.Just go. Think about his warmth. And his odor...I glance at the bedside clock. It shows 3am. We haven't slept one bit last night - I'm dead tired. Excuses. You just want to screw our mate.Hey, like you said - you're the boss in human form. I challenge you to go and not jump all over him.Well, I'm too tired for sex anyway. He probably is as well. Although, he made this is a challenge and now I hate to give in and let him win - because he's been so full of himself since Day 1, Second 0.But I shouldn't behave childish, especially since it's doing us both a disfavor.Screw it, I'm going. Yes!I stand up, determined, and quietly walk out of my room. This is just sharing our bed, I reassure myself.Mhm, my wolf i
As I walk downstairs I hear Darius talking to somebody behind closed doors."It's not safe, Alpha.""Do I need you to tell me that?" Darius replies with a deep voice. "We'll collect twenty men and spread across the border. The rest will stay here to protect our pack. We will put an end to this for good."I've had it with this secret meetings behind my back. I march angrily toward the door."We'll meet in front in an hour. You're dismissed," he instructs them in a hurry, just as I open the door without knocking."Good morning, Luna," the men greet me on their way out. I wait for their footsteps to fade, piercing Darius with a deadly stare."How long have you been standing there?" he asks without coming closer.I enter, slamming the door. "Not long enough," I cross my arms. "You'll have to fill me in in private, since a Luna is obviously unwelcome to her pack's meetings." His face tells no story at all. "I'll tel
As I walk downstairs I hear Darius talking to somebody behind closed doors."It's not safe, Alpha.""Do I need you to tell me that?" Darius replies with a deep voice. "We'll collect twenty men and spread across the border. The rest will stay here to protect our pack. We will put an end to this for good."I've had it with this secret meetings behind my back. I march angrily toward the door."We'll meet in front in an hour. You're dismissed," he instructs them in a hurry, just as I open the door without knocking."Good morning, Luna," the men greet me on their way out. I wait for their footsteps to fade, piercing Darius with a deadly stare."How long have you been standing there?" he asks without coming closer.I enter, slamming the door. "Not long enough," I cross my arms. "You'll have to fill me in in private, since a Luna is obviously unwelcome to her pack's meetings." His face tells no story at all. "I'll tel
EXPLICIT CONTENT AHEAD, IF NOT SUITABLE PLEASE SKIPDarius isn't smirking anymore. He is dead serious as he cups the back of my head with one hand, looking deeply inside my eyes it's almost too intimate, as he uses his other hand to position his erection at the entrance of my vagina.He doesn't slip it in, though, and it makes me insane. I wiggle trying to get him inside me, but he holds my hips with both hands now, preventing me to move."What is it now?" I ask, irritated.He inhales sharply, but doesn't respond immediately. Instead, he uses his hands to pull me closer, his dick slowly filling me.I feel how large it is, but it does not hurt entering. I groan deeply, completely letting myself go, surrendering to his hands fully. And it feels so good. As if his part has always belonged there and has finally come home.Then he lifts a hand to press some hair behind my ear and gently whispers. "Do you understand
I look left and right in the hallway, to make sure the coast is clear. I don't want anyone seeing me running around with a torn blouse. Making sure no one is around, I rush up the stairs."Rough day?" I hear Terry's sarcastic voice behind me.I place my hand on my hip and turn only slightly, not allowing him to see the full of me. "Don't you ever have something to do? Besides spying on other people, that is."He laughs. "What's gotten into you today?" He lifts his hands and leaves at the opposite direction.Something definitely has, I bitterly conclude. And it was too good to be able not to think about it for the entire week. I sigh and enter Darius and my bedroom. Just seeing our bed makes me imagine us making love on it.I mean, we already did it once. What does it matter how many times we do it again? A million, please.Stop it! I reprimand my inner wolf. She is such a bad influence. I go int
At 8.30 sharp Derek and Simone appear on the door. I welcome them inside and firmly hug my petite dark haired childhood friend."Lily! I'm so glad to see you!""You, too. God knows I could really use a girls talk," I admit."The Moon Goddess," Derek corrects me and I resent his attitude. I remember how he treated Ian when he found out he was human and the fact he showed lack of respect knowing I had left my pack to live with humans. "Aren't you a treat to live with?" I morbidly state. "Make yourself at home, Derek. Darius will join you any moment now. I'm taking Simone to the living room."He nods and I lead the way for my friend. "How does it feel being back? How's living with the Carters? I want to know everything!" she flashes a wide smile showing her cute perfectly aligned little teeth the moment we enter the living room."Slow down," I laugh and sit on a maroon couch. She joins me and leaves her high-end purse on a wooden table in front of us. "Where do you shop? Does Derek v
"Please stop!" I beg.I sit on the floor in the corner of a room I share with my three brothers, covering my ears. I am not covering them from my parents voices, though. No, I'm very much used to hearing them shout. But the children are not.Jamie is frantically crying, basically screaming, and it is becoming difficult to be so close to him."Hush little baby, don't you cry, Lily's gonna give you some wings to fly..." I sing not even hearing my own voice, but it slowly starts working.Jamie gets more and more silent as I repeat the invented lyrics, and now I can clearly hear my parents's conversation."You are such a hypocrite!" Mom yells. "I saw you! I saw you with my own eyes!""Why are you lying? I told you myself! I came the moment it happened and I confessed!" Dad argues."I'm not talking about that, Patrick! It doesn't matter what you promised me because I saw the way you were looking at her! I saw it with my own eyes and I wish I could unsee it more than anything else in this