Unwelcome newsAIDENUpon Jerome's resignation, I was faced with an enormous workload that made me truly grasp the extent of his responsibilities on my behalf. An Alpha was like a lost puppy without his Beta. Despite Scott shadowing Jerome for many years, he struggled to fulfill the role with the same efficiency. Regrettably, Scott was caught between his previous Gamma duties and attempting to assume the Beta position. Our pack was huge in size, and leading it was never meant to be a solitary endeavor. It necessitated a cohesive team, which, unfortunately, I did not have.Days started to merge, and I couldn't tell the difference between light and dark, granting me less and less time for my mate. And I hated it. I hated leaving Maddie alone, even though I could count on Carrie to keep her company. But it would be irresponsible of me to just ignore the escalating situation in my pack and simply lock myself in the room with my gorgeous woman. I was an Alpha and sometimes I needed to put
When I first learned about Carrie's idea to throw a big welcome party for Madalina, I was a little hesitant. Ever since we arrived at my pack, my mate has faced a barrage of unwarranted prejudice due to her different background. No one dared to confront her or me directly, but the silent whispers were there. People stared. At me. At her.It was mostly due to all those horrible crimes her family was responsible for. Her family had tortured lone wolves, treating them like slaves. Sadly, even my mate took part in it, blindly manipulated by her parents. Though with each new day, I could see how much she regretted all her past actions. I may have gotten a second chance at love, but Madalina got her second chance at normal life. And she was going to prove to everyone that she no longer was the ruthless, stone-cold werewolf slayer.The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as the preparations for the grand evening were in full swing. Decorations adorned every corner, bringing vibrant colors an
Shifting perspectivesMADALINAMy stomach was upset, and my mouth was dry. Apparently, my body underwent a range of reactions due to the most important event of my new life. I would be the center of attention, all eyes filled with judgment on me. Even before, I never enjoyed public events or parties, and rather let my brother fulfill such a role. Alex was an extrovert like no other, never experiencing an increased heart rate or sweating when giving out a speech. And although I wasn't afraid of speaking up my mind, my attitude was more... military oriented? I was not good at sugarcoating or putting on a perfect-smile façade. And yet, that was exactly what I was about to do tonight.I stood before the mirror, my gaze fixed on the reflection staring back at me. Who was this woman and what did she do with Madalina Crud?Carrie had chosen for me a stunning long dress with bare shoulders in the shades of dark red. It was definitely a departure from my usual style of leather pants and milita
SAIGE'S POVIt was just another horrible day at school and even though I had only been there for twenty minutes, I was already about to ditch out for the day.That was in my mind not until my best friend, Kora, gave me the best news I had heard all week. It was the kind of news that got me excited and gave me a reason to stick around school until the end of the day; it was the kind of news that gave me a purpose and a new plan of attack."Saige, there's a new guy," Kora blurted out, "but he's pretty off-limits. I saw him walking in this morning and I had to find you right away!"I rolled my eyes, thinking to myself that nobody was off-limits, especially when it came to guys. I hadn't found one yet that I wasn't able to get."Just spit it out, Kora. How is he off-limits?""He isn't a student," she sighed. "He's the new assistant football coach."A wicked grin spread across my face. I liked mature , hot men; I preferred them actually. I must get that trait from my mom; she likes them ol
COLLINS’ POVTo say I was pumped about being the new assistant coach was an understatement. I had worked for this day for so long and it was finally here. I couldn’t wait to get on the field with these boys after school and see what they’ve got.I was unpacking my gym bag, tossing my stuff into the locker assigned to me when I swear I heard the locker room door open. When I stopped to listen and heard nothing more, I continued to unpack, opening the locker just below mine for extra space.Then I saw someone out the corner of my eyes and whipped my head in their direction. However, it wasn’t one of the boys coming in. No, it was a very gorgeous brunette woman. I blinked a few times before I asked, “Um, are you lost?”She jumped and turned toward me. If she hadn’t been wearing the school’s cheerleading uniform, I would have mistaken her for one of the faculty members. She definitely didn’t look like a senior in high school. Hell, she didn’t even look like any of the women I went to coll
SAIGE POVAs I stood in the girl’s locker room, I noticed some of the cheer team was staring over at me and whispering.We weren’t all fans of each other and had our own cliques, but how rude!Kora walked over and glared in their direction.“What’s wrong, girls? Are you feeling jealous of her?” Kora was very blunt and didn’t take shit from anyone. That’s what I loved so much about her.They immediately looked away from us with an eye roll and I grinned at Kora.“Thanks, girl.”I may have looked and acted like I was this confident girl, but deep down I wasn’t. Kora had pointed out on more than one occasion that I sought attention from guys to boost my confidence and she wasn’t wrong. It was also the reason those girls were just whispering about me. Rumours flew through the female population in this school to keep your boyfriend away from me and it was fair to say that. I didn’t care who he was or wasn’t dating unless it was Kora. That thought process didn’t exactly make me popular among
SAIGE POVAs Coach Collin pushed through the locker room door, I tried to slow our walking down. I liked the feeling of having his strong arm around my waist, his hand touching my bare skin at my hip. His smell was intoxicating and I knew he’d be letting me go soon enough so I was trying to revel in his scent just a bit longer.“Let’s set you down here,” Collin stated as he pointed to the wood bench between a row of lockers. “I’ll go grab the first aid kit.”After he helped me sit down, he disappeared behind the lockers and I grinned, trying to figure out what to do next. I really needed to get this guy’s attention. He was playing hard to get.He came back a moment later and kneeled down in front of me, popped open the first aid kit, and grabbed an ace bandage.“Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He grabbed the back of my calf and rested my leg on his knee as he pulled off my shoe. I hissed through my teeth for good measure, trying not to laugh.I had slipped my other foot out of its sho
SAIGE’S POVThe house was quiet when I entered; I was thankful that I could go to my room without being seen. But, I wasn’t so lucky when I heard some shuffling from the kitchen.“Mom?” I called out, waiting for a reply. Her head popped out from around the corner as she glared at me, her eyes going down to my “hurt” ankle but she didn’t comment on it.“What are you doing home so early? I don’t normally see you until after the sun has gone down.” She sounded annoyed that I was home.“I got hurt at practice. TJ brought me home.” I walked into the kitchen, noticing that my mom was wearing her silk robe which only meant one thing. “Who’s the douche bag you brought home this time?”“None of your business,” she snapped.I rolled my eyes at her. “Whatever. I’m going to my room.”After leaving the kitchen, I headed down the hallway to my room but before I could make it unseen, my mom’s bedroom door opened. A guy who looked closer to my age stood there staring at me with desirous eyes.“Hey,”