Of course, Killian heard what I said, “Hailey, Josephine isn’t like you, and she willingly admits it. She’s more comfortable around men and has trouble getting along with her own sex, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want friends.” He reached for my hand and laced his fingers with mine, his tone becoming gentler.“Hailey, you managed to make friends with several of the pack within one day of being here. Josephine's just like you. She wants to fit in, but the difference is, she doesn’t know how. Over the years, she’s been pretty good about it, never complaining about how the females treat her, but it’s been hard on her always feeling like she’s on the outside.""Did you know that she was going to be engaged to Viktor? When he left, she was devastated and she’s still trying to come to grips with the loss. She doesn’t have the energy right now to deal with women being catty to her.” He put a finger under my chin and tipped my head to meet my gaze“I’d really appreciate it, if you’d
The smell of frying eggs hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the weight of Christine's words. She was whipping the mixture with a vengeance, her normally calm demeanor replaced by a simmering anger directed at the absent Josephine. Over breakfast preparations, I confided to Christine that Killian thought Josephine needed a friend. "That girl," She spat, her voice thick with disdain, "plays her cards like a seasoned gambler, and the men fall for it every time.""That girl can put on the best act around the males and they buy it every time, hook, line and sinker! I can only imagine the tale she spun for Killian. ‘I was just trying to be friendly. Everyone misunderstands me. And I’m still so broken up over Viktor.’ Bull! She’s mad because Viktor lost the challenge and now she isn’t lady of the house.” Christine was getting worked up and beating the eggs faster and faster as she spoke, the sticky mixture threatening to fly over the edge of the bowl."Killian, of course, is blind t
I laid my hand on her arm, “It’s okay, Christine,. Killian is really stressed from all of the problems the pack seems to be having right now. If befriending Josephine for a while takes one worry away from him, then I guess I can do it. I might not like it, but I’ll do it.”Christine studied my face for a minute, then smiled. "Hailey, I know your mating was arranged but...are you falling for our Alpha?" I shrugged, turned and busied myself with buttering the toast. “I honestly don’t know. Before I was mated to him, I had a boyfriend named Stephan. We’d been friends all our lives and I thought I was in love with him, but now...I don’t know. I mean, if I really loved Stephan, how could I be drawn to Killian? I haven’t known Killian for that long, but I do like him as a person. He’s been very considerate, and when we’re together, there’s this feeling, a connection, that just seems so right.”Leaning against the counter, Christine spoke hesitantly. “Hailey, I’m used to ‘mothering’ everyon
I've always been pleased with my wolf's appearance. My fur is thick and silvery, with touches of black near the tips of my ears and tail. I think Killian and I make a handsome couple, his solid black contrasting nicely with my silver.Julie was prancing, eager to begin her run, and I quickly followed her, carefully noting all that I encountered. The air was crisp and clear, carrying on it intriguing scents while the ground was slightly damp and spongy underfoot, providing a good grip as we raced along.I darted my eyes from side to side, taking in all the sights, my ears pricked with curiosity. It had been several days since I'd been out in wolf form, and it felt incredibly good to be back in the wild.Understanding that I would want time to absorb my surroundings, Julie politely stopped at a number of spots along the way. I yipped my appreciation and sniffed the ground, trees, and bushes, my wolf's brain sorting and storing the various scents while making a mental picture of the land
Josephine's POVMoonlight, filtered through a canopy of ancient oaks, painted the forest floor in silver stripes. My boots, worn soft by countless nocturnal ramblings, crunched on fallen leaves, the only sound besides the rhythmic thump of my own heart.Fear, a familiar friend, slithered through my veins, but not the cowering kind. This was the thrill of the forbidden, the anticipation of a secret world just beyond the veil of night.I was on my way to the Moonfall Clearing, the sacred hunting ground of the Blackfur pack, a lycanthrope community shrouded in myth and legend. My connection to them? My blood, a whisper of wolf passed down through generations in my family. It was my mother's original pack before moving to Killian's Nightcrest pack.The air grew thick with the musky scent of pine and wet earth, a primal cocktail that quickened my pulse. My senses, honed by years of solitary nights, picked up the subtle symphony of the forest, the rustle of unseen creatures, the distant hoo
"Tsk Rogue Lycans," Julie clicked her tongue in distaste. Concentrating on my hyper smell, I realized Julie's statement to be true. These weren't mere highway robbers or Lycan hunters. These were rouge Lycans."Sinners must be punished!" The presumed Leader yelled with his hands outstretched. He seemed like a lunatic, "It is the will of God!""Shouldn't we have a little fun with them boss?, look at them, they look and smell delicious," One of them pointing a gun at Josephine rolled his tongue while the others nodded in agreement.Each Cheer carried an icy tendril down my spine, slithering into the pit of my stomach where dread curdles like sour milk. My breath hitches, trapped like a startled bird in the cage of my ribs, and my body tautens, a bowstring drawn back on an arrow of pure terror.My skin prickles, crawling with unseen claws. My throat tightens, the air a thick paste clogging my lungs. I swallow, forcing the sound down, but it gurgles like a rusty pipe, amplifying the silen
After learning about what had earlier happened today, Josephine had gotten herself invited to dinner and ended up sitting at the left side of Killian, while I was on the other side.As he entered the dining room, Killian gave Josephine a peck on the cheek and absentmindedly helped her into the chair."Thank you so much Josephine, I owe you my life for this," He said with a gorgeous smile that had me drooling."There is no need to thank me, I was only helping a friend and my Luna," She responded.Unknown to many both Killian and Viktor were already well aware of Josephine's elite skills in hunting and fighting, however they were both oblivious to her magical abilities. For this reason he wasn't surprised Josephine had taken down a dozen rogue Lycan."I'm glad to hear that and I'm sorry you were put in that position,""It's fine, anything to help,"Rolling my eyes, I sat down and moved my chair in by myself, Killian apologized to me for not conducting a personal tour of the territory."
“Yes, you do look okay to me,” Killian caught my hand. “Right. You look fine. I didn’t mean, ” Romeo began.“No, no. It’s okay. I want to look presentable...” I pulled my hand free and backed out of the room, before turning and hurrying up the stairs. After taking the quickest shower on record, I stood in front of the closet trying to decide what to wear. What was the appropriate attire for a pack meeting when you were the Alpha’s mate? The meetings at home were usually rather stuffy and I’d avoided them like the plague, but were they the same here? I didn’t want to dress too casually and look as if I didn’t care. On the other hand, too formal of an outfit would make me seem stuck up, as if I thought I was better than the rest. Finally, I decided on an almost new pair of black jeans and a cotton sweater. Slipping in a pair of gold earrings and a bracelet, I studied myself in the mirror, hoping I’d hit the right note. My hair fell softly around my face and I used a touch of eye sha