LOGINMy eyes felt heavy as I slowly opened them.For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. My entire body ached, every muscle was sore as though I'd been dragged across a field of stones.Then the memories began returning in fragments.My unbearable heat.Grey.The chains...I turned my head.Grey sat across from me, still restrained by the chains. His head rested against the wall behind him, his dark hair falling across his forehead. He looked exhausted, but it was the sorrow in his grey-silver eyes that caught my attention. "Grey..." My voice came out hoarse.His head lifted immediately. He shuffled forward as far as his restraints allowed, the chains rattling against the stone."You're awake." I tried to sit up. The chains were still fastened around me. "I called Ara. She will be here soon." I swallowed, my throat was painfully dry. "What happened?"He studied me for a moment before answering."You shifted."I stared at him. "I shifted?"He nodded slowly. "Your first transformation
Dahlia." His voice was rough. "What are you doing down here?""What the hell is going on?" I rushed towards him."Stay back!"I stopped, startled by the force in his voice.Then I noticed the blood on his wrist.My concern immediately overpowered my fear. "You're hurt.""It's nothing.""Nothing? You're chained to a wall!" I moved towards the restraints."Dahlia, don't."I ignored him and examined the chain around his wrist. It was secured by a heavy fastening, but I managed to release it. The metal fell away.Grey closed his eyes briefly, as though the movement had cost him a tremendous amount of effort."What happened?" I asked, reaching for the chain around his waist. "Stop.""Grey-""I put myself here."My hands went still. "What?"He pulled against the remaining restraints, and the metal rattled. "I put myself here because I need to stay away from you."I stared at him. "Why would you need to do that?"His jaw tightened."Because I'm not in control right now."Another wave of heat
I sat halfway up the staircase, my chin resting on my knees as I stared at the front door. Ara had gone home because her mother needed her for one of their pack's full-moon traditions.Now I was alone at the academy with absolutely no idea to what to do with myself.I could go home, but the thought made my stomach twist. My father would undoubtedly ask whether I had chosen a mate yet. And when I tell him I hadn't, I can imagine the disappointment on his face.I wasn't ready for that conversation. "You're going to wear a hole in that staircase if you keep staring at the door."I looked up.Grey stood at the bottom of the stairs, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black trousers. His grey-silver eyes studied me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher."Do you always sneak up on people?" I asked."Only the ones who look like they're planning a prison break."I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing here?""I live here.""No, I mean, Ara has gone home.""Ah." He nodded thoughtful
"Grey what's happening to me," I muttered as he placed me on my bed. "First you need to tell me what you took so I can help," his voice was frantic. "Wolfsbane mixed with alcohol." Grey's mouth fell open. "Are you nuts!" "I'm sorry," I cried. "It was just...all so overwhelming. Logan showed up and you looked mad. And seeing you with-" I paused. I didn't want him to know that me seeing him with Elena messed with me. Grey was staring at me now. "I did a stupid thing." Grey sighed. He pressed the back of his hand agaisnt my forehead. "Well, you're not frothing at the mouth so that's a good sign. You do have a high temperature though." I closed my eyes, nuzzling into my pillow. He brushed the hair out of my face. "I'm sorry..." he didn't say anything. "I'm sorry I ruined your birthday party." He shook his head. "You didn't ruin anything." I tried to sit up, but the room tilted so violently that I grabbed his arm. "Easy." He steadied me, then placed a wastebasket bes
I hadn't bothered to confront Grey as to why he did that to Logan. I knew he wouldn't be interested to explain, resulting in yet another argument. There was a knock from my bedroom door. "Hey," Ara said, popping her head into the room. "Hey..." I greeted. "Kier told me what happened," she said, "are you okay?" "Yeah... I just don't get it Ara," I sighed. "Why does he dislike Logan so much?" Ara settled on the bed next to me. "I don't get it either." She placed her hands on her lap. "It's his birthday today," she suddenly said. "Are you telling me I can't be mad at him because its his birthday?" "No," she shook her head. "But if there is one thing my brother hates more than being wrong. Its when someone else is the bigger person." She stood. Perhaps there was nothing I can do when it came to Grey and his temperement. But it was difficult for me because I felt like I had to choose between him and Logan. And Logan was my mate but Grey... I don't know. There was just so
I had gone an entire week without seeing Grey. At first, I had assumed he was simply giving me space after our argument. Then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday passed, and I had begun to wonder whether he was deliberately avoiding me. By Friday morning, I had stopped wondering. Or, at least, that was what I told myself. The truth was, I didn't want us to be this way with each other. Whatever Grey and I were, we had been friends before everything became complicated. I missed that. I missed being able to speak to him without every conversation turning into an argument, and I was ready to forgive him if it meant we could find our way back to whatever we had been before. I wasn't expecting an apology on his knees or some grand declaration of friendship. I simply wanted things to be normal again.. Lucien, on the other hand, had wasted no time making things right with me. The morning after that fight at the table, he had shown up at my bedroom door with breakfast, a bouquet o







