Claire was almost convinced that she couldn't find a mate because she failed to shift on her eighteenth birthday. The next year, without getting her hopes up, she sneaked out of her pack to attend another pack's mating ball out of curiosity. As a gatecrasher who has broken the rules, she was certain she wouldn't get caught because the event was a masquerade ball and none of the people would see her face. But guess what? She danced with the new alpha who was without a mask, and he immediately knew she was an outsider because she failed to recognize him! Running away, the clock tolled, signaling it was already midnight. She bolted into her wolf form for the first time and smelled a potent scent all over her, and realized that the man she danced with was her mate! However, upon returning home, Claire found out her father, the alpha of their pack, was killed by her uncle, and she was then exiled before meeting her mate again. But everything changed when a month later, a man barged into the barren place where she was imprisoned, and she met her savior's enigmatic blue eyes.
View MoreThe backlit mirrors in Mier'Chelie's don’t flatter me at all. I look like a rat!
Weeks of planning, and my cardigan sleeves seem a bit long. The headband I put on is doing nothing to tame my wavy hair. Are Chuck Taylor knockoffs okay for here?
Still…maybe Oliver will notice the effort.
Speaking of which, has he seen my text messages? It’s already 9:43. If we eat and leave on time, we can get to the New Year’s firework show…
“Lookin 4ward to u gettin here”—30 minutes ago, unread.
I scrunch my eyes tightly. I worked hard to learn how eyeliner works, so I don’t want to mess it up, but…
“Keep it cool, Cynthia… Just…two more minutes.”
I already have a text reminder alarm set. There’s no need to bombard him.
It’s okay. Just two more minutes.
When I start opening the bathroom door—
“Don’t go!!”
—I almost smack myself in the face with it.
Who’d scream like that here of all places? I got my answer when I peeked out the door.
Jessica Parthow. She looks absolutely stunning in her deep blue dress. The dance team really does wonders for her legs.
The guy she’s holding onto doesn’t seem to notice or care.
Alex Hewlett: hockey team captain, satisfactory student, and notoriously unserious playboy. My Oliver waxes poetic about him constantly. Their current season is a huge success so far because of him.
I…don’t really care about Alex. Sure, he looks like a fashion catalog photo made real: light slacks, tucked-in black dress shirt, clean sneakers.
But from what I know, he isn’t one for commitment. A fling-only person, never dated anyone that I know of.
Though Jessica’s, uh, not gotten the picture. I heard she texted someone, demanding they “stop trying to fuck my boyfriend.” From his phone no less.
Those two are still fussing so…I’ll just wait in here for now—
My heart jumps into my throat when my phone starts blaring.
Ah. 9:45.
Panic rushes through me as I try to turn it off, but I can’t get a handle on it before the bathroom door gets shoved open. I stumble back and look up.
It’s Jessica, Immaculate, and furious. Her five-foot-seven seems mountainous to my five-foot-fourteen.
Meeting her gaze is…too much. I try to slip past her, but her hand ensnares my shoulder.
“Who the hell are you?” Jessica hisses, her nails digging in as I wince. “You were listening to us just now, weren’t you? Took a video to laugh with your bitch friends?”
“Uh—”
Before I answer, a large hand grabs my other shoulder and pulls me away. I freeze up, getting smushed against someone’s pecs.
“Hey babe,” a saccharine voice says. “What took you so long?”
…Oliver doesn’t call me ‘babe’. This body is too big, too.
When I look up, Alex’s warm brown eyes meet mine. He winks before looking back toward Jessica.
“…What’s that look for? You know I’m not one to date. I just wanted to have fun, but… It’s not anymore. See you.”
Then, I’m being ushered away. My ears are too full of cotton to fully understand what Alex is saying to me.
Were his hands always this big? This strong? He’s like a vice.
I only realize how far we’ve gone when a gust of wind blows against my face… When did we get down the street?
“...Okay, she’s leaving. Thank fuck—”
I squirm out of his arms immediately, nearly braining myself on the snow-dusted ground. When I shoot him a look I hope is intimidating, he just raises his hands like he’s confronting a scared deer.
“Hey, yeah, sorry about that. Jess was jumping down my throat.” I feel his eyes trail up and down my body. “You were a great help, though. Can I have your number? I’ll make this up to you.”
It takes me a moment to process what he said, then irritation bubbles in my chest. Didn’t he just diss Jessica using me?
“...No need.”
I stumble past him, heading back to the restaurant. Whatever, I’m going back anyway. I just want to wait for Oliver.
However, his sneakers catch up beside me.
“I mean it, I’m really sorry about that! For real… Are you even waiting for someone?” He lets out a snort. “It’s almost 10. No qualified boyfriend would be late on a day like this.”
I stop in my tracks and turn on him. With some effort, I forcefully unclench my jaw.
“Someone who uses random girls on a whim should keep their mouth shut. He’s a thousand times better than you.”
Alex’s eyebrows rise up as he gives me another once-over.
“...You’re spicier than you look.” He starts smirking, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Redmond High, right? Do I know your perfect Prince Charming?”
“Oliver is—”
Ah.
My six-month anniversary is today, but almost no one knows. Oliver doesn’t like school gossip, and I’m happy as long as he is. But…
I cut myself off, glancing up at Alex, hoping he doesn’t know the name. But of course he does, thick black eyebrows raised in surprise.
His grin turns playful, so I try making my expression as steely as possible
“Oliver Oakley? Yeah…great asset to the team. A real fun guy.” He gasps, and I jolt slightly. “Speaking of fun, Gunther’s throwin' a party while his folks are out. Go drop by. You might see something fun.”
…The winter air firmly reminds me I’m just in a cardigan. I wrap my arms around myself and decide to flee instead of wrapping my mind around his suggestion.
Alex calls after me. “Remember! 8293 Harvey Way!”
I don’t answer him. There’s no need to.
— — —
I text Oliver at 9:52.
Then 10:10.
10:35.
10:55.
By 11 PM, I’m standing in the snow outside the now closed restaurant, my half-eaten breadsticks in a to-go box under my arm. My stomach grumbles with hunger.
Did…Oliver just stand me up?
No, he couldn’t have. Maybe he was just occupied.
Like, anything could’ve happened. His phone battery could’ve died or he could’ve gotten into a car accident and couldn’t reply. Or maybe…
No.
If Oliver was going to a party, he would tell me. I don’t need to act out-of-control like Jessica. Given, Oliver and I actually are dating, but still.
…Well. It’s not like I can’t drop by. I don’t know Gunther super well, but maybe he knows where Oliver is.
Checking is fine…right?
I’ll just see if he’s there, that’s all.
Upon arrival, I immediately pick out his car among the others.
The lights inside and the music are…a lot. There’s so many people, I’m getting squished just by stepping inside. It kinda burns, somehow.
As I stumble onto the tile, I find Gunther there, a lanky brunette slumped in a chair with an off-brand booze bottle limp in his hand.
“Hey…”
Gunther blinks at me slowly like I’m a mirage. Maybe I look like one. My hair’s all over the place now.
I try to drag words from the drying concrete in my brain.
“Uhm…ah… Oliver. Do you, uhm… Know… Where he is?”
He squints at me. “Whut?”
The music’s too loud. So I try speaking up, but he doesn’t hear me. I try again, and no dice.
“I said! Do you know where Oliver is?!”
My throat feels raw as I scream. There’s sweat rolling down my back.
“Ohh. Damn, you didn’t have to yell,” Gunther huffs. “He’s snoozing upstairs.”
Relief floods me immediately.
Where’s the stairs? Just find the stairs. The bedroom’s upstairs.
When I catch a glimpse of the first step, I crawl my way through the crowd. I just want them off of me.
Getting up to the second floor…
It’s quieter, I think. I can’t hear past the buzzing downstairs, the ringing in my ears, and my own panting.
But I know he’s here. I can feel him, my guiding light. Oliver’s here.
I know he’s behind the first door I find. Surely he’s resting.
I’ll ask him why he didn’t answer my texts later. I just…want to see him.
Know that he’s safe. Just to calm down before I head home.
The voices downstairs are counting.
I open the door quietly, not wanting to wake him.
But he’s already up.
The voices are cheering.
Oliver’s indeed in bed.
He’s laying under the covers, kissing a girl with naked shoulders.
“Anyway, her family was one of them, and we became fast friends. As you can imagine, there were several other pups my age in the pack, but as my father’s only son — an only child — and an alpha, several of them were…well, not terribly keen on being friendly. Having grown up elsewhere, Sarah never had reservations. She’d put me in my place if she needed to. She might have been the only one who did.“We stayed friends all through the years of school, and the moment I turned eighteen — I was two months younger than she was — I knew. She showed up for my surprise party, and I knew the moment I laid eyes on her. Sarah had always held a special place in my heart, but at that moment, I knew exactly why. I felt like I was the moon, and she was the Earth — no, she was the sun. She was the center of my…” He cut himself off, shaking his head.I frowned, not liking that look on his face. “What happened to her?”Nic gave himself a shake and looked back at me, the sad smile replacing the distant lo
CLAIREI woke up the next morning groggy and disoriented. Even if I hadn’t totally adapted to London scheduling, I wasn’t completely on Texas time, either. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t crossed time zones before, but when I traveled for work, I drove. Something about the length of time it’d take to get from one job site to another made it easier to adjust, and it was rare that I was more than an hour from where I’d started. When I had to drive crosscountry, it took more than a day.After staring at the ceiling for several moments — or maybe minutes, time didn’t feel particularly real to me just yet — I finally reached over to grab my phone and check the time. I sighed. Better get up to check on Bella. I had no idea if she’d stick to Texas time, if she was still on London time, or if she was caught somewhere between, like me. At least I don’t hear her — yet. She’s probably still asleep.As I eased myself upright, I glanced over at Kaiser. He’d slept fitfully all night, tossing and turning.
A few hours later, we were boarding the private jet. Claire got Bella situated while I got our bags put up overhead, handing over Bella’s stuffed toy as soon as she sat down. Claire gave me a tired smile as she sat down next to Bella, opening the window blind for her to look out, even if there wasn’t much to see on the tarmac.“Are you okay?” I asked, frowning slightly as I sat down across from her.Claire tore her gaze away from Bella and nodded. “Mhm. It’s been a crazy few days.” She shrugged. “Besides, even shifters don’t heal overnight, not from something like this. If it makes you feel any better, I feel better than I did the first time I had the battery changed in my pacemaker.” She paused thoughtfully. “Or, at the very least, I don’t feel as taken off guard by it.”I hated to admit it, but that did make me feel a little better. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to just rest.” I sighed, certain that dragging Claire halfway around the world hadn’t done her any favors in the healing dep
“You know, as a pack wolf,” I growled back, feeling my skin prickle, “one would think you’d be able to read the room better.” “I’m trying to help you, Claire,” Viola hissed.I gave her a wicked grin. “I don’t need your help, Viola.”“If you would just—”The door opened a third time, and I braced myself, expecting Brock to show up or Gage to reappear. Instead, it was Kaiser. His eyes fell on his mother, and he scowled, a low rumble falling from his lips. “Mother,” he growled. She jumped as satisfaction flooded through me. “I thought I made myself clear.”She stood up quickly, brushing off her expensive dress. I hope the left leg snags, I thought, unable to deny myself a bit of pettiness.“I was just looking for Brock,” she said breezily, heading for the door.Kaiser said nothing else, staring daggers at the woman’s back as she disappeared back inside. Once the door shut again, his shoulders slumped, some of the tension in him unravKaiserng.I patted the empty spot on the bench next to
“I’m sorry, Kaiser,” he said, shaking his head. “I knew Gage was going to try and undermine my character. I didn’t think he’d come after you, too.”I shrugged. “I’d rather he’d say it to my face,” I replied. That much was true. At least I’ve always known Gage was a bit of a brat. If he treated his own sons poorly, well… Going after his brother or nephew just seemed like par for the course.“Still.” He sighed heavily. “At least that’s done. When do you want to return to Texas?”“As soon as possible. Project Night Moon is still running around, and Remus can’t handle that entire organization on his own.”My father nodded. “I’ll arrange the jet to take us back, then,” he replied, already fishing his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll send you the details as soon as it’s coordinated.”I raised a brow. “Us? Even after Gage just pulled this stunt? Are you sure you shouldn’t stay here?”The older alpha snorted. “Gage can suck a lemon,” he grunted. “I’ve put a few fail-safes in place over the past
The council had already assembled by the time I made my way downstairs, but at least I wasn’t the last of the twelve to show up. Several members of my family were on the council — my uncles Gage and Sam, myself, and my father, of course. That was a third right there. My father’s close childhood friend, Liam Black, was also a member. Uncle Sam had once confided in me that Liam was meant to be the pack beta, but Gage had gone on a tear, wreaking so much havoc that the rest of the council had begun to pressure my father to take Gage on as the pack beta instead.One could argue nepotism was alive and well here, but the members were chosen by the alpha. In the case of Liam and Gage, that was the best my father could do for his old friend. The members of the council were meant to advise the pack alpha, but at least in Longbow, they weren’t really a ruling force.Any wolf could be nominated, too, though they usually required the support of at least one current council member before they were
KAISERthe rest of the afternoon went relatively quietly, and that calm stretched into the evening. Uncle Gage had gone somewhere else, and Viola and Brock had gone to their own home. Or maybe not. I didn’t care where they went, but they weren’t at the Archer family estate, and that’s all that mattered to me.Claire had crashed sometime in the afternoon, and I let her catch up on some sleep. I had to try and plan for this council meeting. Even though there’d been some attempts to have it the night we’d arrived, I was rKaisereved my father had put his foot down. It gave me time to gather my wits, and whatever Gage was planning, he’d have to sit on it. I hoped that meant the man would be forced onto his back paws.Even though we’d gone to bed at a reasonable hour, Claire was still asleep when I woke up. When I peeked into Bella’s room, the little girl was hugging her stuffed wolf, mouth hanging open slightly as she remained in a deep slumber. I smiled a little at the sight before slippi
I was quiet for a moment and tipped my head. “Is that why you were in such a mood last night? Your mom?”“I wasn’t—” Kaiser stopped himself again. “Yeah.” “Yeah, me too.” I grimaced. Kaiser did the same.“I’m sorry. I was looking for you, but people kept coming up to talk to me. I didn’t think Viola would—” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think she would. Of course, she would. I’m sorry, Claire.”I shrugged. “I…I would have appreciated a warning,” I said after a moment. He couldn’t control his mother’s actions any more than she could control his, after all, but she had caught me off guard. “So, thank you.”I reached over and squeezed his knee. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I could have explained how I was feKaiserng without yelling like that. Or cursing.” I gave him a wry smile, feKaiserng a little sheepish. I knew I could be a little crass, but I tried to reserve that for when I was trying to intimidate suspects — that wasn’t how I wanted to treat Kaiser. “It’s been reall
Claire's POVThankfully, no one had noticed when Bella and I snuck downstairs in the early hours. I barely had anything to drink, but I still felt like hell.All this traveling hadn’t exactly been great for the healing process, and the stress of meeting Kaiser’s extended family hadn’t helped either.I knew rest would do me some good. I also knew carrying around a toddler wasn’t the best thing to help me get back into fighting form as quickly as possible. I even knew it would be better if we got on UK time instead of some bizarre jet-lagged schedule, but…I was still seriously considering flying back to Texas. But a small part of me felt bad for abandoning Kaiser in what was clearly some sort of familial clusterfuck…I had to shake it off. I couldn’t make a decision based on Kaiser, especially when his mother had treated me worse than the dog shit she found on the bottom of her Louis Vuitton shoes. He didn’t even seem to think it was that weird. Admittedly, she hadn’t seemed to be parti
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments