“Well, well, well if it isn’t Amber Tremaine,” the pimple faced wolf calls as he steps onto the training mat.
“Mack. How unfortunate to run into you.”
Mack’s face turns red. A sign his temper is on the rise. I smirk. He’s too easy.
“Remember the move I showed you?” Jake whispers.
I nod to him.
“Good. Use it when he lunges. Finish this quickly and I’ll buy you dinner,” Jake replies.
Mack lunges at me, grabbing hold of my waist. I bring up my elbow and slam it down on his spine. His arms loosen, giving me enough space to arch back and knee him in the chest. His hands grab at his chest, trying to help him breathe. He’s distracted and I use that to my advantage. Stepping away from him completely and lunging before he can catch his breath. I pin him easily; his growls fill the training grounds. His body thrashes around, testing my hold. My hands firmly keep his wrists down, my knee pushes further into his chest until he concedes.
Jake whistles. “Good job, A!”
He claps as I take a bow and hop down from the mat.
“Bitch, you might have all of Moonbeam Hills fooled, but not me. I know who you really are.” Mack stands, his words spitting themselves at me.
Jake clenches his fist, ready to defend my honor. I put a hand up to stop him.
“Now, now, Mack. I know you’re upset that your attempts to get in my pants have been futile, but that’s no reason to be so rude. You know your life might be a lot easier if you’d just accept that I would rather die than ride your pencil dick.”
I leave the training grounds as laughter erupts around me. Jake jogs to catch up with me, throwing his tanned arm around my shoulders when he finally reaches me. I shrug his arm off and politely smile.
“Sorry.”
I look up at my best friend. His award-winning smile reminds me of the day we met. Shortly after arriving here, Mack started to cause trouble for me. His sexual advances became too much one day, and I punched him. The Alpha saw, and instead of punishing me, got Jake to train me, so I could fend off any men should the occasion arise. Also, so I wouldn’t break my hand every time I threw a punch.
“So, you owe me dinner. What should we get?” I open the door to my home.
When I first moved to Moonbeam a year ago, I practically begged Alpha Stephen and Luna Monica for a place of my own. I just wanted to live out the rest of my days alone. Thankfully, they allowed my request, blessing me with my sage green cottage.
“I don’t care. You pick.”
“Pizza. You order, I’m gonna change.”
“Pizza again? You are obsessed!”
Oh, Jake. You have no idea. Pizza is Alex’s favorite food, and it quickly became mine after I left.
I can’t decide if that’s just desperate or sweet. Vera smirks.
Desperate, definitely, I reply.
I move into my bedroom and collapse on my bed. As sweaty as I am, I should change or shower, but my energy is zapped. I lay there, face down, letting my mind drift. Over the last year, so much has changed for me. Moonbeam Hills became my official pack three months ago when I definitively decided not to go back to Onyx Flame. I just celebrated my one-year anniversary of working at the daycare. Watching toddlers is exhausting, but I love it. Those pups have become my entire world. I’ve completely stayed away from men and sex. Besides Jake and a few of my coworkers, I don’t socialize. My cocoon of isolation has been a great thing for me. It keeps me safe. I can’t hurt anyone, and no one can hurt me.
The doorbell rings, pulling me out of my thoughts. Rushing around, I pull some maroon sweats and a hoodie onto my body before following the scent of pepperoni to my kitchen. Jake hands me a plate with three slices on it. Grabbing his own, he leads me to the couch.
We eat in a comfortable silence. Only the sounds of Jake’s favorite crime show fill the air.
---
The sound of knocking begs me to emerge from my slumber. My eyes are heavy as I open them. The insistent knuckles on my door don’t allow me to give into my body's ache for more sleep. In a huff, I pull myself from bed and to the door.
“The Alpha needs all the warriors down at the training grounds, so get dressed,” Jake says as he pushes his way in.
“I’m not a warrior?” I yawn.
“No shit, A,” Jake snaps. “I’m sorry, I need coffee.”
“You know where everything is. I’m going back to sleep.”
“Are you not listening? I just said we are needed at the training grounds. Get dressed. We have to be there in 15.”
Goddess, his attitude is complete shit today.
“I’m listening. I’m just not hearing why I’m supposed to care.”
“Alpha asked for all the she-wolves. So, go get dressed and let’s go.”
I say nothing as I turn on my heel, scurrying to my room. The mirror catches my eye as I’m pulling gray sweatpants and an enormous shirt over my toned body. Who knew that training would transform my too thin body into the filled-out frame I have now?
“Ready.”
Jake grumbles and sips his dark coffee. Once we arrive at the training grounds, the place is overfilled with she-wolves. It looks like every young she-wolf capable of shifting is here. I give Jake a look and he shakes his head. We hang towards the back, waiting for Alpha Stephen to make his announcement. The she-wolves seem excited while the warriors seem worried. Jake is overly quiet, and I wonder if he knows more than he’s saying. Maybe his attitude this morning was less about the early rise and more about whatever is going on. Alpha finally walks onto a training mat. It’s easy to get a good look at him while he’s standing in front of us. His gray hair is oily and messy, like he’s been yanking on it all night.Or Luna Monica was yanking on it all night. Vera snickers.Grow up. Alpha Stephen’s face has seen better days. The circles under his eyes are several shades darker than normal. His forehead is creased with worry.“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come rig
The sour beer coats my mouth. I hate beer, but I have to pretend to celebrate with the rest of the guys. The Aurora Flame packhouse has officially been demolished. That means that I get to go home to my new territory. The cold bottle soothes my blistered hands. Blisters that are evidence of the home I just destroyed. My home. Though it didn’t feel like home anymore. Nothing has felt like home lately.Rita pulls out a barstool, sitting next to me. “How are you feeling, Gamma?”“Amazing.” “You shouldn’t lie to a witch who can see the future.”I look at her with suspicion. She has hardly spoken to me over the last year. Why is she talking to me now?“Did you see something that includes me, Rita?”“I did.”“Well? Are you going to tell me?”“You know I can’t. Things change far too quickly. I’m only here with a warning.”I nod, so she knows I’m listening. “Stop defying the Moon Goddess.”What? By the time I look up, Rita is gone. Her barstool sits empty, as if she was never there. What d
Insomnia has infected me lately, so it’s no surprise that I beat the Alpha to his own office. My eyes wander around the room. The office that was once a lemon tribute is now navy. The tired wooden furniture has been replaced by white modern pieces. My fingers brush over his bookcases, landing on a picture.The picture brings tears to my eyes. Her face is there, smiling at me, the way she used to. It was taken the night of Paige and Colin’s ceremony. The night I forced her to reject me. I pay little attention to the other three couples in the photo. I just stare at her.“Nice to see you, Alex.” Colin’s voice startles me, forcing me to pry my eyes from the picture.“Did you miss me?”“Duh. I missed our nights together.”“Really? He’s been back for a few hours and you’re already hitting on him!” Paige smiles at me, giving me a small hug before taking her place on Colin’s lap.“So, I heard the demo went well,” Colin starts.“Yeah. Our old packhouse is no longer standing. What are the plan
“I missed you,” Alex coos. I jump at the sound of his voice. My blue dress flows, tickling my bare toes as I walk to my mate. “I missed you,” I murmur as I wrap my arms around him. Alex squeezes me tightly, like he’s scared to lose me again. My muscles contract as I try to match the strength of his squeeze. A soft melody plays, seemingly from nowhere. Alex sways with me, twirling me around. My back hits a wall. I turn to see Cory standing there. I squeeze Alex’s hand tighter, silently begging for him to pull me back. When he doesn’t, I turn to search his face, but he’s been replaced by a faceless man. I yank my hand away from the stranger. My eyes scan the room. It’s suddenly filled with men from my past. I push myself through the sea of bodies, desperately searching for Alex. The only person I want right now is him. Each man is screaming at me, blaming me for ruining his family. My heartbeat thunders against my chest. When my eyes finally land on my mate, my heart all but stops co
“Did you use the calming technique I taught you?”I nod.The keyboard clacks under her red nails. I watch her, remembering the first time I set foot in her office. Alpha Stephen had told me she could help me, but I hadn’t known he was setting me up with a therapist. I almost left once I realized her title, but something compelled me to stay and I’m glad I did. Dr. Laurel has helped me in so many ways. The keyboard falls silent, urging me to continue.“At first, the pain was so intense, I went for a run. I didn’t stop running until the sun came up. That’s when I felt like I was drowning. I used your technique, and it calmed me enough to get home.”“Why did you feel you were drowning? Was it because of the pain the dream brought or something more?” She asks.“I was drowning in Alex. The memories of our short few days together. The look in his eyes when he rejected me. All of it. I was drowning in love for a man who has nothing but hate for me.”“Amber, you will probably always love him.
I run my fingers on the scars over my ribs. The large pink marks serve as a reminder of one of the worst nights of my life. A loud knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I open it to find a sleepy Colin standing there. “Alpha Stephen called; a she-wolf went missing.” My face must look terrified because the sleep falls from Colin’s eyes. “It’s not Amber. I asked to make sure she’s safe. He said she’s with his lead warrior.” My fear turns to jealousy. Who the hell is this warrior? Why is he with her? What are they doing? Why do you care what Amber is doing? Zeke scoffs. Because I do, I’m her mate. You were her mate. You rejected her, remember? You have no right to be jealous. Not after what you did. I know he’s right, but I can’t help it. The thought of Amber being with another is enough to make my blood boil. I wonder how she feels when she thinks of me with someone else. Probably nothing. If she’s anything like me, she hates you. “Alex, pay attention,” Colin says. I l
Zeke’s howls scare birds out of the quiet trees. He runs, trying to outrun the pain of losing her. When I rejected Amber, I really thought I’d be better off. I thought we both would. What a stupid thought that was. I never imagined that my life would be even worse. But it is.Zeke’s energy depletes after his third hour in the forest. His fur sinks back into my skin. I pull my shorts on, slinking against a tree. My mind is as scrambled as the eggs served in the dining hall. Nothing makes sense anymore. I lay my head in my hands and try to figure out just how I’m going to move on. Or if I even can. I have to find a way, or Colin will never trust me again.The sound of leaves crunching snaps my head up. I squint my eyes in the sound's direction. A bitter scent wafts around me. My blood pumps loudly in my veins. I’m on edge. The threat of vampires will do that to a wolf. The sound hits my ears again. I jump up as a figure moves into my sight line. A breath of air escapes me as I recognize
“You should come out with us tonight!” Kayla yells over the loud laughs from the pups in our class.“No. You know how I feel about all that.”“Come on! You’ve been here for a year. Let yourself live a little. You don’t have to sleep with someone to have fun!”I know she’s right. It’s silly to keep myself isolated out of fear of falling into someone’s bed. I should trust myself and my growth. I’m just not sure that’s a risk I’m willing to take. But I heard Alpha Stephen called my old pack for help and I’m not sure who will show up. It might be better to make myself scarce while they’re here.“Please,” Kayla whines. “It’s my birthday!”“Are we even allowed to leave the territory? That girl is still missing.” “We’re only going to the bar that Alpha owns on the edge of the territory. We’ll be safe!”“Ugh, fine. I’ll go but only because it’s your birthday,” I agree, hoping I won’t regret it later.“YAY! Pick you up at 8.”I roll my eyes in response and continue to get the pups ready to go