April“Oh, April,” my mother starts, making my heart race. “What is it? Did you keep something from me?” I ask her, my voice nearly failing me. She lowers her head, giving me the worst presentiment.“I’m sorry that I never told you, but there was never the right moment to address it,” she starts making my heart flip. “There is indeed something you need to know.”I look at her wide-eyed as she lifts her gaze back at me with a sad smile. “You are adopted, April.”“What?” I ask, staring at her incredulously. “How?”She reaches out to squeeze my hand soothingly while I feel like my entire life has been a lie. “When I was your age, I had a best friend. Her name was Elena and she was an amazing person. She was strong and beautiful, which made her very popular in school. We stayed very close growing up, but one day she decided to leave. She traveled for a long time, and I started to think that something happened to her as no one ever heard from her again. Her phone was soon not reachable,
ScottAs my Beta informs me about the end of the search definitely, I can’t exactly make out which emotion weighs more in my turmoil of feelings.The bodies weren’t found by the search patrols.Putting up my best poker face in front of Liam, I actually hate the fact that I am saddened about losing her.I can feel my wolf pacing around, clawing onto the walls of my mind as he is about to push through to go check for himself.‘Easy. Calm down. We will go search the place for ourselves,’ I try to get him to relax, even if I feel as anxious to get there just like him.Finally, I shake off Liam and after contemplating if I should really go, I take my car to reach the place where the search patrols found their car.As I step out of the car, I can spot where the totaled car had been lying immediately. The shattered glass reflects the sun’s rays, enhancing the single car parts that still lie in the pitch.Only now I realize how badly they must have been injured as the feeble smell of blood st
AprilI continue to take slow, steady breaths to keep myself calm and cope with the heart racing in my chest. My enhanced sight enables me to watch them from a distance and prevents me from getting caught as I am too far away for them to get a whiff of my scent. ‘They are so funny. Running around uncoordinated like little pups,’ my wolf mocks them, making me giggle as I lay my head back on my paws. I stay hidden in the bushes below the high trees as I watch them. Unfortunately, they start gathering all our things left there and I whimper as I observe them organizing a tow truck to get the car wreck from the scene of the accident. My heart jumps in my chest, my instincts going crazy as I have to fight the urge to burst through the trees and charge forward to keep them to get our things as we would need them. But wouldn’t it be better if they thought that we were dead? Should I step out of the tree line and show me to them? Is there a reason why they are looking for me like this?
ScottPassing my hand over my face, I push out a deep sigh. I prop my head up onto my hands as I put my elbows on my desk which is filled with paperwork I urgently need to look at.But I just don’t seem to be able to focus, and while I’m losing time, trying to sort my thoughts to concentrate on my work or to distract me from the pain streaming from my heart, I get reprimanded by my wolf repeatedly.‘You should mourn for our mate. And still, you are here having a bad conscience for what happened to these traitors,’ he growls.Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose. ‘I can’t help it. I know what they have done to us, and to our beautiful mate, but I can’t shake the feeling that I sent them into their death. Or maybe even worse. They weren’t monsters, they didn’t deserve what happened to them.’He isn’t happy at all with my answer, and roars in frustration before he retreats into the back of my mind.The worst is probably that, whenever I close my eyes, April’s smiling face keeps flashin
Scott By the time I have already turned around to follow my warriors to the pack, I feel a strange sensation explode in me. My wolf halts, burying his claws into the forest’s ground even before a loud howl shatters through the air, making the earth shake. My warriors turn back as well, facing the dark forest where the gruesome growl just came from. ‘There are more. Brace yourselves.’ I connect to my warriors who are still able to fight, sensing coming more rogues through the trees. Lifting my paw to set it back down to be able to stand against the attacking wolves, I bare my teeth, ready to take them down. The first rogues push through the line of trees, attacking me straight away. I start defending myself, taking the wolves down one by one by ripping their throats. My claws and canines get coated with blood, filling my mouth and air with the sickening metallic smell, the taste slowly spreading on my tongue.As I’m too caught up in fighting them off, it takes me a while to rec
April My heart literally halted in my chest as I keep questioning myself and what I just smelled. But if I’m his mate… Wasn’t Hailey his true mate? Or is Hailey dead and I am his second chance mate? Oh, what cruel fate would that be? Being bound to someone who hates you with all this mate? And how sad it would be for Scott to be paired with someone by the Moon Goddess who he believes is responsible for his Luna’s death. ‘Don’t call her Luna,’ my wolf growls, making me shake my head. I sigh saddened, not finding it funny anymore. ‘Leave me alone.’ Of course, she can’t comply with my wish, but I will get her to retreat into the back of my mind when we shift back. The first thing that comes into my mind is to go back to the cave and to my mother, to check on her and maybe just forget about everything while consoling myself with a self-haunted dinner. But as I am about to walk home, and start climbing down the mountain, I halt in my tracks, my thoughts rescheduling and making m
Scott Pain drums against the walls of my mind, echoing in the inside of my head. I groan as I try to push myself up, but I fail, slumping back onto the bed. A strange sensation muffles my senses, making me feel panicky. Darkness surrounds me, and I try to take a few calming breaths to make the dreadful feeling disappear but it is difficult to keep cool if I don't know where I am. My hand snaps to the dressing around my head and the patches over my eyes and I flinch as I touch a bump that starts pulsating painfully as if I activated it. I can’t seem to be able to access my enhanced wolf senses, my body feeling as if functioning on low-energyI pick up steps feebly, and small hands touch my hand to remove them from my face, probably to keep me from removing the caringly applied dressings. The touch of the person reminds me of something I can't quite grasp, and from the size of the hand, I guess that it is a woman. Her touch feels like it’s making my skin itch, but not in a bad k
April As I stand there looking at his unmoving frame, my thoughts go back to the day when he saved me from under the rubble many years ago. The memories and the emotions that come with that manage to push down the feeling of hate that bubbles up in me. With a heavy heart, I decide to help him. This way I will be able to repay him for his heroic action and we will be finally even. And I will never have to think about him ever again. Kneeling down, I hold out my shaking hands over his frame. I close my eyes and concentrate on letting my power stream through me, but it never comes. Blinking repeatedly, I look at my hands taken aback, feeling like an empty battery. I’m feeling confused and as I go on inspecting my hands, I suddenly halt my movements. My eyes fall onto a small pattern that looks like engraved into my skin. I remember that I had noticed it before as I was healing my mother but I didn’t put any thought into it because I must have already been overwhelmed by everythi
Scott“Huh?” Liam looks at me wide-eyed, annoying me even more. “Get the fuck out of my office,” I growl, and his confused face falls, morphing into a disgruntled expression. “Sure… As you wish, Alpha,” he snarls back, and I ball my hand into a fist, ignoring the disrespect with how he sneered my title. Pushing out a deep breath of relieve as he leaves my room, I stare at the closed door for a few heartbeats before I try to concentrate on my documents once again. But it doesn’t take long until I get distracted again by my own thoughts, and soon enough, I call it a day. After putting my files away, I take a bottle of bourbon out of the bottom drawer and pour me a bit of the amber liquid into a crystal glass. With a sigh, I take a slow sip, closing my eyes as I lean back in the seat. I enjoy the alcohol gliding down my throat, triggering a burning sensation and I distort my face as I put the glass onto the desk. ‘So, what are we doing?’ my wolf asks me, slurring his words as his
Scott“Is there something you need to tell me?” Liam asks me. His expression has lost all its smugness as he looks up at me with a void expression. “About April, I mean.” He adds the phrase as if it were nothing. And still he gets my heart to nearly explode. What the fuck is happening with me? I fucking rejected her. The gears turn over and over in my head, my brain calculating the risks of just telling him all. Maybe it would be good to talk it out. Maybe it wouldn’t be that serious anymore. Maybe he could beat some sense back into me… “There is nothing to talk about,” I finally say, redirecting my eyes to the documents and hoping that he will understand and see that the conversation is over. Or at least get that I don’t want to talk about it. Whatever it is.But as the stubborn best friend he is, he gets onto his feet and leans against the desk, lowering his voice. “Scott, if there is something going on with April, I as your Beta need to know about that.” I take up my p
Scott“The omegas were whispering something quite interesting in the hallways.” I can hear the grin in his voice even if I keep my eyes glued to the documents spread before me, avoiding looking at him. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I murmur in an annoyed tone, but he only chuckles before practically jumping into the seat standing in front of my desk. “Did the traitor say something regarding our warriors?” he asks, and I finally lift my gaze to see that he is looking at me with big eyes. His dark irises nearly sparkling in expectation. “She wasn’t able to tell me anything. She is still searching for the cause,” I say with a sigh, hoping he would just go away. But it is to no avail. He has always been the obtrusive kind. “So, she couldn’t tell you why our warriors’ health conditions are deteriorating and why their wolves stopped healing them properly?” His grin grows, and I really can’t see where he wants to get at. “Hm-mhm,” I answer with a hum as I lean my head o
April “Oh, stop it,” I groan as Daisy pushes herself off the seat, gasping. “No! Listen to me!” She screams before lowering her voice dramatically. “I drank that tea too.” “Everybody drank from that tea,” I shake my head, as she lets herself fall back into the chair. “Do you want to go on and be dramatic about it or do you want to talk about what happened in the library?” Daisy pouts, crossing her hands as she bounces in her seat. “Why? What happened in the library?” I chuckle, taking another sip of the tea, and I must admit that it is indeed delicious. “Alpha Scott waited until Beta Daniel had left the room to fetch us something to drink and came in to talk to me,” I hold the cup in front of my face, watching her smugly as she turns her head at me, looking intrigued. Even if she is still pursing her lips, wanting to play it cool. “And what did he say?” she asks. I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “He wanted to talk about his warriors and the process of the treatme
April ‘I don’t think that we should drink that,’ Beta Daniel warns me via our mindlink, and as if the warrior was able to get it, he flashes us a big smile. “Ana was so kind to bring us all a cup of this delicious tea,” he gushes, and I sigh. Beta Daniel rolls his eyes, accepting one of the cups she is holding under his nose with an uncomfortable smile and takes a small sip with an exaggerated slurp. I giggle lowly, hiding my lips behind the border of the cup as he hums theatrically, “It is indeed one of the best teas I have ever had.”Turning towards me, he broadens his smile, his expression turning nearly grotesque. “Right, April?” Coughing as the sip I took went into the wrong pipe, I nod repeatedly, holding my hand on my chest. “Yes. Yes, definitely one of the most delicious. Thank you so much, Ana.” Ana beams up at us, smiling so brightly that I fear her face is going to disintegrate on itself. “Oh, I am so glad. I am going to tell Scott that you liked it right away.” With
April I stretch as we walk out of the library under the curious gazes of the omegas who are acting as if they are dusting the shelves and the insanely boastful statues. Chuckling to myself, I hug my book closer, walking faster through the long hallways of the dimly lit packhouse. As I have forgotten the time during my research, it’s already dark outside, and it has always been this dark also in the pack house as the Luna loved this mood. So the former Alpha kept it like this even long after her death. And I guess Alpha Scott just waddled along. “Has the pack house always been this depressing?” Beta Daniel asks, making me laugh. I nod as we turn into the hallway that leads to our quarters. “It’s because the late Luna, Alpha Scott’s mother, loved thunderstorms, so this lighting arrangement was made to make her happy.” “Ugh,” he scrunches up his face, his gaze still directed to the hallway in front of us. “I didn’t know that those bastards could be that cute.” I laugh, “Yeah, but
April“You shouldn’t have said that.” “Huh?” he looks up at me after putting the coffee down on the floor next to me. “You shouldn’t have said that,” I repeat in a whisper, putting my hands in front of my lips as I regulate my breathing pattern, my panic attack wafting through my body as the adrenaline diminishes. “That ‘future Luna’,” I push out a deep sigh, and he repositions on his knees to take my shaking hands in his. “That was too much. Why did you have to provoke him like that?” “Sorry, it was stronger than me. I saw him holding you like that and thought…the fucking audacity! What is wrong with this guy?” He squeezes my hand soothingly, helping me take a few slow breaths. As I feel a bit better, my fog clearing from my mind, I shift my hands in his, squeezing his back to show that I am doing fine. “What do you want to do now? Shall we return home? I could call Noah. I am sure that he wouldn’t approve of you being treated like this over here. Especially when all you want t
Scott I don’t know what is wrong with me. As I am facing the stupid Beta who is looking at me enraged, my vision refocuses, making me fall out of my tantrum. How fucking embarrassing. What happened? How could I let my wolf take over like this? ‘You are an idiot,’ he growls, retreating in my mind offended. ‘If we don’t react we will lose her for good.’ I shake my head, pushing myself off her, and straighten my spine as I keep my cool. “What did you just say?” “What are you doing to her? Who gave you permission to touch her?” he asks shocked, looking around distressed only to see the table scattered all around the place. “What the fuck happened?” “It’s okay, Dan,” April tries to calm him down as he gets more and more enraged. But he couldn’t do anything. Protector my ass. He is so weak that I would break him in half like a twig. “We were just talking. But how did you fucking call her?” I hear April sigh behind me as my anger flares up in me again. “No need to
April “April,” he feigns shock, grinning like the idiot he is. “You could have told me.” “Stop it, Scott,” I groan, annoyed as I lower my head back to my book. “I was obviously not talking to you. You should really know that.” He laughs, leaning back in his chair while sitting with his knees apart. Fitting for an entitled asshole like him. “Whatever, April,” he snickers, leaning his head onto his fist. “So, are you done hiding? Can we talk like adults, or do you need another round of ‘Avoiding the Alpha’?” I understand that he knows me better than everyone else, but after all that has happened between us and all his outrageous behavior, he should know that he does not have the right to act this way. He should act just like I do and take his distances. He should act professionally as the Alpha he is supposed to be, let me treat his warrior in peace, and not try to provoke me with stupid games. Or ask me to trust him when only a few years back, he tortured me. “I don’t remember