Rose
I felt the familiar darkness creep over me. The darkness was cold and unrelinquishing. It called for me to lose myself in the inescapable pits.When I slowly pried my eyes open, I wasn't in Black Moon; there I was in this strange enchanted wood again. I waited for the breeze to find me, but when it found me, it circled me caught me off guard. The sweet smell of honeysuckle and the earthy moss engulfed me, letting me know that if I followed, I would be led back to that lake.The gentle gust of wind rustled through my hair, coaxing me to give in to it yet again and blindly follow it. I glance at my surroundings; why was this place so familiar? The cool earth, the slightly damp air, the most beautiful mosaic of plants surrounding me, and this breeze. Why had I come back? Was I going to meet Selene again?I gave into the breeze and let my feet begin to follow the tantalizing escort deeper into the forest. I chased the peculiar wind through the woods until weOrionAfter Rose walked out of my office, I lost myself in paperwork. Anything was better than focusing on telling Rose the overview of my life. I had lost almost two days worth of work between going to Silver Crescent and their first day here. Paperwork from the distillery the pack owned, our real estate ventures, and various other investments. Everyone needed something, especially from me.I thumbed through all the paperwork sprawled out on my desk. I pulled my laptop out and began to respond to the plethora of emails.I walked to one of the bookshelves on my wall, pushing some books to the side and smuggling out my secret stash of bourbon. The alcohol was not going to affect me, but I liked the taste. I heavy-handedly poured myself a glass before walking towards the balcony doors. I took a gulp of the sweet liquor, looking out across the lake; the fireflies danced in the warm breeze, intermingling their reflections with the stars in the sky. I let my mind wan
Orion“I’ve met Selene…” her words trailed off, and my mind went into overdrive.“What do you mean you met Selene? Like the moon goddess?” I sat up, resting my back on the headboard, and streamed my hands through my hair.“I mean that I met the Moon Goddess, Selene.” Her eyes raised to meet mine; her gaze was shaky.“Are you sure?” I scoured her face.“Yeah. She calls me little pup.” She gave me an awkward smile.“When did you meet her for the first time?” I let my eyes search her face and body language for any sign of lying or falsehood. She shouldn’t know anything, but I saw no signs of deception in her face.“After the funeral, I went into the woods. Harriet had smuggled me a book. I went to the creek, and I fell asleep against a tree reading. I think you were close by. I thought I smelt you.” Her lips curled into a smile, so she knew I was there. “When I was asleep, I ended up in a forest I had never seen before. This gust of wind
Orion "Good morning, Brigid. We need to talk.""Of course, Alpha. Come on in. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Maybe some breakfast?""A cup of coffee would be great, Brigid. Thank you." I followed her inside her little cabin, shutting the door behind me.The cabin had an old-world charm. It barely had changed since the day it was built. Plumbing and electrical had been updated. Brigid rarely used her little air conditioning unit. She preferred to keep her doors and windows open with her ceiling fans on to prevent the air from feeling too stale.Brigid was an elder of the pack, one of the few that we had left. She was a petite woman but strong, a resilient old braud. She had more personalities than anyone else I knew. With her age, everyone in the pack let her get away with her crazy antics. She was our own village, crazy lady.Today her gray hair was tucked up in an elegant french bun with wisps
RoseI ate breakfast with Iris, but eventually, she said she had to pick up some things in the human city close by. I was left the majority on my own, but I knew I was not indeed on my own. I didn’t mind though, I understood why my mate wanted to make sure I was safe when he wasn’t around, and I couldn’t mind link yet.I spent the rest of my morning back in the west wing of the packhouse, Orion’s wing...I guess my wing. I visited the guest room to fish my clothes from the day before out of the shower. I rang out the excess water before crossing back the hall, stopping in front of my new room. I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob; this was my new home. My new space, with my mate. It felt like a warm flame-licked my insides when I thought of my new place with my mate.I focused on putting away the clothes Iris had dropped off last night. I looked around the closet I stood in. Orion was meticulous with his clothes; all of his shirts hung in a color-coordinated
MattAfter arriving in Black Moon, I cut myself off from everyone in my pack, except for Hodges. They chose a stranger over me. Why did they not have faith in my abilities? If they could have waited, I could have become an Alpha; I was sure of it.Hodges and I were assigned to stay in a desolate cottage by the lake; it was dusty and smelled mildly of mildew. Honestly, I don’t know what was worse, the ash back in Silver Crescent or the mold. I knew Hodges did not mind the smell; he said any scent was better than the night of the carnival embedded into his memory.I laid on a twin bed covered by a thin, well-worn sheet. My arm spread limp, hanging over my eyes, allowing me to just give in to the blissful darkness that was evenhanded. It showed no prejudice, and I wanted to let myself become one with it.“Matt…” Pan called to me; he was sulking in the back of my mind since we arrived in this pack.“So you are finally acknowledging me?” I snapped back
RoseThe initiation was hours away, and I comfortably lounged in one of the leather chairs in Orion’s office with my nose stuck in a book. He was squaring away as much paperwork as he could before the ceremony took place.Since I had never participated in one or seen one, I had peppered Orion with an obscene amount of questions. I just wanted to get an idea of what was going on. Luckily my mate fed my curiosity and gave me a quick rundown of how the ceremony would go.After the sunset, Orion would make a speech and slice his hand open. Then, my pack members would go up one at a time and cut their palms before locking their hands with him. I would be the last pack member to do it, signifying my importance to the Alpha.At the end of the ceremony, the majority of the combined pack would shift and participate in a run. It was essential to Orion for the pack to unite in their human forms and their wolves. Running as a pack would also allow my pack to get to k
Harriet I was glad that Iris had tracked us down. It gave Heather and my precious time with Rose. I would like to think that our presence helped calm her nerves, but I knew it was really the other way around.Iris took the lead; Orion had already left earlier. We silently followed her as she cut away from the sidewalk and slipped down a trail into the woods. The track was well worn; no foliage dared to try and overgrow it. It was clear that paws and feet had carved the path over many years of use.“Why are you guys so quiet? You should be excited?” Iris broke the silence as we came around a corner.“I think it’s just the nerves, and also, I’m wondering if you are leading us to a serial killer this deep in the woods,” I smirked.“Haha, I guess not all packs keep their meeting area this deep in their woods. Orion likes to keep us in touch with nature.” Iris almost had a sing-song quality to her voice when she spoke about Orion.“So, are you c
AlastorI decided to take my talk with Rose to heart. During the initiation ceremony, I finally let my only defense line crumble and unmasked my scent. Once I stopped masking my scent, it was like a weight crumbled off of my shoulder.I impatiently waited as the members of the Silver Crescent have their palms slit one by one. The anticipation and nerves were eating me alive. Everything around me turned into static as I sunk into myself. Any confidence I had in this plan was turning into dust.Why was I listening to Rose? She doesn’t even know me; she doesn’t know my story. She was so sheltered. This was stupid; I shouldn’t be doing this right now.Before I could finish talking myself out of it, Orion announced that it was time for the run. I made my way to the back of the clearing. I dropped my clothes in an untidy heap and kicked them towards the underbrush of the forest floor.As soon as I shifted, I would run-up in the front of the pack with Ori