Rose
I scampered behind Alastor, trying to keep up with his pace. To my surprise, he didn’t head towards any residences. We walked down the road towards a more commercial area of the town.“You are taking me to see Harriet and Heather, right?” I questioned as we passed a small cafe.“Yes, Luna.” Alastor’s face was dead, not giving me anything to work with.“Where are they?”“The training center.”“What? Why?”“That’s where they requested to go. One of our warriors showed them there as once they arrived earlier. You know we do respect people’s requests.”“I’m just surprised that all of the places they would go, they chose there.” I was so confused. Why are they there? What is going on? “Did you take them there?”“No, I was resting when they arrived. Your friends were some of the last to leave Silver Crescent. I haven’t had the pleasure to meet your friends.”We walked up to a large building; Alastor pulled the doorRoseThe minutes slipped by, leaving me unaware of how long I had been there with my friends. As I lounged on the floor with my head on Heather’s lap, I heard the doorknob turn behind me. Leather and cardamom trickled into the room. I knew it was Orion without even turning to look.“Where have you been?” I didn’t turn to him, but it was clear the question was directed towards him. Heather and Harriet shot each other confused glances. I had not mentioned that he had slipped away and didn’t tell me where he was going. With everything going on with Harriet and Matt, I did not want to whine about my mate not telling me goodbye.“I had to take care of some things. Why? Did you miss me, little flower?” His voice was a sweet melody slivering through my mind that I had missed. I felt his presence behind me; little waves of warm electricity washed over me as fingers traced a line on my arm. “Have you been having fun catching up with your friends?”“I did have fun
Orion“Once upon a time, Black Moon pack was a much darker pack than it is today. Generations of bloodlust and greed had tainted the Alphas. The Alphas of Black Moon did not care who was in their way or who they hurt. Their existence was like a thick dark tar that suffocated the life out of anyone who opposed them or crossed their path unintentionally. The darkness in their hearts corrupted and smothered any light that appeared in their lives. Our pack was feared because of the demons who ran it.My father was no better than his predecessors. He was a cruel man. The darkness that festered inside him was not meant for this world; the world did not deserve it. The pack was terrified of their Alpha. Anyone who attempted to escape never made it far.My father was never able to find his mate, and then at the age of 35, he plundered a much weaker pack, the Sundrop pack, and kidnapped my mother, who was only 17 at the time. My father almost extinguished her pack from e
Orion"I killed my father." As the words slipped out of my lips, I dropped my eyes to the floor. I waited for her to process my story. The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity. I couldn't look at her; I didn't deserve to look at her. I didn't deserve to have a mate. I couldn't protect my mom or my sister. Could I defend her? "I couldn't let him hurt anyone else…."My eyes focused on a knot on the hardwood floor. Forcing myself to study every curl, every imperfection, and every detail. I felt a small rush of electricity on my knee begging for my attention. I pulled my eyes up to my knee to see my mate's hand. I sighed and traced her hand with my eyes, desperate to memorize it."You can reject me. I won't hold it against you." The most painful words I had ever uttered lingered in the air, breaking my heart more with each word."I'm not rejecting you." Her words drifted into my ears, causing me to snap my face up to meet her eyes. Her eyes brimmed wi
RoseI 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 we
OrionAfter 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