Chapter 8 - Cursed Colette"I apologize for Alpha Zane's behaviour. He has always been this way. I wouldn't take it personally," Hayden tried to reassure me, but I knew it wasn't the whole truth. Even though I had only been here, not even a day, I had seen how his pack reacted to him. They respected him more than they feared him. His anger and frustration was personal, no matter how much the Beta tried to reassure me otherwise.I could feel his anger toward me, and I couldn't entirely blame him for it because I was angry too. Angry at Selene for letting my parents and pack die. Angry at whoever took them from me. Mad at Carter and his pack for how they treated me. But most of all, I was angry at myself for not being strong enough to help when I could have. Mad at myself for being too afraid to do anything about my life. I had listened to my mother and respected her dying wish as best as possible, but hiding who and what I was, wasn't helping me anymore. I had to change my approach
Chapter 9 - Disposition Colette I knew what was happening, what happened when one of my kind found their mate. My mother explained the process of how the magic would set in once I was close to them. I squeezed my eyes shut, clamping my jaw shut, fighting the urge to shift.Not yet. I needed more time. "She's burning up," Someone whispered from beside me. When did they get here?Did I pass out? "What's happening?" A deep voice demanded. My pulse increased, and I squeezed my eyes tightly together, willing it to stop and pleading to Selene that it would pass. I pushed the feeling further and further down. I felt a slight pinch in my neck, and my entire body felt heavy. The burning subsided as I was pulled into the darkness. ~~~"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," "Stop it, mama. I'm getting too big for nighttime snuggles." I giggled as my mother pecked ki
Chapter 10 - WickedZane "Zane," Hayden shouted after me as I stormed down the hallway. I ignored him as I continued; Clay was on the brink of shifting. I needed to find an outlet before I completely snapped.Why the fuck had I gone to see her? Why did I even care about her?Her words were playing a constant loop in my mind. 'All we are to each other is a contract. You don't want me here as much as I want to be here,' I let out a snarl as I punched the wall. She was right, so why was I so angry? "Zane," Hayden shouted his footsteps right behind me. I didn't even hesitate as I lunged for him. My patience had vanished, Colette stripping it from me in a matter of seconds. Hayden didn't see it coming, my hand aiming right for his throat. In a flash, he was pinned up against the wall. His grey eyes were wide with shock. My canines were elongated, a snarl echoing down the hall. Clay was toeing the line of complete chaos, and he was about to pull me into it with him. "I don't have time
Chapter 11 - GuiltColette Doctor Peterson had me stay for the night again. Not wanting to risk sending me back to my room in case Zane came back. She apologized profusely for his behaviour, and I was starting to notice that was the ongoing theme around here. Everyone else seemed to apologize for their Alpha's outbursts as if it was their fault he was so angry and arrogant. I didn't get a good night's rest last night—the fear of the nightmares returning filled me with anxiety. Zane's threats also put me on edge. When the sun started to rise, nurses came in to remove my IV and heart monitors. Doctor Peterson was doing a final check-over to ensure I was good to go. I was on a strict diet of high carbs and high-fat foods. Plus, I had to eat at least six times a day for the next week. I could already see that the meals and medication, coupled with my wolf trying to push through, had started to help me fill out again. I was no longer skin and bone, my cheeks weren't sunken, and the dar
Chapter 12 - Secrets ZaneToday Colette and I were getting married, and I couldn't remember a time when I felt more resentful than I do now.I pulled on my black Armani jacket, smoothing out the front after doing up the button. Today would be the first time I saw her since the medical ward blowup that had me wanting to break her until she submitted to me. I had managed to avoid Colette for the rest of the week. More rogues showed up at our border, helping me stay away from the pack house and allowing me an outlet for the rage that seemed never-ending as of late. It almost seemed fitting that she would be the cause of so much of my anger. But today, I had to push past the resentment I felt for the contract that brought her into my life—marrying her and making her Luna of the Redmoon pack would help with my plan of playing, oblivious to the fact that she wasn't actually Alpha Carter's daughter. A broken contract meant a broken treaty which ultimately meant I would have the right to
Chapter 13 - RibbonsColetteZane left the ceremony before we had to kiss, and I counted my blessings because even though I hated him, I knew that if we did kiss, the ice around my heart would melt. Any further contact would already be hard enough, as it was. I thought he would have noticed that I healed his palm during the ceremony, but I guess the moon goddess had blessed me with another moment of secrecy. He didn't pull me aside or put me in front of his pack, or I guess it was our pack now.My heart still felt heavy with the overwhelming presence of all the pack members welcoming me through the link. It was a strange feeling hearing voices in my head from other wolves again. I hadn't been able to link since I was a child. I had felt every connection with my pack slowly disappear as each member was killed, and I never thought I would ever feel that again.After I was brought to the Silvermoon pack Alpha Carter never officially welcomed me into his pack, so I never got to link wit
Chapter 14 - Shutout Colette Everything hurt as my wolf ripped away at the mental barrier I had spent years building to keep her contained. I felt as if my bones were melting. I let out a cry of pain as she destroyed the last tether of mental strength I had left. "Let me out," She snarled again as she trashed against my hold. I clenched my jaw so tightly that I was sure I might crack some of my teeth. I struggled to breathe as my heart pounded against my chest. I put every last ounce of my will into keeping her contained. Not letting her gain control of my body. "Not here," I cried out as I forced myself to my feet. I clung to the wall, trying to find my balance as the room started to spin. My skin itched with the need to shift. But the first shift was always the worst, and having it forced could kill me. We always had someone to help us shift when we turned eighteen. But by then, we had already established a bond with our wolf.I was in a heap of trouble; not only had my wolf be
Chapter 15 - CapturedZane I was livid, anger consuming me as I tried to calm my nerves by leaning on the railing and looking down at the water. No woman had ever gotten so far under my skin as Colette did. Everything about her pissed me off. Maybe it was because I was forced to be with her before I was even born. Or perhaps it was because it wasn't even her I was supposed to marry. I couldn't decide whether that was a blessing or a curse.The fact that fucking Carter thought I was too stupid not to notice the differences only added fuel to the flame. But either way, she pissed me off, something wasn't right about her, and maybe Carter was the dumb one for being too cocky not to fucking notice how strange she really was, but I was going to get to the bottom of it.When I returned from the mountains, my head finally clear once again. I made my way back to the celebration. I had to make an appearance, and as much as I wanted to avoid the little wolf for the rest of the night, I didn't