Flora Argentine is ReedStone pack’s little loner and glad to be so. Everyone ignores her existence but not because she’s some glasses bearing, baggy clothes wearing nerd, but because her elder brother is the beta of the pack and no one wants to be involved with her. But Flora is perfectly fine with everyone avoiding her as she makes her way towards her last year at the university and leads a simple life without any complications or hardships...or does she? Clay Scotsman is the most popular guy in town and the ladies love him, which isn’t a problem since he loves them right back. The future Alpha of the pack, he has the looks of a Greek God and is a smooth talking charmer who always gets what he wants...except for Flora Argentine. He’s been obsessed with Flora for a very long time, but he dismisses it as simple physical attraction until one day he decides to with it and comes after Flora with all the charm he can master. But once he’s had a taste of her, he finds it nearly impossible to let her go. But Clay and Flora both know that they’re not mates and are dreading the day of Clay’s 28th birthday when he ultimately finds his mate. Is he going to leave her forever for a bond decided upon by the Gods? Or is he going to reject his mate to be with the girl he loves more than life itself? And what will happen when Clay’s mate claims him as hers?
view moreFlora’s P.O.V
I could feel his eyes on me, those gorgeous emerald green eyes that shore like diamonds when the light hit them just right. I could almost imagine him watching me through hooded lashes as dark copper coloured hair fell onto his forehead like a silken blanket. Sometimes, when I was alone at night, I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers through those silken strands, to brush my fingers over those lips that could tempt the heavens itself to sin. But I kept those fantasies to myself. Because Clay Scotsman had a habit of tempting the female species into all kinds of sins before chewing them up and spitting them out the next morning.
But then again, those females he took to bed, humans and wolves alike; never once complained or got clingy. He had that effect on women, no matter the age. He always, always ended a relationship on the right footing. No hard feelings; no strings attached.
The tiny hair at my nape stood in attention as I felt his gaze on me once again. My hand tightened on my pen, but I knew better than to let myself get distracted. Clay was nothing if not the most dangerous of predators. He had the scent of the Alpha, would become our Alpha as soon as Alpha Nicolas retired. And we could all feel it, the time would come soon enough; but for now, he was acting as the Assistant Professor of Biology in my college, which was basically a side job aside from training to be an Alpha and training in battle tactics.
About five minutes later, I felt his gaze draw away from me and I chanced a look from underneath my lashes, only to be met by piercing emerald eyes that made me draw in a breath. Damn, but the guy was beautiful. No, not in a feminine way; those cheekbones, those lips, that nose...it would never be feminine, but there was no other word that I could find than beautiful for a man who was masculine beauty in its purest form.
Those lushly sensual lips curved up with a hint of a smile, as if reading my thoughts, and I instantly looked away and focused on the paper in front of me. Damn it! If this keeps up, I’m surely failing this test.
I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t missed him when he was away for the past ten years to train in Lindersay, the capital city for all wolves. All warrior wolves and future Alpha’s go there to train for their future responsibilities. It provides as a training facility and a school for powerful wolves. My older brother, Riley, had gone there along with Clay since they were the same age and my brother was the future beta of the pack. Clay had been handsome even then; at least that’s what everyone had thought about a lean muscled boy of eighteen on his way to adulthood. But now that boy had returned a man, and he was even more handsome than anyone could’ve predicted, devastatingly so.
I must’ve been too engrossed in my fascination with Clay Scotsman because the sudden sound of the bell ringing had me jumping a foot up in the air before I could stop myself. Controlling my breathing by placing my hand over my racing heart, I looked around me to ensure that no one had noticed my brief distraction, but everyone else seemed busy groaning over their test papers. Clay might distract everyone in the class with his beauty, but he was also a hardass Professor who conducted his class with utmost strictness and discipline. And he held extremely tough tests every week so that our minds remained sharp.
“Flora.” A single word cut through the indistinct murmurs in the class as my heart slammed against my ribcage.
“Yes?” I stood up on shaky legs, the nib of the pen digging into my palm as I stared into gemstone eyes. It was a miracle I hadn’t yet squeaked and made a fool of myself.
I couldn’t see the smirk on his face, but I was sure there was laughter hidden in his eyes as he took in my rigid shoulders, my extremely carefully crafted poker face. “Collect all papers and bring them to my office.” Clay spoke in a calm voice and then he picked up the rest of his stuff and walked out of the class.
As soon as the doors shut behind him, I was scrambling to get my belongings into my bag before rushing from student to student to collect their papers. Several of my classmates gave me exasperated sighs and dramatic looks while some women gave me envious glares as I took their papers, but no one spoke to me directly. They were too scared of my brother to bully me, which is one thing I had always been thankful for. Even when he was away at Lindersay, I was sure he had his spies in place just so they could watch over me. I’d never say it out loud, but I was really thankful for the small curtsey.
Stacking the papers together, I walked out of the classroom with my backpack slung over one shoulder and the papers in both hands, muttering a thank you to one boy who held the door open for me so I could walk out. The boy smiled back and waved goodbye before heading in the opposite direction.
A bit startled at the unexpected help, I continued walking down the familiar hallway to the staff room so I could deposit the papers and make a run for it. No matter how big of a crush I might have on Clay, I found him ten times more intimidating. His charm did nothing to hide the raw power pulsing through his veins.
Since my brother is the beta, I’m kinda used to having that brush of power against my senses, but as the pack’s future healer, I’ll need to be in his contact more often once I turn twenty-one and officially start practicing my healing.
All the way to the staff room, I kept on mentally preparing myself for what I’d do once I saw Clay, but turns out, all that preparation was for nothing because the staff room was completely empty when I reached it. Placing the stack of papers on the desk with Clay’s name on it, I rushed out the door and breathed a sigh of relief… only to fall flat on the ground with my best friend on top of me.
“Ow! Dorothy!” I groaned when she finally got off my back.
“And here I keep thinking that you’d be able to detect me someday.” Dorothy Summers, or Ruth, as I like to call her for short, smirked as she got back up on her feet and held her hand out for me.
“I do sense you, but that doesn’t mean that you always have to sneak up on me in weird places!” I told her exasperated before taking her hand and getting to my feet.
Ruth and I looked exactly the opposite of each other. While she had jet black hair and dark brown eyes and tanned skin courtesy of her Asian mother, I had honey blonde hair; icy blue eyes and porcelain white skin that sometimes made me look like a ghost, if I wore all white. Dorothy was also about five feet and eight inches with voluptuous curves that made her the centre of attention as soon as she walked into a room, while I was only five feet five with a skinnier built than most wolves and no curves.
But the difference in our ethnicity didn’t matter because we have been best friends for the past two years when she moved to ReedStone pack with her parents from a smaller neighbouring pack which was planning a major shift in location because some of their wolves had gone rouge. We had clicked instantly, even though Dorothy was part of the popular crowd, but she was an amiable person inside and out.
“Come on, let’s eat lunch. I’m famished!” She whined as she pulled me in the direction of the college courtyard. That courtyard was linked to the neighbouring open forest where we could go for a quick run if our wolf was feeling agitated or itchy.
Hand in hand, Ruth and I walked into the forest with our backpacks slung over our shoulders. We always ate lunch together inside the forest where there was this huge forest giant that had an unusual outgrowth where one of the low branches touches the ground, creating a pleasant seating area for us. It was a bit further inside the forest which was fine by us because we were wolves who could detect unfamiliar stench from miles away and the soldiers of the pack were always on patrol duty, making sure we were safe from intruders or rogues.
We also went further inside the forest area to avoid running into couples hidden behind trees doing what any hormonal juvenile would be doing, but since we were wolves, it turned those hormones up 10X.
Today, however, as we neared our favourite tree, we got a scent in the air that was awash with power and more than a bit familiar. And along with that scent was another delicate undertone of another wolf, which too was highly familiar.
I don’t know why, but my heart thundered as the two scents mingled with each other.
“Oh, my!” Ruth whispered, first raising her hands to her lips and ducking down low on the ground with me following close behind before she pointed to a tree just a few metres away from our favourite tree.
And there was Clay Scotsman, future Alpha and serial heartbreaker, standing fully clothed with his arms around a delicate woman who was very much naked as they kissed under the canopy of the evergreen trees. But the other woman being naked wasn’t what surprised me; we were wolves who could transform into our animal counterparts with ease, and nakedness wasn’t a new concept to wolves. What surprised me, however, was the fact that he was kissing Ms. McKellar, our very strict and very disciplined Principal who was well into her forties.
Oh Hell!
Malachi Andrews, the Alpha of Lindersay, looked out through the open windows of the infirmary at the two figures lying on two separate beds on opposite sides of the room. Gazing at the star-crossed lovers, he wondered for the thousandth time…could love really conquer all? This wasn’t the first time he had seen a pair, who weren’t mates, be drawn to each other like magnets…or perhaps, the better notion would be, ‘like moths to a flame’? Their love was always ill-fated, would perhaps always remain so. But this was the first time someone had been able to break the mating bond and come out of it alive. The Goddess Selene hadn’t been pleased. It didn’t surprise him all too much since Gods weren’t used to defiance. They believed themselves to be the most supreme beings in the universe. He knew that better than anyone. “Your Lordship.” A moon maiden came to bow before him, her midnight dark hair braided into a thousand braids around her head;
Flora’s P.O.VA blinding light surrounded us at the instant, making me cover my eyes.The entire alter was glowing, including the ceremonial circle on the ground, the light bright enough to light up every corner of the room. It turned everything white and even shielding our eyes didn’t help protect us from the glare. But just as suddenly as the light appeared, it disappeared, plunging us in darkness.When I was finally able to open my eyes, everything appeared to be dark as stars danced in my vision. I blinked several times to clear the haze and then I was searching for Clay. I didn’t have to look long because he was right beside me, trying to shield me from the blinding light. He too blinked several times before his emerald eyes landed on me.“Flora!”He cupped my face in his hands. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”“No, I’m fine.” I told him, searching him in return for an
Clay’s P.O.VThe gateway to Lindersay was a secret that only a select few knew about. Most people who were taken to Lindersay were rendered unconscious while travelling the pathway to the sacred world of the wolves. It was located in another dimension and everything about it was a secret.Like most of the populace, I didn’t know how this place came into being or when it was formed, but the one thing I did know was the portal that would lead me to Lindersay. It was situated in the middle of a road that only a few travelled through and it lead to a dead-end. But right at that dead end was located the portal to Lindersay. Any car could pass through it…if it was travelling at exactly 102 miles per hour.I knew this because all Alphas were given the secret just in case it was needed. Even Riley or any other beta had no idea how to get here.Just as I saw the dead end approaching, I switched gears and kept the speed at exactl
Flora’s P.O.VWe descended down a flight of stairs to the ceremonial hall where I would be integrated into the Lunar Maidens. From the number of stairs that we climbed down, I could tell that the hall was somewhere underground.This was it. Once this ceremony was over, it would seal my fate forever. My wolf told me that if I wanted to back out now, this was my only chance. But my heart knew it was too late. I could never love someone the way I loved Clay.So I’ll wait for the mating bond to suck me in like it did with Clay and I would live in a world of falsehood, forced to love someone for eternity that I hadn’t chosen. Because I had fate in the Moon Goddess to find that person for me. The lover of my dreams who would love me unconditionally.Finally I could see a door at the end of the staircase and these were made of metal instead of wood. The door was plain and simple, just two bars of heavy iron shut together with t
Flora’s P.O.VI woke up to the sound of light knocks on the door.I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I tried to look at my surroundings. It proved to be difficult since my eyes were swollen and keeping them open for long made the hurt. But the knocking on the door continued, so I had to get up.“Good morning.” It was the two women from last night.But the smiles on their faces diminished as soon as they saw my face. “Oh dear!”“Sorry, I…” I shook my head, unable to finish the sentence. What could I tell them? That I was so in love with a man who wasn’t my mate that I decided to leave everything behind and become a Lunar Maiden? That I didn’t think it was possible for me to love anyone else like I did Clay? I don’t think they would understand, no one could.“Here,” the Asian woman held out a tray and on it I found cubes of ice and a
Clay’s P.O.VWhen I arrived at the town square, I found almost every wolf in our pack present there.Alpha Nicolas and Luna Maria were both standing at the centre and as soon as they saw Dorothy with me, smiles broke out on their faces in misunderstanding.“Finally!” Alpha Nicolas came to place his hands on my shoulders. “You’ve come to your senses.”“I’m sorry to disappoint you, uncle.” I removed his hands and turned to Dorothy. “Dorothy has something to say. It’s important.”Everyone looked at Dorothy expectantly, waiting for her to be the bearer of good news, but Dorothy shook her head with a sad smile. “The mating bond is gone. I stopped feeling it this morning.”Several gasps sounded from all directions as whispers began to rise.“How is this possible?”“Is she lying?”“They must have fa
Flora’s P.O.V“And how, may I ask, did you come to know of the Lunar Maidens?”Malachi’s voice hadn’t changed but his eyes were hard and focused only on me, causing me to squirm. The shove of power that had receded a minute ago was now back in full force, shoving against my senses like an avalanche.“Some warriors from a pack told around about them.” I told Malachi through gritted teeth as the power shoved harder, making my head ache. “They turned rogue after a few days and their pack relocated. So some members joined our pack.”“And these members,” he frowned. “How many people did they tell?”“No one.” I brought my hands to my temples as the headache turned to pain. “Just me. I haven’t told anyone else.”The power disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared and I was left gasping for breath and feeling like my hea
Flora’s P.O.V “This way.” I followed the guards in silence as they led me down another corridor, another long hallway. The wolf capital of Lindersay was a spiralling maze and I had a suspicion that it was same for most of the shifter towers that made up the sprawling city. However, I had no doubt in my mind that each tower would be different, their planning made in such a fashion that one race couldn’t intrude on the other, couldn’t spy on them through any angle. And with all the hallways? I was sure that only the permanent residents of the tower ever came close to remembering them. We turned another corner and followed another hallway, and instantly I could tell that these were residential quarters. There were several rooms on either side of the hallway but the space didn’t feel as distant as the rest of the hallways I’d travelled. There was a brightness here that I hadn’t felt elsewhere, even though I couldn’t tell the difference on the sur
Clay’s P.O.VI knocked twice on Nicolas’s door before entering. There was no point in stalling anyway. We both knew why I had been summoned here and I knew that Nicholas would be awaiting my arrival with teeth gritting patience.“What the hell was last night about?”So much for teeth greeting patience.“I thought I explained everything last night itself.” I told him firmly. “I’m in love with Flora and I can’t accept Dorothy as my mate.”“Mates are decided by the moon goddess!” Nicolas snapped at me, the veins in his neck swelling in anger. “To reject her gift is to bring a curse upon yourself and your entire pack!”“Then I’ll leave the pack.” It was a split second decision, but I knew in my heart that it wasn’t a wrong one. “If my family, my own pack cannot accept my choice or respect my decision, then I’m
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