▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The horses were settled now. Some were grazing lazily, others lying down in the shade, tails flicking at flies. A few still looked a little off, but it was nothing like before. Since I’d switched out their water, they were slowly getting better—no more sluggish movements, no more dull, glassy eyes. That was a win in my book. I gave one of the mares a gentle pat on the neck, watching as she nuzzled the grass with her nose before taking a lazy bite. The sight made me smile. Moments like this were why I loved this place—quiet, steady, no unnecessary bullshit. Which is why the sound of arguing made my jaw tighten instantly. I turned, recognizing the voice immediately. Samson. For a second, I considered ignoring it. I was already tired of his bullshit for the day. But then I heard the other voice—lower, nervous, unfamiliar. Curtis. I hadn’t spoken much to the guy, but I knew him well enough. Young, hardworking, and my father's favorite for a reason. He’d been
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I sat on my bed, my laptop in place as I read through the post I'd written just moments ago. /Metropolitan MuseHey, Muse Squad!I’ve seen falling stars before—small streaks of light cutting across the sky, gone before you can even make a wish. But last night? Last night was different.Dusty Creek continues to surprise me. I expected quiet nights, crickets singing in the distance, maybe the occasional hoot of an owl. I didn’t expect to witness an entire sky full of falling stars, each one burning bright before vanishing into the darkness.At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I stood outside, watching as the sky came alive, and for a moment, I felt like I was somewhere else—like I was part of something bigger. Have you ever seen something so breathtaking that it makes you pause? Like the world is trying to remind you that magic still exists?That was last night.Falling stars, a sky painted in silver and fire, and a strange feeling in my
★。\|/。★ VANESSA DAVIS ★。/|\。★ The storm had caught me off guard, soaking me in the few seconds I’d been outside. I didn't even realize it rained here. Which is kind of stupid on my part because it should have been very obvious that weather conditions can change over time. I'd just gotten used to the heat- okay I wasn't used to the heat. But I'd gotten a good sense that it was always gonna be hot. Today proved me wrong. Now, back in my bedroom, safe and warm, I shivered slightly as I peeled off my wet clothes, grabbing the first dry thing I could find—a large shirt that fell mid-thigh and a comfortable pair of underwear. I made sure my phone and bag were safe. I grabbed my cell and picked up a towel. I ran the towel through my damp hair before padding barefoot into the living room. Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, drumming against the windows, the wind howling like something out of a horror movie. I sighed, rubbing my arms to chase away the chill. Darcy would have to
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Colton was dangerously close to falling asleep in the tub.His head rested against the edge, his shoulders slack, body sinking further into the water with every slow breath. His chest rose and fell in a deep, steady rhythm, the warm steam curling around us.I wasn’t sure how long we had been in here, but I knew if I let him doze off, he’d wake up stiff and sore—or worse, slip under the water entirely.I dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out, letting the droplets trickle down my wrist before pressing it against his shoulder. The heat of his skin against the warm fabric sent a shiver through me, but I ignored it, focusing on cleaning him.“Hey,” I said softly, dragging the cloth down the length of his arm. “You need to stay awake.”Colton made a low, unintelligible noise, barely lifting his head.I rolled my eyes. “You’re not making a great case for yourself, cowboy.”Another lazy hum.I sighed and pressed the cloth against his chest, wiping away
★。\|/。★ VANESSA DAVIS ★。/|\。★As I left Colton's room and thought about the last place I'd seen a first aid kit. Ah! Downstairs. Ah! The guest bathroom. My bare feet against the tiles were cold, and my clothes were slightly wet from having to help Colton in the shower. My nipples were hard, and poking against the simple fabric. The guest bathroom was colder than the rest of the house, the tiles cool beneath my bare feet as I tip toed in front of the cabinet. I opened the doors, my fingers skimming over bottles and boxes, scanning labels as quickly as I could. Headache relief. Sore throat lozenges. Fever reducer. I grabbed the last one, turning it over in my hands. Expiration date looked fine. Hopefully, it was still good enough to help. Still, I hesitated. I wasn’t a doctor—I didn’t want to give Colton the wrong thing, especially when he was already running hot. My dad would know. Pulling out my phone, I tapped on his contact and hit dial. It didn’t even ring twice before h
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Balancing the tray carefully, making sure I didn't spill anything.. The broth smelled rich, the steam curling into the air, and I was grateful that my dad had walked me through making something decent.When I reached the knob to Colton's room, I nudged the door open with my hip, stepping inside. The storm outside made the room dim, the only light coming from the bedside lamp I had turned on earlier. The rain drummed softly against the window, the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.Colton was still out cold. Well, not exactly. He seems like he's unconscious, but I can tell a part of him is still fighting off that sleep. What a dumbass. I say that sweetly though. I think a guy like him needs a stubborn girl to tell him what to do. He was lying on his back, his breathing deep and steady, his face slack with exhaustion. His damp hair clung slightly to his forehead, and even in sleep, I could see the tension in his shoulders—like his body had forg
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 There's pain, lightness, there are things I can't describe about myself in this moment. Because I was sinking. Not into sleep—sleep was something I welcomed. This was different. A deep, aching exhaustion that ran through my bones, making my limbs feel heavy and useless. My skin burned with fever, my head a foggy mess, and yet, my thoughts wouldn’t stop running.How the hell did I get to this point?I’d worked hard before. Harder than this, even. I’d gone days without proper rest, waking before the sun and collapsing into bed long after it had set. It wasn’t new. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t done before.So why did it feel like my body was giving up on me now?I let out a slow, shuddering breath, my throat dry and tight. My muscles still ached from the day’s work, and I could feel the heat radiating off my own skin. My head pounded, my stomach twisted, but it was the exhaustion that weighed me down the most.I knew when it started.The moment I saw the storm ro
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The rain hadn’t let up.I lay still, listening to the rhythmic drumming against the roof, the occasional gust of wind rattling the windows. It was that steady kind of downpour that blanketed everything in a quiet hum, making the world feel smaller, cozier.I turned my head slightly, eyes landing on the clock glowing on the nightstand. 5:58 AM.Normally, I’d already be out of bed, pulling on my boots, shrugging into a jacket, plopping my hat on, and heading outside before the sun had even fully risen. There was always something that needed doing on the ranch—animals to feed, fences to check, tasks that didn’t care if I was sick or exhausted.But today was different.Because for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t the first one up.And I wasn’t alone.Or at least, I hadn’t been.The bed beside me was empty, the sheets cool where Vanessa had been curled up against me just hours ago. A small crease in the pillow was the only evidence that she’d been there at al
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★We rode the horse all the way to our next destination after leaving the diner, the sky still dipped in twilight shades of purple and gold, dust kicking up behind us as we passed a few shuttered storefronts and the odd resident walking their dog or heading home. It was peaceful, the kind of calm that settled into your bones if you let it.Colton reined the horse in front of the mechanic’s shop—a squat, sun-bleached building with a rusted sign that just said Steve’s Auto. The kind of place that didn’t need Yelp reviews to survive, just old men with busted pickups and nowhere else to go. I thought it was thriving earlier, Colton had brought me here, but things must have changed.Steve himself stepped out as we pulled up, wiping his hands on a rag that had long given up the fight to stay clean. “Thought I heard hooves,” he said, giving a nod to Colton. “She yours?”“The horse or the woman?” Colton asked with a smirk.Steve snorted. “Whichever’s gonna sass me
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I don’t know what I expected when Colton said we were going somewhere not on the map, but it sure as hell wasn’t a water tower. Not one with a view that made the whole damn world feel like it was holding its breath.The town looked like a miniature version of itself from up here—soft, sun-drenched, unreal. Like someone had pressed pause and we were sitting above time itself. I leaned back against the blanket he laid out, stretched my legs out, and let the warmth of the sun and his body beside mine lull me into a kind of weightless joy.God, when was the last time I felt like this?Carefree. Safe. Wanted.Colton was lying next to me, one arm propped under his head, the other draped across his stomach. His shirt had ridden up a little, exposing a sliver of sun-kissed skin, and I had to force myself not to stare too long. Or touch. Or climb on top of him right then and there.Which was ridiculous, because we were literally on top of a damn water tower.“I ca
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 After a good breakfast and wrestling a cup of caffeine from Vanessa, I grabbed the keys to one of my Jeeps, tossing them once in the air and catching them with a grin.“C’mon,” I said to Vanessa, watching her follow with that curious tilt of her head I’d grown addicted to. “Thought we’d take a little ride into town.”“I didn’t even know you had a Jeep,” she said as we walked down the path to where the whole family keeps their cars.“I’ve got a few things tucked away,” I said with a shrug. “Come on, I’ll show you.”We rounded the back of a big building, where a few of our vehicles were kept under tarps or shade roofs. Trucks, bikes, the old Jeep I’d learned to drive in for the first time. A bunch of other really clean and expensive-looking cars. I gestured at the line-up. “Told you.”She gave me a little side-eye. “Are you secretly a car fanatic?”I laughed. “Yeah, but that’s not the only reason we have alot of cars. I just grew up in a family where fixing thing
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I woke up warm.Not just physically—though that was part of it, tucked into the soft weight of Colton’s arms, his chest rising and falling behind me like the tide—but something else, too. Safe. Anchored.For a second, I didn’t move. I just blinked slowly at the soft light filtering through the curtains, breathing in the scent of soap, pine, and something distinctly his. Then I tilted my head back slightly and looked up.He was still asleep.His face was peaceful in a way I rarely got to see. No furrowed brow. No guarded jaw. Just Colton, unburdened. His mouth twitched a little, like he was dreaming about something mildly annoying or mildly funny—it was hard to tell with him.I laughed under my breath. Quiet and breathy.What a strange life.I used to wake up to sirens and honking cabs. Now I was waking up in a quiet room on a ranch, wrapped up in a man whose idea of rest was plowing half a field before breakfast.And yet… this didn’t feel strange at all.
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 We couldn’t keep them here, that was a thought i couldn’t shake from the moment i showed up here. I stood in the barn, arms crossed, watching the twins—Fabian and Derico, or whatever they called themselves—slumped against the wooden post, weak and sullen but still dangerous. Ross had tied them good, and Abel was pacing like he wanted an excuse to break something. I think my father wants to hit someone. I’d let him, but I can’t risk him accidentally killing them. We need them.Vanessa’s concoction was still doing its work. She hadn’t lied—whatever she’d made, it drained the strength right out of their bones and soul as well. Enough of it could ruin a shifter’s ability to ever turn again. I’d seen that look in their eyes now. They understood what was at stake. She did say it was like wolfsbane. I should send a general message to everyone in the pack to wash the concoction off their skin. “We should move them,” I said finally, turning to face my father. “Take ’
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I shut the lid of my laptop and stared at it for a long second. The screen was black, but I could still see the echo of everything inside it—files, photos, confessions that might change the course of this pack’s future. I backed it up to several places. The first backup was easier than the others after it. Ugh, I’m actually super tired. I feel like crashing but i have one more thing to do. I gotta make that call I’ve been avoiding.My thumb hovered over my phone before I picked it up and scrolled to a number I’d been avoiding for days.Maya (Editor-in-Chief)The moment it started ringing, I regretted it. But there was no turning back now.She picked up before the third ring.“Jesus Christ, Vanessa. You’re alive. I’ve been calling you, emailing you, and texting you. You practically live on your phone, so why haven’t you been answering?”Her voice was sharp, loud, clipped. Familiar. And also tired. Everyone’s got shit that they’re dealing with.“I’m sorry,
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I checked on my phone and the recording. Thank fuck for the apps i use. That long confession would have needed to be divided into two parts, or more. I turned to Ross and Abel.“I’ll go get Colton, he can help you guys with this.” I said, slipping the last of the vials into the worn canvas of my bag.“You want us to just watch them while you’re gone?” “Yeah, just think of them as wild, untamed STDs. You don’t have it, but you gotta watch out for it.”Abel gave a curt nod, jaw set and eyes still on the twins, who were slumped and breathing heavily against their restraints. Ross, on the other hand, let out a quiet little hum — not disapproving, not questioning. Just… amused.“STDs?”I glanced at him briefly, and sure enough, he was fighting the corner of a smile.“Yeah.”His lips pressed together, and he took in several breaths to calm himself. “You do that,” he said, like he was letting me walk off with some private joke I’d never understand. “Don’t be to
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I set my vials down carefully on a dusty old table by the door, arranging them neatly, almost deliberately slow.Fabian and Derico — the Fa-derico twins — were chained and fidgeting against the beams, their faces tight with pain and hatred.Good.Let them stew.I turned to Abel and Ross, keeping my voice even, business-like.“We’re going to do this properly,” I said. “I’m going to need to take some photos and videos.” I glanced at Ross. “If they confess anything — especially anything about a woman named Alina — we’re going to need proof.”Ross raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Abel grunted his approval. They didn’t know that name, I’m guessing colton didn’t really tell them the name of the woman who scammed him. I’d like to punch her. Not out of jealousy though. I’m classier than that- It’s maybe partly jealousy. Still, colton is a nice guy. And girls like me and alina use nice guys. I’m not proud of those past conquest but I’m also not ashamed of it.I loo
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★The field buzzed with leftover tension — the kind that clung to your skin and made every breath feel heavier.Children whimpered quietly against their mothers' legs.Men who hadn’t joined the chase and women stood frozen in place, casting nervous glances toward the trees where snarls and crashing sounds echoed in the distance.No one knew if they should stay or run.I stepped forward, heart pounding, but kept my voice soft, steady."Everyone," I called out gently, enough to draw their wary eyes to me, "please — head home. Take the little ones. The elders, too. There's nothing else you need to see. Get everyone to the safest place you can. Thank you for your time today."The pack hesitated, the weight of their fear holding them still. I noticed people squinting at the distance. They didn’t want to move, just in case there were more attackers. I softened my tone even further. "You're safe. Colton and the others have it under control. It would do them a gre