MasukPoseyRoman’s departure wasn’t the least bit shocking. He hovered in the doorframe of my bedroom in the glare of morning light, posturing, refusing to make eye contact as he rattled off what was happening and his expectations of me in the meantime. “It’ll be better for you to stay here. It’ll give you a chance to actually put forth an effort in your upcoming entrance exam, and I will finalize the details of your move to Moonrise while at home. You won’t have to worry about Mom and Dad’s feelings on the matter. You’ll be alone here. You’ll have all the time you need to prepare for this. To succeed.” His voice was monotone but firm–a silent warning, and honestly, a confirmation that he gets it now. Why I’m doing this. Why I have to go. Even if his reasons for being okay with it are entirely selfish and only about him and his precious future.He said nothing about Aris and left after saying, “I’ll pick you up in ten days, give or take.” The first thing I did was check my calendar, coun
ArisWhat I should have done is sent Roman back to Sapphire Ridge to chill the fuck out. What I did instead was nothing. It’s been three days since Willow stormed out, Roman shut down, and I kissed Posey not once, but twice against my better judgment. Three days of pretending like everything is okay, that I didn’t do something that will forever ruin my friendship with Posey and her brother if he finds out, which he won’t. I’m not even thinking about Roman, however. He’s a grown-ass man. An Alpha’s son. He’ll be fine, but his presence is currently grating on my nerves, and him leaving would be the best option. He’d go back to his responsibilities, and he’d have the opportunity to bury whatever he’s going through and refuses to talk to me about it. But if he leaves, so will Posey. I can’t allow that quite yet. I tell myself it’s not because he’ll take Posey with him, and I feel like I’m on the cusp of changing her mind, but because I need this summer as well. Like Roman and Posey, I
PoseyAris moves like a wolf even in his human form. Every step is calculated and sure-footed. I follow him down a wolf trail just above the rocky beach. He keeps his eyes trained on the forest, turning his head ever so slightly to every sound, but he hasn’t said a word to me in over two miles. I can’t say I mind the silence, the walk itself. The hike. This is exactly the kind of activity I enjoy. It’s a beautiful day, and after this morning, my mind was in a tangle. Now, it's quiet. The overstimulation I felt back at the house is nothing more than a gentle hum of noise in the back of my mind while I focus on everything and nothing at all. Gem Lake as a whole is a melting pot of environments, and here, in the Ruby district, the beaches tend to be rocky and steep, and the trees, mostly magnolia, silverbell, and dogwood, grow thick, giving much needed shade. Further south along the Gem Lake system, like the cove we visited, the beaches thin, the sand growing soft and pale, and the wat
PoseyAris’s lips are supple and warm–softer than I expected. I’m not sure what I anticipated, but it wasn’t… this. His mouth presses to mine–tender, soft, innocent. His hand remains on my cheek, holding me in place as he slowly eases the pressure and angles away ever so slightly. The distance is unbearable, like he’s taken the very breath from my lungs. I realize I’ve pinned my eyes closed, holding my breath, so I open them, looking up at him in disbelief. His fingers curl around the back of my neck, and he takes a shallow breath, his eyes searching mine before he presses our foreheads together, our mouths only centimeters apart.My stomach tumbles, my body floods with warmth like a sudden fever, and my heart feels like it's about to race out of my chest. “That’s what it feels like,” he whispers, his thumb smoothing over my cheekbone. “Everytime?”His eyes meet mine and hold, darkening several shades until they resemble raw iron. He leans forward, our lips nearly touching again.
ArisI should be loving this. This is actually what I wanted out of my last summer of freedom before I submit to my grandfather and let him turn me into the new king of shadows he’s been pestering me to be since I was little more than fourteen. I should be shitfaced right now with my tongue down some stranger woman’s throat, but instead, I’m watching the beach and the hundred or so people I don’t know mingle and rally like this is their last night in the Goddess’s kingdom. Half an hour ago, I’d been finishing my second beer while watching Posey talk to a tall, dark-haired idiot I immediately recognized as the Alpha of Ruby’s son, Mason. I’ve only met the guy once, when I came to view the lake house for the first time, and didn’t hate him then, but I sure as hell do now because I can’t find the knuckle-dragging bastard anywhere, and I’m guessing wherever he went, he took Posey with him. I can’t relax, even after downing a third, then fourth drink… Well, perhaps this is my sixth, jud
Posey“Well, that takes care of that, I guess.” Willow cuts me a look as she stuffs her clothes in her suitcase, leaning her weight against it. “I did tell you he was interested in you.”I slouch on the edge of her bed on the second floor of the lake house, the room full of tangerine-hued light from the sunset. “He’s not interested in me. He’s interested in my business. There’s a difference. Aris has always had to know everything about everyone.”She rolls her eyes and yanks on the zipper several times before it gives and allows her to close the suitcase, which she promptly dumps on the floor with a reverberating thud. “I’m here for one more night, and the one thing I want more than anything is to see you let loose and have fun with me. Can you do that? Your secret is out, so it doesn’t matter.”My chest tightens. “My-my secret?”She tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Uh, yeah? The fact you’ll forever be a virgin?”My chest relaxes as relief sweeps through me like a tidal wave. “Oh,







