I chased after Candido for what felt like hours. We ran around the Estate several times before we left the nearby area and went further into the forest. We didn’t talk, but I felt the tension between us fading. When I caught up to him finally, at the edge of a stream he turned to me, his chest heaving. His eyes were bright and filled with moonlight.“Your turn,” he said. “I’ll give you a ten second head start.”“Ten seconds?” I cried back away from him. “That’s hardly fair!”“You’re wasting time,” he said, leaning forward with a predatory smirk. “Make it a good hunt, little one.”I shivered. I wanted to protest, but my body turned sharply, obeying before I could think more about it and taking off into the forest. Maybe I had used a bit of my power, but I couldn’t be sure. That hyper-aware feeling was growing fainter the farther I ran, but soon, it started to grow stronger again. I turned sharply, taking off across a river, jumping from rock to rock to confuse him before running into t
Several weeks passed since I learned about Candido and Sibyl’s engagement. While he left the Estate relatively often, he was always there for breakfast, dinner, and to train with me. For a while, it felt like I could forget that it was even happening.The investigation of the Moon Shadow attack, the other attacks on werewolf land, the book, and what was happening on campus were all on hold. No more damage appeared in the school and things were oddly quiet.“What are you thinking about so hard?” Candido asked.I lifted my head and smiled across the table at him. Allen was gone. We were all alone at breakfast. It felt a little bit like a date except we were in out pajamas. I chuckled.“You need more fun pajamas.”He quirked an eyebrow. “I’ll leave the fun pajamas to you.”I laughed. “You’ll cave. I’m going to buy you something with… penguins or something for you.”“Penguins?” He asked. “No.”“Cats?”“No.”I grinned, “Penguins and cats. Got it.”He rolled his eyes. “I’m not wearing anyth
Sibyl growled at me as she passed, gesturing to her guards. When they were gone, I lifted the phone to my ear.“I’m reporting this to His Majesty.”“Wait,” I said, taking a deep breath. This wouldn’t be enough. Candido’s honor would push him to try and fix our problems with each other, not back out of the deal. “Just wait for it. Could you pick me up lunch? I’m going for a run.”“… as you wish, Miss Hedy.”I walked outside, dropped my bag on the stands of the running track, and broke into a run as fast as I could manage, hoping to focus on something more than my anger.Sibyl was evil, and she was blaming me for everything that was going on with Candido. While I was happy that things weren’t going well for her with Candido, I couldn’t help but be frustrated because Candido was too honorable to back out of this marriage.As I finished my run, I slowed to a stop several feet away from where I had left my bag.In place of the leader of Team Gamma-2 or the guard that followed me around sch
I turned over the discovery and pushed the analyst team in my mind. It had been a few weeks since the analysis was complete, but there still wasn’t any further progress. There had been more murders across the territories, and they had all been getting closer and closer to Candido’s territory. There had been over twenty cases, and if they were all connected to the death of the former alpha king and the Blue Moon Pack, wherever they were, then it was just a matter of time before I figured out the bottom of all of this.I crossed the room to my closet to figure out what I was going to wear tomorrow and stopped as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I had been so preoccupied with the investigations that I hadn’t been weighing myself or measuring my waistline. My clothes were hanging off me now, a full size too big, at least if not more.I pulled out a pair of jeans and slid into them, happy, and a bit horrified that there was so much space in them. If only I’d been paying more attenti
After the little celebration, Candido walked me back to my room and said goodnight. I wouldn’t be drinking milk mixed with his blood any longer. I was at once grateful and a little sad. It felt like I was losing just a bit of the connection I had with him. It felt like it was just the beginning of losing that connection too. First, it would be the blood. Then, I wouldn’t see him as much. Then, he’d be married to Sibyl. Even if he wasn’t married to Sibyl yet, I still hadn’t gotten him to see me as more than just a little girl. Sure, there had been some heated moments between us, but that had all been instinct. The wolf in him recognized me as a woman, but he didn’t and that was the problemI huffed, trying not to think about it too much more. I opened every bag he’d brought. There were casual dresses along with a few cocktail dresses. I wondered if he planned to take me out more often. I did notice that the clothes were in different colors than they had been when I was bigger. I didn’t
Seeing Bella coming into the room, though, made a lot of sense. Who else would be petty enough to ignore the facts and have such a grudge against me? She sneered at me and rounded the table to take her seat. Another person entered just behind her, but he wasn’t familiar to me. He looked tired and irritated. He sat beside Bella, turned to her, and glared at her.She flinched away from him.“For what reason did you reject Claire and Hedy’s applications?” The man that had come in after Bella asked. “Their try-out results were better than the people that were accepted!”Bella lifted her chin. “As the vice president of the team’s administration, I’m responsible for making sure costs are kept down. We would have had to buy new uniforms for Hedy.”The rugby captain hissed. “What the—are you fucking serious? One set of uniforms when we buy new uniforms every year?”“The amount of money in the budget—”“Shut up,” the man said. Bella flushed. “You have no right to talk about the budget that you
I struggled against the darkness. I knew I was unconscious, but as I pushed and pushed against whatever she had prayed me with, I felt my mind waking up. I pushed my power to strengthen my mind and senses, listening for something. I felt something jostle me. If I had to guess, Bella either stumbled over me or kicked me. Then I heard her feet going away.What was her plan? I didn’t know, but as I forced my eyes open, the ceiling spun in my vision. I heard her getting farther away. I grit my teeth, pushing at the heaviness in my body until I could turn onto my side and drag myself away from where I had fallen. My head pounded. Had I hit my head? I didn’t know.My heart was beating a mile a minute with fear and panic, but I tried to focus. I had to move. Even avoiding her plan, staving it off a little would buy me time. Team Gamma-2 would come looking for me soon. I heard my phone ringing, but I couldn’t get to it.If I didn’t answer it on the second try, they’d come after me. I just had
I was running. I didn’t know where or how, but I knew on the other side was something I needed. I heard Candido speaking to me. Sometimes his voice was gentle. Sometimes I heard him growling, but I felt his presence nearby. He didn’t leave me though I didn’t know what I would be waking to. Whenever he spoke, I felt like I was drifting closer to consciousness. When silence fell around me, I sunk.I slept for a long time. I don’t know how long, but it felt like at least a few days. I didn’t want to wake up and face what had happened. The way the world had spun and the sound of them laughing at me chased me nearly every time I started to relax.“You’re okay, Hedy. I’m here.”Candido’s voice kept the sounds at bay when he spoke, but he wasn’t always there. I felt disoriented and lost. My skin felt like it was burning. I felt like I was freezing and everything in me was confused. Moonlight drifted through my eyes. I swore I heard a wolf howling in the distance.Then, for a moment, I was st