LOGINJulieA sharp, aggressive knock on the door violently shatters the electric bubble between us."That must be the pizza" I say, my breath finally returning as I get up.My skin still tingles where his hands were resting, but I force myself to walk over and swing the door open, expecting a regular delivery guy, but the moment the door swings wide, I completely freeze.Standing in the hallway with a pizza box is Johnny. He’s one of Chad's frat brothers, a starting linebacker on the football team, and a notorious hothead who treats Chad like a god. Johnny looks past me, his eyes instantly locking onto Aiden, who is sitting calmly on the edge of my bed. Johnny's face contorts into pure rage."What the actual fuck, Julie?" he barks, his voice echoing loudly down the corridor. "Chad is at the frat house, and you're up here hooking up with another guy? Who the fuck is this loser?""Johnny, get out of here… It’s none of your business. Chad and I broke up."I say, my voice shaking."Broke up? Y
"Okay, I found a place!" Julie squeals, bouncing slightly on her knees.”Fine, but first, we need to discuss the most important thing…the pizza toppings" I say, crossing my arms and putting on an act of absolute seriousness.Julie glances at me, and her face immediately splits into a look of pure, mischievous challenge. She sits up straighter, crossing her arms to mimic my posture, and narrows her eyes as she takes the bait."Alright then… Let’s lay our cards on the table. What exactly do you want on it?” she asks, raisin her other eyebrow, her voice dropping into a hilariously dramatic, matching mock seriousness.”Pepperoni. Make it double.” I start.”Fine” she agrees.”Extra cheese” she then says.”Good choice" I nod seriously.”Bell peppers” she says.”Fine, red onions” I reply.”Good, and finally… Pineapple” she declares, lifting her chin in a challenging manner.My smile instantly drops into a look of pure, unadulterated horror. ”Pineapple? Julie… putting tropical fruit on a piz
AidenThe bathroom door clicks shut, and the heavy, electric tension in the room instantly diffuses into something comfortable. I let out a low, amused huff, a helpless laugh bubbling up from my chest as I stare at the blank wood of the door. I run a hand through my hopelessly messy hair, shaking my head. A troll. A raccoon. Goddess, she is intoxicating. The fact that she accepts the bond but plays with it like this makes my wolf purr with absolute adoration. She wants me to wait, and I will gladly spend an eternity waiting if it means keeping that massive grin on her face. I sink onto her bed, the apartment slowly starting to fill with the faint, sweet scent of her vanilla body wash. My wolf stirs with a quiet, restless contentment, but there's a buzzing energy under my skin that I can't shake. I need to tell my pack. I pull out my phone, open my messages, and text Xander.ME: I found her. Julie is my mate.My phone vibrates almost instantly in my palm.Xander: Are you serious?! Man
”Okay… So, the guys in 304 are playing Mario Kart” Aiden says, flashing me a devastating grin.”Someone just got hit by a blue shell and is screaming profanities that I didn't even know existed. And just down the hall, some poor soul is writing an essay on a mechanical keyboard, typing like their life depends on it.””Classic college students. What else?” I snort, laughing out loud.”Well, a couple on the second floor is currently in the middle of a massive blowout because the guy got caught cheating…” he says, tilting his head as he listens to the faint sounds vibrating through the ceiling. ”But then, someone in the apartment right above them is completely oblivious, singing top-of-their-lungs pop songs in the shower. With a truly, tragically bad voice.” Aiden suddenly freezes, clearing his throat awkwardly.I look up at him and almost gasp—a faint, incredibly adorable pink tint is creeping up his neck and hitting his ears. He rubs the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at me.
Slowly, Julie pulls back just enough to look up at me, her eyes still damp but a bright, watery smile breaking across her face. I gently wipe the remaining tear from her cheek with the pad of my thumb, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her forehead. The heavy weight of the past is gone, left entirely on the pavement behind us. I reach down, lacing my fingers through hers, and tug her gently back into motion. ”Alright… My turn to ask a question.” I say, a playful smirk returning to my lips as we continue our stroll hand in hand. Julie lets out a wet laugh, bumping her shoulder against mine.”Very well. Ask your question, wolf boy.””Okay, twenty questions, round two” I say, swinging our joined hands slightly between us. ”If you were forced to wear only one color for the rest of your life, but it had to be either neon puke-green or blinding hot-pink, which one are you choosing?”Julie gasps, stopping in her tracks to stare at me in horror. ”Neon puke-green? Aiden, that’s adm
AidenWe step out of Julie's apartment and into the crisp afternoon air, leaving the heavy atmosphere of her dorm behind us. The transition does wonders for her. Almost instantly, the tension vanishes from her shoulders, replaced by her usual talkative, bubbly energy. She suggests we continue the game of twenty questions to pass the time as we walk, and I eagerly agree, completely enchanted by the sound of her laughter.As we stroll down the sidewalk, she is a whirlwind of captivating motion, her hands gesturing wildly as she speaks. And she keeps touching me—so frequently and effortlessly that she doesn’t even seem to realize she's doing it. Her shoulder playfully bumps against my arm to emphasize a joke, and a second later, her palm rests warm and lingering against my chest as she laughs at my answers.She is practically dancing around me, at one point twirling completely around my back, her fingers tracing a feather-light path across my lower back that leaves my skin burning throug
”Perfect” I murmur and kiss the ring on his finger. ”Can I have a kiss too?” Ashton whispers and I take a look at his handsome face.”Of course babe” and I lean towards him, our lips gently touching. The kiss slowly deepens and I reach to put my glass down. I take Ashton’s glass too and set it on
Sebastian leans down and takes some of his weight by leaning on his forearms on either side of my face. He drops his head against mine, eyes closed. I kiss his lips gently.”I love you” I whisper. Sebastian opens his eyes and looks at me.”Ashton, marry me” He proposes to me. I still feel him insi
”Fuck babe, I don’t know what to say or do” I mumble against his neck.”It’s okay love, you don’t need to say anything” Ashton murmurs. I grab his face and look at him straight in the eyes.”Ashton, I love you, more than anything in this world, more than life, and I will devote the rest of my life
”I mean, I would not continue my college degree if I got this job. It used to be my ultimate dream to become and arts teacher. When I was living in the foster care system, the only thing that kept me floating above the shit that was my life, was my arts teacher. She saw the potential in me, not my







