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SIXTY-FOUR | LYCANTHROPY
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The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-FIVE | MOONSHINE
I shifted so that I could look properly at Samyak’s face. His dark skin shone in the moonlight, and his deep eyes glittered beneath their long lashes. The light cast shadows down his cheeks, gossamer strands falling, incandescent, across his cheekbones.His curved lips were parted, and the very front of his teeth were visible; he was eager, ready. His eyebrows were up, just a little, right in the centre. I swallowed thickly.When I thought of Samyak, I thought of a warm hearth, a crackling fire, the first rays of sun in the morning after days of rain. I thought of the leaping joy in my chest when he was near, of his golden light permeating into my very bones. I thought of his strong hands on my waist, of his soft, sweet kisses, and of his kind eyes. I thought of the handsome sweep of his jaw, of the curled hairs that nestled behind his ears, and of him shifting his weight when he felt unsure of something.More than all of that, I thought of how those things made me feel. Under the moon
The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-SIX | LOST
Hi, Samyak said. I went to respond vocally, but I then realised that he had not, in fact, spoken. He had mindlinked me.Hey, I replied, my mouth stretching into a dopey, excited grin.The feeling reminded me of being a child, of sending secret messages to my friends. The sort of joy that can come only from the sneaking feeling that you’re getting away with something; not a malicious kind of hiding, more an innocent, giggling state of being.Samyak’s emotions were intensified through the bond, too. I could feel his glee as well as my own. The drizzle was becoming heavier, falling in fat droplets onto our skin, but we did not care nor move. We lay under the moonlight and explored one another, feeling out the parameters of our newly completed mate bond.We stood, after a while, our backs sodden from the wet grass. Under the crystal light of the moon we danced, filled with such happiness that we had to move, to hold one another and twirl through the wildflowers. I leapt into Samyak’s arms,
The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-SEVEN | POETRY
I sat in the window seat, stunned, for a while after Samyak had stormed out. His behaviour was unlike any I’d experienced from him, and I was not angry nor upset; no, I was concerned.I felt that he was keeping something from me, and I thought that it must be related to the scar on his thigh. I found myself daydreaming, imagining any and all of the scenarios that could have possibly led to this.It must have been some sort of fight, I thought, for him to bear such a scar. Or perhaps an accident; it could have been a glass bottle falling from a shelf. But then why would he have such a fear of me getting hurt, or of letting people down? Why did he feel so responsible for the safety of others?I sighed. Picturing scenarios in my head may feel productive, like I was getting somewhere, but in reality it was hopeless. The only place I’d find the answers I sought was Samyak, but for now at least, he needed space.He’d left in such a hurry that he’d abandoned his books and notepad at my side,
The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-EIGHT | THE GROVE
“Let’s do it,” said Samyak.“Okay. I’m all in if you are,” I agreed.We were sat on the rooftop garden of our cabin, surrounded by the climbing tendrils of plants as the evening sun dropped low in the darkening sky. The clouds were bubble gum pink, bright against the purple backdrop of the twilight air.We had a plan. It was time to put it into action.The next morning, I awoke early, well before training. I tugged on the shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers that I wanted to wear to train in, and, pressing a quick kiss to Samyak’s forehead before I left, I crept out into the quiet of the morning.There was a chill in the air, the sort that comes before the heat of the midday sun. The grass was damp with dew, and it felt cool as it lapped at my trainers. I walked with purpose, my strides long despite my short stature, and I covered the ground quickly.Nami was waiting for me outside of the pack house when I arrived. She yawned widely, and scratched behind her ear. Her hair had been braided int
The Beta's Daughter SIXTY-NINE | A HISTORY OF HUNTERS
I snuck into the cabin, my arms laden with shopping bags. My gown was still on its hanger and had been tucked into a long bag, and I’d slung that over my shoulder. The rest of my purchases were for after the welcoming ceremony, and I could not let Samyak see anything I’d bought – dress or otherwise.“Hey,” Samyak called out. His voice was muffled, and it sounded as though he was on the far side of the cabin.“Hi!” I called back. “Are you in the kitchen?”“Sure am! Dinner’s almost ready.”“I’ll be in in a minute!” I yelled. This was too lucky an opportunity to mess up. I hurried into the bedroom, and then spun around on the spot, looking for somewhere to hide everything I’d bought.My eyes landed on an empty box that we’d left, discarded on the floor, after I’d finished unpacking. I shuffled forwards, leaning down so that my gown would slither from my shoulder and onto the plaid bed sheets. Using my toe, I then managed to pry the lid from the box, and I dumped the contents of my arms in
The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY | MARKED
The night of the welcoming ceremony was upon us. My stomach churned with nervous excitement, and I kept having to wipe my sweaty palms on my gym shorts.Nami bustled in, damp from her shower, her towel slung around her body and slipping down as she powered into her bedroom. She rolled her eyes and held it up with one hand, and gestured at the bathroom with the other.“Your turn,” she said, nodding towards it as she spoke.“Thanks,” I said, my voice burning in my throat.I didn’t know why I was so nervous – since his revelation about the hunters and the rogues, Samyak had been in a permanently good mood. As for the ceremony itself, I was more excited than worried. I supposed that it must be the stress of pulling off my surprise afterwards, and I tried to soothe myself. I knew I’d pull it off, but with a pack of wolves there were always unprecedented factors to consider.What was really bothering me, though, I thought as I slung my towel over my shoulder, was that the last ceremonious ev
The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY-ONE | HORIZON
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The Beta's Daughter SEVENTY-TWO | THE WELCOMING CEREMONY (PART 1)
Samyak took my hand in his, and together we walked through the parting crowd up to the wooden plinth. I could feel his pride, his excitement, and his love pulsing like a heartbeat through our mate bond, and I let waves of my own joy wash back over him.I spotted Nami in the crowd, stood beside Chu’a, his slick black hair scraped back into a neat bun. Beside them was Mustapha, and he grinned dopily at me, his large hand almost smacking Chu’a in the face as he brought it up in a giddy wave. I gave him a tiny, excited wave of my own in return.As we strode hand in hand to the front of the pack, all of my nerves dissolved with Samyak beside me. We were surrounded by his (and soon to be our) pack, and we had each other. Last time, we’d both been alone. Should an attack happen, be it by rogues or by hunters, we’d be prepared. We’d be ready.As I waved at the surrounding members of the Lapis Moon pack, I idly imagined Samyak and I tearing at the rogue pack and the hunters, my silver gown and
Bab terbaru
- The Beta's Daughter 122 | EPILOGUE
- The Beta's Daughter 121 | AIRINI
- The Beta's Daughter 120 | NIGHT
- The Beta's Daughter 119 | BATTLE
- The Beta's Daughter 118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
- The Beta's Daughter 117 | AURAS
- The Beta's Daughter 116 | ORB
- The Beta's Daughter 115 | BLOOD
- The Beta's Daughter 114 | SILVER CRESCENT
