LOGINVIOLETDeath.He had shadowed my life for as long as I could remember. The death of this and the death of that. Had it all been leading here—To this moment where I would succumb to him too?Brian tightened his arm around my waist like a steel band. He seemed to be verbally berating the seer, but the words blurred into nothing. My mind had floated away.I scanned Willow's cabin with detached eyes, touching every detail. I felt like a fly on her windowsill, rather than the Luna whose death she had pronounced.Her cabin was naked, stripped of warmth in all senses of the world. A cot lay rumpled at the far side of the small room, like she had risen from bed not too long ago. A side of the room functioned as the kitchen, but there was barely anything, just a table cluttered with jars and herbs I couldn't recognize. Then there were the chairs.She was younger, younger than me, from the looks of it, and her house was so… empty. Just like Brian's.I had not changed all that I wanted to; Brian
VIOLET “Violet, they don't bite.” “It is looking at me like it will bite,” I snapped at Brian. “They eat grass,” he ground out. “He might decide to try meat today.” The animal looked as wary of me as I was of him. He eyed me angrily and went back to munching the hay that had been set out for them. “You can watch for today, then,” Brian said and tried to wrestle the shears away from me, but I didn't let him. “No, I will do it,” I insisted. “Well, then do it already.” I eyed the animal warily again; it seemed to mind its business, carefully eating, but I knew its attention was on me. It won't bite. It won't bite. I chanted repeatedly in my head, but I realized my mistake the moment I crouched down. The animal turned with a speed I didn't know was possible, and rammed its heavy horns into my forehead. My vision blackened for a moment, and I fell back on my butt, disoriented. Brian gave a full, roaring belly laugh behind me. I rose to my feet, turning to him with angr
VIOLET My breakfast at lunchtime didn't help much, and I crawled back into bed and let exhaustion pull me under again.By the time my body was finally satisfied, dusk had painted the room in deep blues. I spent the first hour of consciousness in my tub. Brian could be really thoughtful when he wanted to be.The wood had been polished till it gleamed and shone. And it was big enough to fit two bodies. I couldn't wait to test out if it was as sturdy as it looked.I soaked until my fingers pruned, trying to wash away the lingering ache in my muscles — and the image of Calvin’s raw shoulder.It would be the first time I was seeing Keren in weeks. I hadn't seen her since before my willing exile and the visit.If I tried to help, I would be refused so I waited in the sitting area for her. Her relationship with Brian made sense now. This probably meant she had cooked for another woman, another of Brian's mates right in this very kitchen. A sharp possessive heat flared through my chest, and
VIOLETBrian's lips were warm against my forehead, but I couldn't find it in me to rise with the sun as he did. After the events of the day and night before, I needed to stay longer in bed before I could confront a new day.And he had really worn me out. I wasn't certain my exhausted legs would obey if I tried to move them, so I didn't.The next time I awoke, I made my body move. It creaked and groaned, but it worked. A half win. Calvin was in the sitting area when I emerged.My senses were still dulled so I didn't notice him until I was in there. “Calvin?” I exclaimed, surprised by his presence. My hair was an abandoned nest, and I was wearing an ugly pair of Brian's shorts and an equally ugly shirt. Their comfort made up for their extreme ugliness and I wasn't expecting company.I expected he would be placed on bed rest and by the look of him, he should be. His arm was in a cast and a sling over his shoulder, and he groaned quietly when he stood. “Luna.”I was unsure of what to do o
VIOLET Calvin… blood… rogues Help… I had to help… Calvin!!! I came to with a jump, but my foot slid on something slippery and I flailed, limbs dancing in the air for one hot minute before I fell. A strong arm broke my fall, and the room came into focus. I recognized that pleasant smell. Brian and I regarded each other for a moment; he, hesitant and wary, me disbelieving and confused. Brian was here, I was here. How was I here? I fell into his arms for a much-needed hug, and he exhaled the tension I had no idea he was holding. I sagged against him, letting him shoulder all of my worries before Calvin's painful whine snapped me back to the present. Brian let me go the moment I pushed away. I was in a tub of water that was growing crimson. The colour itself stuck to me, covering my body like another skin. It covered Brian's body, too, where I had clung to him. I turned to Brian but fear didn't let me ask the questions that hovered at the tip of my tongue. “Calvin is oka
VIOLET I quietly wiped the single tear and faced forward. My choice had been made, and the surety that I wouldn't regret it was now up to fate. My future lay ahead. But pain ignored logic. My heart still ached with every mile that separated me from Hunter and my family. Was it worth it? I would find out whether I intended to or not. “The holiday wasn't as bad as I'd imagined,” Aliya suddenly uttered, nudging me out of my sour state. “The pancakes were better,” Calvin added begrudgingly. Was this their attempt at lightening the mood? It was such a poor attempt so why was I smiling? “But the meat isn't as good?” I asked playfully. “The meat is always better, back home.” Aliya agreed. “Yes, it is.” I don't think their attempt helped much, but the pressure in my chest eased a little. I wasn't as alone as I thought. The slight awkwardness of our conversation hung somewhere on the road as we covered the miles. Sleep was far from me, so my eyes remained open as we counted down the
VIOLETI didn't want to go back in, but I really needed to have a bath. Now that the heat was gone, I felt sticky, like I had another layer of skin that needed peeling off.And at the same time, I didn't want to run into Brian. I was more than ashamed and when my numbness faded, I knew I would feel
VIBrian stood before me in all of his naked glory, and he was so beautiful. A naked man was not an abnormal sight in werewolf packs, but with Brian, it felt like I was seeing a man for the first time.My eyes feasted on his body, and he let me look. He was quite muscular, and his broad chest had a
VIOLET The crisp fall air stung my cheeks as we approached what I came to know as Harriette's cabin and Harriette was, in fact, not shocked to see me.“Vi! You're finally here,” she greeted me happily at the door, a wide smile upon her pretty face.“Uhm hello,” I answered, a little bewildered.“Da
VIOLET I ignored him.“I feel so hot,” I mumbled, rising to my feet. The discomfort in my pants was getting stronger. Perhaps if there were a river close by, I could swim in it, and this stifling heat would be a thing of the past.“We need to go back,” Brian said, his voice hard.“I need to get to







