LOGINBRIANFor the first time in decades, I woke up in a bed that wasn't my own, and a room that was far from familiar. Streaks of light filtered through the billowing curtains, painting the room in different shades of dawn.Gentle to not wake her, I untangled myself from Violet which was a little hard as she was a clinger in her sleep. When I finally did, she shivered a little, but her light snores continued.Her room was as colourful as her personality. The walls were painted a pale pink, matching the overly girly wardrobe, the wood of the bed, and the singular table and chair in the room. The walls also carried drawings that were a sore to the eyes. I chuckled at the sight of the appalling stick figures and careless swipes of paint. My mate had no artistic bone in her body, that was for sure.I touched the edge of the worn table, the paint had cracked in several areas, but books were stacked neatly on one side, and trinkets on the other. I put my weary behind on the chair that creaked
VIOLET The night stood still, crackling with the intense tension that suddenly filled the air.Liz quietly let go of Brian's hand and stood to the side. Her mate would always come first.“Hunter!” I screamed, and the cheer was only half forced, then rushed to him for a hug. Well, it was more like a hasty waddle, and thankfully, he met me halfway. He gently lifted me and twirled me around despite the scowl on his face. The strain remained.“You're pregnant,” he said, stating the obvious, and that scowl disappeared, replaced by a wide-eyed look.Brian chose that moment to step forward—absolutely wrong timing. “Hunter, it's good to see you again.” My mate said and offered his hand for a shake.That scowl returned to Hunter's face, he tucked me into his side, and my brother eyed the hand like it was a venomous snake. After what felt like a lifetime, Hunter finally shook Brian's hand, but he didn't spare his words. “I honestly cannot say the same about you.” I stiffened beside my brothe
VIOLET“I still don't think this is necessary,” I grumbled, arms crossed over my ever-growing belly. And I thought Liz's stomach was extra big. Mine was putting hers to shame.Brian sent me an annoyed stare, and with a voice that didn't match his expression, he said, “We've talked about this, it is only for a little while—”“Until the baby is here? That's a long time!”“It will be any day now.”“No, it won't,”Brian gave an exasperated sigh. “Yes, it will. You will be safer over there and it will give me some peace.”“Oh, so your mate and baby are such a burden now?” I egged.He leveled me with a pointed stare, “Violet, everyone knows you're a pain in my ass.”I gasped theatrically, clutching my chest in a fake display of pain. “How dare you?”“Do you want this in the car or should I just stuff it here with your things?” He asked, shaking the pillow I used for propping up my feet.“You are lucky that I like your beautiful ass,” I sniffed and I heard the distinct sound of someone choki
VIOLET “What?” He was paler than a ghost.His hands slipped from my face, and I caught them, pressing them back to my stomach. “This is what matters now, Brian. And we're wasting the time we have left.”To my absolute horror, those dull blue eyes filled up with moisture. “Why can't I save you?” His voice didn't falter or break, and it didn't need to. Brian was already broken.The question begged an answer, one neither one of us could provide.“I don't know, Brian. But please let me save you, let me save her.” “I don't want you to die.”“I don't want to die either,” my lips tilted on one side into a humorless ghost of a smile. “But can't you see? The end will come, and we will have spent the whole time breaking, instead of living. It has to stop.”“How do I find a shade in summer if my tree is gone—if you are gone?” He swiped his thumb back and forth on the baby bump. “She needs her mother.”“No, she needs her father, and she has a pack that will raise her. Though if she's anything l
VIOLETPregnancy had one too many disadvantages—sleep was the worst of them.Dawn hadn't even begun to colour the sky when I awoke, but Brian was already gone, and I lay alone on the wooden floor, a thin blanket over my body.Out of habit, my hand reached down to rub my belly, letting the thumps of life comfort me. A horrible conclusion was being drawn in my mind, and fear had me clutching my belly tighter. We had run out of time.And we were here, unprepared, unprotected, and undeniably counting down the days until Brian wasn't Brian anymore. Rage, strong and instinctive, grew within me; this curse had no right, the moon goddess had no right. Even Brian had no fucking right.My baby had to live… somehow.I hadn't left the spot on the floor when Keren came in that morning. I clung to her like a child when she helped me up, burying my face in her shoulder and soaking up all the comfort she offered. Mindlink or not, Keren was a quiet woman. Her eyes searched mine, filled with questions
VIOLET I knew something was wrong before he opened the door.“Brian,” I greeted, pushing my unwilling body to stand.His mumbled reply was lost behind the sudden spike of fear in my heart. Brian was pale, scarily so. And his eyebrows were tightly scrunched like he was in pain. He forced a smile for my sake and was muttering things too low for me to hear.He didn't stop by me or the table as I expected, but went straight into the corridor, and my worry spiked. Calvin had left mere moments ago and right now, I wished he hadn't.I followed after him, as fast as I could—it wasn't very fast. When I reached the room, my mate was lying flat on the bed and shivering like a single leaf against a storm. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. His eyes were closed, but he kept on muttering things I couldn't make out.“Brian,” I called out to him, my voice tight with fear.With care, I reached out to touch his forehead, and I snatched it back unconsciously. Hot. It was blistering hot.“Brian, what
VIOLET I stood in stance before Aliya, in the moments before chaos. She was in her fighting stance too.“Do not hold back, do your best to hit me.”She was barely finishing her words, before I went after her with the first punch.She evaded me easily. There was a raised eyebrow as she crouched bac
VIOLET The dent was growing, it was larger this morning.I sparred with the tree like it had long auburn hair, each blow landing with precision. My unmoving opponent creaked, bathing me again with almost dead leaves. Perhaps signalling its surrender, but I'd stopped listening three baths ago.“Two
VIOLETBrian didn't pause or stop, he went through the trees like a black demon, breaking branches and snapping twigs as he went.A huge branch snapped in my face, and I almost lost my seating. I grabbed his fur with too much force, doing my best to remain seated. I would take wolf-riding classes i
VIOLET “You look lovely, Vi.” Brian's low voice rolled over me, low and warm when I stepped into the sitting area.My black dress was one I was lucky enough to pack on my forced trip here. It was hand-sewn by Liz, a woman of many talents, and it was irrevocably mine.I didn't like to wear it ofte







