Izzy’s pov
The fish caught my eye immediately. I had never seen so many fish; the fish tank was filled with beautifully colored fish. They were small and moved in groups, reminding me of home. They move as one, a beautiful school of fish. It was similar to one of the traditions we had at the pack. On every full moon, the ones who are blessed with wolves go out and run as one, sending praise to the Moon Goddess.Do fish have a goddess? Nah, that would be silly.I was so busy staring at the fish that I didn’t even feel the eyes of someone staring at me through the back of the tank. It was his smell that drew my attention to him. I had never smelled anything like him; I didn’t even think humans could smell this good.I looked up, and his eyes found mine. Was I secretly trapped in that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, "Romeo and Juliet"? This man staring at me was far more handsome than Leonardo was in his younger days, which was saying something because Leo was a bit of a hottie back then.I stared at the beautiful man in front of me until my insecurities got the best of me. My eyes lowered, and when I looked up again, the handsome stranger was gone.Probably for the best. I ran away to escape a man; falling straight into the arms of another wasn’t the best idea right now. "So you’re eighteen?" the kind woman behind the desk asked.I nodded my head, "yes, I am."She looked at my throat; the imprint of Jordan’s hand was still there, although it had faded a lot. "You look like you really need a place to stay, but you should work on sounding more credible when you lie. Your face is a dead giveaway." The woman handed me a key.She looked around fifty; her blond hair was turning grey in some areas, but she was kind of rocking the look. Her round face and big smile made me feel at ease immediately. There was just something about her that made me trust her, but that didn’t mean I was planning on staying for long. It would be too dangerous to stay here.- - - - -Two days earlier. "Isadora!" Mom yelled from down stairs. I didn’t want to get up, knowing what was waiting for me today. I had been dreading this day for the whole week. Before I turned seventeen, Jordan had no desire to be seen with me or to hang out with me, but something had changed. I wouldn’t have minded if he kept ignoring me; I didn’t even care that he was sleeping with half the unmated she-wolves of the pack as long as he left me alone. Mom had enough and walked up the stairs; it sounded like each step she took she used more force in her step, and I knew I couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer. I got up from my bed and started picking out an outfit. Jordan preferred me in dresses; mom too; but I wanted as many layers of clothing as possible to protect me. I had put one leg in my jeans before Mom entered my room. "You know you can’t keep him waiting! His time is valuable!" It wasn’t like he was the Alpha yet, but mom liked to pretend he was.I sighed, and Mom’s eyes were enough to make me look down. She was fuming. "Isadora Jane Greenleaf! This is what we have been working towards for years. This is your destiny. I can’t understand for the life of me why you are behaving this way! The Moon Goddess has chosen you, and you act like it’s a burden instead of a blessing."Every family of importance invited the oracle over to visit their newborn baby, hoping the oracle would get a vision about their future. Usually it was a vision about their future job or love interest, or she would describe the baby’s character, but sometimes she would give out a warning. I didn’t get a warning. My parents got the prophecy that every parent of a little girl would hope for. The oracle stated that I would become the Luna of this pack. It was my destiny.Which meant that I would be mated to Jordan. The oracle didn’t say it, but there was no other way for me to become the Luna of this pack. What most consider a blessing felt more like a curse to me. From the moment I could walk and talk, I was trained to become a Luna. I was required to do well in school, stay pure, which meant don’t hang out with boys, get classes in decorum, dancing, party planning, budget management, and everything else that was really boring to a teenage girl.My parents would fill my schedule, making it impossible for me to maintain friendships, and the only free time I had I would spend reading books. My favorites were romance novels from the 19th century. It was the exact opposite of life inside the Mystic Shadow Pack. Women in Jane Austen’s novels were fully dressed, and even showing an ankle could be scandalous, but here men and women were naked half the time, and other times they were dressed in skimpy clothes. People would shift often, and wearing a lot of clothing would only get in the way.Some things were similar, though, like how the family you were born into decided what your fate would be. If you were born into an omega family, you would become an omega. If you were born the daughter of a beta, like me, there was a good chance you would be mated to an alpha or beta. And if you were the son of the beta, like my brother, you would become the future Beta. We had more choices than the women in those novels, but at the same time, some decisions still weren’t ours. "Are you going to say anything, Dora?! And you’re not wearing that!" Mom scolded me, grabbing a dress from my closet.I hated when she called me Dora. It reminded me of that cartoon I used to watch when I was younger. "I’m sorry, mom." I replied, grabbing the dress from her, knowing that arguing would be no help anyway.I quickly got dressed while mom combed my long hair. I always wanted to cut it shorter, but mom thought I’d look more feminine with my hair long and down.When I came downstairs, Jordan was already waiting for me, and he sighed, looking at his wrist watch. "It took you long enough." "I’m sorry." "Whatever." he scoffed and walked ahead, making me run behind him.Ever since I turned seventeen, Jordan’s father, Alpha Ethan, has decided that it would be good for us to spend time together. To get to know each other before I turned eighteen and we’d find out we were mates. It was inevitable, but somehow it felt wrong. Every time Jordan touched me, I felt repulsed, and he didn’t seem to enjoy my company either.Jordan got into the car, and I sat down beside him. He couldn’t even open the door for me like a gentleman, but it was no surprise. Jordan was anything but a gentle man.He usually took us to a lunchroom nearby, where we would have our weekly date. He normally would insult me, stare at other women, or tell me about himself while asking nothing about me. But this day was different somehow. I got a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as soon as we drove off. "I think it’s time I got to know you a bit better, Isadora." Jordan stated, moving his hands over my bare leg. "I thought that is what we were doing." I replied with a forced smile.He drove straight past the lunchroom to the packhouse. Jordan got out of the car and started walking inside. "Are you coming, Isadora?" He asked. But I knew it wasn’t a question. I didn’t have a choice.- - - - -I didn’t want to think about that right now. With the key in my hand, I was ready to go to my room when the lady behind the desk called out for me. "Wait, Orion will show you to your room and help with your bags." I had only brought my backpack and stuffed some clothes and books inside. In hindsight, I really shouldn’t have taken the books; they were heavy, and I could have fit more clothes or toiletries inside. Before I could protest, he stood in front of me. The beautiful man I had seen behind the glass of the fish tank was even more handsome in real life. I stood there staring at him, practically drooling, not even noticing his lips move. He had good lips, kissable lips. "Miss?"O shit. I blushed a bright red color, which matched my hair, turning into a tomato, and looked down. "Sorry, you were saying?" "I can take your bag if you like." I shook my head, "it’s fine. it’s just one bag." He nodded, "I’ll show you to your room then." I followed behind Orion, hating the way I just acted like a lovesick puppydog. I didn’t even think men like him were my type. He was so different from Jordan. Jordan had blond hair and was tall and muscular, the typical alpha male. He always wore a suit, was clean-shaven, and not a hair was out of place. I had never understood why I didn’t like him, since every other girl seemed to find him so desirable.But Orion was rough, and people would probably be scared of him if they didn’t know him. Hell, I didn’t know him, but for some reason he had the opposite effect on me. I felt safe. Orion was even taller than Jordan and had broader shoulders. His arms were covered in tattoos, and he had a few earrings. Orion had stubble on his face, like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, and his hair was all over the place. I always pictured myself ending up with the strong and silent type, like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I wondered if Orion was like that. I couldn’t picture Orion in a Victorian suit though. The thought made me giggle, and Orion turned around with an eyebrow raised. "What’s funny?" I shook my head, "sorry, I'm just nervous."He turned back around, "well, whatever it was, you have a beautiful smile."Orion’s povThe moment I saw her stare at the fish tank, I felt an instant connection. It was fucking crazy how drawn I was to her.I stopped myself. No, don’t use those words, I reminded myself. Erin told me plenty of times I should stop calling myself crazy, but it wasn’t easy. Especially since doctors clearly did find me mentally unstable.I stepped back from the fish tank, needing to distance myself.They tested me while I was locked up in a psychiatric hospital, and their conclusion was that I had a psychosis when I turned eighteen, most likely due to genetic reasons. I didn’t know much about my mother, but some of the delusions I had were directly linked to the stories she used to tell me when I was young.Perhaps that’s why Mom left—because she was dealing with her own mental health. I wish I knew, but she didn’t say a word to anyone. My mother just disappeared without a trace, and although Erin and I both told the police it was unlike my mother to leave like that, they refused
Izzy’s povFor years, Jordan has called me names. It started with making fun of my hair—the obvious carrot jokes. Jokes about how ugly I was or how dumb. And since he was supposed to be my future mate and he was saying these words, others would join him. Even my brother Finnegan would join them for a bit and then usually try to distract them with something else. I think it was his way of protecting me while still making sure he kept his beta position. Finn couldn’t go against Jordan.People would say he was teasing me because he liked me. But I knew that was bullshit. No girl would fall for someone who called them names, right? Or maybe they did, but I wouldn’t. So many girls and women tried to sleep with Jordan. Maybe he was different with them, or maybe they didn’t care, because the idea of him choosing them over me was enough to ignore his behavior.But Jordan never kept any girl longer than a few weeks. And then, when I became older and started looking more like a woman than a gir
Orion’s povIzzy sounded like she had cried but came down to eat a few minutes later looking fine—well, still bruised, but fine. Better than fine, actually beautiful.It was hard to take my eyes off her. With her red hair and green eyes, there was something almost fairylike about her. I don’t think she even realized how good she looked, which was sad. Did someone make her believe she was less? Is that who hurt her? A part of me wanted to find out who hurt her and go there and kill them, but I pushed it down, knowing these thoughts were dangerous.Ezra tapped on the table in front of me. [Orion, you have to actually look at me to see what I’m saying.] He signed with a wink. [I get that this woman is much more attractive than I am.]I stopped Ezra. [Sorry. What were you saying?]Ezra smiled, [How was your day? But I have a feeling I already know the answer.][Don’t start. She’s just a guest.]"Boys, it’s not polite to sign in front of people who can’t understand you." Erin said and sign
Izzy’s povWhy did he look at me that way? It was making me feel all kinds of things, and once again, I felt like I was stuck in some romantic novel or movie. I had never had someone look at me the way Orion did. As if I were the most beautiful person in the world.I had seen my dad look at my mother that way, but I was pretty sure there was no way Jordan would ever look at me the way Orion was looking right now.My eyes went down, and I took a few more bites of my food. While I enjoyed the company, it was hard to keep lying to these people. I barely knew them, but they invited me over to dinner and had been nothing but nice to me. I could never tell them anything important about my life. It would either put them in danger or make them think I was insane.Humans didn’t know about werewolves, and for good reason. They would try to hunt us, or worse. We had healing powers, we could shift, and our communities were completely different from the way humans lived. They had a president, cong
Orion’s povI couldn’t sleep. I felt drawn to Izzy in a way I had never felt before. Part of me felt like she needed my protection. From a very young age, I was always very aware of who needed protection. I did everything I could to protect my foster brothers and sisters, but even before that time, I would try to befriend kids who were bullied. Mom used to say I had a kind heart, but would she still think that if she knew what I had done?Another part of me just wanted to be close to her, which was crazy. I didn’t even know her. I should just stay away. It would be safer for Izzy if I kept my distance.I started walking around the motel, hoping to tire myself out. When I walked past Izzy’s room, I heard her scream. My instinct took over, and I used the master key Erin had given me. I used it when I needed to fix something inside one of the rooms or if one of the guests didn’t want to leave and I had to force them out. It had only happened once, though.I ran in, seeing Izzy trashing a
Izzy’s povThe interview went well. Luke needed someone to help during the morning and lunch rush, but I would be free after lunch was over. This would give me some time to figure out the next part of my plan. He didn’t even need my ID; he was planning to pay me under the table. At first, I didn’t realize what that was, but it meant he was going to pay me in cash and without a contract.This meant there was no paper trail to lead to me and no need to give an ID, but it was illegal. Normally I would have never done anything illegal, but did I really have a choice here? This was a safe way to earn money, and as soon as I made enough, I could find a legal job somewhere far away.While it was funny that he was named Luke and had a dinner, because of the similarities to Gilmore Girls, it didn’t mean I could trust Luke. I did trust Orion, even without having any reason to. He was there when I had a nightmare, and he only tried to help me. At no point during that night did I think he would d
Orion’s pov Maybe it was for the better. This whole thing with Izzy was crazy anyway. What was I thinking? I barely knew the girl, and I had already told her more than I had told most. I wanted to be there for her, for her to feel safe with me, but how could she? I didn’t even feel safe around myself, always worrying what would happen if I lost control again. If the sick part of my brain would take over. It made me nervous that since Izzy arrived here, I had growled and even thought I heard his voice again. I could feel him gnawing at the back of my head more than ever. I should just keep my distance. So that’s what I did. For the next two weeks, Izzy worked five days a week at the diner, so it was easy to avoid her in the mornings and afternoons. But at dinner, I was often forced to sit at the same table as Izzy. I let Erin talk to Izzy and only replied when a question was directed at me. I hated this, but it was better for Izzy if I left her alone. Izzy was off on Sunday, and I h
Izzy’s povOrion left soon after, and I felt all giddy thinking about the kiss. He liked me! And he wanted to go on a date with me. I knew Orion was avoiding me, and I thought it was because of the way I spoke to him. I had tried talking to him during dinner, but Erin was always there, and even when asked a direct question, Orion barely spoke.I wanted to go back to how it was those first two days. It was silly, I know, because I barely knew Orion. But he was someone who made me feel safe, and for some reason, I felt like I knew him my whole life. Without actually knowing anything about him. I laughed to myself; it was crazy to fall for someone like Orion. One, I barely knew him, and what I did know were reasons not to date him. I mean, it’s a pretty red flag hearing someone spent time in prison for beating up his foster father. And then the mental hospital? What would it mean to have a relationship with someone who has been mentally unstable in the past? He clearly still had moments w