Izzy’s pov
For 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 girl, it changed. He still called me names, but at the same time he tried to grope me or make crass comments. He hated me, but he always let me know that one day I would be his to use as he wished.
I wasn’t an insecure person by nature, but years of being called names did something to me. Jordan’s words stayed in my head, and I wasn’t sure who I was if I wasn’t his future Luna.
Was I a joke? Was I ugly and dumb? I tried to tell myself no, but being alone in that motel room wasn’t helping me calm down. I hadn’t eaten for a while; maybe eating something sweet would help me. Because eating your feelings away always helps, right? Not. I decided to get something from the vending machine down the hall. But I ran into Orion, too focused on my own feet.
I had learned to keep my head down and stay out of the way, trying to avoid Jordan and his friend. But walking around with your head down made me not pay any attention to my surroundings, and I bumped straight into the chest of Orion, which felt more like a brick wall. He held onto me to make sure I didn’t fall back and then let go, as if my touch repulsed him.
Jordan’s words came back from two days ago. "Nobody wants you; you’re worthless. You’re ugly. You should be grateful."
Shit. I needed to get out of here. Get some fresh air. Eat something.
I traveled for almost two days to get away from my pack, and even now, Jordan still has an effect on me. Will I ever be able to live a peaceful life without having to worry that he’ll find me? Will I ever be able to relax?
The motel had a small garden in the back, and I sat down, letting the sun hit my face. The weather was nice here, and there was blossom on the few trees that were planted in the garden. It wasn't much, but it helped me relax. Listening to the birds and the wind hitting the leaves of the trees.
I would just have to keep running until I turned eighteen. It was only a few more months until my birthday. Maybe once I get my wolf, I’ll be okay. She will be able to defend me, and I won’t be alone anymore.
The idea of a voice inside my head felt soothing to me, knowing I would always have my wolf with me. When I would hear Jordan's voice in my head, she would be able to counter it. Tell me everything will be okay and that I am worth something.
Or would she tell me to go back? Fulfill the prophecy and be with my mate?
The sun was starting to burn my skin, and I scolded myself for not wearing sunscreen. I healed faster than humans, but until I had my wolf, I would still have a sunburn for a short while if I wasn’t careful.
I went inside and got back to my room, emptying my backpack. Three books; jeans; some underwear; a tank top; a vest; and a shirt. Plus the dress I was wearing when I ran away and the money Finn had given me.
- - - -
Two days ago
"Hey Jordan, did you want to join me at that party later? I hear Tiffany is coming." Finn asked on the other side of Jordan’s wall.
I was lying on the ground, face down, scared of what Jordan would do next. I knew I shouldn’t have called for help; what if Finn gets into trouble because of me?
"I’m busy; come back later." Jordan said, walking towards me and looking ready to kill me. His eyes told me that if I made any noise, he'd make sure I'd regret it.
I had never seen him this angry. I probably should have let him do what he wanted, but it felt so wrong. I never spoke up before, but today I couldn’t hold back my tongue anymore.
"Sure, but they’re having a pre-party at Lindsey’s house. I’m heading there now. Josh said Tiffany is already wasted and in the jacuzzi. Didn’t you tell him to stay away from her?"
Tiffany was Jordan’s latest fling. I don’t think he's actually slept with her yet. I didn’t really care about any of it, especially not right now. I just needed to get out of here. I tried crawling away, but Jordan stuck his claws into my upper leg near my butt, where my dress had ridden up.
"Don’t say a fucking word." He whispered and dug them in a little deeper.
"I did tell Josh to stay away!" Jordan yelled out to my brother.
"Well, it sounded like he was going to make a move. But you already have a girl in your room, so you probably don’t give a shit, right? Anyway. Sorry, Jordan, for bothering you. I’ll see you tonight."
Jordan growled and removed his claws from my leg, hitting the desk with his fist. "Shit! You stay here; I’ll be back."
I nodded and tried to sit up and make myself smaller.
"I mean it, Isadora; if you leave this room, I’ll drag you right back here. Say it."
I nodded my head again. My throat felt sore, but if I didn’t speak, he’d hurt me even more. "I won’t leave."
Jordan pushed the door open far enough for him to exit but not for Finn to see me, and I heard him talking to Finn while walking down the hallway. What was I going to do? If I stayed, he would probably punish me again for denying him what was rightfully his, but if I left, I wasn’t sure what he would do. And where would I go anyway?
I could tell my parents, but Jordan was my future mate. My parents loved me, but they trusted that stupid prophecy too damn much. They didn’t see Jordan for what he was; they were too busy focusing on my future. Or their future. I wasn’t sure if they wanted me to be the Luna for me or for them. To have the honor of being the Luna's parents.
It didn’t matter anyway. Even if they tried to protect me, Jordan was the future Alpha, and he got away with anything. His father wouldn’t punish him and his mother didn't really like me anyway. And if Dad tried to fight Jordan, he would lose.
I pulled myself up and grabbed some toilet paper from the bathroom to stem the bleeding in my leg, and I looked in the mirror. I had a black eye, and my throat was thick and blue. It was hard to swallow. My arm hurt too, and my leg was throbbing. I started to cry; I couldn't believe this happened. Was this how my life was going to be?
I must have stood there in the bathroom for twenty minutes until I heard someone enter the room. Was it Jordan? No. Please don't let it be Jordan.
"Izzy?" Finn asked softly. I had never been happier hearing my brother's voice.
He knocked on the bathroom door, and I didn’t know if I should hide, tell him to go away or let him in
"Izzy, please open the door."
I opened the bathroom door, and Finn growled when he saw me. "Fuck. That piece of shit."
"It’s not that bad." I said, almost out of instinct.
Finn shook his head and handed me an envelope. "You have to leave. Right now."
"What do you mean? Leave where? I can’t leave this room; Jordan said he’d drag me back here."
Finn cursed, "Leave this fucking pack. Go live with the humans. Anywhere. Don’t tell me where. Just leave. Life will only get worse, Izzy. Jordan is not a good guy."
"But mom and dad, and you..."
Finn gave me a hug, Once he's alpha, he'll get to do whatever he wants. Jordan has always hated that prophecy for some reason. I don't have time to explain, but you need to go. Once he's alpha, he'll get to do whatever he wants. Jordan has always hated that prophecy for some reason. I don't have time to explain, but you need to go. Please take the money I had saved for my car. It’s not much, but enough to give you a good head start until you can find a job somewhere. Leave your phone here and only take a backpack, so you don’t draw suspicion."
"No, you saved for that car for years! I can't leave anyway. They’ll catch me at the border."
Finn had asked for money instead of gifts for every birthday and holiday and had almost the money he needed to buy the car of his dreams. Dad promised to help pay for half the car's price, as long as Finn got the rest.
"One of the guards owes me a favor. Get into the back of his truck, and he’ll drive you past the border. Don’t try to call. I am sorry. I am really sorry, Izzy. But I think this will be the last time we’ll see each other."
I started crying again. This hurt more than any injury I had. I loved Finn, even more than I loved my parents.
"Please. I’ll be fine. I want to stay." I said, knowing deep down that Finn was right. I had to leave.
- - - -
"Izzy?"
I wiped away the tears that had fallen. I tried my best not to think about Finn; it was too painful knowing I would never see him again. I had been on the road until now and had pushed everything down. But now that I had time to relax, it all started to hit me. I would never be able to go home again.
There was a knock again. "Izzy, Erin asked if you want to join us for dinner? She said it’s on the house. Erin’s in a good mood; her son is coming over." Orion asked from the other side of the door.
I swallowed, making sure I didn’t sound like I had been crying. "I’ll be down in a few minutes, thank you."
Maybe being around people would distract me. And I was still hungry, and there was no way I was saying no to a free meal.
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
Izzy’s pov"That customer, Tom, can be a bit handsy, but he tips very well." Luke said, pointing to an older gentleman sitting at one of the tables by himself.I wasn’t sure if he was telling me to warn me or just to accept it because of the tip. After working here for a few weeks, it was obvious that Luke ran his business very differently from Erin's.Erin’s motel staff was like her family; she was kind to everyone and really showed that she cared. But Luke ran a business, and although he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t really care how any of his staff were doing. He wasn’t asking if you had a good day, like Erin did every time a cleaning lady or someone from the kitchen came over.While I wasn’t exactly looking forward to handling this customer, I decided to suck it up and do my job. In thirty minutes, Orion would be picking me up from work, and we’d go on a date.A date!Although I knew it couldn’t last, that didn’t make me less nervous and excited. Goddess, I had fallen for this man qu
Orion’s povThis date has been perfect so far. So perfect that we lost track of time and missed the movie. Izzy suggested watching a movie in her room, and despite the obvious temptation it would be for me, I said yes.I wanted to touch Izzy all the time, wanting to kiss her and more, but we were going slow. Mind over matter, right? She went through a lot, and I was pretty sure she was still a virgin, so rushing things was a bad idea.We packed up the blanket and cutlery, and I drove us back to the motel. My hand was resting on Izzy’s leg, making circles with my fingers. For a moment, Izzy looked sad, and I quickly moved my hand."Are you okay?""He did that too…. He put his hand on my leg while we were driving. But when you do it, it feels so different. I am trying not to think about that day, but my mind keeps going back to it." Izzy replied, fidgeting with her hands."I know you’ve said you don’t want to talk about it, but maybe you should. Not necessarily with me, but with someone.