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Orion’s pov If I thought being an alpha was hard, I was in for a big fucking surprise. Being a dad is so much harder. You’d think that everything I went through would have prepared me, but it’s so different when it’s twins. It’s also so different when they’re newborns. And it's just different when they're your kids. I've helped raise my foster siblings, but they weren't this small. They could do a lot of things themselves. Mateo and Grace are simply helpless without us. Izzy and I try to take turns waking up, but most of the time we both wake up when either Grace or Mateo screams. They wake each other up, too. Especially Grace; she is the loudest baby I have ever met. But goddess, is she cute! She already has her mom’s tiny red curls. It’s adorable. I don’t think I’ll be able to tell her no. Like ever. One look with her big eyes, and I’ll give her whatever she wants. And then Mateo. He is just as cute, and he’s my twin; at least that's what everyone says. It’s so strange to se
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 the
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