~ A M E L I A ~He pushed me.He pushed me……off a cliff! A CLIFF.That bastard. The second he pushed me, my heart sank to my stomach and felt like it was going to fall out of my rear with the amount of anxiety and fear that consumed me. I knew I should never have trusted him. I gasped loudly, not having time to process my impending death, but… There was no splat. Why was there no splat? My eyes were squeezed shut so tight, I thought my eyelids were going to rip. A few seconds passed, and enough courage grew within me, I peeled my eyes open and saw Everett gripping my forearms. He was smiling. That arsehole still had that smug smirk plastered all over his stupidly handsome face. If he hadn’t been preventing me from sudden death, I would slap him silly. I snarled, ‘What the fuck are you playing at?’ I yelled, ‘Pull me up!’Everett’s head tilted to the side, his smirk growing stronger with each second going by, as my distaste for him also grew, ‘Now, now, where would the fun in
~ A M E L I A ~The day before the full moon, everyone in the village was on edge about what may or may not come. All my friends were feeling extra agitated. The closer the full moon came, the more heightened their emotions and abilities were, edging closer to shifting, but not having access to do it at their own free will. It was devastating to see their struggle. I was even feeling the moon’s effect more in comparison to last month, as my eighteenth birthday was nearing. It only made me sympathise more with the rest of the pack, as what I felt was a mere fraction against everyone else.‘Can someone please tell me why we’re spending our Wednesday evening in the gym?’ Sammy huffed, sitting on the floor by the weights. Theo frowned, ‘I thought it would be a good idea for us to release some of the steam we’ve all got building up in us, and for us to hang out together.’Sammy’s eyes rounded, ‘Oh, babe!’ She hugged him tightly, ‘You’re too cute.’Kaylee and I rolled our eyes. Every We
~ A M E L I A ~Just like last month, the school sent all Year 13 students home at lunchtime in preparation for the full moon. The only issue this month was that we had no idea if there was anything worth preparing for. Myself, Sammy, Kaylee and Gabriel were by our lockers, gathering our things to head out. ‘Gabriel, do you know what’s going on tonight? As in, is the Full Moon Festival still happening?’ I asked, turning to face him on the other side of the hallway at his locker.He sighed, shutting his locker and leaning against it, ‘It is, but it’s a lot tamer than usual. Everyone is anxious and expecting the worst to happen again, so there won’t be as many food stalls or as much entertainment as last month.’ Kaylee turned her head briefly from her locker, ‘I’m still up for heading over there if you guys are?’Sammy agreed, and Gabriel would happily go wherever his mate was going. ‘Sure,’ I forced a slight smile.My heart ached. It wasn’t fair, this curse. Yet, knowing what I kno
~ A M E L I A ~‘I was going to ask you the same thing,’ Everett paced over and scanned the surrounding mess. His brow rose, and his eyes pierced right into mine, ‘Up to no good?’Narrowing my eyes at him, ‘In your eyes, always.’He scoffed and looked at the books surrounding my laptop. My heart palpitated, realising my laptop was still open with the article about the hospital fire.Don’t look. Don’t look. Do. Not. Look.Everett pulled a chair over and sat down next to me. He reached towards my laptop, making my stomach flip and heart race faster, and he picked up a book next to it, ‘Hmm… “The Alpha’s Roar”?’ he read the title of one of the children’s books and chuckled, ‘Why are you looking at books for children?’As he was still looking at the book, I closed my laptop shut and picked up another book, trying to act as casual as possible whilst steadying my racing heart, which he likely already noticed, ‘I want to learn more about the pack. The culture, the stories children grew up w
~ A M E L I A ~Damn it. I lost track of time.After Everett left me, I rummaged through all the books and picked a few to take home with me. As I was making my way back to my cottage, I checked my phone and I had multiple texts from each of my friends.HUDSON: It took longer than I thought to finish the research prep with my dad. Meet at the festival?SAMMY: Where are you? It’s almost 11 p.m.! KAYLEE: Do I need to come drag you out of that damn library myself? GABRIEL: The girls keep whining that you’re not here. Come and put me out of my misery. HUDSON: How are you not at the festival yet? I’m coming to get you. Shaking my head, laughing at all of them. I replied to Hudson. AMELIA: I’m just dropping off my things at mine. Need to change, then will head over soon. HUDSON: Oh, good, you’re alive! I was gonna walk, but Gabe and I are gonna drive to come get you now. Be there in 15-20.I didn’t bother protesting against it with him. He was too protective on a normal day, so I could
~ A M E L I A ~Tears were streaming down my face. Even with all the strength I had, it was nothing compared to the power that Andrew and Miles had against me, who had completed their werewolf transitions and had (almost) full access to their power. I was weak. Powerless. ‘Hurry up, Andrew, I want a go at her too,’ Miles huffed, gripping harder on my wrists. Andrew brushed his lips against mine and chuckled, ‘No way,’ he kissed my neck and moved up to my ear, whispering, ‘I’m going to savour every moment of this.’Choking out a cry, not loud enough for anyone to hear. I looked up at the sky and stared at the moon right above me. Moon Goddess… give me strength.As Andrew’s hand moved higher up my thigh, under my dress, a mere inch away from my underwear, I suddenly felt a wave of heat in me. Not a heat of desire like that, but a desire for power. A power that was suddenly flowing through my veins. ‘Let… go,’ I choked under Andrew’s grip on my throat. He chuckled, loosening his
~ A M E L I A ~Seated on the ground, leaning against a large tree and resting my arms on my knees, I was trying to regain some strength to move. Gabriel had disappeared further into the forest to call Kaylee and update the girls on what happened, so they didn’t worry about where we were. I tried to protest against it, as it would’ve worried them more. However, he was right in telling me that they should know. Hudson wouldn’t leave my side, understandably. He knelt beside me, watching me, almost like he was waiting for an order on what to do next. Sniffling, withholding any tears from falling, my mind played everything back on a loop. I sighed, ‘You don’t have to watch me so intensely…’ ‘I just want to make sure you’re okay,’ he said. Dropping my legs, I leant towards him, placing my hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat, hoping the steadiness would soothe me, ‘I’m okay… thanks to you and Gabriel,’ I moved my hand up his chest and rested it behind his neck, leaning closer to re
~ E V E R E T T ~My body ached, and my head throbbed.It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in years. Feeling as if all my energy had been drained out of me, I realised how much it took of me to hold myself back on my heinous desires last night… Though we again hadn’t been able to shift, the staff who worked in the manor were still permitted the day off today, as we usually allowed the day after a full moon. Luckily, the chef had prepared a feast for us to indulge in, which my mother and father had already enjoyed before leaving for their duties. There were no days off for the Alpha leaders, something I was soon to know first-hand when I found my Luna. Seated on the kitchen counter, I indulged in waffles, eggs, bacon and a variety of fruit whilst I was engrossed in my current read: a fictional tale of two star-crossed lovers. Their families are rivals to one another, but that doesn’t stop their love from flourishing. Humans wrote such bizarre stories, but truthfully, I couldn’t h
~ A M E L I A ~Smiling, I parted ways with my mate and walked towards the group. They all instantly fell silent as they laid eyes on me, uttering different words and bowing to me. ‘Hello,’ I smiled at the girl I desired to speak to, ‘you’re Suki, right?’Wide-eyed, Suki struggled to speak at first until the man next to her nudged her arm gently, ‘Y-Yes!’ She bowed, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Amaris.’ Coming to a stand, and gesturing towards the man and spoke speedily, ‘This is my father, Machiavelli Twyla, Beta wolf of the Moonstone pack.’He bowed his head, ‘A pleasure to meet you, Alpha Amaris.’I tittered, ‘I’m still not used to that.’ Looking down at her drink, I noticed it was empty. ‘Come, let’s get you a refill. I could do with a drink myself.’ I looped my arm with hers and guided her towards the bar. She exhaled and whispered, ‘Thank you, it was almost suffocating being there,’ she picked up another flute of champagne and sipped it. I watched her, almost feeling c
~ A M E L I A ~A large smile grew on his face, ‘I love you too,’ he said before kissing me with even more passion. Everett traced his lips against my cheek, planting a kiss as he moved closer towards my neck once again. My breathing stuttered with every move of his. He planted another kiss on my neck before gently dragging his teeth against my flesh, taunting me and making me crave him more.‘Ev… stop… teasing,’ I said, struggling to breathe as I spoke. He chuckled against my skin, ‘I can’t help it, darling, it’s just too much fun.’ He sighed and lifted himself to meet my gaze again, ‘I promise you, I will mark you, but just not today. Today is your Ascension Ceremony; it’s an important and memorable day for you. Completing our bond should be a separate thing, what do you think?’I smiled, intertwining my fingers behind his neck, ‘I think that is a great idea.’ Ev looked pleased and pecked my lips. ‘Besides,’ I added, ‘you probably should meet my adoptive parents before we complete
~ A M E L I A ~With the curse finally being lifted, the people of the Silver Moon pack celebrated for three days straight, immediately after the Battle for Alpha ended, and I was deemed the new leader, the youngest Alpha leader ever in the entire history of the pack, claiming that title from my birth father. I thought and hoped he would’ve been proud that it was me who took that title. Truthfully, I’d expected more backlash for my rise from being essentially rankless to then becoming Alpha, but it seemed that the people of Silver Moon had the utmost respect for my birth parents, as well as gaining respect for me for saving them from the dreaded 18-year curse. The people of the pack were able to enjoy the freedom of having their powers back. I, however, had no chance to embrace my powers or even try shifting yet. There was too much to do, and I had no time to rest, not yet.Moving arrangements for one—I was now the Alpha, and moving back home with my adoptive parents was no longer a
~ A M E L I A ~I looked at the guards, ‘Please ensure Draven doesn’t try anything stupid.’With that, I sped through the forest, not realising how tame my wolf speed was before gaining access to my full power. It was a level I could not even fathom to explain. Magical? Fantastic? Out of this world? Yes, all of the above. My nose locked in on her scent swiftly, it was as if I could physically see her just through her scent. She was running back towards the pack, but she wasn’t going to make it. All of my senses were locked on her. I could smell the fear in her sweat and hear the panic in her panting breath. I slowed my pace and moved around enough to make her struggle to decipher where exactly I was coming from, only making her panic more as I moved in closer, finally being able to see her with my eyes. She came to a halt suddenly, frantically searching around, and when she went to move off again, I was there, standing right in front of her. ‘Going somewhere, Yurena?’ I stepped fo
~ A M E L I A ~ His voice was as clear as day in my mind, yet part of me felt like it was all a dream. Yet it wasn’t a dream. It was real, but it was about to turn into a nightmare when my attention was brought to Draven and the dagger in his hand as he pulled back, ready to plunge it into his son’s heart. With more speed than I had ever been able to harness before, I flashed towards them, leaping onto Draven’s back and swinging myself to the side to throw him off and send him skidding away. ‘Everett, Everett!’ I said in a panic, dragging my hands across his chest to check for any wounds. He groaned as he sat up, ‘I’m okay, I’m okay… just weak from the wolfsbane.’ He placed his hand over the stab wound in his stomach to stop it from bleeding, and with his free hand, he placed it on my cheek, looking deep into my eyes, ‘Amelia.’ With tear-stained eyes, I smiled and placed my hand on top of his, ‘Everett.’‘How dare you!’ Draven hissed as he came to a stand and walked slowly back t
~ A M E L I A ~‘No!’ I groaned and shoved my heels in the dirt before I hauled myself down towards the ground, using his weight to bring him down too. As he was above me, I used my legs to throw him to my side before bolting away from the cliff. By this point, I had used too much of my wolf speed and was struggling to lock into it fully. I needed full access to my wolf side. Draven sped after me, though he was also worn out; he still had full access to his power, which gave him that advantage. He hurtled himself at me, tackling me to stumble and fall into the bushes. A twist and crack of my ankle made me wail out in pain. I couldn’t see my friends, but I knew they were on edge watching the scene before them. Hudson and Everett both were likely fighting every urge within them not to get involved. They knew if they did, the challenge would become void, and I would lose instantly. They believed in me enough to fight this on my own. I’ve got this. I can do this!Pinning me down, Drav
~ A M E L I A ~Within those first few seconds, I knew that his fighting tactics differed from Everett’s—where he would wait for his opponent to come for him to then take them down, Draven was a head-on type of fighter. That only made him more unpredictable for me and lowered any advantage I could have even more. Focus. My mind hissed. Locking in on the situation before me, I stood still and waited for the right moment. Draven clenched his hands into fists. Watching closely, I spotted his right hand draw back ever so slightly. That was my mark. I waited for him to get closer and closer, to make a move. As he pushed with his left foot and lunged closer as he drew his right fist back, it was time for me to dodge and counter. I leant back as his fist moved for my face, grabbing his wrist and arm, pushing his punch away from me to miss my head. Using that momentum, I twirled around and skidded back, dropping to my hands and knees. Not having time to think things further, I pushed fo
~ A M E L I A ~All my friends tried to keep me busy and distracted during the day. We played board games, watched movies, and even had a picnic in the forest. However, I was struggling to eat and ended up watching the sun move in the sky, teasing me with what was to come. There was no more avoiding the inevitable.‘I’ll be right back,’ I said quietly, pushing myself to my feet and making my way back into my cottage. I’d become so comfortable with this home, and the chances were, win or lose, I’d not be returning to this home.I poured myself a cold glass of water and took a couple of sips before tipping the rest down the sink. Resting my hands on the kitchen counter, I tried to hash out a strategy to help me with the upcoming battle, but everything I thought of always resulted in the same thing: me losing.Draven was an Alpha werewolf, and before then, he was a powerful Beta. He had always been strong, and though I had strength, they were too limited. There was no hope.‘Hey,’ Sammy
~ A M E L I A ~To nobody’s surprise, I couldn’t sleep at all.It got to the point where I had to start pretending that I was sleeping just to stop everyone from shouting at me to rest in preparation for the battle, so I could gather my strength. We had all stuck together in the living room, moving the coffee table and the sofas to allow more space for us all to sleep on the floor. The guys brought the mattress from my bedroom and the guest bedroom to lie on the ground so they all had something comfortable to sleep on. Gabriel and Kaylee were on one mattress, while Sammy and Theo were on the other—they all had fallen asleep not long after I pretended to. I was lying on one of the sofas. Peeling my eyes open slowly, I noticed the other sofa was still vacant, and two people were not in my line of sight. I searched the room carefully to see where they had gone off, too, trying not to get caught for being awake. Both Everett and Hudson were standing by the back door, looking out to the