The days fly by.Every day I watch my little sister blink with happiness. Josh is obviously good to her. She told me she shifted on her eighteenth birthday, and her wolf instantly claimed John as her mate. The young man stood teetering nearby as she shifted, jauntily in front of her, for her wolf to make eye contact with him right away. This confirmed my suspicion that John had known they were mates for some time. That reminds me of my own incompetence, now even at twenty-three, my wolf has not shown up. Deep sigh. Ruth and Josh are moving into their new apartment today.They were delighted with the one a few floors below mine and immediately closed the lease with management for two years. They went furniture shopping and decorated their place themselves and I must admit the result is stunning. As a gift for their first new home, I gave them a coffee maker. Seeing Ruth so happy is the best thing happening to me in a long time. But as the days passed by, th
An incredible warmth washed over me at his words. Jasper had told me these same things when I was only fifteen and he seventeen, long before the mate bond overwhelmed us. And he had kept his word when I was ready to mate, he came to the door of my parent's house to claim me. Only then did I learn that he had already asked my father for my hand when he was only sixteen. On my eighteenth birthday, I did not shift. The whole pack found out, and I locked myself in my bedroom, ashamed and defeated. Jasper had almost broken down the door to come in and comfort me. He took me straight to the packhouse that same night. And then he had promised to make me his top priority, I was his Queen, he had sworn to me. And kept his word. To hear these exact words again now, makes me so emotional. For a moment, I rest my head against Mr. del Castilho's shoulder, longing for the safe and loving feeling my mate had offered me. However, the moment is disturbed by the elevator doors sliding
Ralph and I are growing closer each day.We now officially have a love affair going on and are inseparable. At work, however, we continue to interact formally. Ralph wanted to announce our relationship in a management meeting so there would be less gossip and my place in the company would be clear. But fortunately, I was able to persuade him to wait with that; our relationship is just in the very beginning. As I said before, we are formal in the workplace.But as soon as we can, we steal some kisses or an embrace. The offices are glass-walled, so we usually do a quick make-out in the elevator or hallway to the parking lot. He takes me to dinner several times a week and then we take long walks along the beach. We talked about our lives before we met, our family and our dreams for the future. I told him about Storm Forest, my father, the Beta of the former Alpha, my mother, and my sisters Rachel and Ruth. Also that I had a happy childhood and loved my famil
Alpha Jasper's POV Another Lupercalia Full Moon without my mate.Last year she wasn't here either and this year I'll miss her either. If it were up to me alone, I would be aboard the next plane to her right now. But with a reluctant wolf, that is definitely hard, we fight all day to make the right decision. According to Jax, our mate should come back to us, not the other way around.When she left, we lost face considerably. After I did everything to keep our relationship sound, it was the last I thought she would do to hurt me. Not that I had to put much effort into making her happy, I love Rain, she is my first and only lover. But she didn't trust me enough to share her grievance with me and left me without considering my feelings. That's harsh, I always thought our trust in each other was ironclad.Some pack members reacted with relief over her departure, urging me to reject her as a mate and ban her from the pack. Officially, she is still my mate and a member of Stor
I look out over my pack.All the mated wolves are trampling with impatience; this is Storm Forest's biggest event. It was instituted by my great-grandfather Alpha Vladimir. The pack was already strong under his leadership but for strategic reasons that had more to do with keeping the pack safe and our position of power, we had to hold the edge over the others. And for that, warriors and intellectuals were needed. More pups and sending out mated wolves to human universities were the spearhead of his policy. And it was the right decision.Storm Forest is not only the largest but also the strongest worldwide. Only the Lycans from the Kingdom in Canada can beat us. Last year alone, an additional one hundred and fifty new pups were born from this festival; if we can double that this year, the pack's growth is stable and hopeful. Wolves are horny creatures, so I trust we will succeed again this year. Jace takes care of the formal announcements and sets out the rules strictly.
Again Rain's POV"Rain, why has your mood turned for the worse this quickly? Just now, you were insanely happy with my surprise. And now you look like you've seen a ghost," Ralph asks worriedly while holding my chin. "It's a full moon tonight. Isn't that what all werewolves look forward to, babe?" I keep my eyes closed, there seems to be a stone in my stomach weighing heavier each second. My thoughts go to my mate, what is he doing now that I'm gone? On dinner or somewhere intimate with another she-wolf? On these evenings, Jasper used to come back from the cave to spend private time with me.He always has planned something special for us, like the last time by the water. I push away the panic that tries to overwhelm me. I still miss him a lot, even after two years of separation. A tear rolls down my cheek, now I have no choice but to open my eyes. Ralph deserves an explanation for my strange behavior. "Please forgive me. But in my pack, there is a special celebration goi
"I want to announce our relationship, Rain. Everyone has to know that you belong to me, that we're a couple. We can't go on like this, sneaking kisses and pretending to be colleagues instead of lovers when others are around." Ralph is impatient, in the past weeks, I've noticed that in everything. Last night his kisses became more demanding, I allowed him to grope me but couldn't go beyond that. Jasper and I have yet to formally reject each other and technically, I am still part of his pack. And he is still the man in my heart, I need more time to get over our breakup. Currently, we are on the beach, walking along the waterline with arms around each other's waists.There is a cool breeze, fortunately, the full moon has passed. Thus no reminiscing about the past. "Ralph, I know what you mean. It's that I still need to get ready to go public with a new relationship. Remember I had a mate, I have yet to get over that," I say softly. My excuse doesn't sound ve
The decision is made; five days of Miami beach and then the weekend at the Kingdom, where I meet Ralph's family. And after that, I have to make the decision of a lifetime.With mixed feelings, I am looking forward to my visit to the Kingdom, after the traumatic experience with Jasper's family, I am not really waiting for a repeat. They were warm and inviting at first when Jasper brought me to the packhouse, but over the years, they showed their true nature. They were downright mean and never missed an opportunity to remind me that I didn't add any value to the Alpha clan and pack. So I am always suspicious of people who are very friendly at first.Sometimes those nice faces are just fake, so I always remain wary and aloof.It was conspicuous to my colleagues that I took leave exactly when Ralph announced he would end his visit to the company. That was oil on the gossip fire, to many, this was the proof of our secret love affair. But no one dares ask us upfront, everyone knows how I va