登入TOMI lingered in the doorway of my parent's room a moment longer than I needed to, watching pops shoulders curl inward, before finally forcing myself to softly close the door as I made my way down the hallway. Every step felt heavier than the last, the weight of Blake's words still hard on my chest, and for a moment I stopped and looked back at the closed door.I had tried to comfort pops who sat facing the window and stared into nothing. Hearing Blake speak for the first time in eleven years threw him into shock, and then realizing that the reason Blake chose to even speak to him was to blame him for everything made it even worse. Blake's words hurt him really bad and I knew there is nothing I would say to change that fact. Even as I left him, he had continued to mutter words of blame to himself and I knew only my dad would be able to comfort him now. I stood outside Blake's door for a long moment, hand hovering near the wood, before letting it fall back to my side and walking aw
BLAKEI drew the covers close, the chilly night made me shiver, but so did the horror of a nightmare I was having. Outside, the wind pressed against the window in slow, uneven gusts, and somewhere down the hallway a floorboard groaned, though I couldn't tell if it was real or already part of the dream dragging me under.I again found myself in darkness, but this time, it wasn't the deep darkness that I often saw. This time I could make out some shapes and I was familiar with the whispers that had surrounded me. And just then, Ava appeared, a knife stuck on her throat, just like I had remembered her passing. But contrary to the Ava I remembered, this one, despite the knife that made blood trickle down to her chest, she was smiling. She had a victorious smile that made my loud beating heart even louder. Her hair drifted as though caught in a wind I couldn't feel, and the blood at her collar never seemed to dry, always fresh, always trickling, as if her death was happening again and agai
TOMI've been in my room for two days in a row. The reality that Blake wasn't my mate really took a toll on me. I was beyond miserable. I hadn't expected that things would turn out this way. All my hope and expectations has always been that Blake was my mate and now that it turned out the opposite way, I didn't know what next to do. My room had grown dim and stale over those two days, curtains drawn against the daylight.And I knew the pack would be in chaos right now since it's no longer a secret that I was a witch. I felt different, I felt more powerful than I was before my birthday and I knew I smelt different. Even I could smell myself. But I already knew, Owen had told me I would have a balanced smell of both identities. Fifty-fifty. The pack would have so many questions and I wasn't ready to answer any of it. Not in this miserable state I was in right now because I was sure I would snap at their valid questions.I hadn't even bothered to explore or check what my witch power is.
BLAKE I was very disappointed and hurt.I had been pacing about when 12am was about to hit, anxiety running through me. My hands wouldn't stay still, I kept fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve, twisting it around my fingers until the fabric strained, then letting it go only to start again.The clock on my wall seemed to tick louder than usual, each second dragging out the inevitability of what was coming. Though I had always told myself I didn't care who got to be Tom's mate, I knew the tiniest part of me secretly wanted it to be me. I had spent years denying it that now that it was about to happen, I was very anxious. My chest felt tight, like something was sitting on it, pressing the air out of my lungs bit by bit.I didn't know why Tom came inside my room, but the aftermath was more important. The fact that I wasn't Tom's mate. I had to deal with that disappointing aftermath in a small corner of my room where all sorts of depressing thoughts took over my mind. I curled into myself
TOM 11:15 PM It's the night before my birthday, the day I would finally be the alpha of the pack and find my mate. But I was nervous, very nervous. The excitement I had felt two days ago gradually turned to nervousness. I stood in a corner, my smile tight, flicking my eyes as I looked around at pack members celebrating with food and drinks. They had certainly prepared a lot and were obviously happy that the pack was moving into another succession. A few members had come by to offer their congratulations. But I didn't share their excitement. I was nervous. "You okay?" My pops asked, touching my shoulders gently. "Not really," I answered honestly. I couldn't lie to my pops. "What will be, will be. Relax, alright?" My pops comforted me. "Yeah, you're right. But what if..." I couldn't finish the sentence; that possibility just wouldn't roll off my tongue. "Have faith, okay? I'm sure the moon goddess wouldn't deny you your happiness. Have faith in her." "I hope so, pops," I said,
TOMIt was finally here. I would turn eighteen the day after tomorrow, and I was very, very excited.In the past weeks, nothing dramatically changed. The pack had been preparing for my eighteenth birthday. The list of elders who would take over had been submitted, and according to my dad, most of them were who we predicted. I was sure the people nominated by the other elder members; Bob, Phillip, and Camille, would cause problems for me. However, I hadn't been introduced to them yet. That would happen when I wanted to take over as the alpha, according to the rules.Pops, the Luna, had also been preparing for my mate according to tradition. I saw how he worked hard and was excited because, according to him, it took months after the whole incident before he was able to perform the Luna rites. He wanted my mate to be properly welcomed.My birthday celebration would be held at the pack hall where all the mateless pack members would gather inside while the mated would be outside. This was







