I don’t know how it happened that I fell for a werewolf so much older than me. The first time we met, he really scared me with his piercing eyes and the way he openly stared. The red-haired man with dark brown eyes made me feel a thrill and a kind of anxiety, almost panic, that made me want to run away without looking back. But everything changed on New Year’s. He and my sister invited me to join everyone else at the ice rink. Honestly, I’m not very good at skating, but I really wanted to prove that I could do it well. So, as soon as I stepped onto the ice, I almost tumbled head over heels right in front of the skating crowd. Zavir caught me skillfully, holding me close, and at that moment, I forgot how to breathe. He was so near that I could feel his incredible scent—the very perfume I had fallen in love with from the first breath. We stood silently for several seconds, looking intently at each other, and I saw his eyes—mesmerizing, slowly turning golden. The man was outrageo
Tanya Velichko: Today I turned sixteen. The age when you finally get your passport. A milestone in any teenager’s life, marking another step toward adulthood. Since early morning, my phone has been buzzing nonstop—calls, messages, well-wishes. So many people remembered—my sister, friends, classmates both past and present, kids I tutor, my sister’s friends… even a few of my teachers. But not him. Not Zavir. We once talked casually about holidays and birthdays, and it just sort of came up—we told each other our dates, without much fanfare. So did he really forget? Or… maybe he never remembered it at all. Maybe he just asked out of politeness. Maybe it meant nothing to him. Why would it? He’s a busy werewolf, an important one at that—he has duties, responsibilities, a girlfriend... And then there’s me. Just a girl… hoping he’d remember my birthday. Still, I’m just a naive fool. Sure, my mind knew he was a grown, successful man—and I was just a kid—but deep down, some hope st
The investigation dragged on for over a week, but in the end, we uncovered everyone involved in the disappearance of the girls. To my surprise—and everyone’s relief—there was no criminal intent. Turned out, just across the border, in a neighboring pack’s territory, there’s a small settlement where some werewolves host a kind of themed gathering — part ritual, part nature retreat. A strange mix between a spiritual festival and a cosplay of ancient times. They shift into their wolves and roam through the wilderness, claiming it's their way of reconnecting with the roots of their kind. These self-proclaimed “keepers of the old ways” gather from across their pack lands, most of them young, unattached, and clearly bored out of their minds. In the end, it was ridiculously simple. A few of these young males sensed their fated mates among our young she-wolves. And instead of handling things properly — with introductions, with respect — they decided to go old school: they just stole thei
Alpha Wayland Reyrem: “She doesn’t even have that kind of boobs, and there’s no birthmark either,” I scoff, scrolling through the absurd nonsense Aline’s haters had cooked up about her. “Wayland,” Zavir asks with a raised brow, “should I be worried about my future relationship… considering you know exactly what my mate’s sister looks like without clothes? Is that why she left your house?” “For many reasons,” I reply thoughtfully, my jaw tightening. This topic cuts deeper than I care to admit. “Have you told your girl yet?” “No,” Zavir shakes his head with a sigh. “She’s still too young. I don’t want to scare her off. I need to earn her trust first, approach gently. I’ve got a plan, everything’s under control. But… damn, it’s hard.” I understand him more than he knows. After Alina stormed out of my house, I was furious. Her slap… it hit harder than expected. Shook me back to reality. Straightened something inside my skull I didn’t know was crooked. And now… that fiery redhead no
"What’s that supposed to mean?" he arched a brow, narrowing his eyes at me with suspicion. "It means I finally understand why you are the way you are. Like this!" I gestured to his entire towering figure, my frustration boiling over and dragging me into familiar territory — using ты instead of вы, dropping the formalities again. "Didn’t you ever wish, even just once as a child, to loosen that chokehold around your neck? Didn’t you have normal childhood dreams or silly desires? Didn’t you ever want to do something reckless and fun, just for yourself? Like play soccer, or take music lessons, or join a chess club or anything? Are you seriously telling me you were perfectly happy being stuck in that rigid student slavery growing up?" My eyebrows drew together, my gaze locked on the werewolf in front of me. Wayland’s eyes flashed with anger — but that kind of intimidation had long since stopped working on me. He was mad, clearly, but that wasn’t a surprise. Whether my words actually st
Reaching the office quickly, I realized that my luck had already abandoned me. I could feel it in my bones — Wayland was in there, in that office — but a tall, dried-up pike of a woman standing right at the door refused to let me through, claiming the alpha was currently very busy with something important. Nothing new — it’s the same excuse she gave me over the phone. But who’s giving up? Certainly not me. Right now, I was the embodiment of a fire-breathing dragon, and trust me — it was better not to mess with me. The alpha’s secretary turned out to be a gorgeous, long-legged she-wolf, as evidenced by the jealous gleam in her overly made-up eyes. She wore a designer pencil skirt and heels that gave her enough height to make me look up at her. Her blouse was unbuttoned far too low, trying to show off cleavage that wasn’t all that impressive, to be honest. When I tried once again to slip past her into the office, the she-wolf practically threw her chest in my way, blocking the door a