Unwritten Mates

PrefaceThe room smelled like blood and death, but that wasn't what burned my lungs. No, that was the grief — thick, suffocating, and raw. It clawed at my throat, threatening to break me apart.The body in my arms was too still, and getting cold. Crimson stained my hands, warm against my trembling fingers as I stroked her hair. Tangled strands clung to her pale face, and I brushed them away gently, even though I knew it didn't matter anymore.I wasn't sure when the sobs started — maybe when her pulse faded beneath my touch, or maybe when I realized I couldn't fix this. Either way, I didn't fight them. The world was already broken, so what was the point in holding back?A flicker of movement caught my eye, and my gaze locked onto the most evil being to exist, Cale. He stood across from me, her blood splattered on his clothes, his expression hard and unreadable. His presence was a slap to the face — a brutal reminder of everything that had gone wrong.And God, where had it gone wrong? W

I was barely walking to the car, more like stumbling, really and I felt...feverish, dizzy as if I was carrying the weight of the world on legs that suddenly forgot how to work. Ethan was leaning against the car, his arms crossed and looking like he was in his own world until he saw me. The way his eyes nearly popped out of his head? Yeah, he knew something was wrong. I was so close, just a few steps away, but my legs gave out like someone pulled the plug. The last thing I remember is Ethan sprinting toward me, faster than I thought humanly possible, before everything went black.When I finally came to, I was in a room, light and airy, with these delicate floral patterns on the wallpaper. The bed was like sinking into a cloud, and my long black hair was everywhere, a tangled mess across my face. It took me a second to get my bearings, and I figured I must be in some room at the Inn. But then, I caught this soft argument happening outside the window, voices carried on the breeze. Curios

So here I am, my first day in a new town, and I'm already being chased by some freaky creature and saved by wolves. Seriously, how does this even happen? And, as if that's not enough, I've managed to mess up my ankle to the point where I can barely walk. Now I'm lost in the middle of some godforsaken forest.This evening was supposed to be normal, maybe even boring. But no, I'm walking through the woods, the damn cold air biting at my skin, trying to find my way back to the Inn. Not as easy as it sounds, trust me. Just when I start to convince myself I'm imagining things, I hear a distant howl and I try to shake it off, pretend it's just in my head. But after what happened earlier? Yeah, no-I know it's real.And then I see him. That wolf. The one from before. He's just standing there, like he was waiting for me. His dark eyes lock onto mine, and something clicks. Wolves don't do this. They don't notice humans like this, not unless there's a good reason.But he noticed me.Our eyes mee

As we drove down a road, lined with endless trees and the occasional glimpse of huge houses and mountains, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with how happy I was to be living in such a serene, beautiful place. This was far better than the concrete jungles that I was used to and I would mostly likely never go back.As we got closer to the shore, I noticed a group of people by the lake, drinking and hanging out around a fire. My nerves immediately kicked in. ‘Please don’t say we’re going there,’ I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. I wasn’t ready to meet new people. But my hopes were dashed as Ethan parked where all the other cars were lined up.“You didn’t mention anything about a party,” I whispered, glaring at him.“Would you have come if I did?” he smirked, giving me a sidelong glance.He had a point. If he’d told me, I probably would’ve barricaded myself in my room. I thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare for meeting a bunch of strangers at school, not now. “Definitely not

“What was that?” I yelled towards Ethan as we drove back to the Inn.Ethan just looked at me with his eyebrows up and turned his focus back to the road. “My brother has a very short fuse, and well...sometimes he cannot control it.”“No kidding!” I shot back, folding my arms. I was still pissed about Luca ruining what could’ve been a pretty decent afternoon. Now, I was in a foul mood, and honestly, no matter how annoyingly hot that jerk was, I’d be perfectly fine never seeing him again.“Look, he’s not a bad guy,” Ethan said, trying to defend him. “He’s actually nice when he wants to be.”“Uh-huh, sure,” I shot back, though I kept my tone in check. As much as I wanted to trash talk Luca, I wasn’t about to bad-mouth Ethan’s brother in front of him. I barely knew either of them, and I was the new kid in town. Not exactly looking to make enemies on day one. But Luca? He definitely stomped all over my nerves and somehow made me out to be the problem. Dick.Ethan looked over, clearly catchin