Drew lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to find comfort. It had been two days since he rejected his mate, and the only time he’d been able to sleep was after Arla had channeled for him. He didn’t want to have to rely on her. He needed to learn to live with this.  Left alone with his thoughts in the dark room, the suffering only escalated as the hours ticked by. Sleep came in ten to fifteen minute bursts before the pain forced him awake again. He was tired, aching, and absolutely miserable.  By eleven o’clock, Dusk was begging him to go wake Arla.  By midnight, the pain in Drew’s chest was excruciating and Dusk had begun howling in his head.  At one o’clock, he ripped the covers back and hopped out of bed, swaying slightly from the dizziness t

Arla walked downstairs to greet Chloe in the foyer. She was holding her party dress in a zippered garment bag, and had her head slightly raised, sniffing the air. “Mate?” asked Arla. “No,” replied Chloe, dejected. “I’ve been eighteen for twelve hours now. I went to training, I even walked around town hoping to run into my mate, and so far nothing.” “Twelve hours? My boy has been waiting for over five years,” said Beth, as she swept into the foyer smiling. “Happy Birthday, darling.” She wrapped Chloe in a tight squeeze, careful to avoid crushing the dress. “I can’t believe our little Chloe is eighteen.”  Millie was one of the longest serving staff members at the packhouse, and Chloe and her brothers had spent a lot of time there as children. As Luna, Beth had alw

With all the responsibilities on his shoulders that came with being Alpha, it had been so long since Lorenzo had enjoyed a night out like this. It took a little encouragement from Arla, but he soon loosened up and began to lose himself in the music and in this moment spent with her.  In a few short months, she would be his mate and his Luna. She would look at him and know that he was hers and she was his. He would be able to stand proudly beside her as the pack welcomed her as their Luna, to share in his pride at how wonderful his mate was. They would no longer have to hide her glowing eyes, or downplay her true power. After the mate-bond is fully formed, he would reach his full potential as an Alpha, Arla would reach her full potential as a white wolf and witch, and the pack would reap the benefits of a powerful and united Alpha pairing.

Arla woke, her head pounding, feeling weak and nauseous. She gingerly touched her hand to the side of her head and flinched. The pain radiated around her skull and she could feel the dried blood matted in her hair. She tried to remember what happened, but everything felt hazy.  She knew she was too weak to teleport, and trying to mind-link the Alpha exacerbated her headache, to the point she had to vomit into a bucket she’d located near the makeshift bed she was in on the hard floor. Exhausted and in pain, she lay back down and fell into slumber once again. The next time Arla woke, the thumping in her head had subsided and she could think a little clearer, however the pain was still present. Why aren’t I healing? She thought.

Two dark witches appeared from nowhere. They seemed to be the only people that were here of their own accord. They went from person to person, undoing the gold bracelets. As Arla’s was removed, she felt the welcome thrum and buzz of magic tingle her skin. She wished with all her might that she could end Alpha Anton, but the risk was too great. Alpha Anton left and moved downstairs as another familiar face joined the witches on the balcony. Natasha. She sneered at Arla as she approached. “Just when you thought you were somebody, you’re back here being a nobody.” Natasha had been her childhood best friend, but had turned against her after Arla’s dad tried to save Natasha’s mother, and failed. They both lost a parent that day, but Natasha’s grief came in the form of nastiness. She had rejected Arla’s friendship beca