VioletWhat surprised me more than Olive’s downright enthusiastic approval of my plan, was the fact that she stayed the night to go over every single one of the miniscule details that could lead to us getting caught.I’d expected this to be a plan of my own making, one she followed through on solely because she was able to see her estranged older brother.It was her fascination with my job at Jeb’s that she spoke about the most. I was still on the fence about telling her my biggest secret—well, second biggest now that I knew who my mate was. She just about knocked me off my feet with her reaction. I’d been expecting the jaw dropping laughter, but not the serious look that crossed her face as she said, “…this is a big deal for you, isn’t it?”“No one knows about this, and it has to stay that way.” I pleaded, not caring if it made me sound whiny or pathetic. “I don’t have many secrets…like at all, but this is one of them.”“Believe me, I know a thing or two about secrets.” Olive respond

VioletOne look at the vacant and shattered expression on her face and I knew something terrible had happened here and might’ve happened many times before this.“What—”“Don’t, Violet.” Olive barked, and just like that the broken expression vanished, replaced by her usual hostile mask.I stared at her, the tray of food in my hands forgotten. “Don’t what, Olive?” I bit back.She stood from the couch in a hurry, smoothing out her dress with shaky hands while using the cashmere scarf she’d been wearing to wipe away the eyeliner that drizzled down her cheeks. She looked younger and much more vulnerable without the heavy eye make-up surrounding them.“Don’t stand there and act like you have any idea what’s going on because you don’t. Okay?”I was going out on a limb here, speaking my mind in a way that could end in utter catastrophe, but I had to give it a shot.“He raped you, didn’t he? From the looks of it he’s done it before too.” I speculated, noticing the expert way she pulled herself

HaelThe man in question, Daniel Fletcher, happened to be an incredibly successful Lawyer that many of the celebrities and politicians in town used. Not a single one of them knew that many of his victories came from extortion and blackmail, not that it mattered anymore.The last anyone would see of Daniel Fletcher was him stumbling to his car, the curvy bartender attached at his hip. Her silence was easy enough to buy considering I knew just what it was she wanted.It was the same thing all humans wanted; a chance at becoming one of us.Daniel would turn up eventually. Whether or not he’d turn up alive was the question. Márcia, the bartender that had rejected his advances until they morphed from flattering to threatening, would provide an alibi.With Daniel in the trunk of my car, I took him to the one place no one would think to look. A property belonging to my father that even he forgot he owned.He’d acquired it back when there was some semblance of connection between he and my mot

Violet“This is a birthday party?” I sputtered, choking on my drink a second time.Olive shrugged, her lips downturned and expression utterly unimpressed. Thinking back to the photos of her on the Link, the ones of her perched in front of a mountain of presents, I could understand her lack of reaction. Her entire childhood had been wrought with parties like this one.Even so, I couldn’t hide my amazement at the raucous event taking place just fifty feet away.We stood at the entrance of Holden’s driveway, just beyond the iron gates with their razor-sharp points. Since the castle—house he lived in sat atop a large hill, it was easy to see the sheer number of people that had come for his birthday celebration.“Didn’t anyone in your old pack have birthday parties?” Olive said only half-jokingly, taking a two-second-long break from scanning the waves of people to meet my gaze.I snorted quietly and tugged the hem of the dress I wore back down my thighs. “None I was ever invited to.”“Righ

Violet“What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to overstep, really. If it’s a bathing suit you’re worried about, I have a t-shirt and shorts you can use.”There was a split second that passed where I was sure I’d refuse, but Lacey’s voice in all of its strength, lifted my darkening thoughts.‘He won’t do anything to us, and if he tries we’ll tear his eyes out.’ She reassured me, a slight growl to her voice. ‘Plus swimming will scatter our scent and make it harder for Hael to find us, which is a bonus because I doubt we’ll ever get the chance to rip his eyes out.’“I—I’ll take that t-shirt and shorts, if you don’t mind.” I swallowed, embracing the happy and semi-threatening thoughts Lacey placed into my head, all of which were meant to take the edge off.Holden’s face lit up at my response, and much like an eager child, he nodded in rapid succession whilst tugging me out of the lounge and down the hall. “I have some clothes in a spare bedroom down here.” He said, pausing at the third white oak do