I sit on the blue carpet, reading a story to the pups in my class. Their curious eyes stare at the light book in my hands, eager to know what’s going to happen next. They know that it’ll have a happy ending, but that doesn’t stop them from getting nervous at scary parts or crying at sad parts. That’s one thing I’ve learned in my time here; pups show their emotions all the time. They never hide themselves from the world. They are braver than me in that aspect. I ran from the world the second I could. I didn’t want to see the pain and the hurt that I caused. The story ends and parents arrive to take their little wolves home. Each of them runs to me first, encasing me in our daily group hug before bouncing off to their parents. Sometimes, I find myself jealous of the pups. They are free. Free to live and love whomever they want. Free to be anyone they want to be. I wish I could be that innocent and hopeful.“Where’s Kayla?” Alpha Stephen asks, pulling his son into his arms.“I’m not sure

Vera, why does he still smell like he’s our mate? I ask her.Silence is the only answer I get. Something weird is going on. I look around the room until I find those deep emerald eyes staring back at me. My breath hitches, and my eyes drink in the sight of him. He’s still so beautiful. His brown hair is messy, like he just rolled out of bed. His gray shirt hides the solid planes of his body, but I still remember how they felt beneath my fingertips. It feels like I’m seeing him for the first time again, only stronger. A pang of needs hits my core, making me jolt. That’s something I haven’t felt in a long time. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I move my gaze back to his eyes. The hate I know I’ll see there should be enough to calm my body down. Only I don’t see hate swimming in those green pools. I see relief. The way he’s looking at me has my heart ready to dive right back into his warmth.

“I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this, Amber. I’m here if you need me.”“Why?”“What?”“Why would you be here for me?”“Honestly? Because I don’t care what happened in the past. What good would it do either of us for me to continue to be upset over Cory, or what happened in high school? Of course, it hurt at the time, but I have Colin now. I have a completely different life. I don’t want to waste it by being upset over the past.” “Oh.” “There is something I’m curious about. Why did you sleep with Cory?”“That’s a loaded question.” I let out a forced sigh. “One that I’m not sure I have a good answer to. Honestly, it wasn’t about who I was hurting. It was just about making people as miserable as this pack made me. I’m sorry that I hurt you. You didn’t deserve it. What was going on with me was not your fault.”Tears run do

As the flames bury my father, my soul feels dead. My father is gone, and he took a piece of me with him. I keep the tears at bay, refusing to cry in front of my old pack, but just thinking about how empty I feel has my eyes stinging. The pack leaves, making their way to the memorial dinner. I don’t look around to see who’s staying or going. The flames rage on, devouring the man who raised me. I can’t look away from their hypnotizing dance. I sink to my knees. A million thoughts run through my head as the fiery energy dwindles. There were so many things I never got to say to my father. So many unspoken apologies.“I’m sorry, dad. For everything, for running off like mom did, for disappointing you. All of it. I wish I visited you more, but I was a coward. Too scared to come back here and face my broken heart. Now, you’re gone, and I’m all alone in the world. Wherever you are, I hope you’re happy. Please watch over me.”The nipping wind b

I wince, but nod. I’m not sure what answer she’s looking for. Though she probably doesn’t want to hear that I slept with her cousin because I missed her so damn much. She keeps her face unreadable. Panic swallows me. Zeke feels it too. His paws pound on my head as he paces.“Grace went back to her school yesterday. I saw her off myself,” Paige says.Finally, she takes a deep breath and opens her mouth to say something. She mutters unintelligible words before standing up and running out of the room.“What did I do?”“Nothing. She just needs time. You really hurt her, but it’s more than that. Her own behavior has come back to bite her in the ass, plus her dad just died. She’s under a lot of stress,” Paige replies. “She literally just ran from me, Paige. There has to be something I can do.”Paige doesn’t hide her irritation with me. She gives me a scowl before leaving the table. Colin sits there with a dumbstruck look on his face. I can see him struggling with something, but right now,