The Name They Gave Me Novels & Stories

The nickname hit me like a fist. Nomes. The name from when we were fifteen. The name he'd called me while sitting on my bedroom floor with his backpack and his homework, the name whispered through my door on the days I couldn't get out of bed, the name attached to the version of us that existed before desire and ego and ownership complicated everything. Nobody else called me that. Nobody else knew it existed. It belonged to a specific, sacred window of time – after Dad died and before I fell in love – when Caleb Park was simply the boy who showed up and sat there and didn't ask for anything in return.

The figure looked at me. "Ash is the name I gave myself," they said, "after I arrived and decided I needed to choose something rather than carry whatever name the maker used for me before I existed as anything other than a project." They paused. "I do not have another name. Ash is the only one that is mine." I held their gaze. "Then that is your name," I said. Something moved in their face. Not quite relief. Something more careful than relief, the expression of someone who has been waiting to be told that a thing they chose for themselves is allowed to stand.

A woman screaming my name. And a door, closing. I grabbed my head. "Make it stop! Make it stop!" The woman stepped in front of me, between me and the dark. "Look at me. Lena, look at me!" I forced my eyes to hers. "Tell me your name." "Lena Carter," I gasped. "Again." "Lena Carter!" "Who gave you that name?" "My mother!" She shook her head. "No. Your mother gave you Carter. _You_ gave yourself Lena."

Even after knowing that I wasn't a human being, she was standing firmly in front of me. My gaze traveled to her plump lips as they moved, "What is your name?" A small, crooked smile broke over my lips. It had been weeks and she still didn't even know my name. Ever since I was born, I had heard only one name for myself, Xander Stoneheart. Now that seemed so formal and distant to be called by her. Suddenly, I opened my mouth and shocked myself by saying, "You can call me Xee." My smile stretched wider when she whispered my name as if she was checking it out, "Xee." It was personal and I felt a little at peace. My wolf was feeling giddy with excitement. My name rolled perfectly on her tongue.

“That’s a terrible name. I refuse to call you that.” Even though I had never really cared one way or another about my name, something in his dismissal made me bristle. “It is the only name I have. It was given to me by the orphanage.” He hasn’t stopped laughing. “You must have something else I can call you.” “No.” My face is growing red. I take a big gulp of water. “No, there is not.” “How about Amber?” he suggests. “Or Topaz. Both are names that are better suited.”

They held on to both of my arms tightly. Only when we were out of the woods did they let me go. But I stopped walking when they both turned to face me simultaneously. “What now?” I crossed my arms in front of them. Miley smiled. “We just wanted to ask you something.” I shrugged and motioned for them to continue. “Can we call you Nics?” Reiri bit her lower lip. I was taken aback. They want to use a nickname that they can call me by. No one dares to call me that. Most of the people I know call me either Nicole or just Jane.

“Sei tutto per me, Amore mio.” As we sat there, enveloped in the warmth of our conversation, the weight of each name settled upon us. Isabella, with its timeless elegance. Gia, with its vibrant energy. And Mireya, with its profound sense of wonder and gratitude. Each name held its own allure, but it was Mireya that resonated deeply within our souls. We remained there, just holding each other in silence as we were driven home, knowing that we had found the name that encapsulated the essence of our journey. Mireya—it became the symbol of the extraordinary love that brought us together, the love that now created a new life.

"So you don't have a name?" He sounded sharp but I couldn't stand him. I couldn't stand people like him who took advantage of other people because they thought they were more powerful than the person in picture. "I do" I finally gave in because I couldn't stand the idea of being underestimated "Then what is it?" I cleared my throat. "Maria"

These guys would make my life miserable from day one, I could feel it. "Thank you," I said. "You're welcome, hope to see you soon, puppy", he said. When I read that message my eyes widened in annoyance. Damn, I had forgotten that those bastards had given me nicknames.... They never called me by my name, to them I was always puppy, fox or piggy. Those damn triplets weren't waiting to ruin me. I could feel it, after all, that's what they had been doing all this time. Not wanting to say anything else, I threw the phone on the empty bed and frowned. I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. I knew tomorrow was going to be a shitty day and there was nothing I could do to change it.

He says with that grin that makes me feel like he's going to devour me whole. I watch as both of them shrink down, worried about how their Alpha will deal with them later for revealing information to the enemy that should have been left confident. "It's the name my parents gave me. I think each wolf and she-wolf has a unique name based on why their parents chose it." I lift my chin again because at some point, and I don't know when, I had lost a bit of my confidence again. "How very....sweet of you." He doesn't even try and hide it as he rolls his eyes at me.