We Were Soldiers

At one point we were both abandoned in the woods. Our meeting started with distrust. His wounds were more than the gnashing scratches of the wilderness, it extended to trash his memories and kept him from truth more than once. Her wounds were more than the bruises of the poisonous wilderness, it extended to crush her security and increased her self doubt. It was an exile that led a prideful yet underestimated prince and an tortured daughter of a successful merchant. Our tale only began when we acknowledged our desires, yet the world around us conspired to thwart our every step. The both of us didn't want to doubt, yet, would our resilience and trust be enough to navigate through the jungle of doubts?

We all have secrets. Different kinds of secrets we don't want to share. Luna, now an adult reminisces about her teenage years where she was involved in a secret relationship with Ashton. The two were best of friends who fell for each other but Ashton suddenly avoided Luna for three years. After meeting in the middle of a pandemic, the two met and started talking to each other again that bloomed a new love. They turned the page and started a new chapter together. They were best friends who turned to strangers. Strangers who turned to Secret Lovers.

"HHHEEYYY YALL IT'S YOUR FAVORITE GIRLS! We are back yall. We were pissed too, that we had to leave yall with that cliffhanger. But best believe somebody got a call about that . Anyway, we're back and on the Hunt for Shawna and Trixie. We know they're still out there alive, we just have to find them. But you already know that we have to deal with fake mated she-wolves, who just can't read the room. So, we have to deal with them hoes, aliens, and oh yea The Ocean God. I know yall thinking how the hell yall pissed off the Ocean God, but we will explain that later. Right now, buckle up, get your wine glasses, and make sure your phone cases are sturdy just in case you throw it. Now enjoy the emotional rollercoaster of The Hunt for Shawna and Trixie!

Some people come into our lives some will stay and some will leave. Any of that two I believed that we don't meet people accidentally. We meet them with purpose, to teach us something or to simply add value to our life. Sedriano the man who came into my life, the man who made my world upside down. The man who values loves and gives me pain. The man who gives me butterfly kisses on my stomach. We were too young when we fell in love but I was so sure that it will last. With the promise, we made together with his bitter goodbye. This is our story.

Zeke and I always said we'd be best friends forever since we were pups. Everyone always assumed we'd end up as mates but we laughed it off. So when we both turned 18 and the string of destiny snapped into place tying us together, I was over the moon. But Zeke telling me he'd never mate with a mutt like me. Now my worst enemy Chris and I have a plan. "What if…we fake dated?" "What?" "Nothing would really piss Zeke off more than not only you saying no to being his breeder than also making him think we're getting each other's rocks off." "You in?" I stuck my hand out. "You got it, boyfriend."

I got a car straight from the Lycan Chairman himself—a ride costs more than tens of millions and can turn every traffic light green. I got it because the Lycan Chairman once fell on the battlefield, his heart torn open. And me? I'm the one bound to him by a blood-sealed contract, the only secret healer who could save his life. To win me golden hour for surgeries, I was awarded with such an honored ride. I treated it like sacred ground, kept it hidden in my mate Yorick's underground garage, polished and guarded, ready for the day the Lycan Chairman might need me again. That day came. The summons burned in my hand, urgent and sharp. I rushed to the garage, ready to drive, and the second I approached the garage, a strange woman slid into the back seat. "Take me to the Nighty Bar," she ordered, flipping her hair. "Yorick had waited for me minutes. If he's mad at me being late, I'll make you regret it." My hands froze on the wheel. "This is my car," I told her, calm but firm. "I have urgent business. You need to get out. Now." She sneered. "What a joke. A chauffeur pretending to be the owner? You must have a death wish." Her soldiers glanced at me sideways, voice dripping with disdain. "Everyone in the pack knows that this car is Alpha's exclusive for picking up Selene! You're just a little healer. Do yourself a favor and listen to her." Their words cut sharper than any blade. The car that carried the highest secret of the werewolf race, the car tied to the Chairman's very heartbeat, in their mouths, it was nothing more than a toy. A plaything my mate used to please another she-wolf. They wanted me to bow. To surrender. To sit there, silent, while they spat on me. But what they didn't know, the Lycan Chairman's soldiers were already on their way.

Sleeping with my best friend was something that shouldn’t have happened. We made a promise to each other when we were young, but it was long forgotten, at least by him, but not by me. I didn’t forget that he was my prince charming. He dated girls, which I didn’t mind because I was still underage. We slept in the same bed until this date, but we have never crossed the line. The problem started when his fiancée failed to appear for their wedding, and I had to play the role of his bride for the day just to save his face. That was the date everything changed. We had the steamiest night, and he told me it shouldn’t have happened because he was dating my best friend, Candice. That struck me dead in the gut. I should have known that our promises were long forgotten. He took my innocence and told me it shouldn’t have happened. That hurts, but nothing hurts more than learning you’re pregnant with your best friend’s child and you can’t tell him because he is in love with your friend. !Daily updates!

This is what we do. We fight, we fuck, and we pretend it's fixed. He rips his shirt over his head, the sound of tearing fabric loud in the silence. And I freeze. My hands, which were reaching for him, stop. There. Coiling over his ribs, wrapping around his side, crawling up toward his heart, is an identical replica of Madilyn’s tattoo. "Charlie," he breathes, but it doesn't sound like his voice. His hands are rough, grabbing my hips. One hand slides, pressing hard against my stomach. No. The baby. My baby.

Blurb Ever since the war, humans were no longer the world's dominator. Supernatural creatures broke the peace treaty and colluded together to overthrew humans’ rule. After we failed completely in the battlefield, they decided to ‘purge’ the world of evil humanity. I survived from death in that brutal slaughter but was captured and imprisoned in a dungeon where I had now lived for five years. Business was the only reason why they kept immatures and even spared us shelter and food. When we reached 18, we’d be sold as slaves. That night I was bought by a mysterious guest and taken to somewhere I had never been to or heard of. My work was to serve three noble masters residing there. They were all supernatural, but decent and reasonable. So it’s better for me to carry out the plan for escaping. It all went well until someone attacked me. And the secret behind us began to be revealed.

We’ve been best friends since we were five.But nothing’s as simple as it seems.Relationships change and so do people.Especially now.When innuendos and hints aren't enough, it’s time to confess.I’m in love with my best friend.…And I think I’m too late.Small Town Girl is created by Stephie Walls, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.