《His Mate, Her Fate》 Chapter 1: Introduction ¡°Dad, please,¡± I say as politely as I can, nervously twirling a strand of my long jet ck hair with one hand, and holding a phone in the other. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make a big deal out of it.¡± ¡°I will not hear it. It¡¯s not every day that my only daughteres to visit. Plus, I haven¡¯t had the chance to celebrate your psychiatry degree.¡± ¡°Psychology,¡± I correct him without thinking. ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± he says and makes me chuckle. I love that old man. Even though he is not old at all, mother and he were only 19 years old when they had me. ¡°Plus,¡± he continues, ¡°Graham¡¯s been showin¡¯ off his son¡¯s fighting skills ever since he became the new third inmand, and Jorah¡¯s daughter seems to have found a mate. He¡¯s the beta of the Carter Pack, so he won¡¯t shut up about it. Now I finally have something to brag about myself.¡± Jorah is our pack¡¯s Alpha. His daughter Simone and I have been very good friends growing up, as my father is his Beta. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to hear about Simone!¡± I am happy for her ¨C she¡¯s an amazing girl. But she¡¯s the firstborn in her family and as such, the heir to our pack. I¡¯ve always known my wolf could not only eat hers for breakfast, but have it as an appetizer side dish. And so I couldn¡¯t force myself to follow her. It was almost insulting ¨C not only was she an average fighter, but also a very bad strategist. ¡°She always wanted somebody in the high ranks,¡± he almost snorts. The Carter Pack is thergest and the strongest wolf pack in the region and beyond. ¡°But to be honest,¡± he continues, ¡°I doubt they¡¯re really mates. To me, they only seem to be strongly in love.¡± Hearing my father talk about mates always saddens me. My mother, his mate, died giving birth to my stillborn sibling. My youngest brother, Jamie, was only 2 years old at the time. Having mates is very rare in packs, and my dad could never remarry after losing her, as he suffered too much. I try to change the topic lightly. ¡°It was about time, though, for Graham to get reced. And who better than his own son to take his position? He must be bursting with pride.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°He is, indeed. But the kid¡¯s got big shoes to fill in. I swear his old man is one of the three best fighters in the pack, even in his 50s.¡± Iugh. ¡°After you and Jorah, I assume.¡± ¡°Of course, Lily,¡± he says with no humor whatsoever. ¡°You never took pack titles seriously,¡± he murmurs disapprovingly, ¡°but each title is earned with blood, sweat and tears!¡± ¡°And inheritance,¡± I try not to sound bitter ¨C it¡¯s only the truth. I know the highest ranking members get the best training, but sometimes it¡¯s still not enough. ¡°Exactly,¡± he says with a painful voice. ¡°And you turned your back on being the number two.¡± I sigh on the topic he opens almost every time I call. My father has been a Beta of Emerson Pack for as long as I can remember. As Mom died when I was only 7, I often reced her position for my three younger brothers: Jamie, and twins Jason and Jacob. I moved out of my parent¡¯s home when I turned 18, though. Luckily, I seemed to have no mate and, with Jamie having turned 13, I finally had the chance to leave the pack and live life freely. This usually isn¡¯t done, and my father was strongly against it, but no one could ever force me to quit on something I made my mind up about. Father often says this trait would never make me a good pack member, anyway. So I went to study psychology and got a degree, made great human friends, opened my own practice, and found myself a fianc¨¦. A human fianc¨¦. For my 25th birthday, I decided to go back home and introduce him to my father as the man I am going to marry. I know he will disapprove. He is a Pack-kind-of-a-guy. But I want what I want. I will bring him to meet my family and we will get my father¡¯s blessing. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not like you. I can¡¯t pretend to be something I¡¯m not.¡± He almost chuckles. ¡°I don¡¯t pretend. Jorah is better than me. And let me tell you¡­ You¡¯d be surprised to see how Simone has improved.¡± I inhale deeply, ready to leave the wolf inheritance topic behind us. ¡°Alright, paps. I can¡¯t wait to see you tomorrow. I¡¯ve got some good news to share with you all.¡± ¡°Oh, man, this sure sounds like a boy rted news to me,¡± he clicks with his tongue. ¡°Dad, seriously? I¡¯m 25.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll always be a little girl to me, Lily. Always.¡± I smile wholeheartedly. Dad¡¯s the only one who still calls me Lily. I think it must be because my Mom¡¯s name was L and he still cannot mention her name without breaking. Even after all these years. ¡°Love you, paps,¡± I press a pendant around my neck holding my mother¡¯s photograph. I got it from my Dad right after my Mother died. When I was a kid, he¡¯d always say never to take it off as it would protect me from vampires. Can¡¯t believe I bought that nonsense back then¡­ ¡°Love you too, Lily. And Lily,¡± he clears his throat, ¡°don¡¯t go near the woods¡­ remember?¡± I can¡¯t help but to roll my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl anymore, dad.¡± I feel his tension build up. ¡°Just promise me, ok?¡± Brooding, I open the pendant and a beautiful woman with the widest smile looks back at me. ¡°I¡­ I promise, dad.¡± Chapter 2: My Mate As we park into my family¡¯s drive way, I notice Ian fidgeting with distress. ¡°Babe, is everything okay?¡± I caress his thigh. ¡°Just a tad nervous,¡± he admits. He knows everything about my family, so it seems only fitting for him to be anxious. Well, not everything, but the most outrageous thing ¨C that we can shift into wolves. ¡°Just don¡¯t let them see you¡¯re blond, that really triggers their werewolf gene.¡± He looks at me both shocked and confused. ¡°What? How can I not show my hair? You should¡¯ve told me earlier to bring a hat or -¡± he stops when he notices me smiling. We both burst intoughter. ¡°You¡­¡± he messes with my nose, shaking his head. Ian is a really great guy. We met at college and started dating at our second year. We¡¯ve been inseparable ever since. He¡¯s so easygoing and uplicated. I always know where I stand with him. We¡¯re each other¡¯s support system and best friends. I am so lucky to marry my best friend. Iy a gentle kiss against his lips and we leave our Prius. As soon as we approach the porch, the door opens and three crazy boys run into me, hugging, tugging, and lifting me! Of course, they¡¯re my brothers. ¡°Hey!¡± I shout,ughing. ¡°Showing off, huh? Don¡¯t let me shift, you know I can eat all three of you for breakfast!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Jamie says, amused, tickling me and trying to tackle me down. That¡¯s when Dades out of the house. ¡°Chill out you wannabe beasts,¡± he shrugs them off with love in his words, and they back off immediately, stillughing. ¡°What a pleasant wee!¡± I say honestly, walking towards my father. ¡°I haven¡¯t realized how badly I¡¯ve missed you guys until now.¡± Dad meets me half-way and we share a strong, loving hug. Even though he says nothing, I can feel his eyes piercing through Ian. ¡°Dad, I¡¯d like you to meet Ian,¡± I say as we part and I motion for him to approach. ¡°Good morning,¡± Ian holds his hand out. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± My dad shakes hands with him, openly checking him out. I bet he is confused with his gelled hair and perfectly groomed suit styling. The werewolf men and women are all dark haired and tan. Most of them have dark eyes, deep brown, and some have green in them, like me. But none of them look like Ian ¨C light tanned with blue eyes and golden hair. ¡°Where did you find thisdy?¡± he finally speaks. ¡°Dad!¡± I shout, shocked at his words. My brothers are dying out ofughter on the other side. ¡°Oh, chill out, Lily. I¡¯m only messing with you. Come on in!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± I mouth to Ian as our dad gestures us into the house. * * * We spent the entire day talking,ughing, and eating. My brothers seem to like Ian a lot. They think he¡¯s very fun. I do, too. My dad, on the other hand, barely spoke a few words to him. I will pin it to him missing me very much, so he is paying me his full attention. Even though deep down I know he is hoping I would find somebody else. From the pack, preferably. I suddenly feel like it¡¯s time to announce my engagement. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s something I want to tell you,¡± I begin cautiously and look at Ian. I now have the attention of my brothers as well. ¡°Ian and I¡­¡± I nod, ¡°we¡¯re getting married.¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. My dad drops his fork and they all stare at me. Ian takes my hand into his and smiles. ¡°We would very much like to have your blessing.¡± My dad is still staring at me, and I notice his eyes are welling up. I can¡¯t tell the reason behind it, though, but my psychology skills tell me it isn¡¯t pure happiness. ¡°Well,¡± he looks at his te and picks his fork up, ¡°you have it.¡± Then he continues eating. The awkward silence entails the table, so my brothers hurry to stuff their mouths as well. Jamie is the only one smiling. ¡°Congrattions, Lily!¡± He stands up and goes around the table to squeeze me into a tight hug. ¡°Thank you, Jamie,¡± I kiss his cheek. ¡°Congrattions,¡± my two other brothers say as well, although not as enthusiastically as they notice my father¡¯s dissent. ¡°I wish you all the luck,¡± Jason adds, giving me a half smile. ¡°I think we should stop eating, because the party¡¯s gonna begin in two hours from now, and I don¡¯t wanna be too full for the feast,¡± Jake announces. ¡°More eating?¡± Ian asks, shocked, and we all burst intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s a werewolf thing,¡± I exin, patting him lightly on his shoulder. We leave to our rooms to prepare for the party. I am very excited to see all of my friends. It¡¯s been so long since Ist saw them. After having showered and brushed my teeth, I put on a simple attire ¨C tight ck leather pants, a ck silk blouse, and red heels. I finish off with some mascara, subtle eyeliner, and bright red lipstick. At 8 o¡¯clock, Simone¡¯s the first guest to arrive, along with her partner, Beta of Carter Pack. They look magnificent together. He is pretty tall and masculine, while she is petite and feminine. Although I agree with my father¡¯s statement about them not really being mates. I¡¯ve seen how mates around each other and these two simply can¡¯t measure up. ¡°L!¡± she rushes to hug me. ¡°Simone, it been so long!¡± I hold her tightly. ¡°You look amazing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s love that makes me look this good,¡± sheughs and motions toward her plus one. ¡°This is Derek. He is Darius¡¯ Beta.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± I hold my hand out and shake hands with Derek. He has a firm handshake as expected. ¡°I¡¯m L. It is nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Derek.¡± ¡°Congrattions for snatching the best gal in our pack,¡± I say warmly, and I mean it. ¡°I thought you left your pack,¡± he says. He makes it sound as treason. ¡°Yes, I now live in the city,¡± I say as politely as I can. ¡°And this is my fianc¨¦ Ian,¡± I take his hand and pull gently over. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Simone screams excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re engaged!¡± Derek and Ian shake hands and the Beta narrows his eyes, seemingly displeased. ¡°You¡¯re not one of us.¡± ¡°No,¡± Iy a protective hand over my fianc¨¦. ¡°Ian is fully human.¡± ¡°Does he know?¡± he asks in a code. ¡°Yes, he does.¡± I answer confidently, not trying to sound polite anymore. If he is to be rude, I might just enjoy ripping his head off his neck. Maybe I¡¯m being too protective over here, but I hate Ian feeling ufortable in my own home. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Simone says, amazed. ¡°It¡¯s like a movie love story!¡± She tries to subtly hit Derek and let him know he should stop being rude, but I still notice. That is a nice gesture of her anyway. Other guests arrived soon as well. My three best childhood friends ¨C Rachel, Helena, and Campton ¨C missing one, the closest one I¡¯ve had ¨C Dione. But he¡¯s gone now. He¡¯s been gone for 8 years. All because of me. My friends families havee with them, my father¡¯s friends and their families, my brothers¡¯ friends and their families, the Alpha and Gamma of our pack ¨C Jorah and Graham ¨C and a lot of people from the Carter pack. I guess now that Simone is linked to their Beta, the packs became tight knit. A small group ¨C consisting of my father, Alpha Jorah, Graham, Derek, Simone, and myself ¨C gathers around the buffet and we start talking wolf stuff while sipping wine. ¡°How¡¯s Jamie¡¯s training going, Patrick?¡± Jorah asks my father. Dad waves his hand off. ¡°He is still learning.¡± ¡°Jake and Jason improved,¡± Grahamments. ¡°I saw their progress yesterday on the field. Jacob has fast reflexes¡­ Jason¡¯s got a strong grip.¡± My father nods. ¡°They did improve. But they have a long way to go.¡± Jorah¡¯s eyes shift to me, suddenly. ¡°This one never had to train hard, though. She is a natural. We all saw it since she was only a kid.¡± Dadughs to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve got three sons, gentlemen, and it¡¯s this lovelydy that steals the show every time. Go figure,¡± he cheers. The crowdughs. ¡°It¡¯s a real shame we lost a fighter like you, L,¡± Jorah tells me. My dad nods absentmindedly. ¡°Her wolf has always been the strongest of my kids¡¯. Well, she¡¯s the strongest in human form as well. She¡¯s always been the rock of this family.¡± My eyes well up without notice. I never knew my father felt that way. ¡°Are you trying to make me change my mind and stay?¡± I jokingly say, caressing his hand. ¡°Oh no, I know that boat has sailed off long ago,¡± he says and throws a nce at Ian behind, as if ming him for my absence. I leave to greet my other friend and Ian follows me this time, along with my brother Jamie. He has been serving Ian as his personal guide sh encyclopedia tonight, and might I say enjoying it greatly. ¡°That¡¯s Rachel,¡± he whispers to Ian as we approach my friend. ¡°And the girl next to her is Helena. She¡¯s super hot but already taken. She¡¯s one of few people that has a mate. Mates are aplicated -¡± ¡°I know what it is, L exined,¡± Ian says. ¡°Ah, she really does share everything. Well, probably not everything,¡± Jamie winks at me, chuckling. I roll my eyes with love. Little brothers¡­ ¡°Helena! Gosh, you¡¯ve changed so much! I wouldn¡¯t have recognized you in the street.¡± ¡°Same goes for you, hot stuff. I already forgot how tall you were,¡± she says hugging me off the tip of her toes. Helena is a charming girl, reminding me of a seductivetina. ¡°It¡¯s the heels,¡± I motion to the skyscrapers that are my shoes. But I notice the look in her eyes ¨C she still mes me for what happened. And I can¡¯t stand the look. ¡°I heard you¡¯re getting married! That¡¯s wonderful. Have you set the date yet?¡± Rachel asks. But her eyes tell the same story. Dione¡¯s on all of our minds. ¡°Yes. It will be on December 20th, our five year anniversary.¡± ¡°How lovely.¡± All of a sudden, a weird feeling envelopes me. My body starts to sweat and my heart is racing like crazy, even though I have no idea why. I turn, scanning the room, as if looking for something. Then I notice somebody. A muscr tall man, somewhere in histe twenties¡­ He¡¯s dark tanned, tattooed, slightly wavy hair falling to his buffed shoulders. One of his thick arched eyebrows is cut down the middle ¨C probably something he earned himself in a fight. His lips are manly, yet sensually full. His nose is rough and masculine, his eyes¡­ ck copper, yet two shining daggers. And I can¡¯t stop watching him. ¡°Who is he?¡± I ask. ¡°Who?¡± Rachel follows my gaze. As if she could miss him. He¡¯s the biggest guy in the room. ¡°Oh, him?¡± I nod, unable to speak for some reason. ¡°That¡¯s Darius Carter. The new Alpha of the Carter pack. You really have been absent from here long,¡± sheughs. I force a smile even though I feel like I am about to faint. ¡°He¡¯s just arrived. Without a date if I may notice,¡± Helena adds. ¡°He¡¯s the most desired bachelor in the area.¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with him, though,¡± Rachel says to Helena, but her words seem too muffled for me to hear properly. ¡°Isn¡¯t he acting weird?¡± My heartbeat elerates so badly, that I put a hand over my heart, fearing it might jump out of my chest. Even though my lungs feel stuffed with air, I struggle breathing. My hands are sweaty all of a sudden and my knees too weak. I want to sit down, but am unable to move. Then our eyes meet. ¡°Lily?¡± ¡°L! Are you okay?¡± I hear the girls¡¯ voices somehow. Why are they whispering? And why is everyone in the room spinning? On the other side of the room, across from me, Darius is frowning, piercing me with his eyes. My stomach turns and tingles run down my spine, making me feelpletely naked. Then he starts walking towards me determinedly, even though it looks like he¡¯s struggling to move. I see people touching him, asking something, concerned, but he ignores thempletely. I hear people saying my name through the muffled sounds of my heartbeat banging in my ears. Then suddenly everyone in the room disappears and there are no voices. The only sound is that of his footsteps and the only scent is the most beautiful, sensual, masculine smell I have ever felt. Darius approaches me slowly at two feet away, but doesn¡¯t stop. As everything seems slow motioned, I try to step back to avoid collision, but my feet won¡¯t listen. Instead, I take a step forward and we meet at only an inch apart. He is not frowning anymore. He looks at me so intensely, so passionately, that I feel devoured. Then he speaks in a low rugged voice. ¡°Hello, mate.¡± Chapter 3: Mate Combat Even though I don¡¯t see anyone but Darius Carter, I feel all eyes are on us. As I stare at him in shock, I slowly realize what¡¯s going on here. Muffled sounds from the crowd echo in my ears.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh my God!¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°L is Darius¡¯ mate.¡± ¡°Is that Patrick¡¯s daughter? The one who left to live with humans?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the one who always made trouble as a kid.¡± ¡°Dione¡¯s friend?¡± ¡°Yes. People say it was her who got him killed.¡± ¡°Is that why she left?¡± ¡°Must be.¡± Shut up everyone! I have got to think. I have got to¡­ do something. Anything! But my body doesn¡¯t listen ¨C it¡¯s like I don¡¯t want to move away from him. I¡¯m hypnotized by his magnificent scent ¨C my lungs yearn for it. Oh, shit. This is without a doubt my mate. I have a mate. As the realization hits me, my knees totter and I feel like vomiting. He swiftly grabs me by my elbows as if he thought I was going to fall. So dramatic, Darius! I¡¯m only¡­ what am I? Mesmerized? The skin to skin touch is too much for me to bear. I shiver with pleasure. Darius smirks satisfactory, enjoying the effect he has on me. ¡°I will handle it,¡± I hear Ian¡¯s voice and feel his arms wrap around me. ¡°No,¡± Darius breaks our eye contact to look at Ian. ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± I look at my fianc¨¦ and suddenly, like a lightning, my brain bes painfully aware of the situation. I¡¯m engaged to be married! To Ian. But Darius is my mate. There¡¯s no doubt about it ¨C Dad told me when you meet him, you know. Now I see what he meant. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I finally find some words for this man that¡¯s got me dazed, still holding me in his strong arms. ¡°He¡¯s my fianc¨¦.¡± I have never witnessed a crowd go so silent so quickly. You could hear a pin drop at this moment. Darius¡¯ full attention is on me now. His face expression changed from enchanted to murderous in a second. I can actually feel the air between our gazes. He doesn¡¯t speak immediately, and I swallow hard as I realize the heaviness of my words. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± he says painfully inly, not raising his voice for a decibel. Instead, his voice is deep and enraged, demanding authority, making me feel smaller than a grain of sand. Ian chooses to speak in the worst moment possible. ¡°Let her go immediately. I said I would-¡± I feel Darius¡¯ grip loosen and predict his attack on Ian before it happens. It is a weird feeling, as if I am able to read his mind in slow motion. I know there is only one way I can save my fianc¨¦ from this beast¡¯s attack. If I be a beast myself. Darius pulls Ian hands off me in one swift movement and then throws a fist at his arcade bone. I shift into my wolf in crazy speed, and knock down a lot of furniture in the process. But I seed in my intention: Darius¡¯ is so surprised by my shift, that he forgot all about Ian. The crowd is now too loud forprehension. Some people scream and make ce for my big white wolf, while others run to help Ian and Darius. I have just made an open attack on a pack¡¯s Alpha and, normally, such offenders don¡¯t end up to well afterwards. I see Ian knocked down on the floor and it infuriates me to realize this ¡°meet-the-family¡± project has ended even worse than the worst scenario I imagined. ¡°Patrick King¡¯s daughter? Wasn¡¯t she the leader of the Havoc n?¡± ¡°She sure was¡­¡± The crowd disapproves. I see they still resent my childhood decisions. Well, to hell with it. I deserve all of it. I might as well defend my rebel status. Now my green wolf eyes meet with Darius¡¯ and I growl at him menacingly, ready to attack. ¡°Alpha, shift!¡± I hear Derek warn him. But Darius isn¡¯t afraid at all. He stands still, looking at me with some sort of amusement and¡­ satisfaction. What is wrong with him? ¡°Alpha, what do you want us do?¡± his men ask. Darius just lifts his hand to silence them, still smirking at me in all his masculine glory. ¡°If that¡¯s how you want it to go down, little wolfie,¡± he approaches me and pets my muzzle, unaffected by my snarling, ¡°I¡¯m all in.¡± And then he runs to the door and shifts into a huge ck wolf the moment he is out of the house. I follow him out, having difficulties moving in such a small space. He stands in a fight ready position, ready to devour me. Well¡­ we¡¯ll just see about that. ¡°Lily, stop!¡± my Dad yells running out of the house, arge crowd along with him. I am the first one to attack. I lunge at him full force, trying to bite his arm, but he manages to evade my attack at thest moment. He shakes his wolf head, as if amused, and slowly circles around me, trying to test mybat style. Well, you big ck wolf, I wasn¡¯t born yesterday. I fake movements, leading him to think I have slow left reflexes, manipting him to attack my strongest side. Then I move my legs backwards every now and then, trying to make him mistake me for a defender, instead of an offender type. My n works brilliantly. Darius¡¯ wolf attacks my left side in super fast speed and I miss his teeth by only half an inch. I manage to do it, though, and while he is still surprised by the oue, I lunge at him straight ahead, not giving him time to rebound, and he ends up knocked down on the ground. We start wrestling there. His wolf is so strong, which doesn¡¯t surprise me. His human form is massive. ¡°Lily!¡± I hear my father¡¯s authoritative voice, ¡°Imand you to stop immediately!¡± But I don¡¯t listen. I was never good at obeyingmands anyhow. The crowd that gathered to watch us looks shocked ¨C they must¡¯ve thought I¡¯d suck inbat, given I left my pack at 18. Darius manages to overpower me for a second, and it gives him just enough time to leave a bite mark on my lower arm. Nothing serious, though. I bet it won¡¯t even leave a scar. But it enrages me, nheless. So I mislead him again in an opposite direction and manage toe back on top of him. There, I bite his shoulder. Gently as well, but this might actually scar him for good. I am not that good at self-control when upset. The crowd starts yelling now and both our wolves are back on our feet, heads low, snarling viciously. I distinguish somements from the spectators and conclude that people are overly shocked with my performance in my humble opinion. Is it just because I¡¯m a woman, or is everybody else so inherently bad that the little Alpha hasn¡¯t found his match up until now? We both prepare an attack now, and I know misleading won¡¯t work anymore, so I do what he doesn¡¯t expect. Show him my real intention, approaching too fast too soon, knowing he will think I am only ying him. And when he backs the next time, it won¡¯t be enough. My n seems to work, and as he moves his legs back for a bit, I don¡¯t back this time. Instead, I full force jump on him, trapping his neck between my front legs, and I go on to push him on the ground. ¡°Lily¡­ Lily, please don¡¯t do this¡­¡± a painfully familiar voice says. A voice that always calms me down. I break contact with Darius for just a moment, to look at Ian, but that is all it takes for him to knock me down and trap into a lever. As his wolf is stronger than mine, and his position is now privileged, I know there is no way to win this fight. Damn you, Ian. Damned our love. Why did I have to look at you? You¡¯ve no idea what you caused now¡­ Knowing I¡¯ve lost and therefore have to submit, I force myself to professionally bow my head. Out of respect for my father. With that motion, I announce everyone that he won. The crowd is relieved. I see my father let out a sigh. His eyes are glowing with pure pride, though. Nothing else but love and pride. He hasn¡¯t seen me in wolf form for a very long time. He must have feared I forgot everything he and Mother taught me. But I haven¡¯t. I never will. And in this moment, I realize, I never want to, either. Darius¡¯ wolf lets go off me and he leads me into the woods nearby. I decide to follow. It¡¯ll be best to talk with him in private and exin why this mate thing isn¡¯t for me. When we are gone from other people¡¯s view, he shifts into his human form andmands me to do the same. I unwillingly obey. What the hell? Oh my God, I challenged an Alpha and lost, is he now my Alpha? Am I a part of his pack? He nces at his wounded shoulder and smirks in amusement. ¡°L,¡± he says slowly, as if testing the sound of it. To me, this name from his mouth suddenly sounds like my favorite melody. ¡°Is that your name, little wolf?¡± he takes a few steps toward me to close the big gap between us. I take rugged breaths, trying to cover my naked body parts with my wounded hands. He grabs both of them. ¡°Don¡¯t hide yourself from me,¡± he demands. ¡°I am your mate.¡± I swallow hard and quickly shift back into my wolf, as being naked in human form with him was too much too take. It took me every ounce of my energy and self-control not to get too excited and lunge passionately onto my mate. I wish I could control my thoughts, because I suspect he hears them, asmon pack members share thoughts. It¡¯s their way ofmunication. You are right, he answers, now in his wolf form as well. And my thoughts are confirmed. Shit! I am a part of his pack now. You¡¯re more than a part. You are Luna, he says proudly. And may I say, your spot is rightfully deserved. He licks the blood off his wound. Stop it! I shout at him, shifting quickly into my human form again. I don¡¯t even mind nudity anymore, because I am as angry as I¡¯ve ever been. ¡°Get out of my head!¡± He shifts back as well, this time being less arrogant. He innocently lifts his arms in defense. ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose. You know how it works as well as I do.¡± I turn and walk back to where we came from to pick my clothes from the ce we had shifted first. He walks behind me in silence. However, as I am about to leave the woods, I see an entire crowd standing at that same spot. I automatically freeze in ce and Darius¡¯ front collides with my naked butt. I scream and jump aside, covering my breasts with my hands. He watches me shamelessly, as if it is the most normal thing in the world. ¡°You have the most amazing body,¡± he says lustfully. My nipples harden without notice and I feel wetness between my crotch. ¡°Could you not look at me?¡± I try to sound enraged, but ites off more like a plea. If I am truthful, hispliment only made me feel desirable and horny. But I would never admit that to him. He smirks. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t look at you, even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°You are a pig!¡± I say. ¡°I am no pig. I am a wolf. One that you are dying to kiss.¡± My lips part without my consent and I am utterly unable to pretend I am angry anymore. ¡°Could you at least be a gentleman and go grab a piece of fabric for me?¡± He checks out my body onest time before he nods and looks me in the eye. ¡°I can do anything and everything you want me to,¡± he gently takes one of my hands toy a gentle kiss on it, ¡°L.¡± And then he leaves. And leaves me even more excited after thatment spoken in the world¡¯s sexiest voice. ¡ª¡ª So my amazing readers did you expect this? What do you think happens next?? please vote if you like the story ?? Chapter 4: Escaping Darius Carter ¡°You did this on purpose,¡± I say the moment we enter my father¡¯s office, even though I know he couldn¡¯t have known. My Dad swiftly looks at me. ¡°Did what?¡± ¡°Threw a huge party hoping I would find my mate somewhere in the crowd and stay,¡± I close the door behind us. ¡°Lily¡­ Why do you always have to me me? Never in my wildest dreams-¡± ¡°Oh, spare me,¡± I cut him off. I know he must be bursting with excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t insult my intelligence by pretending you aren¡¯t happy with the turn of events.¡± He is silent at first, brooding. Then he speaks. ¡°You¡¯re right about me wishing to have you here. But I am not lying when I say I did not expect this. Of all the people¡­¡± he sits in his chair, worried, ¡°why did it have to be him?¡± I shoot him with a stare. ¡°Why do you say that? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± If my father is displeased about this situation, then there¡¯s definitely something wrong. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ he¡¯s a Carter. Their Alpha even. You know how they are¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± I¡¯m not kidding. I¡¯ve been out of this ce for years and even before I was never interested in gossip. I always knew I would leave before following an Alpha. My dad shakes his head, lifting his gaze off the floor. ¡°Well, you know Darius is too young to be an alpha by heritage.¡± My forehead crinkles. I don¡¯t have patience for this tip toeing. ¡°Give it to me straight.¡± ¡°He killed the previous Alpha, Lily. His uncle. That¡¯s how he assumed the position.¡± Shit. I forgot the Carter pack still functions like in the old age ¨C allowing Alphas to be challenged for their position at any time. How awful. Being constantly in fear of your own pack members. Only he doesn¡¯t seem to be a tad afraid. ¡°Wait,¡± I just realize something, ¡°had I won the fight¡­ I would have be the Carter leader.¡± My dad chuckles. ¡°Only if you had murderer Darius. Given he¡¯s your mate¡­ that seems unlikely. And you already are their Luna.¡± Not by merit, though. By ¡®marriage¡¯. And I know how dominating Alphas can be. If he murdered his own uncle to rule, I doubt he¡¯s all about equality and sharing. I shake my head. ¡°I can¡¯t do this,¡± and copse onto his couch. ¡°You know I can¡¯t better than most.¡± ¡°Listen,¡± he puts a hand over my shoulder. ¡°You can¡¯t escape who you are. Human life will never be enough. I saw you on that field ¨C you still have the same problem, Lily.¡± I frown. ¡°He attacked Ian, dad.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He almostughs. ¡°That¡¯s not why you provoked him. And why you fought him even after Ian was left alone.¡± He raises an eyebrow. ¡°You wanted to prove you were better. I know I wasn¡¯t a ster dad, but I know this much. Ever since you were a little girl, you challenged those kids who had a better title. You can¡¯t ept being a subordinate.¡± ¡°No,¡± I cut him off, ¡°the thing I can¡¯t ept is that I have my life cut out for me! I didn¡¯t need this, dad! I had my life nned out. Ok? I still do!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, God dammit!¡± he demands now. ¡°Mate bonds can¡¯t be broken, forgotten or ignored. It¡¯s bigger than you, me, and everyonebined.¡± ¡°Ian, dad. You¡¯re forgetting about Ian.¡± ¡°Forget about Ian,¡± he urges. ¡°Say farewell to the boy while you still have a clean te.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing clean about our te, dad. Five years!¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing!¡± He shouts. ¡°You aren¡¯t married, you don¡¯t have kids! There¡¯s no family you¡¯re gonna break!¡± ¡°He is family to me! Better than you ever were.¡± I bite my tongue. That was fair, but I didn¡¯t mean to say it. I can¡¯t me him for a few years of heavy drinking after losing his wife mate. ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened, Lily,¡± he swallows hard. ¡°I tried my best, but¡­ It took time for me to gather the strength to move on.¡± Don¡¯t I count? No one asked me if a little girl needed some time off to dwell. Instead, I had to y Mom to three little J¡¯s. ¡°Even if there was no Ian,¡± I change the topic, ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t want to stay.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± he mumbles. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say what you mean?¡± I¡¯ve had it with his prickyments. ¡°Darius scares you.¡± ¡°Bullshit. I am not ¡®pack material¡¯.¡± ¡°You love Ian because he¡¯s safe. He has no imminent danger in his life, he loves you, lets you lead¡­ You know you¡¯re his protector,¡± he clicks his tongue, ¡°but Darius¡­ he¡¯s a whole another story. And you¡¯ll be entering his life. Not the other way around.¡± My hand reaches for one of my father¡¯s cuban cigars. This could never work out. What was I thinking? I light one up. Was I even taking it as an option? To stay and be part of his pack? ¡°I am leaving home with Ian,¡± I announce. I have to get out of here. And I have to do it fast. Before this esctes into God-knows what. ¡°Since when do you smoke?¡± ¡°Since now,¡± I say. ¡°Will you resent me for doing that to you?¡± Shaking his head, he smiles. ¡°You¡¯re my only daughter. My first-born child. If you want to leave, I will make sure your wish is granted.¡± My stomach turns. ¡°This already sounds like I¡¯m imprisoned.¡± He squints subtly. I can tell he¡¯s brooding, but won¡¯t share his thoughts. He then stands up, certain in his action. ¡°I will help you leave. But I will not help you escape.¡± I narrow my eyes. ¡°What exactly do you mean by escape? I¡¯m not shackled here, dad.¡± ¡°Well you don¡¯t expect him to just hold the door open for you, do you?¡± he watches me unconvinced. ¡°You are Luna of his pack now, whether you like it or not.¡± ¡°As long as I¡¯m not in wolf form, he has no power over me.¡± Theoretically, even then I could disobey my Alpha¡¯smand, but I don¡¯t quite control my wolf. She¡¯s¡­ different. I remember how she followed his words earlier in the woods. She actually wanted to. Oof, my wolf¡¯s a hoe. ¡°Of course not,¡± Father reassures me. ¡°The only way he could force you to stay is by physical force and he will never do that.¡± I look at him suspiciously. ¡°Do you know him that well?¡± He shrugs. ¡°Werewolf men are prideful beings. The higher your rank, the prouder you are. You don¡¯t think an Alpha of the strongest pack around will stoop so low to shackle his own mate to keep her near?¡± It does seem toome for a big fat Alpha. ¡°Let me talk to him first,¡± he says. ¡°We won¡¯t take long. Then I suggest you meet him for a few minutes and exin things from your perspective.¡± As I don¡¯t reply immediately, he continues. ¡°I assure you it is the better way. You can¡¯t run away from him. He would find you wherever you go. You are linked now. And when he does find you, running will only make you look weak.¡± I can¡¯t help but agree. So I look at my father and give him a short nod. It¡¯s my best shot anyway. My father quickly grabs hold of the doorknob and I can¡¯t help but notice his eyes glowing with some hidden victory. I realize I don¡¯t want to know why. ¡ª Please vote ?? ? Chapter 5: She Belongs With Me I sit nervously in my father¡¯s office, waiting for him to finish his conversation with Darius. He said they wouldn¡¯t be long. However, the wall clock shows it¡¯s been half an hour already. That¡¯s a pretty long talk by my standards. I hate that I forgot to take my purse with me in all of that mess, because now I don¡¯t have a cellphone with me and I can¡¯t contact Ian. I can always go outside and fetch him, but I somehow want to avoid all the people that might still be there. On second thought, the majority must have stayed. If normal human manners applied to us as well, then everyone would have left the moment things escted. Being werewolves, however, we like to stick together in situations like these. I need to make sure Ian is well, though. So screw it. As I leave the office and walk down the hallway, immediately, I hear familiar voicesing from downstairs. It¡¯s Darius and my father. Why haven¡¯t I thought of this sooner? I quietly descend the stairs, following the sounds to our living room. I approach the door and lean on the closest wall, hoping to hear the entire conversation. ¡°That is not even an option, Patrick,¡± I recognize my mate¡¯s voice. ¡°She is staying with me. Where she belongs.¡± His voice is calm and determined, yet authoritative. ¡°Belongs?¡± I suddenly hear an angry male voice. But it isn¡¯t my father¡¯s. Ian. What is he doing there? ¡°Yes,¡± my mate replies less calmly now, ¡°belongs. We are mates. I thought you said you were informed on the subject. Because if you aren¡¯t,¡± he pauses dreadfully, ¡°I damn sure can educate you.¡± ¡°There is no need for this, boys,¡± my father jumps in. ¡°We can all agree that soon, no matter what, L will do what has to be done. Because she will want to do it. All we are trying to aplish here is that Darius gives her some time to adjust. A few days, no more.¡± There are some footsteps and then Darius speaks again. ¡°Do not address me as a boy ever again.¡± His voice freezes blood in the veins. ¡°And second, a few days without her are days I cannot give you. If she wants to live without me, let her tell me that to my face. She¡¯s been in front of this door for the past five minutes anyway.¡± I freeze in ce. Shit! ¡°What?¡± I hear my father ask and then Darius opens the door. Our eyes meet and I feel devoured again. ¡°L,¡± he nods gently. ¡°Join us, please.¡± ¡°How did he hear her?¡± Ian asks my father. ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± he replies quietly. ¡°They¡¯re mates. He can smell her miles away.¡± ¡°Well he should¡¯ve said something,¡± Ian states, seeing my anger towards this situation. ¡°Why? I don¡¯t want to have secrets in front of her,¡± he replies matter of factly. Ian approaches me, trying to put his arm over me, but is stopped by my mate before he can touch me. ¡°No,¡± he says simply, as a warning. Ian is irritated by his gesture. ¡°Lily is my fianc¨¦. Do not tell me what to do.¡± Darius¡¯ eyes widen and his nostrils re. He is enraged. As I don¡¯t want another fight, I squeeze Ian¡¯s hand gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± and let him go. Darius seems to cool off a little by my action. To be honest, it would be super weird to touch Ian in front of Darius. I haven¡¯t thought about it up until now, but it simply feels wrong. This mate thing is real, I realize. I have to talk to him before it is toote. Before I give in to him and let go of this entire situation. ¡°Dad. Ian. Can you please give us a second?¡± Ian is shocked, and I see hurt in his expression. ¡°Lily?¡± Darius seems pleased, obviously, his posture growingrger and prouder. ¡°It will only take a few minutes,¡± I tell my fianc¨¦. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go home,¡± I whisper to his ear, hoping Darius didn¡¯t hear it. Even though his now enraged face tells me he has.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Ian looks at Darius, then back at me. Finally he nods and leaves with my father. Darius doesn¡¯t move an inch. I hold his full attention. I swallow hard and force myself to look at him without drooling. It is impossible, but I do my best to hide it. ¡°I guess you heard¡­ what I want.¡± He shakes his head slowly. ¡°Yes, you did,¡± I insist, unwilling to say it to his face. He walks up to me. ¡°I heard only your silly little n. But I still haven¡¯t heard what you want. Even though I know it damn well.¡± I struggle swallowing. It¡¯s like there¡¯s something stuck in my throat. I was afraid this would happen. I force myself to speak. ¡°I need to leave. And I will.¡± He smirks, half amused, and takes half a step, closing the distance between uspletely. Now my breasts are touching his chest. He touches my chin gently, lifting it up. ¡°Need?¡± he clicks his tongue, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you what you need.¡± He lowers his head, his lips now almost touching mine. ¡°I asked what do you want?¡± My heart races like a fool and I know he can feel it. Because I am feeling his arousal. I close my eyes, trying not to think about the two of us naked, devouring each other. ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward, Luna,¡± he whispers. ¡°Say it.¡± I feel his breath against my lips and it is too much to take. Completely unwillingly, as if I am not in control of my own body, I lean in and my lips close onto his. He takes hold of my head with both his hands in a second. His tongue enters my mouth and I wee it with thirst. I grab him by the belt and pull, as if he cane any closer that we already are. His hand trails down my back and he stops at the small of it. Suddenly I hate the fabric that¡¯s stopping us from having a skin to skin touch, so I take his hand and put it under my shirt. Such a desperate move! But I am desperate for his touch and I can¡¯t even hide it. He grabs my skin and breathes heavily. I feel his body pulsating, and I know this could escte into something I could regret. But I¡¯m not strong enough to stop. Suddenly, the kissing stops, though, and I am left open mouthed, yearning for it to resume. It¡¯s like he can read my mind, because he says: ¡°Not unless you admit it.¡± I frown, still seduced by his scent and taste. ¡°Admit what?¡± ¡°That you do want it.¡± He trails his thumb over my wet lips¡­ ¡°that you want to stay. And be with me.¡± Isn¡¯t that obvious? I am drooling all over you, regardless of being engaged! Shit! Ian. I almost forgot about him. I can¡¯t do this. This has to stop. I force myself to speak again. ¡°Let me go.¡± He is surprised. Smirking, he says: ¡°You don¡¯t want me to let you go.¡± It makes me angry. ¡°Stop telling me what I do and don¡¯t want!¡± I try to get out of his embrace, and he decides to let me. Finally free, I gather some more courage. ¡°I am leaving. And you will let me leave.¡± He tries to control his anger by clenching his jaw. ¡°Where are you leaving? Back to humans? With him?¡± ¡°He is my fianc¨¦. Not some guy I just met at the bar.¡± His face turns red. ¡°Fianc¨¦ you just cheated on with me.¡± I am outraged. Even though he is 100% percent right, I am still outraged. ¡°How dare you? I-I didn¡¯t mean for it to happen!¡± I try to justify myself for my own sake, not his. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me kissing you, it was¡­ it was¡­ beyond my control,¡± I am sweating now, panicking. ¡°I swear, I¡­ I didn¡¯t want this to happen-¡± He takes my hand. I n to shove it at first, but realize it¡¯s helping me rx. Howe? He is the one that infuriated me. ¡°This makes no sense,¡± I mutter. He smiles and it is the first genuine smile I¡¯ve seen on him. ¡°I agree. But mates¡¯ love isn¡¯t supposed to be rational. Just magical.¡± The words sound so romantic out of his mouth, it¡¯s like he hypnotizes me. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. ¡°Lily, is everything alright?¡± I hear Ian. My eyes drop to the floor in shame and Darius lets go of me, anger building up inside him again. ¡°I¡¯ll be right out!¡± I shout and look at Darius. ¡°Don¡¯t think of anything stupid,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s your ideas that are stupid, not mine. Are you gonna try to ignore what just happened? Because try is all you can do.¡± I shake my head in shame. This bond thing really does have power over me. So I can¡¯t let us stay alone much longer. Does it grow with proximity? I¡¯ve no idea, but I already feel my wolf wanting to jumping him again, so I got to act fast. And smart. ¡°You just said mates love each other,¡± I continue. ¡°If you loved me, you would let me do what I want.¡± ¡°I do,¡± he says bluntly. ¡°But L, you can¡¯t be happy without me. Not anymore. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± I swallow hard and decide to y along. ¡°I do. And I know you are right. But there are things I have to put in the closet before I¡­¡± I gaze into his lovely dark eyes, ¡°Start my life with you. Not only Ian¡­¡± He is silent at first, inspecting my eyes. Then he finally nods. ¡°Do what you need to do.¡± I am relieved for a second, before he continues. ¡°You have two days. If you¡¯re not back by then¡­ I¡¯ming to get you.¡± I gasp as he takes my hand toy a gentle kiss on it, then leans close to my ear. ¡°And L, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re mine now.¡± He finds my eyes. ¡°Only mine.¡± Then he leaves through the terrace door, instantly shifting into his wolf. My mate is¡­ magnificent. Chapter 6: Bond Calling That night I have trouble sleeping. Shit. This mate thing is no child¡¯s y. I have only met the guy a few hours ago and already I am unable to fall asleep because he is invading my thoughts. I nce at the other side of the bed and see Ian sound asleep. I am shocked to realize he has no insomnia after all of today¡¯s happenings. We agreed to talk in the morning, since we were both exhausted and the conversation we had in the car on our way back here was even more exhausting. To sum it up, he thinks we will just resume our normal life as if nothing has happened. Me, on the other hand, know this is not a possibility. I am changed. For no other reason than meeting Darius Carter. My mate¡­ I roll over again, fearing I will wake Ian, but he doesn¡¯t move. He snores silently, legs spread, one arm under his head. Lucky¡­ Seeing him like this, makes me think of the day we first met¡­ It was a hot April day and I was riding my bike to the school library. My clothes stuck on my sweat and I felt nervous. To make it all worse, when I came to the reading area, there were no empty seats left. Someone sniffed with anger behind me. I turned, mad, to see who dared to start a fight with me. And it was him. Ian. ¡°Don¡¯t you just hate when that happens?¡± He smiled at me, holding ¡°A Social Animal¡± book between his hands. Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t that nervous anymore. I shifted my weight to one side and ced my hand over my hip. ¡°It¡¯s a nice read. For a rookie.¡± Heughed. ¡°Is that so? Well, since I have no ce to read it, I guess you can tell me the r¨¦sum¨¦.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. There¡¯s always a ce to sit if you want to find it.¡± He smiled, thinking about something. ¡°On second thought, I think I came up with a solution to our predicament,¡± he taps on my elbow. ¡°Come with me.¡± And I did. Up to this day I don¡¯t know why I followed him upstairs to the out-of-service attic, but I¡¯ve always been d that I did. We made that spot our secret rendez-vous ce and no one has ever found out about it. When the morninges, I feel as tired as ever. I wonder if my mate slept well or if he had a struggling night like myself. My gut tells me it¡¯s thetter. Ian moans sleepily as he stretches, an instant smile over his face as our eyes meet. ¡°Hello, sleepy head,¡± I smile back. He looks so cute with his hair ruffled. He leans in toy a kiss on my lips. As I kiss him back, my gut turns thinking about my make out session with Dariusst night. I hate myself for doing it. He notices my shock. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, babe?¡± ¡°I-¡± I don¡¯t know what to say. I should definitely admit it to him, but I don¡¯t even know how to begin to exin myself. ¡°It¡¯s, um,¡± I struggle to find words to express what I feel. I know I can¡¯t find them, though, because not even I understand what is going on. So I decide to be honest. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just¡­ feels wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± He sits up, concerned. I follow his motion, putting my hands on each side of myself. ¡°Very wrong.¡± ¡°Lily, is this about¡­ that Dario guy? I think it¡¯s time we put this to bed once and for all. What happened in that room with you two? How did he let you leave?¡± I swallow hard, waiting for my head to explode. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start.¡± ¡°How about from the beginning?¡± Inhaling deeply, I try to gather my thoughts to be able to express them clearly. ¡°Baby, you look exhausted,¡± he notes. ¡°Haven¡¯t you slept well?¡± I shake my head. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t sleep. At all. I couldn¡¯t,¡± my eyes tear up as I say it aloud. ¡°And the worst part is¡­ I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t stop thinking of Darius or the Goddamn feeling of guilt.¡± His eyes shut in agony. ¡°I hate that guy. He¡¯s¡­ such an animal.¡± Iugh to my own surprise. ¡°Technically, he is. And technically, so am I.¡± He puts a hand over mine. ¡°How about I make us some coffee before you tell me the rest? I have a feeling this isn¡¯t going anywhere good.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯ll make the coffee.¡± I would feel bad having him serve me after what I didst night. Even though thest thing I need is caffeine. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a quick shower,¡± he yells as I rush out the room. The instant I enter the kitchen, my cellphone rings. My stomach cramps. Is it Darius? Did he get my number from someone?Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I look at the caller. It says Dad. Relief. Or is it? It is hard to tell. Even though I am a psychologist. And an animal, as concluded before. ¡°Good morning, L. Did you sleep well?¡± He chuckles as I answer the phone. There is an undertone to his voice that didn¡¯t miss me. ¡°So it ismon after all. Damn it!¡± Heughs. ¡°Mates can¡¯t really sleep without each other. Not if both of them know their mate is alive.¡± Something tells me the sleeping bit is not the only perk that can¡¯t be done without your mate. I need to check, though. I need to know in order to be able to make a proper decision. I need to know if I have a shot with Ian, if fighting for us is worth it, or if one day soon I will simply wake up with no feelings for him whatsoever. ¡°What else can¡¯t they do?¡± I ask cautiously, afraid to hear the answer. ¡°I think you might have realized that yourself by now.¡± I shake my head in pain. ¡°Has it never been done? Don¡¯t you know of¡­ some exception to the rule who continued living with partners other than their own mate?¡± Even though I can¡¯t see my dad, I can tell he is frowning. ¡°Now why would anyone want to do that? L, finding a mate is something anyone would be thrilled to do. It is the most beautiful gift the Moon Goddess can give to a werewolf. Nobody would refuse that. Even if they wanted to¡­ they couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s stronger than reason. It¡¯s emotion. It¡¯s nature calling. You can only fight it for so long.¡± I close my eyes, overwhelmed with everything as tears fall down my face. ¡°What am I supposed to tell Ian?¡± I whisper. ¡°Ian knows, L. I exined everything to him. So has Darius. He chose not to believe us, but¡­ he knows. Deep down he does. And he is expecting it.¡± Expecting what? Me dumping him? They must have told him it would happen. It¡¯s even worse now, me knowing that he knew and still chose to fight for us. And me, now disappointing him. ¡°You knew it all along, haven¡¯t you?¡± I say usingly, weaning like a child. ¡°Knew what?¡± ¡°That I wouldn¡¯t be able to live without him.¡± ¡°Of course I have.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± I use him again. This situation is too much for me to handle. ¡°Why would I have told you? You and I both know it wouldn¡¯t have made any difference to your decision. I only could have started a fight, that¡¯s all.¡± I take a deep breath. I know he had a mate once, too. ¡°What do I do, Dad?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one thing you can do.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You already know the answer to that, Lily.¡± My face is all water. I can¡¯t wipe the tears as fast as new ones arrive. Because I do know. ¡ª¨C ? I want to point out that I didn¡¯t write the dialogue of her leaving Ian, but rather skipped to action right away with a connotation of what happened. ? Chapter 7: Meeting The Carters I lower my head as I pull the hand brake and close my eyes, just for a second. The moment I do, Ian¡¯s hurtful face shes in my mind. ¡°I kissed him,¡± I shut my eyes in shame.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He stared at me in shock and disbelief. Then his face turned into anger and disgust. ¡°Who are you?¡± he shook his head. ¡°My Lily never would¡¯ve done that.¡± I bursted into tears. ¡°I fucked up, Ian,¡± I shook my head, sobbing. ¡°I ruined everything and now¡­ I can never fix it.¡± ¡°Lily,¡± he tightened his jaw, but his anger went down a notch. ¡°I¡¯m not going to end a five-year rtionship because of a kiss. I mean¡­ I assume it happened only because you were,¡± he does ¡®apostrophes¡¯ with his hands, ¡°mates or whatever.¡± Oh my God. Hisment only made it worse. ¡°It did happen only because of it,¡± I sob. ¡°But it ain¡¯t that easy¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± he demanded. ¡°God, how do I say this?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I wish I could bring back the time, Ian.¡± He stared at me intently. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have kissed him if you had another chance?¡± I whimpered, shaking my head. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. If I brought the time back, we never would¡¯ve gone there in the first ce.¡± He looked at me as if finally understanding what I meant ¨C this couldn¡¯t be undone. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± I hit the steering wheel out of frustration, then open the car door. For some strange reason, though, the instant I entered the Carter territory my anxiety went a notch down. That has to count for something, right? It is happening, my inner wolf tells me. I know. Nothing will ever be the same. Well, that isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, she reassures me, but even she is doubtful. A dark muscr figure marches towards me in a menacing way. I know it isn¡¯t my mate, because I would already be dizzy from his irresistible scent. I shut the door and lean onto it, waiting for him to approach ¨C I¡¯m not afraid. Not of him, at least. He crosses his arms when he does, then watches me with squinted dark eyes, as if inspecting me. It irritates me. ¡°Do you speak, boy?¡± I lean my leg onto the car. Thement shocks him. He unlocks his hands slowly, thinking of something to say. I decide to continue, as I am enjoying his new face expression. ¡°Or are you simply here to help me with my bags?¡± I know he isn¡¯t as I came unannounced, but still¡­ I can have some fun. He quickly re-establishes his position, taking a powerful stand with hands ced on his hips. ¡°This is Carter territory. What business do you have here?¡± His voice is somewhat pleasant, but the tone of it definitely threatening. I let a smile slip me. ¡°That is no way to speak to your Luna, boy.¡± I don¡¯t know why I keep calling him boy, since he is obviously my age or older, but the word keeps escaping my mouth. He frowns in preparation to respond rudely, then a thought crosses his mind. I can see it by his face expressions. ¡°Luna?¡± he asks with no undertone, careful not to sound offensive, yet still unsure whether he should show obedience. ¡°Are you Miss King, the Alpha¡¯s mate?¡± ¡°You can call me L. Makes me feel younger,¡± I sway my hair back and start walking towards therge house in front of us, then turn shortly back to him. ¡°Oh and the bags are in the trunk,¡± I wink andugh on the inside. The house looks very much alike to what I thought it would be. A three story vi, some 400 square meters in size, made out of stone and marble of a greyish color. Not attractive at all. It looks cold and inhabitable. Like most Alpha houses. I very much prefer regr werewolves homes. They¡¯re mostly small houses made out of wood and you feel warm and cozy just by looking at them. On the inside, though, they¡¯re even more spectacr. I know because I used to live in one. As I approach the entrance, two other men block my way. I constrain myself not to be rude. It¡¯s their job to be aggressive toward strangers on theirnd. ¡°It¡¯s okay, she¡¯s Darius¡¯ mate,¡± the guy from before shouts behind me. I turn and see he is indeed carrying my luggage. I give him a respectful nod. The other two step aside, greeting me. ¡°Hello, Luna.¡± It seems like they suspected I would being. Darius must have told them. ¡°Please enter, L,¡± the luggage guy tells me. ¡°Darius isn¡¯t here, so I¡¯ll call someone to show you around,¡± he says swiftly and before he can disappear I grab his arm. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I ask politely. ¡°Terry.¡± I nod. ¡°Thanks, Terry.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± he smiles before disappearing somece. I look around the living room. It is arge room with massy furniture and not many decorations. It oozes chill andcksfort. No wonder they ced a firece on the wall, but even that failed in giving this ce warmth. ¡°L, it is so nice to meet you!¡± I turn to find a short chubby woman with the most charming smile and the warmest eyes, cleaning hands against her apron. I smile showing my teeth and take my hand out, as she approaches me. However, she lightly squeezes my hand, then shoves it away and pulls me into a weing hug. I am left speechless as I clumsily try to return the hugging favor. The gesture actually feels good. I guess I needed some reassurance. I rx in thedy¡¯s warm arms, even closing my eyes and breathing in the smell of nice food that evaporates off her. ¡°Nice to meet you as well, Mrs¡­¡± I say as she loosens her grip. Sheughs. ¡°Carter,¡± as if it was obvious. ¡°But don¡¯t you dare call me that,¡± she points her finger at me. ¡°It¡¯s Debra for you.¡± I am shocked to realize the woman in front of me is my mate¡¯s mother. They look nothing alike. She is so warm and inviting, while he is¡­ I remind myself not to be judgmental. Maybe Darius isn¡¯t that bad if this is his mother. She must have taught him some values. Plus, thedy obviously still does her own cooking, regardless of her position in the pack. With that, she earns my respect already. ¡°Sure,¡± I reply shyly, suddenly embarrassed by my previous exhibit of position toward Terry and the guards. Hopefully they won¡¯t talk badly of me in front of Debra. My stupid y was only meant for Darius to see. I don¡¯t really know why, but probably it has something to do with me wanting him to think I am not afraid. ¡°You can call me Lily if you¡¯d like,¡± I add. She squints funnily. ¡°Would you like me to call you that?¡± My cheeks burn up. ¡°I actually hate that nickname.¡± Sheughs. ¡°I figured it by the way you said it. Look at those lovely cheeks,¡± she pinches them, smiling. ¡°Isn¡¯t she lovely, Terry?¡± Terryughs, biting on an apple. Even though most people hate someone pinching their cheeks, it actually makes me feel nice. ¡°Let¡¯s show you to your room first, in case you need to freshen up.¡± She turns to Terry. ¡°C¡¯mon, son. Bring that bag upstairs for our dear L.¡± My eyes widen in shock. Terry¡­ Our gazes meet and he winks at me, containingughter. I suddenly feel likeughing myself. Well, at least I showed Terry what I¡¯m made of. Chapter 8: Ceremony ¡°What ceremony?¡± I ask. ¡°The joining ceremony, of course,¡± Darius states. Terry chuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know guys from the high ranks host them once they find mates.¡± I shake my head. Am I really that uneducated about wolf stuff or was I simply desperately disinterested in those customs? ¡°It¡¯s like a wedding in your human world,¡± Debra rifies, amused, having noticed my distress. ¡°Right,¡± my food suddenly climbs back up my throat. I was supposed to marry Ian this year. And now¡­ it turns out I¡¯ll be marrying someone else. I can¡¯t help feeling the Moon Goddess¡¯ blessing is more a curse. Why is she doing this to me? Ian didn¡¯t deserve to be left. We didn¡¯t deserve this ¨C all those years of love and support ending in one damned second. Is Darius really worth it? I sure hope so. ¡°And when is this ceremony supposed to happen?¡± I clear my throat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Darius puts down his fork and knife. ¡°It will happen when we say it will.¡± Debra ps her hands. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait. I love celebrations!¡± He stands up slowly. ¡°Alright then. Have a good night, everyone.¡± Does this also refer to me? I get my answer as he stops behind my chair and takes his hand out. ¡°Join me to the bedroom?¡± My throat goes stiff. I should just say no, but then I will portray myself as a coward to these people. And a weirdo. No one behaves this weird with their mates but me. Then again, not everyone had a human fianc¨¦ just a few hours ago. I decide to y it cool and ce my hand into his. ¡°Have a good night,¡± I say as I stand up. I can almost hear my heart pounding as we walk hand in hand, him leading me to the stairs. It is the most normal thing in the world, my wolf reassures me. All werewolves are crazy over their mates once they find each other. What¡¯s your problem? What is my problem? Still having feelings for Ian? A fresh breakup? A new love forced upon me? Or is it embracing someone as my Alpha? I¡¯ll go for all of the above. Ugh, you suck. Shut up. I¡¯m the boss of us in human form. He intertwines his fingers with mine quite roughly, then lifts my hand up toy a strong kiss on it. ¡°It pleases me that you came this soon, L,¡± he says in a deep sexy voice. ¡°I would¡¯ve hated it if I had toe and get you myself.¡± I can¡¯t with this dominance. ¡°I just felt a bit tired, that¡¯s all.¡± He smirks as if he has all the power over me. I abruptly take my hand away and stop. ¡°What?¡± he asks, confused. ¡°Introducing some nice manners wouldn¡¯t kill you, you know,¡± I scratch my neck in anxiety. He seems legitimately confused. ¡°You want me to carry you to our room?¡± He already bends a little to pick me up, but I stop him gently with my hand. O. K, I get that to him this is no big deal. He found a mate and now he¡¯s expecting to have the world¡¯s most normal rtionship. One he grew up watching. But I¡¯ll need some time before I start behaving like a normal mate. Time for adjustment. When I stop feeling like I¡¯m cheating on Ian every time me and mate touch. ¡°No, I want you to give me my room.¡± He squints as if I am asking the most stupid thing there is. ¡°Your room is my room. You know, ours,¡± he smirks amused as he gestures with his index finger. ¡°No,¡± I simply say. ¡°I can¡¯t share a bed with you. Not tonight at least,¡± I add so that I wouldn¡¯t offend him. He sighs, irritated. ¡°Great, another sleepless night,¡± he mumbles finally getting the grip of the situation. He shakes his head slightly in disbelief. ¡°We¡¯re mates, L.¡± ¡°I ended my engagement only hours ago!¡± I burst. I mean what is wrong with this guy? Werewolf or not, thepassion chip is missing. ¡°Alright, rx,¡± he puts his hands on the outer part my shoulders. ¡°If you think you don¡¯t wanna stay in the same room, I¡¯ll give you another one. Ain¡¯t a problem, baby.¡± ¡°If I think?¡± I pick his hands with my fingers and theatrically remove them from my body. ¡°Great. Then we can proceed.¡± I continue my way upstairs, with himgging behind. I hear him chuckle, but ignore it. Why does he anger me so much? Is it because I am not in control of myself in front of him? Because he disarms me? Quite probably. It¡¯s irritating as hell having someone wrap you around his finger without even trying. When I reach the top most stair, I step aside, letting him lead the way to my separate room. I¡¯ll be damned if I let my sinful desires get the better of me tonight. I would feel horrible to lie in bed without another man only hours after ending things with Ian. He walks the hallway, then turns to give me an amused stare as he reaches a door. He shakes his head in amusement, then swiftly grabs the door knob on his right and swings the door open. ¡°Enjoy,¡± he says ironically. I raise an eyebrow and step inside without even checking the room out, then take hold of the inner knob. ¡°I sure will,¡± I reply matter of factly, preparing to m the door in his face. ¡°Good night, Darius.¡± He stops the door with his hand just before they close. He tilts his head, eyes closed, inhaling deeply. ¡°I love the sound of my nameing out your mouth.¡± He takes my head between his palms and stuffs his nose into my hair, then whispers into my ear. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hear you moan it with pleasure. Shit. He always throws me off guard. I feel my body burning with desire to grab him and have him here and now, but something is stopping me. I want to be stronger than this invisible force of mate bond. I want to remain in control of myself. Besides, if I somehow manage to resist it for a while, maybe I will be free again? And I can beg Ian to forgive me? Ian who? My wolf interrupts my stray of thoughts. I watch Darius walk towards his room longingly, unable to part my eyes from his handsome manly back. He turns just before he opens the door to his bedroom. ¡°You know where to find me when you get bored.¡± Ugh. So tacky. ¡°Dream on,¡± I close my door and lean onto it. I turn on the lights and gaze at my new room. It is a in bedroom with white walls, a queen bed with white cotton linen, a small balcony exit, and a wooden closet with a mirror on it. I realize I left all of my stuff in his room, as Debra led me there. Crap. Of all my belongings, I only have a cellphone in my pocket. I take it out, wanting to text him to bring me my stuff but it urs to me I don¡¯t even have his number. Great. Now, I could sleep in my undies, but going to sleep without brushing my teeth after dinner is a no-no. I decide to go as quickly as possible to my ex room, before Darius starts to change into pajamas and I catch him butt naked. I leave to the hallway and basically run down it, then knock on his door.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. It takes him a few seconds to open and he is, of course, shirtless. ¡°Even sooner than I thought.¡± He has a victorious spark in his eyes. It¡¯s so obvious he¡¯s used to always getting what he wants. For some reason, it makes me spiteful. I roll my eyes. ¡°I came for my toiletry. Your mother had brought me here earlier today, so I left my stuff in your bathroom.¡± ¡°Our bathroom,¡± he smiles, enjoying seeing me nervous, then swings the door open. ¡°The room¡¯s all yours.¡± I give him a short polite smile and rush to the bathroom to collect my belongings. He follows me with azy stroll, then leans onto the door frame to observe me do it. ¡°All done,¡± I force another smile as I walk to the door. Then he grabs me by the elbow and I almost drop everything to the floor from the electricity that runs through my bones. ¡°My offer still stands, L,¡± he leans into my neck and inhales deeply. ¡°I would like nothing more than to fall asleep next to my mate.¡± His breath is disarming. ¡°We¡¯d both catch some rest,¡± he lifts his hands in defense. I swallow hard. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± He smirks. ¡°Definitely next time.¡± Thanks for reading! ? Tell me what you guys think, I would really appreciatements! ? next updateing soon! VOTE if you like it Chapter 9: Controlling Myself Saying that I wake up would be a lie. I simply open my eyes, giving up on the pointless struggle to catch any sleep. I get out of bed and straight into shower, as I need something to regain energy. When I descend the stairs, I find only Darius at the kitchen table. Of course. Others must be still asleep. The Sun barely came out. ¡°Good morning,¡± I say as I enter and notice the table is full of bread, charcuterie, and all sorts of spreads. Aliana is obviously up whenever the Alpha needs her to be up. ¡°Is it?¡± he smirks, not really paying attention to me. I know my designated seat is opposite of Darius, but I choose to upy a vacant seat close to him and pour myself a ss of what looks like freshly squeezed orange juice. ¡°Want some?¡± I ignore the sarcasm. ¡°You tter me.¡± He is amused by my gesture. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the world¡¯s best mate?¡± ¡°Mm,¡± he gulps down his cup of coffee. Something tells me it ain¡¯t his first. ¡°You slept wellst night?¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± I raise my eyebrows convincingly. ¡°The mattress is super soft, I love it.¡± ¡°Good morning!¡± Debra smiles walking in. That woman is always lit up. He smirks, knowing that I am lying. ¡°That¡¯s great. You should check out mine,¡± he then leans in so that no one else can hear. ¡°It¡¯s super hard, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love it.¡± I almost choke on my orange juice ¨C I bring my hand up, coughing. ¡°Are you fine, darling?¡± Debra asks in concern, as Darius enjoys the effect his remark gave me. ¡°All good,¡± I force a smile. ¡°Went down the wrong way,¡± I shake it off. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me,¡± Darius leans in ¨C lying ¨C I know he¡¯s enjoying his game of luring me in. ¡°I just hate you denying all the pleasure I want to give,¡± he whispers in a rough manly voice, then gets up. ¡°Alright, folks. I¡¯m off to duty. Take care of the family, bro,¡± he addresses Terry just as he walks into the dining room. ¡°Sure thing, bro. Kill those mother fuckers.¡± I frown. ¡°Kill whom?¡± ¡°No need to worry, baby,¡± Darius puts his hands over my shoulders and squeezes them shortly. ¡°I just hope two sleepless nights won¡¯t cost me my reflexes,¡± he mumbles. ¡°Heyo!¡± Terryughs, even though he totally misinterpreted the reason behind sleep deprivation. ¡°Maniptor,¡± I whisper to him, because I know he¡¯s purposely trying to make me feel bad. Pushing guilt on me like I¡¯m some silly teenage girl. As he leaves, I address Terry. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is something wrong?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Probably just a false rm.¡± His constant concise replies start irritating me. ¡°A false rm about what?¡± ¡°You heard that yesterday they encountered some vampires. Well, today they had another report for a sighting. But the odds are low.¡± I brood, furrowing my brows. Why would the odds be low? It¡¯s very possible that they¡¯re back. And if they are, my wolf awakens, our mate really is in danger. Don¡¯t exaggerate. I¡¯m sure he can defend himself ¨C how did he manage to stay alive all these years without us? You¡¯re Luna. You should¡¯ve gone with him. You¡¯ve fought more vampires than any of them. Besides, it¡¯s your fault he has two sleepless night that will probably cause him slow reflexes. Shit. Now I really do feel guilty. You¡¯re right. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I stand up swiftly, ¡°I have to leave.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the hurry, honey?¡± I hear Debra¡¯s voice, but am already running toward the exit. I grab the knob, hoping I¡¯ll catch him in time, and basically jump outside. But there¡¯s no one in sight.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. I scan the surroundings up and down, but see nothing. Shit! Darius hasn¡¯t had a minute sleep for thest two nights and then he goes to fight vampires! Then it urs to me. Hasn¡¯t my father said Darius could smell me miles away? Maybe the same rule applies to me. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, searching for a familiar essence. The one that disarms me every time¡­ Bingo! A satisfied smile stretches my lips as I shift into my wolf and start running towards the river, where I caught Darius¡¯ scent. It takes me a decent amount of time to catch up with them. They¡¯re obviously running as well. I¡¯m very close now, though ¨C I already hear their interlinked thoughts. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have gone too far,¡± Darius shares. ¡°We¡¯ll split. Conrad and Joe will head East, Lucy and Jake West. I¡¯m continuing North.¡± ¡°Me as well,¡± I join in. Darius¡¯ wolf shots me with a deadly nce. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± one of them asks, confused. ¡°That¡¯s your Luna, Jake.¡± Darius responds demanding respect. ¡°Ok, chill,¡± Jakeughs. ¡°So this is the famous L.¡± ¡°Finally a new girl on the team,¡± I suppose Lucy says as she¡¯s the only female here. ¡°I appreciate the enthusiasm,¡± I share my thoughts. ¡°I sense we¡¯ll get along well, Lucy.¡± ¡°Aye, aye,¡± she says, but also her other thoughts slip. ¡°Not that well with Darius, though. He¡¯s pissed.¡± ¡°Move!¡± the Alphamands and they all leave our sight. It is then that he approaches me and lurks over my white silver wolf. ¡°Who let you here?¡± ¡°Excuse me?? I let myself.¡± You cocky bastard. Shit ¨C I hate thought-sharing. Heughs. ¡°You can always shift back, little woolfie.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡± No way ¨C it¡¯s too dangerous being naked with you. ¡°Stop invading my thoughts!¡±That¡¯s your Luna, Jake.¡± Darius responds demanding respect. ¡°Ok, chill,¡± Jakeughs. ¡°So this is the famous L.¡± ¡°Finally a new girl on the team,¡± I suppose Lucy says as she¡¯s the only female here. ¡°I appreciate the enthusiasm,¡± I share my thoughts. ¡°I sense we¡¯ll get along well, Lucy.¡± ¡°Aye, aye,¡± she says, but also her other thoughts slip. ¡°Not that well with Darius, though. He¡¯s pissed.¡± ¡°Move!¡± the Alphamands and they all leave our sight. It is then that he approaches me and lurks over my white silver wolf. ¡°Who let you here?¡± ¡°Excuse me?? I let myself.¡± You cocky bastard. Shit ¨C I hate thought-sharing. Heughs. ¡°You can always shift back, little woolfie.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡± No way ¨C it¡¯s too dangerous being naked with you. ¡°Stop invading my thoughts!¡± Heughs again. ¡°If I knew you were gonna be this much fun, I¡¯d invite you to join me myself.¡± ¡°I doubt that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re damn well right. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to be here. I¡¯d send you back right now but you¡¯re safer with me than running back alone.¡± I groan menacingly. ¡°I thought I was the Luna of this pack. Obviously, I was wrong.¡± He only breathes, not saying a word. ¡°I fight vampires better than you, you big stubborn sleepless ass!¡± I¡¯m enraged now at this behavior. He looks into my eyes ¨C a wolf to a wolf. ¡°Is that why you came?¡± He approaches me so that we¡¯re now almost touching. ¡°To watch over me?¡± I¡¯m too angry to admit it. ¡°It¡¯s more a feeling of guilt that you didn¡¯t get any sleep on my ount-¡± ¡°Shh,¡± he cuts me off, rubbing his head into my wolf¡¯s neck. ¡°Let me enjoy this moment.¡± Damn. It¡¯s even harder to resist him in wolf form. His scent is consuming all of my focus and energy. It¡¯s so¡­ appealing. Attracting me towards him. Wanting me to surrender fully¡­ to my Alpha. ¡°Enough,¡± he says, ¡°Tonight you¡¯re sleeping in my bed. No more excuses.¡± Shit. He now knows that I want it too. ¡°I¡¯ve always known it,¡± he chuckles. ¡°Shut up and move North!¡± I start running, before he can read the rest of my mind. * * * The hunt yielded no vampires. Afterward Darius went to his work room and still hasn¡¯te out. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into me, but I long to be close to him, so Ie in front of his door. I¡¯ve never felt this way before. I shut my eyes, thinking of Ian. Ian and his warm smile. His gentle hands and funny jokes. The way we¡¯d just chill in our bed, watching movies or discussing psychological diseases. I miss it. But I miss it in a weird way ¨C as my best friend. Is that even possible ¨C that my love towards him died this soon? I guess one can¡¯t love two men at the same time. But is it love I feel for Darius? It more feels like a spell ¨C dragging me towards him without my free will. Before I know it, I¡¯m knocking at his work room door. ¡°Come in, L,¡± he replies from the other side. Of course he smelled me. I walk in and look around briefly. There are various books and bookshelves at each side of the wall. Also, a lot of organizers and files. Somehow, I can¡¯t imagine this guy in this kind of a workce. I can only imagine him hunting in his wolf form ormanding men on the field. Maybe I¡¯m being prejudicial? ¡°What can I do for you?¡± he asks as I sit on a sofa nearby. I actually take that thought and process it. Is there anything he could do for me to feel better? ¡°Talk to me,¡± I reply. He changes his face expression from sarcastic to serious. He even fixes himself up in the chair. ¡°Talk about what?¡± ¡°You,¡± I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about you. What do you even do for a living? I mean, I know what Alphas do for a pack, but¡­ what do you do to earn a living?¡± He smiles a bit, surprised by my question. He stands up and walks towards me, sitting on the couch opposite of me. ¡°I¡¯m a trader. I buymodities and resell them,¡± he sees I¡¯m wanting more. ¡°It¡¯s not a full-time job, but it¡¯s profitable. Gives me enough time to spend on my pack. Take care of them. I only keep track of the prices twice a day. I buy when the price drops and sell when it goes up.¡± Why did the Moon Goddess pair us? ¡°Whichmodities?¡± I ask, hoping that ¨C somewhere in the answer ¨C I¡¯ll see why we¡¯d be a good fit if there wasn¡¯t for the spell. ¡°Iron, gold, copper, petrol¡­ You know, being a good fighter has its perks,¡± a corner of his lips curl. ¡°I¡¯ve helped out many powerful men. And they tip me the inside info here and there. It¡¯s their way of thanking.¡± I simply blink. ¡°What about you?¡± he leans onto his couch and I realize this is the first time he¡¯s asked. ¡°I¡¯m a psychologist.¡± He observes me calmly. ¡°What does a psychologist do?¡± I stare into his eyes, wondering if he¡¯s only asking out of courtesy or if he¡¯s genuinely interested in the topic. ¡°I have an office where I receive my clients. We sit and talk about their problems, and I try to help them solve them.¡± He nods. ¡°It¡¯s simr to a Beta¡¯s job in the pack.¡± I almost smile. ¡°I guess it really is.¡± I grew up with a Beta, so I know all about my father¡¯s job andte night sessions with the people of our pack. My ex-pack. ¡°You and I¡­¡± he cuts the silence I wasn¡¯t even aware of, ¡°we have more inmon than you think.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± I call his bluff. He clicks his tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t know ourpatibilities yet. But we must have them,¡± he gives me a chilling look, ¡°Otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be mates.¡± ¡°That sounds like an oversimplification.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°The Moon Goddess doesn¡¯t randomly select newborns as mates. She watches her children as they grow up, learns their problems, insecurities¡­ If they¡¯re really messed up, she makes sure she gives them a mate, because,¡± he smirks, ¡°Tell me, psychologist woman, what do people yearn for the most?¡± I gaze at him, doubting he¡¯s aiming at my answer, but I say it anyway. ¡°Being understood.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± My eyes narrow. Do we speak the samenguage after all? ¡°The reason not everyone gets a mate¡¯s because most already had someone who made them feel understood. Parents, siblings, a rtive or a friend. But then there¡¯re those with¡­ distinct life paths. People like me. And people like you.¡± I swallow hard remembering my Dad told me he killed his uncle. I don¡¯t know how understanding I can be of that. ¡°How does she know they¡¯ll be understood by their mates?¡± He chuckles, amused. ¡°Is something funny?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that you remind me of myself. That¡¯s what I asked my grandfather as a child when he told me the story.¡± ¡°And what was his answer?¡± ¡°He said I¡¯d find out when the time came. He was always certain I¡¯d have a mate. Even when I wasn¡¯t. That¡¯s why I waited this long,¡± he stares at me. Right. Simone did say he was the most desired bachelor in the area. ¡°Huh,¡± I scoff, ¡°I wish someone told me the same¡­¡± Sure would¡¯ve saved me the trouble I¡¯ve caused Ian. Or I¡¯d ensure never toe back if I knew ¡®the outcasts¡¯ get mates. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter where you went or what you did,¡± he says as if reading my thoughts. ¡°The Moon Goddess ensures mates¡¯ paths cross one day.¡± I suddenly notice he came closer ¨C I didn¡¯t see him move. My heart races, but I can¡¯t rx until I know something. ¡°Why did you kill your uncle?¡± I put it out there bluntly. He presses his lips, obviously not knowing I was informed on the subject. ¡°My family always ruled the pack,¡± he says matter-of-factly. ¡°I would¡¯ve ruled after my father, but I was only five when he died on the field ¨C protecting our pack. Grandpa wanted to re-im the Alpha position until I was of age, but it¡¯s not how our pack works.¡± ¡°You follow the strongest,¡± I nod. ¡°Regardless of heritage.¡± ¡°We used to, a century ago. The new custom was heritage. But in our pack, all heirs can be challenged. Doesn¡¯t usually happen, because then one has to be killed. And everyone knows heirs receive the best training from the best fighters of the pack.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, Gramps was nearing seventy when Samuel challenged him. At the peak of his strength. The prior Beta, my uncle,¡± he stares at me without remorse. ¡°He killed my grandfather and became the new Alpha.¡± I swallow hard. I know that Darius being the current Alpha means he must¡¯ve challenged and killed Samuel when he came of age. He took back the title that belonged to him for generations. That takes a lot of weight of my heart. I do understand now ¨C atst. ¡°How old were you?¡± ¡°When I killed him?¡± he asks inly, locking his hands behind his head. ¡°Seventeen.¡± Wow. Only one thing left to wonder ¨C did he murder him only to avenge his father or because he couldn¡¯t follow someone else, regardless of who he was? ¡°Don¡¯t look at me that way,¡± he stares at me. ¡°Ask it.¡± Does he fucking read minds? ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to ask, I¡¯m afraid to hear the answer.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know much about each other, but your mate can¡¯t be someone you¡¯d hate. If you think I¡¯m a savage driven by power, just ask yourself whether you are. Works every time.¡± I furrow my forehead. Goddamn. ¡°What if there¡¯s things I hate about myself?¡± I y it cool, but the truth is ¨C I don¡¯t find it funny at all. Darius and I obviously both have a thirst for dominance and control. How will that y out? He stands up and walks behind my chair, putting both his hands on my shoulders, making massage movements. I freeze in an instant. ¡°Rx,¡± he whispers to my ear and my entire body covers with goosebumps. It¡¯s embarrassing knowing he can totally tell. ¡°You love the effect you have on me, don¡¯t you?¡± I say, half angry. He smirks. ¡°If you paid closer attention, you¡¯d realize you have the same effect on me.¡± Why does he have to talk so close to my ear? In such a¡­ husky¡­ sexy¡­ masculine¡­ alpha¡­ voice¡­ I realize my eyes are closed, head leaned backwards, and I¡¯m rubbing against my mate¡¯s arm, without my consent. I force myself to open my eyes and sit still, staring nkly in front of myself. Shit. He inhales deeply behind me, his hands leaving my shoulders. ¡°Come,¡± he invites me with an open palm. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed.¡± I swallow hard. Truth is, I¡¯m still waiting to see if this bond can be broken. A day here wasn¡¯t enough to forget about my old life. I haven¡¯t decided if I want to be his Luna. Could I bring a child into this pack where anyone can challenge him or her to a fight to death to steal their title away? He smirks with sensually glistening eyes as I don¡¯t take his hand. ¡°You know we agreed on it today. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared now.¡± I stand up, tired of his cat and mouse game. ¡°If I was scared¡­ wouldn¡¯t you be scared as well?¡± He smiles. ¡°You learn quickly,¡± and intertwines my fingers with his, looking me straight in the eye the entire time. Oh, the bastard¡¯s so enjoying this. ¡°I¡¯m only scared about¡­¡± hees closer, ¡°not being able to control myself. So I know your fear¡¯s the same,¡± he grazes his thumb alongside my jawline and my lips part without my knowledge. Suddenly, I¡¯m very thirsty. Thirsty for him. Knowing that we both yearn for each other in the same amount just makes me feel¡­ hot. Burning hot. But I hate the fact he has the power to control me. I force myself to speak. ¡°Then, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s smart that we sleep in the same bed.¡± He frowns, but it seems he¡¯s ying. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well,¡± I take a step back to clear my mind. Feeling his touch makes me dizzy. ¡°We obviously cannot trust ourselves in each other¡¯s presence.¡± He closes his eyes and takes a joyful breath. ¡°When you talk like that¡­¡± he opens his eyes and reenforced eye contact. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I have to control myself real hard.¡± A smirk escapes my lips. ¡°Better do,¡± I am the one to approach him now ¨C suddenly enjoying the role switch. ¡°Because if you¡¯re anything like me,¡± my fingers graze his Heavenly abdomen, ¡°you suck at it real bad.¡± As proven by my shift and attack on him a few nights earlier. He shuts his eyes again and I hear his teeth click as he clenches his jaw. A chuckle escapes my throat, as I¡¯m enjoying this turn of events so much. Little Alpha can be conquered, after all¡­ He lunges towards me, pressing me against the wall, and I¡¯m suddenly out of breath, my lips parted. ¡°You aren¡¯tughing anymore,¡± he smirks victoriously. ¡°I will be waiting for you in our bed, once you realize you cannot sleep without me,¡± he pinches my nose. ¡°Little wolfie.¡± The words bug me. ¡°That¡¯ll be a long wait!¡± He turns before he leaves the room. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, Lily.¡± And then he walks out. He threw a challenge my way, yet again. Bastard. ¡ª¨C This was a long chapter! Things are getting spicier! ?? Tell me what you guys think and thanks so much for reading! ? Chapter 10: Damn Him Damn he ¨C Darius the Challenger, I rub the space between my eyes. Why am such a wuss ¨C can¡¯t I control myself around him? If I had more faith in myself, he wouldn¡¯t have made this a challenge and we¡¯d both be asleep by now. I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be sleeping, honey¡­ Shut it. Just go. Think about his warmth. And his odor¡­ I nce at the bedside clock. It shows 3am. We haven¡¯t slept one bitst night ¨C I¡¯m dead tired. Excuses. You just want to screw our mate. Hey, like you said ¨C you¡¯re the boss in human form. I challenge you to go and not jump all over him. Well, I¡¯m too tired for sex anyway. He probably is as well. Although, he made this is a challenge and now I hate to give in and let him win ¨C because he¡¯s been so full of himself since Day 1, Second 0. But I shouldn¡¯t behave childish, especially since it¡¯s doing us both a disfavor. Screw it, I¡¯m going. Yes! I stand up, determined, and quietly walk out of my room. This is just sharing our bed, I reassure myself. Mhm, my wolf is unconvinced. I shake my head once in front of his door. The scent here alone is enough to make me dizzy. I want him so bad. No, L! I admonish myself. I can¡¯t give in to the Moon Goddess. I still have to decide whether or not I¡¯ll ept him as my Alpha. And life partner. And I can¡¯t make a good decision without a good night¡¯s sleep.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Oh, please, it¡¯s not like you have a choice, my wolf says. I¡¯m too exhausted to make smart decisions. As I brood within myself, the door opens and I am looking at Darius Carter, topless, in all his glory, leaned at the door with one arm, other reached out to me. ¡°Thank God,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m so tired that if you hadn¡¯te, I would¡¯ve gone to you.¡± Great. Couldn¡¯t I wait a bit fucking longer? L, just go to the fucking bed, my wolf shuts my thoughts down. I pretend I don¡¯t see his hand and walk to his bed. My heart races like a fool. ¡°I won¡¯t even make jokes about this, I¡¯m too tired,¡± he says bluntly. ¡°No wolf business,¡± he lifts his arms in defense. Oh God. Help me. I take a quick look at the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the left,¡± I basically jump on it. ¡°That¡¯s my side.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I stuff my head into the pillow that carries the world¡¯s most magnificent scent. When I lift my head, he has a smug face. ¡°Oh, shut up and just lie next to me,¡± I say. He does as told still wearing the smugness, positioning himself almost on the center of the bed. I really couldn¡¯t mind less. The closer the better ¨C I¡¯ll fall asleep faster. Mhm¡­ I tuck myself beneath the cover, then feel him steal it ¨C which I know he¡¯s doing on purpose, so I pull it back at once. ¡°Sorry,¡± he whispers into my ear, ¡°cheap trick.¡± My heart, be still. Iy closer to him, letting my head sink into a soft pillow that is his biceps. I know how he feels. ¡°You¡¯re forgiven,¡± I try to speak without emotion. ¡°Now good night.¡± He inhales with relief. ¡°Good night, L.¡± I sink into sleep with those three words that are like a heavenly melody to my ears. * * * When I wake up, I feel so magnificently rested that I don¡¯t even notice Darius and I are still lying curled up in a spoon. Oh. I literally try to crawl my way out of it, but his grip is too tight for my human form to get out of. Great. My action woke him up. He inhales deeply as if doing a morning stretch, releasing his hands from my body shortly. I use the opportunity to get away from him as soon as possible. And as far. I hear him chuckle behind me. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I look at him. Damn. Even his morning version is sexy ¨C dark hair ruffled boyishly, his eyes still squinted from the light. ¡°You,¡± he replies getting up on one elbow. My eyes can¡¯t help escaping downward to the bare chest our sheets just uncovered. Drool worthy. Heughs shortly with a manly guttural sounding out his throat. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Now you remind me of L fromst night,¡± hees closer to my ear. ¡°Or should I call you Luna now?¡± I flush with redness burning my cheeks and instantly hate it. He is acting too macho self confidently I¡¯m gonna devour you right now. I can y you just as good, little Alpha. ¡°There are only two ways you can call me if you expect I will respond,¡± I get out of bed and put a house robe on. Now I have his attention. He tilts his head in amusement, waiting for my statement curiously. ¡°One is Mistress L,¡± heughs as I say it, ¡°and, if we¡¯re in public, my Queen should suffice.¡± His eyes sparkle as he smiles showing his full set of strong white teeth. ¡°I love it,¡± he says atst. I watch in hidden shock as he leaves the bed and approaches me slowly. I anticipate his next move with slight anxiety. He stops at few inches away, takes my hand into his, never leaving my eyes, and thenys a gentle kiss on it. ¡°I ept, the queen of my heart.¡± And now mine starts beating horribly loudly. Ian¡­ I love you and all, but this is end game, my wolf sings on the inside. He keeps our eye contact, slowing moving his head from left to right. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you¡­¡± he pauses, smirking, ¡°Are you embarrassed I might actually address you that way in public?¡± Hell no, he¡¯s trying to dominate us, my wolf finally takes a good stance. ¡°I don¡¯t do embarrassed,¡± I stretch my smile from ear to ear. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to you calling me your Mistress L.¡± I turn my back to him and open the chest drawers, looking for some fresh clothing. From all the nervousness, I don¡¯t even notice him approach me from the back. I just feel his hands rest on my inner elbows as he lowers his beard on my shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest problem with calling you Mistress,¡± he slowly removes a strand of my hair away from my neck, ¡°but we both know it¡¯s me who¡¯s the Master in here.¡± I get the world¡¯s worst goose bumps as his hand slowly trails up my hand towards my breast. But then he stops abruptly. ¡°We still haven¡¯t put your clothes in there, remember?¡± he kisses my neck, licking it with his tongue in the process. ¡°You stay here, I¡¯ll go bring your luggage. You¡¯re not going back to that room anyway.¡± ¡°You do that,¡± I manage to say calmly, my nipples hardened without my consent. ¡°Anything for my Mistress,¡± he says controlling his smirk, then disappears into the hallway. I fucking hate him. Chapter 11: Aroused Too Much To Handle As I walk downstairs I hear Darius talking to somebody behind closed doors. ¡°It¡¯s not safe, Alpha.¡± ¡°Do I need you to tell me that?¡± Darius replies with a deep voice. ¡°We¡¯ll collect twenty men and spread across the border. The rest will stay here to protect our pack. We will put an end to this for good.¡± I¡¯ve had it with this secret meetings behind my back. I march angrily toward the door. ¡°We¡¯ll meet in front in an hour. You¡¯re dismissed,¡± he instructs them in a hurry, just as I open the door without knocking. ¡°Good morning, Luna,¡± the men greet me on their way out. I wait for their footsteps to fade, piercing Darius with a deadly stare. ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± he asks withouting closer. I enter, mming the door. ¡°Not long enough,¡± I cross my arms. ¡°You¡¯ll have to fill me in in private, since a Luna is obviously unwee to her pack¡¯s meetings.¡± His face tells no story at all. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± he takes two steps, so that he¡¯s standing only at an inch away, ¡°you¡¯ll be the first one I invite to all of our pack¡¯s meetings,¡± he crosses his arms, ¡°when I¡¯m certain you¡¯re taking your Luna position seriously.¡± ¡°And how do you imagine to decide when I do?¡± He tilts his head. ¡°Currently, you definitely aren¡¯t. You behave like you¡¯re only trespassing. A transfer waiting until her next ne.¡± ¡°That is not fair,¡± I clench my jaw. ¡°It¡¯s my Goddamn life I had to leave for this mate bond. You didn¡¯t have to lift a finger. So excuse me if I¡¯m having a bit of a hard time adjusting.¡± ¡°Reservations is what you have,¡± he looks at me dead serious. ¡°I don¡¯t see you trying to adjust. The opposite actually ¨C you¡¯re trying to fight the bond. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t tell,¡± he narrows his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not denying that. But I fucking came here, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m giving it a chance.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept you as the Luna when you¡¯re being so resilient to our life together, L,¡± he runs his hand over his head, ¡°Fuck, this is hard for me, too. I led apletely different life before. I don¡¯t remember thest time I was in this much heat without-¡± he stops himself. I gasp, insulted. ¡°So basically you¡¯re saying you refuse to share info with me unless I sleep with you.¡± I shake my head, ¡°Unbelievable,¡± I turn to leave, but he grabs my elbow. Even though it¡¯s a gentle grab, I can¡¯t seem to get out of his grip. He turns me to face him, his face telling me he¡¯s sorry. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, I swear.¡± ¡°How did you mean it?¡± ¡°I am trying so hard here, L, can¡¯t you see? Last night¡­ it¡¯s been hell for me to manage not to touch you.¡± I twist my lips. ¡°Well you did touch me. You had me spooned even though you promised no wolf business¡­¡± what is heughing about? ¡°Hey, I am a man of my word. You were the one who snuggled up against me. You were so daring to even pull my hand. I was too much of a gentleman not to hug you,¡± heughs. ¡°Ugh,¡± I groan, ¡°I doubt it. Anyway, go do your job. I will be here doing my job,¡± I suddenly decide. I will give online consultations to my old clients, since I got no roles in the Carter pack. He pouts. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it. Don¡¯t miss me too much.¡± I turn and climb the stairs. ¡°Woo hoo. I won¡¯t be able to blink¡­¡± I say sarcastically without turning. ***************************** I sit in Darius¡¯ office, myptop on his work desk, listening to Megan, my patient of five years via Skype session. ¡°I can¡¯t handle it anymore,¡± Megan bites her fingernails. ¡°I cannot prove he¡¯s cheating, but I feel it, doc. My gut¡¯s telling me he¡¯s onto something bad.¡± I stare at the young woman with magnificent blond hair and down turned green eyes. She has never been paranoid. Exactly the opposite. She always tended to beautify the truth and be oblivious to things happening around her. I am satisfied to see she is growing. ¡°Megan, you shouldn¡¯t end your marriage based on a hunch. If you do believe John is cheating you should talk to him about it. See what he has to say.¡± ¡°He will just deny everything!¡± she fidgets a little. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you I hired a P. I.¡± ¡°A private investigator?¡± The news doesn¡¯te as a surprise. ¡°But he didn¡¯t bring me anything shady.¡± ¡°Maybe there is nothing shady. What are the reasons behind your distrust, Megan?¡± ¡°I told you. He doesn¡¯t talk to me. Not like before. And he always attends all this events with girls sliming all over¡­¡± ¡°If the mere fact he is surrounded by other women makes you suspect him, don¡¯t you think the problem might lie in your own opinions of yourself?¡± Megan starts crying as she nods. ¡°I never thought it woulde to this. If anyone knew I hired a PI¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already been through this. Other people have their own problems. Nobody should bother with yours. And it shouldn¡¯t worry you what others think. You¡¯re living your life. No one else.¡± She nods again. ¡°I know. I keep repeating your words to myself. Nobody can force me into something I don¡¯t want. Only I decide on my life.¡± I nod. ¡°Exactly.¡± But I suddenly feel like a scam. I don¡¯t live by my own words. Well, I can¡¯t. I¡¯m forced to live a life I did not choose. Megan has no idea how good she has it. Then I hear his yful deep voice. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m home!¡± My heart races. I look at the wooden floor clock. It shows 5 pm. ¡°Megan, our session is done for today, but you can schedule another one whenever you feel the need, okay?¡± ¡°Already?¡± She seems restless. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with this PI¡­¡± The door opens and Darius smirks seeing meid back on his sofa, my legs crossed at my ankles, on his desk. ¡°Missed me?¡± His hair is ruffled and he has some dirt on his clothes. It makes him so damn hot. ¡°I¡¯ll have to hang up now, Megan. Talk to you soon.¡± I end the skype session and quickly close theptop. ¡°Terribly,¡± I say sarcastically and put my feet down. ¡°How was your day? Wait, don¡¯t tell me, I probably shouldn¡¯t know.¡± He twists his lips as if giving up, and takes a seat right next to me, cing my hand into his. He gazes into my eyes and my heart wants to jump out of my chest. He must be able to hear it beat because he ces his other hand over it. ¡°My favorite sound in the world,¡± he says with a rugged voice. Resisting him is starting to hurt physically. Or am I just imagining it? I must¡¯ve entered the heat season, too. Goddamn it! I unconsciously lean towards him, breathing in the scent of his neck. I notice blood on his shirt and without my consent, my hand runs to his abdomen as I lift up his shirt to check where the blood ising from. ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch,¡± he takes my hand and his shirts falls over the tiny wound. ¡°We should clean that,¡± I say, surprise at how careless he is about himself. ¡°How did you earn it?¡± He gazes into my eyes with some kind of longing. Then unexpectedly, he lifts me up onto hisp with ease and puts his arms around my lower body. ¡°L¡­¡± he sighs, looking at me, ¡°if somebody told me I¡¯d be this crazy for you in three days, I would¡¯ve called them a fool.¡± I force myself to breathe. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a fucking second you sweet voice will make me forget you¡¯re not treating me like a Luna.¡± You tell him, girl! I could eat his chicken legged wolf for breakfast, she scoffs. After screwing him first, of course. He doesn¡¯t respond. Instead, he caresses my cheek, pressing hair behind my ear. ¡°Would you like to be my Luna?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t know that until you show me how it feels,¡± I say bluntly. He presses his lips in guilt ¨C as if having an inner debate. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ some things I have to do to ensure your safety here.¡± ¡°I was ensuring my own safety long before I met you.¡± Another fact, nothing more. He inhales an irritated breath, still ying with my hair. ¡°Why does me wanting to give you protection anger you this much?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± I reply matter-of-factly, then drag my finger down his torso. Two can y this game. ¡°What angers me is you assuming I need protection based on the mere fact I¡¯m a woman.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± he says in all seriousness, but his hands slide over my outer thighs, close to my derriere. ¡°I offer it because you¡¯re my mate. And I want you to always be safe,¡± his voice goes down as he trails his hands up my thigh. ¡°And to always be this close to me.¡± My head involuntarily leans onto his neck and I inhale his scent with full lungs ¨C I yearn for it to fill my whole body. ¡°When you do that,¡± he swallows hard, ¡°it makes it real difficult to contain myself from kissing you.¡± I close my eyes, forcing myself not to say it, but I still do. ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡± I feel his hand run up my arm determinedly to my face. He cups it gently yet firmly with hisrge hand and lowers his plush lips onto mine as if it¡¯s needed for survival. I immediately open my mouth, inviting his tongue inside. He strokes my tongue with his and in less than two seconds, raw passion takes over. Finally! My wolf cheers. He is our mate, ok? Maybe I¡¯ll be able to solve our problems better after we¡¯ve dealt with this constrained sexual attraction. Let¡¯s just get it out of the way already. Yes, get it out of the way! I¡¯m notining. We kiss each other and it feels primal, filthy, boundless. I rub my body against his addictively, barely remembering to breathe. I hold his head with both my hands and he¡¯s holding mine with one ¨C the other ced at the small of my back. And I want it to move over my body. God, I want it so badly. I feel his groins pulsate under mine and it drives me crazy. I stand up to change my position and sit back onto him with one leg at each side. He groans deeply and it¡¯s the sexiest sound I¡¯ve ever heard. It makes me lick his throat all the way up to his bottom lip, which I gently bite.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. His erection is full on and he ces his hands onto my hips, urging me to move. I start rubbing against it up and down, driving both of us crazy. This is going to end one way only. I know it¡¯s wrong to have sex with him when we have obviously bigger issues to work on but it feels too good to be able to stop. We¡¯re mates in heat, for Moon Goddess¡¯ sake. I feel my wetness and as he starts kissing my neck, I twists my back, running my hand up his thigh to his manhood. He groans with pleasure as I stroke his erection over his jeans and he cups my breasts with hisrge hands. I am not wearing a bra and I notice it excites him even more. He impatiently starts unbuttoning my shirt, then simply rips it apart, cing his lips over my nipple. A moan of great pleasure escapes my throat, as I have been keeping it in for too long. ¡°L,¡± he sighs. ¡°You drive me insane.¡± I can¡¯t wait any longer. I feel like my pelvis is going to explode. I grab his belt with both my hands and quickly pull it out. Then I unbutton his jeans and quickly ce my hand inside, feeling his manhood through the boxers. He suddenly catches my lower arm. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I look at him angrily, mad for ruining this moment. What does he want me to say? ¡°I¡¯m only asking,¡± he continues, ¡°because if I let him out, this is a point of no return. I¡¯m barely containing myself as it is.¡± I lower my head and give him a questioning look. ¡°Do I look like I want you to contain yourself?¡± I whisper to his ear and slip my hand into his boxers, now touching his hard,rge penis with skin to skin contact. He chuckled with a strained voice, then pulls his jeans down. His rough hands run up my bare legs, all the way under my skirt. When they reach my tinyce panties, he groans a little, stroking my hips. Then, my panties are gone. He ripped them into two in one swift movement. He gently caresses my butt and then squeezes it hard, and groans with passion. I can¡¯t wait any longer so I ce myself closer, to make skin to skin contact with his pulsating penis. His eyes shoot to mine with consuming devotion. ¡°Are you this wet just from me touching you?¡± He whispers into my ear. I wiggle with pleasure and rub my head against his cheek. ¡°I need you inside me, Darius. Now.¡±you have Chapter 12: Our First Time Darius isn¡¯t smirking anymore. He is dead serious as he cups the back of my head with one hand, looking deeply inside my eyes it¡¯s almost too intimate, as he uses his other hand to position his erection at the entrance of my vagina. He doesn¡¯t slip it in, though, and it makes me insane. I wiggle trying to get him inside me, but he holds my hips with both hands now, preventing me to move. ¡°What is it now?¡± I ask, irritated. He inhales sharply, but doesn¡¯t respond immediately. Instead, he uses his hands to pull me closer, his manhood slowly filling me. I feel howrge it is, but it does not hurt entering. I groan deeply,pletely letting myself go, surrendering to his hands fully. And it feels so good. As if his part has always belonged there and has finallye home. Then he lifts a hand to press some hair behind my ear and gently whispers. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Wiggling my hips, I tilt my head to gaze into his eyes. ¡°That it feels this good because we¡¯re mates?¡± He smirks, seemingly pleased. ¡°That one¡¯s a given, but no.¡± He cups my buttock with one hand holding me in ce, while with the other he slowly goes up my thigh, over my belly and to my breast. ¡°That you can¡¯t turn your back on me. Not now, not ever.¡± ¡°Unless we go doggy,¡± I wink trying to shift the mood from serious back to fun. He watches me without changing. ¡°You need me just as much as I need you.¡± And then he stands up with me on him, exiting my body and lifts me up to his shoulders only by holding my upper legs with his lower arms. The gesture feels too intimate too soon and I suddenly start feeling ufortable. ¡°Put me back down,¡± I say too fast. ¡°Rx,¡± he says and just like that, I do. His lips touch my intimate part and as he sucks on it, I twist my body in joy, holding his head to keep bnce. His tongue feels strong and seemingly knowledgeable of all my happy spots. I moan in joy as he pleasures me like I¡¯ve never been pleasured before. Then he turns back towards the couch, gives mydy onest kiss, and lowers me to the height of his elbows before throwing us both on thefy couch. I pant in excitement, my hands exploring his shredded body, as he finds my nipple and sucks on it. I slowly move my hands up his upper arms, feeling the indentations and bulges, and it turns me on to the point of not being able to endure his absence from my body. I lift my hips to touch his erection, tempting him to enter me. He groans and answers my plea. It slips inside with heavenly ease and I twist my body in pleasure. We move our hips, enjoying the feeling, and then our eyes meet, making it very intimate again. My eyelids close halfway, but I do not break the eye contact. He goes deeper and a moan escapes my throat, making me blush for the way his eyes watch me. I feel the need toe so I gently push him, giving him a clue that I want to change positions. Surprisingly, he obeys without hesitation and I ce myself on top of him, starting to move on my own rhythm and way. I feel his eyes moving over my naked body at a very slow pace and it turns me on seeing it. He glides his hands slowly over my calves, thighs, grips my buttocks shortly but firmly, then continues to slide over my waist and finally cups my breasts. I increase the pace, my rugged moans announcing my soon orgasm. I give my final few frictions before reaching there, then copse onto his wide strong chest, slightly trembling as my hips slow down. He quickly takes out his erection and spills his juices over my derriere It didn¡¯t even ur to me we hadn¡¯t used a condom up until now. Luckily, he¡¯s being aware. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper as he puts his arms over me, making me feel like the most desirable woman on the. ¡°For what?¡± he asks cautiously and I feel as if a wrong answer could make him furious. ¡°Being careful,¡± I say and look him in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m not on the pill,¡± I shrug. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known that.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He then smirks. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. You will need to thank me when I do make you a child,¡± he lifts an eyebrow. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to do that until you beg me for it mercilessly. Just because you said it now.¡± Heys a kiss on my forehead and the corners of his lips curl when he puts his head down, making him hot as hell. I frown, gathering back my feistiness and try to sit back up, but his arms won¡¯t let me. ¡°I want to get up,¡± I say, now a bit demanding. Heughs enjoying this. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let you go.¡± ¡°Let go,¡± I demand. He shakes his head in disbelief, but loosens up his arms, so I manage to stand up. I clear my throat just so he could hear me loud and clear. ¡°First of all, that will never happen.¡± That son of a bitch is out of his mind if he thinks I would beg him for anything. ¡°Second of all, don¡¯t think this,¡± I gesture my hand around a little, unwilling to call this by it¡¯s name, ¡°is how things will be from now on on a regr basis. I have not forgotten or decided to go over the fact you¡¯re lying to me.¡± His squinted eyes go over my body in slow motion, making me imagine his thoughts and I turn red again, now maniacally searching for my clothes. ¡°You know, it¡¯s really hard to listen to what you¡¯re saying when you¡¯re standing this gorgeously naked in front of me.¡± ¡°Fucking asshole. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re mates,¡± I press my lips in anger and collect some pieces of clothes off the floor, then quickly throw it on me, whatever isn¡¯t teared apart. Which is basically only my skirt. I then tuck my ripped panties in the skirt pocket and put on the blouse that is now unable to be buttoned up. He lifts up to his elbow, perfectlyfortable with being naked in front of me. And damn it, why does that make him even more appealing? ¡°Just to be more precise, how often will this be happening from now on?¡± He gifts a charmingly wide smile to me, one that I¡¯ve never seen him give before and it throws me a bit off guard. Damn it, I did not think this through! I ce my hands on my hips and nod several times. ¡°That¡­ is to be discussed,¡± I say and quickly head towards the door, but I hear his sexy masculine chuckle behind me and suddenly I¡¯m very relieved that I didn¡¯t answer with ¡°Never¡± simply out of anger. Because I already want to do it again. Oh-oh. Chapter 13: The Love Hate Relationship I look left and right in the hallway, to make sure the coast is clear. I don¡¯t want anyone seeing me running around with a torn blouse. Making sure no one is around, I rush up the stairs. ¡°Rough day?¡± I hear Terry¡¯s sarcastic voice behind me. I ce my hand on my hip and turn only slightly, not allowing him to see the full of me. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever have something to do? Besides spying on other people, that is.¡± Heughs. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you today?¡± He lifts his hands and leaves at the opposite direction. Something definitely has, I bitterly conclude. And it was too good to be able not to think about it for the entire week. I sigh and enter Darius and my bedroom. Just seeing our bed makes me imagine us making love on it. I mean, we already did it once. What does it matter how many times we do it again? A million, please. Stop it! I reprimand my inner wolf. She is such a bad influence. I go into the bathroom to prepare for dinner and decide not to take a shower. I really really enjoy smelling like my mate¡­ Five minutes to 7 Ie down for dinner, curious where Darius might be. He hasn¡¯te upstairs at all. That is unlike his usual behavior. Walking down the hallway, I hear hushed voicesing from behind the closed living room doors. I tip toe closer and lean my ear onto it. ¡°You are crazy. Insane. That is just the stupidest idea I¡¯ve ever heard!¡± I recognize Beta Derek¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this againter. We¡¯re not in private anymore,¡± Darius says in a low voice. Oh, for the love of God! I almost scream in anguish. When I hear footsteps approach, I don¡¯t move an inch. Instead, I ce my hands on my hips, my eyes going a shade darker in anger. Darius opens the door and his eyes find me immediately. ¡°L,¡± he ces his hand on the small of my back, but I shove it away immediately. ¡°Derek,¡± I give him a short polite smile. ¡°Send my hellos to Simone. I¡¯d be happy to see her.¡± ¡°Luna,¡± Derek nods respectfully, ¡°I will be back hereter tonight. I¡¯ll be sure to bring her along.¡± ¡°Be here at 8. 30,¡± Darius tells him then meets my eyes, ¡°I want to wrap it up early today.¡± But I don¡¯t pay attention to his words. Instead, Derek¡¯s are stuck with me. Bring her along. Is that how all the wolves treat their female halves? My mate tries to rest his hand at my back once again, but I step away before he touches me. I walk into the room, all the way to a window, then turn to look at him. ¡°I am unhappy with you,¡± is all I say. And it is the truth. He finds himself next to me in an instant, a worried look across his face. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I know something¡¯s wrong, I¡¯ve known it from the beginning,¡± I take a few steps back to the door then lean on a desk. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re keeping me out of everything, but your behavior makes me feel like less. I wish¡­ I really wish I could go back to Ian.¡± There. I said it. Looking him straight in the eyes. ¡°He knew how to treat me with respect.¡± I might not know him well, but in his eyes I recognize various emotions: anger, hurt, and jealousy. Good. I don¡¯t care. He hurt me, too. ¡°I hope you¡¯re exaggerating,¡± he says from the window. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I say bluntly. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt more under appreciated than here. I did try to ept you, God knows I have, even with all your problems. But now I see I¡¯ve made a mistake by having sex with you. It only deepened my problem.¡± Okay, hurt is definitely slowly disappearing from his eyes, more anger taking its ce. ¡°And what exactly is your problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a prisoner,¡± I admit. Heughs bitterly. ¡°You want me to open the door for you? You¡¯re free to leave whenever you want.¡± I calmly click my tongue in protest. ¡°I can get out but I can never leave. I¡¯m a prisoner of fate. We both are.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me me for wanting to stay.¡± I snicker bitterly. ¡°I me the Moon Goddess. You I me only for lying and hiding things from me. You always make jokes about me being a bad mate, well¡­ let me tell you have been pretty awful, too.¡± ¡°I told you once already. I will share things with you when I¡¯m sure you¡¯re my Luna. Which you¡¯re still not. Clearly.¡± ¡°When,¡± I repeat. ¡°And when will that be?¡± He leans his face into mine. ¡°You tell me.¡± I sniff and push him away, apuding myself on the inside for having had the strength. ¡°What exactly are you waiting for as a proof?¡± He puts his hands on his hips, letting his head drop a little. He seems frustrated. What is going on? My psychological skills tell me he feels guilty. In that case, he must be hiding something big. And why do I get the feeling it has to do a lot with me? ¡°I will know when it happens,¡± he replies confidently. In that moment I realize he is lying. There is no magical proof he is waiting to get. He is simply trying to make me believe that, so I would stop questioning his secret meetings. Angry about the revtion, I decide to y him for a change. ¡°You will be counting the number of times we have sex?¡± I take a step closer and caress his neck sensually. ¡°What is the magic number? Ten?¡± I tilt my head curiously, ¡°Fifty?¡± I curl a corner of my lips. ¡°Because, we could do those all at once. Or none at all. In fact,¡± I run my thumb over his belt, ¡°the longevity of your abstinence will depend solely upon your own willingness to share information with me. Because,¡± I curl a strand of my hair, ¡°how else will I know you¡¯re taking my position seriously?¡± He narrows his eyes. I was not born yesterday, little wolfie. Hees closer, inhaling sharply the scent off my neck. ¡°You still smell of me.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t have enough soap to wash you off,¡± I try to make a rude remark. Heughs. ¡°Every time you wash me off, I¡¯ll leave my mark again. I promise,¡± he whispers. And it is exactly what I want to hear. Why? There¡¯s something seriously wrong with my wolf. Yo, why you always have to me me for everything? I only fucked up once. Yes, and it cost us our best friend¡¯s life. I hate that his hold is soothing me, when I should be running away as fast as my legs can carry me. ¡°This is so unfair,¡± Iin. ¡°What is?¡± he leans onto me and presses me lightly against the wall. I shake my head in despair. This is not me giving into him. It¡¯s my Goddamn wolf. The corners of his lips curl. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what I told you? Everything you feel for me¡­ I feel for you as well.¡± ¡°I take it disgust is somewhere on the list, then, too.¡± He twists his lips smugly. ¡°Disgust is not what you felt a few hours ago,¡± he puts one hand on each side of my face, ¡°as you wiggled between my arms,¡± he rubs his nose against my hair, whispering deeply, ¡°moaning to my ear. As a matter of fact, you¡¯re counting down the minutes until I am back inside you.¡± ¡°Wrong.¡± So true, my wolf insists. Shut up. ¡°Like I said,¡± I continue calmly, ¡°I may not have control over my filthy desires, but I sure as hell am not crawling all over you willingly,¡± I say through gritted teeth. He looks at me in shock. ¡°Well, this is a first,¡± his hands leave the wall and rest gently on my waist. ¡°Are you saying you didn¡¯t enjoy the sex that happened this morning?¡± Dinner¡¯s getting cold!¡± we hear Debra¡¯s voice from the kitchen and I try to step away, but his arms won¡¯t let me. ¡°Answer me,¡± he demands holding me in ce. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t enjoy it,¡± I can¡¯t pretend like I didn¡¯t ask for it. It is difficult to exin. ¡°I feel like the Moon Goddess raped my brain. There. That seems like the most correct exnation. And I wish I could have control over my body back.¡± ¡°Because your brain rejects me?¡± Oof. He seems legit furious. ¡°Yes,¡± I say truly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the mate bond, I¡¯d nevere live with you.¡± ¡°Then leave,¡± hemands. He takes my hand and pulls me towards the door, then opens it. ¡°I can take control of my feelings. What¡¯s stopping you?¡± I inhale an irritated breath and shut the door close. ¡°Don¡¯t act like a child. I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that you can manipte me like your little patients,¡± he leers over me. ¡°You don¡¯t wanna have sex? We won¡¯t. Simple as that. In fact,¡± he licks my closed lips in a swift movement, ¡°I won¡¯t even touch you until you beg me for it.¡± Then he gestures his hand to the hallway in front of him. ¡°After you.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. I clench my jaw. ¡°Fine by me,¡± then stroll confidently towards the kitchen. Note to self: definitely sleep in the guest bedroom. ¡ª- Thanks for voting???? Chapter 14: Childhood Memories At 8. 30 sharp Derek and Simone appear on the door. I wee them inside and firmly hug my petite dark haired childhood friend. ¡°Lily! I¡¯m so d to see you!¡± ¡°You, too. God knows I could really use a girls talk,¡± I admit. ¡°The Moon Goddess,¡± Derek corrects me and I resent his attitude. I remember how he treated Ian when he found out he was human and the fact he showedck of respect knowing I had left my pack to live with humans. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a treat to live with?¡± I morbidly state. ¡°Make yourself at home, Derek. Darius will join you any moment now. I¡¯m taking Simone to the living room.¡± He nods and I lead the way for my friend. ¡°How does it feel being back? How¡¯s living with the Carters? I want to know everything!¡± she shes a wide smile showing her cute perfectly aligned little teeth the moment we enter the living room. ¡°Slow down,¡± Iugh and sit on a maroon couch. She joins me and leaves her high-end purse on a wooden table in front of us. ¡°Where do you shop? Does Derek visit the city?¡± I wonder seeing Louis Vuitton written on her handbag. He doesn¡¯t strike me as a man that would do road trips to civilization. ¡°Of course not,¡± she shrugs. ¡°Online shopping, dear. You do know we now have the inte in our reservation, right?¡± ¡°I noticed with great joy,¡± I reply,ughing. ¡°So you never go to the city?¡± She shrugs. ¡°Derek doesn¡¯t really like me going there. I mean, he¡¯s right. It is dangerous, potentially, if I go alone and he wouldn¡¯t apany me so¡­¡± she furrows her eyebrows, ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I like it here. I don¡¯t feel like missing out,¡± she lifts a shoulder. I nod, smiling. ¡°That¡¯s great, Simone. I¡¯m really d you¡¯re happy.¡± She stares at me curiously. ¡°Why do I get the feeling you¡¯re not?¡± I shake my head, slightly ashamed. How do I confess my inner struggles to a girl I¡¯m so different from? Would she even understand me? ¡°For me it¡¯s different,¡± I watch her almond shaped eyes carefully, trying to take note of her reactions. I shouldn¡¯t say too much and risk her telling everything to Derek. ¡°You know this isn¡¯t the life I nned. It just sort of happened out of nowhere and¡­ I guess I¡¯m still adapting.¡± She smiles withplete understanding. ¡°But of course, L. That is perfectly normal! You had a fianc¨¦ for crying out loud,¡± she covers her mouth afraid someone might have heard. She lowers her voice and continues, ¡°How did he take it, by the way? Do you speak to him?¡± she quickly nces toward the door and when her eyes are back on mine, she is whispering. ¡°If you are, I strongly suggest you to end it. You still don¡¯t know how Darius is. And the stories that go around¡­¡± she shakes her head, ¡°just trust me on this one. Don¡¯t get him too upset.¡± I watch beautiful little Simone, with her shiny long hair, fashionable bold eyewear and a purple lipstick to die for, and all I feel is¡­ Pity. Why does she live in a shadow of a man, in fear of his reactions if she wasn¡¯t to obey his silly little rules? If I asked her, I know what her reply would be. Because she is a female, and as such physically weaker than her male partner. And physical strength is what matters most in a werewolf pack. But that doesn¡¯t mean she is caged here. She could always leave. Could she? Could I? Are we really trapped, unable to leave our mates? No. The only trouble I¡¯ve had without him is insomnia. But truth be told I doubt it could not be handled with drugs. ¡°L! Are you okay?¡± she interrupts my train of thoughts, her gentle voice seemingly muffled. Ie back to the here and now, somehow more distressed than before. ¡°No,¡± I mutter, ¡°Not at the slightest.¡± She lowers her voice again. ¡°Did he hurt you?¡± I furrow my brows. ¡°Of course not. If he had, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I would never tolerate domestic violence, Simone. And no one should.¡± You shouldn¡¯t either, I want to tell her, but somehow I stop myself. She gazes at the floor and I wonder what she is thinking about. Then I find out. ¡°I know,¡± she says. ¡°You must still resent your father for what he did to your mom.¡± My head snaps towards her. What?! I blink, gathering myself. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Even though I am afraid of the answer. She shrugs, feeling ufortable. ¡°I never forgot, Lily. The day you came to my house crying¡­ you could hear them shouting at each other from a mile away.¡± Her face bes red. I put myself deep in thought, trying to recall the event she is talking about. But I get¡­ nothing. I look at Simone and can tell she isn¡¯t lying. That means such an event did indeed happen. And the fact I don¡¯t remember it means that I¡¯m either senile or that I¡¯ve pushed it away from my memory voluntarily. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not the former. So¡­ have I blocked out a traumatic memory and am now unable to recall it? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± sheys a hand on my knee. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have gone there, I really am sorry.¡± For a moment I can¡¯t decide whether to let it go and get back to my safe zone or bring this thing back to surface? I have to. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I am really d that you mentioned it,¡± I say and swallow hard, ¡°I don¡¯t even remember why they were fighting. Do you?¡± I wait for her answer breathlessly, but all she does is frown and shake her head. ¡°We never knew why they fought so badly in the end.¡± The end? ¡°So the fights startedter in their marriage?¡± Simone furrows her brows again. ¡°Are you fine, Lily? Don¡¯t you remember?¡± I slowly shake my head, slightly embarrassed. ¡°All I remember is them being head over heels in love with each other.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. She squints suspiciously. ¡°Is that what you remember or is that what you¡¯ve been told?¡± I suddenly feel like she is the psychologist here, and I her patient. ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t even tell anymore.¡± And just like that, my childhood bubble bursted and all that is left now¡­ are doubts and suspicions. ¡ª¨C Things are getting heated up guys! ? Stay tuned ????¡â? Chapter 15: Fist Flash ¡°Please stop!¡± I beg. I sit on the floor in the corner of a room I share with my three brothers, covering my ears. I am not covering them from my parents voices, though. No, I¡¯m very much used to hearing them shout. But the children are not. Jamie is frantically crying, basically screaming, and it is bing difficult to be so close to him. ¡°Hush little baby, don¡¯t you cry, Lily¡¯s gonna give you some wings to fly¡­¡± I sing not even hearing my own voice, but it slowly starts working. Jamie gets more and more silent as I repeat the invented lyrics, and now I can clearly hear my parents¡¯s conversation. ¡°You are such a hypocrite!¡± Mom yells. ¡°I saw you! I saw you with my own eyes!¡± ¡°Why are you lying? I told you myself! I came the moment it happened and I confessed!¡± Dad argues. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that, Patrick! It doesn¡¯t matter what you promised me because I saw the way you were looking at her! I saw it with my own eyes and I wish I could unsee it more than anything else in this world!¡± ¡°What can I do? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to take my eyes out? Please, do it! Do it if it will make you happy!¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m serious. Here¡¯s a knife. Take it and stab it into my eyes. Stab it in my heart if you will!¡± A few moments of silence follow. Those moments are the worst, because I can¡¯t know what is happening. I worry something terrible might happen.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Then Mother speaks again. But she isn¡¯t shouting anymore. ¡°Is that how miserable you are? Is it really that bad?¡± Dad cries now. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it, L! I¡¯m so so sorry. It¡¯s out of my control! I wish it wasn¡¯t,¡± he yells. ¡°I swear I wish it wasn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡± I inhale sharply as I wake up. Someone is knocking on my door. I look to my bedside clock and realize it¡¯s 8 am. Right beside the clock, there is a box of sleeping pills I tookst night. Without them, I knew I stood no chance of falling asleep. Both because of knowing Darius is only a few rooms apart and because of my conversation with Simone. A knock again. ¡°Go away,¡± I mutter sleepily, still unsure of my surroundings. I am sure of one thing, though. The dream I¡¯ve had wasn¡¯t just that. It was a memory. A real memory of my childhood. ¡°L! Unlock the door!¡± I recognize Darius¡¯ voice and can¡¯t help but to roll my eyes. ¡°Is that an order, Alpha?¡± I shout to the door and then cover my head with the nket. ¡°What are you pulling off?¡± he asks calmly. ¡°I just want to make sure you are alright. I am trying really hard not to break this damned door.¡± I lower the nket to speak. ¡°I confirm myself being perfectly alright. You can leave now in peace.¡± So dramatic, this guy. Silence ensues. Just like in my dream. Then the door swings open. My mouth drops, even though I should¡¯ve expected this, and I lean on my elbow to gawk at him in disbelief. ¡°Seriously? This is too much even for you.¡± ¡°I tried,¡± he tries to justify himself, walking to my bed, but doesn¡¯t sit on its edge. ¡°Why did you lock yourself?¡± His hands are on his hips. ¡°Are you¡­¡± he rubs his beard and I can hear the sound it makes between his fingers, ¡°angry or something? I realize he is approaching me with caution. ¡°Now I am.¡± I sit up. ¡°You broke my door.¡± He exhales in despair. ¡°This isn¡¯t your door, L. Anyway, just wanted to see you were safe.¡± Ok, he¡¯s my mate, too, but I don¡¯t see myself being this paranoid about his wellbeing. ¡°I¡¯d definitely be safer if I had my door.¡± ¡°That is ridiculous,¡± he takes a few more steps toward the head of my bed. ¡°If anyone is to hurt you, they first have to go through me,¡± he taps his chest and even though I know I said I partially hated his strong masculinity, I can¡¯t help but to love this specific gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that?¡± he asks with a mix of anger and disbelief. ssic male alpha behavior, exhibit one. I exhale in slight annoyance. ¡°I do know that.¡± Because I really do know he would literally die before he would let anyone kill me, but then again he would do that for all of his proteges and family members, because that¡¯s what alphas do. ¡°Good,¡± he replies a bit relieved. ¡°So don¡¯t lock your damned door on me ever again. Better yet, don¡¯t sleep away from me ever again.¡± He lowers his head to mine and stares into my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no ce safer for you than the one between my arms.¡± He cups my face with his hand. ¡°Get it into your stubborn head already.¡± I close my eyes. Sometimes his words soothe me to sleep and at other times, I hate his behavior so bad I wanna scream. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t gonna touch me until I ask you to.¡± The corners of his lips curl and his narrowed eyes glitter with yfulness. ¡°Correct. But your eyes begged me to.¡± I sniff withughter. ¡°That¡¯s oneme excuse. I know it must be really hard for you to resist me, but,¡± I wet my lower lip, ¡°I¡¯m a woman of my word. So touching is a no-no at this point.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not fool ourselves. We both damn well know you¡¯re dying for my kiss. A hot¡­ strong¡­ passionate kiss.¡± I swallow hard feeling his breath on my face. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m also a man of my word,¡± he straightens up. ¡°I know you¡¯re afraid of jumping all over me once wey in the same bed, but I promise I¡¯m not a sore winner,¡± he winks. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight in our room, L.¡± I lift my eyebrows. ¡°We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re a sore loser, little wolf,¡± I say as he leaves. Ok, so what are the facts? Now I know sleeping is possible even without him. I nce back at the box of pills near me. Also, he makes my knees totter even when I¡¯m sitting. Then there¡¯s the problem I have with his lying, overprotective behavior. And of course, the new reveal: my childhood memories are a lie. Did I desperately try to leave the werewolf life because I hated the pack ranking or was I actually escaping something else? I hear the entrance door m. What do I do? I definitely have to have a word with my father. ¡ª¨C Thanks for reading! ? Love you guys ???¡â? Chapter 16: Papa Wolf I leave my car and tell Paul, the guy who wouldn¡¯t let me drive by myself, to give me an hour. He drives away and I inhale deeply before walking to the porch of the house I grew up in. Afterst night¡¯s dream, I can¡¯t look at it the same way I did when dad threw a party for my 25th birthday. Did I really fool myself into thinking we were a happy family once? Were we at one point in time? And if we were, what changed? I n on finding that out. I knock and my brother Jason opens the door for me. ¡°Lily!¡± he pulls me into a strong embrace, ¡°What took you so long? Don¡¯t tell me that dude is holding you hostage. If he is, you know I will-¡± ¡°Lily can take care of herself,¡± Dad interrupts him. ¡°Come on in, sugar. I made us some tea and biscuits.¡± I gaze at the old man and it feels as though I am seeing him for the first time. He cooks now. I almost forgot. He had to learn when I left. To think that I felt guilty after leaving makes me feel so absurd now. We take seats at the kitchen table and Jamie runs in, jumping on me from the back. ¡°Lily! I made something for you!¡± He hands me a book with hard covers. ¡°Well, thanks, little man.¡± I open it and it turns out to be a photo album. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I smile and give him a kiss on the cheek. I skim through a few pages and notice there is no Mother in any of the pictures. Of course. Jamie was only a few years old when she died. Nobody remembers her. Except for me and Father. ¡°Dad,¡± I say and close the album. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about something.¡± He seems surprised. ¡°Of course,¡± he hesitates. ¡°Jamie, give us a few minutes in private.¡± ¡°Agh,¡± my brother grunts, ¡°she just came! Why are you always telling me what to do?¡± ¡°Jamie,¡± my dad¡¯s silent authority shows at its best. My brother leaves, although noticeably displeased. Dad serves me with a hot cup of tea. I have his full attention now. ¡°What is it, Lily?¡± I weigh whether I should ask him straightforward or if I should trick him into confessing. I decide it¡¯s smarter to do thetter. If I ask him about my mother bluntly, he could lie and afterward it will be impossible to reach to the truth. ¡°It¡¯s about mates,¡± I y with my cup. ¡°I sometimes feel¡­ like I don¡¯t belong with Darius,¡± I say and carefully observe his reaction. ¡°I feel like this mate thing might not be as strong as people believe it is.¡± My father frowns, seemingly shocked by my words. ¡°Not as strong?¡± Heughs now. ¡°That is in line with saying you don¡¯t believe in the force of gravity.¡± It¡¯s my turn now to be surprised. He fought with my mother about other women. How can he believe in the strength of mateship? ¡°I still miss Ian,¡± I try with that. ¡°I sometimes want to run away to him and forget all about Darius,¡± I say. The truth is I know I couldn¡¯t forget about him in a million years. I can¡¯t even fall asleep without him for God¡¯s sakes. Not without drugs, anyway. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± my dad rubs his temples, shaking his head. ¡°You and Darius should feel drawn to each other with such force that you can¡¯t fight it. It¡¯s how mateship works.¡± Liar, I think and narrow my eyes. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever heard about mates who split? Or¡­ cheated on each other?¡± I shrug. ¡°Never in my lifetime,¡± he answers at once. ¡°There was never even such a story told. When a person has a mate¡­ and finds it, he or she does not even think about another possible love interest. Your mate is your beginning and your end.¡± I try to contain the bubble of words stuck inside me, but I cannot do it anymore. I burst. ¡°Howe Mother wasn¡¯t your end?¡± The wordse out angry. My dad looks at me in distress. Suddenly, he is at unease. ¡°Lily,¡± he runs fingers through his hair, ¡°where is thising from?¡± He swallows hard, then his eye change. ¡°You don¡¯t miss Ian, do you?¡± heughs pitifully at himself. ¡°You remembered the past and you wanted my rification, is that it? What? I didn¡¯t expect his honesty. ¡°Yes,¡± I nod shortly. ¡°I remembered it,¡± water fills my eyes, but I will not let it spill over. ¡°The arguments, the tears, the yelling¡­ the fights.¡± I stare into his eyes. ¡°I remember it all.¡± He gives me three slow nods.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The suspense makes seconds seem like hours. Then he speaks. ¡°The answer¡¯s very simple. I bet you figured it out on your own.¡± I squint, anger filling me. ¡°I want to hear you say it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He shrugs, a corner of his lips twisting. ¡°You already know howe she wasn¡¯t my end.¡± ¡°Say it!¡± I shout at my father for the first time in my life. ¡°Because she wasn¡¯t my mate!¡± he yells back. ¡°There. But you already knew that. We were never mates.¡± Tears fall down my cheeks and I barely even notice. Mom wasn¡¯t his mate. They were never mates. ¡°How is that possible? That we all believed in that lie?¡± ¡°Because we told you to believe in it,¡± he lifts a shoulder. ¡°You were just children. How could you have known what having a mate feels like?¡± He chuckles with pain. ¡°But now you do. Now¡­ all of your childhood memories suddenly stopped making sense.¡± I stand up, enraged. ¡°Did you cheat on my mother? And don¡¯t lie to me.¡± He closes his eyes in shame and nods. ¡°I cheated on her¡­ once. And I had wished ever since to be able to go back in time and undo it. But I couldn¡¯t, L. And I am¡­ terribly sorry about it.¡± I shake my head. He called me L. ¡°Why do I feel like there¡¯s much more to this story than you¡¯re telling me?¡± He smiles at me and says, ¡°Because you¡¯re a psychiatrist.¡± ¡°Psychologist,¡± I correct him once more and then shake my thoughts away. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna tell me, are you?¡± His eyes fill with tears. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t go into the woods, Lily.¡± Always the same shit story. Forget it, I get up. I will find out on my own. I pick up my handbag and throw a jacket over my arm. ¡°Say bye to Jamie for me, will you?¡± He nods. Just before I reach the door, Dad calls after me. ¡°L!¡± I half turn, already clutching the knob. ¡°I never loved you any less because of it. Any of you. I promise.¡± Your promises mean nothing to me now. I leave the house. Outside I find Paul waiting. I rush to the car and am suddenly pleased that I don¡¯t have to drive myself. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back home,¡± I tell him. He smirks, lifting an eyebrow. ¡°Missing Darius?¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Awfully.¡± Although, I know one of his strong hugs could make me forget all about my current problems. Heughs and starts the engine. My bigger problem is, that he is even a bigger problem of mine. ¡ª¨C I know there hasn¡¯t been a steamy scene between Darius and L for a few chapters now, but trust me, it¡¯sing ? ?? Thanks for VOTING ?? Chapter 17: Steaming Hot I enter the guest room and take all of my stuff back to Darius¡¯ bedroom. We have a beting. Finally something to take my mind off of today¡¯s conversation with Dad. I take out my redce lingerie that I prepared earlier this morning and leave with them to take a shower. I know Darius will be upstairs by the time I finish and I have nned this meticulously. I shower with a rose scented gel and spray Coco Mademoiselle perfume on the tip of my neck hook and wrists. I stare in the mirror andb my long ck hair, so that it falls over my shoulders in big shiny locks. Then I put on the sexy sleep attire. It is a short sleep gown, reaching to my mid thighs. The upper part is red ck see throughce shaped like a bra, it is cut under the breasts and the lower red silk is split into two, uncovering my matching ck redce thong. I shake my head, smiling. My poor mate doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s up against. I open the door and see him lying in bed, covered up to his mid abdomen. He isn¡¯t wearing a shirt, of course. I feel wet only seeing his ripped upper body. ¡°Took you long enough,¡± he notes switching the TV off and cing the remote on the side table. Then he sees me. I have to admit I have never seen him so lost for words. He doesn¡¯t even blink as his eyes follow my path from the bathroom towards the bed. As I reach the foot of the bed, I can literally feel his eyes stripping me of my clothing and I suddenly feel so naked and raw. I reach for a cover and pull it down as I climb onto the bed. Fixing my pillow, I meet his gaze and my throat gets dry immediately. His head is lowered, breathing low. His eyes are primal, hungry, raw, and dominant. They are the eyes of an alpha of a wild wolf pack staring into his mate¡¯s eyes. And I feel something consuming me. Is it fear? No, I realize. It¡¯s raw passion. But I won¡¯t give in. I will not lose this bet. I force myself toy down and pull a cover over me, hiding the fact I¡¯m turned on as hell. Finally, he blinks, breaking our eye contact. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have worn that if you don¡¯t want to be eaten,¡± he says in a husky voice and it makes me shiver. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I whisper gazing into his dark eyes. ¡°I always wear this to bed.¡± He inhales sharply, ¡°Oh, please do.¡± I watch his sharp jaw tighten as he pushes himself toward me. ¡°What are you doing, little wolf?¡± I bite my lower lip, teasing him. ¡°We have a bet, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the stupid bet,¡± he narrows his gleaming eyes and puts his arm above my pillow, ¡°please let me lose,¡± he smirks. ¡°Well,¡± I rub my head against his lower arm, ¡°if you insist¡­¡± His lips curl and he glowers over me, pulling down my cover painfully slowly. He watches my breasts, his breathing rugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted something more than I want you.¡± His voice is manly, rough, and strained. ¡°And I can¡¯t tell you how much I hate being a man of my word right now.¡± I frown. ¡°What?¡± His eyes scan my uncovered body in slow motion. ¡°Say it so we can get over this.¡± I raise my eyebrows. ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°Ask me, L. Just¡­ ask me to touch you.¡± Oh, no you won¡¯t, little Wolfie. I cross my arms and ce them under my head for support. ¡°I have to admit I do like to hear you beg me, but I sure as hell ain¡¯t saying those words.¡± His sexy lustful eyes shut as he groans. ¡°Oh, I hate you.¡± I am enjoying this so much I even decide to pinch his nose. Just for the fun of it.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°No, you don¡¯t, little Wolfie¡± I say as I do. He snickers to my gesture, thenes to my ear so close I feel his warm breath. ¡°You want me inside you just as bad as I do.¡± I do. But I am not sumbing. I need to show him who is in charge. ¡°Dude, I¡¯m not the one drooling all over you.¡± ¡°Dude?¡± he gently bites my ear, then stuffs his nose in my hair roughly. ¡°I¡¯m your mate. And I want to touch you. Everywhere.¡± ¡°Ok, this is ying dirty,¡± I barely manage to say without moaning. ¡°You lost.¡± He groans, eyes shut. ¡°Okay. Be it like that,¡± he says with relief and then his lips swiftly find my neck, which he gently bites, licks, and kisses, while his two fingertips slowly go down my cleavage, over my breast, down the center of my stomach, until they meet with myce panties. Then, he groans again, his open palm caressing the fabric, moving slowly toward mydy parts. I moan in pleasure, the slow pace of his movement killing me. I love our forey, but it is so good that I cannot wait for the main course. Being said, it doesn¡¯t make sense, but in my mind it makes perfect sense. I twist my body in joy as his fingers go under the fabric and touch my wetness. He moans as well. ¡°I almost forgot how good you felt,¡± he whispers. ¡°I want to remind myself of the taste as well,¡± he starts moving down on me, but I don¡¯t want it right now. Having his big body near me and over me feels so¡­ perfect. I put a gentle hand on his upper arm to stop him. ¡°No,¡± I whisper, ¡°I want it like this.¡± He listens to my wish without further ado. Instead, his lips find mine. Finally. And he tastes heavenly, just like I remember it. We share gentle kisses at first, loving kisses¡­ and it feels so surprisingly natural, regardless of us being together for such a short time. Then we tease each other with our tongues. He moves away and sharply licks my semi opened lips, making me yearn for more of him. I take his body with both my hands and pull him towards me, onto me. I want all of him. Every single inch. And even when hees on top of me, his body touching mine in great anatomy, I still want more. More of him. I take his body again and push him gently, giving him a sign that I want toe on top. He smiles lightly, ¡°Bossy today, aren¡¯t you?¡± I lift an eyebrow. ¡°I had this dreamst night that I want to recreate, so¡­ Let tonight be however I want it,¡± I say seductively. He looks at me with loving eyes and, without a word,ys on his back. He ces a hand under his head to support it and narrows his almond shaped eyes. ¡°It will be however you want it every night. Always.¡± Man, oh, man, do I melt. I try not to show it, though. I still don¡¯t know at which terms I am with him. So far, I¡¯ve noticed he doesn¡¯t have a problem giving me the reigns in the bedroom, but¡­ during day time, he definitely likes to be the almighty master. Nevertheless, I am too turned on to be able to analyze his persona at the moment, so I sit up, go on top of him, one leg at each side and finally do whatever I think of, knowing I don¡¯t have to hurry. I kiss his neck, lick his ear, blow into it wet, dirty words full of desire, and then continue down his chest, his shredded abdomen and remove the covers to uncover his¡­. oh my God, he was fully naked the entire time. Was that his n to make me lose the bet? Well, he certainly stood a chance. I go over his hips with my fingertips, teasing him gently. His penis is rock hard, fully erected. I put my lips onto it and lick his tip as if it were my favorite lollipop. He groans. I lick its edges in adoration, and then suck hard on it, up and down, pulling air. His rugged breathing excites me and I speed up, trying to fit as much of it inside my mouth as I can without gagging. He groans and gently cups my elbows, lifting me up. I obey as I don¡¯t want this to end too soon. I sit up and rub my clit against his tip, our liquids mixing in pleasure. I moan and take his hand to ce it over my breast, then another one against my derriere. I love feeling his strong hands on me. It could easily be my new favorite feeling in the world. When I can¡¯t handle it anymore, I let his penis slip inside. And it¡¯s magic. We moan and groan, twisting and throbbing. The friction feels so good and I increase the speed. I lead my own tempo, enjoying this to the maximum. I feel the orgasm slowly building up, so I deepen the pration and shorten my movements. ¡°L,¡± he murmurs, clutching my hips. ¡°You¡¯re killing me,¡± he tries to slow me down in order to let his building orgasm go away, but I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯m so close, I¡¯m almost there. It¡¯s hard to move with him holding me, so I whisper into his ear, ¡°Wait¡­ just ten seconds more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonnae, L¡­¡± ¡°Please,¡± I murmur and as he loosens his grip, I go harder and faster until I explode and fall shakily to his strong, manly chest. His arms go over my body, from my feet, over my calves, thighs, ass, hips, waist, all the way to my head. Then he caresses my hair and I whisper into his ear. ¡°You can take over now.¡± He smiles wickedly,ying a kiss over my lips. He turns us, making me instantly under him, enjoying my view. His penis is still inside me as he starts kissing my neck, cupping my breasts. Then he starts moving his hips. This is going to be a long steamy night¡­ ¡ª¨C Hope you liked the chapter ? new uploading soon?? Chapter 18: Morning After I wake up wrapped up in my mate¡¯s strong arms. He lies behind me, my back to his chest, one hand over my belly. I feel so well rested. I could spend an entire day in bed like this. ¡°Good morning,¡± I whisper, stroking his lower arm gently, then Iy a kiss on it. I expect him to moan sleepily, but instead he speaks with an awaken voice. ¡°Good morning, Luna.¡± He inhales the scent of my hair and then bites my neck passionately. I get tingles all over. Then he whispers into my ear. ¡°I want to make us a child.¡± I freeze at once. Somehow, everything is done more easily in the dark. The morning sheds a revealing light onto the real us. I tilt my head for 90 degrees. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were awake.¡± He doesn¡¯t go off the topic, but cups my breast instead, rubbing his nose against my ear. ¡°An heir to the pack.¡± I swallow hard. One he will have to im. And if challenged for it, possibly give his life for it. ¡°Everything in its own time,¡± I say, removing his hand lightly. He frowns. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± I sit up. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ The thought of my children inheriting the Carter pack and its brutal traditions doesn¡¯t exactly excite me.¡± He broods for a few moments, not moving, but then he gets up abruptly. ¡°We have to talk,¡± he says firmly. ¡°Okay,¡± I nod immediately. Is he finally going to tell me about the secret? ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± I smile warmly. Maybe we can finally resolve this. And then there¡¯ll be no secret to keep me angry at him anymore. It would sure make things a lot easier. I could ept my new life. ¡°Not here,¡± he¡¯s now on his feet, heading for his clothing. ¡°Get dressed. Meet me at my office. Half an hour. Then we will talk.¡± Ugh. He is so bossy. ¡°Darius,¡± I say gently, ¡°I want to hear it now.¡± ¡°Half an hour,¡± he repeats simply as if I was his employee or whatever subordinate, then stretches a shirt over his head. ¡°I hate when you talk to me like that¡­¡± I mumble, sighing. His forehead furrows. ¡°Like what?¡± He grabs a pair of clean underwear. I shake my head lightly. He doesn¡¯t even realize it. I stand up covering myself with a sheet and exhale in frustration. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll meet you at your office in half an hour.¡± He puts his arms around me. ¡°Good,¡± he sticks his nose into my hair. ¡°So we can finally put this behind us.¡± I almost snort. So it is regarding the secret he kept from me. ¡°How did you decide it was the time to share?¡± I ask, even though I know I might not like the answer. ¡°You¡¯re my Luna,¡± his face is into mine. ¡°Now I know you¡¯re here to stay.¡± I frown. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°Because ofst night,¡± he turns me toy against him with my back, then rubs his head against my side. ¡°Now we¡¯re on the same page,¡± heys a hand over my belly. Once again. Wait¡­ I frown. ¡°I never said I was ready for a child,¡± I turn to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± He observes me without a word, even though I can feel tension build up inside him and my heart races as he glowers over me. His butt still naked, but there¡¯s no trace of shame or timidity from his side, of course. ¡°Why did you beg me then toe inside youst night?¡± ¡°What? I did no such thing¡­¡± Then I realize¡­ When I said ¡®please¡­¡¯ ¡°I was referring to please wait¡¯,¡± I yell. ¡°Not pleasee inside!¡± Now I¡¯m panicked. ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± I don¡¯t feel well. Werewolves are very fertile as it is, especially mates. ¡°Did you?¡± I ask with a shaky voice. His breathing is rugged and he looks at me with anger. ¡°Why do speak of it as if it disgusts you?¡± ¡°Darius!¡± I scoff. ¡°I don¡¯t want to a child, yet,¡± I add seeing the hurt and rage in his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± he glowers ever more. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to have a child with your own God damn mate?¡± So that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about. Werewolf men and their offspring ¨C a very sensitive topic. He was waiting for me to say I wanted children ¨C one that will be heirs to the brutal Carter pack ¨C before he even reveals this secret to me. ¡°Is that what you were waiting for?¡± I scoff with anger. ¡°To make me pregnant and then ensure I¡¯m a prisoner before you tell me God-knows what?¡± I¡¯m furious now. ¡°Who knows if I¡¯ll want to stay after hearing it?¡± ¡°A prisoner?¡± He shuts his eyes swiftly, clenching his jaw, his anger filling up the room. I wait for his next move calmly. When he opens his eyes, I can see them a shade darker. He clutches my sheet andes right into my face. ¡°You¡¯re not a prisoner. You¡¯re a Luna. Or at least you should be one. You wanna leave? Where? To that fuckin¡¯ blondie?¡± Now I¡¯m pissed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk bad about him,¡± I tighten my jaw, my nostrils ring. ¡°I¡¯m not a prisoner?¡± I scoff. ¡°So, what? You¡¯d just let me leave even if I was pregnant?¡± Yeah right. He pierces me with murderous eyes. ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re free to go wherever the fuck you want. But if you¡¯re carrying my child, my child stays with me,¡± his voice is authoritative. ¡°Is that clear?¡± ¡°It would be our child,¡± I hiss. ¡°Not yours.¡± ¡°¡±Which part is unclear to you?¡± he rips my sheet apart now. ¡°My child will be raised by my side! It belongs here. And you belong here, too. But if that¡¯s a problem for you, I¡¯ll make sure you get a proper send-off back to the hill-billies.¡± ¡°First of all!¡± I shout into his face, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare threaten me! And second¡­ you¡¯re the hill-billie, not humans!¡± Ian would never speak to me like this. This is borderline fucking abuse. He lets go of me. ¡°If I¡¯m a hill-billie, you¡¯re a hill-billie. You¡¯re one of us, L. No matter how hard you try not to be.¡± ¡°I never said I wanted to be human,¡± I sigh now in desperation, ¡°Nor did I want you to knock me up a few days after meeting you,¡± I almost cry now. ¡°But if you did¡­ and if you want me to stay, I demand to be treated like an equal.¡± ¡°You wanna be treated like an equal? Then be an equal,¡± he clicks his tongue. ¡°You talk about being strong and shit, but the moment you need to stand for your pack, you dodge. You wanna be an equal to me? Do you hear me talking about leaving?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the pack I want to leave, it¡¯s you!¡± I finally explode. I¡¯ve had it with him. I am not his subordinate ¨C I could¡¯ve beaten him in that fight for God¡¯s sake, if it wasn¡¯t for Ian. I¡¯ve had it with it.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then leave! Get the fuck out!¡± Oh my God. I can¡¯t even tell who the crazy one is anymore. This is toxic. We are in a toxic rtionship. And now¡­ there might be a childing into it. I feel dizzy ¨C if I am pregnant, there¡¯s only two options: leave my child to him ¨C which I would never do ¨C or submit to this abuse and endure it for its sake. Maybe there¡¯s a third option¡­ ¡°Fine,¡± I say. ¡°I will,¡± I walk past him, but he grabs my upper arm. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± he demands. Now I¡¯m pissed. ¡°Get the fuck away from me,¡± I spit through gritted teeth, then pull on the other side of the sheet. ¡°You just told me to get the fuck out! What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you senile?¡± ¡°Not now!¡± he almost chokes on his own spit. ¡°After we¡¯re certain you¡¯re not pregnant, obviously. Rest assured, L, my child ¨C the heir to our pack ¨C sure as fuck won¡¯t be raised by some spineless human! They¡¯ll be here. Under my protection. Where you belong, too.¡± I feel like crying. ¡°The Moon Goddess must¡¯ve been drunk when she assigned you to me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± he licks his lips angrily, ¡°I agree. The story my gramps said seems like real bullshit now.¡± ¡°Guess there¡¯s nothing left to do, but wait,¡± I shrug. ¡°And pray. Pray that I¡¯m not. Until you decide whether I¡¯m a free woman. Or a prisoner.¡± He looks at me in hurt now, his ego hurting more than the anger he feels. ¡°You¡¯re a prisoner only if you make yourself one. Because you damn well know you are my mate. My Luna,¡± he tries to cup my head, but I flinch. ¡°We belong together,¡± he says. ¡°And I love you.¡± I swallow hard. At the moment, I honestly can¡¯t say the same. I know what love is ¨C I loved Ian. It was an honest love. And this¡­ is a toxic one. He furrows his thick brows as I stay silent, now worried. ¡°L, I hope you know¡­ I¡¯m only demanding this because I want my child to be safe. And this is the best ce for them to be just that. Where they belong. Among their own sort.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°I just disagree with you,¡± I shake my head. ¡°With me, they wouldn¡¯t have to risk their life to rule this pack. It¡¯s safer on the other side,¡± I say. He tightens his jaw, looking to the floor and I can tell there¡¯s something he¡¯s not sharing. ¡°Unless you know something I don¡¯t,¡± I ignite it. He takes a few steps back and dresses himself. ¡°You won¡¯t have to wait long,¡± he says, sounding like he quit ¨C on me at least. And thank God for that. ¡°We¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± I see hurt in his eyes ¨C he doesn¡¯t even realize his behavior is abusive, that¡¯s the worst part. But I have to y his game for now. ¡°I know.¡± Werewolves can feel their offspring very early. ¡°And if you¡¯re not, I¡¯ll escort you to where ever you wanna go,¡± now he says calmly. My nostrils widen. I don¡¯t need to be escorted. If I want to leave, I will. Pregnant or not. ¡°Fine,¡± I nod submissively. ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower and meet you in the office.¡± He scratches his beard. ¡°On second thought, no need. Forget I said anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very indecisive, Darius,¡± I hiss. ¡°One second you wanna talk, the other you don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I said forget about it,¡± he opens the door now fully dressed. ¡°I thought you were ready, but now I see that you¡¯re not,¡± he walks out and ms the door. I literally explode, letting a frustrated scream. I need to leave before it¡¯s toote. ¡ª¡ª- The chapter was good what do you guys think will happen ????? Chapter 19: True Colors *2 weekster* The house entrance door swings open and I hear Darius¡¯ angry voice from upstairs. ¡°I¡¯m fine! It¡¯s a superficial cut¡­ Damn it!¡± I rush downstairs to find Darius being supported by two pack men by each side, bleeding heavily from a seemingly deep cut over his left ribs. There are quite a few other bruises and marks on other parts of his uncovered torso. ¡°What happened?¡± my hands run to him. ¡°L,¡± he looks at me, ¡°it¡¯s nothing. You shouldn¡¯t stress.¡± There is an authoritative undertone to his words and I know he is referring to the possible child I might be carrying. It¡¯s been two weeks since we¡¯ve had the ¡®ident¡¯, though. If I was pregnant, he should¡¯ve felt it by now. Still, Iy a protective hand over my abdomen as I crouch down. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± I repeat, now demanding. ¡°We lost Kyle and Ezra,¡± he admits with a heavy heart. When I watch him this hurt, I even forget I¡¯m angry with him. Is it possible that I love him, then? Regardless of all the shit he said. If so, I¡¯m either really a part of a toxic rtionship or this is the Moon Goddess¡¯ curse/blessing at work. It¡¯s really hard to tell the two apart. ¡°We were outnumbered by at least a dozen!¡± Terry exins, stressfully running fingers through his thick brown hair. ¡°Those mother fuckers ambushed us¡­ it was a setup!¡± He says as though he is realizing it right now. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so many vampires at once-¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Darius quells him with a stare, tilting his head in my direction. ¡°We will talk about this in private. And there it is that word. Private. Just as I debated the stem of my feelings, God showed me it must be just the magic. I would never tolerate this otherwise, in the human world. I get up without a word and leave to get some medicinal alcohol and gauzes. I need to help him first. Then¡­ he will hear my say in this. ¡°What are you searching for?¡± Debra asks as I open a kitchen cab. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard?¡± I take what I came for, ¡°your sons have been in a fight yet again.¡± She rushes out the kitchen to meet them. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± She yells. ¡°What happened?¡± As they inform her about only the basics, I hold my anger inside. Darius doesn¡¯t do as much as a flinch as I clean his wound. Is he made of stone? I put some antibiotic cream on the gauze so that it doesn¡¯t glue to the blood and close it with two strings of cell tape. ¡°There,¡± I gently tap under it. ¡°Now you cane with me upstairs.¡± I stand up and look at the rest of the pack. ¡°You should go home to your families as well. Where are Ezra and Kyle¡¯s bodies?¡± It takes a few seconds before everyone adjusts to me being in charge. ¡°Gina is taking care of it. As per usual¡­¡± Terry replies. Gina is a sweet 17 year old girl. I find it strange that they put her in charge of these things. Darius¡¯ eyes observe me and I cannot tell what thoughts are behind his serious face expression. I know that when a pack member dies in a fight, the three men at top pack positions have to inform the families in person and bring them the corpses. ¡°Alright then,¡± I tap my outer thighs, ¡°we will notify the families shortly. Please wait here until Darius and I return.¡± I give him a deadly stare. Behind it, I¡¯m saying follow me now or DIE. I guess my emotions convey as he gets up and follows me upstairs. I cannot believe he is still being such an asshole. What did I expect? He¡¯s a dominant. He killed a man to take over his alpha throne. So, why did I expect sunshine and rainbows? I reach the top stair and continue my way to our bedroom with him behind. I was wrong. He will never see me as his equal. He refused to bend his knee to his own Alpha, yet I thought we¡¯d be crafting pack protection schemes together. ¡°What is it, L?¡± He closes the door and speaks the moment we enter our room. I turn. ¡°Do you seriously have to ask?¡± Inhaling deeply, he puts his hands to the hips. His distress is evident. I don¡¯t care. I can¡¯t control the bubble of thoughts inside me. ¡°What is the problem, Darius? What are you so afraid of? Are all these lies serving you? Huh? Tell me!¡± I demand. He catches both my wrists in hisrge hands now and stills me forcefully. ¡°It¡¯s for you!¡± I stand, expression unchanged. He doesn¡¯t expect to stop at that, does he? ¡°All this does is tear us apart. Who do you think I would tell? Do you honestly think I would betray you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not who I fear you¡¯ll tell, it¡¯s you whom I fear telling it to!¡± ¡°Why?¡± I ask simply. ¡°Because it is about you, L. And it¡¯s not my story to tell. I gave my word, L.¡± I nod in disappointment. ¡°You were willing to go against your word when it suited you,¡± I conclude. ¡°When you wanted to fuck. But when it¡¯s my interest at stake, you keep your honor¡­¡± ssic. ¡°L, listen to me,¡± he takes my hand into his and watches me intensely. ¡°I know that I can seem too much sometimes. But it¡¯s only because I can¡¯t stand the thought of you doing reckless things that put you in danger. Only because I want you here by me, always. Happy and safe.¡± Listening to him one would think he is the sane one and I am a crazy ungrateful bitch who doesn¡¯t appreciate a good man who cares for her. But what if I don¡¯t want a man, but a partner? ¡°It¡¯s not only what you do that matters, Darius,¡± I look at him in pity. ¡°It¡¯s how you do it, too, that matters.¡± He¡¯s lost. ¡°Then tell me what you want. You want me to let you boss me around?¡± He smirks yfully. ¡°I did follow you upstairs, haven¡¯t I?¡± I smile a little. ¡°We¡¯re both messed up people. That much is for sure. But I don¡¯t want to boss you around. Being equal is enough for me.¡± ¡°We are equal. You are my Luna. You and I¡­ are forever. And you better get it in your stubborn head already. You could never be happy without me.¡± ¡°Then tell me what it is you¡¯re hiding. If you really consider me your equal. If you really want me to be happy. Because I¡¯m only going to ask this onest time.¡± He inhales deeply in frustration, brooding. I shake my head in disappointment. ¡°Darius,¡± I look at him. ¡°We both know I¡¯m probably not pregnant. It¡¯s been over two weeks. We¡¯ve been living apart for that time,¡± I say. ¡°This is thest shot we have at making things right.¡± I swallow hard. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I lied, and you tell me yours. A clean te. One shot only. And it has to be now.¡± He tightens his jaw. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if I let you be unhappy just to honor another man¡¯s wishes,¡± he paces away, leaning against the window. ¡°I can¡¯t let this shit secret ruin us. Not anymore.¡± Clenching his jaw, he pierces me with his dark deep eyes. ¡°Out there¡­ in the woods,¡± he nces through the window, ¡°they¡¯re looking for you. It¡¯s you who they keep oning for.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I almost smile. ¡°I know¡­¡± I say, surprising myself. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve always known it ¨C deep down.¡± ¡°What?¡± Darius frowns. I shake my head then. ¡°You can¡¯t really think it¡¯s s coincidence I¡¯ve bumped into vampires over a dozen times when an average person has never even seen them once.¡± ¡°Dozen?¡± he raises his eyebrows in anger, jaw tightened. ¡°You lied.¡± ¡°Liar¡± I shrug, sighing. ¡°Now I¡¯m admitting it. That¡¯s my only lie.¡± I watch him with narrowed eyes. ¡°What about you? Anything else?¡± ¡°Dozen times?¡± he repeats. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it?!¡± ¡°I knew how it would sound,¡± I lift a shoulder. ¡°You were shocked at three, four. Look at you now. I need nothing less than more protective behavior from you. Sorry,¡± I look at him. ¡°But you know it¡¯s the truth.¡± He tightens his jaws. ¡°Why are you admitting it now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I shake my head. ¡°Maybe I feelpelled ¡¯cause my body now might carry a piece of you, too,¡± I look at him. ¡°And to be fair, I do tend to go alone in the woods and do stupid things¡­¡± ¡°You do, yes. And that will stop effective immediately. You¡¯re not allowed to step foot anywhere outside this house without me. Do I make myself clear?¡± I simply nce at him, not even surprised by his reaction. ¡°I asked something,¡± he reinstates demandingly. ¡°Stop,¡± I shut my eyes, nodding. ¡°I won¡¯t go near the woods until we know I¡¯m not pregnant. Rx,¡± I nod, ¡°I¡¯d never risk my child¡¯s life.¡± ¡°But what? When I confirm you¡¯re not pregnant, you¡¯ll go?¡± he asks in shock. ¡°When,¡± I suspiciously squint, ¡°that happens, I¡¯ll do what I deem appropriate.¡± ¡°Over my dead body,¡± he states. I shake my head in disappointment. He said he¡¯ll let me go if I wasn¡¯t pregnant. But now I¡¯m starting to doubt his truthfulness. He probably knows already. He¡¯s just dying to deliver the news. ¡°What?¡± he demands. ¡°Would you let me go inside a fucking woods knowing I might die?!¡± ¡°I certainly would not lock you up in your bedroom! Besides, you could¡¯ve died in the field today,¡± I nt my lips. ¡°It¡¯s no different. The only difference is you never asked me for permission to go. You just went. And I epted it. You should treat me the same. Have the same faith in me.¡± ¡°You know what,¡± he tilts his head, ¡°your recklessness shocks me over and over. Locking you up in this room sure sounds like a good idea if you are contemting risking your and possibly my child¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Am I pregnant, Darius?¡± I challenge him. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know by now.¡± His look alone tells me I¡¯m not. He just wanted to use it against me to keep me trapped. I almostugh. Fine, I understood he¡¯d never let me leave with his child ¨C the heir to the pack throne. But lying about it is so low. He shakes his head ¨C in an act. ¡°I still can¡¯t tell. You¡¯ll have to wait a bit longer. And don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re not leaving this room until we find out.¡± I gaze at the man in front of me. My mate ¨C lying. It¡¯s very clear to me that he is. ¡°How could I ever forget? You remind me every fucking day,¡± I say unapologetically. He had his chance toe clean, but missed it. So no remorse from me anymore. I offered him my all ¨C he didn¡¯t take it. He sniffs withughter. ¡°I know you better than you think, L. I know you¡¯re thinking about escaping to those woods alone to see who is it that¡¯s looking for you and why. You¡¯re also thinking about running back to the city. You figure you might be safer there. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± I swallow hard. It¡¯s scary how he reads my mind. But I¡¯ll never fall into this trap and say something. Anything. ¡°But you¡¯re so wrong¡­ there¡¯s no ce in this world where you¡¯re safer than right here. If you ran away, you would just put yourself in danger. And I hope you¡¯re not that reckless,¡± he scratches his beard and it does that familiar sound of clicking between his fingers. It usually disarms me with charm but now it only sends shivers through my spine. ¡°The vampires could hurt you. Kill you,¡± he continues, not looking at me, but somewhere through the window, brooding. ¡°If it turns out you¡¯re not pregnant and you decide to leave, I think I could live with that. But if you run away with my child¡­ I would not only tear the entire world to find you, but I would never forgive you, L.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± I call him out. ¡°Stop lying ¨C we both know I¡¯m not pregnant.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. It is here and now that I see it ¨C guilt on his face. But he isn¡¯t backing down. ¡°I still don¡¯t feel it,¡± he says. ¡°But it might be there,¡± he casts onest deadly stare and goes to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go now. We have to give our condolences to the families,¡± he grabs hold of the knob. I tilt my head. You are not the boss of me. ¡°Suddenly I¡¯m not feeling all that well.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one wanting to prove you¡¯re taking your Luna position seriously?¡± He opens his hands, ¡°well, shot number one. A Luna should pay her respects to her pack member as long as she isn¡¯t dead or in ama.¡± I watch him nkly. Go fuck yourself. ¡°I should stay and rest. After all, I might be with child,¡± I lean against the wall. Oh, the sarcasm, my wolfughs. Well yed, L. You have your bright moments¡­ He finds himself next to me in a heartbeat. Suddenly, he¡¯s holding my hand and pressing me to the wall. ¡°Ok,¡± his eyes are shut in pain. ¡°I just honestly hope you¡¯re not nning on doing something stupid.¡± Hope diesst. I simply blink. He¡¯s now in my face. ¡°For your own good.¡± And then he is gone. ¡ª- Please VOTE if you like the story ???? Chapter 20: Something Stupid I watch the blood on the toilet paper ¨C confirming my thoughts: I¡¯m not pregnant. I walk out of the toilet and down the staircase to the ground-floor. I follow the scent of my mate and it leads me to his office. I take a deep breath as I stand in front of its door, my eyes shut. I haven¡¯t been this nervous in a long time. ¡°Come in, L,¡± I hear his voice before I can knock. Of course. I grasp the door knob and enter, then stand in ce. My face is blunt ¨C no smile, no nothing. He watches me with now squinted eyes, closing hisptop. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I shake my head, then slowly walk to his desk. ¡°Nothing,¡± I upy the chair in front of it, crossing my fingers calmly. ¡°I¡¯m not pregnant.¡± He frowns, leaning onto his chair. ¡°Period?¡± I nod. ¡°Got it this morning.¡± He presses his lips, inhaling loudly. ¡°What now?¡± I swallow hard. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it¡­¡± I watch his rough face, his deep eyes, and I feel his tension. ¡°And I decided I¡¯ll go to the woods,¡± I state and his eyebrow immediately goes up in anger. ¡°I want to learn the truth behind this¡­ mystery,¡± I nod. ¡°Atst.¡± He exhales a deep breath. When he speaks, his voice is rugged. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go tomorrow morning.¡± I knew this would happen. But I can¡¯t allow him to take his pack with me ¨C there¡¯ll be bloodshed. ¡°No,¡± I insist, looking straight into his eyes. ¡°I need to do this alone.¡± He scoffs. ¡°The hell you do.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for permission. I came to tell you how things were.¡± He stands up now. ¡°I don¡¯t care why you came,¡± he¡¯s next to me in a heartbeat. ¡°I¡¯m saying there¡¯s no chance in fucking hell I¡¯m letting you go out there by yourself,¡± he states matter-of-factly with a chilling voice. ¡°So I am a prisoner to you, after-all? Even without the baby.¡± I push it. ¡°No,¡± he clenches his jaw. ¡°You¡¯re not a prisoner. But you¡¯re my mate. And I won¡¯t let you do something as reckless.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see you asking permission from me when you go fighting vampires,¡± I state the facts. ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Me being a woman? Let me remind you I¡¯m a goddamn werewolf just like you are,¡± my words are cutting des. His eyes go a shade darker. ¡°I am the goddamn Alpha, L. Like it or not. Woman or werewolf, it¡¯s my duty to protect you. And that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°So what are you gonna do ¨C lock me up in the room?¡± He keeps eerily calm. ¡°No. I¡¯m just gonna tell you this one thing ¨C you go to the woods, you and me are over.¡± ¡°Fine by me,¡± I hiss through gritted teeth. We share onest defiant stare and then he walks out the office. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I ask rhetorically. ¡°Oh, yeah, wherever the fuck you want,¡± I mumble because he can¡¯t hear me anymore. He left. Location unknown. Because he¡¯s a free man. And obviously he refuses to give me the same freedom I give him. I hear the entrance door m. I take a deep breath to ease my awakening rage and go for my new bedroom. I¡¯ve had it with the hierarchy. The Moon Goddess knows I¡¯ve tried ¨C I broke off my engagement, I moved over here, I tried to make it work. But it alles down to the same thing like when I was 18 ¨C I don¡¯t want to be caged. I don¡¯t want to serve an alpha. I want FREEDOM. In its entirety. I take my bag and put a bottle of water inside, a knife, my cellphone and a jacket. So, what¡¯s it gonna be? My inner wolf awakens. We¡¯re going to the woods. Darius said we¡¯re done if you go. Allow him to apany us. No. He¡¯ll kill her. And I don¡¯t want her harmed. You can¡¯t leave our mate. Why couldn¡¯t I? Because he¡¯s our MATE. Don¡¯t you have another argument besides that? I don¡¯t need another one. It¡¯s the best there is. You can¡¯t leave our mate, she repeats. Oh yeah? Watch me. I need to be strong. Once I alienate myself from this, I¡¯ll be smarter. Then I can see the situation with a clear head, objectively. I don¡¯t want to be another one of my patients, stuck in a controlling rtionship. Maybe him rejecting me would be for the best. It¡¯s not like we have a healthy rtionship. There¡¯s no mutual respect and definitely no equality. I throw the bag over my shoulders and go down the stairs, literally tip toeing so that no one would hear me. I rush back to Darius¡¯ work room. It¡¯s a corner room and the only one that has no guards in front of it. Mm, smart girl. Oh, you¡¯re on my side now? I¡¯m on our side. And I say we¡¯re strong enough to defend ourself. Well, I am at least. Go get those bloodsuckers, girl. I got you. I know. Darius¡¯ wolf is not stronger than us in any way. We lost only because of Ian. That¡¯s the thing that bugs me the most ¨C if he really was my Alpha, I¡¯d sumb. But he never proved himself to be my alpha. I open the window and stick my head out. No one in sight. I throw out the bag and then jump after it. That was easy¡­ those guards aren¡¯t doing a really good job. I throw the bag on my shoulder and run. As fast as I can. When I reach the end of the woods, I stop to look back to the big house that was my home for this past few weeks. But now I might never be allowed toe back. You¡¯re having second thoughts, my wolf teases. You shouldn¡¯t. Remember why you¡¯re doing this. What¡¯s bothering you? The way he treats me! As if I have NO CHOICE. As if he can get away with doing and saying anything just because he¡¯s our mate. The fact he talks about his heir like it was his property. I agree. We weren¡¯t followers then and we aren¡¯t followers now. Not unless we find our true leader. I nod once to myself, then continue my run. The many trees on our property make my escape easier. I run as fast as my legs take me, dark hair tangling in the wind. Then I hear it. I freeze. It¡¯s the same as always. ¡°Lily¡­e to me, Lily¡­¡± I swallow hard. ¡°What do you want?¡± I turn and yell into the woods. ¡°Lily¡­e¡­ I promise I just want to talk.¡± I squint and scan the perimeter, deciphering where exactly the whispers came from. But these creatures move so quickly, it¡¯s very hard to tell. ¡°Who are you?¡± I scream. Only my echoes reply. I swallow hard. ¡°What do you want?¡± I turn and yell into the woods. ¡°Lily¡­e¡­ I promise I just want to talk.¡± I squint and scan the perimeter, deciphering where exactly the whispers came from. But these creatures move so quickly, it¡¯s very hard to tell. ¡°Who are you?¡± I scream. Only my echoes reply. I feel cold sweat, not from being cold but rather scared. Shift, my wolf urges. Shift and go in. She won¡¯te out here. I look back to the house onest time. I¡¯m not holding back this time. I can shift in a second, I tell her. I want to talk to them first.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. L! Trust me, I say. Because I¡¯m done ying games. And then I walk in. ¡ª¨C Please share your thoughts in thements?? and thanks for reading ? Chapter 21: Childhood Memories ¡°That¡¯s not how you do it!¡± Simone yelled as we wrestled on the ground in my backyard, me clutching her hands ¨C keeping her stranded. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Then why am I winning?¡± ¡°You¡¯re cheating, L!¡± she insisted, ¡°Let me go!¡± I giggled, enjoying having beat her, then I let her go. She jumped to her feet and dusted her pants off. ¡°You¡¯re stupid, L! I don¡¯t like ying with you.¡± I made an insulted o-shape with my mouth. ¡°We¡¯re best friends! Besides, it was your idea!¡± I pushed her away gently. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! I¡¯ll be your Alpha someday!¡± she squealed. ¡°You know what, you¡¯re uninvited from my birthday party.¡± She gave me a nasty look and strutted towards my house. I watched her in anger, seeing my Dade out, his face pale. I¡¯d never seen him look that bad before. I got up to my feet as well and rushed towards him. Simone greeted him on the way out, then Jorah tapped my father¡¯s shoulder and whispered something to him. ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± I insisted as I came close enough. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Lily,¡± Jorah said and picked up his daughter before they went out of our home. Dad was still silent. ¡°What happened?¡± I watched him in confusion. ¡°Is it over?¡± I almost smiled. ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡± Dad shook his head, tears filling his tired eyes. ¡°You have to be strong, Lily,¡± he said, putting a hand over my shoulder. I frowned observing his pale face. ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± I urged. ¡°I want to see her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone,¡± he fell to his knees. ¡°The child¡­¡± he sobbed now. ¡°It was a stillborn¡­¡± I watched him in horror. ¡°What¡¯s a stillborn?¡± ¡°They¡¯re gone, Lily,¡± he squeezed my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he pulled me into a hug. ¡°Both the child and your mother are dead, Lily,¡± he sobbed, ¡°I¡¯m so so sorry¡­¡± My mouth dropped open and I panted in ce, drawing short rugged breaths, my eyes blurry from the tears. ¡°No,¡± I jerked him away, releasing myself from his hug. ¡°No, she¡¯s not dead. The child can be dead, but she can¡¯t be dead!¡± I refused to ept my sibling took my mother¡¯s life. ¡°Lily, listen to me,¡± Dad got a hold of me again. ¡°I know this is painful, but you have to be strong for your siblings. We both do-¡± ¡°No!¡± I pulled away, screaming. I ran away from him as fast as I could ¨C not knowing where I was going, but I wanted to get away from him as fast as I could. This was all his fault ¨C I didn¡¯t know how, but I knew it was him to me. ¡°Lily!¡± he called after me. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he yelled. ¡°Come back here! Lily!¡± But I didn¡¯t. I kept on running until I could not longer hear his voice. I ran out of our yard, across our neighbor¡¯snd and all the way until the edge of woods. Then I copsed onto the ground and weeped. My mother was the only one who understood me. She knew how I felt about the pack, about the hierarchy, about having to respect those ranked above me, even though they aren¡¯t better. She was the only one who never med me for my disobedience. Who encouraged me to train harder, to stand up for myself. And now she was gone. I looked up to the sky, angry at it. Angry at the Moon Goddess. ¡°Why?¡± I hissed through gritted teeth. ¡°Why her?¡± I yelled. But no voice came back. Only clouds travelled west, covering the Sun and casting arge shadow over me. ¡°I hate you!¡± I yelled to the sky. ¡°I did everything they asked!¡± I cried. ¡°I was good! I took care of my b-brothers,¡± I sobbed. ¡°I prote-protected them from the fights¡­¡± I wiped my eyes. ¡°I respected the hierarchy¡­. and it was all in vain! You took her! You still took her!¡± I screamed at the sky. ¡°What was the point?! What was the point in being good?!¡± I felt helpless for the first time in my life. And then I heard it¡­ ¡°Lily¡­¡± I jumped up and away from the edge. I looked around me, thinking I was hearing voices in my head. Was I? ¡°Lily¡­e¡­¡± My heart beat in my chest like it had never beat before. ¡°Who are you?¡± I half-whispered. ¡°Lily¡­¡± the same voice called. And then I saw someone. A terribly looking woman, skin pale and blue, fangs covering her lower lip, her dark hair falling over her bloody eyes¡­ I jumped away. It was not a woman ¨C it was a vampire. ¡°Lily¡­.¡± she teased me. ¡°Please¡­e. Come to me¡­¡± I swallowed hard, my foot already sliding towards the woods. Then someone grabbed me from behind. ¡°Aaaaaagh!¡± I yelled from the top of my lungs. ¡°What is it?¡± Jorah urged. ¡°Who was it?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you see anyone?¡± From the corner of my eye, I watched the silhouette of the vampire woman as she drew her thin gnarled finger to her red lips, covering them with it, making a ¡®shh¡¯ sign. I swallowed hard and met Jorah¡¯s eyes. I still don¡¯t know why I decided to do it. But I stared right into his eyes and shook my head. ¡°It was no one,¡± I had said. ¡°I saw nothing.¡± Jorah lifted me up into his arms and walked back towards my house as I stared back into the dark woods, observing its trees and shadows. But I saw nothing. She was gone. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go near the woods alone, Lily,¡± Jorah admonished. ¡°Your father must be worried.¡± I watched him in silence. I was angry at my father. I didn¡¯t want to see him. I knew this was his fault.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t do that again, sweet Lily. Okay?¡± I pressed my lips in defiance. I was angry at his daughter, Simone for being snobby. I was angry at my stillborn sibling for stealing my mother from me. I was angry at my Dad for fighting with her. I was angry at Jorah for bringing me back when I wanted to go away. And I was angry at myself knowing my three little brothers probably need attention and I wasn¡¯t giving them any. ¡°Lily!¡± Jorah admonished once again. ¡°Promise,¡± he demanded. Something in his voice broke something in me in that moment ¨C maybe I felt he was hiding something, or maybe I just resented him for his title, but right then and there, as he carried me in his alpha arms, I made an inner promise to myself instead: I¡¯ll never obey anyone again. Then I nodded, a mischievous gleam behind my eyes. Because I was already plotting my next adventure to the woods. ¡ª¡ª- How did you like the glimpse into the past? What do you think of Lily¡¯s childhood? Please ?? if you like it ?? Chapter 22: Answers I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m finally doing this. I take a deep breath as I enter the woods surrounding my new home. I should¡¯ve done this a long ass time ago. Face my demons. I¡¯m not a child for God¡¯s sake. And I shouldn¡¯t let vampires and werewolves kill each other over me. I am a strong. Fucking. Wolf. A fallen branch cracks as I step onto it and it makes me sharpen my senses. ¡°Where are you?¡± I call. Nothing. She doesn¡¯t want toe out so close to the clearing, my wolf concludes. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± I yell. Nothing. I need to go deeper. Every now and then I jilt from hearing weird moving sounds. I am relieved that it¡¯s only animals or birds. For now, my wolf awakens. Don¡¯t be such a coward. How far do we have to go before she appears? And what if somebody else appears instead of her? Someone that wishes us dead?This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Another branch cracks. I jerk my head back. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I yell, trying to sound dangerous. Maybe you should shift¡­ It¡¯s not like your pathetic hundred pounds can protect us¡­. my wolf insists, but instead I reach for my phone. There is still reception. Who will you call? If we¡¯re to die, I want someone to know it. You¡¯re gonna call Darius?? I swallow hard. No. Then I dial Ian¡¯s number. Why him? He¡¯s the only one who knows about my vampire story. Besides, if I¡¯m gonna die I want to hear his voice onest time. If Dione was alive, I¡¯d call him. Hell, I¡¯d ask him to apany me ¨C because he was a true partner. He never failed me. Like I failed him. But since he¡¯s gone, it¡¯s Ian that came the closest to the spot Dione left unfilled. Aww, my wolf squeals. This is too much for me. The line keeps ringing. ¡°Answer Ian, bloody hell,¡± I say out loud, ¡°now it¡¯s not the time to be in the shower¡­¡± Just as I¡¯m about to hang up, he picks up. ¡°Hello?¡± My heart falls to my feet. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I whisper. Short silence ensues. ¡°I know it¡¯s you,¡± he almost smiles. I can feel it. Ugh, almost. ¡°Why are you calling, L?¡± I swallow hard. ¡°Well, I¡¯m finally doing it.¡± ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°I went into the woods.¡± Short silence. ¡°And? Did you meet her?¡± I shake my head as if he can see me. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Are you in danger?¡± I don¡¯t know. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I reassure him, then clear my throat. I haven¡¯t spoken to him since we broke up. He told me he didn¡¯t want to hear from me. But if I¡¯m to die, I want him to know I still cared ¨C regardless of what I¡¯ve done. ¡°How have you been doing?¡± I hear him swallow hard. ¡°It¡¯s going,¡± is all he says. Then he scoffs. ¡°Isn¡¯t your dangerous mate gonna be crazy mad when he finds out you called me?¡± I frown. I don¡¯t even know. What do I say? That I don¡¯t care? That he won¡¯t know? I¡¯m not going to keep secrets out of fear. So I go with ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll matter.¡± ¡°Huh. Love broke this soon?¡± There¡¯s irony in his voice. I swallow hard. ¡°I just wanted to hear your voice in case-¡± Then I hear a female cough through the phone. Wow. ¡°Am I¡­ interrupting something?¡± ¡°Um, sort of,¡± he says. Silence. ¡°Be careful, L. You might run into her.¡± I exhale a stressed sigh. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping for.¡± I quickly scan my surroundings. Even though it¡¯s still daytime, it¡¯s getting pretty dark. ¡°I think she¡¯s the one who needs to find me, not the other way around-¡± and then I remember. It¡¯s daytime. She can¡¯te out of the shadows! ¡°Well, sorry I can¡¯t be of any help,¡± he says. ¡°You actually were,¡± I note. ¡°I got to go now, I¡¯m¡­ sorry for bothering. I¡¯m d you¡¯re seeing someone,¡± I shut my eyes. ¡°Yeah¡­ thanks, L,¡± he hesitates. ¡°Let me know how it went.¡± I hang up because I can¡¯t speak anymore. I do feel warmer around my heart knowing he¡¯s moved on. I guess I don¡¯t have to feel as guilty anymore. But it was rather quick. And I reluctantly admit it stings a little, but I really have no right to feel that way. Damn straight you don¡¯t¡­ Goes both ways, sugar. Then I remember where I am. I shift into my wolf form and continue our way deeper into the woods. I need to find a part with less light prating through the trees! Or¡­ wait here until it gets darker! My wolf suggests. That way we conserve strength for a fight. That¡¯s actually a smart idea. Want an even smarter one? Run towards the edge of the woods! Don¡¯t just chill nowhere to be found¡­ I realize I¡¯mpletely lost actually. I turn to the left and start walking towards where I think is my pack¡¯s habitat in the clear. After what seems to take hours, I just stop and copse onto a cut tree, getting some rest. An ufortable sensation fills me, as if I¡¯m being watched. I shift back into my human form to take my bag and out of it a bottle of water. I¡¯m so thirsty from all the walking and mental straining, I gulp it all down. ¡°And there I was thinking you wolves couldn¡¯t understand our thirst.¡± My eyes pop as I almost choke jerking my head back. It¡¯s her. I stare at a female vampire with long dark hair, piercing blue eyes with prominent blood vessels around irises, and a tan so pale it looks like porcin. She isughing. She looks exactly the same as the first time I saw her 20 years ago ¨C as if she was in herte 20s. But who knows for how long she¡¯s been that way¡­ ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you,¡± I finally find my voice. She lifts an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued. ¡°You don¡¯t seem scared to see me.¡± I swallow hard, trying to exin myself, but I have difficulties finding the right words. ¡°I- I hoped I¡¯d find you. Well,¡± I correct myself instantly, ¡°that you would find me.¡± Her thin mouth stretches into an amused smirk. ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± she steps around me in a slow manner, as if we have all the time in the world. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came all the down here alone just for an olddy like myself¡­¡± her face expression doesn¡¯t match her words and it scares me a bit. Still, I decide to be honest. ¡°I am curious to see what you have to tell me.¡± She ys with her hair and I notice her abnormally long fingernails. They look awful. ¡°You want to hear my story?¡± she asks with wicked disbelief. For an unknown reason, I start feeling very drowsy. ¡°I want to know why I am the only werewolf who keeps bumping into vampires,¡± I demand. ¡°And why I am still alive even though I always went closer to beasts calling my name¡­ that¡¯s another thing,¡± I remember, ¡°How do you know my name?¡± She stares at me, silent at first, then smirks and starts rolling a strand of hair over her finger. ¡°You always did turn when we called. Yet, you are alive and well. For now.¡± She looks at me up and down. ¡°On the other hand, I am dead and I never once turned when they called L, L, L¡­. Life¡¯s unfair like that.¡± I frown, suddenly not keeping up with our conversation. ¡°But, why did they call you L?¡± A very entertained shock spreads over her face. ¡°Why, don¡¯t you know who I am¡­ Lily?¡± I literally feel every single hair on my body go up and it makes me want to shake. Instead I just shake my head slowly from left to right.. A very entertained shock spreads over her face. ¡°Why, don¡¯t you know who I am¡­ Lily?¡± I literally feel every single hair on my body go up and it makes me want to shake. Instead I just shake my head slowly from left to right. The woman stretches her lips, showing a set of yellowish teeth. ¡°Why, I,¡± she ces her hands over her chest, ¡°am your mother.¡± ¡ª¡ª ?So! ?How did you like the chapter? Were you surprised or did you expect this? What do you think happens next? Thank you all for reading?? Chapter 23: The Secrets I¡¯ve never felt this frozen before. There is a million of little unformed thoughts running inside my head, but I cannot single out any. Is she lying? Is she really my mother? And how?! The woman notices my distress, so she speaks. ¡°I should¡¯ve guessed Patrick never told you the truth.¡± ¡°My mother is dead,¡± is all I manage to utter. She smiles mirthfully. ¡°I guess you are right in a way. I did die. I just didn¡¯t stop to exist¡­¡± I swallow hard. She is lying. ¡°So, what are you saying? I know you couldn¡¯t turn! Vampire¡¯s bite kills werewolves, it doesn¡¯t turn them into one!¡± She nods. ¡°I wasn¡¯t bitten,¡± she says simply. ¡°Lily¡­ if you want to know my story, I have to tell it from the beginning.¡± I stare at the seemingly unaggressive vampire and shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have the time to hear it.¡± The woman takes a seat opposite of me, at a safe distance. ¡°When Patrick and I joined in a ceremony, we were¡­ very much in love.¡± I notice a small smile ying on her lips, but she doesn¡¯t let it form fully. ¡°You see, neither he nor I had mates. But we were very fond of each other. And it was enough. More than enough,¡± her eyes meet mine. ¡°For a few years.¡± I listen intently. I feel like I know what ising next. Her eyes wander away and focus at a branch on the ground. ¡°But then she appeared. Valerie. A beautiful girl from the city, who came to our habitat only to spend her summer vacation,¡± she scoffs and focuses on me again. ¡°She wasn¡¯t even a werewolf¡­. But one thing she was. Your father¡¯s mate.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. My throat stiffens. I suddenly realize the woman, my mother, is telling the truth. ¡°We¡­ fought so much. I couldn¡¯t bear to see him looking at her lustfully, passionately, lovingly even, without never having spoken a word with her. But, he knew. He knew right away,¡± she shifts on her cut tree, ¡°And so did I.¡± ¡°I remember the fights you had,¡± I whisper uncertainly, memories slowlying to the surface. ¡°At first¡­ you were the one angry¡­ and then¡­ it was him. Did he want you to leave so he can be with her?¡± My mother shuts her eyes and quickly shakes her head. ¡°Your father is not that way,¡± she smiles fondly at his memory, ¡°he would never leave me. He swore. And I knew he meant it.¡± I try to imagine myself constraining to be away from Darius. It would be close to impossible. ¡°But he couldn¡¯t stay away, could he?¡± My mother¡¯s eyes fill with water. ¡°He tried his best, I know,¡± she says with a strained voice, ¡°but it is I who couldn¡¯t stand seeing him so¡­ utterly unhappy by my side. A man whom I¡¯d given everything¡­ who loved me to pieces¡­ suddenly just stopped. For no other reason that the Moon Goddess bestowing him with a mate of his own.¡± A tear sheds down her cheek now and she continues. ¡°In a meaningless second when Valerie stood before us, everything we had fell apart. And I was so angry, Lily.¡± I feel like she is trying to justify herself for something that ising. ¡°I understand,¡± I encourage her to go on. ¡°I know exactly how it goes when these things happen.¡± She narrows her eyes in curiosity. ¡°Why, that is right,¡± her lips curl. ¡°You have found yourself a mate of your own. None other than Alpha Darius Carter¡­¡± I swallow hard, unwilling to delve into my problems before I¡¯ve heard her story. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I will not judge you for whatever it is you did,¡± I nod. ¡°Please finish your story.¡± Sheughs. ¡°Don¡¯t make promises you can¡¯t keep,¡± she arches an eyebrow. ¡°Your father made that mistake, too. Well, actually what he promised was that he wouldn¡¯t leave me. Technically, he never swore he wouldn¡¯t touch her. Which he did, of course,¡± she scoffs. ¡°And silly little Valerie was not bothered that Patrick was a married man with three children of his own. No¡­ she just¡­ willingly participated in the affair that destroyed our marriage¡­ and she thought she would face no consequences¡­ when all I wanted was for her to go away and for us to be happy again.¡± Suddenly a shocking thought goes through my mind. ¡°You killed her,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve never heard of her, that¡¯s why¡­ father is still single up to this day¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± she cuts me off. ¡°I wanted your father to love me again. Do you think he could love a person who ended the life of his mate?¡± I realize she¡¯s right. She continues. ¡°Besides¡­ I couldn¡¯t have murdered an innocent human girl and got away with it. No,¡± her eyes wander away. ¡°When one wants tomit a crime of such lengths¡­ one has to be smart about it,¡± she purses her lips. ¡°And I thought I was being smart. If there wasn¡¯t an unlucky twist of fate¡­ I could¡¯ve gotten away with it.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± I insist. I can¡¯t wait to hear the end of this story anymore. She takes a deep breath. ¡°When Patrick admitted to having cheated on me, I- didn¡¯t take it well,¡± she stands up, unable to sit still as haunting memories consume her. ¡°I decided to have my revenge, to hurt him as much as I could without hurting my children in the process. And I knew he¡¯d feel the most pain if Valeria died. But I wasn¡¯t willing to risk my freedom, of course,¡± she rubs her hands, ¡°so I devised a n.¡± ¡°A n where I wouldn¡¯t be seen as a possible suspect.¡± She stills at one ce now and pierces my eyes with hers. ¡°You see, when you want to cause someone harm and put the me on someone else¡­ there has to be a usible motive behind your scapegoat. And the thing with your father was¡­ he had no enemies. So I had no other choice¡­ I resolved to themon enemy of all werewolves. A vampire.¡± My mother scares me. Being angry at my father, I really wanted to like her, but this story doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s going in a good direction. ¡°You told a vampire to kill Valeria?¡± She nods. ¡°But no one told me I shouldn¡¯t make deals with the devil.¡± I take a heavy breath. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The vampire I approached was called Lavron. He was sort of a leader of his group. I knew him from before, because he was a human living close to our habitat. He was turned a vampire by a bite that happened only recently back then. What I hadn¡¯t known¡­ is that he knew Patrick as well. Your father and his pack defeated his group of vampires, weakening his power by arge number. That¡¯s why he was willing to help me.¡± I frown. ¡°But how didn¡¯t you suspect there was a hidden agenda behind his help? I mean, it¡¯s not like a vampire will simply lend a hand to a werewolf? Even if it means food for them, they¡¯re still putting themselves at danger¡­¡± Sheughs sadly, almost as ifughing at herself. ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t suspect it, Lily, is because he had already asked for something in return.¡± I narrow my eyes. ¡°What?¡± She looks down at herself. ¡°My body. It didn¡¯te as a surprise, though. He used to be in love with me when he was still human¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you knew he¡¯d help you.¡± She shuts her eyes again. ¡°He did kill Valeria. And no one suspected someone was behind it. It seemed as a casual case of a vampire murder. Then Lavron came to im his reward to keep his mouth shut,¡± she twists her lips. ¡°When I sold my body to him, I didn¡¯t know I was able to get pregnant with a vampire. But¡­ I did.¡± My hands run to my mouth. ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± my stillborn sibling¡­ Everything falls into ce now. ¡°You know the rest of the story,¡± she shrugs. ¡°When I gave birth to that child¡­ it was dead, of course. Because his werewolf half was poisoned by the vampire¡¯s venom. And¡­ he turned me into a vampire in the process,¡± she scoffs. ¡°When I turned, your father knew then and there¡­ that I was the one behind Valeria¡¯s murder.¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± I whisper. ¡°That¡¯s why he was so angry¡­¡± the memory of that day bes clear in front of my eyes now. And the reason why the vampire woman, my mother, called for me to join her in the woods. The reason my father never let me go alone anywhere¡­. he feared this woman would kill me. But¡­ is he right? How far is she willing to go for revenge? I stare at her with caution, ready to shift the second she attacks. But all she does is continue her story. ¡°He told me to run and never look back. I begged him to kill me¡­ instead, he condemned me to a life of hiding in the trees, watching my children only from afar¡­¡± This woman seems hurt. She doesn¡¯t want to hurt me. ¡°I¡¯m so angry right now,¡± I whisper. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Not at you,¡± I say. ¡°At Dad.¡± He acted¡­ just like Darius does ¨C like he knows better. Entitled to make choices for me. And he just kept my Mother from me all these years. Scaring me with the woods. I know what he¡¯d say if I challenged him. ¡®I did it for you, Lily. I thought she would hurt you.¡¯ Of course he¡¯d say that. But he was wrong. And what now? I should just forgive him and apologize for being right ¨C for going behind his back because I knew better? Fuck that. That isn¡¯t right. ¡°I know you must hate me, Lily. I hate myself, for crying out loud! But¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave this world¡­ without telling my story to one of my children at least. And¡­ asking for your understanding¡­¡± her eyes fill with tears again. ¡°Do you? Do you understand me, Lily?¡± She almost begs. I swallow hard. I know exactly what to say. I am a psychologist for crying out loud! ¡°Better than that,¡± I smile subtly. ¡°I forgive you.¡± A single long drop of tear sheds from each of her eyes. ¡°What happens now?¡± she looks in front of her. ¡°What will you do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I shake my head, an uninvited smile stretching my lips. ¡°And that¡¯s the beauty of it,¡± I look at her. ¡°I have a choice. We¡¯re free. We both are.¡± ¡ª¨C This was a pretty long chapter! Sorry about that, but it couldn¡¯t be shortened much more due to her mother¡¯s long past! ?How did you like her story? Chapter 24 ¡°What in hell are you doing here?¡± Jake shrieks as he opens the door to our house. ¡°I¡¯ll take that, so please make yourself at home,¡± I said, shoving him aside as I entered and headed straight to their new couch that looked superfortable. ¡°L, Darius is searching all over for you!¡± he runs his fingers through his thick dark hair. I took my phone out and saw five missed calls and two text messages from Darius: * Where the hell are you??* *L, are you alright?!?!* I type back. *at my parents¡¯ ce. All good here. Talk to you soon.* I stared at my brother. ¡°I didn¡¯te to talk about Darius,¡± I stated. ¡°Go get your brothers and your father. We¡¯re going to have a family meeting.¡± I thought long and well whether I should tell my siblings the truth. I reached the conclusion that if my dad harmed Mom and the truth could only hurt them, I¡¯d keep it to myself. But, Mom¡¯s alive. And hiding it from them could mean robbing them of a mother. I can¡¯t do that. ¡°Oh?¡± Jake frowns. ¡°If this is about you getting knocked up before the joining ceremony, we totally know already.¡± ¡°What?¡± I almost choked on my spit. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been going around for a while now,¡± he chuckles. ¡°Apparently Alpha Carter was really irritated you dared to escape with his heir. Shocker,¡± he adds ironically. ¡°I¡¯m not pregnant, Jake,¡± I cut him off instantly. ¡°Darius knows that.¡± Jake furrows his brows. ¡°If you¡¯re not preggers, why was Dad so angry at you the other day? You guys never fight.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Right¡­ That was before I knew how lying and manipting he was.¡± ¡°What?!¡± My brother is totally confused now. ¡°What did the old man ever do to you?¡± Where do I even begin? Well, why don¡¯t you just put it out there bluntly? My wolf suggests. I am too tired to think, so I just go with it. ¡°Mom¡¯s alive, Jake. Now go get the rest of our family.¡± My three brothers are still gasping in shock, as my Dad watches me with teary eyes. ¡°I only did it to protect you.¡± ¡°No,¡± I refused. ¡°There was no threat. You did it to punish her. For hurting you. And you hurt us in the process.¡± ¡°How did I hurt you?¡± He demands. ¡°By robbing us of a mother!¡± ¡°A murderer vampire,¡± he scoffs. ¡°Some mother¡­¡± I shook my head in disappointment. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just admit what you did was wrong?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t think it was wrong,¡± he holds his ground. ¡°She killed Valerie.¡± ¡°When can we see her?¡± Jake asks all of a sudden. ¡°She¡¯s a murderer,¡± Jamie shrieks. ¡°Why would you want to see her?¡± ¡°Look,¡± I meditated, ¡°you all are entitled to your own opinions, of course. But I forgive her,¡± I dered. ¡°You should all think about this. Take some time. Then you decide what you want to do. But I want to have her in my life.¡± Jason¡¯s eyes grew big in horror. ¡°How could you forgive her? She killed someone, L.¡± ¡°I know,¡± I nod. Aren¡¯t you just one big happy family? My wolf teases.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Shut up, you¡¯re no better. ¡°But I¡¯ve done things I¡¯vee to regret. And to be honest, I really think I need a mother in my life.¡± Dad frowns. ¡°The Carters will never ept a vampire into their pack. You have to understand that-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back to the Carter pack,¡± I dered. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to stay here for a while. In the guest house.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jason shrieks in excitement. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°L!¡± Jake looks at me in shock. ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°You¡¯ll break Darius¡¯ heart.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s to say he didn¡¯t break mine? Why is everyone always at his side?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re mates and he understands what that means. You don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You know what, Jake,¡± I smile at my baby brother, ¡°The bond-thing isn¡¯t omnipotent,¡± I press my lips, finally proud of myself ¨C feeling like I¡¯ve broken the chains that bounded me. ¡°We decide on our own destinies,¡± I nod. ¡°And I¡¯ve decided to be a woman of my free will. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ve made a decision to reject him, but,¡± I get up, ¡°I¡¯m taking things back in my own hands.¡± ¡°Whose pack will you be part of then?¡± Jake frowns. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to be a part of any. I want to embrace my true self, finally. And see where life takes me. I need to know what makes me happy. And if Darius loves me ¨C for me ¨C and not for the magic spell that made us destined, he¡¯ll understand.¡± Dad¡¯s eyes welled up. But it¡¯s not sadness, it¡¯s pride. ¡°You never judged matebonds,¡± he gutters. ¡°Actually, Dad, I think I could be,¡± I nodded. ¡°But on my own terms. When I decide to. Not when it¡¯s been written in the sky and forced upon me.¡± ¡°You need to clear your head,¡± Dad nods. ¡°I understand. I just want you to know, L¡­ Darius didn¡¯t know the whole story. I told him Laurent¡¯s vampires were after you for revenge.¡± Good to know. ¡°This isn¡¯t about Darius,¡± I said. ¡°We, um, both had our problems. But I never really gave him a real chance, so¡­ I don¡¯t me him for anything. I¡¯m not running away, Dad. I¡¯m running towards something.¡± ¡°To what?¡± I pressed my lips. ¡°A fresh start.¡± ¡ª¨C The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!